[TowerTalk] Free climbing a 1700' tower
kurt at kuhlroad.net
kurt at kuhlroad.net
Sun Sep 19 12:07:32 PDT 2010
Quit being a dick. It's not your forum. If you don't like how it's run then start your own and play by the rules that you like.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Renwick <ve5ra at sasktel.net>
Sender: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2010 07:58:06
To: 'Jim Thomson'<jim.thom at telus.net>; 'Blake Bowers'<bbowers at mozarks.com>; 'jimlux'<jimlux at earthlink.net>; 'Mike'<noddy1211 at sbcglobal.net>; 'Rik van Riel'<riel at surriel.com>; 'David Gilbert'<xdavid at cis-broadband.com>; 'Ronnie Carter'<towerbob at hotmail.com>; 'Mark Robinson'<markrob at mindspring.com>; 'WA3GIN'<wa3gin at comcast.net>
Cc: <towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Free climbing a 1700' tower
You are receiving this privately because it will not be posted to
towertalk. It's so silly that it is sad. List moderator, list owner,
despot, dictator, Steve, K7LXC, likes to play god from time to time and
censor posts.
Jim,
I also climb with two lanyards, a long and a short one. I use the short
one in situations where I need to be supported close to the tower or the
mast. Now when I climb my mast with steps, I do not free climb. I make
sure that I am belted in all times. I could free climb but I just don't
feel comfortable doing that on the mast. I also climb with my cell
phone as a precaution.
Doug
"Think of all the ways you can hurt yourself laughing."
-----Original Message-----
I always free climb, then snap the belt when I get where I'm going.
Been doing it for 20 years or more. There's just one rule -- hold on
tight. But I'm 54 now, and suspect that in a few years I might start
hooking up all the way.
## I have been doing the exact same thing since 1972.... climb
up...then hook on. All the tower's I have had, are too wide to put a
lanyard around [ 30" face width towers, straight sections] . The
folks here in town, that had guyed
rohn 25/45 all put the lanyard right around the tower... then un
hooked, and re-hooked at each guy station. [ one lanyard used] That
always seemed silly to me, since if u fell, you would slide all the way
down the side of the tower anyway.
## I mention before, a month ago, about using the 3/8" steel safety
cable, fall arrest system used on all commercial towers... and the
consensus was/is... if you fall, you will fall as much as 6' before it
grabs. At which point, you will get one of the 5/8" x 10" long step
pegs in your eyes [ an wireless/ trylon super titan free standing
towers] On a guyed 25/45/55 tower, the 3/8" safety cable would
work... provided you had no tic-ring rotors, or swinging gates. The
safety cable will also not work on a rotating tower.
## Then someone mentioned using TWO lanyards.... both with gorilla
hooks on the ends....and alternately clipping and un-clipping the 2 x
hooks as you climb up/down. I have not tried this..yet, but it's
probably a good idea, although awkward, and time consuming. At least if
you fell, you won't fall very far. On the 30" tower I had.. I just
free climbed up the IN-side of it, the entire length. The yagi's were
all fixed on EU, so no rotor plates/masts, etc. It just feels a lot
safer going up the inside of a tower, than the outside. On my 40'
trylon, I could climb the inside of it too.
## back in 1977, I had mast steps welded to the 2" mast on a 60'
tower....so free climbed the 60' tower.. then free climbed the 11'
mast. ... then wrapped the lanyard around the mast a few times, to take
up the slack. [ no easy trick, as your body is in the way, and u have to
wrap it several times]. I said I would never use mast steps again.
On this new crank up, there will be mast steps clamped to the 2"
chromolly mast [3/8" thick wall tubing]. At least with the tower
nested, tower is only 24' tall, then 14' of mast above it. IMO, too
much hassle trying to remove a prop pitch from a crank up, then
lowering a mast, installing yagi's, then raising again, then
re-installing the PP. I have 2 x lanyards, one with gorilla hooks.
I should make a custom 3rd lanyard... really short, like 12"- 15" long
for the mast.. once up there.
## doing this stuff when you are 20 yrs old is one thing. Climbing in
your 50's is another. I'd agree with K7LXC.... you have any kind of
med emergency, get stung, get caught in a rain storm, or a sudden wind
storm comes up, or smash your fingers, knees, cut yourself, and you can
be in serious potential trbl....real fast. Meanwhile the wife is
doing laundry, or out shopping...... and warns you to 'be safe up
there'. Perhaps a cell phone would be the ticket..then at least you
could call 911.
later... Jim, VE7RF
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
Dave,
Actually in some places and some towers you can rest with your hands off
the tower without belting in. Simply place the upper part of your body
inside the tower and use your body and elbows to lock yourself in that
position. That actually is safer than hanging on with tired hands.
Maybe we should change some wording here. If anyone is following CQ
Contest there is a discussion again about what is assisted and what is
unassisted. How about calling free climbing unassisted and all others
assisted.
Doug
"Think of all the ways you can hurt yourself laughing."
-----Original Message-----
Doug, I didn't intentionally change what you said, but I'm having a
difficult time understanding the distinction since if someone can't
physically climb a tower at all none of this discussion applies anyway.
If someone was prone to acrophobia it would come into play whether
they were free climbing or constantly clipped in (trust me). About the
only valid distinction I can discern between "can't" and "won't" free
climb is if someone wasn't fit enough to periodically rest without
taking their hands off the tower. If that was your point, OK.
Your suggestions on how to negate forces beyond our control don't make
much sense to me, though. I wouldn't trust my life to any of them. A
simple strap makes far more sense.
I guess what I most don't understand about any of this discussion is
what any amateur has to gain by free climbing. Time to climb or descend
is typically minor compared with the time actually spent doing work on
the tower. It does seem idiotic to me to knowingly and significantly
risk one's life for no potential gain.
Dave AB7E
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------
Blake,
Please back up your statement with references. I live in Canada. Can
you point me to a Canadian regulation that says it is an illegal act to
free climb in a commercial and a non commercial situation.
Doug
"Think of all the ways you can hurt yourself laughing."
-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Blake Bowers
Sent: September 18, 2010 2:05 PM
To: WA3GIN; Doug Renwick; 'Towertalk'
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] free climbing a 1700`tower
IMHO, he achieved the idiot level when he advocates an
illegal act - which free climbing in the commercial world
is an illegal act.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
More information about the TowerTalk
mailing list