[TowerTalk] Tower Work on the John Hancock Building

[Ro Grrr]

Re: Tower Work on the John Hancock Building

When I lived in Dayton (I think I was about 20), I was a member of the local radio club - WA8PLZ  (RLDrake, Miamisburg Wireless Association). The club owned and operated a popular 2 meter repeater. One of the club members, Jay Kuca - WA8LSR, worked at channel 22 TV and when the owner of the station, who was a mountain climber, came to town from his home somewhere in New England where his other station was located,  Jay asked him if our club could install our repeater antenna on his TV tower. The tower was 602 feet high. He got approval and I was one of the crew who did the installation.
Our temporary antenna was a 1/4 wave ground plane at 250 feet. First we had to remove the 5 foot parabolic mesh dish that was where our antenna was to be, and lower it; next a Super Station Master,  about 6 feet out "on standoffs. I got volunteered to shinny out on the standoffs and loosen the clamps (Jimmy was 6'2" and about 220#. I was 5'8", 130#;  you get the idea....). Then we then had to "get rid of" those standoffs. They were 3 inch angle iron, about 10 feet long and they were heavy. We turned each one vertical with Jimmy at the lower end and me at the top; we told the people on the ground to put their hard hats ON and LOOK OUT !   On the count of THREE, we pushed the angle out and watched it fly to the ground. They said it shook the ground when it hit and it dug a hole and dirt exploded all over the place. Did the second angle iron the same way. More dirt.  The feedline was already where we needed it. Jimmy Schottinger, WA8SVV, and I did this work on a Saturday afternoon.
Later that summer, others had already installed the feedline to 450 feet but couldn't hang the antenna then. I came along to install the array of 4 folded dipole antennas at 450 feet. Jimmy wasn't available then so I had to do it myself. I started up the tower about 5 o'clock, after work during the week. I didn't get back onto the ground until after 1030, pitch dark. It was fun working at 450 feet in absolute pitch dark. Since it was getting dark about 830 while I was working, they asked me if I wanted to come back and fini the job the next day but it didn't bother me working in darkness so I continued. Knowing what you're doing is most of it and I didn't need to see what I was doing to finish the job. What's there to placing a short antenna and screwing a nut and washer onto a U-clamp several times ?   Oh, yeah; I had to tape feedline harnesses to the stand-off arms and then to the leg of the tower....    I had plenty of fun and would do it again.
Couple years ago I visited a professional tower dog to pick up a heavy duty gin pole (one that will hang Rohn 55 @100 Lbs a section) and he mentioned he had to do a quickie up on his tower and would I like to join him in the climb ?  He had a spare harness so I lashed up and away we went. He preceeded me up the tower. My safety line catch broke so I had to leave it at the base of the tower and climb without my 100% tie-off. We got to the top and I enjoyed the view of his Tennessee mountains  while he did his repair. Back down we went.
BTW, I'm now 66 and haven't gained any weight and I can still climb tower with most of the younkers. I'm still planning to put up a 150 foot R55 tower with a TH7 here at my new home for my ham station. This has been one of those long-in-the-planning projects but it will get done.

73,
RoGrrr - that's pronounced ROH Grrr, has been my nick most of my life
KC8HZ - KiloCycles Eight Hertz.  Shame that so many of the 'newbies' don't know WTF a KiloCycle is....


WHEN is the revolution scheduled to start ?