# Remember climbing the radar mast????



## sparkie2182

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbEqnLjHyf8


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## Farmer John

Aaargh!!! I couldn't watch to the end, I ran upstairs to saw the legs off the bed, but I blacked out on the third step.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9970480.A_steeplejack_s__view_of_York/ third picture in nearly made me ill, but this.


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## sparkie2182

I wonder how many applicants there were for the job, F.J. ????


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## Gulpers

Hmm, my radar mast view *here* just doesn't compare to what those guys in the previous posts go through.
Fair game to them, rather them than me. (EEK)


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## sparks69

I feel queesy - but I saw it to the end - going for a lie down now.
Brought back memories of the Menantic in Brunei Bay when the radar scanner stopped going round.


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## Duncan112

Curious to find out more I did a bit of googling and found that Tower climbing is supposedly the most dangerous job in the US (Deaths per 1000 employed) http://www.wirelessestimator.com/t_content.cfm?pagename=Fatalities


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## cajef

Reminds me of the day I was servicing a scanner on a forward gantry on a Greek tanker in Falmouth docks, got about halfway up the ladder when one of the rungs gave way, on closer examination the only thing holding the rungs to the ladder was a bit of rust and the years of layers of paint, the rungs were nearly all rusted away, came down the ladder quicker than I went up and the dockyard had to replace the ladder.


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## Pat Kennedy

Reminds me of a character in Thomas Pynchon's book V, Pig Bodine, a sailor on the USS Scaffold, who climbed the radar mast in order to stand in front of the radiating antenna in order to render himself sterile because he had run out of 'French Ticklers' and his girlfriend ashore would allow no intimacies without protection.
He was saved by the pile of hamburgers others in the crew had put there to cook.
I wonder if you can cook hamburgers, or meatballs, with radar?
Pat(EEK)


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## Frank Holleran

What a way to change a light bulb.(EEK)


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## Mad Landsman

Is it safe to assume that they have no equivalent of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, Schedule 5 ? 
Or maybe they just choose to work around it and consider such things advisory and a hindrance to getting the job done.


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## Satanic Mechanic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eZudM2ZSlA

bit of rope access here - how many times would you say "can you just check this rope one more time"


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## Duncan112

Pat Kennedy said:


> I wonder if you can cook hamburgers, or meatballs, with radar?
> Pat(EEK)


Very inefficiently but yes, both devices use a magnetron, I think the burger would be cold though by the time you came down off the mast!!


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## Pat Kennedy

And the meatballs? How would they fare?
Pat


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## sparkie2182

I dunno but you wud need big meatballs to climb that transmission tower.


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## trotterdotpom

They must be highly motivated workers.

John T


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## trotterdotpom

Why did they blur that bloke's face? Are they Gypsies nicking copper?

John T


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## Pat Kennedy

If you fell from the top of that tower, not only would you have time to kiss your ass goodbye, you could brush your teeth and write a note to the boss pointing out the dangers of working aloft, before you hit the deck.
(EEK)


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## sparkie2182

Beats bomb disposal for me, Pat.............for that very reason.

At least sitting next to a bomb would give little notice of your demise should the worst happen.


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## trotterdotpom

Pat Kennedy said:


> If you fell from the top of that tower, not only would you have time to kiss your ass goodbye, you could brush your teeth and write a note to the boss pointing out the dangers of working aloft, before you hit the deck.
> (EEK)


Taking that shortcut down reminds me of when Australian wharfies would take 2 hours to accept a gangway then jump over the wall at smoko time.

John T


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## Gareth Jones

All that and it was only water in the waveguides !!!!


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## Pat Kennedy

I recall in Cammell Lairds in the late 60s, us crane drivers were paid an extra half hour flat rate to grease all the sheaves on the crane. That included those at the top of the jib, and if you were on those Butters monotower cranes, those at the top of the tower as well.
No safety harness in those days, I became expert at operating a grease gun between my arm and my chest, while clinging on to the nearest girder with as death grip!
Pat(EEK)


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## billyboy

Pat Kennedy said:


> I recall in Cammell Lairds in the late 60s, us crane drivers were paid an extra half hour flat rate to grease all the sheaves on the crane. That included those at the top of the jib, and if you were on those Butters monotower cranes, those at the top of the tower as well.
> No safety harness in those days, I became expert at operating a grease gun between my arm and my chest, while clinging on to the nearest girder with as death grip!
> Pat(EEK)



Your a braver man than me then Pat. I draw the line at thick carpets mate.


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## BobClay

After all those years climbing radar/antenna masts at sea, then more time climbing poles for BT my last job required me to use a step ladder to gain access to the school attic to run Cat5 network cables. I was told I had to attend a one day 'Ladder Course' which I did, and got a nice looking certificate for my efforts. I then cracked the joke that while using a step ladder to put the certificate up on the workroom wall I fell off the ladder and broke my foot. 
My boss wasn't overly amused.


