The reason I called you all here

[67Dart273]

is to see if I'm as big an S.O.B. as some of you may think I am. This was my last job before the "big crash."

I may not look happy but I am. It was a hot day, suitin' up to climb a little tower and hang some antennas This was about 96, so I"m 48 years old here, and already fighting arthritis. Lots of Tylenol, and lots of "grit and bear it."

Mostly done, working down, tying off the coax. Those antennas are more than 20', and even though I could lift one with one hand off the ground, it's a different story up on top, trying to install one while hanging one "fishin' pole" style. Wind doesn't help. I think this "little" tower was 80'

The site in the tower above got similar gear to this below, but these were at other "twin" sites, done by myself, consisted of fire/ PD repeaters, paging gear, and the small wall hung gear is 900mhz paging link gear. This is the insides of two sites, which were surplus Military "camper" communications huts which fit into a pickup. Not enough room to stand up inside!!!..

I had one HELL of a time cutting the feedline holes in this hut. They are made of some sort of insulated aluminum honeycomb sandwitch, and the hole saw was constantly "hooking" in that crap.

One of my "built from scratch" projects, an electric door lock panel control. The panel is standard 19" rack, the box was bought from local supplier, all the work done by myself. Used 'phone 50 pair cable to control 28V DC relays

The relay panel, still had to be wired into system

What you are looking at below is the VERY small and crowded phone terminal room at Oregon City Oregon 911 dispatch. We have started work here. The entire space of the walls was covered in working phone terminal blocks, known as "66 blocks" What you see here, the black boxes on the end wall are the new Motorola Centralink phone switch install in progress, really just beginning. In order to make wall space, we put cardboard up on the left wall, HUNG the terminal blocks on the back wall on sticks and pull string, and "hinged" them over against the left wall. That's what you see, are the terminal blocks hanging there. These were in fact the "working" phone system, later to be removed by us.

While I enjoyed this work while I was able, it's no picnic. Lots of hours on the road, lots of sites we worked were not even really roads, so you are almost camped out, rescue in an emergency would be slim to none. And even after we got back to the Spokane shop after a VERY long day, I still had a 45 mile trip home to bed.

 

[MtNemoMopar]

Think you have had it tough? Scott works at Ford.

 

[67Dart273]

Think you have had it tough? Scott works at Ford.

LOL Have no idea what that means. Does he work outside in 90+ heat? Wind rain snow? Temperatures below zero? I did.

What does Scott do?

 

[Nite Moves]

S.O.B ???? If anything you have been helpfull to me and ..Thanks... I guess i could have told you that.

 

[Snake]

Ya not sure why u think that way u cool to me,u sob.[-X

 

[zigs]

No problems here. You have helped me a couple of times. Besides I can take it and pitch it back. I always admired a guy that could climb to the top of a short ladder let alone a 80' tower....... I'm afraid of heights.

 

[67Dart273]

....... I'm afraid of heights.

LOL Thanks. I'm ALSO afraid of heights, that just makes me "hang on tight."


I've had my moments, though, There was a small 60-89 ft self supporting tower that was only ?? 3ft leg spread at the base, up on a narrow ridge, in a residential area in Pullman, WA. You get up there, the wind is blowing, the clouds are blowing past, and the tower MOVES. You have to CONVINCE yourself the damn thing is not gonna come down TODAY. I guess maybe I got up there and hung on for about 30 seconds before I finally got to work.

That didn't happen more than a couple of times.

The other was some remote site, I was pulling a P.O.S. home-made tower bracket, made of 2x2 square heavy wall tube. I had rope tied it, and sawed through all but one U bolt on the tower. I looked it over carefully, and reasoned how it would fall. Damn thing twisted as it fell (L shaped thing) and hit one of the mid- guys on the way down. The damn thing weighed about 50 pounds, and I thought for SURE that guy would break. That tower rattled around for what seemed like 5 minutes. Yeah, I WAS scared. I bet I sat there in the harness for 5 minutes before I got back to it.

Took that long for the adrenalin and shakes to go away!!!!

 

[zigs]

Watched a vedio over on BBD awhile back . A service tech had a camera on his hard hat. I beleave the tower was on top of a sky scraper. He went up several caged ladders and then into the open with a safety harness ,up some more ladders. I can't remember how high they said he was above the scraper. His last 15 to 20 feet were free hand. At the top through his camera you could actually see the curveature of the earth.
By the end of the vedio my hands were ringing wet.

