My Time as a Radio Tower Climber

RF Engineering Lessons from 200 Feet Up

How a Close Call with Lightning Shaped My Antenna Design Philosophy

Jim and the tower crew in Haiti. Look who gets to climb!

Radio frequency (RF) engineering often happens at a desk, but implementing these designs sometimes requires climbing hundreds of feet above the ground. This is the story of my brief experience as a tower climber, the lessons I learned about RF antenna installation, and how a close call with lightning shaped my approach to practical antenna design and radio frequency engineering.

A Lifelong Fascination with RF Antennas

One aspect of working with RF, at least for me, has been a keen interest in antennas. I often joke that I design antennas as a hobby, but leave serious antenna design to professionals. But where did this interest in antennas come from?

I have always had the Knack for RF tech. The first radio I owned was a small crystal set housed in a plastic rocket. Tuning was accomplished by pulling the red nose cone in and out. Of course, the set needed an antenna. So, at age seven, I spent many hours trying out different "antennas." Barbed wire fences, metal bed frames, rain gutters... You get the idea.

This early experimentation was the beginning of what would become a lifelong passion with RF antennas and radio frequency technology. My journey with antennas started with the simplest materials and gradually progressed to more sophisticated systems.

From Curious Student to Tower Climber

As I got older, my interest in antennas grew, and along with it, a corresponding interest in towers. In college, the Ham Radio club had a thirty-foot tower with an HF beam at the top. It needed some repair, and none of the engineering students were willing to climb the tower to fix it. I decided to give it a try, and once I was at the top, I realized that it wasn't so bad. And so began my tower climbing "hobby."

My tower climbing skills advanced during the summer break between my first and second years in college. I volunteered to work on a Christian radio network in Haiti, gaining experience with AM and FM transmitters and, of course, antennas.

A Close Call: When Theory Meets Reality

About midway through the summer, I was on a work crew that put up a 200-foot tower in the middle of the country. Things went smoothly, though I realized just how hard it was to climb a 200-foot tall "ladder" in the warm tropical sunshine. On the last day, after everything was in place, I decided to take my camera up the tower and get some pictures from the top. Even though it was early afternoon, I was willing to brave the heat to get some good photos.

Once at the top, securely fastened with my safety belt, I started snapping away. The scenery was perfect: A checkerboard of rice paddies, mountains off in the distance, sun streaming through a layer of dark clouds, all very dramatic. I decided to finish off with a photo of my hand holding the tower, with all that interesting view in the background. I reached out, and as my hand made contact, I got a surprising jolt of electricity!

Wait, what? Oh... Early afternoon in the Caribbean, dark, threatening clouds...

What was I thinking?

I took the picture, parked the camera in its harness, unclipped the safety belt, and headed down that tower as fast as I could. Sure enough, about 20 minutes after I got off, the tower got hit by lightning.

Lesson learned! Thankfully, I didn't need a shock to get it through my head. This experience taught me firsthand why safety protocols when climbing RF towers are so critical. Always check weather conditions before climbing and be aware of the risk of lightning when working on tall metal structures.

From Hobbyist to RF Professional

I've long since given up tower work. I was never a "pro," nor did I want to be. In later years, when I was in the two-way radio business, I learned to hire that work out to the folks who did it all the time. I'm told it was a wise choice, and I agree.

From 200 feet up, the rest of the crew look like ants.

Still, when I see a really nice tower installation, I can't help but admire the work that's gone into it. Though RF engineering is my trade, antennas are still one of my passions.

My tower climbing experience gave me practical insights into antenna installation that I carry with me to this day. When thinking about antenna designs and RF systems, I always consider both the electrical performance and the practical aspects of installation and maintenance at height.

Bringing Experience to RF Antenna Design

At Radio Design Group, our CP-1V VHF Circularly Polarized Antenna exhibits fewer dropouts and greater overall range. Its rugged construction makes it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, including hilltop translator use. Having been on those hilltops myself, I understand the importance of reliable, easy-to-install RF antenna systems.

Bringing Time-Tested Solutions to Your RF Engineering Challenges

Need more customization for your commercial RF product or obsolescence mitigation project? At Radio Design Group, we specialize in applying proven principles to modern RF engineering problems. Whether you need to expand your communication system's lifespan or want to make something brand new, RDG is just an email away. Get in touch now to get started.

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