TOWERS

• Monopole Tower Collapse

• FCC Reverse Auction Effects
• Public Safety Tower

ANTENNA SITE
CONSTRUCTION
• Building a Site
• Raw Land Multitenant Site
• Wet Weather Construction

BUSINESS &
MANAGEMENT
• Ten Wireless Deployment Mistakes
• Seven Habits for Networking
• Why You Need a CSO
February 2016 /// Volume 13 /// No. 02
Antennas

agl magazine
February 2016
02
Editorial Comment
Below Ground Level
The magazine’s name, AGL, stands for
above ground level. Chosen to reflect
its coverage of cellular
and sometimes
broadcast towers,
the name is based
on the FAA’s and
the FCC’s desire to
know how high a
tower is above ground
level. Another reason for the name is
to place it near the top in lists that are
in alphabetical order. Yes, that was part
of the discussion in 2004.
The name notwithstanding, much
of what’s important to towers takes
place below ground. Examples include
foundations and conduits for electrical
power, telephone connections and fi-
ber-optic cable, the latter becoming
increasingly important for backhaul
as data traffic volumes increase.
Thanks to Kathrein, a Rosenheim,
Germany-based manufacturer, now
antennas are going below ground. The
idea could seem to be as laughable as
a shielded antenna once promoted as
a solution to the problem of radio
noise. But, no, these in-ground anten-
nas already have been put to use in a
trial conducted in Bern, Switzerland.
The antennas, named Kathrein
Street Connect, are designed to help
mobile communications networks
increase their capacity limits at
highly frequented hotspots such as
pedestrian zones.
Kathrein collaborated with mobile
network operator Swisscom to develop
the in-ground antenna for use in addi-
tion to macrocells (towers and rooftops)
and microcells (antennas on street
lamps and building walls). With the new
antenna, a base station is incorporated Exec. Editor/Assoc. Publisher
Don Bishop
into existing cable manholes of landline 913.322.4569
infrastructure. The antenna is embed- dbishop@aglmediagroup.com
ded into the ground in the immediate Copy Editors
vicinity by way of a core drilling and is Martha Collins
Meaghan Shaw
not visible. A lid over the antenna re-
Contributing Editor
sembles a manhole cover and is strong J. Sharpe Smith
enough to withstand heavy vehicles. 515.279.2282
ssmith@aglmediagroup.com
The antenna is compatible with
multiple-input, multiple-output Art Director Brian Parks
Graphic Designer Courtney Duggan
(MIMO) communications, the simul- Riverworks Marketing Group
423.710.3866
taneous use of several transmission
and reception antennas that improves AGL Media Group, LLC
Richard P. Biby P.E., CEO/Publisher
coverage and capacity. 540.338.4363
I suppose the antenna actually is rbiby@aglmediagroup.com
almost at ground level and not much Rick Heilbrunn, COO/CFO
rheilbrunn@aglmediagroup.com
below ground level, but it’s more fun
to say it’s below ground level and Advertising Sales
Mercy Contreras
works anyway. 303.988.3515
mcontreras@aglmediagroup.com
John Celentano
Towers and Antenna Sites 443.900.0048
jcelentano@aglmediagroup.com
Let’s not give up on towers too
soon, though. This issue boasts sev- Advertising Coordinator
Karen Clark
en articles about towers and antenna 303.979.0621
site construction. kclark@aglmediagroup.com
This year should see wireless carriers Circulation Manager
circulation@aglmediagroup.com
using a combination of cell-splitting,
which could lead to tower construction, Corporate Office
AGL Media Group, LLC
along with small cells, in-building wire- P.O. Box 2090
less and distributed antenna systems, Ashburn, VA 20146-2090
703.594.8500
which rely less on towers.
Press Releases and Advertising Materials
Yet to be seen is the effect of the FCC’s press@aglmediagroup.com
incentive auction, which could lead to a
Subscription Information
reshuffling of broadcast towers. To subscribe online, go to:
www.aglmediagroup.com/signup
To subscribe by mail:
AGL Magazine Circulation Department
P.O. Box 2090
Ashburn, VA 20146-2090
Don Bishop, Executive Editor Copyright ©2016. AGL Media Group, LLC.
dbishop@aglmediagroup.com All Rights Reserved.
aglmediagroup.com
003
Contents

February 2016 /// Volume 13 /// No. 02

FEATURES DEPARTMENTS
10 Dorothy Brunetti’s Secret to 3 Editorial Comment — Below Ground Level
Cell-tower Success By Don Bishop
By Mike Harrington
6 Publisher’s Note — If I Were a Betting Kind
14 The (Cable) Wire Behind Wireless: of Guy
Time Warner Cable Business Class and By Richard P. Biby, P.E.
Cell Tower Backhaul
By Travis Reynolds 8 Guest Opinion — Please, Can We Kill “5G”?
By Iain Gillott
18 Delivering Mobile Data Indoors and Out
By Prof. Jie Zhang 90 Buyers Guide — Quick-Guide to Tower and
Antenna Site Construction Companies
22 Acclaim for the Late Connie Durcsak,
UTC President and CEO 98 Product Showcase — Safety
By J. Sharpe Smith 102 Advertiser Index
24 Remembering Jay Kitchen, Former 102 Professional Directory
PCIA Leader
By J. Sharpe Smith

52 AGL Tower of the Month — BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT

Mountain Top, Pennsylvania
Photography courtesy of Reese Tower Services 78 Ten Wireless Deployment Mistakes to Avoid
By Andrew Sheridan

82 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Networkers

TOWERS By Andy Singer

40 Monopole Base Weld Toe Cracks and Why 84 What Is a CSO, and Why Does Your
They May Collapse Your Tower Company Need One?
By Brian R. Reese, P.E., CWI, and David W. Hawkins, P.E. By Chuck Reaves

54 How the FCC Reverse Auction Could 86 Five Essential Traits Every
Affect Your Tower Entrepreneur Needs
By Don Doty By Randy H. Nelson

58 Case Study: A Tower for Public Safety 88 Three Presentation Mistakes That Kill
and Public Good Your Message and Bore Your Audience
By Ed Myers By Mark A. Vickers

AGL Magazine (Above Ground Level) is published 12 times a year by AGL Media Group LLC, P.O. Box 2090, Ashburn, VA 20146-2090, and is
mailed free to qualified individuals in the United States of America.
POSTMASTER: Send address change to AGL Media Group Circulation Department, P.O. Box 2090, Ashburn, VA 20146-2090.
Interested in advertising with AGL Media Group’s magazines, website or e-newsletters or sponsoring AGL Regional Conferences?
Visit www.aglmediagroup.com/advertise for information.

agl magazine
February 2016
004
SAFETY
26 RF Safety Awareness Training:
Who Needs It and Why
By Andy Singer

30 The OSHA Files —

Why Thomas C. Owens Died
By Dr. Bridgette Hester

34 Workplace Violence: Putting Employers on

the Horns of a Dilemma
By Mark A. Lies II and Craig B. Simonsen

ANTENNA SITE CONSTRUCTION

62 Building a Raw Land Multitenant Site
By Michael Mitchell

66 Building an Antenna Site

By Michael Purpura

70 Wet Weather Breeds a Creative Solution

to Cell Site Construction
By Benjamin Horvath

72 The Challenge of Forecasting Site

Acquisition (And What To Do About It)
By Tom Leddo

aglmediagroup.com
005
Publisher's Note
If I Were a Betting Kind of Guy
The fine folks at Re/Code, a technol-
ogy news, review and analysis web-
site, should be a bit embarrassed at
the stir they caused by saying
Sprint was going to
take its equipment
off of a number of
Crown Castle and
American Tower
sites and put it on
government-owned
properties instead. This
is part of Sprint’s larger $2.5 billion
cost-cutting initiative undertaken
in an effort to meet the carrier’s tar-
get of reducing network operating
costs by $1 billion. The website’s
article cited no sources and instead
was phrased as “Re/Code has
learned.” The article was shortsight-
ed and lacked substantive details. It
caused a hiccup in the stock prices
of both companies; however, things
quickly got back to normal. What
surprised me about this was that, as
Sprint later clarified, the carrier is
doing nothing other than what any
other network operator is doing. It’s
looking for expense reduction, rev-
enue growth and a way to keep more
money in it’s own pocket. That’s just
good business.
Any RF engineer will tell you that
a wireless carrier is always examin-
ing its network and looking for the
best coverage, capacity and use of
radio-frequency spectrum. That ob-
jective has been accomplished
through the use of macrocell sites,
and probably will continue that way
for some time to come. A percentage
of the macrocell sites will become
agl magazine
006
undesirable as additional, smaller
sites are increasingly needed to ex-
pand the network’s data traffic-
handling capacity as the number of
the network’s subscribers grows and
as subscriber need for throughput
grows. There will always be a car-
rier that doesn’t need to have equip-
ment on the same sites year after
year. Tower companies will always
lose a few tenants. One can hope
that the tenants they add will more
than make up for the few they lose.
It’s called turnover. It’s fine. Noth-
ing to see here. Move on.
At any given time, one or more of
the carriers will have a plan to reduce
costs by moving equipment off of
some towers or by pressing tower
companies for better deals. If there
were a better way to do things, I be-
lieve the chances are good that a car-
rier or a tower company would have
discovered the competitive advan-
tage long ago. Meanwhile, it’s nice to
see that carriers and tower compa-
nies continue to swap employees
from time to time (intentionally or
not), and it really helps everyone to
get the best ideas to the table.
Regarding backhaul, the desire
to cut the cost of backhaul and not
pay competitors for backhaul is
another business basic. With the
increasing density of fiber-optic
cable service and Sprint’s particu-
lar strength in denser urban areas,
it would seem more natural that
using either its sown fiber in mar-
kets where Sprint has it or using
microwave for backhaul in other
places would make sense. With
some of the data rates that are or
will be necessar y and with the
amount of spectrum Sprint has
available to use with microwave,
microwave networks may not de-
liver all of the necessary capacity.
Either way, someone leasing space
on a tower for microwave equip-
ment has a positive effect for the
tower owner.
The wireless carriers’ four-front
war to capture customers from each
other at any cost is heating up. Un-
limited streaming on AT&T, and
Verizon discussing going back to
some form of unlimited data, un-
limited voice and discounts for
watching video ads will help to in-
crease the need for backhaul and
more network capacity. Increased
capacity always equals additional
antenna locations. Go for it, carri-
ers! It’s all good with us!
I’m gearing up for the NATE
Unite convention. I make it a special
point to attend NATE and keep cur-
rent with the issues and technolo-
gies. I never fail to learn something
new, and I always manage to get a
hands-on update with safety equip-
ment, personal protective equip-
ment and cables. Please reach out
ahead of time if you would like to
discuss anything in person in New
Orleans. I’m always interested in
scheduling personal meetings.
February 2016
 NETWORKBUILDING.COM

d e v i l
p the
I kee
of the
out ils.
deta

At NB+C, we are truly obsessed

with keeping promises. We’re

consumed by getting every

little detail absolutely

right, every step of

the way. We are

in this business to

make things happen,

totally committed to

the needs of our clients.

S I T E D E V E LO P M E N T + E N G I N E E R I N G + CO N ST R U C T I O N

aglmediagroup.com
Mary Devlin, Site Acquisition Specialist, Site Development

07
© 2 0 1 5 N E T WO R K B U I L D I N G + CO N S U LT I N G , L LC .
Guest Opinion
Please, Can We Kill “5G”?
By Iain Gillott
I have had a lot of discussions re-
garding 5G with vendors and mo-
bile operators. What stands out
more than any new technology, air
interface or spectrum is the gen-
eral level of confusion and lack of
definition. iGR is in the
process of writing a
report on 5G and
what it means for
the industry. To
do this, we first
had to define what
5G means to us and
which technologies are
included. Talk to five people about
5G and what it is, and you will get
at least seven answers.
So why do I suggest that we
should kill “5G”? We are referring
to the name, not the
technolog y. T hat 5G
will naturally evolve
from the current 4G
systems is not really in
question. (There is de-
bate about which air
interface will be used,
but it seems generally
accepted that later re-
leases of LTE will be
included.) And certain-
ly there are specific re-
quirements that the 5G
systems must meet.
But what we need to
be careful of as an in-
dustry is the use of the
term “5G” in marketing
and product promotion.
agl magazine
008
The technologists will tell you that
real 5G is IMT-2020, just as the
real 4G systems were defined by
t h e I M T- 2 0 0 0 s t a n d a rd s . O f
course, this did not stop some op-
erators from labeling highly de-
veloped versions of earlier
technologies as 4G, which led to a
general level of confusion with
consumers as to what was and
what was not 4G.
We are headed down the same
path with 5G. Follow the stan-
dards, and you will see that it is
unlikely that 5G IMT-2020 will be
deployed before (you guessed it)
2020. But some of the new fea-
tures of the next LTE releases
meet some requirements of the
5G use cases, and so it is likely
that a few operators will brand
these new services as 5G. By the
time we get to commercial ser-
vices based on IMT-2020, we may
be marketing those services as 7G.
An easy way to avoid confusion
and to allow some marketing dif-
ferentiation among service pro-
vider offerings is simply to not use
the name 5G for the consumer
services based on IMT-2020. Get
more creative. And if a mobile op-
erator decides to jump the gun and
offer 5G that is not really 5G ser-
vices, then resist the temptation
at all costs to follow them with a
me-too branded product.
5G will be about high speeds,
lower latencies and denser net-
works. Just as some operators
have started to use dif-
ferent branding for
their AWS LTE ser vices,
the same can be done
with 5G. And then we
can move for ward past
IMT-2020 without ma-
jor hang-ups and confu-
sion ab out the 6G (is
that a new Samsung
Galaxy?) and 7G evolu-
t i o n s . S o i t ’s t i m e t o
drop the G and get cre-
ative with the product
and ser vice naming.
Iain Gillott is the founder and
president of iGR and iGR Semi-
conductor Research. His email
address is iain@igr-inc.com.
February 2016
NEW FEATURE
SPOTLIGHT

Data
logging

With the upgraded FieldSENSE 2.0,

you’re covered and have the data to prove it.

The device now records all measurements using a dedicated

E & H field data logger to accurately track your exposure levels
while you work. Then, you can easily access the data via USB
connection to any PC using the free FieldSENSE software.

Available through the following retailers:

fieldsense.com
aglmediagroup.com
09
Profile
Dorothy Brunetti’s Secret to Cell-tower Success
By Mike Harrington
Using contractors helps to keep costs low. Education, dedication and determination
contribute to overcoming obstacles.
Dorothy Brunetti, CEO of Clear Signal
Towers (CST) in Richmond, Virginia,
isn’t the only woman in America who
runs a tower company. As it turns out,
at least one or two other women head
firms among the top 100 U.S. cell-
tower companies.
However, it is possible that Bru-
netti — who founded her own firm
from scratch (itself a rarity) — may
be the only woman tower-company
CEO to employ another woman (Too-
tie Hudgins) as her second-in-com-
mand chief of operations. Before
founding CST, Brunetti prepared for
the tower business by learning from
another woman, Jackie Horvath, an
industry pioneer who’s built and sold
hundreds of cell towers over the years.
Horvath, perhaps the only other
woman in America to found a cell-
tower company, started Horvath
Communications of South Bend, In-
diana, in 1996.
Brunetti has seen the landscape
change for women through the years
and especially in the past five, but
said she would like to see the playing
field level a little more in other dis-
ciplines. “For years I sat in the In-
dependent Developers Forum at
PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure
Association, and was the only fe-
male CEO in the room,” she said.
In spite of advances for women in
the industry over the years, Brunetti
agl magazine
010
said she still believes that there are
some obstacles for women running
tower companies and in many disci-
plines throughout the wireless indus-
try. “For example, in the areas of
management, zoning and legal/real
estate, I believe great strides have been
made, but not so much in the areas of
engineering, construction and execu-
tive-level positions/small business
owners,” she said. “I believe the num-
bers speak for themselves regarding
this issue. I also believe that any ob-
stacle can be overcome with education,
dedication and determination.”
Working alongside Brunetti, CST
Director of Operations Tootie Hudgins
has a varied background with wireless
carriers PrimeCo, Ntelos, Nextel and
AT&T Mobility, garnering skills rang-
ing from construction to leasing/co-
location and zoning to project
management. Brunetti and Hudgins
have 30 years of combined telecom
experience. “Tootie has only been with
me for about two years,” Brunetti said.
“In CST’s infancy, I tried to get by with
administrative help, and as the busi-
ness grew, I realized we needed an
individual with industry knowledge
that complemented my weaknesses
and strengths. Tootie is very detail-
oriented and is great with leasing,
billing and day-to-day project manage-
ment. I am more of a people person
and big-picture type individual dealing
with all aspects of marketing and ful-
filling the needs of our investors.”
Secrets to Her Success
Before taking the leap into the cell-
tower building and management
business, Brunetti spent many years
in the wireless industry, spanning
a wide range of responsibilities
mainly focusing on tower develop-
ment and operations. Her cellular
business career began when she
started selling cellphones and pag-
ers in Indianapolis in 1997. “I moved
to Virginia in 1998 to help my moth-
er with the family restaurant busi-
ness after my father passed away
unexpectedly,” she said. “We sold
the restaurant in 1999, and I want-
ed to get back into the wireless in-
dustry, and I was offered a position
with a small company that consult-
ed with counties reviewing cell-
tower applications, and the rest, as
they say, is history.”
The secret to Brunetti’s suc-
cess seems simple enough: She
displays a remarkably positive at-
titude, a hard-work ethic, a confi-
dent, easygoing disposition and an
aptitude for getting things done. A
graduate of Penn State University
who, in 2009, earned an MBA from
Strayer University, Brunetti said she
inherited her entrepreneurial work
ethic from her father, Joseph, who
February 2016
founded the family-owned and -op- Customers and Cell Sites said. “They know the local jurisdic-
erated business, Brunetti’s Italian Clear Signal Tower hires site-acquisi- tions and what it takes to build a good
Restaurant, in West Virginia. tion specialists on a contract basis to site in that jurisdiction. A seasoned
Although Brunetti credits her find possible sites for new tower de- site-acquisition specialist knows that
dad, the chef and business owner, velopment. “I find local people with a in Virginia, we avoid water and Civil
for her entrepreneurial spirit, she few years’ experience are the best and War placards. Nobody wants to have
said she believes her determina- worth their weight in gold,” Brunetti $50,000 in development cost and eight
tion and business acumen actu-
ally came from her mom. “My drive
came from within, obviously, but
watching my mother run the guts
of a business and raise four chil-
dren was something to behold,”
she said. “Also, I believe the fact
that I have three older brothers
gave me the thick skin and com-
petitive edge to work in our indus-
try and be a business owner.”
In 2000, Brunetti went to work
for American Tower as a zoning
manager. “I received crash courses
in zoning, sales and project man-
agement,” she said. “I worked on
projects for Alltel and Nextel, and
then eventually the development
Find out why we protect more tower
of raw land sites. In 2004, I needed owners than any other agency.
a change and decided to try my Call 410-480-4413 or 410-480-4423,
visit www.bbt.com or email
hand at consulting and working David Saul at dsaul@bbandt.com or
with the carriers. I did leasing and Kimberly Calhoun at
zoning for Verizon’s EVDO project kimberly.calhoun@bbandt.com

and AT&T’s 3G.”

In 2006, Virginia Capital
Par tners, a private equity group,
called Brunetti about an oppor-
tunity: The company was inter-
ested in building a small portfolio
of towers with someone with Bru-
netti’s background. “I jumped at
the opportunity, and in 2007 I
became the CEO of Clear Signal
Towers,” Brunetti said. “I have
always believed that growing up
The Wireless Infrastructure Association
in the restaurant business pro-
vided me the right mindset to
build a small company.”

aglmediagroup.com
011
Profile
9 out of 10 wildfires are caused
by humans.Which means 9 out
of 10 wildfires can be prevented.
So if you see someone acting
irresponsibly, step in and make
a difference. Learn more at
SMOKEYBEAR.com.
agl magazine
012
months of your time invested in a
site only to find it is in the middle
of wetlands.”
According to CST’s website, “Our
staff puts the needs of the customer
as the top priority. Our ultimate goal
is to understand the unique issues of
our clients and deliver a turnkey suc-
cess story every time.” However, find-
ing customers is perhaps a tad easier
than finding cell sites in the cell-tower
business, according to Brunetti. That’s
because the tower industry is unique
in that it has a captive audience.
So far, the top two wireless carriers,
AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless,
have been CST’s biggest customers.
“Each tower company determines how
much geography it wants to cover or
how big it wants to be,” Brunetti said.
“Meanwhile, each carrier has delin-
eated lines or licensed spectrum areas
in which they operate. For example,
in the Richmond, Virginia, basic trad-
ing area, several carriers hold spec-
trum licenses. You need to market
your sites to those folks.”
According to Brunetti, developing
a business model prior to starting
the company was the key to her firm’s
success. “A business model serves as
a road map to your final destination,
which is, hopefully, success,” she said.
“When I first started out, a couple of
folks wanted CST to manage and
market their buildings or rooftops
for antenna placement. I became re-
ally excited at first, and later it just
became a hindrance. Managing roof-
tops was not in our original business
model, and it was taking time and
energy that should have been placed
on building sites that fell within the
original CST business model.”
Similarly, although building
towers for municipalities falls out-
side of Brunetti’s business model,
her company has provided space for
local government to put E-911
equipment on several sites in the
CST portfolio. “I believe that devel-
oping infrastructure for munici-
palities is a niche business, and I
know a few folks who have capital-
ized on it and done it well,” she said.
“However, it was just never part of
CST’s original business model.”
In addition to sticking to her niche,
Brunetti has found that keeping her
business lean keeps her firm success-
ful. “The most employees I have ever
had is two,” she said. “I have always
tried to keep overhead low, and using
contractors on an as-needed basis
helped me consistently keep my op-
erating cost lean.” CST uses mainte-
nance subcontractors for lawn care
and for towers that have to be lighted
per FAA regulations.
When asked whether she runs any
side businesses — such as the other
real-estate, motel or self-storage-unit
businesses common to tower com-
pany owners, Brunetti said: “No. I
cannot imagine running more than
one company at a time, but I have
learned to never say never.”
CST sold its first batch of towers
to SBA Communications in October
2015. “ The sale process was an
amazing experience, and I continue
to learn so much every day,” Bru-
netti said. “At this point, I am not
sure what the future holds for CST,
but the possibilities are endless, and
I am excited to see how the next
chapter in my book will read.”
Mike Harrington is a freelance writer in
Prairie Village, Kansas.
February 2016
aglmediagroup.com
013
Backhaul

The (Cable) Wire Behind Wireless:

Time Warner Cable Business Class and Cell Tower Backhaul
By Travis Reynolds
An unexpected player has a major role in delivering mobile traffic.

