John, you appear to be a hell of a guy. God speed to you. I am so glad the world has people like you in it. Your ability, agility amaze me but how you get them huge balls up those towers over and over with such skill is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. Cheers

Well guys and ladies, I finally got with my crane consultant about two weeks later. This video was made on Sept 30. By October 12, the load had been removed by another company. We planned a trip to the tower that day. He arrived before me only to find out that the new owners had another company remove the load from the side of the tower. that's the way it goes sometime. Business is business. I wish them well. John

@cidertom

8 жыл бұрын

+John Hettish I appreciate the 100% tie off. Climbing with that much stuff in the way presents a lot of challenges. I've seen too many people try to cheat and not maintain the 100%.

@lewiemcneely9143

8 жыл бұрын

Like a buddy/boss of mine said 'We can't do it all and they can't either'.

@djcode4714

7 жыл бұрын

wow... that bites... still a great video sorry u lost the job... cut throat as in anything i guess... ^5

@jhettish

7 жыл бұрын

Yep, lost it but are getting other calls from that broadcaster now. John

@michaelmccarthy4615

4 жыл бұрын

What are those heavy large diameter pipe risers used for? Do they carry RF to the antennas?

Enjoy watchin yall at work no way i could do it thanks for the videos keep up the great work be safe out there

I live in middle Tennessee so I know where alot of these towers are. Its really cool seeing your videos of working on them. I appreciate your videos!

As always thanks for the fine videos John!

I always watch the entire video as I find your work very interesting. I like seeing a person paying attention to details before giving out a price. Great video!

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+benchedthatpiece If I don't look at the details and just shoot out a price I usually end up shooting myself in the foot, so to speak. I've been bitten too many times during the last 30 plus years and am always trying to avoid that experience. John

Great videos John no mater if the wind is blowing or not. Very nice and thank you for being that guy up there and not me..

Appreciate the education you bring to these videos. I start a trade school 30 week program on the 17th for getting certified as a Tower Technician I. Love the videos !

Very interesting and detailed John! Climbing isn't my thing because I don't care for heights, but I appreciate your safety measures and I like the fact that you explain as you go along. Thanks for producing the videos!

Brings back some memories, except I was the guy on the ground. It gives me the willies watching someone else. Thanks for sharing your "office" with us.

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+Stephen Moore Oddly enough, the guy on the ground is about half my age. :-) You can see photos on my company web site www.mt2w.com. Look for the link "Staff". John

I like watching these til the end. I like the work you guys do and if I wasn’t already dedicated to a trade I would take consideration in switching.

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

I have to say I find tower work quite interesting. Thanks for watching the videos. Comments like yours make the hours of editing worth while. John

You tower guys blow my mind -- I think I would freeze if I was that high up. You're obviously a man who knows what he's doing.

Great video just like all your others,I find them very interesting and inspiring as I'm looking to get into the tower industry myself.

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+WCC209 I hope you can find a good team to join where safety is a concern and ingenuity is not only recognized but rewarded. John

Really enjoy your videos John. You are a great inspiration to consider safety and being tied off at all times.

@jhettish

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I appreciate the comment. I do want to add however that I don't think being tied on 100% of the time makes someone more safety conscious than another person might be. I climbed for years using very little safety equipment and after 44 years of continuous work in this trade, have never even come close to falling from a tower. To make this clear, I free-climbed, for about 20 years before 100% was widely adopted as a mandatory safety procedure. There's a really good video that can be found by Googling "Cell Tower Deaths". At one point in that video the producers had taken a former OSHA investigator to a tower site where had had looked into the death of a person who had fallen from the structure there. At one point they're standing outside the compound fence and he turns toward the camera and says, "I wonder what he was thinking while he was falling." Most true professionals in the business that I've spoken to about this documentary ask, "I wonder what he (the dead tower tech) was thinking *just before he fell*." I think the greatest piece of safety equipment a climber can take up the tower is a clear, aware, mind. This is not a job for dummies. I think my focus on the job, how I was going to get to the job and what I was going to do while there has had a great role in my 44 safe years. The only injury I've ever received, aside from minor cuts or scratches, occurred while I was on the ground, not on the structure. I tripped over some weeds and hurt my shoulder when I fell. On the tower, every movement, every selection of an anchor point, the use of every tool, every placement of a piece of safety equipment should be a conscious thought. When the day is done drinking with co-workers for hours at the bar is the worse place to be. John

Whatever you do, don't step back to admire your work.

As a former skydiver (hobby) and elevator technician. I can only say: what a interesting and inspiring video. I can look this the whole day. Thanks for the time your spend on the video`s. Dirk from the Netherlands

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+gekkedirkie Here's one you might like even better. kzread.info/dash/bejne/aHistNeqoK6pidY.html I'm a bit higher in this video but I have no desire to base-jump and would only parachute if someone else was paying for it. I do appreciate your comment. John

I will do my assessment from the ground thank you.....

im on edge watching you climb around up there .....i could never do what you do .....you must have nerves of steel id be scared to death up there ..........be safe this is the only way id ever get to be up there.......

Good to see you sir...I am working as a tower climber in saudi arabia in a Tv project to install and maintenance of Tv and Fm antennas with tower light....

@jhettish

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the comment. It's always good to hear from other professionals in this special profession. Be safe and do excellent work. What more could a customer ask for? John

My knees are shaking just watching.

