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Hey Tower climbers, let me know where would you look for work?
Be safe, be smart, and pay attention!
Let me know what’s going on, Facebook, email, or comments below.
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Hello everybody. I have something special for you today. I have an interview with someone who had RF Radiation poisoning. I wrote a blog a few weeks back that had information in it about the climber that got RF poisoning years ago. His name is Bruce Elle and he was kind enough to let me interview him and broadcast it on my Blog Cast podcast. You can listen to it here or get it on iTunes. It is over an hour so it’s not something that you can fly through.
I did edit out some swear words, the best I could. This is an adult conversation so be aware not to have children around for this. It is over an hour so make time to listen.
Bruce and I have a goal of alerting people of the hazards of RF radiation.We would like make sure you get the point that safety matters. Although we jump around in our conversation we want to drive home that the more you know the more you respect yourself. Respect yourself by looking for ways to keep you healthy, now and in the long run. You have the tools available to ensure that you will be safe barring a major failure, which happens in this business.
We start out by going into Bruce’s background as a climber and the history of the climbing business. Many people think that the way things are now is how it’s always been. Let me tell you it has come a long way. The advances in climbing and safety have been greatly advance through training and education. The thing about climbers is that they hate to change the way they do things. So the key is to show them how it will help them improve their work and be safer. It is hard to slow down a seasoned climber because they want to race up the tower and get the job done. The focus is changing now to make sure that the job is not only done right but safety is the focus.
Focus, this is one thing that we all seem to have a problem with today. When you are going to head up the tower you need to have focus. Someone needs to be looking out for you. That is why I say the crew needs to work together, so that each person is looking for something that they other person may have missed. But, back to the interview.
Bruce talks about how he climbed up the tower that day he got radiated. He was working on the antenna 550 feet up in the air. This was in February and he was sweating while sitting on the antenna. The beacon was on the antenna. For all of you guys that do cellular work may not understand that broadcast antennas were huge and the beacons were on the antenna itself. The antenna would be a huge steel structure made to be mounted on top of a tower. The engineering that went into these was amazing because it would not only radiate but it would need to be a solid steel structure, in this case 50’ high, that you could climb on and it had a beacon on top.
So he was sitting on the antenna was on low power, which in this case was 35,000 watts coming out of the transmitter. This was considered safe at that time, can you believe it? This was considered safe for someone to site on the antenna to change out the beacon. This was considered a normal day at work.
Bruce didn’t have any real pain right away, he just felt really hot for the middle of February. He didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary until he got home that night, then the fever hit. He had to take an ice bath to break the fever. This was the beginning of so many problems that he still deals with today.
Back then he didn’t have RF alert meters, RF suits, or anything like that. Today you have the opportunity to prepare for the unseen hazards of RF radiation by preparing yourself with those tools. Bruce is telling this story so that no other human goes through the pain and suffering he has endured. OK, get it, he is trying to help all of you by sharing his experience. Listen carefully if you want to live a healthy life. Quality of life matters.
Listen to the interview, Bruce lead a climber’s life, not always perfect but he learned on the way. If you are new to this business you will learn a lot about the lifestyle. You can learn from his mistakes and set yourself up for success. Come up with a plan that will work for you. Think about how you can improve your life by reviewing the safety and lifestyle changes that will make you a better person in the long run. Bruce did this to help you all live a better life, he is here to help.
Let me know what you think. I am here to get the word out. I have a book for new climbers here. Like me on Facebook!
Here are some links, old and new, that will shed some light on RF Radiation poisoning.
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OK, what the hell is a small cell? Well, let me tell you about small cells. It’s like putting the cell site where the people are, I mean right where the people using the most data. Suddenly you have a cell that can service a group of people with little RF loss and high data throughput. This is a great thing for carriers because it relieves the macro from the loading it would have from one area in its larger coverage area. That is the goal of the small cell, to alleviate the loading and add coverage. I will concentrate on the outdoor small cells for this article but the indoor may be very similar, just less up front work.
So putting a small cell in should be easy, right? I mean if any of you worked with Wi-Fi you would think you can just pop up an access point and you have an instant hot spot. Well, there is so much more to it than that. The carriers will need to do some work up front is they are to put it in their system. They need to do the RF design, loading study, and coverage analysis. They will probably study the analytics to see where the need is based on coverage and macro cell loading, (data and voice). This is prior to placing the small cells in the macro coverage area. They will look at each sector of a Macro site.
The other challenge is putting the backhaul in. It usually will be fiber, about 10 to 100Gbps backhaul provided to the router connected to the small cell. This is usually a Service Aggregate Router, (SAR). Backhaul quality is everything because you have to make sure you have quality of service. Here is where the LTE small cells have a huge advantage because they have a complete IP backbone, unlike most 3G stuff out there, LTE will be a cleaner deployment. All this is done before they decide to deploy anything.
