About Me

People often ask me why I do this (climbing, that is). The answer is simple — I love it! I got into Amateur Radio when I was 13 years old and I’m still passionate about the “hobby”. I’ve done all kinds of things; 5BDXCC, 160M DXCC, DXCC Honor Roll, NTS Nets, Skywarn, repeater building and various contest operations. My HF work has mostly been CW.

After working in electronics and construction all my life, both as a technician and as a technical manager, I decided to go out on my own and work with fellow Amateurs in the designing, building and repairing of antenna systems. Several YouTube videos I’ve seen lately, showing guys climbing towers in their backyard, have scared the living crap out of me. Tower work is dangerous without the proper equipment and training. If you’re scared and untrained — don’t do it. I might not be cheap, but I do it correctly and safely. I am a trained, qualified tower climber (ComTrain certified) and I’m fully insured. PLEASE — don’t risk your life just to save a few dollars.

I spent 13 years in Alaska building and maintaining cell sites. I relocated to West Virginia in 2012 but I’ll travel anywhere (worldwide) to do tower work. As you can see from the photos, cold weather doesn’t bother me too much. In fact, I’d rather work on a tower when it’s (reasonably) cold as opposed to oppressively hot. Coldest I’ve worked? -20F. These photos were taken at NL7Z/KL7KY during the winter of 2011/2012 when the Anchorage area set a new record for snowfall.

Over the years I’ve built and installed all kinds of antennas, both for myself and for others. I’d be happy to work with you from start to finish on your project. I’m also available to help you upgrade or repair your existing installation or to do a preventative tower inspection. There are a lot of good, competent tower hands out there, but most of them have never installed a PL259 or soldered anything. And do they know how to deal with an antenna that actually rotates? Try explaining that to a guy who only installs cellular/broadcast antennas for a living.