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## Coop

Back in the 70s when I was 4-8 Third Engineer on field days, I thought nothing of scaling the navigation mast on a VLCC to replace the Nav' Light bulbs. I would sit on the steel disc on top of the fixture with nothing but air above. 120 feet to the deck and the ship gently rolling, with some great views of the South African Coast. Alas these days a 10 ft step ladder seems daunting. The guys in this video have my total admiration.


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## John Briggs

I was mate on one ship that had been back to the builders in Japn for guarantee docking.
Left Japan for Korea and I was on watch. Nice weather with a long slow roll.
Radar working well untl the scanner landed on the bridge wing near me.
Anyway, saved Sparkie climbing up to fix it.


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## Papa Bear

We were running up the East coast of Japan to go through the Strait to the west side to get to our final discharge port. It had been very cold and squally with snow showers all day. Last watch of the day I am comfortably ensconsed in the radio room when the skipper comes in and announces the radar is on the blink but not to worry, he knows the problem, its iced up, go fix it sparks. Five layers of gear later i'm on the monkey island and climbing up the radar mast. Can't reach so climb the railing and standing on top grab the scanner and start knocking the ice off with my gloved fist. Was working great until the feet slipped, made a death grip for the scanner and made one or two revs before getting the feet sorted out and getting the job finished. Getting a birds eye view of the aft cargo deck whilst rotating was very glad Marconi made skookum scanners. This was on Radcliffes Llangorse with I believe Capt. Hunter (Shelty Joe) a great Oldman. Oh yes the radar was working again. Cheers John L.


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## trotterdotpom

Must have been a crap paint job holding it in position. Bet there was much sucking of teeth when you got back!

Good job it missed you, I can just see the Old Man stepping out onto the bridgewing and saying: "How's your Head, Mr Mate?


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## King Ratt

This photo taken in my youthful days before Elf and Safety was spawned.
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/50830/title/rfa-pearleaf/cat/500


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## John Briggs

trotterdotpom said:


> Must have been a crap paint job holding it in position. Bet there was much sucking of teeth when you got back!


It had been removed for some sort of maintenance and then put back in
position on the studs that were there but someone forgot to put the
nuts on so it seemed okay until we started rolling!


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## hughesy

I worked on trans towers for a company called La Blanc Communications in St Louis Mo highest I did was 900ft on a tower down Watson Rd St Louis.
I remember climbing through the clouds at 500ft and seeing a news chopper flying below us.
I was thinking don't drop anything if its gets in the rotors ( which looked like they were stationary) it will be bad, we would check the attenuation of the aerails with inserts short and open cct then check the attenuation of the signals. Also line them up with orher towers. First job the foreman sent me up to insert only 400ft but it was a bit windy the sway reminded me of a ships mast. Anyway I did it but I was holding on like grim death as they say.
did that for about six months crap money for the work we did also loads of 
young guys full of p--s and vinegar as they say I was the old man at 39 but not on of them could tie a decent knot, So I showed them the 6 common knots I learned at Gravesend they thought I was barnicle Bill the sailor.
Good experience you really got to experience height.
all the best
Hughesy


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## ART6

When I served my time in the outside squad in Barclay Curles on the Clyde, a job I was given by the chargehand was to "Get yer backside up yon crane and grease the end pulleys of the jib." This was one of those cranes that towered over the river, and being young and able to fly I went happily. Safety harnesses? What are they? I can still recall vividly sitting out on the end of that jib and looking down onto the top of the engine shed, with all those ant-like people milling around, and I would have enjoyed staying there for a week just to savour the god-like experience.

In later years, long after leaving the sea, I was involved in designing and building large process plants, and I would easily walk along a girder sixty feet up in the air as an easy route from one point to another.

The video that started this thread is another matter. I have seen it several times, and could never steel myself to get past the first few minutes of it without suffering nightmares. I finally managed to watch all of it, and so now I will not get out of bed in the morning without first checking that my safety harness is clipped on.

What sort of guys do these jobs?


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## Binnacle

I read about a radar boffin who was up a Chain Home radar mast carrying out some adjustments during a doodle bug attack on London when one flew close below him. These masts were about 400 ft. Brave man.


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## Andy Lavies

If that mast were in China the ladders would be bamboo!

