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‘Birds of Prey’: New safety video for tower workers

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by W0PV, May 8, 2020.

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  1. W2STF

    W2STF Ham Member QRZ Page

    ALF says, stop buying towers, purchase G5RV"s.
    Problem solved.


    W2STF
     
  2. W7KB

    W7KB Ham Member QRZ Page

    I was a Structural Steel Painter on the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge for 27 years,and we had to contend with nesting peregrine falcons twice a year on the tops of the towers.They had an aviary in Santa Cruz,Ca.where they took the eggs to,after removing them from the nests,increasing their survival rates.Work was shut down temporarily until these eggs were relocated.They are large,aggressive birds of prey,not something to mess with while scaling heights in excess of 500’
     
    WJ4U, K0UO and W1YW like this.
  3. W0DGH

    W0DGH Ham Member QRZ Page

    I'll stick with flea collars to keep bugs out of enclosures. As for birds of prey on towers, I'll wait until the nest is empty.

    Here's a little info on mothballs.............

    Mothballs are a pesticide product that contain either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene as active ingredients. Both of these chemicals are toxic fumigants (which means they volatilize into the air) and must be present in high concentrations to be effective. This is the problem. Concentrations high enough to be effective for pest control can be dangerous for anyone exposed to them.

    Mothballs can seriously impair indoor air quality. In fact, the odor of mothballs can be detected at a few parts per billion in the air. (One part per billion is about several drops of water in an Olympic-size swimming pool.)

    What are the potential health impacts?

    • Symptoms of exposure to naphthalene include headache, nausea, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. Exposure to large amounts of naphthalene may damage or destroy some of your red blood cells. This condition is called hemolytic anemia. Some symptoms of hemolytic anemia are fatigue, lack of appetite, restlessness, and pale skin. Exposure to large amounts of naphthalene may also cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the urine, and a yellow color to the skin. Based on the results from animal studies, the Department of Health and Humans Services (DHHS) concluded that naphthalene is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.
    • Paradichlorobenzene exposure has been linked to nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, eye and nasal passage irritation, and dermal irritation. If a pet eats a mothball made of paradichlorobenzene, they may have vomiting, tremors, and/or abdominal pain. Paradichlorobenzene may also cause kidney and liver damage in pets.The World Health Organization (WHO) considers paradichlorobenzene possibly carcinogenic to humans based on studies with mice.
     
  4. W1YW

    W1YW Ham Member QRZ Page

    Oddly enough, we have peregrines here in...BOSTON. They were brought in to solve the pigeon problem.

    Which they did, but what a bloody mess they made!
     
  5. K0DD

    K0DD Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Oh yes I agree.... It's best to not eat mothballs or feed them to your pets... Though it is easy to mistake them for MENTOS... Sort of like drinking Round Up, may create severe gastric disturbances... Also after ALL of the Round Up commercials on TV... In our household we've ceased drinking Roundup on Saturday Nites... We're going to really miss that... killing grass growing up between cracks in driveway and sidewalks... Singing, "Don't take my roundup away from me".... Don't chew on Kodachrome either... Could Be bad.

    However my whole house IS LOADED with asbestos insulation of all types. I refuse to dial the Asbestos Abatement Clowns, what a rip off that scam is... There are NO WARNING SIGNS on the asbestos boiler pipe insulation warning of the hazards of eating pipe insulation... We do have warning signs ON our walls stating "Visitors: Do not allow your children to eat paint off our walls... They might be at high risk of becoming stooopider than their parents..." Give them a Snickers bar Instead girl !!!... Old paint tastes like vacuum cleaner dust anyway, get them hooked on stuff that actually tastes good... Like Crack.

    Well anyway. Good note, Don't lock yourself in the Cedar Closet or grandma's musty hope chest. That WAS always a fun pastime at our Grandmas though. Might explain a lot... Especially with my sister... I always recommend Just look for the skull and crossbones on the box or bottle... We did put child locks on the lower cabinets to keep Robb-O from drinking Drano while we weren't looking though. He sort of turned out OK.

    Have a great day...
     
  6. W0DGH

    W0DGH Ham Member QRZ Page

    This place is worse than The Leatherwall with smartass.
     
  7. AB0ZB

    AB0ZB Ham Member QRZ Page

    well said.
     
  8. W0PV

    W0PV Ham Member QRZ Page

    I'm a bit surprised no environmentalists jumped onto this thread to rant a bit about safety from a birds-eye POV (pun intended) ;).

    About 7-8 years ago, with the contuning boom in cell site buildouts, there was quite a media storm claiming communications towers were presenting an extreme mortal danger to many desirable avian species. However, this was found to be mostly an issue with taller broadcast towers.

    This recalled the incident several decades ago that beset my good friend Steve KØSF in MN, who lives on a bucolic tract of outer suburban wetland. He was victimized by a nuisance lawsuit that included a co-plantiff no less that the state Dept of Natural Resources.

    They claimed his QTH was on a migratory path and the tower presented a hazard to the rare endangered species (at that time) of Trumpeter swan. However his defense attorney John KØQB presented a rebuttal argument that the court accepted and exonerated all liability.

    I beleive a concession was made though with the installation of so called "bird diverters" on some guy line cables. Before that we used to tease Steve about every morning having to clean up a pile of dead swans under the array. (He claimed sightings were rare if ever)

    The tower stands today, and since 2013 Trumpeter swans are consided a species of "Least Concern" in MN.
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2020
    K0UO likes this.
  9. K0DD

    K0DD Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    OK John, I'll step in on the side of environmentalists... If you remember I still stand by collecting Baby Gators from Myakka State Park and filling an 18 wheeler full, shipped to Minnesota and Releasing them on the banks of the golf course so they have easy access to the swamp and their natural habitat.... Let the MN and Federal DNR start protecting that rare prehistoric breed of Minnesota Alligators that managed to resurrect themselves from extinction after millions of years frozen under the swamp... Then start a suit claiming the Shoreline on the course side of the massive water feature IS a natural feeding and breeding ground for these gators and MUST be protected and preserved in its natural state... Requiring relocation of some greens and tee boxes basically turning the private club into a municipal par 3 ... Steve for some reason didn't appreciate the suggestion... You concerned over removing 10,000 baby alligators from Myakka.... THOUGH if caught, I'd argue taking them at that state was far more civil than Troy Landry coming in and wiping out the population...

    PLUS the gators WOULD thin out that Trumpeter Swan problem too... Have YOU EVER SEEN a trumpeter swan? No I thought so. They really don't exist... HAHAHAHAHA

    Ah the early 90's such a crazy time
     
  10. K0UO

    K0UO Platinum Subscriber Platinum Subscriber QRZ Page

    20190906_183557.jpg

    This is the tower, I can testify to the hazards of having a turkey vulture throwing up on you!!!
    That was not good, they made me ride in the back of the pickup all the way to the hotel too. LoL
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2020
    W0PV likes this.
  11. W0PV

    W0PV Ham Member QRZ Page

    Eeeew! :eek:

    Turkey vultures are numerous in FL too, often seen gathering in or adjacent to my yard scavenging. Big and awkward, make a big thump landing on the roof. This may or may not be the same tower, but its story made it all the way into the New York Times,

    Border Officials Seek to Evict Defecating Vultures From Texas Radio Tower

    [​IMG]
     

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