[TowerTalk] Pole steps

Sun Mar 30 02:36:01 EDT 2008

Hello Gordon,

Yes, it was/is special.  If you or others want to visit, go to the N6IJ website, and contact the BOD, to let them
know of your wishes to visit or operate, or join, and they can help you with that, always with encouragement to Join.
The site is vastly undertilized IMHO.

 Most of the Poles had a (some more than a single )  bare single strand copper,  about #8 guage stapled and run  from an 8" stinger above  the top of the pole, to a deep ground rod at the base, and in some instances a pretty good network of ground runners radiating from the pole bases, just subsurface, and tied to ground rods periodically.

We had some Ft. Ord heavy, galvanized steel  pole hardware clamps  that were used to secure antenna rotors and sometimes directly secured antennas,  that I assume were bonded to the existing ground wires at the  pole top. 

The Big boom homebrew 4 element  20 meter beam (in the website pictures and on the map) at the top of the hill at 62 ft is fixed to Europe, and plays REALLY well, now for some 11 years.) 

All the best,
Pat Barthelow    (916) 315-9271
aa6eg at hotmail.com
http://www.jamesburgdish.org

> From: w2ttt at att.net
> To: aa6eg at hotmail.com; towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Pole steps
> Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:43:42 +0000
> 
> Pat,
> This is a fantastic setup!
> One question:  How does one ground the antennas for lightning and static
> discharge purposes/
> Thanks & 73,
> Gordon Beattie, W2TTT
> 201.314.6964

-----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Pat Barthelow
> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 10:15 PM
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Pole steps