People said I was crazy being a firefighter. You couldn’t pay me enough to do that!

I would love to change those lights out. If I could go back in time I would have done all I could to get into tower work. I am not scared to bleed, sweat n cuss to do a job I’m proud of!! I do it every day lol

I don't know what it is about these towers, but I've always been fascinated with them even as a kid, I'd often look for them when travelling somewhere in the car with my family. I couldn't do what you do though, I think I'd probably freeze and need a rescue.

Have learned a lot from your vids We acquired a ex AT&T tower for the internet biz a out fit was contracted by American tower to remove the drum style antennas off it I they were really slip shod in there work it looks like they used a pulley at the top and a winch on a truck to remove them and some that would not hit the guy cables on the way down they just cut them loose and bombs away !!some were still laying out in the field smashed up they left the cable flying in the wind plus they stole the generator set And we think stole the ground cable from the lightning rod and pulled up some of the ground grid too had to replace that part on our own dime There are some really un professional people out there must say you are top notch in your field .

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

I think I know the company ATC hired. My ATT tower is self supporting and had the Cornucopia microwave antennas at the top. The crew used a sawzall to cut the antennas up and sent them crashing to the ground in pieces. If my tower had been a guyed structure I would not have used them. I recommended these guys to a customer of mine and they did a horrible job, leaving two dishes on the tower, taking all the elliptical wave guide off the structure and leaving all the butterflies inside the tower. The butterflies made subsequent climbing quite a pain. Later the customer got someone else to drop the entire tower and haul off the scrap. Here's a cloud drive where you can see those guys at work on my tower. drive.google.com/open?id=0B-PL3Echc-nuU2MwVV9RaUdoS0U John

very good i liked it

I hope you get $100/hr my friend! You deserve it!!

Drill some small holes every few inches on your tap measure and see if that might help. 👍🇺🇸

Thanks for the new video..

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+devilfisk Definitely my pleasure. Glad you liked it. John

@andersanders845

8 жыл бұрын

+John Hettish Hope you can film the process of taking the antenna down..

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+Anders Stålblom At the moment I'm only working up a work quotation (prices and the like) but with the effort I'm putting forth I definitely hope to get the job. If so I'll probably we the person hooking the cable to the load. Before a crane ever attaches to the pole my crew and I will have removed the antenna components which should make things much easier and the load a little lighter.

I see you are very thorough and do a good job

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

I do my best. Thanks, John

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for noticing Jimmy. What I do in part is identified as "tower climbing". Sure I climb towers but that's only transportation to the spot requiring attention. The correct identification would be tower technician. That would describe the actual process of climbing to a certain height, knowing what to do when one gets there and doing the work well. John

Your voice sounds like ‘The Bob Ross of Tower Work’.....👍🏻 i cant believe 3400 lbs is held on just with U BOLTS😳i think in the UK they would have a guy gas torch that thing into sections and lower them by rope or a winch....but ....SMALL sections. Watching this eating my supper during my night shift. I watch them ALL start to finish. Whats the highest antenna in the US John? I lived in Missouri for a while married to a gal over there I used to sit on the front porch in the summer nights watching the anti collision lights gently flashing, call me crazy but it was a nice sight. Now I know HOW BIG they are and the effort involved to relamp them. In Springfield we seemed to be SURROUNDED by some of the tallest ive ever seen! Havent been back to USA for 10 years after i split up with my wife. Miss her and I miss the towers 😢 The UK dont seem to have heard of huge masts!

I did highway sign erections, some of the tallest around 130' and did a few tower climbs for changing bulbs, etc. I was fairly shakey on my first few then it was awesome. That was way back in 1983 &'84, though. I also did water tower inspections up until about 1992. I was like you about it- just work, nothing to it. And humans are naturally afraid of heights. I started with it in the Army as a paratrooper. and that got me pretty much over the fear of heights. I think the biggest thing is just learning to trust your equipment and your self. Back in my day, we seldom tied off on the climb and if the work was too busy- that is moving from point to point a lot, most guys didn't tie off at all. When that safety gear and rules came out, most of us made fun of it- you know, it just seemed like a lot of extra work when the work itself was hard enough- carrying all that extra weight made no sense to us. We'd joke around with the bosses, "What's next? You gonna' put in escalators for us?" We felt pretty cocky and special, you know. But, finally I got too fat to do the work as i got older, my strength gave out from not doing the climbs often enough...I gave it up. Took a ground job. But, It is one of my favorite memories.

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

I could have written that description. I took a temporary job in two-way radio February 1972 after returning from Vietnam. In essence I still have the same "temporary job". I worked for others for 10 years the started this business in 1983. My most recent 300 foot climb was January 19, 2018. After announcing something like that I usually say, "Maybe I'm retired now". Of course I'm not but retirement (from climbing) will probably come unexpectedly. A period of time will pass and I'll realize that I haven't climbed anything. Some day all of us will have driven for a last time and probably won't realize it until some time passes. In the Army I was an officer in Transportation Corp. The army changed their rules for RA officers the year I came out of college. Prior to that an RA officer had to take either airborne or Ranger. The rule change would not allow non combat arms officers to take airborne but the new rules required us to take the Ranger course. I wanted to take airborne, 3 weeks and physically fit you get to fall out of perfectly good airplanes but they wouldn't let me. I did complete the Ranger course though. I left the army after 3 years, 6 months and 15 days which marked my departure from Vietnam also. Yep, I've done my share of free climbing and have worked a bunch of water tanks. In fact I climbed one in January of this year. I'm pretty sure I was much younger when I made my previously mentioned 2018 climbs. I was 72. I turned 73 on January 30th. I don't even qualify as a baby boomer. WWII still had about 7 months to run when I was hatched. Working on the roof of a water tank, especially the LEG type has always bothered me so I take extra precautions when there is a need to get on a rounded roof and required to be near the edge. My extra measures get right back to Ranger training in mountaineering. John

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

One more comment. In 46 years of commercial climbing I've NEVER come close to falling. In my company our motto is "Falling is not an Option".

