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Old 06-03-2008, 4:09 PM   #1 (permalink)

 
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Default Google Maps of Cell Sites

One of the guys on HoFo (gregsmith59) has big map of cell sites in San Francisco. sfocellsites

Anyone have links to similar maps? I've been working on a similar one for my area, but I ended up finding more information than I expected and its a mess. I was hoping to see some good implementations to give me direction.
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Old 06-04-2008, 1:36 AM   #2 (permalink)
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

You can check mine for the NYC area out:

Google Maps
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Old 06-04-2008, 1:46 AM   #3 (permalink)

 
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

I've made one for the Saginaw Valley region in Michigan. It's obviously incomplete and still in the works because there's many towers I've yet to research, but here's what I have so far:

Google Maps
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Old 06-04-2008, 9:56 AM   #4 (permalink)

 
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

Nice jobs. Apparently I missed the link to Yankee's map from here. On the google page it lists all three top links to it as being from wirelessadvisor!

Here is the one I've been working on. It's mostly a lot of notes and I'll eventually clean it up. My plan is to move it all to Google Earth so that I can group carriers and turn each one on or off. I think you can still share a Google Earth KML on Google Maps. Mainly I want to get it set up for mobile use. Right now, I go home and mark it on the map after seeing it. Although a few, I've found by looking at the coverage maps online for T-Mobile.

Google Maps
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Old 06-07-2008, 12:58 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

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You can check mine for the NYC area out:

Google Maps
You sir are amazing great work I am going to make a map of Utah and where I know towers to be in the areas that I go.
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Old 06-07-2008, 1:06 AM   #6 (permalink)
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

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You sir are amazing great work I am going to make a map of Utah and where I know towers to be in the areas that I go.
Why thank you! It was quite easy work, back with my Sanyo M1. I would just take a picture of anything, and the GPS coordinates of the connected Sprint tower would be logged. Made it quite easy. Other sites are just from memory or along my route in work last summer.
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Old 06-07-2008, 3:09 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

There's a company that does this called 4G Unwired: 4G Unwired, Inc.:RF Engineering and Consulting

Their SkyView maps are pretty cool if you ever get a chance to see one for your carrier.
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Old 06-07-2008, 3:35 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

I just wish the FCC required every carrier to map where everything is that would be something else wouldnt it lol. But I know there are to many circumstances for this.,
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Old 06-17-2008, 1:08 AM   #9 (permalink)

 
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

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I just wish the FCC required every carrier to map where everything is that would be something else wouldnt it lol. But I know there are to many circumstances for this.,
I don't think it would be too much for the FCC database to maintain what carriers have antennas on a tower. Currently all they list is the owner--why not the tenants too?
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Old 06-17-2008, 1:20 AM   #10 (permalink)
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

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I don't think it would be too much for the FCC database to maintain what carriers have antennas on a tower. Currently all they list is the owner--why not the tenants too?
It has to do with the licensing system currently in place. For the cellular and PCS licenses the operator is being given complete usage of certain blocks of frequencies over a specific geographic area. Outside of who owns each block in what area, the FCC doesn't care where anyone actually puts the sites inside that area.
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Old 06-17-2008, 10:25 AM   #11 (permalink)

 
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

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It has to do with the licensing system currently in place. For the cellular and PCS licenses the operator is being given complete usage of certain blocks of frequencies over a specific geographic area. Outside of who owns each block in what area, the FCC doesn't care where anyone actually puts the sites inside that area.
I was mainly suggesting that the infrastructure to track it is there. But there is also the contention that knowing the point sources for transmissions in those frequencies can help determine the source of interference. Why track tower locations with FCC IDs if you don't know what frequencies originate from it?
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Old 06-17-2008, 9:15 PM   #12 (permalink)
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

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I was mainly suggesting that the infrastructure to track it is there. But there is also the contention that knowing the point sources for transmissions in those frequencies can help determine the source of interference. Why track tower locations with FCC IDs if you don't know what frequencies originate from it?
The size of the database would be gargantuan and really the FCC doesn't have any interest in tracking the transmission points. Remember that the national carriers have upwards of 45,000 sites nationwide and the details of those sites such as output frequency, azimuth and ERP changes often. Also based on the nature of the license the licensee gets exclusive rights to that block in a certain geographic plot. This is much different than the transmitters the FCC does track which get radii and power outputs assigned to them as the frequencies are reused all over the country. In terms of tracking interference to the cellular and PCS providers they typically do that work themselves as if something is transmitting on their band in their area and they don't know about it, it'd be an unauthorized device. For areas where different providers border each other on the same frequency block they simply work with each other to minimize any problems, no FCC intervention is needed.
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Old 06-17-2008, 10:15 PM   #13 (permalink)

