10.03.2025

Safety guide for climbing AM, FM, Cell, and TV Towers

Disclaimer#

This guide is for educational purposes only. Climbing communication towers is dangerous and should only be attempted by trained professionals. The author does NOT recommend you try climbing communication towers.

Introduction#

There are many types of towers, though, in this blog post, we will only talk about AM, FM, cell, and TV towers.

We won't be talking about transmission lines (pylons) because they are highly dangerous and you definitely shouldn't attempt to climb them as a beginner.

Let's start with some general tips.

What you should always do#

1. Security cameras#

Although this is a rule that applies to urbexing in general, it's good to mention. Do not get caught!

2. Do not touch any wires#

If you see any wires, just don't touch them. It doesn't matter where they are or if they are insulated or not. Just keep your hands off them!

You can find either on the tower, fence/gate or on a nearby building. There can be an ID of the tower and other information that can help you identify the tower type and its status, strength etc. You can try finding the tower in one of the links mentioned in this Reddit post.

Site signs can also be found on the tower itself as you can see in the photo below from France.

Photo by @miguel_kishi.s

Cellular#

Cellular towers transmit cellular signals, which are used for mobile phones and other devices.

Their transmitters are usually monodirectional, which means that the antenna is transmitting in only a single direction, and standing behind it should be safe.

Meaning you just have to avoid putting any parts of your body in front of the antenna.

They usually don't have any security and if so, then it's the security of the place they are located in.

There is also usually a ladder or pegs to climb up because they need to be serviced from time to time.

Cellular antennas don't always have their own separate towers, you might find them mounted on the roofs of buildings, chimneys or the top of other towers.

You can recognize them by their distinctive look. Note the rectangular and dish-like antennas:

FM#

FM (Frequency Modulation) towers are used for transmitting radio programs like music, news, etc. for short range but with higher quality.

Now those are no longer monodirectional but omnidirectional, meaning they broadcast in every direction, requiring much higher power. There might be also more antennas on the tower, not just one.

Their power ranges from 1kW up to hundreds of kW (the strongest FM tower in the world has a power of approximately 320kW).

Probably the "best" time to climb those towers is during the night or before sunrise because there might not be heavy traffic on them. Though this isn't the case with every tower.

If you decide to climb a tower like this and start feeling dizzy or nauseous, overheated, metallic taste in your mouth or any other symptoms, stop climbing and get down ASAP. It won't be any better.

It's also important to stay hydrated and take breaks when climbing.

When you stay around those for too long, they can give you RF burns and cause damage like a sunburn.

They often have weird shaped antennas so they can broadcast signals effectively and efficiently:

AM#

AM (Amplitude Modulation) towers are basically the same as FM towers, but they are used for long range and offer lower quality.

Though they are notable differences, like the fact that the entire tower is the transmitter!. That means it's isolated from the ground and electrified, so no matter what you do, DO NOT touch them.

The RF radiation from these is usually not as much of a concern, so being near one should be fine (for a while), but don't get extremely close, high voltage electricity can jump to your body.

As with FM towers, these can also turn to low power mode during the night, but it might STILL NOT be safe because there might still be many kW running through the tower.

We highly recommend not climbing AM towers when they are on, wait until the tower is turned off instead (e.g. during maintenance).

It's an AM tower if you see any of the following features:

Height is above 90m (300ft)
Relatively cleared area
Insulators on the guy wires
- Guy wires itself doesn't mean it's an AM tower, it can be a FM tower as well
Insulator on the bottom of the tower
Humming electric sound when you get close

Note that if you don't hear the electricity humming it doesn't mean it's off, it can just be in some low power mode.

TV#

TV towers broadcast TV signals (audio and video) to a wide area and long range.

Like the AM towers, these are the real deal... While the whole tower is usually not electrified, it still emits extremely high levels of RF radiation.

The towers usually have high security, are labeled by the TV station name and are really tall. They are also the ones with the highest power out there so stay away from them. You usually need a special suit to protect you from the RF radiation.

Conclusion#

We hope this gave you a quick overview of the types of communication towers, the risks associated with them and how to identify them.

If you have any questions, feel free to slide into our Instagram DMs or check out our sources below for more information.

Remember to stay safe on your next climb!

Sources#

Reddit: Tower info
Reddit: Is this tower safe to climb? Guide
Reddit: Is this tower safe to climb?
Reddit: Choosing the right tower to climb
Reddit: My job is to climb cell phone towers, heres what you need to know
Reddit: Tower resources

UK Air Comms
Eri Inc
Used Towers

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