# Are cell tower locations and ownerships secret in some sense? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 17, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287 "2011-11-17T23:39:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/21 "2011-11-19T21:25:11Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > But all of these antennas are for cell phones, right? They don’t show antennas for other things, do they, and if they do, what would those other things be? Ham radio? I see some paging network antennae on my local list. And there seem to be some others associated with private wireless networks, possibly for computer networks that need to serve multiple buildings where the owners wanted to avoid stringing cable. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/22 "2011-11-19T22:01:48Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > But all of these antennas are for cell phones, right? They don’t show antennas for other things, do they, and if they do, what would those other things be? Ham radio? Some of the towers/antennas shown around here seem to be for various police or other emergency agencies. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/23 "2011-11-20T00:46:23Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > If you have an Android phone, you can use an app like this [https://market.android.com/details?id=com.parizene.netmonitor](https://market.android.com/details?id=com.parizene.netmonitor) > > It can find the exact location of the tower your phone is currently connected and neighboring towers and show it on the map. And if you have a jailbroken iPhone, get this app in Cydia: [http://www.ijailbreak.com/applications/cydia-app-signal-from-planetbeing/](http://www.ijailbreak.com/applications/cydia-app-signal-from-planetbeing/) > **[Planetbeing Releases Signal App for iPhone](https://www.iclarified.com/10961/planetbeing-releases-signal-app-for-iphone)** > > Planetbeing, a member of the iPhone Dev-Team, has released a new application for the iPhone called Signal. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/24 "2011-11-20T02:29:52Z")
[quote=“guizot, post:19, topic:603287”] But all of these antennas are for cell phones, right? They don’t show antennas for other things, do they, and if they do, what would those other things be? Ham radio? [quote] No, not all of those antennas in Fubaya’s link are for cell phones. In fact, most aren’t. And probably not ham radio, but PCS, paging, land mobile, etc. You need an antenna for a lot of different things. > [@](#): > > Okay, but you’re not going to have a tower listed here without a cell phone antenna, right? We’re just trying to figure out if we can determine which companies are being served by any given structure (or antenna on a structure). You’re not going to have a tower listed there without an antenna, but it might not be a cell antenna. > [@](#): > > The point being, that those antennas could be serving several companies. So does that also mean that any given one antenna can serve only one company? An antenna is tuned to only one frequency or set of frequencies and only belongs to one company, so yes, a given antenna can only serve one company. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/25 "2011-11-20T03:07:00Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > But all of these antennas are for cell phones, right? They don’t show antennas for other things, do they, and if they do, what would those other things be? Ham radio?Okay, but you’re not going to have a tower listed here without a cell phone antenna, right? We’re just trying to figure out if we can determine which companies are being served by any given structure (or antenna on a structure).The point being, that those antennas could be serving several companies. So does that also mean that any given one antenna can serve only one company? Most of the antennas around my house are used for other things like the express way authority or a local golf course, cab companies, paging companies, but they are usually low power, sometimes as low as 2 watts. I know Sprint uses 800MHZ and 1900MHZ. When I found a antenna that was using between 854MHZ and 860MHZ it was owned by Sprint Nextel and showed a radiated power of 1000watts. The tower is about a mile from my house. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/26 "2011-11-20T03:52:39Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Cool! There are 199 towers and 197 antennas within a four mile radius where I live. > [@Fubaya](#): > > You could probably cook your dinner by sticking it out the window! 140 towers and a whopping 434 antennas within four miles of me. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/27 "2011-11-20T10:07:45Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Some of the towers/antennas shown around here seem to be for various police or other emergency agencies. Don’t forget private radio services, radio & tv stations. Most of the big sticks are broadcasters (though they lease lower parts for other services). Multiple towers in a row are most often directional am transmitters, the more towers the more extreme the ‘throw’ or directional pattern. Also, as far as tower masking, it comes in fake trees (most often evergreen out East), on power line towers, buildings, and my favorite, the really thick flag pole with a huge American flay flying on it. Who would dare complain about a huge American flag flying in your neighborhood, eh? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/28 "2011-11-20T14:22:42Z")
