Antenna Tower height ...

[sidwelle]

We have a triangular Antenna tower that is about 40 years old and stands about 30' high. I climbed 1/2 up to repair that security light that was mounted on it, but was Leary about climbing the entire height to work on the antenna.

Should I be concerned about climbing all the way to the antenna ? its not rusted out, but I am just concerned about how well its anchored in concrete. I was not there when it was erected, so I don't know if they secured it w/cables while attaching the upper sections and antenna.

Are those antennas designed to hold the weight of a 200 lb person at the top ?

Thanks

[Rod Speed]

Yep, and plenty of mates of mine have done that with their towers.

[rbowman]

I take it it's not a crank-up or tilt-over? Are you also implying it's not guyed? There are a number of self supporting towers with varying specifications.

I can categorically state I would not climb to the top, but then I wouldn't climb halfway up either.

[Dean Hoffman]

Well, I'm sure not an engineer. A practical answer might be to ask if it has withstood sixty or seventy mile an hour winds.

[sidwelle]

No, the antenna tower is not guyed. Just wondering how the antenna is serviced ? Do workers setup temporary guys ? I was trying to find some examples on U-tube or other to show me how to get up there safely. No the antenna does not come down, all the sections are bolted together. Its a typical home TV tower that you see at rural homes. Looks just like this stuff:

[Dean Hoffman]

Is there a tool rental place that has a boom or scissor lift nearby? Home Depot, for example.

[Ralph Mowery]

If that tower is made of round tubes and not the flat bars and if it is in about a yard of concrete it would be safe to climb if it is in good shape.

There is a tower company called Rohn that makes towers like that. I have one I put up to 60 feet . The base is in a block of concrete that was pored into a hole that is 3 feet deep and 3 feet square. It is safe to climb to the 30 foot level without guy wires. I put up 40 feet, and guyed it at the 30 foot level, then put up the other 30 feet and guyed it about 5 feet from the top. About 30 years ago I helped put up another tower . Two of us were on it at the 30 foot level before any guy wires were put on.

Not knowing anything about the history or base of the tower, I doubt I would climb it to the 30 foot level.

[trader_4]

That's the safe way. No one here has even seen this, we have no idea what it was when new, what condition it's in, how it was installed. I wouldn't climb it. I have seen people back a truck up against small towers like that to support it on one side, then use a ladder on the other side. But you wouldn't get me to do that.

[Pat]

I installed that type of tower to earn money while in high school and college. I regularly climbed to the 50' level without guy wires and never had an issue. The sections are 10' each so you can tell how deep the base is buried. (eg, if the bottom section is 7' above ground there must be 3' buried). Chances are you could climb yours without issue. Try rocking it side to side. If you can't, adding another 200 pounds of downward force won't do anything. (Yes, I know all the force isn't all downward, but most of it is). Strong winds at the top cause more horizontal force than 200 pounds 1 to 2 feet off-center at the top. If it has survived many years of storms, AND IT IS NOT RUSTY, you can climb it.

[dpb]

On 8/2/2020 10:06 AM, Pat wrote: ...

If the tower section itself is buried instead of a rigid mount on a footing, you have no way to know whether it is rotted/rusted out or not until it's too late if is.

No way, no how would I risk climbing such of that age and unknown install to that level.

As another said, rent a boom truck or the like.

The antenna here Dad put up is 2" pipe section for bottom 20-ft with 1" for top...it's on a pivot pin so can drop the top to the ground to work on.

I do happen to now have a 40-ft JLG boom lift so I just use it instead as being easier, but without it the obvious solution. Of course, it's not climbable at all.

It's withstood the KS wind and tstorms for 40 years with the exception of one near 100-mph night that bent the bottom section about 30 degrees. I heated with acetylene torch and straightened and it's stood up since

-- that's been probably close to 15 years since now...had peak winds just other night of 70+ -- rotated the antenna itself a little but tower stood...

[Rod Speed]

Nope, just climb the tower and don’t even use any form of safety belt etc usually.

Never tried looking there but I wouldn’t be surprised if there isnt much because its so obvious.

[gfretwell]

You can rent a man lift that tows behind your truck for a couple hundred bucks, maybe less for a half day or something. In the grand scale of broken bones and other injuries, that is chump change. It is also a lot easier than climbing, tying off and trying to work that way.

[sidwelle]

Here are some pics of the Antenna:

[Rod Speed]

That one is tricky to climb, get a bucket truck etc.

[sidwelle]

What would make it harder to climb than the other types ? Is has cross rungs every 18". Climbing it was easy, just worried if it will hold up if someone climbs to the top to work on the antenna.

[Rod Speed]

The way the cross bracing between the verticals are done.

Yes it will.

[sidwelle]

I need to install a UHF antenna just below the VHF Yaggi, is there room on that post or do I need to rework the antenna post (at the top) ?

[Frank]

At my age, I would never climb that. In fact reminds me of tower near my brother's house that got struck by lightening and blew out all the electronic equipment in his house.

[dpb]

Unless, of course, it doesn't -- which could be a too-belated piece of knowledge at the point of learning so.

It _probably_ will if it has withstood severe wind in the recent past but no way in the world would I consider climbing it (even if were still young enough to feel confident about doing so which is a time long ago past by now but that's a different issue) knowing no more than you say you know about either the installation or the condition of what you can't see.

--

[Ralph Mowery]

I have climbed several towers similar to that and have one myself that I put up. No problem climbing it to 30 feet with out any guy wires.

However this tower is unknown. There seems to be a bunch of leaves and such around the base. It could or could not be colleting water and rusted. The base may not be in much concrete. For climbing it with out guy wires I would want it in about a yard of concrete. If guyed the tower could just sit on a base with just enough to keep the base in place. I was on site when a 100 foot tower similar to that was installed. The base was a flat plate with a hole in it and a bar about an inch in diameter stuck out of the concrete about 3 inches and the tower was just placed over that with a crane. Then guy were attached. It was then safe to climb. One thing I could not tell, but is there or is there not a bracket that connects it to the house ?

With all the unknowns I would not climb this one. One other thing not mentioned , does the climber have a good safety harness ?

For this tower, I would rent one of the bucket lifts. As mentioned you can rent one that goes to around 30 feet that can be towed by anything that has a ball on that towes a trailer. If you can get to it, you may get a tree trimmer to bring his truck out and do the job for you .