# Worlds Toughest Fixes 2000 Ft Antenna.



## dreadlk (Sep 18, 2007)

Wow totaly Amazing. I thought Crab fishing was a dangerous Job, well I would do 10 Seasons of Crab rather than fix one of those Antenna's. Absolutely the most dangerous Job on earth except for defusing bombs.


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## V'ger (Oct 4, 2007)

dreadlk said:


> Wow totaly Amazing. I thought Crab fishing was a dangerous Job, well I would do 10 Seasons of Crab rather than fix one of those Antenna's. Absolutely the most dangerous Job on earth except for defusing bombs.


Yes, it was great and specially relevant to me, since one of my local TV stations is in the process of changing their antenna this week. Not the same company, though and not exactly the same technique. WHIO-TV removed their analog antenna and is moving their digital antenna to the top. I think their tower is 'only' about 1100 feet tall, but it is very similar to what was shown in the show.

It will be repeated tonight, Sunday at 2AM and Thursday at 5PM on National Geographic channel.

Wha! Bang! Bang!


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

OK, side issue....

Where is the tallest tower in the U.S.? Ground to top, not on a building. I thought I heard of a 3,000 footer somewhere.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

SayWhat? said:


> OK, side issue....
> 
> Where is the tallest tower in the U.S.? Ground to top, not on a building. I thought I heard of a 3,000 footer somewhere.


According to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_structures_in_the_United_States
North Dakota...2063 ft. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KVLY-TV_mast


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## Whodo (May 15, 2007)

dreadlk said:


> Wow totaly Amazing. I thought Crab fishing was a dangerous Job, well I would do 10 Seasons of Crab rather than fix one of those Antenna's. Absolutely the most dangerous Job on earth except for defusing bombs.


I watched and had to chuckle about what they had to say. I was part of the construction crew that built this tower in late 84, early 85 (you don't build them overnight) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearst-Argyle_Tower
True it only tops out at 2,000 ft which makes it the shortest of the 3 towers that are located side by side in Walnut Grove, CA. (Here is the link to the tallest of the 3 with picture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KXTV/KOVR_Tower )

Now as far as being dangerous, NO , it is not any more dangerous than working on a five story building roof. 
People only perceive danger. Now jumping out of a perfectly good airplane and perceiving that your parachute is going to work, that is stupidly dangerous.

Having lived and worked in Alaska, you couldn't pay me enough to work a crab boat.


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

You still have to climb it manually though, right? No lifts or hoists?

I barely have the leg power any more to climb a 20' extension ladder.


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## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

Well, my acrophobia kicks in at about 3', so whether five stories or 2,000' or 3,000', all are just as dangerous to my heart. I'll take crab fishing.


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## Jimmy 440 (Nov 17, 2007)

That was the best episode of that series they did.We were clinching of nails into the sofa while they were on top.And that looked great in HD too.


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## Whodo (May 15, 2007)

Jimmy 440 said:


> That was the best episode of that series they did.We were clinching of nails into the sofa while they were on top.And that looked great in HD too.


Being up there in person makes HD look like SD... and yes it is a magnificent view from that elevation.

Sorry but I don't understand why; "We were clinching of nails into the sofa while they were on top." :nono: It's not like you were going to fall off the sofa and become a statistic of a fall.


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## longrider (Apr 21, 2007)

Whodo said:


> Sorry but I don't understand why; "We were clinching of nails into the sofa while they were on top." :nono: It's not like you were going to fall off the sofa and become a statistic of a fall.


I can see it for someone who is truly scared of heights. Even though you know there is no danger on your couch just watching it still affects you. Heights don't bother me as long as I am in something but I still felt it a little watching them get on the outside of the tower.

Now a question as you as you worked in the field, if it was explained in the show I missed it. Why the strange terminology for lifting? Its not like up, down, ans stop are easily misunderstood.


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## joshjr (Aug 2, 2008)

I saw the replay. I thought it was an awsome show. I do have a fear of heights but did okay for the most part. I dont mind roller coasters or things like that but not fond of just climbing something.


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## dreadlk (Sep 18, 2007)

You could tell how the Host who is BTW a professional Rigger was very nervous when those guys started jumping up and down to slide the Jin Pole Up! From an engineering stand point I could see about 1000 ways to die on that thing, the way they braced the Jin pole on the existing Antenna was madness, I was actually figuring that these guys wont be alive much longer if they continue to do things that way!

BTW that statistic of 60-80 Antenna riggers dying annually seemed impossibly high.

Oh also just thought I would share, I went up on one of these towers once, about a 200 footer. I had to climb on an outside ladder as the inner part was too small for a person and I had no safety line. I got up to about 80 ft and my legs would not work anymore, I was mentally trying to move but my hands were clutching and my knees went weak, I had to come back down. I am not normally afraid of heights but on a skinny pole your mind starts to imagine all sorts of death scenarios.
I did not feel all that bad though because the other engineer only made it to about 30ft and decided to go back down. We ended up using walkie talkies to direct a tower guy on how to fix the problem. My hats off to people who can climb up hundreds of feet without any fear.


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

dreadlk said:


> BTW that statistic of 60-80 Antenna riggers dying annually seemed impossibly high.


Did they say on the job or was that a census reading from people who list that as the occupation?


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

dreadlk said:


> You could tell how the Host who is BTW a professional Rigger was very nervous when those guys started jumping up and down to slide the Jin Pole Up! From an engineering stand point I could see about 1000 ways to die on that thing, the way they braced the Jin pole on the existing Antenna was madness, I was actually figuring that these guys wont be alive much longer if they continue to do things that way!


It did seem kind of crazy, but that crew is supposed to be one of if not the best crew in the US and are in serious demand. They did an antenna switchout for one of the stations here and they had a news story about them and some info on the stations website. Of course, maybe they are best because they are fast and cut safety corners, but doing what they are doing just can't be 100% safe, no matter what.

I am somewhat afraid of heights, but once you get up above a certain height, you don't notice it as much. I have worked on the literal edge of a 14 story building with no wall on top with no safety harness (this was 15 years ago, construction was not as safety oriented and I was 21 and stupid), hanging a drill off the side to unscrew a metal flange and I get more scared climbing on my house roof sometimes. When I have worn a safety harness in the past to go up one something, it has also seemed much less scary. Somehow, that harness gives you a feeling of, well... safety.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

dreadlk said:


> Oh also just thought I would share, I went up on one of these towers once, about a 200 footer. I had to climb on an outside ladder as the inner part was too small for a person and I had no safety line. I got up to about 80 ft and my legs would not work anymore, I was mentally trying to move but my hands were clutching and my knees went weak, I had to come back down. I am not normally afraid of heights but on a skinny pole your mind starts to imagine all sorts of death scenarios.
> I did not feel all that bad though because the other engineer only made it to about 30ft and decided to go back down. We ended up using walkie talkies to direct a tower guy on how to fix the problem. My hats off to people who can climb up hundreds of feet without any fear.


I didn't see the show, but if you tried to climb a 200 foot tower without a climbing belt, you did something much more dangerous than anything I've seen a real climber do, probably including the men on this show.

When you're dead, you're dead, doesn't matter much if you're unrecognizable after falling 3000 feet or just messed up from falling 80 feet.

By the way, I thought the most dangerous occupation in the world by percentage of deaths was elephant trainer? (This is not a joke.)


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

The "World's most deadly" would probably be very hard to discern due to lack of records and safety organizations throughout a large portion of the globe.

Attached is the most recent I could find (2007) for the US according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

I wouldn't think very many elephant trainers/handlers are located in the US.

I recall something like 600 deaths per year among elephant trainers/handlers, out of only a few thousand who are employed in that field worldwide.

The tower people we see at my place of employment don't really do anything to make anyone nervous. They are all pretty safe. I climb up to 250 feet or so and have never had any problems.

Climbers are a lot more afraid of the ground than they are heights!