@jimbass7867

6 жыл бұрын

Haha- So true. My sign mechanic years gave me a few exciting moments, but it was always due to the clowns they would hire to run the crane or do high welding and electrical. In desperation, i learned both trades so I did not have to depend on those idiots. I became the only licensed electrician and certified welder that company had at the time. Worked mostly in SE New mexico and West Texas. I was born in '46 and came home from VN in '68- got there a few months before the Tet offensive- Got the "Tee Shirt" for the mopping up of the Battle of Hue experience. I really like your explanations on what you are doing on the tower. I don't miss the wind or the cold, the heat- But I do kind of miss the work, the view, the uniqueness of it. Watching your tape blow around in the wind really brought back memories, too. Made me laugh- been there done that!

@sergeant_dornan_

5 жыл бұрын

John Hettish you are 74 and still climbing? That’s so awesome. Truly, people age differently.

Amazing

@jhettish

2 жыл бұрын

I just re-watched the video. I think I did a pretty good job gathering data but I found out later that the owners of the structure had already decided on the company they wanted to use to remove the antenna and it wasn't mine. They could have told me that before I climbed but they didn't. If I know someone else has already been selected I appreciate hearing the truth and not having to exert myself, exposing myself to potential danger and most of all wasting my time. Time is something that cannot be recovered. When it's gone, it's really gone. Wasted time is something I'll never get back. I was youngr in 2015. I was 70. Now it's 2021 and I'm 76 and will be 77 by the 30th of January. Ah, but don't fret. I still work and sometimes climb every day. Thanks for watching. John

They're never boring to watch, John. Just curious as to what the original purpose of the concrete in the pipe was. Structural stiffness or the like ?? Just a thought, I wonder over time, how lime and cement powder and all the other crap in concrete would react with zinc and aluminium and whatever else is in the steel coating ? Could maybe set off the dreaded steel cancer ? Just a thought.Mike.

i did watch the whole thing.... had 40 ft wincharger tower at my old house, what a foot eater that was...

I'm an electronics nut and find your videos most enjoyable. Personally, I would like to see longer videos with more in depth commentary as to what is going on. This series has got me to reading the "Antenna" section of the ARRL handbook. No, I'm not a ham but would like to be. I find RTTY interesting and would like to get a teleprinter (an ASR-28) at some stage. Thanks so much for the time you take shooting the video and editing it. A good editing suite helps, but it's still a lot of work. Thanks again!

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

I guess I could be called an electronics nut also. I got the bug with I was about 12 and still have it 61 years later. I have two or three videos I want to edit but have no time. The three part video "How long does it take" was done as an experiment and since it was only 45 minutes long and I could publish it in three parts. It's a recent one if you haven't seen it. I'm working on one now but I'm constantly busy doing one thing or another related to the business. I climbed yesterday about five times on two different towers. Last Friday I climbed 200 feet so the final result is this 73 year old gets tired. I'm also the CEO of the company so there's a lot more to do other than climbing. Time is the factor and as you noted editing is holdup. A lot of tower videos on KZread are just raw video. I like to have a story line and keep the videos at 15 minutes or less. Thanks for the comment. I do appreciate it. John

@jph2929

6 жыл бұрын

Buy some new safety lanyards for Christ sake , lol , really enjoy your videos, stay safe brother!

@robismod

4 жыл бұрын

John Hettish oMG! So you were about 70 when you made this climb? Wow! I’m so impressed and envious, as I’m falling apart at 60! Until I read your comment here concerning getting the bug at 12 and doing the math, I assumed you were possibly in your 40s...just...wow! My hat’s off to you sir!

I own portion of towers and several of they're own. Four are am stations that I am working to digitalize. One in sacramento and one in San Francisco, And Sturgis And Sioux Falls

Imagine getting up to the top and saying: this tower is in terrible shape!

@nickshades6727

3 жыл бұрын

hahaha!

What would get to me is climbing those side pegs(?)! And I've seen other climbers free-climb those up the side of an antenna at the tower top! NOPE!

Too heavy for a gin pole? This brings back memories. I once swapped TV transmitter antennas on the side of a tower. It was in January, on top of a big hill, wind blowing about 30 mph, temperature about 34 degrees. The UHF antenna we put up was almost the size of this one, but didn’t have the big pipe because it was designed for side mounting, so it was lighter, but still massive. I had to handle it alone. They sent me lots of extra stuff for all the things they knew I would drop with my cold hands... stuff like O-rings and nuts and silicone grease. Few things I have done compare with the difficulty of connecting the flanges for the transmission line! I did lose a few nuts and washers, but everybody on the ground was prepared for that and kept their distance! Praise the Lord, there were no leaks when they pressure tested the line.

