Fred, I found a tape measure on top of a T bar ceiling during an installation. Instantly I was thinking "The Attic Gods have left me a gift!"
It was not to be.
The tape went down the wall, ten feet. That's how high the ceiling was. It was stuck.
I spent about five minutes tweaking and rattling and pushing and pulling the tape but it refused to budge. I had to leave it for the next guy. That was disappointing.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything. "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw