"Jack Painter" wrote in message
news:5vYOc.20119$fm2.8359@lakeread02...

"Crazy George" wrote

Before you get someone killed, hire some competent high iron workers.
Anyone who drops a section of tower because they are uninformed on tower
safety is going to raise the insurance rates for everyone, never mind
the
human life you may take.

Hey George, you know...
the purpose of some people's lives is to serve as a warning to others...


Why Jack, did you never do a mistake in your life... ?

We are not ironworkers but simply radio amateurs expert in various other
fields. However, many are used to work with electronic parts, steel bar or
aluminium or have discussed a lot with specialists or people having already
do similar works.
Ou group has erected a lot of antennas in our area (they are several major
ham radio club around here and thus many amateurs who have the place to
erect a beam) to know what are risks and how to proceed.

Unfortunately each time, the tower is different (bigger, smaller, with a
lift, placed on a roof, cranking or not, etc) and sometimes the owner hasn't
think about all detail or did'nt buy all required part because they were not
available in the shop when he did his purchases.
We often discover that only once on site, even if we speak longtimes before,
often during meeting at radio clubs or even by echolink or visiting the
installation of other amateurs using similar tower.
In this last experience, the owner visited 8 times a friend having erected a
similar tower to be sure of all detail (mainly how worked the winch to lift
the cage and how he fixed his heavy duty rotator on top on the cage to avoid
that the beam element touch the tower.

Many people think that they are able to do any kind of job without looking
for information. This is far to be true because most of the time, as
amateurs, we often imagine complex solutions instead of the simpler ones.
Many of them refuse or rather don't think about the security issues (of
people and material) and buy often undersized tubing or accessories.
This is here that problem began, reason for which some of us have a spacial
suitcase full of quality parts and of various sizes, from the mini to the
largest. But the chance and hasard (risks) are never far away, like
Murphy...
Hopefully the smartest of us and also handymen and have a long experience in
their back and have gathered many field experience and know usually was is
good and was is faulty or to avoid. They gathered also a lot of tools and
their long experience is appreciated.
So all together we usually do an excellent job, at the condition that the
owner buy all parts that we listed or suggest him to buy and don't forget
any tool and doesn't sacrifiy the quality for a few euros...

Thierry


Jack
Virginia Beach VA
fmr Journeyman Ironworker
local 348 Erie PA