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

Apparently you did a good job. I often get in the position of removing a horizontal run of rigid only to have problems reassembling it because I've forgotten to carry some silicone grease. I'd generally prefer to work with rigid. Often the problem can be spotted with a Network Analyzer or a Sitemaster like I use. Then the problem can usually be repaired relatively quickly. Sweeping will locate a problem in coax also but if the damage is bad enough the only thing that can be done is to replace the entire run. Two of my guys picked up a reel of 3" yesterday. The reel contains 950 feet. We're replacing a totally messed up piece of 3". I guess we'll wait until December to fix this thing that has been out for quite a few years. It's an Aux antenna and the company that owns the FM station is starting to fear a failure of the main antenna, which is at 1300 feet. One thing I make sure an experienced tower-tech knows that if you didn't install the item you are about to remove from a tower you will have no idea how it's going to react just as it's coming away from the tower. It sounds to me like you could have used a little help moving the side mounted antenna. I think the antenna in this video weighed 4000 pounds. John

@ethanlamoureux5306

6 жыл бұрын

Thankfully, the antenna I removed was much smaller than the one I put up. But still, I was very careful to feel things out before fully removing the clamps. I sure don’t like surprises! I agree though, it would have been nice to have help on the tower.

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

I got in a situation the other day (last week) where I was in a sort of bind at 130 feet or so with my other guys working at 500 and 700 feet. I dropped my radio and while trying to get two antennas untangled from an obstruction I ended up having to drop the load (sixty pounds or so) about 10 feet. If I had help it would have been different. We were removing a two bay FM antenna from the tower and it presented itself like a big grappling hook. Finally all was good but help would have been better. My fourth guy was on the ground. John

So awesome,so scary...I just shitting in my trauses already...

Hi, I watched the entire video :)

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+PA2OLD Thanks, It was a bit longer than I would normally post but I couldn't make a story-line out of shorter segments. If I did one longer than 20 minutes there would be a part 1 and part 2. John

Just spent all morning watching your videos. This job looks awesome. I'm a licensed electrician in NJ and mainly do residential and commercial work. It's become quite boring as I'm not learning much anymore and I'm looking to make a change. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated on how to get into a field like this. Thanks. Lou

@richardjoseph8683

3 жыл бұрын

If your getting bored your not a licensed electrician because there's new challenges everyday. Maybe you just don't like what you do

This seems like a job I would enjoy doing. Only real downside I can think of is the cold wind.

@jhettish

7 жыл бұрын

The wind wasn't that bad. We tend to get used to working during the winter. In places like North Dakota it's a completely different matter. Those guys are really tough. The can dress for warmth. We have to split the difference between warmth and sweating. Climbing will work up a sweat. Working at a certain level for an hour or more can cause a sweaty body to start to loose critical temperature then hypothermia can set in. In the winter we wear t-shirts and shorts. :-) John

@robismod

4 жыл бұрын

John Hettish “in the winter we wear t-shirts and shorts”? Ha! Sounds to me like you guys are tougher than those North Dakota guys! 😉😂

i have always wondered why the Tv antennas use what looks like gas pipes. How do they work?

Duas perguntas: essas torres balançam muito? Você às vezes sente medo?

I watch the entire thing

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+Three Swords Thanks for watching. it was a bit longer than I usually want the videos to last but the shortest I could make it in the available editing time. John

Good video! :)

@jhettish

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, I appreciate your taking time to watch and comment. Your comment takes away the sting of having been used by the customer's out-of-town engineers who had already made up their minds before I set foot on steel. I still like that kind of work but haven't been able to carry on with it due to an fall injury (not tower related) in June 2018. I'm OK (fall injury from tree) now but I'm also 7 years older now. Judging from the upload date I guess I must have been 69 or 70 when I uploaded this video. I think that tower was about 25 years old when I made the video. BTW: Today I'm 77.5 years old. That sort of thing tends to happen if you live long enough.

@Lil-Worm

Жыл бұрын

@@jhettish I find it very interesting. :) That sounds bad sorry that that happened. I think you are now one of the few channels I will subscribe to. I love your videos. Hope you are well.

@jhettish

Жыл бұрын

@@Lil-Worm I'm hoping to get information out on the channel in a sort of V-log fashion. I still have raw video I'd like to upload, and will if I live long enough :-). I will probably continue to be able for quite some time yet. Today my only exercise seems to be pull-ups. I hope to post a video of me doing pull-ups. I'll let you in on a secret which will only be secret if no one else reads this reply. My health is excellent. Why was I able to climb at 75 (two weeks before my 76th birthday)? Much of the secret, and don't tell anyone, was that I started smoking when I was nine years old (about 1954). The punchline is that I STOPPED the same day and never did take it up after my beginning. I think the real reason I never restarted the smoking was that I didn't think I was old enough and .....................................I still don't. There's more to the keeping healthy story tha twill come out eventually and it's not one of the "healthy eating" stories. It is a "vigorus exercise" story. I truly appreciate your comment. Also, I have a second channel. it's url is : kzread.info

@Lil-Worm

Жыл бұрын

@@jhettish I hope you do get to post the vlogs! :) You are lucky I can barely do one pull up 🤣 I will subscribe to your other channel as well :). Thank you for replying to my comment, it has really made my day well night now. Smoking is never good for anyone. I'm glad you never started again. Stay safe :)

If I was a young man I think Iwould love to work on Towers

Ya not wearing gloves this time too! That old structure looks like alot of rust on it, and not rough on the hands?

