When a communication tower goes up, the steel work has to match the radio plan before the first antenna arrives. The height, the number of platforms, and the direction of each antenna are decided early, and room is left for future expansion.
On every tower we set a maintenance platform at the antenna level. Its net width should be no less than 600 mm, ringed by a 1.1 m railing made of angle steel at least 50 by 50 by 5 mm. When the mast rises above 50 m, we add a rest platform halfway up. The antenna brackets may extend past the platform edge by no more than 800 mm, and beyond that they should slide.
The climbing ladder has to be safe for daily crews. Step spacing runs 200 to 400 mm, the ladder is at least 600 mm wide, and the rungs reach 110 mm. A feeder rack runs from the equipment room to the top antenna, with cross-braces every 500 to 1000 mm.
Lightning protection closes the job. The lightning rod and feeder rack each get their own down-conductor of 40 by 4 mm galvanized flat steel, welded to the tower earth grid. All four tower feet are grounded, and the resistance stays below 5 ohms.
