Strobe Light Repair on a TV Transmitting Antenna Part II

In this video I replace a strobe tube, almost the equivalent of replacing a light bulb but a bit different. I'm standing on one foot, attached to a TV transmitting antenna at 300 feet. It was a realy calm day so (unfortunately) you will probably be able to hear me talk to myself quite clearly. To my credit I didn't feel compelled to sing this time. The viewer may see this as boring. Sometimes work is boring. This would be really boring on the ground but after climbing 300 feet it's anything but boring to the guy whose doing it.

[@richardvickers148]

you are a brave man sir , my hat off to you ,this isnt boring ,i fix electronics ,but i couldent do it at HEIGHT.... standing on one foot im getting vertigo thinking about it :)

[@jhettish]

I'm also an electronics technician. Our main business is two-way radio. We do mostly governmental, industrial, utility and public safety work. In tower work our main speciality is RF and Lighting for the broadcasters in Middle Tennessee. We are not involved in the cell industry at all. In my job I get to design, sell and deploy systems but unlike most electronics techs I've also been climbing and doing RF work on towers and on the bench for 45 years and am still doing both. My most recent climb was about three days ago so I guess at 72 I'm still not retired. The old adage of "If you like your job, every day is a vacation" definitely applies to me. John

[@JT_8283]

I was getting vertigo just watching this lol

[@diazespina]

Man, i think you have some kind of superpower, being up there is not for most of mortals!

[@jrhernendez7232]

theres no way i can do ur job. just watching the video gives my body the chills .

[@janrenesse2128]

That's exactly what I was thinking while I was watching this!

[@BSKRBlitzkrieg]

Love watching your videos! Currently in a trade/tech school that offers LV1 certification and many connections with companies across the US that im beyond stoked about! Blows my mind and amazes me the sights and tasks involved in the work. You are absolutely killing it at your age! showing there is no excuse for the younger people to be out working to make that pay! Appreciate you taking the time to give us a example of your life! Stay safe up there !

[@jhettish]

I don't get as many strobe calls as I once did but I truly enjoy the challenge of troubleshooting and eventually repairing strobe problems. I hear ATC has changed many of their Flash324s for LED systems. Will we still need lighting tech when we go all LED? LED lights do crap out once in a while but not often enough to make their repair profitable.

[@allanjones6807]

John Hettish Great video... is the disconnecting mean at the bottom of the antenna

[@fhowland]

My pulse raised and my palms got sweaty just watching this. I don't know how you do it. Kudos!

[@jhettish]

I enjoyed your Avitar. I spent about ten years racing woods bikes in the late 70s and early 80s. I mainly competed in Enduros and Hare Scrambles. Later I competed, but not very well, in Observed Trials. In the middle of all that I played adult soccer and baseball. I've now got the aches and pains to prove it but I wouldn't have done it any differently. Thanks for the comment. What you saw me do is something I've been doing steadily for 42 years. It becomes second nature but like motorcycle racing focus and awareness can never be let down.

[@jhettish]

Oh, I forgot. I have a mountain bike that I still ride on the trails available to me where I live.

[@Hope2begone]

Hi John H! Found your videos a few weeks ago-they're fascinating, not boring at all! Reminds me of the work I did many years ago, in construction & maintenance, but never ANYWHERE near as high as you go.Thanks for posting them. A1! We're doing well & I think of you often-mostly to "review" your good advice & stay focused on what's important. You're one person I highly respect; finally seeing you at work just adds to my admiration. Take care & drop me a line someday. Hope all's OK there! John L

[@jhettish]

The strobe controller runs from 120 Volts AC. The controller creates 1000 volts of DC and applies that voltage as -500 and +500 vdc to the anode and cathode pins of the tube. The controller (power converter) also sends a trigger signal to the third pin which ionizes the xenon gas in the tube causing it to arc. Generally the controller draws less than 2 ampers AC from the Electric Mains.

[@raczbela3414]

Thanks

[@jhettish]

I have to say I don't remember nor can I find the original question. I should have probably added that these strobe converters are made to work anywhere in the world. By changing transformer taps in the power supply they can work on a wide variety of AC voltages.

[@jma5177]

Amigo, fiquei feliz ao saber que você está com 72 anos e toda essa energia, tenho 52 e estava meio desanimado, até me animei de novo ora vida. Viver trabalhar e não parar. Obrigado.

[@TangoUniform300]

Still can't stop watching your videos. Hoping you load some new ones soon.

[@jhettish]

Mitch Taylor I'll have a new one later today I hope. 4/13/2015

[@vox1962]

My palms sweat and my heart races just watching these videos; heights and I have a difficult relationship lol. My hats off too you

[@eogg25]

I worked in a steel mill and was a Motor inspector, that's basically an electrician that is a jack of all Types of electrical work. I replaced Aircraft warning lights on top of our blast furnace witch is about 350 feet high but we had stairs to walk all the way up, our lights were pretty good size incandescent type bulbs, they had two bulbs, one on top and one on the bottom.it had a mercury switch in the control room to blink the lights. it was motor operated, sort of like a see saw. My job was a lot easier, these tower climbers earned their money, that's one heck of a climb and in the winter it gets bitter cold up there.