Over the years, a very large, well-
known company has quietly es-
t a b lished itself in the mobile
communications industry.
Time Warner Cable, through its
commercial ser vices division,
Time Warner Cable Business Class
(TWCBC), has successfully used
the company’s robust, nationwide
network to help meet the growing
needs of mobile network opera-
tors and their end users. Today,
it provides cell tower backhaul
services throughout the country,
and this year will approach near-
ly 20,000 towers.
Widely known as the cable com-
pany people have in their homes,
Time Warner Cable is among the
largest providers of video, high-
speed data and voice services in the
United States, connecting more
than 15 million customers with en-
tertainment, information and each
other. TWCBC offers a full comple-
ment of business communications
tools to small, medium-sized and
enterprise-sized companies, includ-
ing Internet, voice, television, net-
work and cloud services.
Standing Up the Tower Business
Founded in 1998, TWCBC serves more
than 700,000 business customers and
has continued to be a major growth
engine for the overall company. In fact,
revenue for commercial services has
grown more than $100 million for 17
consecutive quarters.
In other words, it’s a booming
business for the cable giant.
It was in the mid-2000s that ex-
ecutives at Time Warner Cable de-
cided to begin evaluating the role its
fiber-optic network could play in pro-
viding services for the mobile industry.
“When we decided to get into the
cell tower business, we went through
about 18 months of just looking at
the opportunity and understanding
if our plant was capable of the tech-
nical requirements and planning for
how we could optimize our ef-
forts,” said Thane Storck, group

Thane Storck, group vice president, carrier

A Time Warner Cable Business Class technician examines equipment at a cable headend. services, Time Warner Cable Business Class.

agl magazine
February 2016
014
Time Warner Cable Business Class has fiber assets deployed in close proximity to thousands of buildings, enabling rapid installation. Its more than
150,000 route miles include cell towers and placements on and near net buildings in 31 U.S. metro markets.
vice president, carrier services, TWCBC.
“We quickly realized the very large
and very real potential of leveraging our
existing, robust fiber network to de-
liver a piece of the mobile network back-
bone,” Storck said. “We’re in 29 states
and 31 U.S. metro areas. So there was
a good chance that our network was
already in areas where the cellular pro-
viders were looking for more capacity.”
It’s those two components —
coverage and capacity — that al-
lowed TWCBC to have such a large
effect and, in January 2008, the
company’s first tower went active.
Location, Location, Location —
and Strength
“We’re active in cell tower backhaul
distribution in every one of our op-
erating regions,” Storck said. “From
Los Angeles to New York City and
from Milwaukee to Dallas, we help
ensure wireless calls are clear, mo-
bile device data is readily accessible
and videos play without buffering.”
As a cable company, TWC operates
a robust and dense fiber-optic network
in its service area, which means the
network is readily available to connect
cell towers that are often miles and
miles apart. According to Storck, the
fiber builds can be anywhere from a
few hundred feet to three or four miles.
“In most of the areas we serve, our
coverage is widespread,” Storck said.
“Although we may not be everywhere,
especially as you get to the outer range
of our network and into more rural ar-
eas, if we are at least nearby, we can do
the necessary construction to complete
the connection. Towers are everywhere,
from parking lots to the side of the road,
and often in the middle of a cornfield.
It’s our reach, our established network
coverage, that makes us such a valued
partner for the wireless providers.”
To meet the rigorous, mission-
critical bandwidth demands of next-
generation mobile devices on 4G
LTE and LTE+ networks, the com-
pany’s reliable Ethernet or lit wave
solutions can scale up to 10 Gbps.
As is often the case with advanced
network construction, instead of a
straight line, the towers are typi-
cally connected by a ring of fiber-
optic cable where several towers are
looped together to a TWCBC hub.
This ensures redundancy, so if one
network is damaged, there’s another
network to seamlessly take its place
and customers won’t be affected.
aglmediagroup.com
015
Backhaul
A Time Warner Cable Business Class technician makes a connection to aerial cable.
“The key in our planning is to make
sure our network has enough capac-
ity in its infrastructure to deal with
the ever-growing demands of voice,
data and video, so the days of drop-
ping calls or buffering video are long
gone,” Storck said.
Planning for the Future
Within the mobile industry, there
seemingly exists an always-expand-
ing thirst for capacity. Through work-
ing with some of the world’s top
cellular companies, TWCBC is often
At an installation site, a technician draws
cable for an outdoor run.
agl magazine
016
asked to help overcome this need.
“The question we often ask ourselves
is, ‘How do we stay out ahead of it and
what advances are available to squeeze
more from the network?’” Storck said.
“We work very hard to focus on the
future and ensure we’re there for our
clients when they tip their scales or
enter into a new, underserved market.”
One area where TWCBC is able to
stay ahead of demand is supporting
clients looking for small cell solutions.
Its advantage is network reach and
accessibility to real estate and power.
“Outside of the obvious network
capacity needed to accomplish small
cell, which we have, our decades-
long work of constructing a physical
plant with readily available power
makes us a natural partner for the
service providers,” Storck said.
The TWCBC physical plant would
include things such as utility poles,
hub stations and other accessible
locations where small cells can be
placed, as well as the field staff to
complete the necessary work. In ad-
dition, most of this physical plant
already has power that could be
made accessible.
“Small cell is an area of great in-
terest that we are closely monitor-
ing,” Storck said.
In the meantime, the company is
focused on maintaining and growing
its stake in cell tower backhaul services.
“As with most of the digital world,
the pace of change and innovation
in the mobile community requires
that we execute on our overall strat-
egy, but remain nimble enough to
redirect efforts to mirror the moves
in the industry,” Storck said.
Travis Reynolds is director of pub-
lic relations and business services
a t T i m e Wa r n e r C a b l e. V i s i t
https://business.twc.com.
February 2016
 Could it be any smarter?
The innovative Times-Protect Smart Panel
TM
®

revolutionizing the cellular base station entrance panel

Lower Installed Cost - Maximum Protection

NO external coaxial grounding kits required

NO outside copper master ground bar (to steal..)
NO lightning protector trapeze inside
TRUE single point grounding by design
TRUE lightning protection for your valuable equipment
How do we do it?
Vist: www.timesmicrowave.com/products/protect/downloads/smartpanel.pdf to find out!

World Headquarters: 358 Hall Avenue, Wallingford, CT 06492 • Tel: 203-949-8400, 1-800-867-2629 Fax: 203-949-8423
International Sales: 4 School Brae, Dysant, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland KY1 2XB UK • Tel: +44(0) 1592655428
China Sales: No.318 Yuan Shan Road Shanghai China • Tel: 86-21-51761234 Fax: 86-21-64424098 aglmediagroup.com
www.timesmicrowave.com
017
Mobile Data
Delivering Mobile Data Indoors and Out
By Prof. Jie Zhang
RF planning tools play an essential role in the design of cellular networks and increasingly need to offer
greatly enhanced functionality, flexibility and cost effectiveness if cellular networks are to meet the emer-
gent needs of the hetnet era.
The original purpose of a mobile net-
work was to provide voice coverage
when users were away from their of-
fices or homes. This objective was
well served by outdoor macronet-
works, which could largely be planned
using straightforward outdoor RF
coverage analysis. The shift to mobile
data has driven usage indoors, and
today this represents an estimated
80 percent of total mobile data con-
sumption. The default planning posi-
tion adopted has been an outside-in
approach, where outdoor macrocov-
erage penetrates into buildings.
But with subscriber densities in-
creasing, the traditional one-size-fits-
all outdoor macronetwork model is
being supplemented with small cells,
distributed antenna system (DAS)
networks and Wi-Fi to both increase
capacity and improve indoor coverage
depth. These systems must all work
together in the heterogeneous net-
work to deliver good experiences
wherever consumers are — and for
an ever-widening range of different
service types and applications.
This requires careful RF planning
to model outdoor and indoor environ-
ments and their joint propagation
patterns in order to understand how
the different network components
interact and interfere.
A holistic approach to network
agl magazine
018
performance modelling is essential if
we’re to take the guesswork out of un-
derstanding how these different types
of infrastructure will work together to
create the desired, seamless customer
experience. Independent models of
indoor and outdoor, radio access net-
work (RAN) and backhaul, radio-fre-
quency (RF) performance and service
performance factors cannot take ac-
count of their overall interaction and
will therefore be implicitly inaccurate.
This has the potential to greatly
affect the profitability and success
of network operators and their part-
ners. In the early days of the voice
coverage rollout, signal strength
plots alone provided a good indica-
tor of end user quality of experience.
However, in today’s capacity-limit-
ed data paradigm, interference,
loading and types of service must
all be taken into account in order to
understand what the end user ex-
perience will actually be. And al-
though network density and
complexity must scale to meet de-
mand, revenue will not, and so new
and more cost-effective processes
must be introduced in order to
maintain profitability.
The Complex Hetnet
The heterogeneous part of the term
hetnets can mean different things to
different people. Perhaps the most
common interpretation involves a
network that’s comprised of a range
of different cell sizes: macro, micro
and femto or small cells. Capacity, or
more specifically spectral efficiency,
is maximized when the different-
sized cells all use the same carrier
frequency, but this leads to a complex
interference environment that de-
mands coordination of technologies
such as enhanced inter-cell interfer-
ence coordination (eICIC) and coor-
dinated multipoint (CoMP).
This managed interaction implies
that RF planners should simultane-
ously analyze the different components
of the hetnet as well as any supporting
coordination technologies.
Small cells deployed close to con-
sumers, indoors or at street level,
will increase capacity and coverage
depth, but also will introduce the
new challenge of small cell backhaul.
Identified by operators as one of the
main barriers to deployment, small
cell backhaul is a part of the hetnet
and will need to be jointly designed
and optimized alongside the radio
access networks.
Looking Outside In
The growing demand for mobile
data is driving changes in the shape
of radio access networks. Data
February 2016
services are more capacity hungry leading to a loss-making situation. room for innovation and increased
than voice and text, and the major- However, equipment vendors operational efficiency. RF planning
ity of consumption today tends to and analysts have pointed out the will need newer and more integrat-
be indoors rather than outside. flaws in this simplistic analysis. ed processes for all the different
Demand growth is slowing, capac- teams involved throughout the de-
Loading, Scalability and Cost ity will mainly be constrained by sign, deployment, maintenance and
Data is greedy and will consume as capital, and there is still plenty of optimization life cycle.
much network capacity as it can
take. The result is that networks
today are capacity-limited, and the
user experience therefore depends
on loading — the number of other
users they are sharing with and the
types of data service in use.
Scalability is becoming increas- WANHO Continues to be Grounded in Customer Satisfaction
ingly important for all aspects of
the network life cycle, and this in- Simplify your Installation Requirements Utilizing Genuine WANHO Grounding
Solutions and Expanded Lug Configurations for all of your Equipment Applications.
cludes RF planning. Self-organizing
network (SON) technologies are
being incorporated into equipment,
but RF planning is still much need-
ed to design cost-effective hetnets.
A high degree of automation of RF
planning tools is needed to find
enough engineers to install an in-
creasing number of small cells and
keep service cost low. Although au-
tomation will never give perfect
results, it will need to be good
enough to quickly identify the
amount of infrastructure needed to
meet expected consumer demands
across an area that comprises both
outdoor and indoor environments.
The consumers’ apparent willing-
ness to pay for mobile connectivity
WANHO Manufacturing's Universal Grounding Solutions Portfolio is
is not keeping pace with their de- Designed & Engineered to Protect your Investment.
mands for richer services, increased "Consider It Done"........
data volumes and deeper coverage. Protect your cable and equipment warranties - Specify genuine WANHO accessories.
Available only through our qualified/OEM partners.
Much has been said about mobile
SALES@WANHO.COM WWW.WANHO.COM
data creating a scissor effect for the
mobile industry, which assumes a ISO 9001:2008
scenario in which the cost of meet-
ing exponentially increasing de- OPTIONS CHOICES SOLUTIONS
mands is rising faster than revenue,

aglmediagroup.com
019
Mobile Data
Equipment vendors need to un-
derstand and demonstrate how their
technology meets network opera-
tors’ performance requirements and
is within their cost constraints. Op-
erators themselves need a vendor-
agnostic comparison of the benefits
of different techn o l o g i e s w h e n
a p p l i e d to t h e i r ne t wo r k a nd
subscriber base. They also need to
perform detailed network planning
to decide exactly where to site the
equipment and how to backhaul it.
Service groups and over-the-
top (OT T) players, who provide
apps or services that bypass tra-
ditional distribution need to un-
derstand the quality of experience
that will be achieved over a given
network . Finally, the network
must be maintained, monitored,
optimized and upgraded.
Performance Modeling
At the center of the life cycle is a
common performance-modelling
platform on which a detailed de-
scription of the hetnet technology,
configuration and environment can
be built. Each group has its area of
specialized knowledge and associ-
ated data assets. Where a common
platform is used, all groups can
make use of the expertise and ef-
forts of previous users, rather than
starting from scratch at every stage.
This conservation of effort reduces
costs and brings value to all parts
of the life cycle.
The traditional roles of equip-
ment vendors, network operators
and assurance solutions providers
are also changing in their scope.
For example, major equipment ven-
dors are increasingly managing
agl magazine
020
infrastructure themselves, becom-
ing providers of leased capacity to
operators. Network operators in
turn are collaborating with OTT
players to manage the resulting
end-user quality of experience and
exploit brands and social network-
ing and content partners.
Deployment
The Small Cell Forum’s view of the
deployment planning process is one
that combines both RAN and back-
haul in the planning stage and also
takes into account the existing
macronetwork. Once a network
design or upgrade has been
planned, it needs to be transferred
to the operations teams for deploy-
ment on the ground. Significant
effort and costs can be saved if the
tools used for planning can direct-
ly generate output in a format suit-
able for these teams.
The transfer of network designs
from the designers to the deployers
requires planning tools to be able
to provide actionable instructions
to teams on the ground. These out-
puts involve detailing installation
and commissioning issues, such as
the desired locations of infrastruc-
ture assets, the orientation and
alignment of their antennas, as well
as power and backhaul details.
Mobile data connectivity has
enabled a diverse range of different
service types to be delivered to con-
sumers on the go with widely vary-
ing requirements for the quality of
the connection in terms of the data
rates and latency. OTT players are
entering the fray and developing
robust service offerings that can
tolerate the “best effort” or “dumb
pipe” connectivity characteristic of
the Internet and IP. Both operators
and OTT players are also negotiat-
ing to arrange prioritized connec-
tivity for monetizable services,
although some see this as a breach
of net neutrality.
RF performance prediction tools
can be used by service introduction
and delivery groups to understand
whether a service would be viable
under given network and loading
conditions. The tools must be able
to model load in terms of varying
user densities across both outdoor
and indoor areas, as well as handle
the types of services that users will
be consuming.
In Summary
The rise of mobile data is changing
the shape of mobile networks. The
need for more capacity is driving
densification while the move to in-
creased indoor consumption requires
in-building systems including DAS,
Wi-Fi and small cell technologies.
All of these interfere with each oth-
er and the existing macrocell net-
work coverage and so need to be
coordinated using hetnet technolo-
gies such as eICIC. RF planning tools
will continue to play an essential role
in the design of cellular networks,
but will increasingly need to offer
greatly enhanced functionality, flex-
ibility and cost effectiveness if
they’re to meet the emergent needs
of the hetnet era.
Professor Jie Zhang is cofounder of
Ranplan and chair in wireless systems
at Sheffield University in Sheffield,
Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Visit
www.ranplan.co.uk.
February 2016
 ꤀ ㈀　㄀㔀 匀愀戀爀攀 䤀渀搀甀猀琀爀椀攀猀Ⰰ 䤀渀挀⸀ ⴀ 匀䤀䤀 ㄀㈀开㄀㔀

倀爀漀瘀椀搀椀渀最 琀栀攀 琀攀氀攀挀漀洀洀甀渀椀挀愀琀椀漀渀猀 椀渀搀甀猀琀爀礀 眀椀琀栀 愀 猀椀渀最氀攀 琀甀爀渀欀攀礀 猀漀氀甀琀椀漀渀⸀

䌀漀渀琀愀挀琀 匀愀戀爀攀 琀漀搀愀礀 昀漀爀 愀氀氀 礀漀甀爀 瀀爀漀樀攀挀琀 渀攀攀搀猀⸀

㠀　　ⴀ㌀㘀㤀ⴀ㘀㘀㤀　 簀 眀眀眀⸀匀愀戀爀攀䤀渀搀甀猀琀爀椀攀猀⸀挀漀洀

aglmediagroup.com
021
In Memorium
Acclaim for the Late Connie Durcsak, UTC President and CEO
By J. Sharpe Smith
As the originator of the DAS Forum, now known as the HetNet Forum, Connie Durcsak put her stamp on the
wireless telecommunications industry. Most recently, she helmed a membership organization for telecom
in the utility industry.
Connie Durcsak, president and
CEO of the Utilities Telecom Coun-
cil since 2011, died on Nov. 14,
2015. She was 50. No cause of
death was made public. Under her
leadership, UTC expanded its glob-
al membership and expanded the
scope of its advocacy, according to
Ron Taylor, UTC’s board chairman.
“She set a new vision for UTC as
the source and resource for the in-
dustry on all matters related to
communications and in-
formation technologies
for utilities, pipeline com-
panies and other critical
infrastr ucture indus -
tries,” Taylor said. “Her
professional leadership
on utility industry issues
such as spectrum man-
agement, cybersecurity
and utility modernization
combined with her ability
to set the strategic direc-
tion of utility advocacy
efforts has moved the
whole industry forward.”
Before joining UTC,
Durcsak served as an ex-
ecutive at PCIA – T he
Wireless Infrastructure
Association for more than
a decade.
“We note with great
agl magazine
022
sadness the death of Connie Durcsak,
who was a dear friend, a dedicated
professional and a true leader in the
wireless industry,” said Jonathan
Adelstein, PCIA president and CEO.
Durcsak may best be remembered
by the wireless industry as the orig-
inator of the DAS Forum, the mem-
bership section of PCIA that has
grown from a handful of members
into the HetNet Forum whose expo
attracted 750 attendees this year.
Attorney Ed Donohue of Dono-
hue & Stearns worked with Durcsak
as a founding member of the DAS
Forum. He described her as a vi-
sionary and charismatic leader who
was the driving force behind the
DAS Forum.
“Connie came up with the idea,
made space at PCIA for it and al-
lowed American Tower, Crown Cas-
tle International and others to create
the DAS Forum,” Donohue said. “She
was clearly the driving
force throughout that pe-
riod. She was the catalyst
that launched the group
and allowed it to become
what it is today. We are all
indebted to her.”
A llen Dixon, enter-
prise account executive,
H&M NetWorks, was the
first president of the
DAS Forum. He said he
remembered her ability
to bring competitors and
skeptics together for a
common cause.
“Connie was a galva-
nizing presence in the
industr y,” Dixon said.
“ S h e h a d a k n a c k fo r
drawing people together
by focusing on their tal-
ents and what they had
February 2016
 in common. When we formed the
DAS Forum — now the HetNet
Forum — Connie took a group of
competitors, skeptics and support-
ers and created a unified coherent
strategy and message. The indus-
try will miss her energy, enthusi-
asm and intelligence. But mostly,
we will miss her.”
Liz Hill, American Tower’s di-
rector of state and local govern-
ment affairs, also is a founding
member of the DAS Forum. “While
Connie will be missed within our
industry for her calm leadership
and boundless enthusiasm for
broadband, what I loved most
about Connie was her passion for
Connie Durcsak (left) and Janet Gill in 2006 at a PCIA convention. At PCIA, Durcsak was ex- her children,” Hill said.
ecutive director of the DAS Forum and senior director of industry services. Gill was PCIA’s
Durcsak is survived by her hus-
director of marketing and member relations. Photo by Don Bishop
band David and two daughters.

The designed IBC/DAS antenna

SENCITY® Cube is a multiband MIMO antenna
for 698 to 2700 MHz, PIM −155 dBc at carrier power, true directional pattern and high gain.
Its smart design and the easy mounting options fit most architectural designs.
› hubersuhner.com

HUBER+SUHNER INC. Charlotte NC 28273/USA

USA_Sencity_Cube_190.5x114.3__2.indd 1 14.12.2015 17:25:06

aglmediagroup.com
023
In Memorium

Remembering Jay Kitchen, Former PCIA Leader

By J. Sharpe Smith

As president of PCIA, Jay Kitchen led its transition from representing wireless carriers to representing
infrastructure companies.