 
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

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The size of the database would be gargantuan ... Remember that the national carriers have upwards of 45,000 sites nationwide and the details of those sites such as output frequency, azimuth and ERP changes often.
That's actually a small database. It's probably safe to say there are less than 1 million cellular/PCS sites in the US. That size database is easy enough to track at home, let alone by the FCC. WA basically has a database of over half a million posts.

I understand your point, and I'm familiar with all the technicalities of it. In my opinion, differentiating between the types of licenses is arbitrary. Again, what is the point of tracking a tower with an FCC ID if you have no information about the types of signals being transmitted?
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Old 06-18-2008, 8:28 AM   #14 (permalink)
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That's actually a small database. It's probably safe to say there are less than 1 million cellular/PCS sites in the US. That size database is easy enough to track at home, let alone by the FCC. WA basically has a database of over half a million posts.
Maybe I should not have referred to size but complexity. It wouldn't simply be a single table with a million entries. It's numerous tables with for different parts of the each system, then differences between the technologies, in the end you're looking at a very large dataset that is constantly updated by the carriers whom won't want to always be updating the FCC with data that will be made public when their actual network layout and parameters are highly guarded data. What benefit would be served by this? Some guys on the net get a list they can look through? The FCC doesn't need it nor care about it and the carriers themselves keep internal databases with the data so they don't need it either.

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I understand your point, and I'm familiar with all the technicalities of it. In my opinion, differentiating between the types of licenses is arbitrary. Again, what is the point of tracking a tower with an FCC ID if you have no information about the types of signals being transmitted?
The FCC tower registration has nothing to do with transmission of signals. Even dormant towers that meet the requirements for registration are required to keep active registration and certain neccessary safety equipment such as strobe lighting. The FCC shares this data with the FAA and pilots to ensure the towers aren't a hazard to safe air travel, but outside of that the tower registration has very little use. A license shares little in common with the ASR registration other than the same address and coordinates.
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Old 06-18-2008, 9:54 AM   #15 (permalink)

 
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Some guys on the net get a list they can look through?
Yes. Hence the need for only the licensed operator/tenant name on the tower, not operating parameters.
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Old 08-09-2008, 7:16 PM   #16 (permalink)
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Default Re: Google Maps of Cell Sites

I'm a little late, but I have a map of cell sites in my own area. Southwestern Ontario and on.... if anyone is interested. Still updating it though.

http://maps.google.com/maps/user?uid...84543383&hl=en

Last edited by Der84; 08-09-2008 at 8:03 PM.
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Old 08-10-2008, 2:00 PM   #17 (permalink)
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I'm a little late, but I have a map of cell sites in my own area. Southwestern Ontario and on.... if anyone is interested. Still updating it though.

Der84
Hey nice work, keep it up. I actually drove through that area a couple of weeks ago.
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Old 08-10-2008, 2:28 PM   #18 (permalink)
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Hey nice work, keep it up. I actually drove through that area a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks! Same to you on your map!
Really?? I'm just curious as to what area you were in?? Surprised you didn't take any pics of the towers ha ha.
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Old 08-10-2008, 2:35 PM   #19 (permalink)
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Thanks! Same to you on your map!
Really?? I'm just curious as to what area you were in?? Surprised you didn't take any pics of the towers ha ha.
I just drove through on my way from Buffalo to Michigan. I would have taken pics, if I was not the one driving.
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Old 08-10-2008, 2:47 PM   #20 (permalink)
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I just drove through on my way from Buffalo to Michigan. I would have taken pics, if I was not the one driving.
No multi-tasking? Come on, where is your sense of adventure??.....ha ha jk.

Wow, then yes you would've seen quite a few. I would even say you drove past some of the towers that I've taken pics of on here in the Canadian album, ha ha.
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