[VHFcontesting] Re: [VHF] Cell Sites

[Jim Worsham]

Not being familiar with your QTH, equipment, etc. I can't really make any 
comments on the technical aspects of the deal other than I would think that 
filters on your gear and their cell equipment would be sufficient to 
mitigate most any interfernce that might occur.  My one bit of advice to you 
is to get a lawyer and not sign anything without reading it, thinking about 
it, reading it some more, etc.  While reading try to think of possible 
scenarios that might happen.  For example, if you intefere with their cell 
equipment whose is responsible for mitigating the interference.  If filters 
are required who pays for them.  Filters for cell equipment can cost many 
thousands of dollars!  If filters are required on your gear, who pays for 
that?  As far as what is a fair offer to lease the property is concerened, 
that is a real estate question that once again I suggest you hire someone 
who knows the market.  There are real estate agents that specilize in just 
this sort of thing.  They will take a percentage of what you get but I would 
rather get most of what I am due than all of a rip off.  Yes, I work in the 
wireless industry and deal with these sorts of issues.  Being on the "other 
side" so to speak I will tell you that they will low ball you and try to rip 
you off.  Your best protection is legal counsel and a good real estate agent 
to potect your interests.

73
Jim W4KXY

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "w3sz" <w3sz at comcast.net>
To: <vhf at w6yx.stanford.edu>; "VHF Contesting" <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 1:44 PM
Subject: [VHF] Cell Sites


> Hello, All,
>
> I am asking for advice from the collective wisdom of the VHF and 
> VHF-Contesting lists.
>
> I have been approached by a cellular company wanting to put up a tower on 
> my property and of course to lease that space.
>
> My immediate response on reading the letter was, "Are you crazy?"  I had 
> this response of course because of concerns about EMI in both directions, 
> me to them and them to me.
>
> I am however by virtue of the fact that my property is quite high, and 
> probably sees every cell tower for more than 10 miles in all directions 
> already exposed to multiple cell towers, at least a couple of which are 
> fairly close [I would guess on the order of 0.5 to 1.0 mile away, but that 
> is just a very rough guess].  I have a few bleeps and bloops on 903, but 
> that is it in terms of problems as far as I know.  I am not aware of any 
> desensing on the other bands {I operate 50 MHz thru 24 GHz weak signal 
> terrestrial, and 144 MHz EME}.  I use cavity filters before the preamps on 
> 144 MHz EME, and helical filters on 50 thru 903 MHz before the preamps.
>
> The amount they offer as a starting point for negotiation is not large, 
> but it would cover my property taxes and in addition leave me with more 
> money to spend annually on ham radio than I would ordinarily allow myself 
> to spend.  So I am starting to consider this, thinking that maybe 
> suffering some additional bleeps and bloops on 903 would be a small price 
> to pay for the financial benefits of such an arrangement.  My wife of 
> course thinks this is a good deal, and has already figured out that if I 
> do this it will be 'x' years before the rent we receive from the deal will 
> pay off what I have already spent on ham radio-related expenses I have 
> incurred at the property.  So there are domestic advantages to the deal. 
> ;)
>
> Other thoughts that occur to me:
>
> 1.  No neighbor problems currently with my present towers.  This could 
> potentially cause some I would think.  And if I don't do the deal, and 
> make that known, it could be a positive if complaints ever surfaced.
>
> 2.  If the cellular signals are strong enough, I could suffer significant 
> problems on other bands [besides 903] due to mixing products.
>
> 3.  I don't know how MUCH rent / other benefits it is reasonable to ask 
> for.  I faintly recall a QST article where I believe the author got in 
> addition to rent a new tower, antennas, maintanence, etc.  Does anyone 
> have knowledge of the 'going lease rates', which I am sure vary a lot?  I 
> am in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
>
> 4.  I would need to have some agreement that the cell company would need 
> to accept any interference that occurred from me, with the worst result 
> allowed being that they would terminate the agreement.  No other damages 
> allowed.  And maybe they would have to leave the tower in place if they 
> left.
>
> Any thoughts from those who have been down this road, or considered it, or 
> know someone who has, would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks in advance, and
>
> 73,
>
> ROger W3SZ
>
>
>
> -- 
> Roger Rehr
> W3SZ
> http://www.qsl.net/w3sz
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