[TenTec] Pimp My Eagle -outdoor safety for antenna work

[rick@dj0ip.de]

One rule I find missing Stuart, which we implemented in our BCC club is "no
climbing in the dark."

On one of our contest expeditions back in 1988 we still had a couple guys up
towers by dark, on top of one of the tallest mountains in Liechtenstein
(HB0), and it was cold (near freezing) and snowing.  The wind was also
blowing hard.  That was the SSB CQWW CW at the end of October.

30 days later at the CW expedition to Luxembourg, we implemented new rules
(at my insistence) prohibiting climbing after dark.  I also began waking
people at 6 am in the morning so that we would be able to capitalize on the
limited number of daylight hours in late November.

It took us one week to erect all of the towers and antennas.  The first 2
days a few of the young kids didn't want to get up.  They took cold showers
inside their sleeping bags.  Of course I carried them into the shower and
got just as wet and cold but after that, everyone got up when I told them
to.  

Safety is indeed very important.

73 - Rick, DJ0IP
(Nr. Frankfurt, Germany)


-----Original Message-----
From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Stuart
Rohre
Sent: Friday, January 08, 2016 8:53 PM
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Pimp My Eagle -outdoor safety for antenna work

Good point Rick, but here rain equals lightning, so we QRT antenna work at
that point.  SAFETY first.

Recently we also set some other rules for tower work: 1. no climbing if wind
is over 12 mph, (if then).  (Hoisting lines whip around and foul each other
in those kinds of sustained wind.)

2. No climbing on wet tower, (ours is 56 foot HBX, heavy duty model, and
those x braces as "steps" are tricky in best of WX.

3. Climber has to wear the OSHA compliant harness, which has two Gorilla
hooks to hook in the bungee cords for safety while moving up or down. 
(Our NGO partner in the club station bought the club this climbing harness
for us.)

4. We confine ordinary tower work of adding or taking off an antenna to
temperatures of 52 degrees or above.

5. Climbing is limited to about 2 hours duration or 3 in colder weather.
In Summer we climb earlier in the day to avoid 100 degree plus temperatures.

6. Boots or hiking shoes are used or true work shoes; to give a heavy sole
for climbing, since the braces are narrow and cut into ordinary sport foot
wear.

-Stuart
K5KVH

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