Visitors today!

I've previously mentioned and blipped the mast outside the window by desk on a number of occasions. Today we had some visitors so it gives me an excuse to tell you a bit about the structure and what's on it.

Before I start, there are three guys climbing the mast. You might just be able to make them out if you press "L" to view large. The definition isn't great because I only had the G10 with me today (didn't think I was going to get anything - Wrong!).

The crazy things that people will do to earn a living. Near the top is one rigger just below the BBC/Digital One DAB antenna right atop the mast. He is just behind a dome which is a radio link to Wood Norton which carries the BBC DAB multiplex with all their national DAB services. Just below him is the West Midlands Multiplex dual Yagi antenna. This gives coverage for the eastern part of the west midlands area. The service on this antenna had to be switched off to allow the riggers to climb safely (without being cooked from the inside - Nasty stuff RF Burns..).

The two other guys are one either side the second stays. Below them are more radio links. One receive path from the south and the second off up towards a massive mast at Belmont in Lincolnshire (more about that some other time).

This mast is 210ft high atop the 600 foot high Burrough Hill. It carries only the three DAB services mentioned - BBC National DAB, Digital One National DAB (carrying Classic, Talksport, Absolute and others) and the West Midlands Regional DAB Mux (carrying Heart, Capital, Smooth and several other services). Work is being undertaken to install a local DAB service for just Northampton. As this will have a different coverage area I suspect that there will be a different antenna for this one system.

There are quite a few mobile phone and emergency service systems near the bottom of the mast.

Now having climbed to the top, you'd have thought that the guys had done enough work. It took them 30 minutes to climb.

The next step was to rig the mast so that they can safely lift their gear. That involved taking a rope to the top and then bringing it down the outside of the mast back to the bottom. To do this, one guy at the top feeds out the rope and the other two climb back down holding the bottom of the rope so it doesn't fly off into the wind (running just below the safe climb limit today I'd have thought). Well, thats the theory.

Just before I took this, they had managed to get the rope down to where the bottom guy is. Unfortunately, he let go and it went whipping out to a 45 degree angle in the wind. Having got it all wound back in again, they had to climb back up and start again. A long vertical climb. That is plain hard work.

I suspect shortly afterwards the weather became too difficult to work in - I didn't see them later in the day.

So, hands up all of you who would like to be a rigger!
Any adrenaline junkies looking for a buzz?
There is of course an upside. The views from the top of these things is I am told really rather fantastic.