590 replies to this topic

[Tom in Bristol]

Local VZW service switched on 4G LTE the Monday after I picked up my Launch Day Bionic and I've had 

that coverage in good order except during the infamous .905 OTA. I dropped data and got white 4G 

and bars from the soak all the way till I soaked ICS. Anyway, I'm always interested in 4G coverage and now will go through a "Cell Tower Saga".

 

A few months ago, our City Council announced a redevelopment project for the area around Exit 5 of 

Interstate 81. If any of you have been here for a Race weekend or maybe for the Rhythm and Roots 

Reunion (old timey Bluegrass festival) you may be familiar with a similar development finished years ago near Exit 7.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

The anchor store this time around is to be a Cabela's outdoor equipment center and when the Site 

Plan for the whole project was shown, I realized that Cabela's was to be built right where our 

local cell tower was located on top of a good sized hill comprised mostly of solid rock!

 

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Later we learned that a new cell tower was to be located on another hill at the northern edge of 

the project and this puts it just 300 yards from my house (900 yards closer). The hill that is the

new location is around 30 feet lower elevation - the old tower is 320 feet - the new tower is also to be 

320 feet, so together that puts the top of the new tower 30 feet lower.

 

They have started site prep for the new tower during the last couple weeks, first some dozer work 

till they hit rock. For a week now we've had a new wake-up call at 7 AM...an oversized hydraulic 

jack hammer mounted on a large Cat!

 

07/20/2013 Edited tower height info

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

We're hearing that a portable cell tower unit for 5 service providers will soon be put installed to 

function till the new one is completed, They hope to start removal of the old tower and begin 

ripping the hill apart soon. Heavy equipment is already being staged part way up the hill.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Both Bionics and one Maxx that live here all get at least 4 bars of VZW 4G at the house 

now...wonder how the service will be on the portable and later on with the new tower?

 

The 'Cell Tower Saga' has begun...and will post more as things develop!

[tucstwo]

Question, why wouldn't VZW request this tower to be relocated to the top of one of these new buildings or something along these lines? I understand eminent domain and things like this, but it's most likely in the best interest, financially to these developers to NOT lose these towers on this property. Any info on the future of your local towers?

[Tom in Bristol]

Question, why wouldn't VZW request this tower to be relocated to the top of one of these new buildings or something along these lines? I understand eminent domain and things like this, but it's most likely in the best interest, financially to these developers to NOT lose these towers on this property. Any info on the future of your local towers?

 

The top of the hill with the existing tower is about 160 feet above Lee Hiway. From the site drawing it appears that Cabela's and its parking lot are at the same elevation as the Hiway. Since it's very hilly along the I-81 Freeway corridor I think higher elevation for the new tower is key to choosing the highest point in the land the new development owns. And that is at the north edge of the project lying north of Lee Hiway.

 

The picture of the dozer looking up past the front of a house (in Post #3) was taken from the driveway of a neighbors house. His home is just to the north-east of the new tower located in this pic:

 

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This neighbor and several others wanted to oppose the tower location as too close to their homes but the City Council moved the date of the 'open meeting' a day earlier than announced and passed the resolution with 'no opposition'. Typical local government ploy.

[Tom in Bristol]

Drove up the road on the hill to the base of the old tower just to see how much ancillary equipment might be required for the new tower. Kinda think less will be needed with newer network designs, but should still need a transformer yard and a control space of some kind.

 

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

The past several days have seen them cutting in a new road through the only lot along our road that the project purchased last year. It likely is for access for construction eqpt and material. They are reducing the slope of the road by cut/fill, moving fill to the top of the hill.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

The new road has been cut almost all the way down to the road. Today they hauled in 4ea 8'-0 long Permatile culvert sections and after some cleanup of the ditch along the road they shold allow a crossing about 30'-0 wide.

 

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Culvert sections are in place and covered with crushed rock and the final steps to complete the new road include one more layer of coarse crushed rock and throwing grass seed on the graded slopes on both sides of the road followed by rolling out mesh mattting to minimize erosion.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

During the time when the oversized hydraulic jack hammer was waking us up early we could also hear some other construction equipment working on other parts of the site, but couldn't see exactly what they were doing. There aren't any good places that overlook the site due to the hilly terrain.

 

There has been no activity at all for the past week or so, I thought it may have been due to rainy conditions and since today was sunny and quiet I decided to venture up that new road to see what was going on!

 

It turns out that all the work being done was to complete that new road all the way up to the new cell tower site. It's pretty steep through the first section, wanders around kinda following a ridge line and steep again as it approaches the tower site.

 

There are lots of surveyor stakes that probably layout where the next phase of foundation forms will be built and things appear to be on hold at the moment.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

From the new tower site looking southwest at the road climbing the hill. On the far horizon there are two of the cell towers on the TN side of town and in the middle distance you can see the nearest Golden Arches!

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

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Guess they've decided to lock a cable across the new road...probably due to the start of blasting on the tower site.

 

From yesterday...

 

My neighbor, whose home is less than 150 yds from the new cell tower site, just called to tell me that in the next hour there will be a siren signal prior to setting off a blast to prepare the site for the new tower foundations.

 

They took over a hundred pics inside and out of both his and his son's houses, for before/after in case of cracking walls, etc.

 

Heard/felt a 'whump' a half hour ago so went up to see...nuthin'!

 

Talked to the son at his place and he saw one softball size rock drop into the trees nearby and a bunch others that were tossed back into the site away from any houses.

[Tom in Bristol]

Meanwhile, they've started clearing brush and trees and even pushing some dirt around on the hill below the old tower.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Viewed from the Northbound on ramp at Exit 5 on I-81...more rocks jack-hammered, dirt moved and trees cleared, in fact one tree was dropped just before I took this pic.

 

Not much going on at the new tower site, though they've posted the building permit for the job being done by a firm called Cam-Com.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Most of the trees and brush have been cleared from the south-west side of hill beneath the old tower and after use of a frame mounted piledriver with a jack hammer attachment, a pile of broken rock has appeared (just above the red car in the foreground).

 

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

From a different angle the excavation has cut off the lower reaches of the access road up to the old tower so...

 

 

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They've cut a new road in from Lee Hiway on the north side of the hill.

 

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[Tom in Bristol]

Meanwhile, we've heard a number of blasts where they continue to break up the rocks for the foundation for the new tower. Tried to get a pic from the side of northbound I-81 using Zoom, but it's pretty crappy quality. They're using a bucket loader and dump trucks to move the broken rock to areas where they need fill.

 

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[johnthehillbilly]

Interesting ..... now I know what all the noise has been....

tapadriving ...... hillbilly style