[TowerTalk] Unsafe Climbing Practices

[K4RO Kirk Pickering]

Thanks Frank.

In retrospect, it may have been irresponsible of me to 
post those photos, lest someone get the wrong idea that 
such practices were deemed safe. I was not trying to 
advocate a partucular technique. I was trying to show
how one person dealt with the specific antenna under 
question.  Thanks for posting a sobering response. 
Maybe it will save someone's life. 

For the record, I never climb my own tower without a proper 
fall-arrest harness and helmet.  Unfortunately, there are 
probably few among us who haven't performed tasks that were 
not commensurate with the risk. In the past, I did a lot of 
really stupid things out of sheer ignorance, and yes, some-
times out of desperation. Hopefully I am now better-educated
and less desperate than I used to be.

Back when I put up my first tower 15 years ago, nobody that I 
knew locally used a fall-arrest harness. Now they are considered
standard equipment by many locals. Educated postings on TowerTalk
have taught me more about tower safety than everything and everyone 
else combined. Thanks for keeping the information in front of us.

With great respect for both Frank and Jeff, 73

-Kirk  K4RO


On Mon, Jan 08, 2007 at 02:04:44PM -0500, donovanf at starpower.net wrote:
> Kirk,
> 
> Any trained tower climber will be very concerned about the lack of safe tower climbing practices evident in your photographs.
> 
> Here's an excellent reference for safe tower climbing practices:
> 
> http://www.blm.gov/nhp/efoia/wo/fy06/im2006-078attach1.pdf
> 
> A quick review of the manual will uncover multiple unsafe practices evident in your photographs, including (at least): unsafe climbing surface, unsafe anchorage and unsafe clothing.
> 
> These disturbing photos should be a call to all of us to better understand and practice safe climbing.
> 
> 73
> Frank
> W3LPL
> 
> 
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2007 14:27:46 -0600
> >From: K4RO Kirk Pickering <k4ro at darkstar.k4ro.net>  
> >Subject: [TowerTalk] (no subject)  
> >To: Mark Beckwith <n5ot at n5ot.com>
> >Cc: towertalk at contesting.com
> >
> >Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] KLM 4-element 40 question
> >Reply-To: 
> >In-Reply-To: <01b901c730e7$05cd0790$6401a8c0 at MARKHOME>
> >
> >Here are some photos of how K4JNY does it at 120 feet. 
> >Yes, Jeff has no fear. I don't think I could do it.
> >Thanks to W4NZ for taking the photos.
> >
> >http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/pix/W1AW_4/pages/IMG_0008.html
> >http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/pix/W1AW_4/pages/IMG_0009.html
> >http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/pix/W1AW_4/pages/IMG_0010.html
> >http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/pix/W1AW_4/pages/IMG_0011.html
> >http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/pix/W1AW_4/pages/IMG_0012.html
> >http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/pix/W1AW_4/pages/IMG_0013.html
> >http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/pix/W1AW_4/pages/IMG_0014.html
> >
> >73
> >
> >-Kirk  K4RO
> >
> >
> >On Fri, Jan 05, 2007 at 10:31:24AM -0600, Mark Beckwith wrote:
> >> TT:
> >> 
> >> I know the answer to this question is lurking here someplace.  I need to repair a guy's KLM 4-40 feedpoint.  Can you reach all of that from the tower/mast or am I going to have to be prepared to take the antenna down?  It's been over 10 years since I saw one of these up-close and I forget the answer :)
> >> 
> >> Mark, N5OT 
> >> _______________________________________________