[@jhettish]

I have another video in which you can see incandescent lamps being replaced in an L864 beacon housing. Here's the link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rna7dKp-rZqnr5I I've worked some smokestacks and actually prefer fresh air to coal dust and ashes. John

[@stoneman3079]

Thanks again John I will keep in touch , I watched some of those tower accidents a while back they were hard to watch ,I will watch the one you said to check,Thankyou does it sound crazy why I guy working in basements wants to climb towers,thanks man

[@jhettish]

Keep in mind that we do this work in all sorts of weather. It's not about the climbing; it's all about the work we do. Climbing is merely transportation to the work site. I'm a former "caver" so I've spent a good bit of time in the dark. :-)

[@stoneman3079]

John Hettish I see said the blind man ok I am learning the climb is about getting to the job site! Ok it's the work we do there when we get there that means everything

[@paulquick8806]

Much respect...💪💪👍👍I gotta stand in front of 2500 degree furnace to make that glass globe covers at Gillinders glass factory alive and well..so so great videos

[@jhettish]

Absolutely right. However, the problem is that we use multiple tools and could easily end up with eight or ten lanyards attached to tools. It's a tough problem. I handle it by being constantly aware that I *can* drop something and concentrating on not letting that happen. On the rare occasion I drop something fortunately no one has been under it. I think the main thing is to work slowly and deliberate and if the boss says, "Hurry up" you say, "Yes sir" then go back to slow motion. :-)

[@johnsiders7819]

Hi wow that's a job !! I have just a 80 Ft tower for my wireless internet and it wears me out to go up there I noticed your tool bucket you carry it on your harness I use a rope leave it on the ground then haul it up (like the cell guys do ) you work so much higher so I guess its just not feasible to do that In past years I strung xmas lights then back off after the holidays This year I put multi color LEDS and secured them with nylon clamps and just left them up LOL Keep up the good work and be safe up there !!!

[@jhettish]

My wife decorates our porch which extends 1/2 way around our house for Christmas. We traveled to Alaska one February and noticed that many homes there still have "Christmas" lights burning. It made sense considering the Alaskan winters to want a little color outside one's dwelling. When she got back she started leaving our porch lights on for two or three months after the holidays. We carry tools with us and sometimes even antennas rather than trailing a rope each time, regardless of how short the tower is. I've done what you're describing but not often. I get the impression that as a tower owner you probably only climb one of two times a year. Be safe. Remember that every move should be a conscious thought when climbing every day and especially when the climbing is done rarely. I haven't flown a glider in about six months now. You can bet that I'll be applying that principle the next time I get in the cockpit. John

[@devilfisk]

You have a fascinating job. I enjoy watching you work. Its somehow makes me calm :)

[@jhettish]

Thanks for the comment and for watching the video. I haven't prepared any new videos in about three weeks but I'll have new ones before too many more moons go by. I'm usually pretty calm myself when doing that type of work.

[@devilfisk]

John Hettish I did some job on "kaknästornet" here in Sweden, 10 years ago. But it dident include any climbing. Just going out on "ladders" fixing cabels and satellite dishes. BUt it whas a good 508 feet.. :) www.kaknastornet.se/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/historia_005.jpg

[@michaelzehrfeld7766]

John - Respect! I just would piss in my pants at 50 Meters high........ Perfect video - i never saw a job like yours so "live"....thank you for showing!

[@jhettish]

Thanks, I appreciate the comment. I actually posted a couple of unlisted videos intended for customers that would have not had much meaning to anyone else. I have to edit what is usually more than an hour of video down to five or ten minutes max in order not to bore anyone to death. Finding time to edit is my major problem.

[@TheClimberXyz123]

Good stuff Jon. Miss lighting. Stay safe sir.

[@zilla5142]

Pal, you got balls of steel !. Hope the pay is well worth it .

[@wazza33racer]

we all deep down, are just amazed that another human can actually be that far off the ground, on a skinny pole and not freak out LoL.

[@jhettish]

Thanks for the comment I think :-) John

[@andrewlarue2975]

Cant get enough of your videos man! This is Andrew LaRue by the way!

[@DynoDieselWagon]

Even though the power is open on that strobe , it still has enough energy to shock you 🤣

[@jhettish]

I don't know if anyone reads these comments but I have been quite surprised to find that this video is one of the most popular of the 127 I've produced. To me it's just a bit boring but more than 32,000 people have seen it. I must say that I do appreciate the comments, even the 5 thumbs down. This video is number 5 on the popular list. The most popular video is called "Bad Lamp out of the Box" kzbin.info/www/bejne/rna7dKp-rZqnr5I which lacks about 200 views before it has 70,000 views. In that one I'm just changing a lamp at 250 feet. I have other videos on this channel that I thought would be more popular which just goes to show that I have little clue at to what subscribers to my channel want to see. John 3/10/2016

[@marshalljimduncan]

+John Hettish Boring? No way! My palms were sweaty and I was on the edge of my chair the entire video. This was better than watching an action flick!

[@jhettish]

+Marshal Jim Duncan Action flick, Wow!! I didn't think I had it in me. :-) I appreciate your comments. I'm going to go home and tell my wife that I'm an Action Hero and see just how big of a yawn I can get. :-) Thanks Jim.

[@thelightninghunter23]

John Hettish I don't know about other people, but I find the strobe light videos the most interesting. Everything from their visibility from many miles in bright daylight, to the way they burst in night mode so they appear on all the time. I love the complexity that goes into designing them.

[@acorona4ever]

i havent seen your others but man i want your job just watching this one alone :)

[@jhettish]

You've got a way to go. It's taken me 45 years to get here. :-) By all means, watch the other 110 videos. I tend to agree about the "boring" part. People seem to love watching a college graduate changing lamps on a tower. I need to post more lamp-change videos. The newest video, "Aluminum Spring" has 2500 views within the first week. That's about as viral as my videos get. Thanks for the comment. John

[@jonboyok]

I like these videos, please keep them coming.

[@sqeekykleen49]

wow you are an inspiration sir I tip my hat to you.

