You do know, for a couple of years, I used to climb radio and TV towers to replace the lamps.
They only powered down the transmission from those antenna's for the 15 minutes after I neared the top light, and had to be next to the radiating antenna to change the lamp, and as soon as I was back down below the red marker, they powered back up again. This does not mean they went off the air, they used another shared tower for that 15 or so minutes.
And this was only on towers where the top light was above the base of the antenna, most were not back then.
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I guess that worked. You are still here to talk about it. LOL
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Well, I only did the tall towers for a couple of years, and the spacing between getting jobs was often a month or more apart. It's my crazy uncle who conned me into it.
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I don't know who was crazier. Your uncle or the guy who climbed up antenna towers to change light bulbs. 
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Although I'm now terrified of heights, probably due to age and wisdom, hi hi.
Technically, climbing those towers is safer than climbing a ladder leaned against your house.
And I was extra safe, I always used twin harnesses, despite being laughed at for it.
I didn't trust just one like the window washers do on office buildings I worked in.
Heck, I wouldn't even trust the hooks they hooked them to on those old buildings.
Technically, climbing those towers is safer than climbing a ladder leaned against your house.
And I was extra safe, I always used twin harnesses, despite being laughed at for it.
I didn't trust just one like the window washers do on office buildings I worked in.
Heck, I wouldn't even trust the hooks they hooked them to on those old buildings.
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When you are using safety equipment that could save your life you have to put your faith and trust into it. There are no guarantees that any of it will work. I just read about a sky diver who's main and secondary chute failed on the way down. The story was unusual in that she survived with just a few broken neck and spine bones after landing in a tree. Don't think a tower climber (or window washer) would have the same control over their descent as an experienced sky diver does. In any case, the ground is very hard and gravity never fails to work.
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The few antenna repair folks who have fallen, got cut in half on the way down because they hit a guy wire and flopped over it and were sliding down it and I guess it just burned right through them like a knife.
There really is no way to use a safety harness when working on the antenna itself.
Most have to free-climb the actual antenna to fix an element.
They may tie-off to the antenna or to the steps while doing the actual work up there, by wrapping their harness strap around the antenna and slipping the lock over the end of the step rung.
The towers I climbed, I was inside the tower up until the section before the top.
What I hated most was changing the lower lights that were extended outward from the antenna on a shaft.
Although there is a single foot pad on the lower angle of shaft and support, you are still way out there.
If you did slip, your harness would keep you from falling, but stretched out like that, it would swing you down and into the side of the tower with pretty much force, enough to break an arm or hand, and maybe your face.
My uncle would sit on the shaft with a foot tucked under the lower angled brace.
Back then you had to disassemble the light fixture to put a new lamp inside.
The newer towers back then had one piece shielded lamps with a large flange at the bottom.
These we didn't carry up, only a tether line to pull them up when we needed them, and we used the same line to send the removed one back down again. Even so, we had to carry the top light the whole way on our back and it was heavy.
The inside of the top lamp looked like a projector bulb with numerous filaments and most lamps had six hot connectors. Only two connectors were turned on at a time, if an element set burned out, they switched to another element set. This way the lights would never be totally out. They might be dimmer for a day until the controller did his daily check and turned off the bad filament and turned on a new one.
Modern lamps don't work anything like the ones I used to change. They are more like gas filled strobe lamps.
There really is no way to use a safety harness when working on the antenna itself.
Most have to free-climb the actual antenna to fix an element.
They may tie-off to the antenna or to the steps while doing the actual work up there, by wrapping their harness strap around the antenna and slipping the lock over the end of the step rung.
The towers I climbed, I was inside the tower up until the section before the top.
What I hated most was changing the lower lights that were extended outward from the antenna on a shaft.
Although there is a single foot pad on the lower angle of shaft and support, you are still way out there.
If you did slip, your harness would keep you from falling, but stretched out like that, it would swing you down and into the side of the tower with pretty much force, enough to break an arm or hand, and maybe your face.
My uncle would sit on the shaft with a foot tucked under the lower angled brace.
Back then you had to disassemble the light fixture to put a new lamp inside.
The newer towers back then had one piece shielded lamps with a large flange at the bottom.
These we didn't carry up, only a tether line to pull them up when we needed them, and we used the same line to send the removed one back down again. Even so, we had to carry the top light the whole way on our back and it was heavy.
The inside of the top lamp looked like a projector bulb with numerous filaments and most lamps had six hot connectors. Only two connectors were turned on at a time, if an element set burned out, they switched to another element set. This way the lights would never be totally out. They might be dimmer for a day until the controller did his daily check and turned off the bad filament and turned on a new one.
Modern lamps don't work anything like the ones I used to change. They are more like gas filled strobe lamps.
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The antenna light bulb maintenance job truly sounds exciting. I can see myself climbing one of those towers fifty years ago just for the thrill of it. I'm not so surefooted these days and might have different feelings about not being surrounded by something solid. I have to admire you and the people who actually did that kind of work. I worked in a factory and sat at a desk or workbench much of the time. You have some awesome memories that I can only fantasize about. I think it's totally awesome that you can share them with us. 
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Heck, I can't climb a six foot stepladder anymore without having a panic attack.
But when I was younger, a whole lot younger, I was invincible, hi hi.
I also had an uncle who was a wild man and did all kinds of crazy things, most of which I would not do, even back then.
But when I was younger, a whole lot younger, I was invincible, hi hi.
I also had an uncle who was a wild man and did all kinds of crazy things, most of which I would not do, even back then.
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There's one in every family, isn't there. LOL