> Its been some years now since I have climbed poles there, but at N6IJ  (
> http://www.n6ij.org ) and
>  http://www.n6ij.org/images/n6ijmap2.jpg.
> we have a "pole forest", perhaps 20-25  poles.   Most of which were planted
> in the Mid 60s, based on the date tags still existing on the poles.  They
> are now approaching 45-50 years, set about 10-12 ft deep in the (sandy)
> ground, and when last visited by me, were in very sound condition.  The
> steps are galvanized steel, and have the rolled threads described below. 
> 
> I started servicing and installing antennas there in 1995.  At that time I
> had the senior Field Supervisor at 
> PG&E walk the forest with me, and give me wisdom on what to look for in
> determining health and safety of use of the poles for antenna supports.
> Most all of the poles are free standing.   Steve, K7LXC has walked the
> forest....
> 
> Most of the poles were treated with a creosote type of treatment, and it was
> evident that the applied chemical either gravity migrated towards the bottom
> of the poles, or was more heavily applied to the bottom 15 ft or so.  The
> VERY old poles, which were a Rhombic  (sigh...no longer complete) pointed
> right at the pacific ocean, towards Pearl Harbor, and were definitely coated
> with a jet black crusty, tarry stuff.  Almost like obsidian, when it
> chipped.   A few had the more modern, green, Copper based solution, and had
> the distinctive check marks used to help imbed the preservative.
> 
> The PGE foreman trained me how to recognize and inspect the critical areas
> of the pole, near the base, and the first 18" below the ground line.  Also
> critical, and often neglected is the top 18" or so, of the pole, which often
> is not treated,  soaks up water like a sponge, and with age, becomes
> weakened, almost sawdust at times.  Also the pole steps.  The steps,  about
> 45-50 years old,  were in sound condition, generally, and often had accrued
> "crud" largely concentrated at the point of entry into the pole.  The "crud"
> was usually a crusty accumulation of splinters, sap, dirt,  and the
> preservative, which oozed out and down the pole.  The Galvanizing at that
> point was often discolored, and in some cases, eroded away, so that you
> could see steel, not zinc, on the surface that had, generally a smooth
> patina, and had not eroded or weakened significantly.  My bet is the combo
> of chemicals at the surface are mildly corrosive,  
> (Hmmmm.... Rosin Core Solder.....similar to pole "sap" ..great cleaning flux
> at elevated temperatures) 
> either acidic, or basic.  The biggest danger/caution needed was, sometimes
> the natural, normal drying of the poles, causes vertical splits in random
> locations on the pole. Sometimes the splits came through a pole step,
> weakening the step installation, sometimes making it useless.  
> 
> If you watched for that, and adopted a test for each step by putting a
> couple of G's on the step with a jumping motion, with each foot fall
> (securely strapped off, and supporting a lot of your weight with your arms,
> on higher steps,  when you jumped or jounced on the step..)  you  will
> immediately find any steps that are weak through corrosion, or from cracks
> in the wood, at their penetration.
> 
> Our pole farm of, say, 20 poles each had, say, 35 steps, each pole, that are
> all 45-50 years old.
> I found maybe 2 or 3 steps total, that were unsound, and those were due to
> wood cracks, in the whole farm.
> 
> I found them very easy to climb, and nice to work on.  
> The lack of guys, make things really nice for hauling things from ground to
> top.
> 
> Hmmm... one thing also necessary and previously mentioned, months back,  is
> a need to be fairly fit, both for safety and comfort reasons.   Today, if I
> had to climb, I would not last very long, in a comfortable zone, without a
> couple of months of regular bike riding.
> 
> A critical feature of comfort, though, is the need for two equal height
> steps at your working strap off point, at the pole top.  Sometimes we had
> staggered steps at the top which made work, and leg fatigue a problem.
> There is available, somewhere on the web, a  Lineman's manual covering
> inspection and treatment of poles for power company use.  A good resource
> also is McFarland, a huge pole manufacturing company, also with detailed web
> presence.  A pole hardware supplier that has steps, is AB-Chance company,
> probably among many others. 
> 
> 
> All the best,
> Pat Barthelow    (916) 315-9271
> aa6eg at hotmail.com
> http://www.jamesburgdish.org
> 
> 
> > Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:43:22 -0400
> > From: K8RI-on-TowerTalk at tm.net
> > To: George.Dubovsky at andrew.com
> > CC: towertalk at contesting.com; faunt at panix.com
> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Pole steps
> >
> > Dubovsky, George wrote:
> >> Doug,
> >>
> >> I'd stop by a local utility truck and ask those guys for help; they
> >> might know of a utility boneyard.
> >>
> >> On the other hand, your basic premise does raise a few issues. One, are
> >> screw-in steps harmful to the tree? Maybe, maybe not. But two, the idea
> >> of partially unscrewing anchors periodically, and then trusting them to
> >> hold your weight is a new idea to me. I know what you're saying - the
> >> tree is growing radially out - but it might be growing around a larger
> >>
> > *Generally* commercially threaded parts have rolled threads. They are
> > stronger, cheaper, and of a LARGER diameter than the shaft. I have to
> > emphasize that "generally" though as YMMV between companies and parts.
> >
> > Roger (K8RI)
> >> diameter, unthreaded part of the step, so eventually perhaps the step
> >> threads would be in an oversized "unthreaded" hole. Maybe, perhaps,
> >> eventually ;-)... I don't think I would do it.
> >>
> >> 73,
> >>
> >> geo - n4ua
> >>
> >>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:towertalk-
> >>> bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604
> >>> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 12:56 PM
> >>> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> >>> Subject: [TowerTalk] Pole steps
> >>>
> >>> Does anyone know where I can get half-a-dozen screw-in pole steps at a
> >>> reasonable price? I use a tree for some of my antenna supports, and
> >>> climbing to the appropriate place is I had a few of those screw-in
> >>> pole steps installed.
> >>>
> >>> Most attachments to trees are a problem because of growth, but these
> >>> can be backed out a small amount every now and then to compensate.
> >>>
> >>> 73, doug
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> TowerTalk mailing list
> >>> TowerTalk at contesting.com
> >>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------
> >> This message is for the designated recipient only and may
> >> contain privileged, proprietary, or otherwise private information.
> >> If you have received it in error, please notify the sender
> >> immediately and delete the original. Any unauthorized use of
> >> this email is prohibited.
> >>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------
> >> [mf2]
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> TowerTalk mailing list
> >> TowerTalk at contesting.com
> >> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> >>
> >>
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > TowerTalk mailing list
> > TowerTalk at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> _______________________________________________
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> 