[@jhettish]

Thanks Andrew, I have many hours "in the can" so to speak. The videos are often over three hours and I have to find the time to get them down to five to ten minutes. It's difficult to boil down 3 hours into ten minutes. Its even more difficult to spend three or four hours finding the ten minutes I want to put on KZbin. The most difficult thing is finding the time to spend that time with the raw video. A lot of it would bore a viewer to death.

[@jhettish]

Hi John, I left a comment on your channel. I'm a bit behind the curve with Google's takeover of KZbin. Seeing comments and responding used to be easier. At least I'm given the opportunity to learn new things rather than being stuck in the old age mentality that usually goes something like, "I know enough things. I'm not learning any more new stuff." :-)

[@charlottesmith2891]

308fh powered by a 310pc. You replaced it with a really old plate. Cracked u cores are notorious for skipping flashes.

[@jhettish]

I used to replace parts, now I don't. When we get bad plates I have the guy work on them. It is good training and also makes it plain that they don't want to have to keep up with those long narrow screws that hold the trigger transformers together. :-) Side or Top, I'm going to replace the whole thing unless there's no other way.

[@D322MWUNITED]

If you guys want to know that tower light brand it's a flash technology and cool video by the way :)

[@jhettish]

Thanks but I'm quite aware that the strobe was made by Flash Technologies who's office and depot are in Franklin, Tennessee only a few miles from my shop. This particular beacon was actually sold by me a number of years ago when the original beacon finally died of old age. I was a Flash agent for a number of years in the late 90s and saw quite a few of these things. I appreciate all comments. John

[@humdrummed]

Looks like the "pegs' on the antenna are too far apart? Like they skipped every other one....Nice videos! Being a Ham I often wondered how tower work was done on the BIG towers. 40 ft is hard enough.....TALL ladder to change a light bulb!

[@jhettish]

On the towers we work on it would have to be a really big ladder. :-) Big problem with climbing TV antennas is the problem you pointed out. It's generally awkward and there's rarely an insulated safety cable. John

[@djblackarrow]

I have several stroboscopes at home. None of them works with a symmetrical voltage of + -500V. Depending on the model I can only measure 400 to 600V DC. But not positive and negative. In my strobes, the mains voltage is Half-wave rectificated and stored in a capacitor. Its rated voltage is minimally higher than the stored voltage. The stored voltage is higher by the rectification. The cathode of my flash tubes have simply negative potential of the rectifier and the capacitor. At the anodes I can then measure the 400 - 600V DC stored by the capacitor. For my Strobes, the ignition pulse at the third pin is about 6 kV depending on the ignition transformer. I'm from Germany, so we have 230V AC Single Phase and 400V AC 3-Phase Main Voltage.

[@jhettish]

Hello, or should I say, Gutten Tag? I spent a couple of years in Germany many years ago and even had an amateur radio license while there with a call sign of DL5HJ. The American manufacturers design their tower strobes to work single phase at European voltages as well as the American scheme of less voltage and more amperage. Are your strobes for communications towers or for some other purpose. The for 1000 volts on the tower strobe tubes (+500 and --500 vdc) is based on a rather lose formula using four or six parallel capacitors to produce around 240 microfard depending on the manufacturer. 240 ufd times 1000 volts will equal around 20,000 candella. In day mode towers shorter than 750 feet (228 meters) use medium intensity strobes which produce 20,000 candella of white light and at night, 2000 candella. The capacitors referenced above are switched out of the circuit at dark and one nominal 2 ufd capacitor takes over, making for less light at night. When our towers in the US have a height greater than 750 feet (228 meters) High Intensity strobes are used. Those lighting systems create 200,000 candella in daytime, 20,000 candella at twilight and 2,000 candella at night. I think the American standard follows the ICAO standard also but I'm not sure. I guess I need to look it up. The height I'm quoting is from the 'new" rules in the US which are barely one year old. The rules here are outlined in a document that can be found on the internet through a Google search. "FAA Document AC 70/7460-1L"

[@djblackarrow]

Ok. That's nice to know. The most of my Strobes are for using at Homes (20, 25 and 45W Flash-Tube). I have two Strobes that came from an industry building for optical Alert signals.

[@n5zxz]

Hi John - Great Videos. Can't stop watching! I was wondering about the RF exposure risks. I assume the transmitter is still transmitting ?

[@norms3913]

This is like watching heart surgery in action

[@picobyte]

I've been replacing lamps like that.. it really is boring.Especially in foggy conditions where there is no wide view.And climbing sucks.Especially when you have to go down and up again because something unforeseen has failed.

[@jhettish]

When people ask me what the scariest part of tower work is I reply, "having to climb down the tower, get something you need and then climb back up the tower", essentially the same thing you just said. I've said many times that I can never foresee what people are going to like in my videos. The video with the most views on this channel focuses on a bad 620 watt lamp. 76,000 folks have seen that video according to the statistics. The video above, where I'm replacing a strobe tube has 45,000 views and I just don't get it. I agree with you that lighting work can be boring. One of my favorite videos has me climb down a Lambda section from 1280 feet to 1200 feet and looking straight down at the ground. That video has nowhere near the views as the lighting repairs I've produced on KZbin. Maybe I need to sneak the Tag, "Lighting" into videos that have nothing to do with lighting. John

[@WapsiValley]

Looks like new style being taken out. Old style going in. Nice to know they're easily interchangeable. Do you sometimes just take the four or five parts with you and change them, leaving the original mounting plate in place?

