forums
new posts
donate
UER Store
events
location db
db map
search
members
faq
terms of service
privacy policy
register
login




1 2  
UER Forum > Archived Rookie Forum > Radio Frequency Emissions (Viewed 1810 times)
Harlan 


Location: Austin
Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email | 
Radio Frequency Emissions
< on 4/13/2011 3:18 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
So there's an awesome radio-tower in my city that I'd like to climb, but I also don't want cancer. How dangerous are RF emissions, really? Is there anything I should know to avoid particularly high exposure, if I were to go up the tower?

Here's an unnecessarily large picture of the sign.



I guess I should probably write something down here.
NiiCKx3 


Location: W.V.




Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 1 on 4/13/2011 3:22 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Here's my sarcastic, yet really cool answer.

Less breaking, more entering -- *tells cop we're taking pictures* "OF WUUUUT?!"
\/adder 


Location: DunkarooLand
Gender: Male


I'm the worst of the best but I'm in this race.

Send Private Message | Send Email | 
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 2 on 4/13/2011 3:25 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
http://www.uer.ca/...d=81595&currpage=1

Stay 5-8 feet from any transmitter face and if you have to climb past one, do it fast.

In fact OSHA's official stance on Paging transmitters (which are omnidirectional) is "climb faster"

http://www.uer.ca/...urrpage=1&pp#post9

"No risk, no reward, no fun."
"Go all the way or walk away"
escensi omnis...
Harlan 


Location: Austin
Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email | 
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 3 on 4/13/2011 3:33 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by NiiCKx3
Here's my sarcastic, yet really cool answer.


It's not a topic which generally interests people who aren't directly related to that field of work, so a lot of information on the web is overly-specified technical jargon. Also, official safety guidelines sometimes exaggerate dangers.

I was posting this in the hopes of getting some more basic, practical advice from others who have climbed radio towers, as I know I've read mention of it. This would be infinitely more useful to me than dense PDF's filled with way more than I'd ever care to know about radio frequencies.

The sarcasm's appreciated, though.

I guess I should probably write something down here.
\/adder 


Location: DunkarooLand
Gender: Male


I'm the worst of the best but I'm in this race.

Send Private Message | Send Email | 
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 4 on 4/13/2011 3:44 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 

I explained it in detail here:
http://www.uer.ca/...rrpage=2&pp#post31

also here:
http://www.uer.ca/...d=65012&currpage=1

And you ought to be familiar with industry practices or stay outside the fence like the sign suggests.

http://www.uer.ca/...urrpage=1&pp#post8


As his body heated from the inside-out from the radiation he probably shed layers, it was windy and they probably blew away.

The length of an FM wave is ~30m/100ft. Being within 100' of the transmitter mast for prolonged periods of time is enough to cause permanent damage to your eyes and inner organs.

First indicator of a dangerous exposure is a intense warmth in your ankles, as fluid is highly concentrated over as short space. He would become disorientated and his vision would have started to get blurry then would whiteout to grayout to black. His eyes would boiled like eggs dropped onto a skillet and internal organs would have become warmer until the liquid bearing organs burst first, he would probably have lost consciousness before this.

Tasty.



"No risk, no reward, no fun."
"Go all the way or walk away"
escensi omnis...
Vectored Approach 


Location: Morgan Hill, CA
Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 5 on 4/13/2011 3:49 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
My advice, due to what I've read and know of RF... don't climb it unless you are damn sure that it is either OFF, or is of lower power/frequency that won't cause you harm. Kind of like asking about climbing into a big piece of machinery... is it locked out/won't start/safe area you are climbing into? You should know 100% before you even start.

Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy. -George Carlin (1937 - 2008)
aurelie 


Location: pacific northwest
Gender: Female


high tech:: low life.

Send Private Message | Send Email | website
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 6 on 4/13/2011 5:04 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
from my experience: AM= Fuck no. FM= Sometimes, but don't go too high.

reckless thoughts abide; anachronistic and impulsive.

loosely jacketed against the cold and ten thousand worlds for the choosing.
terapr0 


Location: Sauga City
Gender: Male


www . tohellandback . net

Send Private Message | Send Email | To Hell And Back
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 7 on 4/14/2011 10:17 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
yea definitely stay away from AM frequency towers as they're typically radiative masts (the tower itself is the antenna). these are easy to spot by the insulators on the guide wires. Just touching the mast will kill you.

That being said, there certainly are towers that are "safe" to climb, but as a general rule, unless you have professional experience (or at least guidance), or are 100% sure the tower is disused, stay away from them. lots of risk, not too much reward.
cranes are safer, and arguably more fun / interesting anyways...

www.tohellandback.net
SoylentWhite 


Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 8 on 4/14/2011 11:52 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Yeah, I'd definitely stay away from this. Not worth it!
I dont need no face cancer

Harlan 


Location: Austin
Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email | 
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 9 on 4/15/2011 12:24 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Thanks for all the input- I'm now starting to see that this may be out of my league.

I tried to find information on this specific tower and it seems that it's part of a public safety system owned by the city, but that it's leased out for cell signal. This seems like it would be safer than actual AM or FM broadcasting, I suppose.

I guess I should probably write something down here.
aurelie 


Location: pacific northwest
Gender: Female


high tech:: low life.

Send Private Message | Send Email | website
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 10 on 4/15/2011 12:38 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Cell towers are perfectly safe, though they aren't as tall or exciting as radio towers. Just don't bring your cell phone up when you climb it, because it might get fried.

reckless thoughts abide; anachronistic and impulsive.

loosely jacketed against the cold and ten thousand worlds for the choosing.
-insertnamehere- 


Location: CO
Gender: Male


"...We're taking photos" ... "PHOTAHOES?!?!?! ?!"

Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 11 on 4/28/2011 6:34 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
There's a cell tower I'm planning on climbing soon, but I'm not sure if there's anything else at the top of the tower...

From the looks of his sign though, I think I should be alright:


(Excuse the cell phone picture)

If I remember correctly, white signs are good.

EDIT: picture oversized
[last edit 4/28/2011 6:35 PM by -insertnamehere- - edited 2 times]

ghost6 


Location: R'lyeh, North Carolina
Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 12 on 4/28/2011 6:53 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
AM towers are fine, you dont ground yourself to the radiator (the tower).
The technique of climbing an AM tower is almost as old as AM itself, you get a running start, and JUMP! (or just use a fiberglass ladder).

As for pagers, cellular, 2 way systems, etc, 99.9% of it is harmless.
FM broadcasters, TV stations, microwave dishes (in front of), these things can and will fuck you up very badly.

That means the big ass platform candelabras 2,000 in the air, are no go unless you are base jumping, and those guys, they move fast.

The nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh…was built in measureless eons behind history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the dark stars. There lay great Cthulhu and his hordes, hidden in green slimy vaults.
\/adder 


Location: DunkarooLand
Gender: Male


I'm the worst of the best but I'm in this race.

Send Private Message | Send Email | 
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 13 on 4/28/2011 8:54 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by ghost6
AM towers are fine, you dont ground yourself to the radiator (the tower).
The technique of climbing an AM tower is almost as old as AM itself, you get a running start, and JUMP! (or just use a fiberglass ladder).

As for pagers, cellular, 2 way systems, etc, 99.9% of it is harmless.
FM broadcasters, TV stations, microwave dishes (in front of), these things can and will fuck you up very badly.

That means the big ass platform candelabras 2,000 in the air, are no go unless you are base jumping, and those guys, they move fast.


And you can climb tv towers safely up to 100-300ft below the transmitters. The length of the wave is ~100ft sometimes as long as ~300ft depending on several factors.

I'm not going to bother with AM towers, probably ever, but here's some info anyways:

http://radioworld.com/article/93534
http://radioworld.com/article/9210

"Harmless" and "Safely" are a relative term, grab ahold the repeater and see what happens. Water towers do funky things to induced currents. ULYB fried his phone. I experienced induced currents from climbing a water tower while wearing gloves with steel shot in the knuckles. My hands started vibrating and I could feel a current running through them.

You probably found either an isocenter (surrounded by cell tower elements on all sides) or an antinode (2/3 of dipole length BELOW the radiating center). Both are repositories of standing waves, which would impart a fine electrical sensation.

"No risk, no reward, no fun."
"Go all the way or walk away"
escensi omnis...
Harlan 


Location: Austin
Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email | 
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 14 on 4/29/2011 12:17 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I also didn't mention that the tower I'm talking about is literally about 50 feet from an elementary school and is in the middle of a residential area. Would that suggest that it's less dangerous at all?

I guess I should probably write something down here.
\/adder 


Location: DunkarooLand
Gender: Male


I'm the worst of the best but I'm in this race.

Send Private Message | Send Email | 
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 15 on 4/29/2011 12:29 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Nope. All towers are "safe" outside the fence.

"No risk, no reward, no fun."
"Go all the way or walk away"
escensi omnis...
Lambda 


Location: Rhode Island
Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 16 on 4/29/2011 3:05 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I'm not too sure how valid this is, but I have read that when climbing radio towers, you should wear a flashbulb on your neck. If it flashes, then the field is strong enough to damage you. This sounds a little flaky to me, and I'm not about to go test it.
Your best bet is probably to avoid getting too close to the antennae themselves.

Doing asbestos I can
Vectored Approach 


Location: Morgan Hill, CA
Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 17 on 4/29/2011 5:26 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Lambda
I'm not too sure how valid this is, but I have read that when climbing radio towers, you should wear a flashbulb on your neck. If it flashes, then the field is strong enough to damage you. This sounds a little flaky to me, and I'm not about to go test it.


I'm not sure where you'd even find a flash bulb anymore... unless your grandmother has a few boxes stashed away in the junk drawer with her old 110 film camera with undeveloped pictures of you as a baby that you'd hope a girlfriend never sees.

Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy. -George Carlin (1937 - 2008)
Yield 


Location: Look behind you
Gender: Male


I'd do you for a klondike bar

Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 18 on 4/30/2011 12:38 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by NiiCKx3
Here's my sarcastic, yet really cool answer.


you'll find when people ask questions pertaining to safety smart-ass remarks are often looked down upon.
This question is asked from time to time and I personally feel some of the more experienced in tower climbing (most of which have posted here) should write a little manual full of guidelines for those of us with general interest in the subject.

Have one or more of you done that already? I don't even remember where the board full of guides is...
*going to search for things*

Yield's Peer Review:
~Doesn't give a fuck, total badass, and one of my ue-besties.
~Genuine, has positive character and this thing called integrity. Knows when to be serious. Passionate about productive things. Human being. ~fish fish boxing boxing bestest friend evah
etchleon 


Location: toronto today...
Gender: Male


E Tenebris Lux

Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Radio Frequency Emissions
<Reply # 19 on 4/30/2011 12:46 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
ah, EMINT. I'd stay a good distance away. I got a nasty burn from a mere 200W 800mhz antenna, Id hate to see what 150kw does...

UER Forum > Archived Rookie Forum > Radio Frequency Emissions (Viewed 1810 times)
1 2  



All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire.
To contact webmaster, or click to email with problems or other questions about this site: UER CONTACT
View Terms of Service | View Privacy Policy | Server colocation provided by Beanfield
This page was generated for you in 109 milliseconds. Since June 23, 2002, a total of 737096420 pages have been generated.