Hey all,

I was wondering if anyone has experience with climbing radio towers and could offer some sage words of wisdom about it. I've been looking at some prime candidates in and around the South Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains, so any experience in those areas would be immensely appreciated too.

I know the basics of the risks involved, like RF radiation burns and the looming drop of certain death, but I definitely would be interested in specifics if anyone has a good story to share.

Do most towers have an on-site operator at all times? Some of these are very out of the way so I don't know if they always have someone out there keeping an eye on things.

Any help is much appreciated.

I've been wanting to climb a radio tower around the bay area too.

I think the biggest thing to look out for is the purpose of the tower, if it's used for emergency services or government/military you could be charged with a felony if caught.

On the topic of radio towers, a good resource to find them is on aeronautical maps like skyvector.com. The symbol for a radio tower (or any tall object) is an upside down V with a dot in the middle.