Safety in Tower Work

In one of my amateur radio endeavors, I’m installing two repeaters in Forest Lakes on the Mogollon Rim in Northern Arizona. As part of this project, I needed to install two antennas on an existing 40-foot tower. While organizing this task, I reached out to Brent, W7FK, who kindly agreed to assist me. We scheduled a Saturday for the task, and he arrived with Jeff, N7CCW ready to work.

Having never attempted such a project before and being banned from using ladders by my wife, I was incredibly thankful for their assistance. Initially, I assumed it would be a straightforward climb-up-and-do-it task, but I quickly realized how mistaken I was.

Brent arrived equipped with an extensive array of gear, investing literally thousands of dollars in belts, harnesses, carabiners, ropes, and other equipment. It took some time to organize everything. He donned a full harness and safety belt, complete with chains and clips, and packed his belt pouch with essential items he would need immediately. Additional tools, pullers, carabiners, and gear were stowed in a lineman bucket for later use. Then, he began the ascent, unfurling a sizable rappelling rope from its bag.

The climbing process involved looping a belt chain around the tower and securing it with at least two additional chains and clips. With each step upwards, he meticulously moved each clip and adjusted his harness, ensuring at least two points of connection were maintained at all times while advancing and securing higher clips on the tower. This was made more challenging by the presence of four existing antennas on the tower and navigating around guy wires.

Once at the top, he secured the rigging and lowered the rappelling rope for the bucket. After raising the bucket and securing it to the tower, Jeff and I worked from the ground to rig the antennas and mounts, sending them up piece by piece. I learned a wealth of new information, such as the use of special carabiners to connect both upward and downward ropes, facilitating the pulling of equipment away from the tower during installation.

Throughout the process, Brent leaned back on his harness, doubly secured with chain clips to the tower. He adeptly handled the heavy mounts and antennas, positioning them precisely and securing them firmly. Cables were connected, and everything was strapped down securely. In total, Brent spent approximately 4-1/2 hours on the tower, ensuring both antennas were mounted flawlessly.

This experience underscored for me the importance of entrusting tower work to professionals in the amateur radio community. Witnessing firsthand the meticulous attention to safety and the myriad safety protocols involved, I now appreciate the significant time investment required for such tasks—approx-imately 25 minutes just to ascend the tower. However, the peace of mind knowing the work was done safely and correctly outweighs any inconvenience. I strongly advocate for anyone needing to work on their towers to seek professional assistance. The risk of a major injury or worse from a fall is simply too great to ignore.

I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Brent for his invaluable assistance, and I am grateful for the opportunity to expand my knowledge in this field.

Superstition ARC Repeaters

147.120 (+) 162.2 Hz (Analog Only)
449.600 (-) 100.0 Hz (Analog Only)
448.275 (-) 100.0 Hz (Fusion)
WB7TJD-R EchoLink
Allstar link 52987

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