On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 17:43:00 -0600, Cecil Moore
wrote:

Roger Halstead wrote:
I always use a "tag line". which they refer to as an arresting
harness. Actually it's a double line with two clips and they are only
a bit over 3 feet long. So, if I slip I won't fall far, but it's gonna
hurt!

I have my Purple Martin birdhouse mounted on my tower at a height
of about 20 ft. Last year, I wished I had not been wearing my safety
harness when I was surprised by a six foot long rat snake during a
nest check. The harness forced me to face the snake when I would have
much rather jumped. :-)

Everything is a compromise:-)) Although I'd say finding the snake
would require a lot higher odds than seat belts Vs being thrown out of
a car. :-))

Bout all we have in Michigan are Rattle snakes (Missaguga - usually a
little feller) and assorted non poisonous ones. Naturally you know
which kind got me in the upper arm when trimming the hedge around the
house.sigh I was black and blue from darn near elbow to shoulder
although at least it didn't make me sick. Then again it was only
about 14 inches long.

Like you I was looking at a bird's nest, which in this case was in the
hedge. I reached in to look at the birds (4 little ones in the nest)
when I felt a burning on my upper arm. I thought I'd picked up a
splinter and the pine sap was burning until I saw the two little holes
in my arm.

The drawback to tag lines and safety belts at 100 feet is the likely
hood of coming across a Yellow jackets nest inside the mast or boom.
They are nasty tempered little suckers.

I was just looking to see if I had any photos of the nests I've run
across in the back yard up on my web site, but didn't find any. I
have a couple to put up that show one nest about a foot across.

The last two years I have destroyed about 30 to 40 nests a year on our
lot which is only 200 feet on a side.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 17:43:00 -0600, Cecil Moore
wrote:

Roger Halstead wrote:
I always use a "tag line". which they refer to as an arresting harness.
snip

I have my Purple Martin birdhouse mounted on my tower at a height
of about 20 ft. Last year, I wished I had not been wearing my safety
harness when I was surprised by a six foot long rat snake during a
nest check. The harness forced me to face the snake when I would have
much rather jumped. :-)

Everything is a compromise:-)) Although I'd say finding the snake
would require a lot higher odds than seat belts Vs being thrown out of
a car. :-))

Bout all we have in Michigan are Rattle snakes
snip
The drawback to tag lines and safety belts at 100 feet is the likely
hood of coming across a Yellow jackets nest inside the mast or boom.
They are nasty tempered little suckers.
snip

At least I have never encountered snakes or wasps on those rare occasions I
needed to go aloft to fix or retrieve a lose halyard. It's only 35 feet
above deck but at sea in a light chop it swings about two to three feet with
no one up there, add my weight it swings about five to seven feet. So I tie
myself a safety harness from 3 strands of 5/8 inch Yacht Braid and secure a
double line for hauling to a rigging ring. It's safer than a belt, and
while you can't fall out you can get a bad case of motion sickness. I use
flying jam cleats to serve as climbers so up and down are slow. There are
no mast steps nor anything to grab except at the spreaders. So I try to
avoid going up if at all possible. I sail mostly in the winter, and the
water is cold!
My antennas are all hinged, so I never climb them!
I think you need to make some accommodation when you pass 65.

Roger Gt

Roger Gt wrote:
"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
...

On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 17:43:00 -0600, Cecil Moore
wrote:


Roger Halstead wrote:

I always use a "tag line". which they refer to as an arresting harness.

snip

I have my Purple Martin birdhouse mounted on my tower at a height
of about 20 ft. Last year, I wished I had not been wearing my safety
harness when I was surprised by a six foot long rat snake during a
nest check. The harness forced me to face the snake when I would have
much rather jumped. :-)

Everything is a compromise:-)) Although I'd say finding the snake
would require a lot higher odds than seat belts Vs being thrown out of
a car. :-))

Bout all we have in Michigan are Rattle snakes

snip

The drawback to tag lines and safety belts at 100 feet is the likely
hood of coming across a Yellow jackets nest inside the mast or boom.
They are nasty tempered little suckers.

snip

At least I have never encountered snakes or wasps on those rare occasions I
needed to go aloft to fix or retrieve a lose halyard. It's only 35 feet
above deck but at sea in a light chop it swings about two to three feet with
no one up there, add my weight it swings about five to seven feet. So I tie
myself a safety harness from 3 strands of 5/8 inch Yacht Braid and secure a
double line for hauling to a rigging ring. It's safer than a belt, and
while you can't fall out you can get a bad case of motion sickness. I use
flying jam cleats to serve as climbers so up and down are slow. There are
no mast steps nor anything to grab except at the spreaders. So I try to
avoid going up if at all possible. I sail mostly in the winter, and the
water is cold!
My antennas are all hinged, so I never climb them!
I think you need to make some accommodation when you pass 65.

Roger Gt




I have one to add to that, one time I was at the top of a mast about 35
feet or so fixing a VHF antenna for a customer of mine. I was a marine
radio tech at the time. Just when I got to the top while the boat was in
the docks at Sausalito, Ca. a huge tanker went by and put out a big bow
wake. I was hooked in but wish I hadn't been. All the sailboats started
rocking back and forth about ten degrees from that wake. I had to hang
on while other masts crossed in front of me as all the boats did a
little dance with me the unwilling rider. I was in no danger of falling
but nearly got smacked with someone elses' mast(s). That was the last
time I volunteered for mast top antenna duty.
Bill Baka.

On Fri, 02 Jan 2004 10:35:27 GMT, "Roger Gt"
wrote:


"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 17:43:00 -0600, Cecil Moore
wrote:

Roger Halstead wrote:
I always use a "tag line". which they refer to as an arresting harness.
snip

I have my Purple Martin birdhouse mounted on my tower at a height
of about 20 ft. Last year, I wished I had not been wearing my safety
harness when I was surprised by a six foot long rat snake during a
nest check. The harness forced me to face the snake when I would have
much rather jumped. :-)

Everything is a compromise:-)) Although I'd say finding the snake
would require a lot higher odds than seat belts Vs being thrown out of
a car. :-))

Bout all we have in Michigan are Rattle snakes
snip
The drawback to tag lines and safety belts at 100 feet is the likely
hood of coming across a Yellow jackets nest inside the mast or boom.
They are nasty tempered little suckers.
snip

At least I have never encountered snakes or wasps on those rare occasions I
needed to go aloft to fix or retrieve a lose halyard. It's only 35 feet
above deck but at sea in a light chop it swings about two to three feet with
no one up there, add my weight it swings about five to seven feet. So I tie

I've climbed towers for years and I'm also a pilot, but I want my
tower to hold still! :-)) If you do much of it, I guess a person,
or some people could get used to it. I do know of guys going up
there, but most preferred to lay the mast down. :-))

myself a safety harness from 3 strands of 5/8 inch Yacht Braid and secure a
double line for hauling to a rigging ring. It's safer than a belt, and
while you can't fall out you can get a bad case of motion sickness. I use
flying jam cleats to serve as climbers so up and down are slow. There are
no mast steps nor anything to grab except at the spreaders. So I try to
avoid going up if at all possible. I sail mostly in the winter, and the
water is cold!
My antennas are all hinged, so I never climb them!
I think you need to make some accommodation when you pass 65.

My first wife's father was still roofing barns well past the age of
80. Those steep, hip roofed barns! Not me, I wouldn't climb up one
of those for anything.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Roger Gt