[@jhettish]

Hi, You caught me.:-) Indeed the old and new styles are interchangable. What surprises me about this video is its popularity. It has over 9300 views. I thought some of my other videos would have more views than a simple changing of a strobe tube. I take a rebuilt chassis with me up the tower and install that. I used to change trigger transformers on the tower but finally wised up. Changing the chassis in the head is a lot quicker. I then rebuild the old plate to use on another day.

[@towermonkey2000]

that's the only way I want to work on an AOL. a side beacon I will replace parts; on the stick whole plate.

[@Aseegz]

Your crazy man! Props to you

[@Penfold8]

Hey john, have you eve had a situation where a tower climber has lost his nerve? If so what did you do to get him off the tower?

[@jhettish]

Hi, Yes I have but only a few times. Before I got really involved in every day tower work and had an employee crew, I'd have to do installations and repair by myself or using "part time willing" workers. I'd pay them but they weren't full time employees. I'd had rescue training in the Army, as a SCUBA instructor and as a "caver" so I knew the basics. Usually I'd end up calming them down by talking to them. That's a common first step in rescue unless the person is in imminent danger of serious injury. Fortunately I've never had a tower employee or even a part-timer who were seriously hurt. After calming the person on the tower I would quite often start them down the ladder or step bolts with me behind and almost hugging them. To were to fall they'd have to fall through me and I wasn't going to let them happen. Fortunately I was always able to calm the person by talking to them and then "walk" them back down the tower slowly and deliberately. Once this sort of thing had happened I never put them back on a tower. I've never had Some people just aren't cut out to do this type of work. John

[@rapundeh-8448]

This job looks fun :P

[@jhettish]

Sometimes it is fun. :-)

[@sqeekykleen49]

aw shit I read and once in a while respond to comments. I like the part where you say you talk to yourself, I've never been higher than approx.50ft. with a slight breeze and I was cussing a blue streak. saw another vid of a climber that climbed 1999ft tower to do the same thing but the jackass didn't show us how to fix the light.

[@jesuswater]

Wouldn't it be a good idea to tie a string to the screw driver, to prevent it falling on a friends head, or a passing car, and to prevent having to climb down and back up again if you dropped it?

[@talltowerconstruction]

what would happen if you climb an active FM tower all the way to the top at 1,100 ft

[@dom3827]

No hate man, you have my respect. But is it normal that it is arcing on the contacts? Doesn`t that destroy the contacts over time?

[@jhettish]

I wrote a reply and as happens often with KZbin it disappeared. So, here it goes today. About the "arcing" there was a bit of discussion when the video was first presented. I have to say that I saw no arcing that day and yes, arching of the pin on a Flash Technologies strobe tube will destroy the contact (pin) in less than a year. I worked on many Flash strobe systems during the early part of the beginning from the 1990s to the 2000s as what was known then, an agent. I once ran across a series of new strobes in Kentucky and the majority of those sites had loose connections on the strobe tube and the tube's pin was badly eroded. Now on to the strobe in the video (Read On) I do not remember seeing any actual arcing and I'm the guy in the video. What I think is happening is my Contour video camera could not synchronize the flash with the electronic shutter in the camera. If you look at some other videos you'll notice that the strobes are not working at all or have no timing, depending on the camera we use at the time. Also, look at the date when the video was "uploaded". This one was released in December 2012. What I can tell you is that the tube installed that day is still working 5 years later. Basically I don't think it's a real spark but an illusion. John

[@derrickscott6273]

you are today's Awesomsauce

[@jhettish]

Hi Derrick. I have to say I don't feel "awesome". I just feel like I do my job. But I do thank you for the comment and am sorry it's taken me so long to thank you.

[@jhettish]

I also forgot to bench test the strobe light chassis I took up with me. Actually I thought one of my guys had tested it.

[@JCGascon001]

calm and professonal wow !!

[@jhettish]

Really, there's no other way to be on the tower. I joke and laugh with my co-workers but I train them to approach the risk I have faced for 42 years by being focused and always tied off in the work position. 11 of the last 13 tower deaths were due to not being tied off in the work position. Awareness and focus has kept me alive. The work itself is a lot like meditation.

[@TangoUniform300]

Watching you climb makes me want to quit my job, lose weight, and start changing strobes on towers.

[@jhettish]

I'm kind of lucky. There a lot of things that I think might be more fun that working on towers but those things are hobbies. I've had a ham radio license since I was fifteen. When I got the "temporary" job of being a tower tech and a two-way radio technician 43 years ago ham radio quickly faded away since what I was doing for a living was so similar. For many years I wondered why life had turned out the way it was going. Now I'm grateful for my job and the life I've been living and hope to continue living a bit longer. It would probably be best that you don't quit your job unless you have another one to go to immediately.

[@TangoUniform300]

Lol. I am a self employed Certified General Contractor. Could not leave if I tried.

[@jhettish]

I can relate. My company holds a general contractor's license and I'm too old to become a commercial pilot or a sea captain. Maybe I can become a pirate. Nah!

[@erotonelli]

dude, thats insane!!

[@dankappus7004]

What is the ascender or self-belay device shown on screen right as you go down?

[@jhettish]

That was just my adjustable rope lanyard wrapped around the pole. I used it much like a lineman would use it climbing a wooden pole. The lanyard is a rebuilt Petzl Grillion. John

[@augustusfinknottle2035]

Did you slowly work yourself into this type of job (steeplejack?)? Or, after working with a ground crew for awhile did you suddenly start one day on a tower and the rest is history? Also, have you always been able to work or play at height since childhood? That is, do you not see panoramas as three-dimensionally as most folks?