So mounting the unit will not be too hard, but the connection of the backhaul will require fiber skills. They may have wireless backhaul in some areas, if they connect from the wireless backhaul to the SAR it will be using a fiber jumper. Fiber will be the key to most small cell backhaul connections. The one exception may be if the cable companies step up with a cable backhaul for small cells, they call this Data Over Cable Interface Specification, (DOCSIS), which should be a game changer if it becomes mainstream. Then you could use a standard cable connection for backhaul. This may or may not work because carriers seem to like a dedicated connection back to their core or to one of their cell sites. This is a dedicated connection that would give them security and complete control. It’s what most of them want to do. They don’t just tie into an internet connection like a Wi-Fi connection would. It’s just not that easy at this time. If you’re interested in LTE backhaul, there is a good overview at http://lteuniversity.com/get_trained/expert_opinion1/b/skrishnamurthy/archive/2013/04/01/why-ethernet-backhaul.aspx to explain in more detail.
So let’s look at what we’ve done, we’ve completed the engineering, defined the spots where we wanted it. We then narrowed the spot by finding a mounting location, a pole or a building top, then we found a mounting location that has a fiber connection near it, (fiber is not everywhere), now we finally have the exact location to mount it. Then we have to get a lease, this is all part of site acquisition! We need to work out all of those headaches. If you are not familiar, you don’t just go out and mount it to a pole. You need to find out who has rights to the pole or building, who you lease it through. Then you may or may not need to do a structural analysis on the mounting asset. You will need to do a site design drawing for the documentation prior to the mounting of the asset. What about permits? The local municipality or city wants to take their cut and they want to know what is mounted where. So you will need to make sure all the permitting is completed, this usually slows down the process even more and cost money because you need to file paperwork and often need to hand deliver the documentation.
OK, location found, fiber nearby, mounting asset identified, leasing completed, permitting completed, now we can mount and move ahead, right? OK, now we need to follow the engineering, install the unit, connect the fiber, power to the unit. Did you say power? Did anyone order power? This is something else that needs to be taken care of, power at the pole. So now, at a pole we need fiber and power. Both have a long lead time.
OK, pole, permitting, lease, power, fiber, so now we can mount, and connect it up. Then we’re off to the races. Well, it is mounted to the pole so we are good there. We connected the backhaul to the SAR, we are good there. We now power it up and it should work, right? Make sure the antennas are facing the proper direction and the tilt is set up properly. Now you need to make sure it is provisioned properly, that means that the SAR has to be integrated, then the small cell has to be integrated, then the carrier will want to make a test call and they may or may not want to optimize it with someone doing a walk test. Remember, if the cell has any problems it could create more problems with self interference. The engineering has to take that into consideration. Self interference is taken very seriously because it will create dead spots.
Once the small cell is up and running, life is good in that area, loading is off the macro and on the small cell. The carriers plan to put 10s of thousands of these in. I believe that if the FCC allows more bandwidth to be freed up for LTE, this will be the way that utilities will access their fixed networks. Public Safety already is carving out their chunk of LTE bandwidth. I think that they will rely heavily on small cells because they need coverage in specific areas. Let’s face it, LTE and small cells will be an amazing thing as the world of data takes over. Video will not be just for entertainment, it will be the requirement both ways, video streaming up to the network and down to a device.
OK, now I gave you a background, how does it affect the field worker? Well, you may need to be certified to mount the small cell by the OEM. Remember that the warranty will be affected if you mess something up. Also, this is going to have intricacies that may be affected by how you mount it. Antenna direction, fiber skills, and power connection could all play into this. The Power Distribution Unit (PDU) may be mounted at a different location to power the SAR and Small Cell. You need to know what you are doing to make the connections. It will take skills. Chances are good that you will need to make a test call for the integration phase, provisioning, to be completed. You may need to program the SAR by connecting your laptop to it and uploading a specific configuration file. You need skills! This isn’t Wi-Fi, it’s carrier grade equipment. If you do tower work you know the difference.
I plan to do more on small cells in the future. This is something I have been working on and I have more information to share.
Let me know what you’re struggling with out there in the field. I would like to write about something that could help. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or hitting me up on Facebook or reach out to me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/wadesarver/! I am looking for tower pictures on Facebook page! I am working on a new book, an aid for the field worker and I plan to have a new website ready soon. I have been very busy on other projects but I think that it should happen soon.
Hey, I talk about learning fiber training and I see that JDSU has free webinars on fiber, go their website here and see if you can learn more about fiber! The webinars are free!
To learn more about LTE and Small Cells;
http://lteuniversity.com/get_trained/video_tutorials/default.aspx
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/solutions/small-cells
http://www.thinksmallcell.com/
http://www.qualcomm.com/solutions/wireless-networks/technologies/1000x-data/small-cells
http://www.ericsson.com/res/thecompany/docs/press/media_kits/hetnet_infographic_vertical_04.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_cell
http://www.wilson-street.com/2013/10/how-to-deploy-metro-cells-infographic-3-part-1/
http://www.wilson-street.com/2013/10/how-to-deploy-metro-cells-infographic-3-part-2/
http://www.wilson-street.com/2013/07/public-access-small-cells-roadmap-to-successful-deployments/
http://electronicdesign.com/engineering-essentials/understanding-small-cell-and-hetnet-movement
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Hello all,
By the way, I have my Blog Cast live on iTunes now. Subscribe if you dare!