 

[green1]

I always wondered how you understood the low voltage so well. Hey, I,m 61, those high days are over. In construction, I have been 60'. No wind on the ground, but up there??? And 35 degrees on the ground- up there, with the wind? Great goggoly moogly. I had the luck to fall in 1973, just 12 feet, onto a 12" I beam. I feel that today.

I don't do heights anymore, the roof of the house is it.

 

[J-MacsMopars]

Not a chance in hell that you could get me to go up this.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A_h2AjJaMw"]Tower Climbers working - YouTube[/ame]

 

[67Dart273]

Watched a vedio over on BBD awhile back . A service tech had a camera on his hard hat. I beleave the tower was on top of a sky scraper. He went up several caged ladders and then into the open with a safety harness ,up some more ladders. I can't remember how high they said he was above the scraper. His last 15 to 20 feet were free hand. At the top through his camera you could actually see the curveature of the earth.
By the end of the vedio my hands were ringing wet.

I dearly hope you are not referring to this mess here:

He claims it's 1700 'n some feet, but if you look closely at the intro graphics, there are misspelled words. But that's not the point---there are SEVERAL safety issues with the way he climbs

If these guys worked with me, they would have been fired if they showed up with this video


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWxOx2eSqdo"]Tower Climbing---Not Me Buddy - YouTube[/ame]

Not a chance in hell that you could get me to go up this.

N.....Yeah, same video you posted

One thing that bothers me is that he seems to climb all the way "unhooked," and I can understand why some do so, but.......

The first bad act is hooking this "gorilla hook" onto a climbing peg. Notice that these are welded, and DO corrode, crack, and break, sometimes from stuff like lightning strikes. So climbing these types of pegs "unhooked" means that IF one breaks you may die. There was a death involving a man climbing a Rohn self supporting tower, which come with a "default" ladder of carriage bolts up the outside of one leg. They are a pain in the ***. One of them was either defective or over--tightened, and broke off (they found it) and down he went---dead

The other and more obvious problem is the hook can come right off that peg

An aside---here is the tower death to which I referred:

http://www.wirelessestimator.com/t_content.cfm?pagename=Tower Climber Lawsuit

and the broken climbing peg

Here's some Rohn tower, you can see the one -legged-ladder pegs, a PITA to climb. The more "caring" tower owners buy the optional ladder which is a real ladder going up the inside center of the tower.

Some more of the awful Rohn "ladder." Damn things tangle in your gear, your lanyard, and there's no place on those legs to utilize your gorilla hook. You have to argue with 'em all the way up

Next we have a transition from one part of the tower to another, and no really good handholds. He REALLY should be hooked up here, and is not

Now we are hanging on with one hand while arguing with the gorilla Not a good idea

Now we have the second transition, and as before, clumsy and no good handholds. Should be hooked up and is not

Now we have a dangerous part of the tower, look at the bracing and construction. You have to argue to find hand/ footholds. One again, not hooked up and should be

Yet another transition area, this one especially dangerous, with lightning supressors ready to bang you in the head or eye, etc. Should be hooked and is not

The dangerous, cluttered area above the last transition

Amazing, he hooked up to something halfway decent!!!

So he makes up for it here. A cluttered area, not hooked up, and examine those climbing pegs, CLAMPED on. Believe it or not, towers vibrate constantly in the wind, and hardware comes loose, corrodes, is damaged by lightning, and so on. You really should shake and check climbing pegs, and THEN not trust 'em. SHOULD be hooked up

Here comes some of the most dangerous mistakes of all, a dangerous, clumsy transition, and he's not hooked up. LOOK where his right hand is, a piece of flat steel, his hand could slip right off

Now, if you watched the video, he's into a VERY clumsy time, fooling around trying to figure out how to get up. NOW HE HAS both hands on this flat steel, not a good plan at all, and the next step is to get to the mast to his right

Now he's let loose with his right hand, is not hooked up, and is hanging on with his left to that same piece of flat steel. He's trying to get up and to that mast, and should have been on the other side of the tower in the first place.

(Interesting, I'm using "tinypic" to post these which requires a "code" for anti-spam. The code word for this photo was "heebie-jeebies"

Now we are climbing the mast and not hooked up. Here MOST of all, these pegs are subject to failure --and do and have

Again with the gorilla -- can slip off, and might be that one bad peg.....

