Lost my tagline signal on a 5th floor deck in Phoenix

Tbh I was running a 28 ton truck crane on a tight plaza job and the tagline went dead, we had a 3,000 lb HVAC unit swinging and a breeze picked up. My guy on the ground couldn't hear my radio call, so I had to crab the load back and set it down on a dumpster to regroup. We ran a backup line off the hook with a quick shackle and used hand signals the rest of the morning. The wind was gusting to 15 mph and that unit was getting close to a glass storefront, made me sweat for real. Now I carry an extra radio battery and always set a hand signal plan before the first pick. Anyone else ever lose comms mid-swing and improvise on the fly?

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brooket431mo ago

Yeah the part about crabbing the load back and setting it on a dumpster got me. That's the kind of move you only do when your gut says something's wrong. I've been there with dead radios and a load that's got a mind of its own in the wind. Honestly the hand signal thing is the only real backup, everything else is just hoping. Good call on the extra battery too, that's the kinda lesson that only sticks after you sweat through a glass storefront once.

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