Emmett B. “Jay” Kitchen Jr. of Alex-
andria, Virginia, and Palm Island,
Florida, died Dec. 13 in his Palm Is-
land home after an extended battle
with Parkinson’s disease. He was 70.
Kitchen was president of the Per-
sonal Communications Industry
Association (PCIA) from 1994 to
2004. Before that, he was president
of the National Association of Busi-
ness and Educational Radio (NA-
BER), which merged with PCIA in
1994. Kitchen graduated from Vir-
ginia Technological University with
a degree in electrical engineering
and began his career in the public
sector at the FCC where he served
as a wireless telecom policy adviser.
He was inducted into the Wireless
History Foundation’s Hall of Fame
in 2007.
Jonathan Adelstein, president and
CEO of PCIA – The Wireless Infra-
structure Association, said Kitchen
played an instrumental role in shap-
ing the modern voice of the wireless
industry in Washington.
“Under his watch, PCIA established
itself as a leading organization repre-
senting companies that build, operate
and own the nation’s vital wireless
infrastructure,” Adelstein said. “His
tireless work and dedication to this
association and the entire wireless
sector deserves the utmost respect
and appreciation."
Tom Stroup, a former PCIA pres-
ident who left the association to
start Columbia Spectrum Manage-
ment before the association merged
with NABER and Kitchen became
president of the combined organi-
zation, said that Kitchen was a tire-
less advocate for the wireless
industry. “He was extremely knowl-
edgeable about the industry and
approachable,” Stroup said. “The
organization and its trade show
grew substantially under his leader-
ship. Having served at the FCC, Jay
was appreciative of the awards
started by NABER, and PCIA con-
tinued the industry award pro-
gram.” Stroup now is president of

Emmett B. “Jay” Kitchen (center), former president and CEO of the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA), with Mark E. Crosby (left),
president of the Enterprise Wireless Alliance, and Tom Stroup, former president of Telocator (PCIA under a previous name), in 2009. Photo by Don Bishop

agl magazine
February 2016
024
the Satellite Industry Association.
Mark E. Crosby, president of the
Enterprise Wireless Alliance, com-
peted for frequency coordination
business with K itchen dur ing
Kitchen’s tenure at NABER and
then at PCIA.
“We were fierce competitors,
but at the same time very good
friends. I will miss Jay,” Crosby
said. “More often than not, we
worked together on the critical
issues that the land mobile radio
community faced.”
Wireless consultant and re-
searcher Andrew Seybold tweet-
ed that Kitchen was “a true leader
in the world of land mobile radio
and wireless.”
Kitchen was helpful to members
of the press, always taking calls and
The "invisible" IBC/DAS antenna
SENCITY® Rondo is a multiband MIMO antenna
for 698 to 3800 MHz, PIM −155 dBc at 20 W, omnidirectional and high gain.
Its smart design and the different mounting options fit most architectural designs.
› hubersuhner.com
HUBER+SUHNER INC. Charlotte NC 28273/USA
USA_Sencity_Rondo_190.5x114.3__2.indd 1
making time to explain his asso-
ciation’s positions. Don Bishop,
executive editor and associate pub-
lisher at AGL Media Group, de-
scribed Kitchen’s leadership style
as calm, competent and reflective.
“When NABER merged with PCIA,
Jay took charge of a large number
of membership sections,” Bishop
said. “I was impressed with his or-
ganizational ability.”
I was a reporter new to the wire-
less industry in 1989 when I met
Kitchen. He became one of my first
sources. I experienced him as a warm,
caring individual who would always
take time to teach me about radio,
the industry and FCC regulations.
His self-deprecating humor al-
ways made me feel at ease, and
he became a true friend.
A good association head is
equal parts politician, impresa-
rio, visionar y, manager and
ambassador for the industry.
Kitchen made me want to be a
part of the wireless industry
community, and 26 years later I am
still grateful.
Kitchen is survived by his wife
Dr. Kim Ierna Kitchen, a sister and
two sons.
15.10.2015 14:56:10
aglmediagroup.com
025
Safety
RF Safety Awareness Training: Who Needs It and Why
By Andy Singer
RF technicians, RF engineers, installers, system analysts and subcontractors can all benefit from RF safety
awareness training.
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) and the Fed-
eral Communications Commission
(FCC) require telecommunication
workers to be certified for RF safety
awareness. The FCC has made it clear
that RF safety is truly important for
all employees who work on or near
wireless and broadcast communica-
tion sites. Failure to comply can result
in personal injury, fines and lawsuits.
The FCC requires that members
of the public should be kept safe
when they are near wireless anten-
nas. OSHA requires that employees
must be provided with safe work
environments. This includes workers
who enter and work on or near wire-
less systems. A workplace that ex-
poses employees to RF energy is
considered to be a hazardous envi-
ronment, and workers with potential
exposure must be trained. If you own
or manage a company that services
wireless and other telecommunica-
tions sites, OSHA requires that your
employees be trained and certified
in RF safety awareness.
Periodic Training
Although OSHA and the FCC do not
offer specific guidance on how often
your team requires training, most
experts agree it should be done for all
new employees and on an annual ba-
sis for existing employees. Record-
agl magazine
026
keeping is extremely important. The
training completion certificate should
be signed by the trainer and dated. A
copy of the signed certificate should
be maintained in your human resourc-
es training files. Training is not only
required, compliance helps to keep
your employees safe, prevents injuries
and reduces potential liability.
Most electromagnetic energy levels
are generally safe, but you should un-
derstand how to determine whether
dangerous levels exist. Electromag-
netic energy is all around us, gener-
ally at low levels. Wireless sites that
generate this energy include cellular
radio, paging systems, public safety
systems and business communica-
tions systems. Typical wireless com-
munications systems operate in the
VHF, UHF and SHF bands. The human
body acts in a way similar to an an-
tenna in that it absorbs a certain
amount of RF energy. This absorbed
energy is the source of potential
health concerns related to RF safety.
Body Resonance
The measurement quantity utilized
to measure how much RF energy is
absorbed in a human body is called
the specific absorption rate (SAR).
It is usually expressed in units of
watts per kilogram or milliwatts
per kilogram. The human body has
a resonance that causes more en-
ergy to be absorbed in a range of
frequencies around 100 MHz. Be-
cause of the resonance, RF safety
standards are generally most re-
strictive for the 30-MHz-to- 300-
MHz frequency range.
Ionizing radiation is electromag-
netic energy capable of producing
ions (charged atoms) as they pass
through matter. Electromagnetic en-
ergy at frequencies above those of
ultraviolet (UV) light (such as x-rays)
is ionizing and can cause permanent
biological cell changes. Non-ionizing
radiation is electromagnetic energy
that does not have enough photons
to create ions. In this case, energy is
absorbed as heat. These effects are
not cumulative and are not shown to
cause cancer. RF energy at frequen-
cies below that of UV light is non-
ionizing. The primary danger with
high levels of RF energy is tissue heat-
ing and RF burns. Proper training
allows workers to know the signs of
over exposure, and more important-
ly, how to avoid or protect themselves
from higher levels of exposure.
The good news is that wireless
telecommunications equipment only
generates non-ionizing radiation,
and at most cellular and other wire-
less communications sites the en-
ergy levels are low enough that tissue
heating is not a matter of concern.
Ground-level exposure is much less
February 2016
than the exposure at the same height
as the antennas and directly in front
of the antennas. For cellular rooftop
sites, potential exposure approaching
or exceeding the safety guidelines is
only likely to be encountered close
to and directly in front of the anten-
nas while they are transmitting.
Broadcast sites such as AM, FM and
TV stations can use much higher
power levels, up to 1 million watts
for certain stations. Although the
amount of RF energy workers can be
exposed to at these sites depends on
a number of factors, workers going
to these sites need to take all precau-
tions to ensure their RF safety.
Precautions
RF safety means understanding the
basics of electromagnetic energy
and its potential effect on the hu-
man body, as well as practicing
A sign on the fence surrounding a tower in suburban Las Vegas cautions workers about the need for RF safety awareness training and indicates
that exposure to possibly hazardous RF energy would require climbing the tower, not working at ground level. Photos by Don Bishop
common sense. As an example, em-
ployers should ensure that employ-
e e s d o no t l o o k i n to a n o p e n
waveguide that is connected with
an energized source of microwave
radiation. Avoiding or minimizing
time directly in front of energized
wireless antennas is also beneficial.
A good RF safety training course
covers these precautions in detail.
There is also a difference between
uncontrolled exposure and controlled
exposure. Uncontrolled exposure oc-
curs when the general public or those
unaware may be exposed to RF en-
ergy and cannot exercise control.
Controlled exposure occurs when
exposure results from employment
and when those involved are fully
aware. The occupational controlled
limits are five times higher than the
exposure limits for the general popu-
lation or uncontrolled exposure. This
makes a difference because with con-
trolled exposure, there is an expecta-
tion of awareness and training. RF
safety is about being aware and iden-
tifying areas that may be hazardous,
using proper signage, providing writ-
ten guidelines and training employees
and site workers.
Multiple Transmitters
RF safety training should also cover
how to address sites with multiple
transmitters, which are common. Per
FCC rules, RF safety compliance at a
site with multiple transmitters is a
shared responsibility. The FCC’s expo-
sure guidelines constitute exposure
limits, not emission limits, so they are
relevant only to accessible locations.
Access can and should be controlled
by appropriate means such as fences,
locked doors and raised antennas.
For broadcast sites, a good RF
aglmediagroup.com
027
Safety

RF energy from antennas placed on the Gold Star tower facade pose no hazard to the public because of their height above ground and the build-
ing’s controlled access. Workers would have to angle themselves in front of the antennas for potential hazardous exposure. The tower is on the
Oklahoma City University campus. Photo by Don Bishop

agl magazine
February 2016
028
safety course covers the use of per-
sonal protective equipment (PPE).
This can include RF protection suits,
power control, RF safety monitors
and standard operating procedures
as part of a robust RF safety program.
RF safety monitors are particularly
critical when climbing a tower or when
working near broadcast sites, where
workers should always wear RF per-
sonal monitors. In other situations,
such as wireless communications
sites, monitors are not always needed
as long as the employees have received
proper RF safety training. Employers
should also always ensure that they
supply employees with the required
safety equipment for any job. For ex-
ample, this includes proper lighting
for required work and observations,
safety glasses for any jobs that may
involve flying debris and first aid kits
for their teams. It’s important to en-
sure that work is carried out by em-
ployees in a safe and healthful manner.
On-site or Online
RF safety training is generally available
either with the trainer traveling to your
office or online. Online training is con-
venient and affordable and allows the
student to take the course when time
is available and set a comfortable pace.
If you bring a trainer into your office,
the cost per employee will most likely
be higher, unless you have a large num-
ber of students. In-person training,
with the instructor face-to-face with
the students, provides abundant op-
portunity for questions and answers
and a deeper relationship with the
instructor. Regardless of the deliv-
ery method you choose, it’s impor-
tant to understand that OSHA and
the FCC require your site workers
to be certified. Employees such as
RF technicians, RF engineers, in-
stallers, system analysts and sub-
contractors can all benefit from RF
safety awareness training.
Andy Singer is president of Singer
Executive Development. The company
provides professional and technical
training and consulting, including RF
safety training. Visit www.singerex-
ecutivedevelopment.com
aglmediagroup.com
029
Safety
The OSHA Files — Why Thomas C. Owens Died
By Dr. Bridgette Hester
Guidelines in use in 1987 are not the same as today's, but this fatality could have been avoided by adhering
to the guidelines in use at that time.
This installment of the OSHA Files
series explores what happened to
Thomas C. Owens in the summer
of 1987. My hope is that you will
find the information in this series
useful as a learning tool with your
crews to help to identify the fail-
ures in the fatality and to encour-
age them to ask questions about
what they can do to make their
workplace safer.
Much of the information comes
from the file OSHA sent me in re-
sponse to a Freedom of Informa-
tion Act request. OSHA redacted
some of the file contents. Other
information (such as sur viving
family) was obtained with a search
I conducted. The following are my
words unless indicated by the cita-
tion (OSHA, 2005).
Summary of Events
According to the citation notations
in the file, it appears that on July
27, 1987, Owens had been “working
at a private residence when his safe-
ty belt broke and he fell 40 feet”
(OSHA, 1995).
The Incident
Owens had been working on private
property, dismantling a tower, on
July 27, 1987. The owner sent him
to 2415 Riley St., Orangeburg ,
South Carolina, to disassemble a
40-foot tower antenna. Owens was
agl magazine
030
not listed on [the owner’s] Social
Security record and was not con-
sidered a full-time employee, but
an employee-employer relationship
was established due to [the own-
er’s] hiring, paying wages and issu-
ing equipment to Owens. Owens
was near the top of the tower, start-
ing disassembly, when the lanyard
belt, which wrapped around the
tower support and his waist, broke.
Owens fell to the ground (approxi-
mately 40 feet) and died as a result
of head trauma. The key factor in
the accident was the condition of
the safety belt and lanyard.
It should also be noted that:
● The belt in question was manu-
factured in 1958; the belt, made
of single-ply leather, was 29 years
old. The belt had been taken out
of service and repaired after it had
broken once, and then it was
placed back into service, and the
inspector noted the belt was “dry
rotted.” A spokesman for the belt
manufacturer stated that a safety
belt should be taken out of service
after 10 years (OSHA, 1987).
● The file noted there was also an-
other employee who refused to
be interviewed (the reason was
not noted).
● According to the file, [the owner]
stated he was unaware of the re-
quirement to report the worker’s
fatal fall within the time frame
established in the first citation.
● There was no written safety and
health program on file with the
employer, and safety and health
information was communicated
to the employees through on-the-
job training — such as it was.
Furthermore, safety meetings
were held “as needed.” The com-
munication with employees and
the enforcement of safety and
health procedures was document-
ed as “average.”
Author’s Commentary
As far as OSHA reports are con-
cerned, especially one this old,
the report was succinct and clear-
ly written. The circumstances are
straightforward. I chose this re-
por t to review because of the
many phone calls I have received
regarding inadequate personal
protective equipment (PPE) and
the hesitation on the part of some
climbers to voice their concerns
or file complaints with OSHA. I
have als o re ceive d calls from
climbers with questions about
their status as an employee.
It is shameful that an employ-
er would use a piece of PPE that
clearly should have been taken
out of service. Never mind that
the belt was 29 years old, which
is reason enough to take the belt
out of service, it was dry-rotted
February 2016
aglmediagroup.com
031
 Safety
and had been repaired and placed
back in service. I understand an
employer’s desire to make the dol-
lar stretch, but there is no excuse
for the risk taken by this employ-
er. I wonder now how many em-
ployers choose to cut corners and
use equipment that is clearly not
safe. Granted, it may not be to the
extent described in this particular
OSHA report, but how many em-
ployers take unnecessary risks?
How many employees are too
afraid to say anything for fear of
losing their jobs? Safety is more
important than getting the job
done. No employer, no job and no
deadline is worth using unsafe,
shoddy, unserviceable PPE.
DumpsterMag_4_625x4_875.indd 1
agl magazine
032
Employers need to quit cutting
corners, buy the proper equip-
ment, and take out of service the
PPE that is clearly unusable, and
climbers need to be vocal about
their safety and quit performing
jobs using unsafe PPE. There are
other employers. There are good
companies that will provide the
proper gear. You have to take per-
sonal responsibility for your own
safety. Your staying alive is para-
mount to your paycheck.
I would pray that no employer
today is using equipment like that
described in this report from 28
years ago, but I often wonder. It is
a terrifying thought.
Employers also should take note
5/6/11 10:32 AM
of the employment status men-
tioned in the file. Specifically, the
part that reads, “Owens was not
listed on [the owner’s] Social Se-
curity record and was not consid-
ered a full-time employee, but an
employee-employer relationship
was established due to [the own-
er’s] hiring, paying wages, and is-
suing equipment to Owens.”
When reading the file and seeing
the notes, it struck me almost im-
mediately that it appeared as
though the employer was trying to
skirt this issue with the investiga-
tor and worked to convince the
investigator that Owens wasn’t an
employee, when clearly he was.
Mind you, I am inferring intent or
attitude in this instance. This is
just my opinion, but why would you
say such things unless you are de-
liberately trying to avoid the cita-
tion? If the employer-employee
relationship can be established,
then an employer is not going to
escape responsibility. It is also the
climber’s responsibility to obtain
copies of employment contracts
(especially if you are a 1099 em-
ployee), hiring paperwork, hours
and check stubs and keep them on
file at home or with loved ones in
case an issue were to ever arise in
an accident or a fatality.
Bridgette Hester, Ph.D., is a family and
workplace strategist. She is the founder
and president of the Hubble Foundation,
which is dedicated to promoting the
safety of tower workers, site crews and
all workers at heights. Her email address
is bridgette@hubblefoundation.org.
February 2016
aglmediagroup.com
033
Safety
Workplace Violence: Putting Employers on the Horns of a Dilemma
By Mark A. Lies II and Craig B. Simonsen
An employer must develop an effective written workplace violence policy that must be communicated to all
employees if it hopes to prevent a tragic incident and have any defense against potential claims.
Employers today can find them-
selves in a seemingly untenable di-
lemma when they have violence
threaten to invade their workplaces.
Two recent cases illustrate the com-
peting liabilities that employers face
in their decision-making for re-
sponding to workplace violence.
In one case, decided by the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Cir-
cuit, the employer, a superalloys
casting company, chose to fire an
openly hostile employee making
death threats to avoid potential
injury to its employees, and face
the prospect of costly litigation in-
cluding an Americans with Dis-
abilities Act (ADA) lawsuit.
In the other case, decided by
an Occupational Safety and
Health Review Commission (OS-
HRC) administrative law judge,
a health care provider company
did not perceive or protect a so-
cial service coordinator, who was
tragically fatally stabbed outside
the client’s home, from the haz-
ard of workplace violence.
Employer Response Upheld
In the first case, the plaintiff ap-
pealed from the federal district
court’s grant of summary judgment
in favor of his former employer on
his claim of discrimination in viola-
tion of Oregon disability law. Mayo
agl magazine
034
v, PCC Structurals, Inc., No. 13-35643
(9th Cir. July 28, 2015) (Mayo).
The district court concluded
that because the plaintiff, Timo-
thy Mayo, had threatened to kill
his coworkers, including his su-
pervisor, he was not a qualified
individual under section 659A.112
of the Oregon Revised Statutes,
which is Oregon’s counterpart to
the ADA. The district court indi-
cated that in following the deci-
sions of numerous other circuit
cour ts, Mayo was no longer a
qualified individual once he made
his violent threats. Because Mayo
was not a qualified individual in
the eyes of the court, he was not
entitled to protection under the
ADA and Oregon’s disability dis-
crimination statute.
In its discussion affirming the
lower court decision, the circuit
court of appeals found that even
i f t h e p l a i n t i f f we re d i s a b l e d
(which it assumed was true for the
appeal), “He cannot show that he
was qualified at the time of his
discharge. An essential function
of almost every job is the ability
to appropriately handle stress and
interact with others.” For instance,
in a frightening recitation of the
court record, the plaintiff told a
coworker that he “felt like coming
down to work with a shotgun and
blowing off ” the heads of the su-
pervisor and another manager. The
coworker need not worry, Mayo
explained, because she would not
be working the shift when the kill-
ing would occur.
After these statements were re-
ported to company management,
a timely investigation was con-
ducted. Written statements were
obtained from co-employees re-
garding the threats. When the
plaintiff was asked by management
if he planned to carry out these
threats, the plaintiff responded
that “he couldn’t guarantee he
wouldn’t do that.” The company
management immediately sus-
pended the plaintiff ’s employ-
ment, barred him from company
property, and notified the police.
After the plaintiff ’s suspension
and after he was interviewed by
the police, he was voluntarily ad-
mitted to the hospital because he
was deemed to pose a danger to
himself and to others. He remained
in custody for six days and then
took a leave under the Oregon
Family Leave Act (OFLA) and the
Family and Medical Leave Act
(FMLA) for two months. Near the
end of his leave period, a treating
psychologist cleared him to return
to work, writing that he was not a
violent person, but recommended
February 2016
a new supervisor assignment. Al- car to travel to clients’ homes. known as members, for whom she
though the parties dispute the In October 2012, the employee was responsible. The client had a
timing, the employer decided to planned to drive out into the field history of violent behavior, had
terminate the plaintiff during his to a client’s apartment to make an been convicted of violent crimes
medical leave. The company deter- unscheduled visit. The client was a and was incarcerated for many
mined that his threats were of diagnosed schizophrenic who was years. The employee was not ad-
such severity that he was unqual- on the employee’s list of clients, vised about the client’s history of
ified to work with any supervisors
or co-employees and that it could
not expose its employees to poten-
tial workplace injury.
In response, the plaintiff brought
this case, seeking damages. The dis-
trict court granted the employer’s
motion for summary judgment, and
the circuit court of appeals affirmed.

Employer Response Inadequate

In the second case, an OSHRC ad-
ministrative law judge, Dennis L.
Phillips, issued an opinion that a
health care provider company did
not protect a social service coor-
dinator, who was fatally stabbed
outside her client’s home in De-
cember 2012. Secretary of Labor v.
Integra Health Management, Inc.,
OSHRC No. 13-1124 (June 22,
2015) (Integra).
The employer in this case, In-
tegra Health Management, pro-
vided mental and physical health
a s s e s s m e n t s a nd co o rd i n ate d
health care and case management
services for insureds of insurance
companies. One of its employees
was a 25-year-old newly hired ser-
vice coordinator with about three
months on the job. The employee
had no prior experience in the
community health or social work-
er industries. Her employment of-
fice consisted of a virtual office in
her home. She also used her com-
puter and a phone, and she used a

aglmediagroup.com
035
Safety

mental illness or violent behavior
when he was assigned to her. The
employee made several unsuccess-
ful attempts to contact the client
by telephone.
As planned, the employee vis-
ited the client in October 2012 by
going to his house unannounced.
She introduced herself and the
company, and arranged a return
visit to conduct an initial assess-
ment. The employee reported in
her progress note report for that
day that during their conversation,
the client “said a few things that
made her uncomfortable, and she
asked the client to be respectful
or she would not be able to work
with him.” She also documented
in her progress note report that
“because of this situation, she is
not comfortable being inside alone
with the client and will either sit
outside to complete assessment or
ask another service coordinator to
accompany her.”
A number of subsequent meet-
ings and conversations occurred
between the employee and the cli-
ent, including further notes in the
employee’s progress note report
regarding her concerns. In Decem-
ber 2012, the employee was fatally
stabbed by the client during her
visit to his home.
Following the incident, OSHA
issued two citations to Integra
Health Management, claiming a
violation of the General Duty
Clause, Section 5(a)(1), of the Oc-
cupational Safety and Health Act,
and a violation of OSHA’s injury
reporting standard. Specifically,
the General Duty Clause citation
alleged that the employer did not
furnish employment and a place
of employment that were free from
recognized hazards that were caus-
ing or that were likely to cause
death or serious physical harm to
employees, in that employees were
exposed to the hazard of being
physically assaulted by clients with
a history of violent behavior.
The judge determined that the
employer ’s workplace violence
policy was inadequate, that the
employee training was insuffi-
cient, and that the employer failed
to provide the employee with in-
formation about the medical back-
ground of the client along with the
criminal history.
More importantly, the judge
determined that the employer did
not monitor the employee’s prog-
ress notes, which identified her
concerns about the client, and
did not take affirmative action
to assist her when she indicated
her continuing anxiety about
their interactions.
Legal Ramifications
In Mayo, the employer took steps
to protect its employees from
threatened harm by conducting a
timely investigation, suspending
and eventually terminating the ag-
gressive and threatening employ-
ee. The company’s actions forced
it to respond to discrimination
claims under the ADA that ini-
tially were filed in state court and

INTroducINg
Now there’s a stronger way to support
antennas—and everything else.
If your existing antenna platform struggles with weight and
wind load capacity, Warrior Mount is the solution. It delivers
greater structural integrity to hold larger antennas, radios,
amplifiers and other equipment. We manufacture with higher
grade materials, stronger structural members and robust welded
connections for reduced installation time.

