Radioing The Men From Marrs

RADIOING MEN FROM MARR’S

Marr Contracting recently engaged Red Radio Solutions to fit a radio system to one of its tower cranes. The difference with this job is that the crane was already 230m in the air.

ACCORDING TO RED RADIO SOLUTIONS

director, Casey-Lee Powell, this type of work is the reason why she specialises in providing radio communication systems for the crane sector.

“I’ve been working with Marr Contracting since we started Red Radio Solutions back in 2014. I supply the hire radios for the cranes they put up around Sydney and when the opportunity arises, I provide radios for them on their interstate projects as well. I currently have a couple of projects with them in Queensland and we have a number of cranes in Sydney at the moment.

“This project was very special though. I have never been so excited to receive a call and humbled to be invited to supply equipment on a project like this. I am passionate about my two-way radio products and the service side of my business, and I am equally passionate about cranes and admire what the operators and dogmen all day every day. As a business owner, when you are invited to fit a system to a crane which is 230m high; that is what I love doing. It is the reason I am in this business, to provide service that goes above and beyond every time,” said Powell.

The project involves Marr Contracting (The Men From Marr’s) partnering with Mirvac to dismantle Sydney’s largest transmission tower. The Men from Marr’s has partnered with Mirvac as part of an international team including Robert Bird Group and critical infrastructure specialists Kordia Solutions. Together, the team will dismantle one of Sydney’s highest and most recognisable structures, the former TCN-9 TX transmission tower at Willoughby.

Marr’s M310D lifting the first section of the TX Tower Willoughby for Mirvac. Red Radio Solution provided the radio communication system for the project.

“At 233 metres, this tower is equal in height to a 77-storey building which posed a number of challenges. Over 12 months working with multiple stakeholders, we designed an approach involving some of our unique equipment and the introduction of guy wires to laterally support the tower crane and allow it to climb to the required height (247 metres) to dismantle the tower.”

The project started with preparatory works in May and is due for completion in early 2022.

Simon Marr, Marr’s Managing Director, had this to say about the project.

“At 233 metres, this tower is equal in height to a 77-storey building which posed a number of challenges. Over 12 months working with multiple stakeholders, we designed an approach involving some of our unique equipment and the introduction of guy wires to laterally support the tower crane and allow it to climb to the required height (247 metres) to dismantle the tower,” he said.

Powell provided radios for the crane operator and three dogmen.

“We installed the Motorola DM4400 E Base radio, they have the three DP4400E portables for the dogmen. They also have a specialised battery backup so if there is a problem with the crane’s power, they still have comms because it will ‘kick over’ and into back up battery mode.

“One of the biggest challenges is the height of the crane. You can see the whole of Sydney from the cabin and because of this, there is the possibility of ‘trumping over’ other cranes and radio frequencies. The system can also receive signals at the same time, which could cause obvious problems.

“The first issue we had to organise was a specialised frequency to ensure nobody within a 20km radius of the crane was using the same frequency. The second issue related to the height of the crane. Because it is so high, we had to ensure a specialised antenna for the radio system was mounted at the front of the crane. Normally, we mount it to the side but because the loads are coming from such a height, we needed to keep the frequency in line with wherever the dogmen are lifting and landing the load. This was challenging,” she said.

“Ensuring we had the frequency in place was the first and most important step and then ensuring we had the antenna lined correctly was the second issue to address. To secure the frequency we placed a lodgement with the Australian Media Communication Authority, and I let them know I need a specialised frequency which no one else was using within the 20km radius,” said Powell.

“The radios used by dogmen have omni directional antennas and every crane cabin has a six element Yagi antenna which is standard and required by law. This system pushes the signal down rather than out across the whole of Sydney. Because the crane is so high, it can see and be seen by other tower cranes across the city skyscape and we had to ensure the system did not interfere with other operations,” said Powell.

Highlighting the importance of working with experts in their respective fields, Mirvac’s Senior Development Manager Clancy Sprouster said, “Mirvac has an industry-leading reputation for upholding the highest standards of safety and our design team is comprised of experts in their field. Partnering with Marr as our craneage experts means we know we are in safe hands.”