[@jhettish]

Hello Augustus, When I interviewed for my "temporary job" I told the owner of the company I'd be willing to climb. I'd climbed things ever since I was a little kid and domes, deep inside caves, as a teenager. In the army I learned a lot of rope tricks and even went to Ranger school. I had only considered a two-way radio job as "temporary" so I could go to law school at night but life conspired to prevent a successful completion of law school. One day the boss hands me a leather lineman's belt and points up a tower at an antenna and said something like, "Do you see that antenna up there? Here's my belt. I need you to change it for a good antenna." That was the extent of my tower training. So, since then, everything has been history, 45 years worth.

[@augustusfinknottle2035]

Thanks for the info! Somehow, I don't think you would've enjoyed life as a lawyer, sitting in some cubical and researching copyrights or something.

[@wolfcatsden]

how offen do you have to repair a light ?

[@jhettish]

Usually we average 2 per month, not nearly enough if you know what I mean. Most of our work revolves around antenna systems on towers. Today I got a strobe going temporarily but all the work was on the ground. Once I got it "blinking" again I discovered the tube was skipping, not flashing in a steady manner. That's probably the tube itself but I didn't have one with me. We'll get it replaced next week. John

[@erichauck5747]

The new strobe lights filament is broken have to go back down and get a new one

[@davidki4ead]

John do you replace the lights when all the transmitters are still on ?

[@jhettish]

When the antenna is close to or on top of an antenna we have the station go off the air. Most times that means climbing between midnight and 5 am. Believe it or not, climbing at night is rather nice if the wind and temperature are somewhat moderate.

[@goldsmithstudent]

My dad did this in the 70s. Pop made good money doing this. How much do you charge for a job like this John?

[@jhettish]

+goldsmithstudent I believe the charges for this job would have been around $1000. That would be the service call and the price of a strobe tube. It might be a little lower at that. In the 70s I could get away with a body belt and lanyard and maybe $1000 worth of liability insurance. The body belt, or rock climbing harness would weigh around a pound and a half. There was no requirement for 100% connection to the structure. Times were much simpler then. Today my safety gear costs nearly $2000 each time I climb and that doesn't include the 2-way radio. My safety gear weighs in excess of 20 pounds and I often get tangled up in portions of the gear. I am not one of the old farts that will constantly remind everyone that the old days were better. They were not necessarily better. In many ways they were more relaxed then the cell phone arrived and very inexperienced workers started falling off of towers. When I started the word "OSHA" hadn't been thought of yet and there was no such thing as a safety director. I was in charge of myself and I decided very early that I did not want to die so I remained safe by my own devices, not by things required by regulations. In 44 years I've never come close to falling from a tower. My secret is a desire to live life to its fullest and to die of old age, not stupidity.

[@jhettish]

+John Hettish I forgot to add that I now carry $5,00,000 worth of liability insurance.

[@ipKonfig]

anyone else notice the huge spider on the ground standing still?! He's about 7' tall, 8' wide WHOW!

[@jhettish]

I think I see what you're seeing about 50 seconds into the video. It's to my right. Must be one of the Jurassic Spiders that Tennessee is plagued with. :-) Of course it could be a tree with no leaves, especially since this video was created in December. Still I'm thinking it must be a giant spider standing very still. John

[@ipKonfig]

:P I like having fun with KZbin'rs. Had that tree actually moved I would have jumped out of my chair though!

[@jhettish]

I had fun also, identifying the "spider". John

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Are the lights checked often or reported when out to FAA or FCC? thx!

[@jhettish]

By regulation (AC70/7460-iL) yes and most tower owners follow the rules. If a flashing light on a tower cannot be repaired within 30 minutes of its failure it is supposed to be reported to the FAA. a written record of the day/night and night/day transition is supposed to be kept but many don't do that. Every 90 days a person is supposed to be on site and put the lighting system through its paces manually which includes covering the photocell manually. I often report lights out for my customers. Some think they'll be penalized for reporting lights out which is far from the truth. Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) can be extended almost indefinitely. The penalty comes from not reporting lights out and an FCC or FAA inspector (often off duty, driving by) finds out. It is easy to figure out who owns a tower. All one has to do is to determine the coordinates as closely as possible, get on the FCC Antenna Site Registration (ASR) database and do a search to those coordinates.. I have FCC and FAA links to tower databases on my company web site, www.mt2w.com. If you're really interested in tower rules do a Google search for "AC70/7460-1L" and you will find and can download the current rules. Previous rules ended in "1K". Now were up to "1L". John

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Super informative! As an aviator and broadcaster, I doubly thank you!

[@OzzyZigNeedsAGig]

+John Hettish after reading your comment about tower rules I have a question for ya. I live in Plum, PA, a suburb to the east of Pittsburgh. And near my buddy’s house are two big towers, a self supporting one, and a thinner, guyed one. The one with guy wires has a beacon you can see from the ground and hasn’t flashed during the day or night for as long as I can remember. But the self supporting tower flashes red at night and white during the day. Know any possible reason why the tower hasn’t had any lights for years and years?

[@rafterbarr1506]

how often are beacons wrecked by lightning and or hail?

[@jhettish]

Not often. The tube I changed in this video was at least ten years old, maybe even older. The original strobe tube in this system lasted nearly 18 years the best I remember. The system was one of the first put out by Flash Technologies probably around 1981 or 1982. Thanks for the question. I still can't figure out why this video is so popular.

[@pdotsmith57]

Nice! Cool info i love it

[@jhettish]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@marshalljimduncan]

I subbed, I'm glad I found your channel. Whats the highest you've ever been up?