Hi John, BIG fan here of your chanel. I learn a lot from your​ Chanel. I am curious if you pondered removing that antenna without a crane? I haul ice sheilds weighing upwards of 2500 lbs without any issue, up and down towers, over and around microwave dishes. We also have heavy tagging to keep it away from the tower thus increasing the working load. I believe you said the retired antenna shown in your video was in the 3,500 lbs range. I have been running a crew of 3 men and we have worked together for 20 and 16 and years. We are so fluid that we barely talk at work. We all know what the other guy needs without a peep and Glory to the Almighty, never a single incident. I studied the antenna to the best of my ability and I'm curious if you could won the bid and made some extra gravy showing up with a wench and some heavy rigging straps and pieced the antenna down 1st then breaking down the mounting pipe ? Too risky??? one thing I thrive on John is when my boss bids a man basket or a crane and I do it without one. However, I NEVER jeopardize my crew. just like you, when it's miserable out or a bit out of the regular, I go up not them. I admire your work ethic...I really do !

@jhettish

7 жыл бұрын

We have a hoist we'd use for such things usually but the pick height was only 280 feet and the weight was a bit more than the hoist would want to deal with. I was planning to use a crane but two weeks later when I got my crane man to come to the site the new owner had let someone else take the antenna down and it was completely gone. I had the feeling all the time that the engineer was screwing around with me and already knew what he wanted to do and who he wanted to use. I've gotten a couple of calls for things from the local engineer. It's best not to nurse a resentment. John

Another fine video watched from start to end. I had no idea how heavy an antenna was. Are they all heavy ?

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+Keith Parkes The weight varies widely. The supporting mast for that one is probably 75% of the weight.John

hey John on the topic of preparing yourself to be successful at entry into this career , is the commtrain training program good ? or faith technologies ? or gravitech? .... these are all programs that I've seen that offer compitent climber training and tower rescue and climbing certifications ..... I plan on attending one of those programs and hope to kick start my career with that in tower work.........thoughts? or suggestions? plz and thank you again

@LandonClimbs

5 жыл бұрын

I have a comtrain

what is your watch? is it a g-shock?

Is your crew ready to rescue if needed?

no gloves ? cons pros ? GREAT video watched it all ... and ur welcome : )

@jhettish

7 жыл бұрын

The Army taught me to climb bare handed. Greater feel for the rock. I kept the habit except where I think they're necessary. I what I guess are called finger less. Of course the gloves have fingers or perhaps half-fingers. In any event the tips of my fingers are exposed giving me a better tactile feeling for the steel be it tower or nuts and bolts. Bottom line for me is it's just a personal preference. Thanks for the comment. John

Always wondered how safe is it using the lanyard on the straight pole steps. Wouldn’t the “D” shape pole steps be safer? And is the industry movie to “D” shape pole steps. Do you have a preference. It just seems the lanyard could slip off the pole steps.

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

Actually I'm not a big fan of throwing a 6" opening hook around a 9/16" diameter step bolt but in certain situations there's not much else to do. Keep in mind that I have a very negative view of falling from a tower therefore I'm determined not to fall no matter what. I use the hook over step-bolt just because I have to do something. What I'd rather do on a pole with step bolts is through my positioning lanyard around the pole and climb. That would be more like fall restraint rather than fall arrest. Fall restraint is always better than fall arrest anyway. As for the lanyard slipping off the steps I agree so when I'm using that method I actually use the hook as an extension of my hand and am very careful as to where and how I place the hook. That's about all I can think of on that subject. Thanks for asking. John

@robismod

4 жыл бұрын

John Hettish (I just today saw this video, 2020, Sorry for being “late to the party HaHa) First thing I questioned was those step-bolts-do they deteriorate to the point of failure? Possibly when stepped on unknowingly? I’m sure that has to be part of regular maintenance but we know how that can get deferred...also I noticed what looked like some rust around some of the section connectors-how are they protected, paint maybe? Oh, and great video. Love the narration with the explanations, helped me being able to hear you clearly with my limited hearing...surprisingly, the time went by before I realized it-and I was wanting more...😊

Another tower vidgia I'm on a roll baby😎

@SPONGEATHONO

2 жыл бұрын

That's what I'm talking about... Me from 5 min ago..

hey John I really have a love for this career plz give me some pointers on what degree I might need or where is a good place to start. ...thank you and awesome bids

@jeremychambers550

8 жыл бұрын

vids*

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+Jeremy Chambers Degree? That's an interesting one. :-) I have a degree in Political Science with minors in History and English. That's the reason I give for climbing towers. I wish I had been focused enough in my youth (which was a long time ago) to have knuckled down and got a mechanical engineering degree. I came by this career quite accidentally. I had just got back from Vietnam and couldn't find a job. Finally I got a job related to my hobby at the time (ham radio) started working with two-way radios and systems and liked the work. Being physically fit I ended up as the default tower tech for the first company I worked for. After six years I moved on to a Motorola shop and then started my own business 32 years ago. In life, things just happen. Just about everything in the tower industry is focused on engineering. That would be my bet. Antenna manufacturers in the US, like ERI or Sinclair need fledgling engineers. The cell antenna might (emphasis, "might") be a good place to start but I wouldn't want to stay there. Just an opinion worth any value you want to put on it.

