Sponsored by:
K9TWR
ROHN Employees A.R.C.
Practical Safety
Considerations For Amateur
Radio Towers
Presented By: Mark Allen, Vice President, Rohn Products
W6PC
Some Content and Photos Courtesy of Craig Snyder, Sioux Falls Tower Service, Past
President of N.A.T.E. & David K. Davies, Consolidated Engineering
DISCLAIMER
This presentation consists largely of the opinions of the author (s).
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It is not intended to provide specific engineering advice for any
particular situation.
You should engage the services of a qualified engineering firm
before making any decisions about your tower.
Operation and maintenance of your tower system is a dynamic
situation based on many manmade and natural (weather) inputs.
Drawings, photographs and exhibits used herein are used as
learning tools only and are not the authors opinion of any specific
cause and / or effect.
All material used herewith is by permission of the owner, or is
public domain.
Amateur Tower
Installations Range
from Pretty Tame to
Pretty Amazing
Folks ! Use Your Noggin !
The tower and antenna system are the
heart of your station, RF power does no
good without an efficient radiator !!!!
The tower and antenna system are the heart of your station,
RF power does no good without an efficient radiator
In case you were wondering –
Continental HF 420C Transmitter
In case you were wondering –
Here is The Antenna
Accidents & Incidents,
involving towers, are
typically a confluence of
circumstances of
sometimes seemingly
unrelated events, which
all coalesce to create a
disaster.
TOP 5 CAUSES OF TOWER FAILURE
50 Year Study Period
• Repair / Erection Errors
31%
• Ice Accumulation
29%
• Special Wind
19%
• Aircraft Strikes
11%
• Anchor Failure
10%
Source: Consolidated Engineering, Inc.
David K. Davies
Every System Requires Preventative
Maintenance
Your Body
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Annual Physical
Eyes / glasses checked
Cancer screening
Teeth cleaning / dentist
Your Tower(s)
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Lighting checkup
Physical inspection
Transmission line checks
Guy wire tensions
Lightening protection check
Signage, gates, locks
From Urgent Communications Magazine
Any time you are considering modifications to
your towers, you should engage the services of
a qualified engineer or consulting firm.
Construction Errors Account For 31%
of All Tower Failures. #1 Cause!
• Select your steeplejack carefully !
• Check qualifications & experience
• Make sure experience is appropriate for
your size / type of tower
• Check reputation
• Check insurance
• Discuss work plan with supervisor
• Plan on being on site during work
Ooops, definitely an O ***!
Guy wire slippage
during maintenance.
Crew Error !
But Boss – We Saved $2500 By Skipping
The Engineering Soils Report
It Just Got Worse
This Is A Likely Outcome
Aircraft vs. Guy Wire – Both Lost !
• AISC Certified Steel
Fabricator
• AWS and CWB
Certified Welding
Fabricators
QUALIFICATIONS
Fabrication Induced Failures
Use an Experienced Manufacturer
• ASTM 123 Certified
QUALIFICATIONS
If Not Aluminium, Structures Should Be
Hot Dip Galvanized
What Are Two Key
Elements Affecting
Your Tower System?
Mother Nature
Father Time
Were You
Thinking of the # 2
Reason Towers
Have Catastrophic
Failures
29% of all Tower
Failures Start Like
This
Tornado Induced Failure
Lack of Even One Guy Wire Is
Definitely Not Good !
Wonder What the Others Look
Like ???
Wonder What the Others Look
Like ???
Why Did This Leg Fail?
Bullet Hole @ 108’ AGL
Bigger Bullet Hole @ 250’ AGL
Shooting At Building & Missed
What Can I
Say?
Why Hasn’t
This Fallen?
Dying From The Inside Out ….
Well Doc’ – It’s Terminal Corrosion
aka – tower cancer
This is a Fatigue Crack
These are Bad ! This is Why You Must Inspect !
Wind Induced Vibration
Types of Wind Induced Vibration
– Low Frequency / High Amplitude
• AKA “Galloping” guy wires
• Can be dampened out
• Sometimes ICE induced (airfoils)
– Galloping and Flutter
• These vibration phenomena occur when the motion of
a structure generates fluid forces that reinforce the
vibration.
Types of Wind Induced Vibration
– High Frequency / Low Amplitude
• AKA “Aeolian”
• Can be damped using “Stockbridge” dampeners
• Causes fatigue in guy wire strands
• Common fail points are at end point connections
Examples of Induced Vibration
Fatigue in Guy Wires
– These are BAD things.