To learn how Warrior Mount can easily replace older platform

designs, call 440.564.5484 or visit engend.com

www.engend.com • 1-888-270-3855
© 2015 Engineered Endeavors

agl magazine
February 2016
036
that later were removed to federal
court. Although the employer pre-
vailed in the district court and
circuit court, the company un-
doubtedly spent considerable sums
defending the suits. Although this
litigation was time-consuming and
expensive, the employer avoided
a tragic outcome.
Unfortunately in Integra, the
employer did not respond to or
take any actions to address any
sense of fear or anxiety men-
tioned in the employee’s client
visit notes. A serious OSHA viola-
tion occurs when there is substan-
ti al probability that death or
serious physical harm could result
from a hazard about which the
employer knew or should have
known. The judge found that the
health care company’s approach
to safety was inadequate and that
the company should have taken
precautions to prevent injury by
developing a meaningful written
policy, hiring and training its em-
ployees appropriately, and re-
sponding to complaints in a
timely manner. Although the com-
pany only faced an OSHA fine of
$7,000 in proposed penalties for
the General Duty Clause violation,
it sustained the tragic loss of an
employee and a workers’ compen-
sation death suit.
Recent OSHA Guidance
The Mayo decision may give some
sense of security to those employers
that make hard choices for what
they believe are the right reasons;
that is, for employee safety. But
choices are not always easy, and the
resulting actions can be costly.
The Integra decision is timely in
view of another recent OSHA ac-
tion relating to the health care

TOWER AND SITE LIGHTING SOLUTIONS

DESIGNED FOR EFFICIENCY, LONG LIFE,
AND LOW MAINTENANCE
(800) 739-9169 Unimar.com

aglmediagroup.com
037
Safety
industry. Recently, OSHA released
a memorandum, “Inspection Guid-
ance for Inpatient Healthcare Set-
tings,” that will focus its inspectors’
attention on workplace violence,
musculoskeletal disorders, blood-
borne pathogens, tuberculosis, and
slips, trips and falls. The guidance
focuses on hazards that were in-
cluded in OSHA’s recently con-
cluded National Emphasis Program
on Nursing and Residential Care
Facilities, CPL 03-00-016.
In particular, the guidance in-
dicates that workplace violence is
defined as violent acts (including
physical assaults and threats of
assaults) directed toward people
at work or on duty. OSHA notes
that workplace violence is a recog-
nized hazard in hospitals and in
nursing and residential care fa-
cilities. According to OSHA, in the
health care and social assistance
sector, 13 percent of the injuries
and illnesses resulted from vio-
lence. “Fifteen percent of t h e
days-away-from-work cases for
nursing assistants were the result
of violence,” OSHA said. Accord-
ingly, workplace violence will be
evaluated in every inpatient health
care OSHA inspection.
Although the inspection guid-
ance is for inpatient health care
settings, employers in other in-
dustries can be certain that they
will also be inspected by the same
OSHA inspectors as health care
workplace violence incidents oc-
cur, regardless of the setting ,
including non-health-care work-
places. The guidance was effective
immediately. The guidance noted
that “because these hazards are
agl magazine
038
nationwide, state plans are ex-
pected to follow the guidance.”
Health care employers should
take heed of this health care in-
dustry OSHA decision and the re-
lated guidance. Special attention
should be taken to update policies,
procedures and training systems
to include these topics in order to
be inspection ready.
Recommendations
Against this potential liability sce-
nario, an employer must develop
an effective written workplace
violence policy that must be com-
municated to all employees if it
hopes to have any defense against
these potential claims and to pre-
vent a tragic incident. At a mini-
m u m , t h e w r i t te n w o r k p l a ce
violence prevention policy should
include the following elements:
● Stated management commitment
to protecting employees against
the hazards of workplace vio-
lence, including both physical
acts and verbal threats
● Statement that the employer has
a zero tolerance policy toward
threats or acts of violence and will
take appropriate disciplinary ac-
tion against employees who engage
in such conduct
● Identify means and methods for
employees to notify the employer
of perceived threats of violent acts
in a confidential manner
● Establish a means to promptly
investigate all such threats or
violent acts
● Develop consistent, firm disci-
pline for violations of the policy
● Provide training for managers
and employees to identify signs
and symptoms of employee
behavior that may predict po-
tenti al v iolence (er ratic b e -
h a v ior; employee comments
regarding homicide or suicide;
provocative communications;
disobedience of policies and
procedures; presence of alcohol,
drugs or weapons on the work-
site; physical evidence of em-
ployee abuse of alcohol or drug
use), which should be reported
immediately to the employer
● Establish a team of qualified in-
dividuals (e.g., human resources,
risk managers, legal, medical,
security) either within the com-
pany or readily available third
parties, to respond to a potential
or actual incident
● Consider establishing an em-
ployee assistance plan to provide
assistance to employees who
may be experiencing mental or
emotional stress before an act
of violence occurs
Mark A. Lies II is a partner in the
Chicago office of Seyfath Shaw and
an attorney in the firm’s Environ-
m e n t a l , S a fe t y a n d Tox i c To r t
Group. His email address is mlies@
seyfarth.com. Craig B. Simonsen is
a Seyfarth Shaw litigation paralegal
in the Chicago office. His email ad-
dress is csimonsen@seyfarth.com.
February 2016
Nationwide
Turnkey

Speed. Safety. Innovation.

Black & Veatch has shaped the telecommunications
landscape for the last 50 years. Wireless carriers rely on
Black & Veatch to support their macro network sites or
specific coverage solutions, including DAS and Small
Cells. No other company can offer the depth and breadth
of engineering, program management, site acquisition,
construction and technical expertise of Black & Veatch.
That’s why Engineering News-Record has ranked us the
#1 engineering company for telecommunications for the
sixth consecutive year.

We’re building a world of difference. Together.

Learn more at bv.com/telecom

Consulting • Engineering • Construction • Operation I w w w.bv.com

aglmediagroup.com
039
Towers

Monopole Base Weld Toe Cracks and Why They May

Collapse Your Tower
By Brian R. Reese, P.E., CWI, and David W. Hawkins, P.E.
Crack identification and a proposed severity classification system hold promise for helping owners main-
tain their towers in the face of aging and wear that can lead to cracks that threaten structural integrity.

Tubular steel monopoles (poles) are
popular support structures in many
industries (see Figure 1). They have
seen use as support structures in the
communications, sports lighting,
utility and transportation industries
for many decades. Combining a long
history of reliable performance,
competitive pricing and ease of use
and installation, users prefer steel
poles for numerous aerial support
requirements. Telecommunications
pole use exploded during the past
20 years with an ever-increasing de-
mand for voice and data service. In
the last decade, numerous steel poles
deployed in various industries failed
because of unmitigated cracks in
welds at the pole-to-base plate con-
nection. The failures caused signifi-
cant property damage in some cases
and, at the least, service interrup-
tion and pole repair or replacement
cost. Timely periodic inspection and
maintenance could have prevented
the pole failures. Ignoring cracks in
welds places public safety and wel-
fare at risk along with your assets.
The following information provides
guidance to safely maintain and pro-
long monopole service life and reli-
ability. It presents a proposed
monopole base crack classification
system intended to standardize in-
spection, repair and maintenance of
pole base connections.

Figure 1. Tubular steel monopoles are popular support structures in

many industries. They have seen use as support structures in the
communications, sports lighting, utility and transportation in- Figure 2. An unmitigated failure of the welded connection between the
dustries for many decades. base plate and the pole shaft almost always causes a pole to collapse.

agl magazine
February 2016
040
 Complex joint penetration (CJP)

Socket joint
Typical communications monopole
base connection

Figure 3. Typical pole base connection weld details include complete joint pen- Figure 4. Although poles collapse infrequently, when they do, it often
etration (CJP) groove weld and socket-style (double-fillet weld) connections. makes the news.

Steel Poles circumferential single-bevel groove weld Failures

An anchor-based pole has a welded base
plate that connects the structure via the
anchor rods to the foundation (see Fig-
ure 2). The base connection is facilitated
by shop-welding the steel base plate to
the bottom of the pole shaft during fab-
rication at the original manufacturer’s
facility. The weld between the base plate,
and the pole shaft is the only structural
connection between those members. It
is nonredundant, and therefore the
structural adequacy and integrity of this
welded connection is crucial to the struc-
ture. If an unmitigated failure were to
occur at this joint, in almost all cases the
pole would collapse.
The connection detail of the pole
shaft to the base plate can vary de-
pending on the type of pole or the
manufacturer. Typical pole base con-
nection weld details include complete
joint penetration (CJP) groove weld
and socket-style (double-fillet weld)
connections (see Figure 3). The CJP
connection base plate butts against
the pole shaft and consists of a
with 100 percent complete weld pen-
etration and a reinforcing fillet weld. In
other words, the connection zone is all
weld material. This connection style is
especially popular for polygonal poles.
The fabrication method is economical.
It’s the base connection most major pole
manufacturers choose.
The socket connection base plate
sleeves over the pole shaft and is
welded with double-fillet welds above
and below the sleeved base plate. This
connection is also popular because
the welds are simple fillet welds, and
a nondestructive examination (NDE)
ultrasonic test is not performed on
this joint post-fabrication, which re-
duces the quality assurance cost. The
socket connection is easier to fabri-
cate for a round pole than for a po-
lygonal pole. Although it may be
possible to use other joints (including
shop-welded base plate stiffeners),
the majority of anchor-based poles
manufactured fall into one of these
two base joint categories.
Pole collapses, although they gener-
ally occur quite infrequently, have
made news in recent years because of
structure failures in both the com-
munications and the sports lighting
industries (see Figure 4). In the sports
lighting industry, the first-ever recall
of poles was issued by the U.S. Con-
sumer Product Safety Commission in
2010. The proximity of these struc-
tures to areas where people live, work
and gather raises a significant poten-
tial for property damage, injury and
possibly even loss of life.
Almost all recent pole failures have
one similar characteristic: unmitigated
and latent toe cracks in the pole shaft
immediately above the base plate weld
that propagated over time to an extent
that caused this connection to fail and
the structure to collapse. In recent years,
many owners have implemented inspec-
tion programs to identify base defects
that can be detrimental to the long-
term performance and reliability of
their pole structures. Toe cracks can be

aglmediagroup.com
041
Towers
Figure 5. Toe cracks in polygonal poles typically first occur near the vertices (bend-lines or points of the multisided shaft) because this area gener-
ally has a higher stress concentration.
identified during these preventive in-
spections if the inspector is qualified
and experienced enough to know what
to look for. The key to ensuring the re-
liability of your assets is to routinely
inspect and maintain them. If crack
indications are discovered, then a prop-
erly engineered repair can be designed
and installed. Cracks can develop over
time because the structure is constant-
ly exposed to dynamic environmental
influences such as wind, fatigue and
increased loading. Routine inspection
and maintenance are the only sure ways
to reliably extend the service life of your
structures and protect your assets.
Anatomy of a Weld Crack
According to the American Welding So-
ciety (AWS), a defect is a discontinuity
that exceeds the permissible limit of a
code (AWS 3.0). A crack is a fracture type
of discontinuity characterized by a sharp
tip and a high ratio of length and width
to opening displacement, according to
AWS A3.0. Cracking occurs in a weld and
base metal when the localized stresses
at the connection exceed the ultimate
agl magazine
042
strength of the material. Cracking is of-
ten associated with stress amplifications
near discontinuities in welds and base
metal or near mechanical notches as-
sociated with the weldment design. Left
in place without repair (unmitigated),
cracks may propagate over time and con-
tinued loading and can be highly detri-
mental to structural integrity. In
addition, cracks greatly reduce the fa-
tigue strength of a member. The AWS
Structural Welding Code D1.1 does not
allow a crack to be left in a weldment
after inspection per Part 1 of Table 6.1,
regardless of size or location (AWS D1.1).
A toe crack is defined as a crack in
the base metal at the toe of a weld. Toe
cracks are generally cold cracks that ini-
tiate approximately normal to the base
material surface and then propagate
from the toe of the weld where residual
stresses are higher. These cracks are
generally the result of thermal shrinkage
strains acting on a weld heat-affected
zone that has been embrittled. Toe
cracks sometimes occur when the base
metal cannot accommodate the shrink-
age strains that are imposed by welding.
The crack can occur immediately after
the hot-dip galvanizing process or later.
Toe cracks have not typically been ob-
served in weathering steel or painted
poles (not hot-dip galvanized). Typi-
cally, toe cracks are identified at the up-
per toe of the base plate weld in the pole
base section shaft material.
The phenomenon of toe cracking is
not new and has been observed within
the pole industry since the 1970s.
ANSI/NEMA TT 1 “Tapered Tubular
Steel Structures” (1983) in Section 10.5
states, “Shaft to base plate welds shall
be inspected by the ultrasonic method
for evidence of cracking in the shaft or
base plate heat affected zone.” The
American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE) Manual 72, Design of Steel Trans-
mission Pole Structures, second edition
(1990) states in Section 3.5.3.3 Special
Design Considerations, “Toe cracking
of weldments: Toe cracks, around T-
joint welds, undetectable prior to gal-
vanizing have been detected after
galvanizing. The formation of these
cracks appears to be influenced by sev-
eral factors in the fabrication process.
February 2016
D O E S YO U R D E PLOY M E N T
T R ACK E R S TI N K ?
LIV E T R ACK YO U R S IT E S .

I N T R O D U C I N G L I V E T R A C K B Y M D 7.
A better site acquisition management solution is here.
™
Visit md7.com/LiveTrack to learn more.
INCREASED EFFICIENCY
BETTER REPORTING
C E N T R A L IZ E D E F FI C I E N C Y, LO C A L IZ E D K N OW- H OW ™
FASTER NTPs

aglmediagroup.com
043
Towers
Requirements for post-galvanizing in-
spection should be considered.”
Most pole manufacturers inspect for
toe cracks after the galvanizing process
as a normal part of their quality assurance
program. In instances where preventive
field inspections have been performed
on the base plate weld connection while
in service, cracks have been found in the
pole shaft at the upper toe above the base
plate weld. This has occurred on multi-
sided (polygonal) and round poles in both
complete joint penetration groove weld
and socket base plate connections. Toe
cracks in polygonal poles typically first
occur near the vertices (bend-lines or
points of the multisided shaft) because
this area generally has a higher stress
concentration (see Figure 5).
Root Causes
Toe cracks have been a recognized issue
in the pole industry for many years, and
numerous investigations and discus-
sions have been conducted about them.
Although not all of the contributing
factors and their interactions are fully
understood, discussions regarding toe
crack root causes continue, and the
consensus is that this phenomenon
generally involves an interaction of sev-
eral of the following components.
Design. Problems can arise when
the base plate design results in an
undersized (too thin), relatively flex-
ible base plate that creates increased
joint flexibility. The relationship be-
tween base plate weight (a function
of plate thickness) and base shaft
section weight (a function of shaft
thickness) also is a factor that can
create unbalanced thermal stresses
during the galvanizing process. Prob-
lems can also arise when the base
plate design is very thick. Contrary
agl magazine
044
to engineering judgment, bigger
(thicker) base plates are not always
better when it comes to the occur-
rence of toe cracks. The larger the
difference between the base section
shaft thickness and the base plate
thickness, the more probable toe
cracking would occur because of the
thermal stresses induced while gal-
vanizing the assembled section. In
the galvanizing process, the larger
base plate requires more time to heat
during immersion in liquid zinc and
more time to cool after it is removed,
whereas the base shaft section heats
up and cools relatively quickly. The
effect of this unbalanced thermal ex-
pansion and contraction is that the
base plate restrains the pole shaft and
induces stress concentrations in the
heat-affected zone at the upper toe
of the weld in the relatively thin pole
shaft, and this is where the cracking
first occurs. There is no consensus
among design engineers as to what
defines a base plate as too thin or too
thick. The ASCE 48 Standard Com-
mittee (Design of Steel Transmission
Pole Structures) and the TIA-TR14
Committee (TIA-222-G Standard Ad-
dendum 3) have tried to develop a
proposed method for base plate de-
sign using a yield-line approach. How-
ever, regardless of the design method
used, it does not appear feasible that
a welded base plate connection can
be designed to be crack-proof or fa-
tigue-proof. There are too many oth-
er factors other than design alone
that can influence crack development
and fatigue damage.
Materials. The consideration of
materials includes the quality of mate-
rial being joined, weld electrodes, high
yield/tensile base material strengths,
Figure 6. In the manufacturing (cold bending) of
a polygonal section, tubular pole sections are
fabricated by press-forming high-strength steel
plate using a press brake.
high carbon equivalents (CEs) and
other metallurgical properties.
Fabrication. In the manufactur-
ing (cold bending) of a polygonal
section, tubular pole sections are fab-
ricated by cold press-forming, high-
strength steel plate using a press
brake (see Figure 6). Embrittling of
the steel can occur at the bend points
because of the cold working of the
material (i.e., strain hardening) result-
ing in high residual stresses.
Welding. Factors that may result
in poor welding quality and process
include a lack of proper pre-heat dur-
ing welding fabrication, a poor weld
profile or improper or inconsistent
heat input during the welding process.
Quality. Poor manufacturing qual-
ity control or quality checks at the
original manufacturer after fabrication
and galvanizing that are overlooked or
incorrectly performed can influence
crack development and fatigue damage.
Galvanizing. Hot-dip galvaniza-
tion coats steel with a layer of zinc by
immersing the metal in a bath of mol-
ten zinc at a temperature around 840
degrees Fahrenheit (449 degrees Cel-
sius). Thermal expansion, hydrogen
embrittlement and the thermal stress
February 2016
 Bring It All Back
SCI has been hiding your sites for over 15 years, leading the way in product design and innovation. Count on SCI to deliver
the finest site upgrade or modification the industry has to offer. SCI provides full turnkey services and products to refurbish
any manufacturer’s mono tree. Technology doesn’t have to be intrusive. Call us today to discuss your concealment projects.

951.698.5985
41146 Elm Street
Suite F
Murrieta, CA 92562

aglmediagroup.com
045
Towers

Table 1: Base Plate Weld Toe Crack Classification

Classification Description of Weld Toe Crack Category
Category

0 No toe crack indications indentified

No cracks identified during a complete CWI inspection using visual and NDE techniques (typically MT & UT);
no corrective action required

1 Small toe crack indications identified Cracks are only partial depth through shaft thickness.
Crack length: Total length of all cracks is less than one quarter circumference (Cs) of shaft: Lc < ¼ Cs
Crack depth: Maximum depth of all cracks is less than half the shaft thickness: dc < ½ t (all)
Corrective actions: a. Remove cracks via grinding
Corrective actions: b. Repair welds and install stiffeners as specified by the engineer
Repair schedule: Complete all repairs within sixty (60) days

2
Moderate toe crack indications identified Cracks are only partial depth through shaft thickness.
Crack length: Total length of all cracks is between ¼ and ½ circumference (Cs) of shaft: ¼ Cs ≤ Lc ≤ ½ Cs
Crack depth: Maximum depth of most cracks is less than half the shaft thickness: dc < ½ t (most)
No cracks have a depth greater than three-quarters the shaft thickness: dc < ¾ t (all)
Corrective actions: a. Remove cracks via grinding
Corrective actions: b. Repair welds and install stiffeners as specified by the engineer
Repair schedule: Complete all repairs within thirty (30) days

3 Extensive toe crack indications identified

through shaft thickness.
Cracks are mostly partial depth with some full depth

Crack length: Total length of all cracks is between ¼ and ½ circumference (Cs) of shaft: ¼ Cs ≤ Lc ≤ ½ Cs
Crack depth: Maximum depth of most cracks is less than three-quarters the shaft thickness: dc < ¾ t (most)
Few cracks have a depth greater than three-quarters the shaft thickness: dc ≥ ¾ t (few)
Corrective actions: a. Remove cracks via grinding and/or drill at ends to prevent further crack propagation
Corrective actions b. Repair welds and install stiffeners as specified by the engineer
Repair schedule: Complete all repairs within fourteen (14) days

4 Severe toe crack indications identified Cracks are mostly full depth through shaft thickness.
Crack length: Total length of all cracks exceeds half the circumference (Cs) of shaft: Lc > ½ Cs
Crack depth: Maximum depth of most cracks equals or exceeds three-quarters the shaft thickness dc ≥ 3/4t
Corrective actions: a. Immediately stabilize the pole until repairs are completed
Corrective actions b. Immediately remove cracks and/or drill holes at ends to prevent further
crack propagation
Corrective actions c. Immediately begin to repair welds and install stiffeners as specified by the engineer
Repair schedule: Immediately stabilize the pole and begin repairs

agl magazine
February 2016
046
differentials caused by the large differ-
Table 1: Definitions
ences in thicknesses between the base
section pole wall and the base plate all Lc = Total length of all weld cracks measured around circumference
∑ (L1+L2+L3…)
combine to create the potential for
dc = Maximum measured depth of crack into the shaft thickness
crack formation. DF = Diameter of pole shaft across flats
Installation. Loose foundation t = Thickness of pole shaft
anchor nuts or leveling nuts after in- π = pi 3.14159
Cs = Circumference of pole shaft: (π)(DF) (approximate)
stallation or improper grouting of the CWI = Certified Welding Inspector, credentialed per American
base plate cause unanticipated stress Welding Society (AWS)
increases in the weld joint. Visual = Visual weld inspection per AWS D1.1
NDE = Nondestructive examination; the act of determining the
Although any single item men- suitability of a material for its intended purpose using techniques
tioned can be detrimental to the not affecting its serviceability
structure, a combination of two or MT = Magnetic particle NDE weld inspection (surface/near surface)
per AWS D1.1
more of them can facilitate even UT = Ultrasonic NDE weld inspection (volumetric) per AWS D1.1
more rapid crack development and or procedure
potentially lead to failure of the Crack = A fracture-type discontinuity characterized by a sharp tip and
high ratio of length and width to opening displacement
base weld connection. This is why
Toe Crack = A defect observed at the upper weld toe
it is imperative for the owner to

Figure 7. Toe cracks at upper toe of weld in pole shaft at polygonal bend line (visible rust).