@jeremychambers550

8 жыл бұрын

+John Hettish thanks john i just read your reply thankyou for the info i will try to find a degree that suits me like you said mechanical engineering ....one problem i hate math but i know i can overcome that challenge thankyou very much again...wish me luck ......semper fi

John, you said something about the nuts on stainless steel bolts seizing- I had not heard this before. I always thought SS was the way to go for tower hardware. Is there a way to prevent this seizing problem or something better for tower hardware?

@DaveJohnsonad5nm

5 жыл бұрын

The seizing with stainless is that it is a soft metal and the threads stress when torqued. When you remove the bolts or nuts the threads are no longers spaced standard therefore seized by stress not corrosion. Never re-use your stainless hardware where a load is involved. I hope I answered your question adequately.

@stargazer7644

5 жыл бұрын

Torque a dry stainless nut down and it'll never come off again. You have to use copper anti-seize on all the fasteners, and even then sometimes it isn't enough.

where you find a crane for that 180' is about it around this area. that will be a job to remove but not impossible

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+Roy Amberg I will likely be using the same crane we used to erect the tower from a few videos back. According to the owner they can make 330 feet and have no trouble with that load. Of course we'll have to meet on site in order for him to be able to determine the possibilities, or lack thereof. John

Would addind guy wires strenghthen a self supporting tower? Or do they have wires already.

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

Self supporting towers do not have guy wires. However I have seen one self supporting tower that apparently had guy wires added. I probably have a photo of that tower on one of my old hard disks but have no idea which one. I believe the tower belonged to AT&T and was sold to American Towers and is in west Tennessee. There were only one set of guys that went to the top of the 400 foot tall tower, probably added after the erection to accommodate a heavier load of microwave antennas. It was rather strange looking to say the least.

@bombasticbuster9340

8 жыл бұрын

+John Hettish Thanks for the answer John. Do you ever work in Arkansas/Oklahoma?

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

I have in the past but focus on Middle Tennessee these days. I have just the right number of employees to attend to public safety and broadcasting work in this area so that we don't have to travel.

just start removing bolts at random till the thing comes off!

One last question John, are there tower technicians that do local work, like within the state or one to two other states? I've been searching on Google but have not seen that much evidence of local tower technicians. Only a few websites so far.

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+MrMojo _MAN I'm sure there must be some but they would be hard to find. I've done tower work locally as part of the two-way radio business for many years and spent a lot of time building relationships with my broadcast customers. It's been a slow process. If a company only does tower work then it's highly unlikely they will find enough work to remain in one area. That's only an opinion on my part. There may be tower companies that serve major cities but I haven't seen much evidence. Our "secret" is that we don't do only tower work. I did run around about a seven state area during the first part of this century (2000-2010) but don't do that much any more. My two other climbing techs are local guys and want to go home each night and that's the way I like it also.

@GearheadExplorer85

8 жыл бұрын

+John Hettish Hey John, I have watched a few of your videos so far and am really amazed at all the stuff you and your guys do. You might find them boring, but I find they are really addicting haha I would love to do this kind of stuff for a living. I have always loved climbing up to high places. The only thing that is holding me back is the extensive travel. After being in the Navy and travelling around for a while, I would like to do something where I am not away from home for months at a time. Basically I would like to be home often enough to be able to create and maintain meaningful relationships with other people. Would it be worthwhile for me to try to find a company like yours that does a wide variety of things in addition to tower work? Or should I be looking at a different career path? Thanks for your time! :) James

Rusty chain at the top of post,, should have been stainless.. Will need a Heli to lift it off easy.

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

Actually I had a crane lined up but the owners did something else before I could get the crane engineer to the site. About two weeks after the inspection the crane guy and I were on the way to the site and the crane guy had just discovered that the antenna was already gone. Boy was he pissed. I just have to take things like that in stride. John

@robismod

4 жыл бұрын

John Hettish John, was the time you spent on this tower on your own dime? And, even though I figured most of this kind of work is paid for by big companies, I’m concerned for the few mom and pops that still hang on in radio, and have to deal with expensive tower issues...what’s a ballpark guesstimate on what a job like this would cost? I know that when we call in cranes at my railroad job it gets expensive real quick-from the time they depart their base until they get back...

Where is your co. Located and are you hiring 20 years exp. Thanks.

@jhettish

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment: My company is called Middle Tennessee Two-way Inc and is located in Shelbyville, TN. I'm 76 years old now and haven't been any higher than 770 feet (no elevator, climbing) since January 5, 2021. I'm trying to retire from the tower side and have two climbers at the moment. My company is comprised of 9 employees with only four of us doing tower work. ten or fifteen years ago I would have been looking but now I'm not. I'm going to try to keep the company going with only tower work to be offered for Two-way, LMR or small broadcasters in the near future. I'm not just "getting old", I'm already old but can't do what I do for ever.

The verbalized account makes this video especially interesting. .

@jhettish

7 жыл бұрын

I love he screen name. :-) I haven't narrated a a video in quite some time. I'll have to consider doing it again. I appreciate the comment and the fact you enjoyed the video. John

@labrat748

7 жыл бұрын

Subscribed, I'm watching another one of your videos, thanks John.

nice video what was the heigh of tower ?