Andy


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## Pat Kennedy

This clip of Fred Dibnah laddering a factory chimney makes the toes curl and the scrotum tighten.
The man had absolutely no fear of heights and depended entirely on his own skill at lashing a series of ladders together until he reached the top.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-a27xwcLfU


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## Duncan112

Posted these before but worth a rerun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSuZXlUxwbk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrnuhrqVN1M

Safety elf noticeably absent


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## hughesy

Hi Art
Once you get past the first few hundred feet is all the same, Theres a tower in 
Arkansas USA 1600ft there is a little elevator for the first 1000ft then climb the last 600ft you have to bet fit and climb with you legs not your arms as you will
be really tried and won't be able to lift them the next day. Beginners all climb with their arms and grab to tight, after a while you get more relaxed and enjoy it' What scared me was the wind and ligthning very tricky when you are rigging gear up there.

all the best


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## ART6

hughesy said:


> Hi Art
> Once you get past the first few hundred feet is all the same, Theres a tower in
> Arkansas USA 1600ft there is a little elevator for the first 1000ft then climb the last 600ft you have to bet fit and climb with you legs not your arms as you will
> be really tried and won't be able to lift them the next day. Beginners all climb with their arms and grab to tight, after a while you get more relaxed and enjoy it' What scared me was the wind and ligthning very tricky when you are rigging gear up there.
> 
> all the best


All of this is all very well, but having again watched the video of the transmission tower, and then the U-tube of Fred Dibnah, I am destined to sleep on the floor tonight in case I fall!


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## hughesy

As they say its not the fall thats bad, its the sudden stop at the bottom

all the best
Hughesy


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## trotterdotpom

Fred Dibnah was a Living National Treasure, no doubt about that, but you have to wonder why he was climbing hundreds of feet up a chimney, lashing wooden ladders together and hanging on by his toe nails while a camera man filmed him from a cherrypicker.

John T


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## Pat Kennedy

trotterdotpom said:


> Fred Dibnah was a Living National Treasure, no doubt about that, but you have to wonder why he was climbing hundreds of feet up a chimney, lashing wooden ladders together and hanging on by his toe nails while a camera man filmed him from a cherrypicker.
> 
> John T


Well I reckon Fred didnt hold with these new fangled contraptions. "Cherry Picker? Does it ave a steam engine? well thee can shove it where the sun dont shine!"

Heres another sphincter clencher;


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## hughesy

I love watching and listening to Fred right broad Lancastrian that kid

all the best
Hughesy


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## YORKYSPARX

During the very bad winter of 62/63 a technician went up the mast of an ex US ship, which had radar problems. The Transmitter was mounted below the scanner, and it was freezing cold. He changed the modulator valve and was pleased to observe that the metering showed transmission. He then carried out the tuning of the rx. Unfortunately, as tune approached, and signals shown on metering it disappeared. After fifteen minutes trying the cold was too much and he dismounted the high mast to get warm. When he entered the bridge he saw the Assistant Inspector who informed him that the radar targets kept appearing on screen, but when he tried the local tune they disappeared. The
resulting foul language directed at him was very long, and very very inventive


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## BOB GARROCH

Pat Kennedy said:


> Reminds me of a character in Thomas Pynchon's book V, Pig Bodine, a sailor on the USS Scaffold, who climbed the radar mast in order to stand in front of the radiating antenna in order to render himself sterile because he had run out of 'French Ticklers' and his girlfriend ashore would allow no intimacies without protection.
> He was saved by the pile of hamburgers others in the crew had put there to cook.
> I wonder if you can cook hamburgers, or meatballs, with radar?
> Pat(EEK)


One of my fellow radio enginers forgot to switch off the Radar on a tug in Durban Harbour. He developed cancer and died six years later. I had to carry him into hospital at the end. The doctors annoyed me as they had all their Porches lined up at the entrance to the hospital.
Pay the bill before you leave and you have two weeks to live,they said as we left. Bastards.


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## Pat Kennedy

BOB GARROCH said:


> One of my fellow radio enginers forgot to switch off the Radar on a tug in Durban Harbour. He developed cancer and died six years later. I had to carry him into hospital at the end. The doctors annoyed me as they had all their Porches lined up at the entrance to the hospital.
> Pay the bill before you leave and you have two weeks to live,they said as we left. Bastards.


 A similar kind of thing happened once in Cammell Lairds.
There was a RN warship, HMS Diana, alongside in the wet basin, undergoing a very long refit after being sold to some South American navy.
For many weeks the navigation radar scanner was rotating while work was being done on the set and this scanner was directly in line with the driver's cab on the shoreside crane.
A few weeks after the Diana left, the crane driver was taken ill, and diagnosed with leukaemia, and within a month or so he was dead.
The union tried to get Lairds to admit liability but the courts decided that it could not be proved that radar emissions caused the leukaemia.