[@jhettish]

+Marshal Jim Duncan 1359 feet I believe. That was endless ladder stuff. I focus on Middle Tennessee where there is only one tower that has an elevator. The other nine have 1000 foot plus ladders. Once you learn a few things like how not to drop tools, parts or radios from the tower and you learn to work with two hands supported by your positioning equipment backed up with your deceleration lanyard the rest is just physical fitness and persistence. The persistence part is the time it takes to climb 1000 feet or more. I learned much of this 40 years ago and am fortunate enough to still be able to do it at 71. John

[@john5743]

You're a true bad ass. I'm 22 and not sure if I could handle that kind of work. Someone has to do it though!

[@zlcoolboy]

Are there any dangers from being so close to the antenna? I've seen warning signs about getting too close to these on the fencing around them.

[@jhettish]

Danger is not as great as many have been lead to think. Mostly there's a potential to burn skin in some situations. Microwave antennas used by the military can cause severe injury if a human stands in front of the dish antenna used but that's about it. The signs are mainly for those people who ave n is no knowledge of radio frequency radiation. The main thing everyone should know is that RF radiation is non-ionizing unlike the radiation inside a nuclear reactor and cannot change genetic structure. Second the potential for injury is not thoroughly known. Therefore it's best to keep away from active antennas if there's no reason to be where they are.

[@jhettish]

Hello again Totavo. I left out a very important aspect to your question. In this video the transmitter has been turned off. The antenna is completely "dead", turned off. It's rare that I get to work on a TV antenna during daylight hours. Usually this sort of thing takes place after midnight, the only time most TV stations are willing to transmitter off. John

[@zlcoolboy]

Thanks for answering my question! That's been a question that I've had for a rather long time.

[@jhettish]

I had described a bit of RF Radiation issues or non-issues but later it came to me that you were talking about the antenna I was on for so long. I answered your first comment in bed last night with a cat who would not get off of my chest so I used one hand and I'm rather slow using one hand. I really answered the question you posed this morning. I'm glad I finally remembered to do it. John

[@KINGJAM2010]

Always wanted to do that, that's my absolute dream job! Any tips on getting into that field of work?

[@jhettish]

The usual way to get into this line of business is to join a cell antenna crew. That's a tough life and I personally am grateful not have come up that route. When I started doing this stuff it was the 70s and things have changed enormously. I came in due to a "need for a temporary job". I found I loved the work and stayed. Now I've been doing this sort of thing for 43 years. There is an organization called the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE). Their web site is www.natehome.com I believe they have a listing of companies that might be willing to hire someone permanently. My company has as many people as it needs right now and we're going to have to stay that way until I win the lottery.

[@KINGJAM2010]

Lol thanks for the reply, n we all wish to win the lottery some day. My biggest infatuation was growing in the suburbs of Chicago and looking at the sears tower and jhon hancock tower and wondering who the hell changes the lights on top of the towers, and I've always said that one day I'd climb those antennas for free but that was when I was ten now it's a different story, but for the link below I'll definitely look into it, stay safe and be blessed

[@jhettish]

I can definitely relate. I've been in the Sears Tower (think they call it something else now) but only on the observation deck. Of the three times I took the trip to the top I believe I only got to see something other than clouds once. I've gotten to go places other people don't get to go. That has given me an idea for a video but I've got a lot of ideas and very little time to prepare them. Maybe in my next life. :-) Sorry it took so long for me to notice your comment and answer it.

[@thelightninghunter23]

The leads appear to be sparking during operation ... why is that?

[@jhettish]

Could be an unsynchronized flash and video response. Let me know the time mark you're seeing this and I'll try to make an opinion. John

[@thelightninghunter23]

John Hettish Thanks for the fast reply! 6:47 It certainly looks like the wire connections are sparking.

[@jhettish]

Wow five years ago. :-) I think it was just the strobe tube shining on the lens of the camera. I wouldn't have shut the housing and pronounced the job finished if it had been arcing. I would have fixed the problem promptly. I appreciate the question though. To take it a step further if the connections were arcing i probably would occur before the flash rather than during. The highest voltage is present just before the flash. The voltage drops almost to zero as the trigger signal releases the stored energy from 4 70mfd capacitors wired in parallel that represent the stored flash energy. John

[@jslugbug37]

Big balls bro

[@jhettish]

It would be difficult to categorize such an anatomical item by size. :-) In my case mine are just old. John

[@DudeInWalmart]

can you make ends meat with this type of job?

[@mikedrz]

Dropping something from there, would be a real pain in the ass. Oops , dropped my screw driver, let me just pick that up... oh wait. haha

[@jhettish]

You've got the right idea. :-)

[@johnsiders7819]

When you drop some thing do you yell ROCK ! like when we rappel and ascend ? I have a 80FT tower for my wireless internet by the time I get to the top of that thing Im winded !! I put a LED in its nav light a CFL took about 3 good strikes in 2 1/2 years before it died lets see how the LED fares The owner of my provider told me they were going to pass a law any thing over 50 Ft has to be lit I had power up there for the old waverider 900 HZ radios he used to use now they are cat 5 cable and powered thru that at 5gig so I just put a light and weather proof out lets for adding xmas lights for grins now I guess it will be the law ???

