[TowerTalk] Cell towers and Ham Radio
Stan or Patricia Griffiths
w7ni@easystreet.com
Mon, 09 Apr 2001 11:26:24 -0700
> I wonder WHY the cell company wants to REPLACE your tower with theirs? Why don't
> they just move over a little bit and put up their own tower and not have to mess
> with moving and accommodating your ham antennas? Maybe they can't get permission
> for an additional tower? What will you do if they kick you off their tower? If
> they are running into a problem getting permission for an additional tower for their
> own use and they can only install their system if they can replace your ham tower
> with theirs, agreeing to that ought to be worth a LOT of money for your club . . .
> say $10,000 or $20,000 and several hundred per month. With that kind of money, you
> could consider moving your club station to another location . . . Many times, the
> location of a cell tower is critical to being able to serve a specific area. On the
> other hand, your club station could be located almost anywhere, even in some nice
> rented space, if the cell company will rent it for you . . . I would be tempted to
> "sell" them the location, providing they can find you another location and pay all
> the costs to move the club facility, including moving your existing tower . . .
Hams occasionally change antennas. How can you do that on the cell tower? Will you
have permission to climb it? (I doubt it!) How can you maintain your ham antennas
on a cell tower? Do you have to pay the cell people to do it for you? Will they be
at your beck and call and repair or replace your ham antennas at your request and
convenience, and within a reasonable time? (I doubt that, too!)
Stan
w7ni@easystreet.com
> > Hey Dale,
> >
> > Seems like Sprint wants to put a cell site here on base and
> > they are eyeing our ham tower. Our tower is about 140 feet with a
> > tribander beam on top, 2m/440 Cushcraft above that and another
> > 2m antenna about 100 feet up and off to the side of the tower.
> >
> > Anyway, our acting spectrum manager told us (and I question his
> > knowledge on amateur radio) that Sprint is willing to take down
> > our tower, put up their cell site and will put our repeater antenna
> > and HF beam on the new tower. I also don't know if the cell tower
> > will be one of those monopoles I've been seeing or one that requires
> > guying, like the Rohn towers. We also found out that according to
> > a bill signed by Clinton, see attached, it may be difficult to fight.
> > Our legal group is involved in this too.
> >
> > Anyway, just wondering if you heard word from any other center that
> > has a ham club about a similar situation or will we be setting a
> > precedence here. Figured I would ask you and then see if I could use
> > that mailing list of POC from the other hams clubs and ask them
> > a similar question.
> >
> > Also, have you heard or even seen a cell site with ham equipment
> > on them? I know of commercial sites that will let hams put their
> > repeaters on it but here in OH I don't know of cell sites and
> > ham antennas co-existing.
> >
> > Nancy
> > kc4iyd
> > NASA Glenn ARC
> >
>
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