I saw a Youtube video where a couple of lineman are on a power pole trying
to get some suicidal fool off the pole. Anyway they were told that the power
was off. It wasn't. One wireman took a direct hit and fell. You would
figure that he was dead but his fall arrestor stopped him and he hung there
unconscious. They got him down and he recovered from the shock as well.
Amazing but the fall arrestor certainly saved his life.
I have a loop and a fall arrestor attached when I climb and ascend the
tower. I now have two loops so that I can loop above and below obstacles
such as guy brackets. I also have the fall arrestor clipped on too.
It only takes one mistake and it's all over.
Mark N1UK
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> 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@contesting.com
> [mailto:towertalk-bounces@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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