[@jhettish]

Not only do you yell "Rock" we say it rapidly and repeatedly until the item returns to earth. We also transmit the alarm over the radio at the same time. It comes from my rock training in a previous life. Most people in the tower business shout "headache" loud and once. I've also heard of "heads up" but I read that in an after the fact fatality report. Three guys climbing down the tower before most towers had safety cables. The top guy felt a wrench fall from his tool pouch and shouted "heads up" The lowest climber looked up and the wrench nailed him in the head (no hard hats at that time) knocking him out and causing him to fall about 180 feet to his death. I've tried to change to "headache" especially when working with other crews but the old "rock" will always appear in such a situation. So instead of shouting "Rock" we say and simultaneously transmit "ROCK, ROCK, ROCK, ROCK, ...." until the danger has passed. John

[@jhettish]

Generally towers under 200 feet or are not close to an airport do not require lighting in the US. If you are in the US the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) specifies the lighting arrangements and their hazard to aviators studies determine the type of lighting or if no lighting is required at all. As far as I know the FAA standards seen in AC70/7460-1L (available online) is in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules. If you're interested in how close to an airport one has to be to require lighting there is an online glide slope calculator on the Federal Communications Communications (FCC) web site but the best way to find it would be to Google something like "tower distance to airport". City and county building codes often require night time lighting to be red and not white but that's as far a local government can legally go specifying tower lighting. John

[@jhettish]

Obviously the tower-tech can't bend over and pick up the tool. The biggest way to avoid dropping tools (besides tying them to something) is to work slowly and deliberately. I can't say it's impossible for a tower-tech to work at "ground speed" but I tell my employees it doesn't work. Working slowly and deliberately with every move being a conscious thought is also a good way to insure a safe working day and a return to home (or motel) that night. John

[@computefinch]

I wonder if John has ever forgotten something...

[@10wk1srt]

Have you ever tossed a bad bulb off the top?

[@jhettish]

Many times. The first one Clay threw off about six years ago hit the station engineer's windshield. Back around the turn of the century 1999-2000 I pitched a ground rod off a 180 foot tower. My crew leader of that time, Jason Cope looked at me and said, "Are you sure you want to do that?" I replied, "Sure, no problem," and pitched it off. It spun round and round, hit the ground just behind my Chevy suburban, then sprang up into the air and gently tapped one of the two back window panes. The glass shattered. The only good part was that we needed to take a ten foot long antenna back to the shop and with the glass missing it fit quite nicely. Pitch but be very careful.

[@jordanhopkins3195]

Nothing was boring about that!

[@tworth1953]

Which do you prefer , LED or Strobe ?

[@jhettish]

I would sound like an old person wanting to set the clock back if I said strobe but that's what I have most of my experience with. I can repair a strobe. LED beacon repairs must go on at the manufacturer but on the up-side LED failures are farr less than strobes. Strobes can be repaired on-site. Obviously LED is going to be the way of the future until something else comes along. I've sold and installed some LED systems lately and will continue encouraging my clients to go in that direction. The old incandescent beacons draw 1200 watts (10 amps) every time they come on. Of course that's intermittent because they're flashing. Strobe systems only draw about 2 amps while doing their thing. LED beacons these days draw less than 1/10th of a watt when flashing. That's quite a savings in electricity. Things I don't like about LED systems is that in comparison to strobe (xenon gas) they generally cost $1000 more. They are generally guaranteed for 5 years but then the manufacturer suggests you replace the beacon. Give me a break. If an LED beacon is still working at 5 years it will have the same brilliance as it did when it was manufactured. Sounds like the LED beacon manufacturers are trying to figure out how to make more money. Both strobe and LED can cause radio interference but not in every installation. John

[@tworth1953]

Thanks, I'd never been around LED systems, Strobe were pretty new in our area when I left that kind of work.

[@thelightninghunter23]

@@jhettish Regarding your point about LED systems being more reliable... I've seen a lot more problems with LED systems than xenon over the years. These are all the issues I've seen with towers along my commute to work: -- One has been stuck in Day mode for months -- Two have had the upper beacons get stuck on and not flash -- One tower has had at least one beacon go dim on like 4 different occasions -- One tower with a dual red/white beacon went into backup white night mode, a couple months later the uppermost strobe failed completely. I drove by it today and the whole tower appeared dead. -- One tower has the markers fail intermittently. There are only 2 towers left that I drive by with LED systems that haven't had problems yet. It really seems like they cut corners when they manufacture them... actually as an electronics tech I've seen this with a bunch of general purpose LED lamps recently. --Chris

[@jhettish]

@@thelightninghunter23 Excelent comment Chris. As I said in an earlier comment I prefer strobe but it is because I'm 77 years old and have spent about 30 years working with strobe systems. I've sold several LED systems manufactured by ITL-LLC and I may have had a problem with one system. I've quoted LED sysems but since they average about $2K more than strobe system so my customers tend to go for the lower price. I've been buying parts (knock off boards etc) from ITL for about 25 years and they're local. They started in an od house in West Nashville and then began migrating south, each facility betting much larger. They're current facility is very large and about ten years ago they started marketing their own designed (approved) lighting systems. I have a really difficult problem repairing their strobe systems BECAUSE they are i ncredibly reliable. I worked as a Flash Representative around 2000 and got quite a bit of experience quickly. I've been working on Flash equipment to this day. ITL was founded by two former Flach Technologies engineers so there are similiar characteristics. I may expand on this later but I have someplace I must get to and will have to stop now. John www.itl-llc.com customer and fan.

[@jhettish]

For TTeh: Your comment and that of Mark Hopewell have not shown up on this page. If you do see this I tend to agree with you concerning the metric system. Even England finally left it but I think America will leave the old standard within the next 50 years. I, of course, will be dead long before that happens. A ten based number system is a lot easier to deal with. John

[@jhettish]

The antenna wasn't all that fun to climb. The whole time I'm working the light I'm standing on one foot and leaning back in my positioning lanyard. Still, it was a pretty good day.

[@jslugbug37]

And he is mature(not wanting to say oldish) I wish I would have brought my volt meter lmao where are my wings,would have made a great red bull commercial, Lets Test This Shit

[@nexogaming5292]

Please be careful

[@raczbela3414]

How many volt, watt and ampere have the strobe light?

