Radio Tower Lights

[Volta]

What should be considered when quoting the installation of FAA flashing lights?

The tower would be type E-1, 320' or so.

The specified lighting units are FTS 362 by Flash Technology. LEDs.

There would also be an air terminal with steel cable. Steel galv. twisted cable 70 mm area.

Ladder with vertical lifeline. That's a long climb. It has been more than a year since I have seen this tower (there are two separate locations in this project), but I think I can picture it ok (from the ground at least) :roll:.

 

[ceb58]

What should be considered when quoting the installation of FAA flashing lights?

The tower would be type E-1, 320' or so.

The specified lighting units are FTS 362 by Flash Technology. LEDs.

There would also be an air terminal with steel cable. Steel galv. twisted cable 70 mm area.

Ladder with vertical lifeline. That's a long climb. It has been more than a year since I have seen this tower (there are two separate locations in this project), but I think I can picture it ok (from the ground at least) :roll:.

I will give you my limited knowledge based on my experiences with our comm. towers and what we must follow. First are you certified to climb? For this install you will need no less than two people on the tower that are certified, you will need at least one that is certified to climb on the ground for rescue. You will need about 3 people to pull the material and light up to you unless you set up a tugger. The last light install I was on there were 2 on the tower, 3 on the ground pulling up with rope and pulleys. I was inside setting the controller and running conduit for power and the poto cell. To remove the old light and marker lights, install the new light and markers,dress the cable down on the tower leg, run the cable under the ice bridge into the building and hook into the controller the light was going after a hard 10 hrs.

 

[Volta]

Nope, not certified to climb. Who gives such certification? What does it entail?

 

[ceb58]

Nope, not certified to climb. Who gives such certification? What does it entail?

OK, now keep in mind that I work for a state agency and they follow OSHA guide lines along with in-house safety rules. Our training entailed two of our employees that had been certified by OSHA to teach. We went to one of our towers that we train on. The paperwork was gone over as to what had to be filled out, proper fall protection and how to put it on. The correct fall stops and how to hook them up. Proper rescue techniques as tying knots, hooking up pulleys with lowering ropes. Then we went onto the tower demonstrating proper techniques for fall arresters and such. Then we had a man hanging from his rope in the harness. We were timed as to getting up the tower, hooking up the pulleys and lowering rope, hooking on to the man, lifting him up to unhook his rope and lower him to the ground. We were shown the required material that must be in the rescue bag and the fact that when climbing the bag must be on the ground and open near the ladder. Not in the truck not still zipped up but open next to the ladder.

If you are not certified and or have the proper equipment you will tie up thousands of $$$$$ just in safety equipment. Unless you do this type of work every day as a business you will never justify the cost or win the bid for two lights.

Or you could ask a tower erection company for a bid and sub the work to them. The crews that install our towers do a turn key job. The only thing I have to do is remove the controller from out side and reinstall it inside since the building and permanent power are not there at the time they complete the erection.

When I do this it takes me about 4 to 5 hrs by the time I clean off the mud from the cables, dress them down under the ice bridge, strap them to the wall, mount the control box and poto cell, run conduit for power and tie the controller into the grounding halo and wire in the lights.

 

[Volta]

You've got some good things there for me to consider. As these are existing towers, it may be that the power risers are reusable, though the downwire and control (CAT5?) would be new, AFAIK.

I think the training and equipment is key, I'm sure the work will take three times as long as I think it will, maybe more, and we may not be able to work up a winning number without bringing in someone better set-up for this.

The grounding electrode system also has to be tested, and if not as low as 10 ohms, made to be.

 

[ceb58]

You've got some good things there for me to consider. As these are existing towers, it may be that the power risers are reusable, though the downwire and control (CAT5?) would be new, AFAIK.

I think the training and equipment is key, I'm sure the work will take three times as long as I think it will, maybe more, and we may not be able to work up a winning number without bringing in someone better set-up for this.

The grounding electrode system also has to be tested, and if not as low as 10 ohms, made to be.

Not sure I would consider reusing the power risers on a new install. You have no way of knowing the condition of the wire. I have seen the cables after a lightning strike and every where the cable was clamped with SS clamp it was burned.

The work will take no less than three times as long and that is usually with an experienced tower crew.

Testing the grounding system is another thing that if you are not set up and equipped to do this type of work you are lost. The equipment used to do the FOP test start at $3000.00. We go for no more than 5 ohms. If yours didn't test less than 10 then you get into more grounding and cad welding.

I have no idea what type of electrical work you are into or comfortable with. But these are two areas that are very specialized. For me,personally, even though I am familiar with the work there is no way I would consider biding something like this. This is nothing like replacing a fixture on a building or a pole. It is a whole different animal.

 

[Volta]

Not sure I would consider reusing the power risers on a new install. You have no way of knowing the condition of the wire. I have seen the cables after a lightning strike and every where the cable was clamped with SS clamp it was burned.

The work will take no less than three times as long and that is usually with an experienced tower crew.

Testing the grounding system is another thing that if you are not set up and equipped to do this type of work you are lost. The equipment used to do the FOP test start at $3000.00. We go for no more than 5 ohms. If yours didn't test less than 10 then you get into more grounding and cad welding.

I have no idea what type of electrical work you are into or comfortable with. But these are two areas that are very specialized. For me,personally, even though I am familiar with the work there is no way I would consider biding something like this. This is nothing like replacing a fixture on a building or a pole. It is a whole different animal.

Yup, I'm going to pass on this for many of the reasons you have mentioned and then some. We are into an incredibly diverse mix of work, but this is too much to tackle.

Also, the company asking for the quote has not been responsive enough to make me trust that they would be very good to work with.

Thanks for the input. It helped me decide to sit this one out.

 

[qcroanoke]

Good choice.
Ceb knows what he speaks.

 

[ceb58]

Volta, if you are lurking the forum I have another "update". Just installed our first LED light system. The tower crew set the light and we had to hook up the controllers. What a pain in the drain. There were three controllers. The "master" for the top strobe a "slave" for the side strobes and another "slave" for the side markers. The ones we have been installing are for incandescent lights and the only thing is they are heavy due to all of the capacitors but not bad to install and hook up. By there instructions we feed power to all three from one 20amp 120v circ. But the LED's require three separate 20a 120v circ. The strobe cables required magnetic RF filters and the list goes on. We ask the tower crew for some tips on installing them and there answer was. "Don't know any. We were reading the instruction manual and were going to have a factory rep. come and show us how to hook them up but when we heard you guys were coming to do it we quit reading and canceled the rep". Thanks for the help,guys