Figure 8. A minor toe crack is visible via MT Figure 9. A toe crack is still visible via MT Figure 10. An MT exam showing indication
powder after light grinding. exam after grinding. (crack) at upper toe.

aglmediagroup.com
047
Towers

Table 2: Weld Toe Crack Classification

Based on Crack Depth and Length Criteria

Total Length Maximum Depth of Measured Weld Crack

of Cracks
dc < ¼ t dc < ½ t dc < ¾ t dc ≥ ¾ t

Lc < ¼ Cs
1 1 2 3
¼ Cs ≤ Lc ≤ ½ Cs 1 2 3 4 Figure 11. Socket-style pole base through-wall

2 3 4 4
toe cracking viewed from the inside of the
Lc > ½ Cs pole (visible rust).

have a program of routine inspec-
tion and maintenance performed
by qualified engineers.
Field Observations
Some pole owners have already rec-
ognized this issue and have been
conducting routine inspections of
their pole bases. Base weld toe
cracks have been observed in the
field with regularity.
Findings range as follows:
1. In the most severe cases, “wandering”
along the upper toe of the weld on the
press bend line between two flats on a
multi-sided pole is visible with the na-
ked eye (see Figure 7).
2. Cracks may be identified with
magnetic particle (MT) testing at
the surface or near the surface that
are not visible to the naked eye (see
Figures 8, 9 and 10).
3. Ultrasonic testing (UT) may identify
cracks that cannot be identified with
magnetic particle (MT) testing and
that are not visible to the naked eye.
4. Cracks may range from one location
only to each bend line of the pole
base section.
5. Cracks may vary from fractions of
an inch to multiple inches in length.
6. The depth of cracks may range from
thousands of an inch to clear
through the base wall thickness (see
Figure 11).
7. Significant bleeding rust ob-
served at the crack at the upper
toe of the weld can indicate the
crack is completely through the
pole shaft thickness.

A weld repair of the base connec-

tion, as designed by a qualified
eng i ne e r, i s p o s s i b l e i n m a ny
instances when performed by a
qualified welder following an ap-
proved welding procedure. However,
the timing of the repair based on
the severity of the cracks has been
a subject of debate and confusion
Figure 12. An example of classification calculations.
for owners and engineers.

agl magazine
February 2016
048
Proposed Classification
Table 3: Weld Toe Crack Classification
The overriding question with toe crack Based on Crack Depth and Length Criteria vs. Pole Age
repairs is the timetable required to imple-
Age Maximum Depths and Lengths of Measured Weld Cracks
ment a repair balanced against the extent of Pole
of the damage to the structure base con- in Lc < ¼ Cs ¼ Cs ≤ Lc ≤ ½ Cs Lc > ½ Cs Total Length (Lc)

Years
nection and corresponding reduction in dc < ½t dc ≥ ½t dc < ½t dc ≥ ½t dc < ½t dc ≥ ½t Crack Depth
(dc)
structural capacity. The owners and their
design engineers have numerous ques-
tions to address. What is the extent of
< 5
2 3 3 4 3 4
the damage? How urgent is the condi-
tion? How quickly must a repair be con-
5 to 10
1 2 3 4 3 4
1 2 2 3 3 4
ducted? Do I need to temporarily support
> 10
the structure? In response to industry
need to classify the severity of cracks in
this critical connection and the allowable and engineer that extensive cracks in schedule. For example purposes, clas-
time frame to implement the required a newer structure can be highly detri- sification calculations are included in
repairs, a proposed crack classification mental and may indicate more serious the following information.
system has been developed. Based on problems such as fatigue or an under-
crack severity (length and depth), the designed tower. Table 3 may default a Conclusion
system provides a corresponding recom- structure into a higher classification The formation of toe cracks at the base
mended repair time frame category (see category requiring a reduced repair connection of tubular steel poles has
Table 1). In addition, category influenced
by the age of the pole is considered.
The crack attributes of concern are the
depth percentage of the toe crack into the
base shaft material versus the thickness
of the pole shaft and the length of the
crack versus the pole base circumference
percentage as detailed in Table 2 (also see
Example No. 1 in Figure 12). The depth
of the crack is estimated during the field
inspection via ultrasonic testing, a non-
destructive weld examination technique.
The length of the crack is a cumulative
total of all the crack lengths identified
around the circumference at the base.
Classification categories range from 0
with no cracking to 4, the most severe
condition. Repair time frames range from
immediate repairs required to 60 days.
Table 3 further corresponds crack
depth and length versus the pole age
(if known) to a corresponding repair
classification (also see Example No. 2
Figure 13. An example of classification calculations.
in Figure 13). This alerts the owner

aglmediagroup.com
049
Towers

been an industry challenge for many
years, and it continues to be a challenge.
Many factors contribute to the problem.
Field inspections have shown the impor-
tance of understanding and reacting ap-
propriately regarding this issue. Visual
and NDE inspection techniques are
critical and should be regularly scheduled.
It is imperative that inspections are car-
ried out by qualified personnel with spe-
cific pole experience, CWI credentials
and non-destructive ASNT credentials.
Left unresolved, propagating toe cracks
can cause eventual failure of the base
connection and lead to the potential col-
lapse of the structure. If identified via
timely inspection, these defects can be
resolved via weld repairs that restore the
original integrity of the structure. The
timetable for the required repairs is based
on the severity of the weld cracking and
age of the structure. A proposed crack
classification system is intended to stan-
dardize the way the industry deals with
inspection, repair and maintenance of
pole base connections.
Cracks can develop over time because
the structure is constantly exposed to
dynamic environmental influences such
as wind and fatigue and ever-increasing
loading. Routine inspection and main-
tenance are the only sure ways to reli-
ably protect your assets and extend the
service life of your structures.
References
American National Standards Institute
(1983). ANSI/NEMA TT 1-1983 Ta-
pered Tubular Steel Structures, New York.
American Society of Civil Engineers
(1990). ASCE Manuals and Reports on
Engineering Practice No. 72 Design of
Steel Transmission Pole Structures, sec-
ond edition, New York.
American Welding Society (AWS)
(2010). AWS A3.0M/A3.0: 2010
Standard Welding Terms and Defini-
tions, Miami, Florida.
American Welding Society (AWS)
(2015). AWS D1.1/D1.1M: 2015 Struc-
tural Welding Code – Steel, Miami, Florida.
American Welding Society (AWS)
Education Department (2008). Weld-
ing Inspection Technology (WIT), fifth
edition, Miami, Florida.
Brian R. Reese, P.E., CWI, is president
of Reese Tower Services. David W.
Hawkins, P.E., is vice president of
Paul J. Ford and Company.

Introducing... the DRONE!

Now with Audible Ignition Alert
Compact UltraShot ® Controller
for Exothermic Connections
Part Number - DRONE
• Built in Battery Indicator
• Utilizes a Milwaukee® M18TM
REDLITHIUMTM XC 4.0 18 volt Battery

Harger Lightning & Grounding • 800.842.7437 • www.harger.com

agl magazine
February 2016
050
 Register by March 11
for early bird savings!

CCA MOBILE
CARRIERS
SHOW
NASHVILLE
APRIL 13–15, 2016 • MUSIC CITY CENTER

aglmediagroup.com
051
 Antennas

FEBRUARY 2016
THE MONTH
AGL TOWER OF

agl magazine
February 2016
052
 SITE NAME
PENOBSCOT MOUNTAIN

HEIGHT
790 FEET

MANUFACTURER
STAINLESS

FM BROADCASTER
WVIA

YEAR CONSTRUCTED
2008

LOCATION
MOUNTAIN TOP, PENNSYLVANIA

Photo courtesy of Reese Tower Services

053
aglmediagroup.com
Towers

How the FCC Reverse Auction Could Affect Your Tower

By Don Doty

The upcoming FCC 101 reverse auction for full power and Class A TV broadcast stations means changes
for tower use. The resulting changes in tower use could require months of planning.

Those who should know tell us that
the federal government’s reverse auc-
tion is imminent. We cannot gauge
with any degree of reliability how the
auction will unfold, how many broad-
casters will convert to channel sharing,
or whether broadcasters will receive all
they’ve been promised. What we do
know is that many broadcasters will
want to or will need to make changes
to their broadcast facilities.
Introduction
The incentive auction is an innovative
new tool authorized by Congress to
help the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) meet the nation’s
growing spectrum needs. The first
incentive auction will sell broadcast
TV spectrum. It will marry the eco-
nomics of wireless providers’ demand
for spectrum with the economics of
TV broadcasters. Specifically, the first
incentive auction of TV broadcast
spectrum will permit TV broadcasters
to voluntarily go off the air, share their
spectrum, or move channels in ex-

Left: Work is underway to raise a new 8-to-15-ton antenna system to the top of a TV broadcast tower.
Right: The new antenna system alongside the tower. When the time comes to make changes to a TV broadcast tower, being prepared will make all
the difference. Broadcasters can begin now to develop and determine their goals, reach out to the industry supply chain, enlist industry veterans to
assist in creating a detailed timeline, scope of work and budget, lock in needs as soon as possible, and ask questions. Photos courtesy of Stainless

agl magazine
February 2016
054
Left: A part of a tower painted with a new aviation white color band and installation of new LED aviation obstruction marking fixture.
Right: A new tower top section with a new Dielectric antenna. As a result of the reverse auction, broadcasters may be making changes that affect
their use of towers. Photos courtesy of Stainless

change for receiving part of the pro-
ceeds from auctioning that spectrum
to wireless providers to support 21st-
century wireless broadband needs.
By the sunset of analog TV broad-
casting in 2009, the broadcast supply
chain was a dynamic cauldron of the
best and the brightest the industry had
ever seen. Safety, quality and productiv-
ity were at their pinnacle. The FCC’s
freeze on the filing of any technical ap-
plications in 2013 had the unintended
consequence of strapping the broadcast
supply chain, including transmitter
manufacturers, antenna manufacturers,
consultants, tower fabricators and
tower erection contractors. The notice
establishing the freeze failed to provide
a convincing rationale for bringing the
broadcast business to a standstill. The
FCC said it was necessary to ensure a
static frequency landscape as the FCC
gears up for the incentive auction.
Today, broadcasters find them-
selves with constrained resources.
Well-known suppliers up and down
the supply chain have had to make
drastic adjustments to survive. The
only way the broadcast supply chain
will be able to respond to the changes
brought by the incentive auction is to
rise to a level of efficiency that has not
been achieved before. According to
Lee Brooks, senior vice president of
construction services for FDH Ve-
locitel, “Stainless has made significant
investments in additional personnel,
equipment and processes to improve
productivity in preparation for the
pending increase in workload.”
The Task Ahead
Tower work can take many months of
planning to achieve the optimum bal-
ance of performance, timing and cost.
Broadcasters that will need to make
changes to their towers, such as replac-
ing or adding a new antenna, can plan
now to smoothly manage the numerous
steps that accompany the preparation
of budgets and timetables for such
work. Early planning is essential.
The process typically begins with a
broadcaster selecting the antenna and
power levels needed to achieve FCC
compliance. Once the channel, effective
radiate power (ERP), antenna height,

On the incentive auction process timeline, the FCC Auction 101 is in the pre-auction phase, with applications to participate in the auction having
been submitted in December 2015. Source: FCC

aglmediagroup.com
055
Towers
This sample form shows the type of information the tower owner collects to provide to the tower manufacturer in preparation for modification or
replacement of a TV broadcast tower. Source: Stainless
input power required and transmitter
power output (TPO) are known, the
effect on the tower must be considered.
No doubt many files and records have
been kept over the years, and their im-
portance will now come to the forefront.
Raising a 5-ton tower section. Photo courtesy of Stainless
agl magazine
056
All the files available at the station that
relate to the last primary broadcast
tower should be reviewed. Among the
needed documents are tower drawings,
the most recent previous tower analysis
and inspection, the new antenna model,
the size of the transmission line and the
elevation of the new equipment. Docu-
ment the existing equipment located on
the tower. A few pictures of the coax
bridge and the tower base, and a view
looking up the tower are excellent tools
to assist the engineer. Are building per-
mits required? Request a permit package
from the engineer of record (EOR). Co-
ordinate planning meetings between the
antenna manufacturer and tower engi-
neer to jointly set milestones and expec-
tations. Set and review the budget.
In most cases, the tower will be re-
quired to meet the latest building codes
with reference ANSI/TIA 222 Rev G,
which became effective in 2006. In
some cases, previous codes (C‒F) may
be used, but this decision should be
made in conjunction with the risk
management team to take into ac-
count insurance costs and license re-
quirements of various tenants, such
as critical services of first responders
and contract provisions that require
more conservative considerations.
February 2016
Anatomy of a Tower Analysis The structural analysis report will list The analysis will be performed
There are two types of analyses: cur- the results and recommendations. and the conclusion will be based on
sory and rigorous. A cursory analysis Consideration will be given to previ- the assumption that the tower has
is done quickly with only a small at- ous structural analyses and modifi- been properly installed and main-
tention to detail. A rigorous analysis cations performed by the EOR. tained, including, but not limited
is characterized by or adheres to Structural evaluations and modifica- to, the following:
strict standards or methods, exacting tions performed by others must be ● Proper plumb and alignment
and thorough. provided to the EOR to be included in ● Correct bolt tightness
Cursory reviews are helpful in the the evaluation. ● No significant deterioration or dam-
early phases because they seek to Most proposals include a struc- age to any component
define whether one of several options tural analysis only. If the results of
provides a good compromise of cost the analysis require modification The customer is expected to provide
versus benefit. It is important to note materials or adjustments, those will the information on antennas, trans-
that only a rigorous analysis is ac- be addressed in a separate proposal. mission lines, or other appurtenances,
ceptable to proceed to installation. The following information, pro- and the EOR will rely on this informa-
The broadcaster must specify which vided by the customer, must be re- tion in the structural evaluation.
standard most accurately reflects the ceived prior to the start of an analysis:
needs of the station. Many times the ● List of all existing appurtenances, Conclusion
decision about which standard revision such as antennas and lines Being prepared will make all the dif-
is the most appropriate rests with the ● List of any new equipment to be con- ference when the time comes for ac-
EOR and the station’s chief engineer. sidered in evaluation tion. Broadcasters can begin now to
The tower will be analyzed accord- ● Cross section with transmission line develop and determine their goals,
ing to the TIA 222 standard specified. and conduit locations reach out to the industry supply
chain, enlist industry veterans to as-
sist in creating a detailed timeline,
Important Records scope of work and budget, lock in
needs as soon as possible, and ask
Tower work can take months of planning. Files and records kept over the questions — lots of questions.
years that relate to the last primary broadcast tower should be reviewed.
The following checklist can help with gathering the needed documents. Don Doty is regulatory compliance
advisor at Stainless, a business of FDH
● Tower drawings Velocitel. Stainless has provided de-
● Last tower analysis sign, engineering and installation of
● Most recent tower inspection guyed, self-support towers and mono-
● New antenna model pole structures for more than 65 years.
● Size of transmission line The company maintains an extensive
● Elevation of new equipment archive of tower information for Stain-
● Existing equipment located on the tower (a few pictures of the less, Dresser, Kline, Central and other
coax bridge, tower base and a view looking up the tower are excel- tower manufacturers. Visit www.
lent tools to assist the engineer) stainlessllc.com.other appurtenances,
● Are building permits required? Request a permit package from the such as ladders, balconies, stairs, plat-
engineer of record (EOR). forms, handrails, guardrail assemblies,
● Coordinate planning meetings between the antenna manufacturer catwalks and transmission lines, can
and tower engineer to jointly set milestones and expectations. help determine if their location and
● Set and review a budget. spacing are adequate.

aglmediagroup.com
057
Partnership
Case Study: A Tower for Public Safety and Public Good
By Ed Myers
A public-private partnership can be customized to achieve telecommunications infrastructure
improvements on a grand scale.
Skagit County is a growing econom-
ic center in northwest Washington,
relying on a geographically strategic
network of rivers and accessible
ports to maximize the economic
potential of the region’s natural
resources of agriculture, fishing and
timber. Other factors have encour-
aged recent economic growth of
the 1,950-square-mile county that
include a rise in ecotourism, in-
ternational trade and specialized
manufacturing. Economic expan-
sion has led to a surging population
in Skagit County, which exceeded
120,000 last year.
As a population grows and tech-
nology adoption increases, the de-
mand for wireless voice and data
services inevitably grows by expo-
nential proportions, not only from
consumer demands but also from the
increase in public sector require-
ments. Skagit County’s rapid growth
brought to light that existing public
safety services and E-911 coverage
required expansion and updating. It
had become critical to extend and
enhance first-responder coverage to
address the needs of the entire coun-
ty, not merely the densely populated
areas. Public safety agencies — es-
pecially the sheriff and fire depart-
ments — required increased wireless
service coverage along the North
Cascades Highway and in the towns
agl magazine
058
of Hamilton and Lyman, located on
the north banks of the Skagit River.
At the same time Skagit County
was exploring the expansion of its
emergency management services
coverage, a major wireless carrier was
addressing new regional demand for
its LTE services. For both parties, the
existing wireless infrastructure (con-
sisting of towers) was inadequate to
meet suitable density and size re-
quirements. The towers were either
not sufficient for the demands of the
carrier’s LTE deployment, were
served by constrained backhaul con-
nections, or weren’t constructed ev-
erywhere they would be needed. New
wireless infrastructure was required
to meet the ever-increasing coverage
and capacity demand.
Solution
Skagit County engaged Parallel Infra-
structure, a national build-to-suit
tower and wireless telecommunica-
tions infrastructure development
company, to build, own and operate
a new 195-foot self-support tower to
meet the growing demands of local
and regional public safety offices.
Working with Sierra Pacific In-
dustries, a large landowner in the
region recognized for its commit-
ment to area-wide growth initiatives
and economic expansion, Parallel
Infrastructure’s team of site acqui-
sition and telecommunications real
estate professionals leased property
in an ideal location with ready access
to utilities and backhaul service
north of Hamilton, Washington.
Having secured the land with the
private owner, the developer then
leveraged its end-to-end rapid tele-
com tower development capabilities
to get the structure zoned, permit-
ted, constructed and ready for ten-
ant occupancy. As the owner and
operator of the tower, the devel-
oper provided all of the required
capital for the construction with no
required monetary contributions
from either the county government
or the wireless carrier tenants.
45 Days
The locally focused and engaged
landlord made it possible for Paral-
lel Infrastructure to develop the
tower into a tenant-ready facility in
less than 45 days from receipt of the
building permit.
The infrastructure company han-
dled the design, financing, zoning,
permitting and development and
leasing of the new tower. This self-
contained development model in ef-
fect lightened the bureaucratic load
for Skagit County officials and al-
lowed them to focus on what matters
most — serving the residents of
Skagit County.
February 2016
 A n o t h e r a d va n t a g e fo r t h e
county came in the way of a new
revenue stream. The tower was
considered an improvement to the
existing property. As such, the
owner of that improvement, Paral-
lel Infrastructure, will pay tax to
Skagit County based on the value
of the improvement.
Future-proofing and Backhaul
In addition to bolstering Skagit
County’s emergency communica-
tions network and local tax base,
the new tower met the wireless car-
rier’s objectives to provide more
service. The new tower has modern
backhaul facilities, allowing the car-
rier to construct a new LTE cover-
age site. The location also serves
as a fiber exchange hub site, con-
solidating the backhaul from sur-
rounding carrier installations and
providing high-capacity access to
the carrier’s next-generation voice
and data services.
This type of future-proofing
tower and backhaul solution is key
to long-term carrier tenancy. As
network access technologies evolve
and end-user data demands grow,
the wireless framework Parallel In-
frastructure has put in place in
Skagit County allows the carrier to
meet both its internal network de-
sign requirements and customer
expectations for fast, reliable, high-
capacity wireless service.
Conclusion
A growing population that is accel-
erating the demand for wireless
service spells new opportunities for
wireless carriers and municipalities
alike. Wireless carriers may expand
coverage, provide next generation
services and deepen their customer
relationships. Government agencies
can address their community’s crit-
ical emergency management wire-
less communications and enhance
critical public safety networks in the
process. Yet, even though such op-
portunities abound all over the
country and entities find them-
selves scrambling to catch up with
the demand, a one-size-fits-all ap-
proach to tower development may

One-Stop RF Compliance...
...UniTech RF Protection Garments
We apply 50 years of radiation protection knowl-
edge to our Naptex RF shielding garment system.
Naptex is proven over decades of lab testing and
worldwide field use.

Be sure to check out our garment rental services,

which gets you the right size when you need it,
without the expense of ownership, maintenance, Multilingual and cus-
tom text/logos at no
inspection, and cleaning. charge.

...Low Cost Facility Signs

UniTech’s FCC compliant tower signs
are unmatched in price and quality.
Standard designs ship quickly with no
additional charge for customization.
Many materials and sizes available,
including adhesive labels.

Subsidiary of

Phone (800) 344-3824 ext. 148

Find 15,000 industrial safety items Web: www.unitech-rf.com
at www.shopunitech.com E-mail solutions@unitech-rf.com

aglmediagroup.com
059
Partnership

not be in everyone’s best interest.

Municipalities must remain
mindful of finding and customizing
the right solutions that benefit all
parties involved. In this case, Paral-
lel Infrastructure was able to de-
sig n, build, own, operate and
maintain a new tower facility meet-
ing the requirements for both pub-
lic safety systems and modern
wireless technology. Skagit County
did not have to contribute any
capital to the tower project, effec-
tively saving tax-generated revenue
to be used for other projects, while
gaining access to new infrastruc-
ture required for expanded emer-
gency services. The carrier was able
to bring its expanded LTE technol-
ogy to a growing portion of Wash-
ington, thereby increasing the
region’s ability to grow its economy
and attract new business and tour-
ism, all while offering residents of
the area competitive and modern
wireless services.
If done right, the concept of a
public-private partnership — as was
the case with Parallel Infrastructure,
Skagit County, Sierra Pacific Indus-
tries and the national wireless carrier
— can be customized into an “every-
b o d y w i n s ” m e a n s to ac h i e ve
telecommunications infrastructure
improvements on a grand scale.

Ed Myers is vice president of busi-

ness development and strategic ini-
tiatives at Parallel Infrastructure.
He is responsible for communications
tower and fiber infrastructure sales,
emerging technology ecosystems and
new right of way development. Visit
www.parallelinfrastructure.com.

agl magazine
February 2016
060
Conference: March 22-23, 2016
Exhibits: March 23-24, 2016
Las Vegas Convention Center • Las Vegas, NV

Connecting the
Wired and Wireless
Join us for IWCE’s Network Infrastructure Forum, a new event
presented by IWCE and AGL Media Group. See the latest products
in infrastructure, gain valuable education from our two-day
conference program and network with industry peers.
Learn more and register today at iwceexpo.com/nif16.

Save 20% off the conference package

or get a FREE Exhibit Hall pass!
Use promo code AGL1.

REGISTER TODAY!
aglmediagroup.com
061
Antenna Site Construction
Building a Raw Land Multitenant Site
By Michael Mitchell
Medium-sized and small companies can put this information to use. Large companies can use it to
understand the effects their actions may have on their smaller business partners.
For all contractors, the basic steps of
raw land construction are similar.
Some may use different terms or ad-
ditional steps, but for most, these are
the basic steps.
The project begins with business
development. The selling and bidding
processes come first. When you receive
the bid opportunity, put a master ser-
vice agreement (MSA) in place with the
customer. Review the plans, and in
most but not all cases, attend a bid walk.
Prepare and submit your bid, and create
a budget to use should you win the bid.
If you win the bid, you’ll receive an
award letter, a notice to proceed (NTP)
and, most importantly, a purchase or-
der (PO). Make a construction schedule
for the client, and solidify a start date
and the client’s expectations.
Break ground, and build the site. In-
spect what you expect. When you finish
the site, submit all your close-outs.
Punch the site, fix all punches, and if all
goes well, get paid as per your MSA.
Cash Flow: Are You Ready?
Every contractor needs to know that
building a raw land site could deplete
your cash flow, and if you are under-
capitalized, that can squeeze the life
out of you. Also, if the job is misman-
aged, it could carry a lot of risk to
your bottom line. Thus, my first sug-
gestion for contractors is that if you
cannot carry the entire cost of the
agl magazine
062
project for at least 90 to 180 days,
don’t attempt to do the work. My sug-
gestion for customers is to thorough-
ly vet your contractors to ensure they
have the financial capability to with-
stand the potential 90 to 180 days
without payment.
Opportunity and MSAs
Business development (sales) is how most
companies obtain an opportunity to bid
raw land construction. The telecommu-
nications industry is changing, and as
consolidation continues and as original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) grow,
the good-old-boy network shrinks. In
this day and age, it becomes less about
who you know and more about staying
in constant contact with your customers.
When a good opportunity presents
itself, one of the first steps is putting
an MSA in place. Make sure your MSA
is something you can live with. Gener-
ally, you have one shot when reviewing
an MSA, so make it count. MSAs start
boilerplate contracts, and they repre-
sent a starting point for negotiation.
If you’re told it’s a take-it-or-leave-it
contract, it’s probably best to walk away.
Remember, you’re going to lay out a
minimum of $100,000 for 90 to 180
days. In order to preserve cash flow, my
recommendation is to obtain your cus-
tomer’s agreement to paying in full (net
payment) in 30 to 45 days after project
completion. Obtaining terms of net 30
or net 45 requires negotiation, but when
you obtain those payment terms, you
preserve cash flow. To start the talks, I
always put down net 15. But be prepared
to settle for net 30 or net 45, which are
fairly standard payment terms for the
telecommunications industry.
Bid Walk and Bidding
If you’re lucky enough to receive an
invitation to bid, and if there is an
actual bid walk, bring a camera be-
cause you’ll want as many photos as
possible. Has it ever been a bad thing
to take too many? I always bring a
measuring wheel and a long tape mea-
sure because you never know when
you’ll need them. However, the most
important thing is to print out and
actually read the entire set of prints
and all the other reports. You’ll want
to jot down notes while you fully re-
view the plans so you can ask ques-
tions during the walk or via email.
Generally, the tower developer will
release bid notes a few days after the
walk, but they have been known to miss
some questions. Read the bid notes. If
you need more answers hit “reply all”
if possible and ask your questions. You
want every bidder to be on the same
page and to bid the same work. How
many times have you lost a bid to
2-Guys and a Rope Tower Company
because they forgot to bid something?
Be thorough and accurate.
February 2016
 When I was with American Tower
and I was bidding projects, I would
throw out the highest and the lowest
bid and then choose among the remain-
ing bids. By doing that, I cut down the
amount of change orders I was seeing,
and I also weeded out the companies
that either didn’t want the work or that
didn’t understand the job.
POs, NTPs and Construction
Schedules
Never do work without a PO. That seems
obvious, but this is telecom — jobs get
canceled all the time and sometimes
without warning. It shouldn’t matter
who the client is, don’t order any mate-
rial or spend any money on any job
until you receive a PO and an NTP.
POs for raw land sites generally have an
NTP attached. If for some reason the
NTP doesn’t come with the PO, find out
when it may arrive, and don’t spend any
money until you receive the NTP.
Tower developers always ask for a
construction schedule. Make sure you
put a lot of thought into that sched-
ule, and once it’s turned in, make sure
you stay on that schedule. Many in-
experienced project managers don’t
know how this business works, and
they simply throw together a schedule
without giving it much thought. Those
schedules are given to the tower de-
velopers (clients) who are, in most
cases, the anchor tenants. Your sched-
ule lays the groundwork for the life
of that tower over the next six
months. If you want to be invited to
the next raw land bid, my recommen-
dation is this: Put a lot of thought
into the schedule, check the weather,
check availability of materials and
check with your subcontractors before
you submit your schedule.
Speaking of subcontractors, make varieties, a conditional lien release
sure you issue them POs and that and a regular lien release.
each PO is accurate, complete and
concise. Your POs should spell out Construction Start
their scope of work (SOW) and fully The following information focuses
disclose every detail, no matter how on processes and procedures, not
minor, and most importantly, fully the actual construction, which var-
disclose the payment terms. The last ies from site to site.
thing you need is a misunderstanding On day one, pull out your con-
on payment or scope. struction schedule and make sure you
And this is most important, es- stick to it as much as possible. Your
pecially when dealing with subs: project managers should send a dai-
Every contract I’ve ever seen has a ly report to the client and a wrap-up
lien section. Tower developers are report at the end of each week. Re-
quite specific and demanding re- ports should contain what was ac-
garding lien releases. Keep in mind complished each day and for the week
that you will not be paid before you and what is scheduled for the next
give your customers lien releases day and the following week. Over-
from you and your subcontractors. communicating is really the best way
The developers will always make you to stay out of hot water. You’ll never
use their boilerplate lien releases. hear a client complain about receiving
Make sure you and your lawyer read too much information.
and fully understand it. And in some One advantage of daily and
cases, lien releases come in two weekly reporting is that they keep
Raw Land Construction Steps
● Business development: Get a bid opportunity and a master service
agreement (MSA) in place.
● Review plans and, in most but not all cases, attend a bid walk.
● Prepare and submit your bid, and create a budget for use should
you win the bid.
● Receive an award letter, a notice to proceed (NTP) and, most im-
portantly, a purchase order (PO).
● Make a construction schedule for the client and solidify a start
date and the client’s expectations.
● Break ground and build the site. Inspect what you expect.
● Finish the site and submit all your close-outs.
● Punch the site.
● Fix any and all punches.
● If all goes well, get paid as per your MSA.
aglmediagroup.com
063
Antenna Site Construction

a record of the job. The reports give
you documented proof, should you
need to go back and seek addition-
al compensation, as for a change
order. If you bid the job correctly,
change orders shouldn’t be a prob-
lem. However, if you need a change
order, a daily report is a good way
of tracking the proof. Daily reports
will help mitigate a loss and refresh
a lost memory.
During the daily tailgate or job safe-
ty analysis meeting, in addition to dis-
cussing safety, have the foreman or
construction manager remind the work-
ers of what close-out photos may need
to be captured during that day. The
more people who are aware of what’s
needed to close out the job, the better
your profit margins can be preserved.
Last (and this may seem insignifi-
cant, but it isn’t), make sure the fore-
man or construction manager emails
or otherwise sends all records of the
day’s work to the main office daily —
every single day. This includes job
safety analyses, photos, timecards and
close-out forms. Don’t allow the fore-
man, construction manager or even
the project manager to keep any or all
site information in one location during
the build. This is telecom, and if it could
go wrong, it will. I’ve had laptop com-
puters dropped, crash and even stolen.
Can you imagine what would happen
if all of your close-out data was lost
because a foreman’s laptop crashes?
Do yourself a favor and have them send
all data into the office every single day.
Safety is paramount. Make sure
you follow all the rules. In addition to
the climbers’ gear, there are three
minimum pieces of personal protec-
tive equipment (PPE) that every
worker must wear at any active job-
site, regardless of their discipline.
These are hardhats, steel-toed boots
and safety glasses. Safety glasses are
as important as hardhats and steel-
toed boots and are supposed to be
part of the standard-issue safety gear.
Finish Site, Submit Close-outs
Some tower developers allow for
milestone billing. That’s great if you
can get it, but if not, you’ll probably
have to finish the site 100 percent
before you can invoice and start ag-
ing the receivable. Regardless of the
contract terms, collecting documen-
tation during the build will allow
you to invoice much quicker. During
the build, capture and begin assem-
bling the close-outs so when the site
is complete, all you’re waiting for
are the final inspections. If done

Author’s Note
I left the corporate world years ago and now run
a small to medium-size company based in Nashville,
Tennessee, called EMF Telecom. Despite the con-
struction slowdown in 2015, we are seeing some
slow growth.
During the past 30 years, I’ve had four positions. I
was a general manager of a large West Coast tower
services company. I was the national director of opera-
tions for American Tower, a regional manager at a
national paging company called SkyTel, and well before
the cellular boom, I cut my teeth at a two-way radio
shop where I started as a radio installer. My advanced
education and real first experience was in the U.S. Navy.
When I started in wireless, there were no per-
sonal computers. Our first PC was a massive desktop
Heathkit we had to put together ourselves. Each
component was meticulously soldered in place. It
only ran basic MS-DOS. I remember it had a 256k
hard drive and cost about $700 to build.
I’ve seen the wireless telecom industry grow from
two-way radios with no computers and paper maps
to where it is today. Now, I’m the senior partner and
CEO of a company my daughter Sarah Joss and I
started in 2004. We run the company with my old
friend and business partner, Sonny Peterman, our
COO. We have offices in Nashville, Tennessee; Co-
lumbus, Ohio; and Orlando, Florida.
I’m hoping this article will be informative to me-
dium-size and smaller companies. I’m also hoping
larger companies will read it and maybe come away
with a little more understanding of what it’s like to
be a small business. At times, it doesn’t seem as
though they understand the effect their actions have
on smaller companies similar to mine.
—Michael Mitchell

agl magazine
February 2016
064
right, you should be able to invoice Second Punch your client should fulfill their end
in days, not weeks. If you have to return for a second too. It’s just good business.
punch, my best advice is to repair Tower developers can fill a library
Punch the Site, Hopefully Only Once any problems as quickly as possible. with tales of bad contractors. Don’t
We use a quality assurance process and You do not want a delay in your be yet another bad company. Do
form meant to catch problems during payment, so just go and fix the what you said you would do, follow
construction. If you don’t have a pro- problem quickly. In a nutshell, go the rules and build a clean site. Trust
cess in place, you should develop some- and do the punch, get it over with, me, the last thing a developer wants
thing to catch discrepancies prior to and get paid. is a lien on a new tower site. If they
the punch walk. A good quality assur- slow-pay you, just don’t work for
ance process should catch any prob- Get Paid As Per Your MSA them anymore.
lems prior to a punch and save you Our accounting department usu- All things considered, the best de-
from costly return trips. I always try ally works closely with our clients. fense is a good offense.
to have at least two qualified climbers We know that to be paid, we must
and a construction manager or project follow the rules outlined on the Michael Mitchell is president and CEO
manager present during a punch to MSA. If the MSA says you need to of EMF Telecom, a construction com-
quickly repair any problems. If at all give your client XYZ to invoice and pany with headquarters in Nashville,
possible, you want the inspector to see be paid, give them XYZ. If you ful- Tennessee. His email address is mmitch-
the punches fixed while he is on-site. filled your end of the bargain, then ell@emftelecom.com.

Photo by Jade Albert

Learn more at
autismspeaks.org/signs
Some signs to look for:
No big smiles or other joyful No babbling by No words by
expressions by 6 months 12 months 16 months

© 2014 Autism Speaks Inc. “Autism Speaks” and “It's time to listen” & design are trademarks owned by Autism Speaks Inc. All rights reserved. The person depicted is a model and is used for illustrative purposes only.

aglmediagroup.com
065
Antenna Site Construction

Building an Antenna Site

By Michael Purpura

As demand for communication services and the Internet of Things expands, more antennas will be con-
structed. It is up to competent contractors to do this efficiently, safely and with the highest regard for their
workers, the community and the environment.

The cellphone is the catalyst for
communicating among people and,
increasingly, between people and
their machines. The web of connec-
tions becomes more complex with
each passing year. Our digital, hand-
held two-way radios/computers use
a potent mix of complex circuits and
Web applications to help us run our
lives. They help us run our busi-
nesses and facilities, and the ma-
chines inside them.
What does it take to satisfy us-
ers who want to do all of this?
Sending the requests is quick, but
streaming video and other data-
intensive applications demand su-
perior network performance. The
following information covers one
small piece of this long electron
conveyor belt, the construction of
an antenna site. Without a prop-
erly constructed cell site antenna,
the cellphone will not work.
When the contractor is awarded
an antenna site project, months of
work have already gone into it. The
site is acquired, and the design and
engineering work is completed. The
tower height and components are
specified, and the azimuth and tilt
angle of the antennas are called out.
The contractor’s job now is to con-
vert the drawing into a reality. The
hurdles that have to be cleared are
directly related to the population
density and the environmental sen-
sitivity of the site. These two factors
might make an otherwise simple
project highly complex.
The tower owner and its engineer-
ing firms usually do as much as pos-
sible to hand off a buildable package
to the contractor. However, barriers
to construction still exist because of
the complexity of permit require-
ments or unknown conditions on the
site. For example, drilling a 6-foot-

Left: Earth-moving equipment clears the area for the new monopole.
Right: A Soilmec SR-30 self-mounting drilling rig augers a 6-foot-diameter-by-40-foot-deep hole in the ground for a monopole tower.

agl magazine
February 2016
066
Left: The rig drills through a temporary casing for the foundation caisson.
Right: A worker steadies a cage fashioned of steel reinforcement bars as the drilling rig lowers it into the foundation hole.

diameter-by-40-foot-deep hole in the
ground for a monopole tower requires
water and drilling fluids to minimize
water loss to the soil and to stabilize
the soil wall. Sourcing that water can
require a permit, and disposing of
the water can require another permit
and possibly filtration. If contami-
nated soils are encountered, more
work and more permits are involved
in order to properly dispose of them.
In highly populated areas, per-
forming work during certain hours
may require special permits. Traffic
control plans have to be approved by
the city and possibly by the state
department of transportation.
Let’s not forget locates. It is easy
to hit a utility if it is not marked.
Good locates and a damage preven-
tion plan are vital to the success of

Left: The finished foundation with mounting bolts for the toe of the monopole.
Right: A backhoe digs a trench for cables to be extended to the tower.

aglmediagroup.com
067
Antenna Site Construction
any project. The ability of a contrac-
tor to secure all types of permits is
also an important factor in keeping
a project moving toward completion.
Carriers and tower owners do not
like delays. Once the project is award-
ed, they are anxious to place the
equipment in service.
This type of work is inherently
dangerous. Excavations, moving
equipment, horizontal drilling,
tower climbing, rigging and lifting
all bring with them certain hazards
that must be accounted for, planned
for and mitigated from the start.
For example, during a drilling op-
eration, it is necessary to develop a
utility damage prevention plan in
order to positively identify and
avoid all existing utilities during the
drilling operation.
Lifts are another area of great
concern. Any lift should have a lift
The completed tower with its graveled, fenced compound is ready to be placed in service.
agl magazine
068
plan that ensures the weight is
known, the boom angle and rigging
are within limits, the crew under-
stands how the lift will be executed,
and each individual understands
what his role is during the lift. All
of this forms the basis for a good
job site analysis (JSA) and helps
the superintendent and foreman
with their daily safety briefings.
Scheduling plays a critical role The finished equipment pad.
in making a project run smoothly.
It’s an important planning and
communication tool that helps the contractor to communicate effec-
contractor visualize conflicts and tively with the carrier, the turf
critical paths, and it allows for clear vendor and government agencies.
communication among the contrac- Even when circumstances dictate a
tor, site owner and carrier. Micro- change in scope or schedule, it is
soft Project or Primavera are good easier to understand the change
software packages for this type of when all parties are familiar with
work. Most projects run smoother the project plan.
with a written project plan. This For example, on a recent project
plan and the schedule allow the in northern Indiana, additional per-
February 2016
mits were required before our work
could start. A traffic control plan
had to be drafted and approved by
the department of transportation.
Specialized drilling equipment had
to be brought in, and the tower steel
delivery had to be coordinated to
allow sufficient time for 144 cubic
yards of concrete to cure to speci-
fied strength. In addition, a sig-
nificant amount of site preparation
had to be completed. This included
installation of the ground bed. And
400 feet of conduit had to be placed
in order to accommodate power
cable, fiber-optic cable and control
wiring. A pad for the equipment
building had to be poured.
When these steps were complet-
ed, a crane capable of stacking three
50-foot sections on top of one an-
other was set up on site. The tower
crew prepped the tower sections by
installing climbing pegs. The crew
built the tower platform, installed
radios and antennas and prewired
as many components as possible.
W hen the tower sections were
ready, the lift plan was executed
and the tower and platform were
set and secured.
After this, the finish work starts.
This is when wire is pulled through
the conduits, power is run to the
site and the tower and equipment
building are wired. The final adjust-
ments to the antenna azimuth and
tilt settings are dialed in. RF testing
is completed to ensure that power
levels are within limits throughout
the design range of the tower. The
site is then fenced and graveled,
and any restoration and landscap-
ing work is completed.
At this point, the tower owner
and carrier complete the commis-
sioning process, and the tower is
placed in service. As demand for
communication services and the
Internet of Things expands, more
antennas will be constructed. It is
up to competent contractors to do
this efficiently, safely and with the
highest regard for their workers, the
community and the environment.
Michael Purpura is director of busi-
ness development at Electric Conduit
Construction. Visit www.electric-
conduitconstruction.com.

Qualified Climber Training

The Pepro Pan & Tilt 700 is specifically designed
for the wireless communication industry; providing
speed, precision and reliability for the positioning
TOWER SAFETY
Check Us
of a variety of antennas. • Customized ANSI-359 standard courses Out At The
• On-site, hands-on training NATE
EXCHANGE
Engineered to withstand 120 • Authorized, Competent, and Competent Climber
Rescuer courses are bundled for economy
mph wind speeds and extreme
• Special tuition pricing thanks to funding from the
weather conditions Susan Harwood Grant Training Program
SUSAN HARWOOD GRANT COURSES AVAILABLE
45° of pan and 10° of tilt
• Carbon Monoxide & Inhalation Hazards
adjustment • Motorized Construction Equipment Safety
• Emergency Situational Awareness & Planning
Positive positioning via
electric motor

Rugged Steel Construction

AC or DC operation
For more information, contact:
Jason Erickson • Jason.Erickson@witcc.edu
Water and dust resistant or Jason Marrinan • Jason.Marrinan@witcc.edu
(IP67) electrical connections corporatecollege.biz • 712-274-6418
4647 Stone Ave. • Sioux City, IA
Located on the campus of Western Iowa Tech Community College
www.peprollc.com This material was produced under grant SH27666SH5 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does
671 Colbert Ave • Oil City, PA 16301 mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

P:814-676-5688 • F:814-676-3729

aglmediagroup.com
069
Antenna Site Construction

Wet Weather Breeds a Creative Solution to Cell Site Construction

By Benjamin Horvath

Construction of a site in Fort Shawnee, Ohio, called upon a technique more commonly used in heavy
construction, as with roads, highways and bridges.

The three main steps for installing a
self-supporting tower’s foundation are
excavation, rebar placement and pour-
ing concrete. When wet weather makes
a site muddy, the third step becomes
especially difficult because concrete
trucks don’t roll well through mud.
A case in point involves the installa-
tion of a 250-foot tower in mid-April,
a rainy time of year in Ohio. Called upon
to install the foundation, Stout Tower
Services found the site in Fort Shawnee,
25 miles east of the Indiana border, had
taken on a days’ worth of rain, leaving
the work area oversaturated. The site
was at or just below the water table.
Usually, for a pad-and-pier foundation,
concrete trucks can be parked 10 to 15
feet from the excavation area. From the
rear of the truck, a chute, roughly 15 feet
long, is placed into the excavated hole.
This enables wet concrete to be poured
into the soon-to-be tower foundation;
however, given the wet conditions, it was
impossible to maneuver a heavy concrete
truck through the muddy site area.
Although the company built an ac-
cess road prior to beginning the founda-
tion install, the road was in a swampy
area with too much ground water, and
with the wet conditions, bringing heavy
equipment along the road wasn’t pos-
sible. Meanwhile, the client was anxious
for the site to be completed. To expedite
the process, Stout decided to pump the
concrete into the excavated hole from
a truck parked roughly 400 feet from
the foundation area. The company used
a 6-inch hose and pumped the concrete
from the truck to the site.
Two additional steps aided in the
process. First, a sump pump was placed
within the excavation area, thereby
clearing any excess water from the hole.
Second, the bottom of the hole was

Wet site conditions prior to the beginning of construction.

agl magazine
February 2016
070
lined with small stones, which acted as
a filtration device to keep the working
area relatively dry and mud-free.
It was important to keep the area free
of mud to maintain the concrete-to-
water ratio specified for the pour. Oth-
erwise, the concrete could lose strength.
Also, mud makes it more difficult for the
crew to work within the excavation area.
Using the hose to pump the concrete
into the foundation area required more
manpower than a usual install would.
Generally, there is only one man in the
excavation area during the pour, but Wet conditions within the excavated foundation hole a couple of months before the con-
during this install there were two. Also, crete was poured. At the right are the green hose and the pump used to keep sitting water
out of the hole during concrete pumping.
because the hose was so heavy with
concrete running through it, an addi-
tional man operated an excavator that construction, but it is used fairly com- for the site to dry, which the client obvi-
held the hose in place. monly within other construction areas. ously wouldn’t be too crazy about.”
Because of the long distance the wet For example, many bridges must be
concrete needed to travel, the compo- constructed in a similar manner because Benjamin Horvath is a human resources
sition of the concrete was slightly al- concrete must be pumped from dry land and marketing assistant at Stout Tower
tered. Concrete loses air as it is to the piers upon which the bridge rests. Services in South Bend, Indiana. Stout
pumped, so it was necessary to com- “I was fortunate to have been able to Tower Services has served a total of nine
pensate for the air loss by increasing learn a lot about construction prior to clients to date, including the industry’s
air pressure in the wet concrete. The entering this industry, and that was just largest carriers, such as Sprint, T-Mobile
concrete was designed and produced a natural product of having spent most USA, and Verizon Wireless. The com-
a little differently in order to compen- of my life around construction,” said pany has constructed approximately 100
sate for the length it had to travel from Darren Stout, president and CEO of cell sites and performs regular mainte-
the truck to the foundation. Stout Tower Services. “If I hadn’t been nance on more than 150 sites through-
This pumping technique is used exposed to so much construction during out the United States. Visit http://
relatively infrequently with telecom my life, I guess we would’ve had to wait stouttowers.com.

