Identify antenna? Find frequency?

[folkhero]

Three radio towers exist on my property. I have it on very good authority that one of the tower owners has been leasing antenna space to several businesses. They deny this, but I have caught them in the act once before.

Is there any way to identify their antennas and/or find their frequencies? I checked the FCC Callsign Proximity Search and antennasearch.com, but there is nothing out of the ordinary.

It's probably obvious that I know absolutely nothing about this sort of thing, so any help will be much appreciated.

 

[WayneH]

Have you tried going over to the site and asking someone that happens to be working there? I'd think if you explained you were the property owner and you were curious what was inside they would help. Maybe you'll get lucky and the equipment will be labeled. Theoretically if there are no FCC licenses for businesses (or a community repeater operator) then you could be okay.

But, there's no way to know by the antenna whether it's in use for public safety or business. There are scanners that can make determining what's transmitting at the site very easy (look for "Signal Stalker" or "Close Call") but you're going to end up spending a few bucks for one. Maybe look in the State forum and see if there's someone in your area who could help?

 

[kb2vxa]

"I'd think if you explained you were the property owner and you were curious what was inside they would help."
Red flag, the property owner should know what's on his property. I'd ask a technician BUT if it turned out the owner was there or the tech is a rat I'd be awfully concerned about being arrested for trespass. Any way you look at it the safest way is sniffing RF from a discreet distance.

 

[WayneH]

Red flag, the property owner should know what's on his property. I'd ask a technician BUT if it turned out the owner was there or the tech is a rat I'd be awfully concerned about being arrested for trespass. Any way you look at it the safest way is sniffing RF from a discreet distance.

The guy isn't going to know what's inside the radio vault. As someone who works in radio vaults at random locations on a daily basis if the property owner came nosing around I wouldn't have a problem showing him what's inside and what it does.

Regardless of the lease agreement, a property owner can make life difficult if they want to. I can attest to this experience countless times.

 

[Alliance01TX]

FCC Freq & Location Searching URL

Howdy

You might try the 'advanced' FCC Search(s) via the following URL:

License Search - Advanced License Search

It takes a while to sort out the options & navigation, but you can get to the County level and look in that area, or as others on prior post note, determine the various freq's in use, then try looking in that manner...Again, a bit cumbersome on this site to search, but gives you good filters too....

Hope this helps.

Thx

Bill

 

[folkhero]

Thanks for the replies. Close Call or Signal Stalker is exactly what I was looking for.

 

[SCPD]

Question

I guess I need to ask if there is a monetary gain to you finding out that there is business radio on these towers.

It sounds like someone is leasing land from your for their towers? Or they are your towers and they are leasing them? Either way, is the leasee free to rent out space on these towers?
I apologize if I didn't read the OP correctly. But from what you posted, and based on past lease agreements I have seen, the leasee may be free to rent space and make the top of the tower look like a porcupine, as long as it don't make the structure unsafe.

Why not do this:
1. Tell us what is supposed to be up there. What service, what entitiy, etc.
2. Take some pix of the antennas. I'm sure many folks here will be able to tell you if your tower has VHF verticals on it, when it's only supposed to be cell antennas, or whatever.

 

[appalachianscanner]

http://forums.radioreference.com/general-scanning-forum/180955-mystery-site-high-res-pics.html

I think we're looking for something like this

 

[SkipSanders]

The bottom line here, is you don't need us, you need a lawyer, to tell you what your rights are, and are not, in the situation.

If you have the right to do so, the answer is just to inspect the transmitters, and require them all to be identified, as people you have leased space to.

If your contract allowed subleasing, then you may not have a 'case'.

This is all a legal problem.

 

[N0YFE]

Lease

A agree you have to review the lease you signed with the company who leases the property for their towers. That should spell out what rights between the company that rents the property and yourself.

There is not that much more than any of us can say with out actually looking at a copy of the document.

The bottom line here, is you don't need us, you need a lawyer, to tell you what your rights are, and are not, in the situation.

If you have the right to do so, the answer is just to inspect the transmitters, and require them all to be identified, as people you have leased space to.

If your contract allowed subleasing, then you may not have a 'case'.

This is all a legal problem.