[TowerTalk] Belts/Harness

[Phil Camera]

What brand of harness do you use, Phil? I am thinking of purchasing one 
for myself.

Personally I use the following as listed.  I purchased these from Airgas 
Safety (800-558-8900).  They're an industrial catalog safety equipment 
sales company.  Also, Grainger, McMaster Carr, Lab Safety, etc. can 
supply similar equipment.  And yes of course our own Tower Talk 
moderator, Steve, K7LXC, at Championradio.com offers the same 
equipment.  I use the following for tower climbing:

MSA FP Pro full body harness, cross chest straps w/ back and hip 
D-rings    ~$58
Miller Manyard shock absorbing lanyard with gorilla hook at one end   ~$66
Rebar Chain Positioning Assembly ~$50   (gorilla hook with eye at end 
slides along chain that attached to hip D-rings)

I like the gorilla hooks as they allow very quick attachment as one 
climbs.  I alternate between the lanyard and the positioning hook as I 
climb or descend so that I'm always attached 100%.  (Well, I do cheat 
sometimes when I climb and do a little free climbing for a part of a 
section but am always connected when descending.)  When I'm up top, I 
attach the lanyard to the mast usually and use the rebar positioner to 
swing from side to side, the gorilla hook slides along the chain 
attached to the hip D-rings.  And of course, I use safety shoes with a 
steel shank in the sole for good foot support.  And, I always try to 
keep one hand on the tower for me and always use the three point rule 
when climbing/descending, i.e. always have three points attached, three 
out of two feet and two hands.  Take your time, plan your climb, have 
good ground crew, take breaks when moving up and down, don't be scared 
but do be cautious and don't take chances.  Phil  KB9CRY

Oh, also, I use brown cotton jersey gloves with rubber dots on them for 
climbing.  The rubber dots give good grip on the tower sections which 
can become quite slippery.  Finally I have a Petzl climbing helmet to 
use to protect the noggin.