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+DENNIS N Actually that's a good question. I believe it to be 280 feet but I need to look it up in the ASR database. Ok, I looked it up. The database lists the tower at 278 feet AGL. With the 12th section top being at 240 feet that would leave 38 feet for the antenna on top and its beacon. Unfortunately I have no specifications on the Dielectric TFU series antenna on top but 38 feet looks about right.

@dennisqwertyuiop

8 жыл бұрын

so you have a crane to use to remove antenna ? thats one heavy antenna

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+DENNIS N I hope there's a crane that can handle this. I spoke to one of my crane vendors yesterday and he was enthusiastic about the job. John

@dennisqwertyuiop

8 жыл бұрын

hope to see that video thanks John

Need to carry a wind gauge

@jhettish

6 жыл бұрын

I remembered to carry my anemometer up a tower a week ago only to find the battery was dead. Such is life. :-) John

What happens when your up there and have to go to the bathroom

Get some aluminum carabiner clamps , you will thanks me later

Hi John. I just finished watching all of your videos again, and they're still entertaining to watch. I was wondering is there anyway I can join your company in the future. My name is Isaiah, I'm 17, and live in Jackson, Ms. I have one more year of school left, then after I graduate I'll get a job to get the money for the tower training course. Then proceed from there on. I was just wondering is there anyway I can join your company in the future, which will be about 2 to 3 years from now. Thanks.

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+MrMojo _MAN Isaiah, My company is not very big. There are eight employees, most of whom are either administrative or technical/sales. We sell and install the radios and dispatch equipment for 911 centers in this area. I often regret not going in the proper direction during college. My idea was to become an Army officer, which I did, but the reality of Army life versus family life caused me to leave the Army and "try" to find a job. The year after my Vietnam service was very tough and left quite a mark on my brain. I got into the business I'm in now based on my ham radio hobby and my ability to climb various things like trees, rock and radio towers. I took a "temporary" job in 1972 with a two-way radio shop so that i could go to night school and become a Lawyer. About the time I was going to Law School I got divorced and gained custody of my two very small kids (2 and 5). I couldn't keep up with the law schooling and take care of my kids while having a full time job. I have a knack for the law and for engineering but I took easy courses that lead me to a military job that stopped appealing to me after three and a half years. The best job you can get in relation to towers, especially at your age, would be a college degree in structural engineering. The things that appeal to you at 17 will stick with you but will also be replaced by new things. You have to experience different ideas before really settling on what you'll do for the rest of your life. When I was 22 I thought my life was over. I'd wear a suit and go to some office every day. My temporary job I took at 28 really excited me (being a geek) and in essence I still have that job 42 years later (32 in business for myself). I also thought at 22 that all physical activity would be next to impossible after 30. Today I'm closer to 71 than 70 and am still quite physically and mentally active. If you'd like to see what I do on the weekends take a look at my other channel. https//kzread.info Keep your options open and don't fall into the trap of getting married young and starting a family. For some marrying their High School sweetheart works out but for others it is a disaster. Keep in mind that even though it seems like you'll want to do exactly the same thing you want to do at 17, the reality is that you will change as your grow older. The only permanent thing in life is "change". Everything changes over time. John

@mrmojo_man5811

8 жыл бұрын

I know I'll change as I grow older. Right now I've made up my mind. I'll do this job for a couple of years. Then I'll look for a job where I can come home every night. I still haven't made my mind up yet of exactly what I want to do in college. There are a lot of options out there.

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+MrMojo _MAN I'd be careful of any so-called "school" that claims to teach tower technicians, especially if you have to pay your own money to attend. I've heard about this sort of thing lately but haven't looked into it. I would suggest you go to the NATE web site: www.natehome.com and see if they have a list of members. Most, if not all tower jobs, are mostly taught on the job, with minor time in company classrooms. The employer does the teaching and pays the bills, not the employee. That's not to say you shouldn't invest your own money in your own future. Obviously your future is not necessarily the employers responsibility. Still, don't expect all your training to come while you're on the job and being paid a salary. Sometimes it's beneficial to spend your own money and your own time learning things no one is teaching you. Just be careful who you give your personal money to under the guise of education.

@mrmojo_man5811

8 жыл бұрын

Will come in handy one day.

No bird nest and hawks attacking you??

Have watched more than a few of your vid's now, and from my perspective, I don't find it boring. It would be better to hear the sounds of what's going on, but given a choice between wind noise obliterating the capture of the mic, and you doing a voice-over in post-production, I'll take the voice-over with the occasional sounds bleeding under in the background. In other words, I think you're doing fine producing your vid's and I'm nowhere near qualified to assess your moves while on the towers. I've no problem with heights, I have lots of time up in balloons (and comm aircraft). My problem(s) in this setting would be the ascent, and worst of all, worrying about letting go at the wrong time. When I see you hands-free maneuvering tools and parts while relying on your tethers and footholds, I find myself leaning forward in my chair here as if I were the one up there in your place. It's great that you are still able and seem to still enjoy doing this sort of stuff. May it continue until you decide for yourself that it is time to give it up. Safety first, of course.

