Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:14:42 -0400
From: "D Calder" <towertalk@n4zkf.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Free climbing a 1700' tower
It's called 100% TIE OFF! The tower owner didn't tell them to "free climb".
You are right on one thing. They could have
walked away from the job if they didn't want to go up the 100% tie off way.
## let's get this straight. To do a 100% tie off..[ and NO safety cable
installed], means the
climber has to use TWO lanyards. Did you look at the 1st 100' they had to
climb?
It consisted of step pegs on ONE side only, extra long ones, so the climber has
both hands
on the same step peg. Tying off to a step peg is really a no-no these days.
You would need
a small hook on the end of each lanyard, so the hook doesn't jump over the
mushroom end
caps, on the ends of the step pegs.
## It would very awkward climbing in that fashion, and really slow going,
having to un-hook, and re-hook
one lanyard at a time. In one of those links, a 25 yr old climber fell to his
death recently. They found a sheared
off step peg 65' away from the tower. Apparently the climber fell before he
even reached the missing step peg.
The owner of the tower had stated that the climber should use the 3 x point
contact method of climbing at all times,
even when free climbing. IE: 2 x hands and 2 x feet = 4 x points of
contact. When climbing, 3 x points of contact
are required at all times. Most folks will use 2 x point contact climbing,
which is a lot faster. I started using that
3 x point contact climbing method about 11 years ago. Once you get used to it,
you will find it doesn't slow you down
too much, and is a safer way to climb.
## IMO, I think more folks would be willing to climb towers, IF a safety cable
was permanently installed. I had it wrong
before. The locking device/slider terminates on a D ring in the middle of
your chest..and not 5" below the base of your neck.
With that setup, you would not fall more than 1-4" max. Most safety cable
set ups use either 5/16" or 3/8" cable. Some
locking devices /sliders will work on 5/16" and 3/8" cable. Some are just
either 5/16" or 3/8". I think most folks would
agree they would feel a helluva lot safer IF a safety cable was employed.
Just test it....3' above the grnd each time you climb.
Take TWO lanyards with appropriate hooks up with you, so once you reach the
top of tower, you can hook onto the tower,
and then un hook from the safety cable. Of course, with any rotating tower, or
tic rings, or side mount rotary yagi's, the safety cable
can't be installed. That being the case, one would have to put all the ant's
on top of the tower, which then means climbing the mast
if more than one yagi installed.
Later... Jim VE7RF
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