What is this?

[bubbablitz]

Visiting my mom for the holidays and I noticed this setup on top of a telephone pole that wasn’t there before. She lives in the hills north of downtown Los Angeles. Is this some type of fill in satellite receiver for LAPD or LAFD? Sorry if the resolution is subpar, I can see two whips up there.

 

[nd5y]

Is this some type of fill in satellite receiver for LAPD or LAFD?

Probably not when it's that low to the ground with tiny antennas. It's probably utility related. Maybe for a seismoghraph or something. How long are the whips?

 

[bubbablitz]

Can’t tell. All of the telemetry antennas i’ve recalled seeing are directional.

 

[bearcatrp]

Possible repeater?

 

[bubbablitz]

Possible repeater?

I don’t know. It’s mostly mountaintop repeaters in the city, Mt. Wilson, Mt.Lee, Mt Lukens, Verdugo Peak etc. I don’t think it’s an issue of the mobiles receiving from the antenna, but the mobiles/portables being able to talk back in a steep, hilly area.

 

[nd5y]

Possible repeater?

Not at ground level with tiny antennas and one small solar panel.

 

[nd5y]

Are there any manholes, dog houses or anything on the ground near the pole?

 

[lenk911]

My guess it is a 900 MHZ packet repeater for the utilities (gas, electric or water) automatic meter reading system. It receives from an equipped meter, stores and resends data to a master site.

 

[nd5y]

My guess it is a 900 MHZ packet repeater for the utilities (gas, electric or water) automatic meter reading system. It receives from an equipped meter, stores and resends data to a master site.

That's what I think is most likely but hard to tell without being able to see the antennas.

 

[bubbablitz]

Are there any manholes, dog houses or anything on the ground near the pole?

I didn’t notice. I’ll take a look next time I’m over there.

 

[mykle315]

My local utility company just installed them in my neighborhood. They upgraded all the meters too. It's used for automatic meter readings.

 

[merlin]

There are a number of these in my area, at the bottom, you find a main gas meter with an interface box.
Close enough, I get periodic burst up in the 900 Mhz band.
Another located about 6 miles north lacks the solar but has a Yagi aimed at Chinese peak.
So surely this is a utilities telemetry setup.
One other posibility is BDA for Iot.

 

[dave3825]

If they have gas (maybe electric also), look up the FCC id number and search it. The test report will list a freq range. Mine has a Frequency Hopping Transmitter with range of 903 – 926.8 MHz