In a message dated 97-06-23 23:25:06 EDT, you write:
> >> Several weeks ago, someone mentioned on the reflector that 20,000 or
more
> >of these towers are going up.
>
> * A more accurate number is 100,000 towers within the 48 states in the
> next decade.
>
> > I think I was the one that made that statement and it pertains to
> >cellular ONLY. Another figure I heard about ALL RF services (PCS, paging,
> >SMR, etc.) was 8 MILLION!
> >
> Think this over a little - 8 million in the 48 would be 166,666+ per
state.
> Chcking the per square mile makes this seem "excessive". Once again, all
> INVESTMENT portfolo's revolve around the 100,000 number.
>
While these big numbers are being thrown around, let me make a small
distinction. These numbers are referring to SITES and not necessarily towers.
Many cell sites and lots of PCS and other services will not be on towers.
They will be on buildings, behind billboards, on power poles, church steeples
and any other place they can find. The PCS (Personal Communications System)
is a low-powered cellular system and they are looking at cell sites every
1000 feet; hence the high number required for market coverage.
When the site acquisition people get started on one of these projects,
they'll consider just about anything for a site. Being a ham and already
having a tower makes it easy for them to consider you for a site with zoning,
permission, neighborhood acceptance and other problems already resolved. Some
companies want to install a dedicated tower while others will co-locate.
While your 25G is probably too small, sometimes they're desperate. If
you want to put up or have up a 45G/55G or would put up a tower just for
commercial tenants, that's a best case scenario. It's a case of "if you build
it - they will come".
A myriad of detail issues aside (zoning, insurance, etc.), it's a ham
dream come true. Not only are you making money off of your tower in rent
paid, you can also take it off your taxes.
73, Steve K7LXC
TOWER TECH -- professional tower supplies for amateurs
It's a ham dream
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