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## David Paterson

*Clearing Ice from radar scanner*

Hi there..On the question on climbing radar towers,I used to be an R/O on trawlers and in winter we used to go up to the White Sea off the northern coast of Norway , when we were steaming the the spray froze everything on the deck and the bridge superstructure including the radar scanners...the drive motors found it hard work so I had to go up and clear it off with a scraper and a hammer, The aerials used to clinker up with ice too..You had to wear gloves to prevent you hands sticking to whatever you touched ..Happy Days!!! Regards Dave..[=P][=P]


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## Trevor Clements

Sad to say that a Tech in Glasgow fell from Lismoria's scanner and was killed. Len Corbett, lovely chap always helpful to R/Os. I was a lot more careful after that.


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## jimg0nxx

Hi Trevor,
I remember that occasion well. I was 2nd R/O on Lismoria at that time and climbed that mast before and after Len's death. Needless to say I was much more careful latterly.


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## Trevor Clements

Hi Jim, Yes it was a very sad, I always remember him, he was a very nice man. Most surprising because Len must have done it loads of times. It was worse carrying an Avo, or when the ship was rolling or pitching. I was labouring on a building site between leaving Colwyn Bay and going to sea and there was plenty of climbing ladders there, so it wasn't quite so bad when I had to do it the first time at sea.


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## Trevor Clements

Forgot to say the first time I did it on Santona, Andy Dougall said when I got back to the bridge "Sparks you look like a bl**dy budgie up there".


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## Ron Stringer

jimg0nxx said:


> Hi Trevor,
> I remember that occasion well. I was 2nd R/O on Lismoria at that time and climbed that mast ..


On Photoship there are photos of "Lismoria" with the scanner on a short radar/signal mast on the monkey island but others with the scanner 'stuck' on the forrard end of the funnel like an afterthought. 

Which one is correct or were there two "Lismoria"s?

The guy that selected the funnel for siting the radar scanner must have never had to maintain one (at sea or in port).


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## Alex Nicolson

I was R/O on the Queen of the North and one winter I was squatting slowly freezing at the upper Radar scanner when the Mate - ex RCN- brought a gaggle of Seas Cadets to the Bridge and proceeded to have each and every one of them have a bash at blowing the Foghorn as my feet.

Blythely ignoring the "Man Aloft" placards I had carefully placed on both Radars in front of his nose...

My comments when I subsequently tracked him down were loud, lengthy and unprintable...except for the "candyfloss for brains" bit which stuck.

Alex


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## Dickyboy

Not for ten million quid, and my sinus's filled with cocaine. Besides, I wouldn't trust another mans workmanship with the welded treads.
I liked the commentators statement "There's no quick way down" Oh yes there IS!


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## jimg0nxx

Hi Ron,
I think some artistic licence is being used on these photos, some of them are not Lismoria but Laurentia her sister ship. Lismoria is the one with the lattice mast and the other which does not show so well is Laurentia. The scanner is not attached to the funnel. The lower part is painted white to match the band on the funnel. If you look up Laurentia on Photoship you will see what I mean.

Sadly what actually killed Len if I recollect correctly was an angle iron on the monkey island deck, which he landed on headfirst.

Both these ships were converted Victories and carried 55 passengers on mainly the Glasgow - Montreal run.

Jim


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## Trevor Clements

I believe that originally they also used to run up the Canadian west coast, but it didn't pay. Poor old Donaldsons they didn't enjoy the best of luck. Peron put a stopper on the Argentine meat trade when they had just built Cortona and Corinaldo. Lovely people though.


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## Ron Stringer

jimg0nxx said:


> Hi Ron,
> I think some artistic licence is being used on these photos, some of them are not Lismoria but Laurentia her sister ship. Lismoria is the one with the lattice mast and the other which does not show so well is Laurentia. The scanner is not attached to the funnel. The lower part is painted white to match the band on the funnel. If you look up Laurentia on Photoship you will see what I mean.


Ah! Now I see. Thanks Jim


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## Ron Stringer

When working as a technician I always hated the scanners that were sited close to, or on, the funnel. Some involved you in climbing inside the funnel casing to emerge from a hatch on top. Lots of problems with smoke and fumes - it was difficult to locate and fix faults when you could hardly breathe, let alone see the ADU and scanner.

However I also did not appreciate the location of the scanner up the foremast on my first ship, E & F's "Golfito". To access the ladder you first had to cross the slippery, flush foredeck (no raised fo'c'sle). Then that long 40-foot or so climb to the cross trees where you stood on a narrow plate and tried to keep your balance and hang on to the tools and Avo 7 while removing covers to access the insides. All the while the wind was trying to remove all trace of you, your tools and any parts of the radar that you had disconnected or were trying to replace. Oh, of course, she would be rolling and or pitching to add a little interest. Nice afternoon's occupation off the Grand Banks.

I was a good idea not to drop anything, or to forget to take with you anything that you might need.

By the way, the radar transceiver (R'locator MkIV) was at the foot of the foremast, in a locker in the 'tween deck. Same route to access but instead of climbing the mast you entered the mast-house and went down a somewhat shorter ladder. I always had nasty thoughts about the sadist/ignoramus in E&F, or in Alexander Stephen's shipyard, who planned that arrangement.

