How to request a cell phone tower

[centermedic]

Looking for some advice. Here is the issue. Recently I went camping at a Boy Scout camp. We encountered some adverse weather. At this point I was told that our local Scout council had set up a system where you could be advised via text of adverse weather. The rub? Cell service at the camp is spotty at best. Verizon has the best coverage but is still unreliable, Sprint has some native coverage but you still roam quite a bit when you get a signal and AT&T and T-mobile have no service at all. I think this is an unsafe situation so I started wondering if we could get a tower and have the major providors co-locate on the tower. Power is not an issue and backhaul could be done by microwave. So the question is how do I make this happen? Should we flip the cost of the tower and invite the companies? Or should we contract out with a cell tower company and let them do the heavy lifting? Is there a better alternative?

[Jeffas332]

Perhaps the troop or Council invest in a satellite phone? I know they're also available for rent if you're in a remote area. But I really don't see any carrier building any site in the boonies for any real reason.

 

Looking for some advice. Here is the issue. Recently I went camping at a Boy Scout camp. We encountered some adverse weather. At this point I was told that our local Scout council had set up a system where you could be advised via text of adverse weather. The rub? Cell service at the camp is spotty at best. Verizon has the best coverage but is still unreliable, Sprint has some native coverage but you still roam quite a bit when you get a signal and AT&T and T-mobile have no service at all. I think this is an unsafe situation so I started wondering if we could get a tower and have the major providors co-locate on the tower. Power is not an issue and backhaul could be done by microwave. So the question is how do I make this happen? Should we flip the cost of the tower and invite the companies? Or should we contract out with a cell tower company and let them do the heavy lifting? Is there a better alternative?

[bgguy]

It's a $'s game.  IF they were to put up a tower of their own would they ever recoup the costs.  Being a rural area probably not.  If the Council were to build a tower (I don't think the Boy Scouts have that kind of spare money) would they convince a major carrier to lease part of it and the council recoup their money, sadly again probably not.

 

Even cheaper then a satellite phone, get a NOAA weather radio if all you are worried about is adverse weather.

[MophoManners]

I see people still think they put cellular towers up all willy nilly..

 

 your going to need about 250k  for the tower alone

[swintec]

how did the boy scouts of yester-year manage to camp here without their cell phones and live to tell the tale?

[WiWavelength]

how did the boy scouts of yester-year manage to camp here without their cell phones and live to tell the tale?

 

Well, the Boy Scouts may have camped there prior to any cellphone service, but that does not mean they had a gay time in doing so.

 

(And that joke is equal opportunity for both sides of the issue.)

 

 

AJ

[AJC1973]

how bout instead of going all drastic and trying to get a cell tower put into place... spend 50 bucks get decent (midland makes several) weather radios with SAME technology (specific area message encoding) that way you can program specific fips codes for your area/county.  instead of the old days of the damn thing going off everytime someone on the other side of the state gets a little wind lol also invest in an external antenna... put it on the roof or run a line up a tree... it will drastically increase the distance of the reciever... if you are really in the boonies.. you can buy rf amplifiers or handy with a soldering iron make one... 

[centermedic]

Sat phones may be an option. Not sure if the council wants to add any recurring costs. Guys, I realize that towers are expensive and no i don't think that they are put up willy nilly. Thats why I was asking for advice. Weather radios are honestly a pain in the rear and just another piece of equipment to bring along. I also should have specified that this camp is also used by Cub Scouts and that is my primary concern. Boy Scouts can generally fend for themselves. So now that all of that is out of the way any suggestions? How are the towers financed through the tower companies?

[Pedro1278]

You can try submitting an evaluation form

Edited June 23, 2013 by Pedro1278

[Pedro1278]

That's the form. https://www.sprintsitesusa.com/links/cellsite1.cfm

Edited June 23, 2013 by Pedro1278

[centermedic]

That's the form. https://www.sprintsitesusa.com/links/cellsite1.cfm

Excellent! Thank you.

[Rocket87]

Your situation doesn't fit the description on that form, in fact it says just close the window if you don't match the description which is kind of funny.

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Pedro1278]

Your situation doesn't fit the description on that form, in fact it says just close the window if you don't match the description which is kind of funny.Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

It's worth a try, you never know

[centermedic]

Your situation doesn't fit the description on that form, in fact it says just close the window if you don't match the description which is kind of funny.

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

Actually, everybody is assuming that the camp is in the boonies. I need to look it up but it may be within the parameters.

[centermedic]

Looks like we may comply with both distance requirements. Thank you Pedro. You gave me a good place to start!

[deflate7525]

The main camp for my council has two sprint towers within 1.5 miles and they are both LTE accepted.

[centermedic]

The main camp for my council has two sprint towers within 1.5 miles and they are both LTE accepted.

Are they legacy sites.

[centermedic]

For all the naysayers. Just because we have been doing something in a particular way since the dawn of time does not mean its the right way to do things. I believe in being prepared. Case in point......http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/25/19128121-23-scouts-hospitalized-after-lightning-strike-in-belmont-new-hampshire?lite