@jhettish

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment Stan, I haven't produced any videos in quite some time now. I believe we are on the same page when it comes to wind-noise versus narration. We worked really hard and often right to the summer months (2016) then things got slow on one side of the business (towers) and heated up greatly on the other side (public safety radio systems). I find myself designing, troubleshooting and taking care of financial matters far more than usual these days. It's a sort of manic dance while (or if you're British "whilst") juggling chain saws or cats. I usually go to the voice-over when I see no other way to indicate what's going on in the videos other than to speak. The whole idea has been to minimize the perceived dangers and emphasize the actual work. My father was a multi-thousand hour pilot and could not abide heights. A pilot is in his office. It's got to be the biggest shock in the world when the engine (s) quit. He had a saying that he'd never jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I, too, am a pilot and some of my flying can be seen on kzread.info I really don't see my flying as dangerous or exciting. I see it as meditative. It's a great opportunity to enjoy life while the planet goes by beneath. John

@WoodCutr1

4 жыл бұрын

Hey Stan. i seem to see you just about everywhere lol

(1) I can not understand how that tower can hold so much weight on it and is not balanced all the weight to one side. (2) If that rusted chain was to snap, in a high wind that heavy metal could do major damage. bring the whole tower down. (3) Why did they not use lighter weight aluminum for the antennas, makes no sense using regular metal.

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+MrMac5150 Hello, I agree with your assessment. One thing not generally recognized is just how strong Rohn towers are. This particular one was screwed up a bit when the filled the legs with concrete but in 1986, when the tower was erected, that was a "trick" to keep water out of hollow tower legs. The problem however was there was no way to know where air (water) pockets might occur. The antenna is 1985 vintage (or earlier) and if you'll do the math will soon be more than 30 years old. The only way I can get info on the new antenna is by contacting the factory, something I think I'll do in a few days but I'm going on the road for a couple of days so I'll have to put that off. As for the chain "snapping" The load is not great enough in that application to cause that to happen. Did you ever wonder why they use chain instead of cable on the anchors for big ships? Chain is quite strong by comparison.

@ScottOgrin

8 жыл бұрын

+MrMac5150 Exactly what I was wondering! 3400 lbs is a LOT of weight. It's like mounting a car on the side of the tower. :O Crazy...

@MrMac5150

8 жыл бұрын

Scott Ogrin I would never have a home next to a tower.

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+Scott Ogrin The load being where it is has definitely confirmed what I have said about the structural strength of Rohn towers. I've heard some tower guys call Rohn 25 junk. I heard a story about how a couple of guys took the job to drop 150 feet of R-25. They cut the guy wires and the tower kept standing until they notched the fall-side legs and pulled it over with a truck.

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+MrMac5150 I climb a 1280 foot tall tower where someone cam along about ten years latter and built an expensive home within the fall radius. The house seen in the current video is too far away to be hit by the tower or flying pieces of the tower.

John, does being a tower technician hinder marriages?

@jhettish

8 жыл бұрын

+MrMojo _MAN As a guy who has been married three times I think that marriages hinder marriages. :-) However I do see your question as important. Any occupation that takes a spouse away from home for extended periods of time is hard on a marriage. My first divorce came about as a direct result of my being in Vietnam for a year. I know tower techs who have been on the road for years and they've been married and divorced several times. Having said that I have also seen where the marriage lasts longer because of a strong spouse. We tend to marry to create a partnership. Partners should be equals. There should be no boss in the partnership. Partners rely on each other. Sometimes they rely too much, like I did with my deceased business partner. Some partnerships not only survive but thrive being separated by necessity. Others do not. It definitely depends on personalities, expectations and focus. Expectations can be a killer of any type of relationship. Clear communications can reduce the penalties exacted by expectations that are not met. I hope this helps. John

so..... where'd the concrete come from. Sounded like you were in middle of a explanation and got side tracked.

@jhettish

7 жыл бұрын

I get side tracked easily. I'm not sure about the concrete coming out of the mast. It may not have been concrete. It might have been some kind of material left over in the casting or welding process, designed to reduce the heat inside the large piece of steel pipe. As for the hollow legs, this tower's legs had been filled with grout in an effort to keep water or condensation out of the legs. That was done maybe thirty years ago but the manufacturer found out it didn't work and often only made matters worse. The hollow legs of these Rohn towers have a bad habit of cracking at the bottom if water gets trapped in them over a period of years. When freezing temperatures appear the ice expands inside and the leg develops a crack. It might have also been due to bad welds from the factory but I've never seen that. Adding grout didn't help because (my opinion only) pockets would develop, water would find itself in the pockets and cracks would still appear only higher on the tower and harder to find. Cracks in the legs at ground level are easy to see. Further up the tower the cracks are often hidden, especially if the step bolts are on an opposite leg and the tower is wide enough that no one goes to the opposite side except during inspections. Many owners are too cheap to pay for inspections so they don't occur. John

@ethanlamoureux5306

6 жыл бұрын

They all have drain holes in the bottom. Most I’ve seen, effort needs to be made to ensure the holes have room to drain under the bottom flanges. Either the flanges are raised on nuts, or the concrete has a groove in it below the hole and leading out to the side. With towers like Rohn 25G people will often use a short base embedded in concrete. If the bottom end of the short base is in the concrete, or plugged with other material such as clay, there’s no place for water to drain, and you get splitting tower legs.

I don,t think that,s concrete up there.Bird poop.

NOPE

What is that noise when he talks sounds like he has sucker in his mouth mind of annoying but these are great visual videos.