At the jobsite in Fort Shawnee, Ohio, the terminus of 400 feet of hose pours concrete for the antenna site foundation.

aglmediagroup.com
071
Antenna Site Construction
The Challenge of Forecasting Site Acquisition
(And What To Do About It)
By Tom Leddo
Take four steps to improve your site acquisition process. You will significantly improve your ability
to forecast every site, maybe not with 100 percent accuracy, but much closer to it.
Wireless operators are seeking new
ways to navigate through the perfect
storm of more than 100 percent pen-
etration (market saturation), price
competition and the insatiable demand
for constant high-speed connectivity.
In other words, everyone has a mobile
phone, and the carriers are in a price
war to retain customers or get new
customers who have an increasing ex-
pectation for the ability to upload un-
limited photos and stream unlimited
video anytime, anywhere.
If carriers are going to be able to
supply the bandwidth to meet the
forecasted demand for over-the-top
video and the many other demands
for wireless data, then there will need
to be ongoing development of both
microsites and macrosites throughout
the United States.
However, the development and
upgrading of traditional macrosites
slowed significantly during 2015
compared with the frenetic pace
caused by the need to upgrade net-
works to LTE in the previous few
years. Also, optimistic forecasts for
small cells have yet to be reached,
primarily because the deployment
costs per node do not provide the
return on investment required to
justify the installations in large vol-
ume. Furthermore, most of the ma-
jor operators paused in 2015 to
agl magazine
072
digest acquisitions, contemplate
future financing and restructure
their operations to adjust to the new
realities in the wireless marketplace.
The latest forecasts indicate that
capital expenditure will begin to in-
crease for more cell sites and upgrades
over the next few quarters. But it is
becoming much more obvious that
this rebound in cell site development
of both new and upgraded cell sites
must be deployed much faster, more
frequently and at lower costs.
Traditionally, site acquisition has
been a highly inefficient and unpre-
dictable part of the site-development
process. And because site acquisition
is the first part of the process for new
and upgraded sites, if a forecasted
acquisition date is missed, the entire
construction and installation schedule
is delayed beyond what was forecast
and the cost then exceeds the budget.
The wireless infrastructure indus-
try needs to find ways to streamline
site acquisition and make it much
more predictable. In other words, new
deployment models are needed.
The Challenge
Trying to accurately forecast site acqui-
sition for a new cell site or to upgrade
an existing one is almost impossible
because the typical functions are com-
pletely subject to human behavior and
thus highly variable. This volatility can
throw timelines and site deployment
cost models into total disarray. Con-
struction managers and project manag-
ers need to have equipment and crews
scheduled in the right place at the right
time, and if a lease is not executed or a
permit is not obtained, the cost of mov-
ing or storing equipment and redeploy-
ing a crew can destroy margins.
A number of factors can delay a
notice to proceed (NTP) such as leas-
ing, zoning, permitting and struc-
tural failures. Often, these problems
begin to snowball, throwing an entire
deployment budget out of whack and
costing project managers their jobs.
At the beginning of any project, no
one can tell with a reliable degree of
certainty when a given landlord will
properly sign and return a lease or lease
amendment, how long it will take a
municipal employee to review and ap-
prove a permit application or zoning
request or what the structural pass/fail
rate will be on a group of towers —
especially now that radios are mount-
ed in the air with the antennas. We no
longer operate in the days in which a
failed structural analysis (SA) just re-
sults in a check request. Now a failed
SA leads to revising the RF data sheets
to try to meet the load capacity of the
existing tower, which is much easier
said than done and causes further
February 2016
delays. There is more back and forth completed. By preparing a detailed then turn that into a Visio flow chart.
between site acquisition and RF than plan up front, weeks and even After a few iterations, we end up with
I have ever seen before in the industry. months of inefficiencies can be 10 to 15 pages of process detail that
One way to eliminate this wasted trimmed off the timeline. streamline the entire project. There
expense and inefficiency is to forecast At Md7, we begin every project in are hundreds of steps and substeps
more conservatively and thus give a front of a wipe board where we map to get from PO to NTP and, if not
site-acquisition team more time to out a step-by-step process flow and planned and tracked with that same
complete its leasing, environmental
and regulatory tasks. But let’s deal in
reality: Even if a reputable site-acqui- Proud sponsor of
sition vendor develops what they hon-
estly believe to be a sound forecast,
there are simply too many unknowns
and unforseeable circumstances be-
yond their control. Visit us at
In short, meeting the forecast for booth# 600
NTPs is difficult at best.
Here’s why site acquisition is so
hard to forecast, and what we should
do about it.
Ready, Aim, Fire! Let’s be honest.
Deployment projects rarely start on
time. Budget approval takes longer
than expected, the issuing of pur-
chase orders is delayed and RF data
sheets are released late and often
changed. And although the start
dates are often delayed, the on-air
forecast is rarely extended to accom-
modate the delays. This throws proj-
ect managers into a frenzy of activity
and forces them to seek corners to
cut and interim milestones to meet
so they appear to be on time.
Late starts are just part of life, but
when they occur without subsequent- ENGINEERED ANTENNA
ly pushing out the targeted comple-
tion dates along with the pressure to MOUNTING SOLUTIONS
For Carriers, A&E Firms, and Contractors
get sites on-air, our industry typi-
cally skips the most important, initial
step — planning.
Most projects develop a scope of
work for billing and milestone pur- www.sitepro1.com | 888-GET-PRO1
poses but lack a detailed step-by-
step process flow to get the work

aglmediagroup.com
073
 Faster
Antennas

and Safer.... level of detail, then we fall into reac-

tive mode, which is what typically
happens in site acquisition.
Bronto aerials take you where To successfully complete site ac-
you need to be, safer and quisition, you must be proactive and
well prepared. Typically in our indus-
more productively! try, we talk about being proactive, but
rarely are we actually proactive. Al-
though this takes extra time up front,
the time saved throughout the entire
• Working heights project more than makes up for it.
You can’t control (much less
to over 340 ft. forecast) human behavior. I have
• Horizontal reach heard it said many times that the
post-NTP phase (construction and
to over 102 ft. installation) is the most expensive
• Platform capacity part of a deployment process and also
the most predictable, but the pre-NTP
to 1500 lbs. site acquisition phase is much cheap-
er and far less predictable and can
Now you can reach throw the construction and installa-
towers anywhere. No tion phase into a tailspin.
matter how high or No matter how good a negotiator
you are, you can’t make a landlord
how far out you have
sign a document before he’s ready.
to reach, there’s a And if you pressure a smart landlord
Bronto aerial that’s to sign faster, he will actually strategi-
right for you. cally slow down to apply pressure for
rent and other concessions.
Similarly, no matter how good a
relationship you have with a munici-
pality, you generally cannot expect a
government employee or official to
approve your document faster, be-
cause they typically have their own
strict procedures to follow. Person-
ally, I believe that if you submit a
well-prepared, well-organized and
error-free zoning request or permit
application, you will get what you
need much faster than if you have a
great relationship with the municipal
employee behind the counter.
Often, there are well-intentioned
attempts to keep the site acquisition

Available for Rental or Purchase

Call us at 352-895-1109 • Visit us at www.bronto.us
agl magazine
February 2016
074 Photo courtesy of Hinkel Equipment Rental
process progressing by visiting a land-
lord or municipality in person with a
bag of bagels and wait for them until
they meet with you and grant your
request or just buy them a steak din-
ner or a bottle of scotch. Although
this sounds like a great idea on a de-
ployment call to get a slow-moving
site process going, it’s really just con-
fusing busyness with progress.
Keep in mind the old saying, “If
you want it bad, you get it bad.” If you
want it quickly, you get lower quality,
which in the end might help smooth
over a deployment update, but will
delay on-air.
Landlords and municipal employ-
ees are busy people, too, and an un-
scheduled attempt to meet only
interrupts and irritates them. Polite
persistence, friendliness and well-
prepared documents get you much
further, much faster.
The spreadsheet deployment
tracker is a relic from the 1980s.
According to Wikipedia, Lotus 1-2-3
was introduced in 1982, and Micro-
soft introduced Excel in 1985. Since
that time, the handset has evolved
from the car phone to the bag phone
to the brick phone to the flip phone
and now the smartphone. Similarly
the mobile networks have evolved
from analogue AMPS (now called 1G),
to digital 2G to 3G and 4G. But for
some reason, we still use spreadsheets
to track cell site deployments. Really?
We can develop a phone that can
open and close our garage doors and
turn on and off an HVAC system, but
we can’t create a decent workflow ap-
plication to track deployments?
Mike Fraunces, Md7’s president,
wrote an article last year (md7.
com/2014/04/agl-1) outlining how

aglmediagroup.com
075
Antenna Site Construction
T:3.75”
SAFERCAR.GOV/
KIDSBUCKLEUP
VISIT
UNTIL THEY BUCKLE UP.
NEVER GIVE UP
agl magazine
076
ADC5_9551A0012_3-75x21_BWNP_R1.indd
Client: AD COUNCIL
Job#: ADC5-9551A0012
spreadsheets fail to deliver quality
project details, process workflow and
shorter cycle times. He wrote a second
article (md7.com/2014/06/agl-2)
about how large enterprise software
systems are too broad, lack the level
of detail needed for a specific project
and are not flexible enough to be cus-
tomized for a specific project.
Md7 has developed its own tracking
software called LiveTrack. Designed
with the complex needs of site acquisi-
tion in mind, LiveTrack brings mul-
tidisciplinar y information and
milestones to a central location, pro-
viding end-to-end management over-
sight to all aspects of the process. And
we don’t have to wait for version 2.0 or
3.0 for upgrades. We meet with the
customer to fully understand their con-
cerns and needs and design the work-
flow tracking to meet those concerns
and needs for each project, every time.
T:21”
With date and time stamping, qual-
ity date management and parallel
process flows, LiveTrack shaves weeks
off deployment forecasts.
Decreasing pay points without
increasing volume. Simply put, we
need to break the cycle of giving a hand-
ful of sites to multiple site acquisition
vendors, particularly based on price.
In his book A Practical Guide to
Training and Development, Michael
Moskowitz, the director of human
resources for Md7, writes an excellent
summary of W. Edwards Deming’s 14
Points for Management. Moskowitz
summarizes the fourth of Deming’s
14 points as “Move toward a single
supplier for any one item.” He explains
that the use of multiple suppliers
means greater opportunity for varia-
tion in-source product quality.
In other words, by assigning more
Art Version: Final Art Studio Manager: A. McCarthy
Initials Date
Paper: Newsprint Proofreader: R. Virginia
sites to a single vendor, you can begin
to standardize the product and quality.
There are only two types of compa-
nies that can afford to survive on re-
ally low prices. The first is the small
operation with limited overhead. The
smaller the operation, the less the over-
head (self-employed people only have
to pay themselves), but they also lack
the resources to handle large volume.
The second type includes companies
that can produce in large volumes. Yes,
they have more overhead, but they also
can handle large volume and can afford
to refine and continuously improve
processes so that costs decrease simul-
taneously as quality increases.
The second type is what we
should be looking for in the site-
acquisition world.
When site acquisition is performed
in large enough scale, you can afford
the resources necessary to develop
and implement detailed plans of ex-
ecution, develop the software to track
the hundreds of details that must be
managed to get a site on-air, reduce
cycle times and lower costs.
Another way to achieve economies
of scale would be to assign all work
on a single site to a single site -acqui-
sition vendor. Too many times, the
site acquisition work for a technology
upgrade is assigned to one company,
the generator upgrade to another and
the lease renewal to third. Let’s get
smart and consolidate the work.
If you do these four things, you
will not be able to forecast every site
with 100 percent accuracy, but you
will be able to significantly increase
your batting average.
Tom Leddo is vice president of Md7. His
email address is tleddo@md7.com.
February 2016
 Your safety
is our
mission

National Association of Tower Erectors

The industry leader in
tower climber safety
605-882-5865 • 888-882-5865 (U.S.)
www.natehome.com
aglmediagroup.com
077
Business & Management
Ten Wireless Deployment Mistakes to Avoid
By Andrew Sheridan
The variety of stakeholders, the number of moving parts and the clash of cultures from engineers to
construction managers to planners makes success more difficult to achieve than it might initially appear.
Mobile network operators (MNOs)
are continually deploying more ad-
vanced network technologies and
features in an attempt to differentiate
their services and improve customer
experience. These major deployment
programs drive market expectations
and, with them, put pressure on the
organizations responsible for imple-
mentation. The pressure to succeed
can be immense. Let’s face it — wire-
less deployments just aren’t easy.
These are complex, high-dollar pro-
grams where success or failure of the
program has a significant effect on
not only the careers of those presiding
over such deployments, but also on
the success of the carrier itself. So,
how can MNOs make a wireless de-
ployment successful?
Although not all deployments are
the same, with differing goals and
unique challenges, it is clear that much
more can be accomplished by simply
avoiding key mistakes. The following
information details 10 of the mistakes
witnessed firsthand across multiple
deployments and provides some best
practices to avoid them.
1. Assuming that scope detail
can simply be worked out later.
Scoping deployment services with
an insufficient level of detail happens
more often than one would imagine.
Everybody wants the contract signed
quickly, so often broad scope defini-
agl magazine
078
tions are used assuming they will
cover everything and that both par-
ties are close to understanding what
that exact scope might be. Do not
assume your vendors understand
what you mean; spell it out for them
with enough detail. To do so, you
need to know the detail. Work with
Supply Chain software to write the
scope of services; do not rely on stan-
dard contractual language previ-
ously used in presumably similar
engagements. Only when doing this
will you be able to identify key chal-
lenges and uncover the items you
may have missed previously.
2. Assuming that you will be
able to adhere precisely to the
original business case. By the time
a program is approved, vendors are
sourced, contracts are signed and
equipment is available, a year or more
may have passed. That is plenty of
time for the real-world deployment
costs to have altered from the original
baseline in the business case. For ex-
ample, tower crew costs may have
changed based on national demand;
the services costs between all vendors
required to deploy a site may not re-
flect the assumption in the business
case anymore; or the addition of in-
cremental scope post-initial contract
signing may have led to service costs
escalating through change control.
From the very start of the sourcing
phase, the business case should be
used both as a guide for costs and as
a reference point to understand when
costs are getting out of control. This
reference point should continue to be
used throughout the deployment be-
cause cost changes and requirement
changes may threaten the business
case at any time.
Similarly, the timing assumed in
the business case was estimated be-
fore much detail was known about
the deployment (before detailed scop-
ing of work took place), and trying to
manage to a schedule that was built
using wrong assumptions or incom-
plete information will only lead to
problems. Often, the assumed days
for the contract signings themselves
are extremely optimistic, virtually
guaranteeing that the deployment is
late before it has even begun. This
translates into an organization that’s
constantly playing catch up — focus-
ing on hitting numbers in any way
possible and at whatever costs. More
often than not this results in unnec-
essary tensions between parties, and
in decreasing performance.
3. Assuming too much, or too
little, of third parties. Just because
you have a contract and your third
parties are operating in good faith
doesn’t mean deployment will just
happen. Expectations can only be met
with proper management. A success-
February 2016
ful deployment requires continual
effort from all stakeholders. Your de-
ployment partners will require sup-
port in many areas in order to achieve
their goals (e.g., making sure they
understand what they need to do to
get a site across the line if it fails its
first quality test, and help with inves-
tigating ambiguous issues such as
interference). Actively managing the
third party’s performance is crucial
to meeting overall expectations. Your
partners must know from the get-go
that you’re watching everything that
they do, that you can quickly spot
when cracks appear, and that medio-
cre performance isn’t acceptable. Fur-
ther, even when things are going
according to plan, it’s sometimes nec-
essary to push harder (e.g., press on
in summer and fall in case it’s a par-
ticularly bad winter).
Likewise, don’t assume too little
of your deployment partners. Don’t
assume that they can’t be trusted and
are only out to get you. Assuming that
your deployment partners are purely
driven by ulterior motives leads to
poor relationships and troubled de-
ployments. It’s also ineffective, be-
cause you can stop looking for the
right cause of an issue and simply
gravitate to the easy cause, leading to
weak root cause analysis and a lack of
effective course correction. Although
all third parties (and your own team)
must be managed, they are rarely sim-
ply out for themselves. Often, they
have just as high a desire to do the
right thing and are very much invest-
ed in building a good network. It is
often much easier to simply blame
the vendor than to look inside your
own organization, but rarely are is-
sues solely caused by one party or
solely fixable by one party. You need
to collaborate to get the job done.
4. Not managing equipment
availability until there’s a short-
age. Things are going well with the
deployment, and then they start to
slow down. Questions are asked of
the deployment vendors, and various
suppositions are made. The slowdown
continues. Then you’re told there’s a
slight delay with equipment, but it’s
only temporary. The slowdown con-
tinues. Now the build is off schedule
and after having been forced to
dig further you realize there is a fun-
damental issue with the supply of a
major component from one manufac-
turer. What do you do? Do you ask
your own team and the OEMs to as-
sess and test alternatives? Do you
trust assertions from the manufac-
turer or your deployment vendor that
things are on the verge of improving?
The fact is, planning for alternative
suppliers needs to take place with all
major equipment up-front, and the
carrier needs to be close enough to
the OEM’s equipment supply issues
(and general supply chain processes)
to know when an issue is about to hit.
Early detection can lead to early ven-
dor swaps, and there’s nothing that
keeps a supplier on its toes like the
very real threat of replacement.
There may be many reasons why
an OEM or deployment vendor is re-
luctant to switch failing suppliers
early on: preferred pricing from that
vendor; a good historical working re-
lationship; or maybe an ordering de-
lay on the part of the deployment
vendor that they do not want exposed.
Whatever the reason, the ability to
force an equipment swap should be
under the strong influence of the car-
rier, and enough compatibility testing
should have been performed up front
to make a swift change possible. Too
many deployments fall behind be-
cause these simple practices aren’t
followed.
5. Not measuring construction
and installation quality by the
vendor or general contractor.
There are many reasons why this
should be seen as critical during the
lifetime of a build. One of the most
obvious is enabling good vendor man-
agement practices (i.e., which gen-
e ra l co n t ra c to r s a re m e e t i n g
expectations and which are falling
behind). It also allows identification
(and possibly financial recovery) of
equipment swaps that were caused
by damage in the field versus manu-
facturing issues (e.g., out-of-the-box
failures, or early mortality). This is
much better than receiving a large bill
from your OEM toward the back end
of the deployment for equipment that
was discovered through the RMA pro-
cess to be damaged. This also means
that the RMA process is managed
more closely, and determinations are
made more quickly, versus the OEMs
sitting on returned equipment until
it’s too late to perform corrective
quality steps with the general contrac-
tor (bad practices then continue to
occur and more equipment gets dam-
aged). This also limits exposure to
additional service dollars as equip-
ment issues are often identified dur-
ing services performed later down the
line, such as integration; and those
third parties may expect to get paid
for a revisit.
6. Forgetting how much deploy-
ments can affect the network.
There’s little point in sinking billions
aglmediagroup.com
079
Business & Management
of dollars into a major deployment if
by the end of it you’ve lost your cus-
tomers. Deployments are always in-
tended to improve network quality and
service (e.g., adding more sites and
radio-frequency bands, upgrading or
swapping technology), but the journey
to the improved network is arguably
more important than the destination.
Although it’s true that adding more
sites and bands will increase service
coverage and capacity, it’s quite easy
to disrupt existing service and existing
service quality while doing so. Out-
ages for upgrades, popcorn deploy-
ments without carefully managed
neighbor lists, unexpected interfer-
ence, and long times between turning
up the new technology and actually
optimizing it can all negatively affect
customer experience. This can result
in customer losses before your deploy-
ment has fully delivered on its prom-
ises. The business case will almost
certainly not have accounted for that.
Deployment teams, including internal
groups and third parties (not just the
engineering group within the carrier),
should share the burden of delivering
and protecting network quality.
7. Leaving vendor management
to the OEMs or prime contractors.
Sure, you can argue that your third
parties should manage the landlord
interactions (if performing site acqui-
sition or construction), and they
should manage their equipment sup-
pliers. That’s partially what you pay
them for, after all. However, nothing
is ever that black and white, and the
carrier should monitor the perfor-
mance of these subcontractors of
primes and exert influence where
necessary through the prime contrac-
tor when things start to go wrong.
agl magazine
080
Just as in other areas, these ways of
working should be established up
front versus waiting until problems
actually arise. There’s no point in
waiting until things are so bad that
your deployment partner comes to
you in desperation asking for you to
exert your pressure as a carrier on one
of its suppliers.
Conversely, if not managed, you can
also end up with a situation in which
a misbehaving prime can foster poor
relationships with well-performing
subs, potentially poisoning the reputa-
tion of the carrier that is contracting
with the prime. The only way to know
if this is happening is to be involved.
8. Course correcting once a de-
ployment issue has already af-
fected key deployment numbers.
The executive level tracks progress on
the big numbers, but big numbers are
driven by lots of small numbers.
Seemingly unimportant data points
can be used as leading indicators to
understand when things are about to
go wrong in a particular market or
with a particular vendor. When it
shows up in the big numbers (e.g., run
rates), it’s too late. Corrective action
can take weeks or even months to
stabilize the situation, never mind
making up for the lost run rates.
Avoiding this issue is only possible if your
organization knows what the right data
points are, has the right tools to capture
and report on them, and has the experi-
ence to spot subtle trends in the results.
9. Ignoring smaller issues as
long as the deployment numbers
are still good. Small issues can even-
tually lead to bigger issues, but just as
importantly they can affect the atmo-
sphere of the deployment and the re-
lationships with partners and other
third parties. For example, if a con-
struction vendor is delivering low qual-
ity but still receiving new site awards
at the same rate as its peers, this could
potentially lead to some of those ven-
dors following that bad example and
disregarding quality. It is easy for qual-
ity to slip overall as a result. Ignoring
small issues can affect the culture of
the deployment, and this can lead to
more serious issues in the current de-
ployment, or even in the next one.
10. Assuming the level of de-
ployment complexity versus de-
terming the level of deployment
complexity. At the beginning, deploy-
ment projects can sound conceptually
simple, whether they involve overlay-
ing an existing installation or replacing
it. At this point, there may have just
been technology pilots (that generally
have the best engineers and techni-
cians on them) and limited analysis of
the true complexities associated with
rolling out such technology.
Don’t assume the level of complex-
ity at this stage; rather, test it and
assess it from an operational and de-
ployment perspective once the tech-
nology is proven. The following are
examples of things to look for.
● Which parties are responsible for
sourcing, kitting, and installing
equipment? Will the general contrac-
tor source any minor materials?
Maybe a split of responsibilities that
sounded good during contract nego-
tiations is operationally impractical.
If so, this is the last opportunity to
fix it before the deployment starts.
● How will these stages be broken into
per-site level milestones? Are these
discrete stages that are largely under
the control and responsibility of your
vendors, or elements of the internal
February 2016
 organization? Are there too many
handovers between parties? How will
these handovers happen? If there’s a
24-hour lag every time a handover
takes place (before the receiving
party notices that a particular site is
in its queue and takes action on it)
then it can elongate the per-site cycle
times to an extent that is inefficient
and impractical. In this case, maybe
the process or the handover checks
need to be modified to maintain the
efficiency of the deployment
● What testing needs to take place?
Who will review the results and ap-
prove that milestone? Is approval
largely automated? Try to think of
scenarios that would break the mod-
el and cause a full manual review. How
often are those exception scenarios
likely to happen? Are the review and
approval teams appropriately staffed
to manage this? Also, what happens
if a deployment party fails a test? How
will they know they have failed? How
will they know why they have failed?
How long will they have to remediate
any issues and re-test? Will they be
able to troubleshoot and fix most is-
sues on their own?
● Are there specific service assurance
requirements that need to be met?
Can you build the site as quickly as
you thought (no matter how easy
it may have seemed) once these are
taken into account? Did you con-
sider service impact implications
when assessing the complexity and
defining the approach and scope of
the deployment services?
These mistakes are very common be-
cause they are common to human na-
ture: hoping and assuming vs. validating,
managing by crisis, generalizing, ignor-
ing things until they bother us, delegat-
ing because we don’t want the trouble.
Perhaps the biggest challenge associ-
ated with wireless network deploy-
ments is the scale. The variety of
stakeholders, the number of moving
parts and the clash of cultures from
engineers to construction managers to
planners make success more difficult
to achieve than it might initially appear.
All of these issues are exacerbated by
the thousands or tens of thousands of
sites. The first step to avoiding these
mistakes is to recognize them and then
set measures to avoid them. But there’s
no quick fix. It requires constant mon-
itoring, measuring, and tweaking along
the way. It requires people managing
the program who know what to look
for in key areas including engineering,
logistics and construction. It also re-
quires an executive team that can drive
and support these good behaviors.
Andrew Sheridan, a principal of Vertix
Consulting, has more than 11 years of
Big 4 consulting experience supporting
telecommunications and blue chip clients
that use telecommunications services.
Visit www.vertixconsulting.com.