Mind you the mates were always very satisfied with the excellent all-round, unobscured radar picture and the passengers always enjoyed watching me struggle with my gear across the deck and up the ladder. But I always made it safely, both ways, so there was never any drama for them to write home about.


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## frank fawl

Reminds me of the time the scanner on a Raymark 12 stopped rotating as we entered Sao Louis on the north Brazilian coast. 
On checking for problem found bushing on one brush had worn away and needed replacing. While replacing the bushing the crew started unloading steel girders with the ships crane and at one stage pranged the ships side with one load of girders. The vibration caused me to go **** over tit off the mast and lucky for me I had a safety harness. 
I came down and vowed never to go more than two feet off the deck again. 
Luckily the I had the scanner problem fixed and we proceeded up the amazon. 
Within a few hours of the pilots joining the ship I was called to the bridge where one of the pilots advised me
that the display was showing targets on the port side
of the river appearing on the starboard side of the ppi
and targets on the starboard side of the river appearing
on the port side of the display. On looking up at the scanner I saw that it was rotating anticlockwise.
I had reversed the connections to the motor on the scanner when I replaced the bushing.
There was no way I was going back up that mast again so I had the brainwave to reverse the connections to the sliprings on the crt and sure enough everythhing as it should be.
Forgot all about the incident until many months later when back in Liverpool I was chatting to some Marconi Techy types who were doing a check on board and happened to notice that the scanner was rotating the wrong way but the picture was ok.
They left the ship baffled and I did not enlighten them.
Those were the days


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## tunatownshipwreck

frank fawl said:


> Reminds me of the time the scanner on a Raymark 12 stopped rotating as we entered Sao Louis on the north Brazilian coast.
> On checking for problem found bushing on one brush had worn away and needed replacing. While replacing the bushing the crew started unloading steel girders with the ships crane and at one stage pranged the ships side with one load of girders. The vibration caused me to go **** over tit off the mast and lucky for me I had a safety harness.
> I came down and vowed never to go more than two feet off the deck again.
> Luckily the I had the scanner problem fixed and we proceeded up the amazon.
> Within a few hours of the pilots joining the ship I was called to the bridge where one of the pilots advised me
> that the display was showing targets on the port side
> of the river appearing on the starboard side of the ppi
> and targets on the starboard side of the river appearing
> on the port side of the display. On looking up at the scanner I saw that it was rotating anticlockwise.
> I had reversed the connections to the motor on the scanner when I replaced the bushing.
> There was no way I was going back up that mast again so I had the brainwave to reverse the connections to the sliprings on the crt and sure enough everythhing as it should be.
> Forgot all about the incident until many months later when back in Liverpool I was chatting to some Marconi Techy types who were doing a check on board and happened to notice that the scanner was rotating the wrong way but the picture was ok.
> They left the ship baffled and I did not enlighten them.
> Those were the days


That's very funny, and no doubt where was born the phrase "if it isn't broken, don't fix it".


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## Paul Braxton

Aah, that beautiful Raymarc! I really liked that radar, even though it was always going faulty on almost every ship I sailed on with it. Probably the reason I liked it so much was that I had had proper training on it at Norwood Tech, all 8 weeks of it. Just something about it, I suppose.

On the other hand I loathed that horrible Radiolocator MkIV which I thought was a nasty piece of work, tho' I only sailed with it once, in '70. Never did really understand how the ruddy thing worked. Trigatron? What in name of.... is that? Coming home up the coast getting ready to pay off, luxury of having time to get a year's radio accounts ready, no rush, then panic, "Could you come and have a look at the radar, sparky" (no question mark there). 
"O.K. I've had a look at it. Now can I go back to bed?"
Well not really. The next 24 to 36 hours (I can't remember quite) were spent with the Old Man and me bent over the transceiver unit in a little side room off the bridge, pilot onboard, ships everywhere, shouted comments from the wheelhouse of "Got targets!" or "No targets, sparky!" 
Happy flipping days. Up for nearly 48 hours with that and the finishing of the returns when we finally docked...
Never saw another one and didn't want to. But I thought the little CRT showing 'grass' levels on the TX was quite a nice idea.
But the Raymarc, well that was a different ballgame. So was the Hermes/Argus and the Decca radars I sailed with later on. I think the Raymarc had only just entered service when I went off to sea in '69. All brand new and possibly rushed into service.


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## Paul Braxton

Oh, and forgot to mention: regarding that MKIV, we had a first trip cadet onboard the "Port Lyttelton" who could actually hear a ping when standing out on the bridgewing or nearby when the scanner came round. I tested him with a blindfold and it was for real. Cool, eh?


