Mounting CCTV on Poles

[TJCCTV 0]

For those of you who mount CCTV cameras on wooden poles in the future I discovered a couple of things.....

 

1. I don't do well at 20' on a ladder on a pole. I don't recommend it to anyone else either. Didn't come crashing down, but either raw fear or common sense won out. Extreme caution is always used, but if you have the slightest qualms about it (as I DID) - don't do it.

 

2. Even for a first-timer with a bucket truck, they are a real God-Send. Some can be a little "goosey" on the controls, but in spite of the awkward hopping in and out of the bucket, they are a HUGE time saver and worth every penny in rent or buying !

 

If you don't use the most extreme caution, they can literally jamb you right into the power lines, so test it out completely before you even get near the poles. Get familiar and comfortable with how it responds. I'd much rather discover that the controls were defective in an open area of a parking lot, and be suspended 40 feet in the air (with a cell phone) waiting for fire-rescue to get me down, than discover the truck had a little glitch and wouldn't stop when you wanted it to and be carried off in a black zipper bag.

 

Should you be one of the unfortunate ones who gets dizzy at altitude, focus sideways and above, unless you are headed down and near the truck. Then of course, pay attention so you don't slam the bucket into the back of the truck, or heaven forbid, someone's Porsche. (Nope, I didn't do that but could DEFINATELY see a possibility for a major oops).

 

If you are a first-timer and they walk you through the controls, PAY ATTENTION to what they are telling you. Don't assume it's a piece of cake and you will figure it out later ---- it's not like your 100th time at watching the stewardesses showing you how to put an oxygen mask on.

 

If the truck or trailer unit has side legs (outriggers) USE THEM ! You can find photos on the internet of people who didn't and wound up with a truck on it's side and no telling where the guy in the bucket went - sometimes a coroner's hearse.

 

I am in no way responsible if someone uses a bucket truck and gets hurt. Just suggesting it is a safer alternative to a huge ladder and hanging on for your life, which is obvious.

 

Thank you to all the people who give such great advice on here. This is just my two cents on mounting CCTV Cams on Wooden poles.

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