http://www.flickr....tohound/163348557/

*EDIT* - The picture below is much better.

http://www.flickr....tohound/355402360/

First off, I've already read the 11 page tower thread way back in the archives.

Looking to climb the larger tower in the top left of this picture. I will post a much more close-up and detailed shot when I climb the mountain in the coming days, but it has a distinct appearance even from this picture.

Here is the information I've been able to gather.

One of the two towers was labeled as an "FCC Registered Private Land Mobile Tower"

Pine Mountain (Lat: 34.167889 Lon: -84.734389), Structure height: 55 m
Call Sign: WNYL632
Assigned Frequencies: 462.775 MHz
Grant Date: 11/14/2001, Expiration Date: 02/10/2012
Registrant: Morris Communications, Inc., Greenville, SC 29606

So, is this just a standard cell tower? And can anyone tell from the information and the shitty picture I have if this thing is physically safe for me to climb while it's operating?

I mean obviously the frequency is extremely high and could cause serious damage, but would I be affected from the ladder?

Legality isn't a concern because it's up on a mountain that only has access via hiking trails and I'm planning to do it VERY early in the morning when the mountain is dead.

I appreciate any advice you have to offer, as this is my first attempt at a tower climb.

These aren't cell towers these are for two way radios. If you are going to climb these you absolutely have to watch what you touch do to the fact you can receive RF burn which happens if its in use nasty stuff look up some pics

Thanks for the tip. I'm not sure if the FCC tower that I have the info on is the larger one that I want to climb or the skinnier one out of the two in the photo. Either way, I'll make my way to both of them and get some more detailed shots to determine more..

Posted by Monkeybrainzzz Either way, I'll make my way to both of them and get some more detailed shots to determine more..

radiation doesn't come out in photos unfortunately

Posted by lxk_ radiation doesn't come out in photos unfortunately

It does if it's around 400-790 THz range.

Most likely paging transmitters, they only kick on when sending or receiving a message, they are omni-directional and the dosage is about 2.5 times as powerful as a standard cell transmitter. OSHA's official policy is "climb faster" and to avoid having transmitters (paging or cellular) on all three or four sides of you.

I'll send you a PM with more details later.

Posted by TheVicariousVadder Most likely paging transmitters, they only kick on when sending or receiving a message, they are omni-directional and the dosage is about 2.5 times as powerful as a standard cell transmitter. OSHA's official policy is "climb faster" and to avoid having transmitters (paging or cellular) on all three or four sides of you. I'll send you a PM with more details later.

So essentially there is not a sure safe area anywhere along the tower since they transmit in all directions, and even the professionals are instructed to move their asses if they don't want to get fried? That's comforting! Haha.

Thanks for the information though, I would greatly appreciate it. Still not too sure which direction I'm leaning toward for this climb. Has anyone actually had experience with these?

Might be a public safety tower, try referencing that frequency with the local emergency agencies in the area. The upper 4XX.XXX spectrum is a popular one, at least in my area.

Go check it out and grab some pictures of the antenna(s).

I don't have time to write a detailed PM tonight, but I was wrong about the transmitters. Paging towers are 900 band, cellular 800 band, according to
OSHA's guide:
http://www.osha.go...ola_eme_report.pdf
the 400 band is over three and a half times as powerful as the cellular band.

see also
http://en.wikipedi...equency_allocation

If I recall, I wanted to climb a tower with 400 band transmitters on it which broadcast police and fire dept radio for the region, but couldn't find decent parking.

Bring a hotdog on a stick and see if it cooks.

Watch out for the AM towers, the first step is a shocker.

I'm going to head out tomorrow morning to grab some photos of the tower. I've got very good zoom on this camera and should be able to get some nice shots of the antennas at the top. Hopefully you guys can help me figure out for sure exactly what it is, as I'm not totally positive the info I posted is for that tower, since there are more than one on Pine Mountain. I'm fairly certain it is though.

Posted by Monkeybrainzzz I'm going to head out tomorrow morning to grab some photos of the tower. I've got very good zoom on this camera and should be able to get some nice shots of the antennas at the top. Hopefully you guys can help me figure out for sure exactly what it is, as I'm not totally positive the info I posted is for that tower, since there are more than one on Pine Mountain. I'm fairly certain it is though.

If you don't mind going right up to the fence, keep an eye out for signs that look like this:



These will help us too.

Unfortunately, it started raining like hell outside. I'll get up there as soon as I can.

UPDATE: I hiked up the mountain yesterday and got some close-ups.







