[TowerTalk] Tower Climbing Tips

[Bill Coleman]

I've made several tower climbs in the last three weeks upgrading my  
A3S with the A743 40m kit. I've run across several small ideas I'd  
like to share.

1) Always carry tape. It's just too useful. Found another use for it.  
When replacing the A3S DE, I had trouble holding the saddle on the U- 
bolt and raising the DE at the same time, and I dropped the saddle.  
As soon as I got back to the ground, it hit me -- use tape to hold  
the saddle to the boom. Once I got the DE back on, I removed the tape.

2) Use ropes and pulleys for mechanical advantage. Raising the DE  
back up to the boom was difficult, as I don't have a gin pole. So  
lifting had to be done with two hands, but then I needed a third hand  
to try and align things. I needed to be able to life with one hand,  
and guide with the other. I used a hank of nylon rope about 6 feet  
long. First, I tied a clove hitch around the DE, then put the rope  
over the boom, under the other side of the DE, and back over the  
boom. Pulling the rope gave a 2:1 mechanical advantage.

I had to pull my rotator and lower the antenna in order to reach the  
DE. Raising it back up required more lift. Again a gin pole would  
have made this easy. Instead, I used two pulleys, one hooked to the  
tower bracing, another hooked under the mast. This convey a 2:1  
mechanical advantage. Made raising the mast easy.

(Note that the A3S and mast is only about 50 lbs total, heavier  
installations might consider using a comealong)

3) Ziplock plastic bags. I sorted the hardware for each step into  
small component bags. A3S DE hardware in one bag. Rotator hardware  
with another bag. Saves a lot of fumbling around up on the tower, and  
also lowers the chance of dropping something.

My daughter Kate came up with this idea. I needed a pair of pliers on  
the tower, and I lowered a rope down to her. I was going to have her  
tape the pliers to the carabeaner, but she could not find the tape.  
Instead, she put the pliers in a ziplock bag, and punctured a hole  
through it with the carabeaner.

I used this trick today to haul up a can of LPS 3 corrosion inhibitor.

4)

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901