[TowerTalk] Beam Stuck*&%^*#@*

[force12@interserv.com]

Good afternoon.

My 2 cents:
	I, like Kurt, climb crank-ups all the time; HOWEVER, I DO NOT RECOMMEND 
IT TO ANYONE. I fully realize that one mistake and I am in real trouble. I had 
my 89' tower break the top cable while I was standing next to it, right after it 
stopped at full extension. That will sober you right up. It will redefine the 
meaning of the power from free fall for you - nothing stops it. Although I was 
hit in the chest with a welded brace that flew off, I was all right (the 
antennas did not break off - but they did get bent). Bolts from pulley frames 
sheared and I found them 100' away in the street.

Best recommendation: hire someone to do it for you. Your situation is 
potentially very dangerous and not a typical installation or take-down. Unless 
you have a lot (LOT) of experience in a lot (LOT) of situations, you do not have 
the knowledge of all the possible things that can go wrong - for which you must 
plan ahead of time. This includes having a ground person who will have the 
presence of mind to recognize an emergency and call 911.



For those of us who still climb them because we will take the risk:

Kurt makes an excellent point about not being safe in a bucket until the tower 
is secure. I have had 3 crane drivers that ran me into the tower (one time 
each), so always think way ahead.

To further Kurt's safety measures, blocking the tower means the weight of the 
tower is resting on, or within a fraction of an inch of the steel blocks, not 
several inches above them. I also clamp the sections together with many steel 
clamps (using several welded tower pieces so as to not place all the load on one 
weld), plus wrapping steel cable around various joints and using 8 cable clamps 
per. I sometimes include come-alongs with their hooks in the tops of the 
vertical side tubes to hold the sections. This is dangerous business.

It is like I tell myself when riding a cycle, "You get one chance and you lose."

Besides that, I like sending CW with my fingers.


Have a great day & 73,
                Tom Schiller, N6BT
		President, Force 12, Inc.
			Amateur Antennas, Commercial Towers & Antennas
		P.O. Box 1349 Paso Robles, CA  93447
		Phone: 805.227.1680   FAX 805.227.1684
		Web Site: http://www.QTH.com/force12






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