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Title: Station eng dies on ham tower Post by: n1ps on September 04, 2020, 08:33:31 AM I think some of the guys here knew Jim Larner. I did not, but we had mutual friends. I think Timtron knew Jim quite well and had a business relationship with him.
Sad news. Peter http://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2020/maine-station-engineer-dies-after-falling-from-a-ham-radio-tower/ Title: Re: Station eng dies on ham tower Post by: WZ1M on September 04, 2020, 10:39:48 AM I have known Jim for a long time and this came as a shock to me. He was very professional in the tower business and knew his stuff. I can not grasp in my mind what events took place to cause this tragedy.
Gary...WZ1M Title: Re: Station eng dies on ham tower Post by: WBear2GCR on September 04, 2020, 12:48:33 PM Tim spoke of this on-the-air.
He was extremely upset. While there is nothing we can do, it would be good to know the nature/cause of the fall. The article said nothing of substance. :( _-_- Title: Re: Station eng dies on ham tower Post by: n1ps on September 04, 2020, 08:04:58 PM I suspect a mechanical failure. From a local paper:
"During authorities' investigation, they did not find any foul play or anything suspicious. Larner had a harness and carabiner clips and was believed to be “hooked” in according to a close friend that was on scene, the department reported." Title: Re: Station eng dies on ham tower Post by: K1JJ on September 04, 2020, 08:39:33 PM Too bad.
Perhaps the witness will report the reason for the fall.... But, many tower collapses are due to the "temporary" rope guys failing as the tower is taken down. We tend to do a more careful job in our enthusiasm of putting a tower up. We tend to cut corners when taking it down to get the job over with. Towers using pinned bases will fall without guys. Concrete bases usually stay in place unless rusted out. I use a climbing fail-safe cable on all towers for safety, but it will not save you if the tower falls while being clipped onto it. T Title: Re: Station eng dies on ham tower Post by: ka1tdq on September 05, 2020, 04:50:45 PM I know Mainers have a can-do spirit, but 74 years old is a little much to be climbing towers. He should have been operating in between naps.
Jon Title: Re: Station eng dies on ham tower Post by: W1ITT on September 05, 2020, 09:14:35 PM Tom -JJ mentioned the tower failsafe. There are a couple variations out there but they all involve a cable up the face of the tower, or a cable up the ladder in an inside-climb tower. The climber, using a full-body harness, with a D-ring on front, attaches a slider thingy to the cable, and to his D-ring. There's a cam in the slider that lets you go up fairly easily, but it hangs up if you descend . I tried mine once and it let me fall about six inches before snagging me back. To willfully descend, it's necessary to hold the slider down closer to your bellybutton so that the cam doesn't engage. It's not very convenient, and takes a bit longer but, as long as the tower stays vertical, you can't fall off. Mine is the Sala product, and I have a rather nice FallTech full body harness to complete the rig. By the way, the old "lineman's belt" is way out of style now, except for that one guy in the Village People. Get rid of it. I used to use a mountaineering harness but I wised up and got the proper stuff. AMfone - Dedicated to Amplitude Modulation on the Amateur Radio Bands
I still use gorilla clips and a decent lanyard when I get to my work location on the tower. I double check the gorillas to make sure the gate is fully closed on something solid before I trust them. Yes, the safety-climb stuff is a bit pricey, but if it keeps you alive long enough to collect just one Social Security check, you get your money back and then some. With a fall arrest system, even old guys in decent shape can still climb and work on towers safely. More ham towers should have them. 73 de Norm W1ITT |