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## dreadlk (Sep 18, 2007)

I was only about 24 at the time and at that age you don't ever think of dying until your dying:lol: Still I would not compare it to those guys, there was no chance that my Tower was going to come down, the only danger was me slipping. On the show my fear was the kind of weights they where moving around, and the not so safety minded way they where doing it. Could you imagine what would have happened if that Jin pole had ever broken free:nono2: The way they anchored it was just so risky.



paulman182 said:


> I didn't see the show, but if you tried to climb a 200 foot tower without a climbing belt, you did something much more dangerous than anything I've seen a real climber do, probably including the men on this show.
> 
> When you're dead, you're dead, doesn't matter much if you're unrecognizable after falling 3000 feet or just messed up from falling 80 feet.
> 
> By the way, I thought the most dangerous occupation in the world by percentage of deaths was elephant trainer? (This is not a joke.)


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## dreadlk (Sep 18, 2007)

Age and being fit are a hell of a thing. I have gotten more scarred of risky things as I get older but once or twice in the recent past I went to the Gym, jogged etc. got fit and almost all the fears went away again. So I can tell you that being out of shape is the thing that drives a lot of peoples fears. Example knowing you can hold up your own body weight with one hand and being able to pull yourself up gives you great confidence to do so many risky things.



Lee L said:


> .
> I am somewhat afraid of heights, but once you get up above a certain height, you don't notice it as much. I have worked on the literal edge of a 14 story building with no wall on top with no safety harness (this was 15 years ago, construction was not as safety oriented and I was 21 and stupid), hanging a drill off the side to unscrew a metal flange and I get more scared climbing on my house roof sometimes.
> 
> .


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

On again now.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

paulman182 said:


> ...Climbers are a lot more afraid of the ground than they are heights!


Understandable. Usually, it's not the fall that hurts, it's that sudden stop at the bottom!


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

I think I'd be dead of heart failure before the splat.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Whodo said:


> I was part of the construction crew that built this tower in late 84, early 85 (you don't build them overnight) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearst-Argyle_Tower
> True it only tops out at 2,000 ft which makes it the shortest of the 3 towers that are located side by side in Walnut Grove, CA. (Here is the link to the tallest of the 3 with picture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KXTV/KOVR_Tower )


I thought the tower they fixes was in South Dakota?

So why can't they use a helicopter to lift the new antenna?


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## V'ger (Oct 4, 2007)

Herdfan said:


> I thought the tower they fixes was in South Dakota?
> 
> So why can't they use a helicopter to lift the new antenna?


Helicopters that can lift 11,000 lbs safely and hold its position and the position if its cargo absolutely still (so the riggers can bolt the antenna on) may not exist. If they do, they will be very expensive.

One of the Discovery channels recently had an episode of Boneyards, where a woman had bought a junk 747 wing for use as a roof in her custom-built home. They had to cut the wing up into 11,000 lb chunks for the helo to safely lift it. Each segment was then trucked to its final destination.


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## dreadlk (Sep 18, 2007)

Good question
They do have heavy lifing helicopters and I just cant imagine that the price would be all that much different. Also a lot less chance of a Jin pole destroying the existing antenna/Tower and killing 4 people.



Herdfan said:


> So why can't they use a helicopter to lift the new antenna?


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

I would guess that if it were possible or economical to use a helo to set these antennas that they would, given the huge number of replacements in the past few years due to teh DTV transmission.

Off the top of my head, I would guess you might have serious problems with the following: 

People being right under the rotor wash on a pretty bad footing provided by the antenna is a safety risk.

Difficulty in having the helicopter stay still enough to get things hooked up (I have worked with helicopters doing lifts before and while it is great for setting something on the roof of a 30 story building, they can only stay in hover for a limited amount of time in regards to inch precision).

Any time you work with a helicopter, in the per operation safety briefing, the pilot and spotters always tells you to not get under the load for any reason. If they have an engine issue, they will drop the load and attempt to land. If they were to have a problem like this on a tower, it could easily kill the workers since they have no place to be but under the load and probably could seriously damage the tower and cause its collapse.

Many of the actual antennas that broadcast are not on the top of the tower but further down on the side. Operating on the side would mean a much longer lead dow (so more movements) adn much more risk of contacting the tower or its guy wires.


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