Let me ask you something, does your customer really care about you? I see that the safety initiatives are all led by the carriers, NATE, and the tower companies. Hey climbers and engineers, are you represented? I’m sure you are by the contractors out there that tell you the project needs to be done yesterday. So they have created the stand down week and the new NATE site, http://natehome.com/100-tie-off-24-7 to encourage 100% tie off campaign. That will raise awareness in most of the industry. What about the people who don’t know what you do? Well, it’s up to you as a group to raise awareness. Let’s see if this works.
Let’s make people aware, when go to a carrier’s store, ask them what their company is doing to promote tower climber safety? (Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile to start with) Do you think that most device sales people know that you risk your life to make sure that they can text their friends? Now is that time! Let them know that you play a key role in the industry. Send an email to the carriers, get the email from your bill or their website, and ask them what they, the carrier, are doing to ensure that you are safe! It’s a simple question. Better yet, ask your family and friends send an email to ask the carriers what they are doing to make sure that the people they love are safe! It’s a team effort to ensure that the world knows about the climbers and engineers that work out at the tower sites! The carriers are very influential in this industry. They spend a lot of money on lobbyists to make sure that deployments go smoothly. Let’s make sure that they know that the worker needs their support. PCIA made announcements how they were working with the governments to ensure a smooth wireless roll out by overriding additional permitting.
Broadcast workers should be doing all that they can to be sure that you are safe. The TV and radio people should all know the stations that they work for are doing all that they can to ensure climber safety! Reach out to your favorite show, by phone or by email and ask them what they are doing! Trust me, most people in broadcast have a great deal of respect for you when they know what you do.
Do you do government work? Well, are they making sure all of the climbers are properly trained and have all of the safety gear that is needed to do the job safely? Don’t call any governments, they probably have no idea about anything outside of their office. However, you could look up your congressman, but unless it’s an election year they may or may not answer you. It takes big numbers to get their attention. If congress or the house interests you then go here and here . For the president you can go here but I think he has bigger things to worry about. Now OSHA can be reached here. OSHA is who should be looking after the worker, so they would be the best contact if there is an incident. OSHA is there to help, they would be the ones I would call on for help and they are taking an interest in climbing in the USA. However, only reach out to them if you see a problem. I do think that regulation of the climbing industry will be coming. Look at all of the accidents out there. Not just the ones we heard about but the ones that are not reported. There are many. I would like to think that OSHA, EPA, and the FCC are doing all that they to make sure that people are safe. One of the problems in the USA is that crossing departments causes more problems. I think that they could learn from police task forces. I talked with several drug enforcement agencies that pulled in resources from the state police, local police, the FBI, the Coast Guard, and army so that they could work together to catch the bad guys. I am hoping that OSHA and the EPA and the FCC would create, if they didn’t already, a coalition to make sure that workers that are exposed to RF and tower dangers would be represented properly. I plan to release a post with more information soon.
OK, I have 2 books, Worker’s Aid and An Introduction to Tower Climbing.
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Hey all,
To listen in a new window go here BlogCast,
If you paint towers then be aware that there may be more dangers than paint dripping on your truck. There are studies out about the long-term effects of inhaling paint. The good news is you will be outside and it’s usually windy when you do it. However, the risk is there. If you can make sure you take the precautions needed so you don’t inhale anything bad. When Utility workers were surveyed who worked with painted for a long time, here is what was reported. This is from a report in PaintSquare,
“The research examined memory, attention and processing speed in 2,143 retirees who had been potentially exposed to three types of solvents in their careers:
All three solvents are widely used in various products throughout the paint and coatings industry.
The workers’ average lifetime exposure was ranked as none, moderate or high, based on company records, the nature of their jobs, and on when their last exposure occurred.
Participants took eight tests of their memory and thinking skills an average of 10 years after they retired, when they were an average age of 66. (Ninety percent of workers retired between ages 50 and 60.)
Researchers also accounted for factors such as education level, age, smoking and alcohol consumption. They did not control for factors such as cardiovascular disease, diet or physical activity and concede that these may play a role in cognitive functioning.”
Remember that there are more hazards out there than falling. Falling is obvious, it’s the long-term hazards that everyone ignores until they are in the business for 10 or more years. For me it’s my rotator cuffs that just ache, what is it for you?
For more information go to; http://www.paintsquare.com/news/?fuseaction=view&id=11416&nl_versionid=4091
Hey, if you can like me on Facebook and Google+ and Twitter.
My next book is ready, I should release it as soon as I update my website. I am slow but I am trying to get you quality as well as information. Let me know what I can do to help you guys out. If you want me to talk about something, then let me know. I have more about small cells to talk about.
