# Verizon installed cellular antennas on the roof of my apartment building, directly above my apartmen **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 12, 2015, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234 "2015-12-12T05:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/21 "2015-12-14T19:30:25Z")
> [@Harorld](#): > > The thing you don’t want to do is go on the roof and stand directly in front of the antenna less than three feet in front of it. Can you sear me now? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/22 "2015-12-14T19:47:17Z")
> [@Harorld](#): > > What should I check for? Ok, I agree they are very very likely to be not dangerous. Still, enuf people\* think\* they are that they have reduced the value of your apartment. Just like there are no ghosts, but you would have to disclose a known "haunting " or mass murder site when selling a house. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/23 "2015-12-14T19:55:40Z")
> [@Harorld](#): > > Oh interesting- the person on the phone described the antenna as being omni-directional, both receiving and transmitting. > > Ah thanks for this info. I didn’t consider the relationship to devices like wi-fi routers! The fact that the antenna receives signals has no effect on you as your body/apartment would be receiving those signals regardless of the presence of the antenna. The Cellphones don’t only send signal in the direction of tower. Omni-directional refers to the directions which it is capable of receiving signal. So a standard radio antenna is Omni-directional whereas a satellite dish is not. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/24 "2015-12-14T22:07:47Z")
> [@Harorld](#): > > Oh interesting- the person on the phone described the antenna as being omni-directional, both receiving and transmitting. Without actually seeing the antenna I can’t say for sure, but the antennas that I usually see being used for cell towers and roof antennas and such are very directional. What they usually have is four of them, with one facing north, another east, a third south, and a fourth west, for example, so that they get their coverage in all directions. In the picture linked to the OP, the actual parts of the antenna that do the transmitting and receiving are the rectangular bits, and they are directional. In that picture, they are all aimed either to the left or straight away from the person taking the picture. None of them look to be pointed to the right or back towards the picture taker, though it is a bit difficult to see exactly how they are aimed at that picture’s resolution. It looks like that particular antenna array is not omnidirectional though. The antenna on your cell phone is a simple dipole. It transmits and receives in a much more omnidirectional pattern, though with very little energy going straight up or down. ---
**Author:** ![Harorld](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3be4f8/32.png) [@Harorld](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harorld)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/25 "2015-12-14T22:13:47Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > In the picture linked to the OP, the actual parts of the antenna that do the transmitting and receiving are the rectangular bits, and they are directional. That photo I just pulled from the NY Times. If I snap a pic of the actual antenna on the roof of my building tomorrow building would you be able to tell more about it specifically? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/26 "2015-12-14T22:15:08Z")
> [@Harorld](#): > > That photo I just pulled from the NY Times. If I snap a pic of the actual antenna on the roof of my building tomorrow building would you be able to tell more about it specifically? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/27 "2015-12-14T22:54:59Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > There is a small subset of people who sincerely believe that this radiation is harmful. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that they are correct. There is, however, plenty of scientific evidence to suggest that they are nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Harorld](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3be4f8/32.png) [@Harorld](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harorld)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/28 "2015-12-15T16:24:22Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Yes. Howdy. Here are some images of the actual antenna I am referring to. [Image 1](http://i.imgur.com/VeJpQZf.jpg) [Image 2](http://i.imgur.com/p4Cfkm8.jpg) [Image 3](http://i.imgur.com/1wZ3uB8.jpg) No worries? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/29 "2015-12-15T16:58:10Z")
That’s definitely a directional antenna. You wouldn’t want to be right in front of it, because it could cook you, but then, you also wouldn’t want to be right in front of it, because then you’d be in midair several stories above the ground. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/30 "2015-12-15T17:02:20Z")
> [@Harorld](#): > > Howdy. Here are some images of the actual antenna I am referring to. > > [Image 1](http://i.imgur.com/VeJpQZf.jpg) > [Image 2](http://i.imgur.com/p4Cfkm8.jpg) > [Image 3](http://i.imgur.com/1wZ3uB8.jpg) > > No worries? Those are directional and they are all aimed away from the building. They are going to cover roughly a 120 degree arc or so facing away from the building. There’s a small corner of the building that juts out under the antenna array. You wouldn’t want to stand there. Other than that, no worries. ---
**Author:** ![Harorld](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3be4f8/32.png) [@Harorld](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harorld)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/31 "2015-12-15T17:09:24Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Those are directional and they are all aimed away from the building. They are going to cover roughly a 120 degree arc or so facing away from the building. > > There’s a small corner of the building that juts out under the antenna array. You wouldn’t want to stand there. Other than that, no worries. Thanks for this. Do you mean area 1 or area 2?: [PHOTO](http://i.imgur.com/lreEzvU.jpg) The far corner, area 1 is my bedroom… area 2 is my living room… Should I call Verizon about this? My management company?On the roof there is a short “wall”, the antenna is higher than the wall (so what you are seeing as the “top” of the building is the top of this short wall. My living room is under the antenna. To the left of the living room (area 1 in the photo) is my bedroom. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/32 "2015-12-15T17:12:21Z")
You don’t want to stand on the roof in area 2. The apartments underneath are fine. No need to call anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Harorld](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3be4f8/32.png) [@Harorld](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harorld)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/33 "2015-12-15T17:14:00Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You don’t want to stand on the roof in area 2. > > The apartments underneath are fine. No need to call anyone. Ahhhhh, ok, lol, you had me worried there for a second. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/34 "2015-12-17T10:27:24Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > The danger, however, decreases with the square of the distance. The sign seems to indicate that a distance of 3 feet is adequate to be sure the intensity is below dangerous levels. Up close, you are in the near field of the antenna. If you touch it, you might even get an electric shock. Which is to say, high power antennas are a different thing when you are only a couple of inches away. The EM danger they are talking about, and the three foot separation, are like the difference between standing next to a fire, and being inside the fire. (Except that the three foot separation is enough to be sure there will be no problem, and those aren’t really very high power. It’s like being in a different house to the match: if you stay that far away, you will not burn your fingers.) ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/35 "2015-12-17T14:54:59Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > To put this in perspective though, your typical broadcast FM radio station puts out about 50,000 watts. That’s why it can reach an entire city with just one antenna, where puny cell towers with their tiny power levels can only go a few blocks. [WLW](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLW) here in Cincinnati used to (in the 1930s) put out 500,000 watts. They received complaints about overpowering local stations from as far away as Toronto! ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234/36 "2015-12-17T16:57:02Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You don’t want to be directly in front of the roof antenna, or it will start to cook you. That’s why it has that 3 foot warning. Your cell phone puts out less than 1 watt, so you can put it directly up against your head and it’s no biggie. I’d like to add that people put devices that put out 1200 watts near their heads all the time, and focus that energy at their heads. Since the danger from RF frequencies is only from heating tissue, the amount you need to worry from putting a cell phone next to your head is about 1/1000 the worry from using a hair dryer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verizon-installed-cellular-antennas-on-the-roof-of-my-apartment-building-directly-above-my-apartmen/740234.md?page=1)