Posted on 11/19/2010 2:53:50 PM PST by Sprite518
I think this is the world deadliest job.
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
A friend of mine was a tower engineer and was working when an ice storm toppled the 1500' tower next to his building.
So true.
Many insurance companies won’t cover people who work between 15 and 50, because those falls usually result in expensive injuries.
But over 50 feet...sure, they’ll cover it. Those falls are usually decisive.
I’d have to put my money on “Suicide Bomber” being the most dangerous job. Even if you screw up the job and don’t blow up, you’ll probably end up shot, hanged, or doing life in prison.
No pay is good enough.
OH Heck no!!!!
i got dizzy just watching the video!!!
I would have the opposite problem. ;-)
That was a show called “World’s Toughest Fixes” on National Geographic channel, I think. I remember watching that one and it was quite dizzying at times.
Hell, from around 1,700 feet, you’d have enough time to repent, and might even be able to make a phone call or two on the way down. lol
I spent part of 3 weekends working on a Ham radio installation on a commercial tower in OK. We replaced the heliax from the 650 ft. point to the 1,350 ft. point. There were 4 of us on the tower and a ground crew. It went very smooth, but is hard work. Incredible view, amazing temperature drop as you get higher. Feel very good when the day is safely over.
There are real engineering challenges when you have in this case 1,350 feet of heliax and the accompanied temperature differential from top to bottom. Without inert gas you get condensation and it wreaks havoc with the connectors and conductors. I have seen water drip out of the connectors.
Probably will not climb many more towers, turn 63 next month.
But I may put up another for my self next year. My personal station needs updating.
They use a Gin Pole to assemble the towers that are taller than a crane will allow.
I have been at 1,350 ft. on a 1,550 structure. The station was in operation during our work. Glad we were not closer to the Commercial antenna array. (field density)
I got a little queasy just watching it. Half the time the dude doesn’t have his harness hooked up because there is nothing to hook to. Unbelievable.
You would think a harness and a helicopter would be more efficient with all that climbing up and down.
These guys rode up an elevator to 1600' then only had to climb the last 100'. Easy money.
I hope he was not also the designer of that tower...
I showed it to my 15yo son - he said watching that was worse than watching a zombie movie - and he hates zombie movies.
Yes! I worked in broadcasting for years so this is fascinating to me. What design ingenuity!
LOL! Sorry
I have a feeling this job has a high turn over rate. Not by choice of course..
They probably think it cost too much to do that. In other words your life is not worth that much. Since it’s in Houston, Texas my bet is they have some “Day Laborers” going up there for $5 an hour.
Backing down...would be a another thing.
Heck...I've hunted tree stands 30-35' up and I don't like coming down. Ha!!
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