fm radio and tv broadcast towers are best sited on high elevations as so often are clustered on the highest points near a metro area, unless the city makes there own high elevations (skyscapers). fm radio and tv broadcast towers are very tall and obstructions to aircraft and so get clustered to obstruct less. am radio broadcast towers can be in low areas. mobile services towers are placed where people are living, working or driving. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/29 "2011-11-25T21:40:11Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > mobile services towers are placed where people are living, working or driving. Typically, what kind of range do they have? How close do I normally have to be to a tower to get a decent signal? ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/30 "2011-11-25T23:16:58Z")
I used that site to discover that I have a single-digit number of towers, but a 90+ number of antenna close to my house. What is the difference between a tower and an antenna? ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/31 "2011-11-26T05:04:00Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Typically, what kind of range do they have? How close do I normally have to be to a tower to get a decent signal? I’m about a mile away from my cell phone carrier tower. I’m fine anywhere in my house. I’d double or triple that if I’m outdoors. There is a grocery store about a mile from my house and further away from the tower. I can’t get a signal in the back of the store. Keep in mind that the reception quality can vary a lot from phone to phone. I still find it hard to believe that most people buy phones without researching the reception. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/32 "2011-11-26T14:04:46Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I used that site to discover that I have a single-digit number of towers, but a 90+ number of antenna close to my house. What is the difference between a tower and an antenna? an antenna tower is a structure that antennas are placed on. a tower may have one, a few or many antennas on it. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/33 "2011-11-26T14:14:07Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > I still find it hard to believe that most people buy phones without researching the reception. I used to ask the people selling me phones which choice had better “reception” (generally it is actually the transmission from phone to tower that is the limiting factor), and they would always say all the phones are exactly the same. It was like they were chanting slogans, or had talking points and were staying on message. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/34 "2011-11-26T16:36:17Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Cool! There are 199 towers and 197 antennas within a four mile radius where I live. Is there a typo in your number of towers? I have 29 towers and 245 antennas, plus three evil new tower applications. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/35 "2011-11-26T16:52:11Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > I’m about a mile away from my cell phone carrier tower. I’m fine anywhere in my house. I’d double or triple that if I’m outdoors. There is a grocery store about a mile from my house and further away from the tower. I can’t get a signal in the back of the store. Keep in mind that the reception quality can vary a lot from phone to phone. I still find it hard to believe that most people buy phones without researching the reception. I think this is a problem common to grocery stores. They are usually concrete block or similar type of building, they typically only have windows in the front, and they’re quite large, so you can go back and be pretty far away from the windows, and they have lots of metal shelving between you and the windows. I also experience loss of signal in Target and similar stores. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/36 "2011-11-26T17:04:06Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I used to ask the people selling me phones which choice had better “reception” (generally it is actually the transmission from phone to tower that is the limiting factor), and they would always say all the phones are exactly the same. It was like they were chanting slogans, or had talking points and were staying on message. In general, believing what a salesmen tells you is a good way to get screwed and not in a good way. I go check out what the reviews say on [phonescoop.com](http://phonescoop.com) and [cnet.com](http://cnet.com). I like a combination of professional reviews and user reviews. User reviews are often lame but sometimes you find out about dealbreakers. I feel the same way about most electronics. I may buy in a store, but I shop online. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/37 "2011-11-26T17:10:37Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I think this is a problem common to grocery stores. They are usually concrete block or similar type of building, they typically only have windows in the front, and they’re quite large, so you can go back and be pretty far away from the windows, and they have lots of metal shelving between you and the windows. I also experience loss of signal in Target and similar stores. Yes, it is like being in a Faraday cage. There are also metal studs in the interior walls on newer buildings. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287/38 "2011-11-26T17:58:52Z")
stores may have metal roof trusses and sheet metal as a fire break on the ceilings. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cell-tower-locations-and-ownerships-secret-in-some-sense/603287.md?page=1)