http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/search
Put in your postcode to see cell phone towers near you, drag map around to see surrounding areas, scroll in or out to see general area and position of towers, clicking on the markers will provide you with indepth technical data.
NR, can you explain the advantage of knowing where the cell towers are?
Is this just so you can pick the best network for your location or is there some other davantage (or threat) that they offer/pose?
In some areas cell phone service providers have few towers and thus poor infrequent reception, IE Vodaphone doesnt work near my house but 3 does. So it helps you choose your provider.
Secondly some cell phone tower sites , some not many have back up gennies and fuel supplies, read into that what you will.
Most comms towers are battery backup and have control circuitry. Depending on your needs it may be advisable to take them out, scavange the batteries and the kit. Perhaps, if you can, plug in and see who is out there.
I think that also after a total societal collapse the top of a cell phone tower would be a good place to stuff a CB aerial !!!! if you needed the occasional longer reach?
i suppose you could use it as a look out tower? not me though..i get vertigo!!!
Thanks NR,
Most cell towers are mains powered with battery back-up.
Only the ones that are remote from the mains (up a mountain in the middle of no-where) have gensets (usually a solar, possibly wind powered with generator to top up the batteries if there are lots of calm cloudy days). Of course "in the middle of nowhere" is exactly where we want to be in an event.
The genset is probably too big to move without a truck and lifting gear. (probably about the size of a chest freezer, maybe a little smaller)
There might still be fuel there depending on how quickly the situation degrades to the point where you feel comfortable stealing (err 'borrowing') it.
I believe (not 100% sure) that the cell tower should stop draining the batteries when they get low rather than flatten them to destruction. So they should be useable for a few months but will probably need charged.