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## Ron Stringer

Paul Braxton said:


> I think the Raymarc had only just entered service when I went off to sea in '69. All brand new and possibly rushed into service.


Not sure when it came into service (I was a Comms man, not radar) but when I came ashore in 1966 it was well-established and I fitted a couple. Didn't like it at all and by 1966 the later small-ship version, Raymarc 8, was already in service and I liked that (and its dreadful switch-mode DC power supply) even less. 

Used to experience real-life nightmares with that one, such as a phone call on Saturday evening asking/telling me to go across from my home in Gateshead to a fishing vessel in Maryport where the skipper was having problems with his Raymarc 8 "blowing fuses".

Into the office to meet someone with the keys to the stores, get the only spare unit, all the power transistors in stock and a load of fuses before starting on the 90-or-so mile drive in the dark, across snowy and icy roads to Maryport. Where it would be freezing in the wheelhouse and the skipper would be giving me grief about the unreliability of the radar and telling me that he had to sail on the 5 a.m. tide. All in the knowledge that the replacement unit would probably blow and that after replacing all the switching transistors it still wouldn't work. Great for morale.

In that instance, the replacement unit failed with a bang on switch-on but after I replaced the transistors in the original, it worked and I got home just after 4 a.m. Luckily I didn't get many such calls before I moved to Chelmsford, but I still hated the Raymarc range with a vengeance.

I have the impression that the Raymarcs were in a continuous development throughout their life and there was a never-ending stream of modifications, so that the set on board bore little resemblance to the handbook drawings and information. Unless you were working in the Radar section at Chelmsford, you could not know the latest state. For the guys in the service depots, or at the overseas service agents, it must have been almost impossible

I sailed with several Radiolocator IVs and never had a fault that I couldn't fix so, in spite of its various inaccessibilities, bore it no grudge.


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## YORKYSPARX

Original Raymarc introduced in 1964, Raymarc i2 and 16 debut was 1968, followed by Raymarc 8. Original Raymarc was fitted to Fairtry Trawlers. Techs were told that inverter problems was caused by insufficient cooling. In drydock the punkah Louvre was adjustrd to blow incoming air into the Inverter. No trouble thereafter. Mark 4 of blessed fame was a doddle, when armed with RD8, the troubleshooting guide.
Nightmares were the Mark 3, slow and fast running scanner, 30 mile range very few techs liked working on those sets


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## les.edgecumbe

_Reminds me of the time the scanner on a Raymark 12 stopped rotating _......


We visited the Queen Mary in California a few years back. She was ?proudly displaying a working Raymarc radar!It is the only operational radar I have seen rotating anti clockwise. Did mention it to them in my polite English way, but it was July 5th and they must have thought it was urine extraction time!


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## Trevor Clements

Ah! The Raymarc, good old Astaron Bird, part of the assembly line was only fractionally above the high water mark in Poole Harbour in those days.


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## harryredvers

To address the thread title - yes I do. Though I lost count of how many times I performed the act. My earliest memory seemed to involve problems with journal bearings c.1965 probably Hermes radar on the Hydatina, a Shell tanker, and before I had a radar ticket. Mind you that radar scanner was mounted above a platform on the monkey island probably all of 18' up. In the 1970s working ACT ships (and others in Cunard) I regularly went up the mast to attend to problems. I used to dread the moment coming but come it would I knew, eventually. The first time I went up I used a safety harness but then I guess I became exhausted by the enjoyment and I don't think I ever used one again. Talk about cavalier disregard for health and safety (in fact one of my ships was the Cunard Cavalier). After the first call the pattern was always the same and sometimes I'd climb up there under the guise of routine maintenance just to 'get away' and at times in some really dirty weather.
But we weren't all quite comfortable having to work on the mast and one of my warmest memories of seagoing is related to an incident in Wellington Harbour while serving in, I think it was ACT6. I had some work to do up the mast and also on the monkey island and while engaged on it got called away. When I returned I found the lecces were also working on the mast replacing lights on the christmas tree. The 2nd lecce was sitting in a bosun's chair wearing a safety harness being lowered down the mast by chief lecce and replacing the defective lamps. I got called away again and while I was inside the accommodation the 2nd engineer came across me and asked if I knew where the lecces were. I told him they were on the monkey island and when I told him I was working up there he asked me to tell them that an alternator or generator had 'fallen' over. I went back up and told the chief lecce this. After a moment or two deliberating I realised his dilemma and offered to take over from him belaying the rope for the bosun's chair. He departed and I remained holding the rope. It was a nice day in Wellington, a bit windy but bright and sunny and soon I was looking across the harbour and lost in thought about the colour and the splendour. Somewhere off I could hear muffled sounds similar to playground yelps and shouts and it took a little while to realise I was listening to myself being addressed with tones of urgency. Looking upward I was regailed with the sight of the 2nd lecce one hand trying frantically to release the clip of his safety harness from the ring under the radar platform it was fastened to and the other hand grimly holding to a rope of the bosun's chair to stop it passing further down the back of his legs. I pulled the chair back up so he could sit in it again and he got the clip loose and indicated he wanted down, and some. I think he invented some wonderful soubriquets and directed them towards me. I couldn't help but smile. And I've always wished I'd left him hanging there. Good days!


