[TowerTalk] Free climbing a 1700' tower

Mon Sep 20 04:54:48 PDT 2010

The problem is half of us are talking about your tower in the back yard. The
others are thinking commercially for a living like the video that caused
this to begin with.

Two words.    Gravity works.

Period.

2 simple rules.

I catch you on one of our towers "free climbing", you're down the road. You
climb alone without a partner, you're down the road. No conversation.
Everyone else can do what they want.
I don't care, just don't do it in front of me or around me or on my towers.
You want to be a statistic, be my guest. It's not a matter of if, but
when......

Dave n4zkf

-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Doug Renwick
Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2010 9:58 AM
To: 'Jim Thomson'; 'Blake Bowers'; 'jimlux'; 'Mike'; 'Rik van Riel'; 'David
Gilbert'; 'Ronnie Carter'; 'Mark Robinson'; 'WA3GIN'
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.

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