And again, with the one hand, gorilla hook

Probably the most dangerous of all, climbing to the very top and unhooked Using the lamp globe for a hand hold? Are you kiddin' me?????

And this is appropriately the "topper." Think about this. You have BOTH men hooked to the flange on top which at first glance looks safe. A nice big flange, hooked all the way through. What could go wrong here? What if that bolt is corroded, suffered damage, or maybe just loose? We could see the two dead guys at the bottom, still hooked to the lightning supressor!!!

 

[rumblefish360]

LOL Have no idea what that means. Does he work outside in 90+ heat? Wind rain snow? Temperatures below zero? I did.

I do, but in a railroad yard. Beats the heck out of sitting behind a desk. To each there own I say. (As well as poor sucker for sitting behind the desk. LOL!)

When it is nice, it is a winner 100 fold over a desk job. When the season is on and at it's height hot or cold, it can get tuff. Nothing like being out i a blizzard or hurricane doing the job.

 

[67Dart273]

In construction, I have been 60'.

Sixty feet can kill ya just as dead as 600, or 1600 The problem with 10, 20 feet is guys get careless. The higher I went, the tighter I got!!!

 

[Gnome]

there are 2 radio towers in columbus that give me the willies just looking at them. i couldnt even imagine someone climbing those, but i bet there is.

 

[oldkimmer]

........Hey 67Dart273.............U da man.......ur posts r great...............kim...........

 

[zigs]

I dearly hope you are not referring to this mess here:

He claims it's 1700 'n some feet, but if you look closely at the intro graphics, there are misspelled words. But that's not the point---there are SEVERAL safety issues with the way he climbs

If these guys worked with me, they would have been fired if they showed up with this video


Tower Climbing---Not Me Buddy - YouTube

One thing that bothers me is that he seems to climb all the way "unhooked," and I can understand why some do so, but.......

The first bad act is hooking this "gorilla hook" onto a climbing peg. Notice that these are welded, and DO corrode, crack, and break, sometimes from stuff like lightning strikes. So climbing these types of pegs "unhooked" means that IF one breaks you may die. There was a death involving a man climbing a Rohn self supporting tower, which come with a "default" ladder of carriage bolts up the outside of one leg. They are a pain in the ***. One of them was either defective or over--tightened, and broke off (they found it) and down he went---dead

The other and more obvious problem is the hook can come right off that peg

An aside---here is the tower death to which I referred:

http://www.wirelessestimator.com/t_content.cfm?pagename=Tower Climber Lawsuit

and the broken climbing peg

Here's some Rohn tower, you can see the one -legged-ladder pegs, a PITA to climb. The more "caring" tower owners buy the optional ladder which is a real ladder going up the inside center of the tower.

Some more of the awful Rohn "ladder." Damn things tangle in your gear, your lanyard, and there's no place on those legs to utilize your gorilla hook. You have to argue with 'em all the way up

Next we have a transition from one part of the tower to another, and no really good handholds. He REALLY should be hooked up here, and is not

Now we are hanging on with one hand while arguing with the gorilla Not a good idea

Now we have the second transition, and as before, clumsy and no good handholds. Should be hooked up and is not

Now we have a dangerous part of the tower, look at the bracing and construction. You have to argue to find hand/ footholds. One again, not hooked up and should be

Yet another transition area, this one especially dangerous, with lightning supressors ready to bang you in the head or eye, etc. Should be hooked and is not

The dangerous, cluttered area above the last transition

Amazing, he hooked up to something halfway decent!!!

So he makes up for it here. A cluttered area, not hooked up, and examine those climing pegs, CLAMPED on. Believe it or not, towers vibrate constantly in the wind, and hardware comes loose, corrodes, is damaged by lightning, and so on. You really should shake and check climbing pegs, and THEN not trust 'em. SHOULD be hooked up

Here comes some of the most dangerous mistakes of all, a dangerous, clumsy transition, and he's not hooked up. LOOK where his right hand is, a piece of flat steel, his hand could slip right off

Now, if you watched the video, he's into a VERY clumsy time, fooling around trying to figure out how to get up. NOW HE HAS both hands on this flat steel, not a good plan at all, and the next step is to get to the mast (actually a hard feedline) to his right

Now he's let loose with his right hand, is not hooked up, and is hanging on with his left to that same piece of flat steel. He's trying to get up and to that mast, and should have been on the other side of the tower in the first place.