– These should be replaced immediately
– Additional fatigue and failure is likely
Ham radio operator dies in Wisconsin
September 17, 2014
Ham radio operator succumbs after 90-foot fall - A Silent Key
announcement, in remembrance of a deceased ham radio operator, was
sent out after authorities announced that a Tower Climber Dies in
Wisconsin in Eau Claire, WI. The man fell to his death from a 100-foot
tower in Eagle Point while performing maintenance on the self-supporting
structure. Although he was wearing a safety harness he was not tied off,
according to Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk. Kowalczyk said
James G. Linstedt, 59, (W9ZUC) was on the tower performing maintenance
at approximately the 80-90-foot level of the tower located at 8121 163rd
Ave., Eagle Point at the home of former Chippewa County Sheriff Ron
Anderson, Anderson and Linstedt were friends and ham radio operators.
The accident happened around 6 p.m. Linstedt was pronounced dead at
Anderson’s residence. Kowalczyk said Linstedt was a high school
classmate of his, and called him a "very intelligent guy.
Zero-Tolerance Policy Mandates 100% Tie-Off 24/7
The Wireless Industry Safety Task Force is proud to launch the 100% Tie-Off 24/7 Awareness
Campaign in order to raise awareness of the 100% tie-off fall protection requirement and drive
home the message that there should be a zero-tolerance policy regarding this law. Many of the
accidents that compromise safety in the wireless industry involve situations where the tower
technician was not properly tied-off to the structure. 100% tie-off is the law and needs to be
strictly adhered to at all times in order to ensure a safer work environment on a tower site.
The Wireless Industry Safety Task Force consists of top safety and operations executives
representing wireless carriers, tower owners, OEM’s, turnkey/construction management firms
and National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE). The Task Force has been established in
order to collaborate on best practice solutions to achieve sustainable safety improvements in the
industry.
The resources and information included on this website are devoted to promoting the 100% TieOff 24/7 Awareness Campaign.
General Amateur Radio Tower Safety Guidelines
Tower Crew
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Have a plan, discuss with every person involved
If you don’t like what you see, don’t climb
Never climb alone, have ground support
Have proper equipment
Have steel shank boots & good gloves
Use a tool bag and hoisting rope, carry as little weigh
as possible
Never buy a used safety harness (belt) What’s your
neck worth?
Don’t loan out climbing apparatus
Take a cell phone up with you
Don’t try and “man-handle” more than you can lift
Use a gin-pole
This climber has all the right stuff!
Hard hat & safety glasses
Gloves
Safety Belt & Tool Bag
Climbing boots
General Amateur Radio Tower Safety Guidelines
Ground Crew
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Have a plan
Wear a safety hat
Keep visitors at a safe distance
Don’t work alone on the ground
Stay out of falling object range / lifting area
Have a cell phone with you
Have a first aid kit handy
Don’t try and “man-handle” more than you can lift
Watch out for ground hazards:
• Holes, uneven ground
• Trip hazards
• Snakes
• Insects
General Amateur Radio Tower Safety Guidelines
About Gin Poles
• Check your gin pole and all hardware to make sure it
is in proper order for use !
• Use only a gin pole recommended by the tower
manufacturer
• Home brew & non-OEM erection hardware is not
recommended
• New rules coming from TIA on gin poles
• Using “home brew” gin poles or climbing equipment
is a big unknown risk.
General Amateur Radio Tower Safety Guidelines
About Gin Poles
General Amateur Radio Tower Safety Guidelines
About Foundations
Do You Have Any Idea How Many Pipes, Lines,
and Cables are Buried On / Across Your
Property ?????
Pipeline Damage can be Catastrophic
General Amateur Radio Tower Safety Guidelines
About Foundations
• Follow manufacturers specifications / recommendations as to
size, reinforcement, and specifications appropriate to the
tower you are erecting
• Use re-bar, unreinforced concrete is weaker than you think
• Call for underground locating before you dig holes
• Double check everything, make sure footing bolts, direct bury
sections are plumb and correct!
• MISTAKES ARE EXPENSIVE, AND WITH CONCRETE, FINAL!
How Many Of
You Own A
Telescoping
Tower?
Don’t ever, not never climb a
telescoping tower unless it is
fully nested.
It is a perfect way to loose a
hand or feet!
Accidents like this have
occurred in the last 12 months!
Be careful !
Leave Your EGO in the
Shack!
Use Your Head, Think !
If You Are Not
Comfortable Climbing,
Find Someone Who Is
Qualified.
Almost 70 Years of Towers
Peoria, IL
- www.rohnnet.com