[AT] OT: cell towers (was Re: Garden tractor???/Now RF hazard

[Mike Sloane]

Well, as a member of our local LUB (Land Use Board - similar to a 
Planning Board), I have had a fair exposure to these things.

First off, the location has to be in an area that the cell phone 
provider wants to serve - a busy highway or populated area where they 
don't already have coverage. Then the provider will do some "propagation 
modeling" (i.e: looking at topographic maps) to determine where the best 
place might be to put up a tower to get the best coverage. And then, if 
it looks good, they will run some test gear out to see if it is a good a 
spot as the maps indicate.

Around here, I think they pay about $1500/month rental for the site, 
which usually includes a fenced-in gravel-covered area about 200'x200', 
and they run in power, telephone, and a gravel drive (if needed) at 
their expense. The towers around here are usually monopoles and run 
about 180' high. In our town, we require tower operators to provide 
shared space on the towers instead of having towers all over the place 
(and most of them are happy to comply - they offset the cost of the 
towers with the income from renting space to their competitors). We also 
require the tower owner to post a bond to insure that, if the tower is 
ever abandoned, they will remove the tower and whatever supports it. I 
should note that the cell phone carriers usually sell the towers to a 
holding company shortly after erecting them and putting them into service.

So, if your property fits the needs of one or more carriers (AT&T, 
Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.), I would go to their corporate Websites and let 
them know you are interested.

Mike

charliehill wrote:
> Mike it makes you wonder when they tell you your .6 watt cell phone is 
> burning your brain.   If that's true (I doubt it) the that 100,000 watt 
> tower or even a high voltage power line must be dangerous as well, right?
> 
> Personally, I have some land I'd love to put a cell phone tower on.  I hear 
> they pay pretty well to lease those sites. I just don't know how to go about 
> it.
> 
> Charlie
>