(Interesting, I'm using "tinypic" to post these which requires a "code" for anti-spam. The code word for this photo was "heebie-jeebies"

Now we are climbing the hardline/ mast and not hooked up. Here MOST of all, these pegs are subject to failure --and do and have

Again with the gorilla -- can slip off, and might be that one bad peg.....

And again, with the one hand, gorilla hook

Probably the most dangerous of all, climbing to the very top and unhooked Using the lamp globe for a hand hold? Are you kiddin' me?????

And this is appropriately the "topper." Think about this. You have BOTH men hooked to the flange on top which at first glance looks safe. A nice big flange, hooked all the way through. What could go wrong here? What if that bolt is corroded, suffered damage, or maybe just loose? We could see the two dead guys at the bottom, still hooked to the lightning supressor!!!

That looks alot like the video of J-Macs mopar. I thought it was on top of a building , I don't remember I passed out a couple times watching it. Theres no way no how !

 

[goldfish65]

Thank you for giving us a look at a very demanding and specialized field that few of us could handle!

 

[67Dart273]

........Hey 67Dart273.............U da man.......ur posts r great...............kim...........

Thank you for giving us a look at a very demanding and specialized field that few of us could handle!

Thanks, you guys. My arthritis---I can barely walk these days. I tell my friends it takes me 10 times as long to do some physical job, and that's really no joke.

 

[mopardude318]

ur posts are great and helpful dude. ur work is crazy.....if there was a briefcase full of hundreds equating to a million bucks, (which weighs about 22 pounds by the way, not including the briefcase) i STILL wouldnt be able to make that climb...no way...no how....

 

[Dart_Doctor]

ur posts are great and helpful dude. ur work is crazy.....if there was a briefcase full of hundreds equating to a million bucks, (which weighs about 22 pounds by the way, not including the briefcase) i STILL wouldnt be able to make that climb...no way...no how....

x2

 

[BillGrissom]

67Dart273,
You are about the most helpful SOB on here, especially with electrical questions. I am always amazed when a thumb typer posts an ill-formed, barely literate question, and you give a detailed answer, pre-anticipating the questions they should have asked.

While I don't have arthritis and aren't afraid of heights, I could never do one of those pole-climb jobs. My prostrate wouldn't allow spending hours up there, and if you take a whiz, someone might claim indecent exposure. I once worked a nuke plant outage, inside containment for 6 hours and really needed to pee. When we got to the portal, the door was shut while they finished a 30 min leak test. Talk about stress waiting that out. They usually had young ladies checking you for radiation while you unsuited, so wet pants would be embarrassing. I hope such field jobs are only occasional for you. When I worked at Westinghouse, the field engineers were out of town 70% of the time. Most ended up drunk, divorced, or both.

 

[67Dart273]

. I hope such field jobs are only occasional for you. .

Thanks Bill. I've been retired due to health for awhile now. But I've always had "endurance" problems. I HAVE FOUR KIDNEYS!!! Found that out when I was about 17-18 when I developed a urinary infection. The old Doc told me that 3 were fairly common, 4 was pretty rare. I ALWAYS had a can of some sort in the service truck, paper towels, soap, water. Between the years I spent servicing HVAC and the few I spent with Motorola, there were many jobs where I was at a fairly remote site, so peein' behind the building was routine.

When I used ta could, I actually enjoyed the field work. I HATE paperwork.

 

[demon seed]

From one S.O.B. to another, you've done good here and don't let anyone tell ya different especially your electrical troubleshooting. Us old washed up, crippled up coggers gotto stick together. Where in Idaho do ya hail from.:blob:

Terry

 

[67Dart273]

From one S.O.B. to another, you've done good here and don't let anyone tell ya different especially your electrical troubleshooting. Us old washed up, crippled up coggers gotto stick together. Where in Idaho do ya hail from.:blob:

Terry

I'm in Coeur d Alene. Thanks all you guys, this was never really meant to be that serious. It was meant to be a "play" on the Patton speech to his staff in the movie. Who knows if he really every said that??

 

[MtNemoMopar]

I'm in Coeur d Alene. Thanks all you guys, this was never really meant to be that serious. It was meant to be a "play" on the Patton speech to his staff in the movie. Who knows if he really every said that??

Aahh...very good. I never caught the Patton quote. :thumleft: Your pics have me crappin my pants....way up here in my second story office. I work in a Genie some times, and that 60' is plenty for me.