PersComp
Premium
join:2005-08-17
Cayce, SC
|  Using Water Towers?
I have located a water tower 4 miles away that would probably be perfect to service an area of several hundred homes. It is only 4 miles away from my main POP, and RM shows that the link is do-able. In your experiences, what deals are typically cut with the water company? I don't see that I have much of a service to offer them since this is nothing but a 70-80' tower and equipment shed surrounded by a chain link fence. Will I just need to approach them about renting space or are there other options? All input is appreciated! |
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AMD Phreak
Premium
join:2003-12-14
| You will probably need to contact the town or cities water department and speak to the superintendent. They will be able to work with you from there. You might offer services to them as well while you are at it. They might potentially look into something like a city wide network to attach their remote sites together cheaper than it would be to use T-1's or Frame connections, which with your expertise in WISP functions, you might be able to assist them in doing so.  |
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public
join:2002-01-19
Santa Clara, CA | reply to PersComp
How big is the town. Does the town manager have broadband?
In bigger towns it is not just the rental. You also need liability insurance. |
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PersComp
Premium
join:2005-08-17
Cayce, SC
| reply to PersComp
It is actually a third party utility company. Searching the web, they appear to be all over the county (maybe further, as they show up in several town listings). I was thinking of making a call to them tomorrow, just wanted to have some idea as to what to offer in exchange for tower access. Or at least get as economical a rate as possible. |
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uscomputing
join:2005-01-26
Buffalo, NY | reply to PersComp
SuperDog mentioned before that gaining access to water towers has become way more difficult after Sept 11th. |
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cmaenginsb
Premium,MVM
join:2001-03-19
Palmdale, CA
| reply to PersComp
uscomputing, that fact is dependant on the paranoia of the water district. Most WISPs I know of have not had problems due to security.
Just like anything it's dependant on the water company/district.
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CCNA, Comtrain Certified Tower Climber |
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satseeker1
join:2005-11-08
Spain | Why not rig up an IP camera or sensors and let the water company see their water,you might even get a national contract  |
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dgilbert
Good Bye My Friend
Premium,MVM
join:2002-06-15
none
clubs:
| reply to PersComp
one drawback to water tanks is that you cannot get an omni pattern with just 3 120 degree sectors, you have to put several around the tower. not a big deal, you just have to plan ahead for it.
another issue you may run into is absolutely NO welding or attaching to the tank body itself. everything has to go on the hand rails. one local city put 2 25-G sections on top of their tank and had to remove them when a federal inspector almost made them shut down the city water. soemthing about the welding and drilling could contaminate the water supply. they ended up jsut putting the 2 sections on the platform bolted to the hand rail, where we told them to in the first place. they still had 20' of antenna above the tank that way.
i have seen antenna platforms that mount on top of the tank, but i have had no experience in installing these and what the requirements are.
talk to the water association and see what they say.
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Lack of Preparation on YOUR Part does NOT Constitute an Emergency on Mine! |
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pcard
join:2005-09-22
| reply to PersComp
PersComp,
I am using 2 water towers in my area. I found that if you can convince a city councilor of your idea would help a lot. I my case the city owns the towers, but they are managed/maintained by a 3rd party company. When I proposed my service to them the counsel, they had to first approve the idea and then get the public works and 3rd party approval for the design and feasibility. It would be a good idea to have a drawing showing the proposed location for the antennas. Also wind loading on the structure was a main concern to them.
I had the 3rd party company come up with the design and installed the mounts for the antennas. You can weld mount to the tank, but the work has to be done by a certified welder for pressurized vessels. My antennas were mounted on the outer lip of the tank surface. They will also want to know about access to your equipment. Make sure that you have or your employees are climbing certified. Good idea to take the course that the public works company uses for their employees.
Attached is a picture of my mounts. Also it would be a good idea to include in your lease about competition. I worked out that if another company wants to do the same thing that I am doing, that I would provide the bandwidth to them. |
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pcard
join:2005-09-22
| reply to PersComp
Here is the picture |
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superdog
I Need A Drink
Premium,MVM
join:2001-07-13
Lebanon, PA
| reply to uscomputing
said by uscomputing  :SuperDog mentioned before that gaining access to water towers has become way more difficult after Sept 11th. Some places can be difficult to gain access to, some very easy. I have seen both. One of the main problems is that the city or municipality may require You to be accompanied by a city employee at all times. while this isn't really a big deal at 3 in the afternoon, it is at 3AM when You need to fix something. It can be a challenge getting this employee out of bed at that hour. The second negative is that You will have to pay in some cases, this persons overtime or for what they call emergency services. Just read any lease agreement You sign very carefully, and try to work with them on some of the more sensitive issues. I have seen more than one WISP rush in and sign without throughly reading what they were signing. They were only concerned about "what it cost's per month", and missed all this crap in the fine print.
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»www.wavecrazy.net Join WISPA today! »www.wispa.org/ |
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slipstream1
Premium
join:2005-11-15
Jacksonville, TX
| reply to PersComp
Normally you cannot weld to a water tank unless you lower the water level past a certain point that the engineers determine is safe. Most of the water tower sites we have done lately have been securing mounts to the tank with epoxy or to the hand rails as stated before. We do have to do welding jobs on water tank, but you have to have the certifications to do it. |
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thewildthang
join:2005-12-21
Winfield, AL
| reply to PersComp
Everyone is going to laugh at this but; We put three mounts on water tanks about 5 years ago using a roof top antenna tripod. We went to the local hardware store and bought three 36 inches pieces of galvanized angle with a bunch of holes punched in it and attached one to each leg of the tripod and then attached 3 90 pound magnets to each piece of angle. They are still in place today, haven't moved an inch. The tripods and magnets were ordered from McMaster Carr. Go ahead, laugh, think what you will but if it ain't broke, don't fix it! |
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a1_Andy
Premium
join:2005-12-29
Peterborough, ON
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico
| reply to superdog
said by superdog :said by uscomputing :SuperDog mentioned before that gaining access to water towers has become way more difficult after Sept 11th. I thought ahead about the water tower issues and got what is called a "vulnerable sector screening" from the local police department. (took about a month +$40) I'm not sure if its called the same thing in the USA but I'm sure that there would be something similar. |
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