[@ErikPAPATIE]

Someting is gone wrong is sparkling with the metal is not good im see the spark

[@jhettish]

I'm aware of the problem but it is no longer a problem. The TV station has a new antenna and a new strobe system. Thus, problem solved. :-)

[@gregorykemi8898]

I hope it was not transmitting while You were up there.

[@jhettish]

The Transmitter and thus the antenna was completely off. This is/was a small town TV station with very few visitors and the new manager very little broadcast experience. They were about to sell the station to a new buyer so turning off the TX during the middle of the day was no big thing to him. John

[@stoneman3079]

John I'm 32 I wanna climb where can I go I'm in ohioh

[@jhettish]

Where are you located? My company is rather unique in that we do broadcast, public safety and public utility work mostly. I rarely need a new person and generally look for a local guy with a family who is not interested in travel. Most people these days get involved with large cellular antenna build outs, like when a carrier goes from 3G to 4G or something like that. Travel is an essential requirement in the cell antenna and line industry. You could also join the Tower-pro email list. There are people there looking for workers and are often willing to train. The Tower-pro mailing list can be found at www.yahoogroups.com/group/tower-pro. If I got the group address wrong let me know. I started that group around seventeen years ago (1999) but gave it to another guy to manage in 2009. John

[@stoneman3079]

John Hettish hey I'm in Columbus Ohio,thanks for the info I started watching these tower videos about a month back and I'm hooked , figure I d ask pro where to go

[@jhettish]

As I look at the Tower-pro link I realize I did get it wrong. it's groups.yahoo.com/group/tower-pro. Now that we're past all that I'd like you to take a look at this video before considering a career installing cell antennas. vimeo.com/47271480 The video was produced by an investigative group known as Propublica and was aimed at airing during the PBS program Frontline. The title of the video is "Cell Tower Deaths". It's not necessarily gory. It focuses on how these things tend to happen. The video is approximately 30 minutes long and is well worth watching, unlike most TV programs these days. One more thing. be sure to check out anyone you might go to work for thoroughly. If you need a checklist let me know. John

[@lukes7027]

It’s all about the work and not the climb? You’re kidding, right? How many people do you think are watching this video to see you fix a strobe light?

[@jhettish]

Not many, just 568. I have videos more popular. Here's one with 127,000 views. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2SVnaqQlpami7s I can't understand why people like that video so much when I might other videos better. Still, I can never estimate how many folks will watch one of my videos. I just cut and paste them together, upload them to KZbin and then do my best to answer all comments. Tower guys who have put KZbin videos up often talk about, "the most dangerous job in the world". The purpose behind my channel is to show what we do and how we do it, not to give out free Adrenalin rush. Climbing is just what we have to do to get where we need to be. Then the hard work begins. John

[@motorpickle6410]

why does it spark when you turn it on?

[@jhettish]

If you're talking about the strobe in real life, there is no spark. The video camera cannot keep up with the discharge that creates the light so the strobe itself doesn't show up on the video very well. If you saw something I didn't notice then I think I need to look at the video again. :-)

[@motorpickle6410]

Yeah right by the wires at 6:48-6:52, it looks like sparks coming out of the light.

[@jhettish]

I just looked at the video again. That's merely and optical illusion produced by the camera I use. Those are not true sparks, just interruptions in the video recording process.

[@jhettish]

I forgot my volt meter. :-)

[@infinitecanadian]

It just wouldn't be one of your videos if you don't talk to yourself at least. The parts are so small. On a windy day, they could just blow away.

[@jhettish]

Mark Hopewell. Try your comment again, this time to [e-mail]. I'm interested but cannot find it in relation to this video. John

[@NicholasLittlejohn]

Does anyone carry parachutes in case?

[@jhettish]

Only base jumpers and they're only in it for the thrill. What we do is work, with no pretense of falling from or jumping off of a tower. It's not so much about the altitude. It's about the work, knowing what needs to be done, taking everything you need to do that work and getting it done, all while working in a hostile environment. Base jumpers seem to pick towers with elevators. Only one tall tower in Middle Tennessee has an elevator the rest have what I like to call the "endless ladder". John

[@JarrodAllenSmith]

My luck I'd drop something XD

[@jhettish]

I know how to keep that from happening. There are two work-speeds, ground and tower. On the ground if you drop a tool you simply bend over and pick it up. You can work as fast as you want. Obviously that can't be done on the tower so tower speed is much slower and deliberate. One of my favorite guidance goes like this. "On the tower every move is a conscious thought." I didn't make it up I heard it on TV long before stuff like this came on TV. Mistakes on the tower can be deadly either to the tower-tech or to someone on the ground. About ten or twelve years ago a cell technician was walking out of the site shelter where the equipment was housed when an antenna, dropped from the tower by accident hit and killed him. A 9/16" bolt can be like a bullet and bullets kill. So, working slowly and deliberately is in my opinion the best way to prevent falling of objects or people. John

[@jamesswisher1]

swish bmf

[@newlinkdirect]

Hope you get paid alot of money, would not like that everyday.

[@jhettish]

We make a good living but do not get rich. I know of one guy in the tower business that had a such a big payday that he bought a Shelby Cobra (original version). Within a few months he got divorced and lost everything. Me, I'm debt free with money in the bank and the IRS hasn't come looking for me. Oh, and I've never spent time in jail even though many of my acquaintences in the tower business have. In order to get rich the most common path is to work with money belonging to others. I fail in that sense in that after 34 years of business it's never been about the money; it's always been about the work. There's a lot to be said for just loving the work you do, regardless of how much you get paid for it.