So You Think Your Job Is Rough.....1999 Foot Tower Climb

November 23, 2021, 05:51 AM

CPD SIG

No, no no, no...
Hell no.
No, seriously, HELL NO!

I'm not afraid of heights, I've jumped off the garage roof when I was a kid, even jumped out of a airplane or three, I'll run up and down ladders and fire escapes all day.

But this one is different, and I'm going to "Nope" right out.
But I'll bet the pay is pretty damn good!

______________________________________________________________________
"When its time to shoot, shoot. Dont talk!"

“What the government is good at is collecting taxes, taking away your freedoms and killing people. It’s not good at much else.” —Author Tom Clancy

November 23, 2021, 06:48 AM

Flash-LB

In my Ham Radio adventures, I've been on towers a lot. Most of them were around 40 to 60 feet, but some went to 100 feet.

I'm of the opinion that a fall from 100 feet would kill me just as dead as a fall from 1999 feet, but I could be wrong.

The wind always blows up off the ground, too.

November 23, 2021, 07:51 AM

Georgeair

quote:
Originally posted by nasig:
NO NO NO NO NO
just watching the vid gives me the shivers

Agreed. It was all just ok until the 4:30 mark. Those are nothing like an actual safety tie-off to clip onto. Crikey!!!

November 23, 2021, 08:19 AM

AllenInAR

I was amused by the anti-bird spikes up top. Do birds actually get that high? LOL

November 23, 2021, 08:34 AM

a1abdj

quote:
I'm of the opinion that a fall from 100 feet would kill me just as dead as a fall from 1999 feet, but I could be wrong.

That is true. You're just as dead in both cases.

However......

From 100 feet your fall would last 2.5 seconds and you'd be travelling at roughly 52 MPH. From 2,000 feet your fall would last just shy of 15 seconds and end at a speed of roughly 120 MPH.

15 seconds is a long time to contemplate.

November 23, 2021, 08:34 AM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by AllenInWV:

I was amused by the anti-bird spikes up top. Do birds actually get that high?

Yes, there are some species that can fly well above 30,000'. Birds flying at the height of that tower are fairly common.

November 23, 2021, 08:47 AM

Perception

I think I would enjoy doing that. I think I would find my fitness lacking if I tried it though.

"The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford, "it is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards."
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard, then the wrong lizard might get in."

November 23, 2021, 09:21 AM

photohause

I've climbed (legally with escort) the Brooklyn Bridge twice, and the Manhattan Bridge once.

November 23, 2021, 09:24 AM

Sig2340

quote:
Originally posted by C L Wilkins:
quote:
Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Its not the fall that is the issue, but the sudden stop is

Deceleration trauma.

Dead cat bounce.

November 23, 2021, 10:16 AM

smlsig

I wonder how much they get paid for changing that lightbulb…

November 23, 2021, 11:00 AM

FiveFiveSixFan

quote:
Originally posted by Flash-LB:
In my Ham Radio adventures, I've been on towers a lot. Most of them were around 40 to 60 feet, but some went to 100 feet.

I'm of the opinion that a fall from 100 feet would kill me just as dead as a fall from 1999 feet, but I could be wrong.

The wind always blows up off the ground, too.

I spent time on a lot of ham towers in my younger years as well. The highest was around 90 feet or so.

The big difference between that and 1999 feet is that I was able to will my legs to continue going upward to 90 feet and my hands would similarly release from the tower so that I could reach above my head to grab the next hand hold.

I don't know what my upper limit would have been but I can assure you that my hands and legs would have disobeyed my mind and locked on to the tower with a death-grip long before 1999 feet.

Limits which are essentially self-imposed and psychologically based have always been of interest to me and this represents a great example.

November 23, 2021, 11:04 AM

dewhorse

quote:
Originally posted by Georgeair:
quote:
Originally posted by nasig:
NO NO NO NO NO
just watching the vid gives me the shivers

Agreed. It was all just ok until the 4:30 mark. Those are nothing like an actual safety tie-off to clip onto. Crikey!!!

No but it is approved to use to rest on the way up a monopole, we no longer try to go steel to steel but use a sewn runner that is about 2' long. That being said you would normally have a safety climb as well.

November 23, 2021, 11:34 AM

ensigmatic

quote:
Originally posted by Georgeair:
It was all just ok until the 4:30 mark. Those are nothing like an actual safety tie-off to clip onto. Crikey!!!

Yeah. I watched him clip onto the first of those pegs and thought "Really?!?!"

Then, later, when he climbed around the antenna segments.

"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher

November 23, 2021, 11:42 AM

DaveL

quote:
Originally posted by 1s1k:
After 75 feet or so does it matter anymore.

Sure. If you fall you have more time to think about what's going to happen.

November 23, 2021, 11:57 AM

Expert308

Uh uh. No. Nope. I started getting queasy as soon as he opened that gate about 15 seconds in. By 45 seconds I had to turn it off. No way in hell.

November 23, 2021, 12:31 PM

pbramlett

quote:
Originally posted by AllenInWV:
I was amused by the anti-bird spikes up top. Do birds actually get that high? LOL

Those are actually static wicks for static electricity and lightning discharge.

November 23, 2021, 12:36 PM

satch

Wonder if they are paid minimum wage?

November 23, 2021, 12:49 PM

pbramlett

quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
quote:
Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:
How the hell do they even build a tower like that???

In sections, with subsequent sections lowered from helicopters and bolted on by riggers like the guy in the video.

There's a video of an antenna installation atop a local station's tower that way. If I think of it, I'll see if I can find it tomorrow.

Used to be heights didn't much bother me. Now? Uh uh. Nope.

All of the tall towers we built and the others that i've been associated with were built using Gin Poles. Basically another structure attached to the side of the tower used to hoist the sections up, then the gin pole is moved up the tower for the next section etc. I've only been on one site that used a helicopter to set the transmission antenna, and that was for TV. All my tower work has been with broadcast radio.

Here is a picture of a gin pole i found on the interwebs.

November 23, 2021, 01:59 PM

jbcummings

Someone said after 75 feet it’s all the same. Having climbed poles for a living when I was muc, much younger, I’d sort of agree. I’ve done 110 foot climbs with climbing cleats on wooden poles. The terror at 110 was no worse than at 75 (maybe 59).

I had an uncle when I was growing up that would climb radio towers to change out the bulbs, but that was generally less than 200 feet. And each climb earned him $2/foot. That was back in the 1950s, so how much today? Not nearly enough in my book.