[TowerTalk] Climbing

[Jim Thomson]

Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 10:45:55 -0400
From: "Wilson" <infomet at embarqmail.com>
To: "towertalk" <towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Climbing

Isn?t this topic about done? 

But a new question:  I?ve never climbed much and never used a harness at all, but I have one now and will use it.
But isn?t the dorsal attachment of the fall arrest lanyard asking for trouble?
It seems to me that the usual lanyards are too long and that with the dorsal attachment they are very likely to snap tight and slam one?s face into the tower when the big stop occurs at the end of the fall?
It looks like a ventral attachment would be much less likely to produce secondary pain/injury, especially if one wore a helmet?

Really, our towers and high work are pretty benign, as far as stress and danger go.  The Russian kid did fine, but they weren?t even under sail!
For perspective, ask how many of us could survive this:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUhKBZb7A7c\
And for some instructive detail and depth, this is worth some time:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Q_SfMvSMw
OSHA would have put the sailing ships out of business, if their economics had not!

If I ever have a tall tower, it will have the safety cable system, which I think is far superior to all that hooking and unhooking!
But I?m likely too old and lazy...

73,
Wilson
W4BOH

##  yes, you will get  your face and body slammed into the tower.   What freaks me out are those corner climbing steel pegs you see on bigger towers. 
You fall..and you get slammed into the tower....and a steel peg could easily end up in your face or eye..or both. 

## No excuse for not installing the ..375 inch 7 strand ehs  galvanized steel cable from top to bottom of any tower.  Piece of cake to install. 
Just like a guy wire hanging down the side of a tower.  Use several cable clamps or 2-3  nicropress crimps  or  a pre-form dead end to terminate  
the .275 inch cable.  usual deal is to use  the usual huge shackle or 1 inch bolt  at the top.... or 2 for redundancy.  I have yet to see any of those safety cable assy’s 
made from SS.    Then a simple turnbuckle and spring at the base to keep a bit of tension on the .375 inch cable. 

## That simple safety cable system can easily be installed  on any tower, guyed or freestanding.... and even a rotating  tower.    The problem is when 
tic rings are used.  Even then the safety cable can be installed  between tic rings....starting and stopping at each ring.   2 lanyards used  to get over the ring,
then use the safety device to lock back into the next  .375 inch safety cable. 

## Our local pro installer has used both the safety cable system and also the  Trylon safety rail system on  various commercial towers. He tells me he like
the tylon rail system better.  The rail system is also used on stuff like concrete water towers etc, etc. 

##  The cost of a simple safety cable system is peanuts.   You wont shear a 1 inch bolt any time soon, nor a .375 inch cable.    1 inch bolts are rated at 
20 k pounds...and ,375 inch cable is rated at 15,400 lbs. 

##   You don’t want to be on top of a trylon tower or any other tower that uses angle steel for diagonal bracing..... in the rain.   They are like greased lightning,
and extremely dangerous. 

##  You don’t want to be up a tower when u get stung in the face or hands.... or cut urself, or get ur fingers pinched, smacked by a piece of steel, or boom, etc. 
Ever install a 120 lb tic ring..in pieces... no fun. 

## Commercial towers around here all use safety cables.... so should you.  WCB makes em install em.... no free climbing allowed.  Huge  fines, folks terminated,
etc.   Now if hams want to cheap out..go for it.  One piece of .375 inch  ehs cable  running up the side of a tower cost dick.   The device used to slide up and down the
cable is a few bucks..who cares. 

##  The easiest way to get hams to install the safety cable is simple.  I wont climb up a fellow hams tower  without one.   Get the safety cable installed..or get somebody else to
climb the tower. 

end of story............... Jim   VE7RF