Dr. Jonathan Kramer's Cell Tower Photo Gallery

Copyright 2000-2023 Dr. Jonathan Kramer

Image search results - "microwave"
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AT&T's Upgraded Tree at Camp Pendleton Rest Stop555 viewsAT&T has just upgraded this monopine site to 4G and materially improved the camouflage. Much better than before. N/B I-5 at the rest stop. Note the camo around the microwave antenna.
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CornucopiaMicrowave Horn in Las Vegas, New Mexico347 viewsThis is a 'cornucopia' (high performance) microwave antenna at the CenturyLink Central Office in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
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A true Solar Cell553 viewsThis is a photo of AT&T's solar powered cell site just north of CA52 at Mast Road in San Diego. This site connects back to the mobile telephone switching office via a microwave antenna (behind the panel).
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Light Standards with More786 viewsNear a hospital heliport, which explains the aircraft warning lights, the Verizon site (left) and the T-Mobile site (right) feature clamp-on radomes. The Verizon site also features a microwave antenna, which is unusual for light standard sites. Anaheim, California
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Dish on a Light1004 viewsLocated in a community park in Anaheim California, Verizon's foreground light standard site features a back-haul microwave antenna. The background light standard is T-Mobile's. Both lights have aircraft warning beacons due to their location adjacent to a hospital heliport (far background, also with panel antennas!).
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So, it works in orange, too!638 viewsThis is a Clearwire site near the Portland, Oregon airport (PDX). Sites near airports are sometimes required to be painted with aviation orange and while to make them more visible to pilots. Clearly seen in this photo are Clearwire's on panel-per-sector deployment for serving the customers in the area, and two backhaul microwave antennas to link this site to other site, and on to the Clearwire POP ("point of presence") connecting to the Internet.
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A Powerful Bison911 viewsVerizon's cellular bison, located in Carr, Colorado, serves I25. Notice the microwave dish to the right of the bison. It's used for backhaul to Verizon's mobile telephone switching office (MTSO). Photo by Steve Allen of Kramer.Firm, Inc.
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A Growth on a Monopalm720 viewsYet another view of a compromised monopalm. Spectrasite's cellpalm should never have had the microwave dish or the add-on panel antennas on the tree trunk. It took an only fair design and made it terrible. Sprint and Cingular are at this site. Others may be, too.
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A Growth on a Monopalm765 viewsSpectrasite's monopalm has this very strange 6-panel growth on the tree trunk. And isn't that a stange looking, er, microwavealbe 'date' below the palms?! How sad. Inglewood, California. Cingular and Sprint are at this site.
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Side Saddle Microwave Dish Installation567 viewsAnother view of this cell site which uses a microwave dish antenna system to provide backhaul to the MTSO. The interesting note for this site is the side saddle (offset) installation of the dish antenna. In most metro installations, a microwave antenna saves the carrier the cost of leasing a telco dataline, but at the expense of adding visual loading to the project.1 comments
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Side Saddle Microwave Dish Installation405 viewsThis cell site uses a microwave dish antenna system to provide backhaul to the MTSO. The interesting note for this site is the side saddle (offset) installation of the dish antenna. In most metro installations, a microwave antenna saves the carrier the cost of leasing a telco dataline, but at the expense of adding visual loading to the project.
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Cell Pine1040 viewsHere's a good merged image photo close-up of a cell pine (monopine) in Walnut, California. Notice the large 'acorn' (microwave dish antenna) that's front and center on the trunk. In most case in metro areas, the purpose of having a microwave dish is (1) to provide back-haul from the cell site to the mobile telephone switching office (MTSO), and (2) to save the cost of leasing data lines from the local phone company. The first purpose is required; the second should not be considered a valid justification in most metro cases.

Also notice that most--but not all--of the panel antennas have slip-on camouflage covers. This photo highlights the significant difference in appearance between covered and merely painted panels.

The bark cladding stops at about the level of the microwave dish. It should have gone all the way to the top as you can see the flat, more reflective metal surface above the cladding.
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Cell site and Microwave Relay467 viewsThis site is not a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO). Rather, its an aggregation point for microwave backhaul from other wireless sites. Verizon and Nextel are co-located here.

Why red and white? This site is located adjacent to the Ontario, California airport.
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Cell Pine832 viewsThis cell pine is located on a hill in Lake Elsinore, CA. Good branch coverage. Notice the round microwave antenna on the tree trunk.1 comments
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Is that a Diamond-shaped date?1901 viewsThe diamond-shaped device belong the cell antennas is a flat panel microwave antenna. In many cases, the purpose of this antenna is to save the carrier the cost of leasing a data line from the local telephone company. The trade off is that the antenna weakens or destroys the camouflage nature of the site. Not recommended in most cases. How 'bout the fact that the panel antenna supports aren't cut off above the panels. Also notice how the 'bark cladding' stops below the level of the palms. Not a complete camo solution by any means. Finally, is there a brighter green that might draw the eye even more effectively than the panel antenna on the right side? I think not!
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Verizon MTSO cell and microwave tower1726 viewsThis is an interesting 63-ish foot communications tower in Schertz, Texas. It's owned by Verizon Wireless.
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Major Macrocell Site (multiple carriers)506 viewsThis is an example of a traditional multiple carrier macrocell site. Note the large microwave antennas facing to the right: They are used to provide high-reliability connection of this site to the MTSO some 25 miles away.
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"We Come In Peace!"741 viewsWater tank cell and microwave site south of Sacramento, California along I-5
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Camofulaged AML Receive Site?2759 viewsBack in 1983 Storer Cable was trying to secure a microwave-receive site on a hillside in San Juan Capistrano. The architect retained by Storer lost most of his hair trying to get a design that would pass muster with the City. One night, in a fit of frustration, he came up with this design. We never submitted this one to the City. Pity. It would have been fun!
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Cell site, microwave mounted on wood pole1129 viewsWe don't need no stinking steel tower!1 comments
 
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