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## GBXZ

Why is it the 'norm' for a radar PPI to rotate clockwise ? Is it design history or is it our ability to process the information more readily if it is presented clockwise ?


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## Farmer John

GBXZ said:


> Why is it the 'norm' for a radar PPI to rotate clockwise ? Is it design history or is it our ability to process the information more readily if it is presented clockwise ?


Widdershins? You could call up something you wouldn't want on your radar, doing that!


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## trotterdotpom

GBXZ said:


> Why is it the 'norm' for a radar PPI to rotate clockwise ? Is it design history or is it our ability to process the information more readily if it is presented clockwise ?


I thought they rotated clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere. We live and learn.

John T


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## tunatownshipwreck

trotterdotpom said:


> I thought they rotated clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere. We live and learn.
> 
> John T


What do they do on the equator?


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## trotterdotpom

They stop very briefly. That's why you can't loiter in the Line, the screen would get burnt.

John T


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## Varley

Presumably there can be no fast craft in lower latitudes? (assume rotational speed would reduce gradually towards equator).


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## Naytikos

So many diverse comments coming on this thread it's hard to know where to start/stop.

It is the practice never to paint the ladder or step-bolts on a tower, to avoid the type of experience described by cajef.

The height is not a problem, one only has to overcome the fear that the ladder/step-bolts or the tower itself will collapse.

Hardly anyone ever looks up and so one gets to observe people without their being aware of it; depending upon the height one is at there can be interesting lines-of-sight through certain windows.

The most difficult job on a tower is painting. Not only does one have to gain access to parts of the structure where the girders may be widely spaced with no convenient hand/footholds, but one hand is encased in a painting-mitt and can't really be used for climbing as paint makes a great lubricant.

One develops a 'feel' for a tower; some are comfortable and friendly; some just don't feel right even after several hours.

Off towers and on to radars: I, too, liked the A-scan display on the old MkIV and the ability to observe pulses and waveforms was useful. I got my first significant shock off the 600V circuit in the PSU.
As for the Ramarc: my first encounter with surface-mounted components was in the IF amplifier. Soldering in a new transistor on the substrate required a borrowed solder-gun rather than the usual 25W iron.

The comment about people not looking up applies to ship's radar masts as well; particularly in respect of sunbathing wives on the monkey-island!


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## ben27

good day sparkie2182.just wached clibing the mast.an amazing job.a lot of courage.(and no nerves).i use to think the men on tall ships went high but,the mast climbers.thats something else.great post.all the best ben27.


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## rosandy

*Got vertigo watching it!*

Oh my God!!! Nearly had a panic attack watching this. 
I've been up the mast a few times for antennas/radar etc, even went up the derrick of a drilling rig once to fix the antenna on top, and I'm petrified of heights but no one else would go! I's a wonder there weren't grooves where my fingers gripped the ladder! There is not enough money in the world to pay me for doing that.


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## rodfryatt

Been reading the earlier comments on this thread about the effects of radiation from radar scanners. 
Now I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I reckon that given a peak power of 20 Kw, and very often less. Pulse duration of perhaps one microsecond and prf of 1,000. That magnetron is only going to be firing for a total of 1/1000s in every second.
That means the mean or average power radiated is only 20Watts. Even if I stand directly in front of a stationary six foot scanner I will only intercept about a quarter of it. i.e. 5 Watts.

For this reason I have never had any qualms about working on a scanner with the transmitter on during my 20 years of radar servicing, although I was always wary of open waveguides.
Don't seem to have done me any harm.


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## duncs

rodfryatt said:


> Been reading the earlier comments on this thread about the effects of radiation from radar scanners.
> Now I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I reckon that given a peak power of 20 Kw, and very often less. Pulse duration of perhaps one microsecond and prf of 1,000. That magnetron is only going to be firing for a total of 1/1000s in every second.
> That means the mean or average power radiated is only 20Watts. Even if I stand directly in front of a stationary six foot scanner I will only intercept about a quarter of it. i.e. 5 Watts.
> 
> For this reason I have never had any qualms about working on a scanner with the transmitter on during my 20 years of radar servicing, although I was always wary of open waveguides.
> Don't seem to have done me any harm.


