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Author Topic: W0AIH, Paul Bitter, sk from tower incident  (Read 4551 times)
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KD6VXI
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« on: November 01, 2018, 10:15:22 AM »


> FROM W2GD
> I am sorry to report Paul Bitner, W0AIH died today from injuries
sustained falling from 60' while doing a tower project (details are not
yet clear).
>
> W0AIH was a member of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame and had a passion for
ham radio and contesting all his life.  He was a retired ordained
Lutheran Minister in his 80s.
>
> R.I.P.  Paul.
>
>
> John W2GD
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K1JJ
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« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2018, 01:33:09 PM »

Rest in Peace, Paul.

At over 80 years old, you lived life robustly to the end.

T
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« Reply #2 on: November 02, 2018, 09:50:01 AM »

More info.

Painful to read, it was totally preventable.

Paul was working on the 15M tower, the 4/4/4/4 this afternoon.  His
apparent plan was to straighten a bent element and check on a rotor or
two that were having problems.  (This 15M tower is 200' tall, with
separate Ham-M's at each antenna starting at 50'.)

I don't know that Paul had been working on this tower recently, but he
apparently had a line to the top and a pulley up there.  His usual
practice would be to keep a 1/4" poly rope up to the top and back if he
was going to work on a tower intermittently.  Then, when ready to work
on it, he would use that small rope to pull his good rope up and back
down, which is what he did today.  For a couple decades Paul has liked
to "ride the rope" up and down, climbing the tower only when necessary,
or when a winch operator wasn't available.  Today a friend was running
the winch, not Mary.  Paul had done some work probably at the 50' level
and was at about 60' when the winch operator said the line went slack. 
The pulley had become disconnected from the top of the tower.

As I said, I don't think Paul had been on this tower recently, and he
didn't remember that this pulley was not properly attached for work. 
Normally, a web "choker" would go through the ring on the top of the
pulley, around a tower leg a couple times, and then its ends joined with
a heavy shackle.  Today, only a nylon rope held the pulley, and it
broke.  KB9S said it looked weathered.  It had probably been up there
quite a while, and Paul's memory hasn't been what it used to be.  He was
not up to the top of the tower today at all, only working near the
bottom antenna.

It sounds like the kind of small rope he might use on his belt to
initially carry the pully and line up to the top of the tower.  Why he
left it there without a proper choker will be a mystery.  I'm guessing
it was many months ago, planning to do this work, but something took him
away and he never got back to it until now.  I am sorry that the winch
operator had to see it, but glad that it was nothing within his control.

I stopped by the Farm Monday on my way home from Chicago.  We talked
about CQWW Phone, and Paul said he operated more phone this time than
ever before.  He was most excited that he worked a TF friend just before
the end on 160M.  That really made a great end to the weekend.  He did
tell me, "maybe next year will be the last year for the multiop.  It's
just getting to be too much work to get ready." That surprised me, as he
has said that he thought he had another 10 years left in him.  It's a
shame it got cut short.

No word on arrangements.  My wife, Paul's youngest daughter, just
arrived in 5H-land yesterday, and I am still waiting to get through to
her.  I'll let you know.

73
Paul W0UC



--Shane
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K1JJ
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« Reply #3 on: November 02, 2018, 01:30:00 PM »

OK on what happened...

The fact that Paul was working on his own 4/4/4/4 15M stack tells us he was a very experienced and excellent climber thru the years, no doubt.

Over the years I have seen several mishaps as a result of rotted ropes. In this case, a missing main choker rope.   A couple of broken ropes have happened to me. They just get away from us, since it's not a clear cut thing to look at a rope and decide if it's good or not.  When certain kinds of ropes stay out in the weather on the tower for a length of time, some break down from the UV, etc. The main rope we use at the top of the tower is a PIA to take down and put up each time, so we tend to leave it up there.  Warning.

Riding the rope:  I have seen a few commercial climbers ride up the tower on the crane "ball,"  though riding up on the ball  is against OSHA rules - at least that's what the climbers told me. The OSHA rules do not apply to a private operator like Paul, however.

Planning and executing a tower job takes everything we have both mentally and physically. Mentally, I used to make a long checklist of things I needed to do to execute the job. Miss a few things and you end up climbing up and down many times and the aggrevation takes its toll in mistakes. As we age, it is so easy to miss some things. I'm beginning to think that is the biggest risk we as older hams face... it's mental - spacing out the details.   When I climbed the other day, it had been a full year since the last job, and I did miss a few things. It was scary to realize this.

Paul's  death was a bad rap, as all accidents are - a frickin rotted rope -  just one of those things that get away from us and the "perfect storm" takes us out. So sad, really.

T

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Wise Words : "I'm as old as I've ever been... and I'm as young as I'll ever be."

There's nothing like an old dog.
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« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2018, 11:09:30 PM »

I'm grieved to read of this accident. Yes preventable, and so tragic.
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« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2018, 02:22:41 PM »

Indeed tragic.  If there's any consolation, he died doing what he loved.

Keep it safe and don't become complacent.

W0AIH had one heck of an antenna farm.  Biggest I've ever seen. Google W0AIH and click google images.

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His fear was when I turned it on for the first time life on earth would come to a stand still.
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« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2018, 04:25:02 AM »

I looked up his QRZ page, and the guy knew his stuff! It's a real tragedy, but he 'lived' life all the way to the end... Like Tom was saying, at over 80 years old.

There could be a 'play it safe' life lesson here, but I don't think we should get caught up in that. We all could talk on 75 meters SSB, but that's a fate much worse than death. So, climb your towers, build your mega-tube amps, live life!

RIP Sir!

Jon
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