So it seems that it might just be a cell tower after all. The 3 foot distance it recommends makes me think that the tower is relatively weak in terms of power and fairly safe to climb. On the third picture, it's odd that none of the boxes are checked...and the site isn't labeled at the end. And on the last sign about the premises being "electronically monitored", anyone seen that before? I didn't see any cameras but I wasn't really looking for them at the time. no one showed up in the 20 minutes I was there but I also never went over the fence or anything.

Posted by Monkeybrainzzz UPDATE: I hiked up the mountain yesterday and got some close-ups. So it seems that it might just be a cell tower after all. The 3 foot distance it recommends makes me think that the tower is relatively weak in terms of power and fairly safe to climb. On the third picture, it's odd that none of the boxes are checked...and the site isn't labeled at the end. And on the last sign about the premises being "electronically monitored", anyone seen that before? I didn't see any cameras but I wasn't really looking for them at the time. no one showed up in the 20 minutes I was there but I also never went over the fence or anything.

I've been in multiple AT&T sites, including inside the buildings and on the towers and rooftops. Never found any cameras or sensors other than sensors on some of the man doors, but those seem to only report to the local diagnostic panel located inside of the building, and do not serve as an alarm. I've been in and out probably 25 times and never had any close calls. Might just be my luck though .

Posted by HomeFree1984 I've been in multiple AT&T sites, including inside the buildings and on the towers and rooftops. Never found any cameras or sensors other than sensors on some of the man doors, but those seem to only report to the local diagnostic panel located inside of the building, and do not serve as an alarm. I've been in and out probably 25 times and never had any close calls. Might just be my luck though .

Have you seen a sign that said that before though? It's probably just a scare tactic. And regardless, I think I could be out of there long before anyone made it up. The tower is on top of a mountain and only has one (very long) gravel road leading to it.

Posted by Monkeybrainzzz Have you seen a sign that said that before though? It's probably just a scare tactic. And regardless, I think I could be out of there long before anyone made it up. The tower is on top of a mountain and only has one (very long) gravel road leading to it.

Well, the premise IS electronically monitored if any of the equipment malfunctions it will send a signal back to the company who oversees it who will send someone to check it out within a week or two (depending on the severity of the signal.) Don't break anything.

Posted by TheVicariousVadder Well, the premise IS electronically monitored if any of the equipment malfunctions it will send a signal back to the company who oversees it who will send someone to check it out within a week or two (depending on the severity of the signal.) Don't break anything.

Shouldn't be an issue.. From what I could tell, the pegs that I'm climbing don't really come near anything important that I could accidentally damage. And unless they send someone out at the moment they get the signal, I'll be down and out long before anyone gets there.

So I guess this is gonna be good to go. Thanks for the help guys. Your feedback has been a lot more beneficial than google. haha

Posted by Monkeybrainzzz So I guess this is gonna be good to go. Thanks for the help guys. Your feedback has been a lot more beneficial than google. haha

If you feel warmer than you should, or get unexplained headaches, that is a sign of your body intercepting more RF than it should. The OSHA standard rules are mostly there to monitor RF exposure. The way this affects your body is heating it up. With no dishes, you are unlikely to experience a main beam strong enough to give you quick cataracts, but I wouldn't hang out for a long exposure either.

The RF at any frequency will slightly warm you; at particular ones (900 MHz or so) it will particularly heat the water in your organs. Do watch out for your electronics. Leave sensitive ones in the car. UER members have had phones and cameras break or degrade (Hot pixels, no longer taking calls) from cell tower exposure. I don't know if it's the frequency or power that will kill chips, but it's power at interceptable frequencies that will kill you.

If you get hot, leave soon. Lots of tower deaths involve people climbing towers in winter, feeling warm, and stripping. Yes, naked dead people on towers. Happens every few months in the US.

Posted by AnAppleSnail If you feel warmer than you should, or get unexplained headaches, that is a sign of your body intercepting more RF than it should. The OSHA standard rules are mostly there to monitor RF exposure. The way this affects your body is heating it up. With no dishes, you are unlikely to experience a main beam strong enough to give you quick cataracts, but I wouldn't hang out for a long exposure either. The RF at any frequency will slightly warm you; at particular ones (900 MHz or so) it will particularly heat the water in your organs. Do watch out for your electronics. Leave sensitive ones in the car. UER members have had phones and cameras break or degrade (Hot pixels, no longer taking calls) from cell tower exposure. I don't know if it's the frequency or power that will kill chips, but it's power at interceptable frequencies that will kill you. If you get hot, leave soon. Lots of tower deaths involve people climbing towers in winter, feeling warm, and stripping. Yes, naked dead people on towers. Happens every few months in the US.

You'll feel it in your ankles first.

Everything you ever wanted to know about RF exposure:
http://www.osha.go...ola_eme_report.pdf