--------------------------------------------------
From: "Doug Westacott" <ve6pr@canada.com>
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2010 6:43 PM
To: "Jim Thomson" <jim.thom@telus.net>; <k1ttt@arrl.net>
Cc: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Climbing
> Gentlemen
>
>
>
> As per my previous response on this subject...fall arrest cables are
> specified to be installed at anchors rated at 5000 lbs force....
## and since the anchor point IS the TOP of the tower, how many TOPS of
any towers are rated to handle 5000 lbs...none of em !
It's a moot point though. Other than yourself and VE6JY, I don't know of
any other ham towers with any kind of fall arrest system.
> Anyway...the way I see it...I have met alot of HAMS that all own climbing
> belts of various descriptions...however when I call on them to come up
> their tower to give me a hand...they all decline....maybe its a status
> symbol to own a belt ?????
## It would be a good way for me to get out of climbing other folks
tower's. " do you have a fall arrest system in place? " "No, well I
guess I won't be climbing your tower any time soon". To tell you the
truth, I'm fed up with other folks tower's over the years...replaced rusted
out hardware, SS bolts gauled up [ no anti seize, over-tightened,etc]
Rusted out muffler clamps, broken rotor clamps, rusted masts, broken
undersized rotor's, blown up baluns, bad connectors, bad relays in remote
switch box's etc. You tell folks the best way to install this stuff, and
they don't listen. Nickle plated UHF connectors can never be soldered
right. If the balun won't handle 10 kw, don't install it. If the mast
sticking 10' above the top of the tower is not hot dipped galvanized, heat
treated 4130 chromolly steel, don't install sched 40 water pipe. Ham-4
rotors and tail twisters are toy rotor's, and will eventually explode. If
ur gonna pour concrete, use at least 30 mpa, it cost hardly anymore than 20
mpa. Don't expect 3" diam, sched 40 water pipe, sticking 7' out of the grnd
to be used as a "guy anchor". Don't mess with old KLM yagi's, the lexan
insulator's will snap like a tooth pick in a windstorm. The correct tool
is required to install nicropress crimps, not channel locks and a hammer.
Most 'plated' hardware won't last 18 x months. Mosely tri-banders have this
tendency for the traps to melt/catch fire. I just found out that one of
the local 68' freestanding ham-towers here in town, has less than 1 cubic
yard of owner mixed..concrete holding it up. The fellow placed 3 x pipes
in the ground, and embedded em in concrete ! He didn't even fill the pipes
up with concrete, instead they fill with rain water. Try and explain
'leverage' to typ ham, they still don't get it. Tell folks that a 70
mph wind is double the pressure of a 50 mph wind..and they don't believe
you. I look after my own stuff from here on in. Now I can see why City
hall wants a PE to sign off on all new ham tower installs. Most of em are
an accident waiting to happen. A tower rated for 3 sq feet, and no ice/snow
is not ......'just fine' with 15 sq ft. Trees do not make for good guy
anchors for 160' towers.
sri for the diatribe. Jim VE7RF
>
>
>
> As far as the USA and Canada are concerned... the Federal/State/Province
> regs, in reality, are pretty well the same... of course none of these
> apply to us HAM's and most times on the local jobs I do for the fellows I
> m glad they don't...
>
>
>
> Doug
>
> VE6PR
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>------- Original Message Follows -------
>>From: "Jim Thomson" <jim.thom@telus.net>
>>To: <k1ttt@arrl.net>
>>Cc:
>>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Climbing
>>Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 06:52:02 -0700
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>From: David Robbins
>>Sent: Monday, September 20, 2010 6:26 AM
>>To: jim.thom@telus.net
>>Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
>>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Climbing
>>
>>
>>that would of course require either an installed line, which i would not
>>trust due to weather and wear issues... or someone to climb up to attach
>>it before it was used each time, kind of defeats the purpose.
>>
>>## I can't see any wear issue on a 3/8" galvanized winch cable, esp with
>>a 15,750 lb breaking strength rating....and zero weight load on it 99% of
>>the time. You would have the same WX and wear issues
>>on the permanently installed 3/8" safety cable....and how often do they
>>ever get changed out ?
>>
>>## here's another thought....for commercial applications. The CSA rules
>>up here state that only ONE individual can be hooked to the safety cable
>>at any one time. If that's the case, and say the fellow
>>passes out/ heart attack, etc.... then how is anybody supposed to go up
>>there to help him...using the same safety cable ? Even in an emergency
>>case like this, the 2nd climber hooked onto the
>>same safety cable, the 1st climber could have tools falling onto the 2nd
>>climber. What's really required is a SECOND safety cable, on a different
>>face / leg of the tower. Then if there was any maintenance
>>issues with the top termination/cable, etc of either safety cable, you
>>would always have a redundant safety cable. The cost of a 2nd safety
>>cable would be peanuts compared to the cost of the tower.
>>The average cost of a typ cell site here in town is $500K. $501K is not
>>abt to break the budget.
>>
>>Jim VE7RF
>>
>>
>>Sep 20, 2010 07:24:28 AM, jim.thom@telus.net wrote:
>>
>> Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2010 15:57:49 -0400
>> From: "Wilson Lamb"
>> Subject: [TowerTalk] Climbing
>>
>> The video has certainly generated a lot of talk, some valuable.
>>
>> Does anyone use a belay? A competent groundie could keep a line snug as
>> you
>> go up and down, saving you the trouble of all that hooking. Once at a
>> worksite, you could hook on and relieve the groundie for other tasks.
>> Wlson
>> W4BOH
>>
>>
>> ## I had the same thought a week ago. Some kind of power winch would be
>> cool,
>> then just lift the climber up the side of the tower. He could still be
>> hooked onto the
>> separate safety cable too, so if the winch cable broke, jammed, etc, the
>> climber is
>> still restrained at all times. 0-300' in 60 secs.
>>
>> later.. Jim VE7RF
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
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