You're talking mean power. The last radars I worked on were 65Kw, S band and 45Kw X band. You're talking time! It only takes a one microsecond flash to fck up your eyes! Catch it right and you'll get it at full power! What it'll do to your balls? I don't know, but I wouldn't like to take a chance.


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## les.edgecumbe

*"What it'll do to your balls?* I don't know, but I wouldn't like to take a chance."
Quite right old chap. I have worked on S,X and other bands for near 40 years now *and do not take any chances at all. Why should we*, it's only common sense to KNOW that there is a risk to be avoided. Would a 'Clanky' work with live steam hissing around his body?


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## rodfryatt

Yes. I'm sure you chaps are right to take more care. 
I must admit most radars I used to work on were 3 or 10kW. Only rarely 25kW.
But then I used to do many things when I was young that I cringe to think of now. For instance doing a ton on my Norton after five pints of Abbot Ale.(Pint)
Also climbing to the top of a 160ft Sizewell pylon when a schoolboy.


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## Austinsparks

It took me quite a while to summon up the courage to go up; the final motivation was a time when I had got a crewman to apply some grease to the scanner for me, and afterwards I had to respond to reports of black stuff flying all over the monkey island! After that I went up scanners regularly and felt quite at home, but my limitations were exposed a few years later. We were due to pass under the suspension bridge at Savannah, and the mate approached me and explained in some detail how the bridge height was 132 feet, and now we had unloaded cargo the ship's maximum height was 135 feet, so he planned to remove the bolts from the VHF aerial at the top of the much more-exposed mast above the scanner, leaving it dangling by the cable, and then refitting the aerial afterwards. I agreed with his reasoning and asked who he was sending up. he replied "you're doing it, aren't you?" Once my laughter had dried up I said "I'm Sparky, not Spiderman!" He sent a crewman up. I couldn't bear to even watch.


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## Naytikos

On the subject of radar power: A doppler weather radar was recently built on our main island. To demonstrate the dangers of microwave radiation to the assembled local staff who are, hopefully, going to operate it, one of the manufacturers' engineers suspended a raw sausage on the inside of the radome directly in line with the main beam and pushed the button to begin transmission. At the first pass of the scanner, the sausage exploded!


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## tunatownshipwreck

Naytikos said:


> On the subject of radar power: A doppler weather radar was recently built on our main island. To demonstrate the dangers of microwave radiation to the assembled local staff who are, hopefully, going to operate it, one of the manufacturers' engineers suspended a raw sausage on the inside of the radome directly in line with the main beam and pushed the button to begin transmission. At the first pass of the scanner, the sausage exploded!


I guess there's a message of where not to put a sausage.


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## trotterdotpom

tunatownshipwreck said:


> I guess there's a message of where not to put a sausage.


... or anything that looks a bit like a sausage!

John T


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## Ian Beattie

I remember many moons ago having to repair the radar scanner on the Border Fusilier when running down the Iberian coast light ship, a hundred and blah feet up with a real Atlantic swell - young and foolish no problem cant even go higher than two steps up on a step ladder now - changed days
Cheers Ian


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## peterh76-86

*Deafened*

Coming down from the radar mast and forgetting to watch out for the wires that controlled the ships whistle. I was a bit deaf for a couple of minutes afterwards and I managed to do it a second time the next time I went up.


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## tunatownshipwreck

peterh76-86 said:


> Coming down from the radar mast and forgetting to watch out for the wires that controlled the ships whistle. I was a bit deaf for a couple of minutes afterwards and I managed to do it a second time the next time I went up.


I assume that got some attention from somebody.


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## peterh76-86

tunatownshipwreck said:


> I assume that got some attention from somebody.


Not a sole (but we were alongside).


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## joe-ei5ge

very good one, match that, in my latter days at sea I used drydock to carry out stuff, like replacing crt tube, needed warning tape around bridge console, when new ch/off joined and eager to see everything working, he was dismayed to say the least...... love to be a fly on the bulkhead when he opened the radar generator room and saw the geni dismantled ( waiting for new bearings) going back there was some rule quoted at sea ... the Elec was covered up to a height of 6 feet , so the Captain on one ship stated ' you do not have to do this job' ( replacing the Heading marker microswitch).. in the end I got a crew member to go ahead of me , then he dropped down a safety belt ... after that 'Hillary' look out ha ha


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## King Ratt

Up at RFA Pearleaf's radar scanner. The mere thought of doing this today terrifies me.


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## ART6

Off topic on this thread, but no-one banned a simple engineer from posting! There have been many posts about climbing radar masts, whatever they are, but here is a video that I watched this morning before breakfast. I then had to go and lie down for a while and needed a stiff drink when I emerged from my snuggle bag without a safety harness.

http://gcaptain.com/watch-heres-what-it-looks-like-to-climb-the-58-meter-mast-of-a-tall-ship/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptain.com%29


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