YOUR ONE SOLUTION FOR

TOWERS UP TO 2,000 FEET.
Self-supporting towers • Guyed Towers • Tapered steel poles
Extensive design and installation expertise

Find out more at rohnnet.com or call (309) 566-3000

THE INDUSTRY
STANDARD
SINCE 1948.

aglmediagroup.com
081
Business & Management
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Networkers
By Andy Singer
Successful business people view networking as a mission and are highly effective at it.
If you are in business, you need to
network; it’s that simple. Some are
better at it than others, but we all
need to seek continuous improve-
ment of this critical skill. After 30
years in the wireless industry, I can-
not stress enough how important
networking is for your career. You
may not feel the need to grow your
network today, but trust me, at
some point you will. With this in
mind, here are seven habits of high-
ly effective networkers:
1. Think win-win-win. Network-
ing is best when you spread the love.
Not only should you look for oppor-
tunities to help others, but you
should also make use of your net-
work and become a rainmaker by
bringing people together to achieve
agl magazine
082
more. Think about how you can max-
imize value for a new contact and
your existing network. It’s human
nature to want to do business with
people you like. By maximizing the
value you bring others, you can max-
imize this aspect of human nature.
2. Be prepared. Being prepared
means you need to be open to net-
working and place yourself in the
right venues. Be certain to bring
enough business cards for the event
and always have a few in your wal-
let no matter where you go. You
should also have a well-rehearsed
elevator pitch about how you and
your organization add value. And
be sure to get training in how to be
a great listener.
3. Seek first to help. You will
find that life is more fulfilling when
you seek to help others first. Ask
questions to show your interest and
learn about the other person. Once
you know what they are involved
with you can share tips that may
help them and also offer to intro-
duce them to people in your network
who may prove useful. By being of
service to others, you greatly in-
crease the chance of receiving help
down the road.
4. Be proactive. Activity is al-
ways better than inactivity. Don’t
wait until you get fired to network.
I often stare in amazement when
someone emails me who ignored my
previous attempts to reach out, or
someone I have not heard from in a
decade. After shaking my head, I re-
spond, but imagine how often these
desperate gestures are ignored. Ad-
ditionally, when networking, be pro-
active, but don’t act like a vulture
seeking its prey. Start today and
reach out. Keep the previous point
in mind and see what you can to do
help others.
5. Don’t ignore your current
network. Always allocate time to
maintain relationships within your
current network. Remember, qual-
ity always beats quantity. Set time
aside each month to work through
part of your list of contacts and see
how people are doing and how you
can help them. As your network
February 2016
grows, your frequency of contact
may be reduced, but be sure to main-
tain these relationships.
6. Follow up. How often have
you met someone who said they
would follow up with an email or
phone call when they returned
home, only to never hear from
them again? Be sure you take the
time to follow up after each trade
show, conference or event. Your
company spent a lot of money to
send you there. Strive for a great
return on that investment for you
and your company by building your
network via follow-up. Highly ef-
fective networkers always follow
through and complete the connec-
tion. Be sure to send a follow-up
note or a useful article or set up a
lunch meeting. Speaking of lunch,
your goal should be to never eat
a l o n e . E ve r y l u n c h s h o u l d b e
viewed as a networking opportu-
nity. And don’t overlook written
thank-you cards and other notes.
In our modern world this touch of
class still stands out.
7. Sharpen the saw. The more
knowledge and skills you amass, the
more you can help the people in your
network achieve success. The more
you help your network, the more it
will help you. It’s no accident that
CEOs read significantly more than
the average person. Read, stay up to
date on technology and seek continu-
ing education. When you sharpen
the saw, you prepare yourself to
achieve greatness.
Often, successful business people
in our industry are the ones who
view networking as a mission and
are highly effective at it. Effective
and purpose-driven networking
leads to increased business, in-
creased profits, and perhaps even a
more purpose-driven life.
Andy Singer is president of Singer Ex-
ecutive Development. The company offers
training courses in executive manage-
ment, product management and micro-
wave systems. An electrical engineer with
an MBA, Singer is a former president of
RadioWaves. He writes “Down to Busi-
ness,” a syndicated newspaper column.
His email address is andy.singer@sing-
erexecutivedevelopment.com.

RESPONSIBILITY IS THE
FOUNDATION
FOR ALL WE DO.
We’ve built an environment within our company
where safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Every phase of every project, we accept nothing
less than an accident-free jobsite. We believe
this standard leads to safer and more
productive jobsites and that’s why we’re
dedicated to having the highest level of
protection for our employees, our customers
and the general public. That’s our standard.

ELECTRICCONDUITCONSTRUCTION.COM/SAFETY

A B OV E . B E LOW. B E YO N D.

T O W E R C O N S T R U C T I O N • T O W E R M O D I F I C AT I O N • S M A L L C E L L
T R E N C H I N G • D I R E C T I O N A L D R I L L I N G • F O U N DAT I O N S & F O OT I N G S

E L E C T R I C C O N D U I T C O N ST R U C T I O N . C O M | 6 3 0 - 2 9 3 - 4 4 74

aglmediagroup.com
083
Business & Management
What Is a CSO, and Why Does Your Company Need One?
By Chuck Reaves
CSOs are strategists who think two years out. They evaluate new processes and technologies. Maintaining
competitiveness for the future is time-consuming, and it requires investments and vendor negotiations at
the executive C-level.
Is yours a sales-driven organization?
When asked this question, most
CEOs answer yes. When asked if
they have a chief sales officer —
CSO — almost all of them admit
that they do not.
To answer the CSO question for
yourself, look at your organiza-
tional chart. Is there a representa-
tive of the sales department at the
C-level? On par with the CFO,
COO and others at that level, the
sales team deserves to be in-
volved at the strategic level
where decisions for the future
are being made.
Although some organiza-
tions have found the CSO po-
sition to be a cr itical role,
most companies still do not
have a CSO. Here are the most
common reasons:
We n e v e r h a d o n e b e -
fore. Other C-level positions,
such as chief technology officer
(CTO), did not exist in the past,
but the rapid and rampant changes
in technology necessitated includ-
ing the effect of technological in-
novations on decision-making.
Salespeople are required to
achieve the corporate objec-
tives. “ We decide; you imple-
ment.” In all too many companies,
salesp e o p l e a re c o n s i d e re d t o
agl magazine
084
b e d i f fe rent in the way they are
compensated but similar in that
they are to achieve top-down-driv-
en objectives regardless of what
customers want.
There is no training for the
CSO. Libraries are being built now
to give CSOs the information they
need to execute their responsibilities.
There are no tools for mea-
suring the effectiveness of the
CSO. In fact, extreme sales analyt-
ics and sales resource planner
s o f t ware programs, similar to
enterprise resource planner soft-
ware, are emerging. Return on
investment, total cost of owner-
ship and other calculators are
giving way to sophisticated dash-
boards, which are morphing into
sales analytic cockpits (multiple,
integrated dashboards).
Your customers do not need
you to have a chief sales officer.
So why bother? You need to have
the CSO in order for your custom-
er relationships to grow. Customer
relationships are dynamic, not
static. Either you will drive the
changes in the relationship or
someone else will: your customer
or your competitor. After all, if your
competitor has a strategic-focused
CSO and you do not, are they more
likely to introduce the next new
thing to your customers?
Is it enough to have a vice
president of sales? Why clutter
the C-Suite and add to the
leadership budget with yet an-
other position? The title is not
as important as the function.
C-levels are strategists; vice
presidents are tactical. The dif-
ference between how the time
and talents are deployed at the
two levels can vary greatly.
C-level executives plan for the
long-term future; the vice presi-
dent thinks in shorter time frames.
For instance, if the CEO, the cor-
porate visionary, is thinking three
years out (as most are), the C-levels
reporting to the CEO need to be
thinking two years out. In that sce-
nario, the vice president level needs
to be thinking one year out, the
sales management team thinking
one quarter out and salespeople
February 2016
thinking one month out.
C-level executives invest their
time in learning and evaluating
what new processes and technolo-
gies are coming that will affect their
business. Vice presidents focus their
time and talents on what current
capabilities are viable for making
more immediate improvements in
sales activities and management.
C-level executives are rarely in-
volved in the day-to-day activities,
while the vice president is occasion-
ally brought in to address pressing
customer and market issues. The
vice president of sales is likely to
know the details of significant pend-
ing sales, while the CSO is unin-
volved with them.
Relationship selling is a redun-
dant term; all selling is relationship
selling. Companies don’t do busi-
ness with companies; people do
business with people.
An example of this occurred
when a CSO found a new tablet-
based technology that reduced a
portion of the company ’s sales
cycle from three weeks to three
minutes. Think about that, three
weeks to three minutes. Forty per-
cent of their sales were in disaster
recovery. When they approached
a prospect that had lost, say, 20
percent of their capacity and of-
fered to have them up and running
again three weeks earlier than any
other vendor, who did the pros-
pect choose? Did the prospect
make the buying decision on
price? Of course not. In just over
a year, many of their competitors
went of business because of this
new capability.
Why was a CSO needed to make
this decision?
● The vice president of sales did not
have the time to thoroughly in-
vestigate the new technology.
● A six-figure investment would be
required — a decision that would
have gone to the C-level anyway.
● Agreements needed to be negoti-
ated with the software vendor for
market exclusivity.
● These activities were time-con-
suming, and the vice president
could not have managed this
quickly enough, if at all.
How does the typical CSO spend
a day?
● Evaluating new processes includ-
ing Lean/Kaizen/Six Sigma for
sales and discussing them with
the other C-level executives, be-
ginning with the COO.
● Evaluating new technologies for
planning and executing sales ac-
tivities and discussing them with
the other C-level executives, be-
ginning with the CTO.
● Evaluating the applicability of
new compensation concepts and
discussing them with the other
C-level executives, beginning with
the CFO.
Why not just simply change the
title of the vice president of sales
to CSO? Whether you have a CSO
or not, you have the CSO function
in your organization. Just as you
have the CFO function in your or-
ganization even if you do not have
a full-time CFO. If you choose to
elevate your vice president to the
CSO position, be prepared to back-
fill the vice president position;
both are important.
So, what are the criteria the CEO
needs to consider when bringing
a CSO onboard?
● Hire for tomorrow, not today. Find
someone who is comfortable with
the changes that are happening
in your market, industry, technol-
ogy and management processes.
● Look for a strategic mindset.
Rather than someone who knows
how to get things done, look for
someone who can determine al-
ternatives for moving the organi-
zation forward.
● CSOs think about “who else?” and
“what else?” Look for a creative
thinker who knows how to find
and solicit new ideas.
The role of the chief sales officer
is here. Someone in your organiza-
tion is filling that role. Are they do-
ing it intentionally or by default?
Chuck Reaves, CSP, CPAE, CSO, helps
companies raise their prices and vol-
umes simultaneously through innova-
tive processes, tools and training. His
presentations on sales and motivation
have inspired hundreds of people to
pursue and achieve their impossible
dreams. Along with pioneering many
advanced sales tools and processes,
Reaves’ achievements include Vistage’s
Impact Speaker of the Year honor and
being named the top salesperson for
AT&T. For more information, visit
www.chuckreaves.com.
aglmediagroup.com
085
Business & Management
Five Essential Traits Every Entrepreneur Needs
By Randy H. Nelson
Your personal qualities will help your company succeed.
Entrepreneurship remains alive
and well in America, with thou-
sands of people starting new busi-
nesses each year. But the success
of those businesses is another mat-
ter. About half will fail in their first
five years, according to Gallup. So
why do some new businesses go
belly up after a short existence
while others prosper?
Often, it all comes down to the
qualifications of the person who
started the business. Anyone can
start a business because no real
qualifications are required to do so.
But not everyone is qualified to run
a business once it’s off the ground,
and that’s a huge factor in why so
many fail.
There are five essential traits that
every entrepreneur needs to im-
prove the odds of business success.
Discipline. It’s important to be
self-disciplined in order to help
move an organization forward and
to produce good leadership deci-
sions within a managerial team. An
entrepreneur who is disciplined
understands that he doesn’t know
what he doesn’t know. This self-
knowledge makes it clear how the
entrepreneur’s shortcomings may
be affecting his company, and so
helps the entrepreneur make better
decisions for the long run. This en-
trepreneur also understands that,
for the business to succeed in the
agl magazine
086
long term, a transition must occur boredom; and failure to engage in
from the business being about the self-examination.
entrepreneur/CEO, to being about Self-assessment. It’s ironic
the overall needs of the company. that entrepreneurs who are good
Leadership. To help a business at holding others accountable for
succeed, it’s important to under- their performances don’t take time
stand that leadership within a to gauge how well they are doing
company entails knowing one’s themselves. It’s important for the
responsibilities and role, and success of a business that the en-
knowing when to share or even trepreneur is able to conduct self-
delegate responsibility. performance reviews.
Self-awareness. In some cases,
the person who created the com- Randy H. Nelson is the author of the
pany may not be CEO material and Amazon bestselling book The Second
needs to understand that and find Decision: The Qualified Entrepre-
someone else to fill that role. The neur. Nelson runs Gold Dolphins, a
founder has to take into consider- coaching and consulting firm to help
ation his own needs and desires and entrepreneurial leaders and CEOs
the needs and desires of the com- become qualified entrepreneurs and
pany. It’s about the self-awareness achieve their maximum potential.
journey through which a founder Visit www.randyhnelson.com/book.
evaluates his skills and interests in
each key aspect of managing a
growth company.
Understanding issues and
challenges. Within any company’s
life cycle, numerous issues and
challenges may arise. To lead a suc-
cessful business, the entrepreneur
needs to understand and acknowl-
edge that four issues in particular
may pose a challenge to efforts to
become the qualified entrepreneur
necessary to success. Those issues
are: insistence on autonomy ;
unwillingness to build structure,
cultivate expertise or delegate;
February 2016
 AT FIRST
I WAS EMBARRASSED.
ME, A CAT, LIVING WITH
A SINGLE GUY. BUT WHEN
I WATCH HIM PICK SOMETHING
UP WITH HIS HANDS AND EAT IT,
I CAN’T HELP BUT LOVE HIM.
— MARU
adopted 01-10-10

aglmediagroup.com
087
Business & Management
Three Presentation Mistakes That Kill Your Message and
Bore Your Audience
By Mark A. Vickers
Successful presentations do not happen by accident. They are carefully planned, crafted and rehearsed.
“Yeah, me too; I caught a bit of a nap
during the all-employee meeting —
another hour wasted.”
Sandra, the CEO of a successful
company, was shocked when she
heard this over a cube wall just min-
utes after finishing a series of all-
employee meetings. Her talks had
generated applause and positive
comments from those she visited
with afterward.
Three weeks earlier, Sandra had
met with her vice presidents of
corporate strategy and human re-
sources to discuss the midyear all-
employee meeting.
HR had big news about the ben-
efits plan, and Strategy was ready to
announce a new market and oppor-
tunities for the staff.
The team followed their standard
process for preparing for a meeting.
They discussed the details to be
shared. Both departments prepared
the necessary slides. The slides were
reviewed and updated. Corporate
Communications added the corporate
verbiage and created a script.
A few days before the meetings,
Sandra received the script and did a
quick review. A veteran of presenting
at meetings, she was relaxed and
ready to go.
Sandra and her team followed a
process similar to many organiza-
tions, making the same mistakes that
agl magazine
088
new and experienced presenters alike
fall victim to.
Mistake No. 1: Failure to
engage. Regardless of how much
experience you have making presen-
tations, engaging your audience is an
intentional process. People have short
attention spans, and it’s your job to
re-engage each member of your audi-
ence often throughout your talk.
Some of the best ways to engage
and re-engage your audience are to
use compelling, well-crafted stories.
Share just enough information to
make your point, leaving the extra
details for a report they can read
later. Don’t be a corporate talking
head, delivering a corporate presenta-
tion. To connect with others, be a
likeable, knowledgeable person talk-
ing to each member of your audience.
Today, more than ever before, your
audience wants to be entertained. Be-
ing a verbal flatliner with little variety
in tone, volume and speed will cause
you to lose your audience quickly.
Although these tips sound simple,
they are not easy to implement.
The solution: Preparation. To
ensure success, make sure you use a
robust presentation process and
structure to address your key intent,
make the maximum number of points
for the time allotted, include illustra-
tive stories, take into account your
audience and calibrate your content
for it, use a power opening and end
with a call to action.
Regardless of how many presenta-
tions you have made, a lack of time
spent preparing using a formal pro-
cess will lead to diminished results
because important points will not be
made as clearly as required, and you
may talk beyond your audience. Your
speaking patterns and habits that
distract your audience from the mes-
sage will be more evident. Content
overflow (too much content for time
allowed) will overwhelm your audi-
ence and bury the core message.
Verbal overflow (excess verbiage im-
mediately after key points) will cause
the most important information to
become lost in the babble.
Mistake No. 2: Being a support
to your slide presentation. You
have heard of death by PowerPoint,
yet you don’t believe it happens to
your audience. It’s easy to slip into
one of three traps that cause you to
lose power and momentum.
First, your slides should provide
visual support. Unfortunately, many
people let the slides take over the
show. Your slides should not be a cue
for what comes next in your presenta-
tion, making you appear like a trained
executive who speaks every time the
slide changes.
Second, you should be the author-
ity, not the slide show. If you let your
February 2016
slides share the most important in-
formation, it might be better to email
everyone your slides because they
don’t need to hear you.
Third, people respond better to
other people, but slides are easier to
deliver. No matter how effective your
slides are, they will never compel an
audience to take action as well as you
can when you are clear and passionate
in your delivery.
The solution: More practice.
Formally practicing your presentation
is the only way to make sure that your
carefully developed content is pre-
sented effectively. To get the most
from your practice time, practice de-
livering your presentation (not si-
lently reading it) while standing.
Record it, in video if possible, and at
least in audio, and then review the
recording. Refine your presentation,
and then repeat the process.
Mistake No. 3: Failure to im-
prove. Your presentations will ulti-
mately define your success, and when
done properly, they will be remem-
bered and acted on by your audience.
Although the ability to present infor-
mation is critical to many profession-
als, most fail to improve over time,
typically as a result of one factor.
When you need help with your
taxes, you call your accountant;
your legal matters, an attorney; and
to keep you healthy, your doctor.
You trust experts in other areas of
your life, yet when it comes to de-
termining the effectiveness of a
presentation, most people rely on
comments from unreliable sources
and then use that unreliable feed-
back for future presentations.
Do you rely on feedback from
friends, family and staff? These
people are close to you, they like speaking, connecting to an audi-
you and have a relationship or de- ence, and critical strategic feedback
pendency on you; they are not provide an assessment at least once
necessarily objective and honest a quarter.
with you. Successful presentations do not
Do you rely on feedback from the happen by accident. They are care-
people who come up after your pre- fully planned, crafted and re-
sentation and tell you how great it hearsed. You have a responsibility
was? These people might just want to to provide value to the people who
get a few seconds with you for their give their time to listen to you. You
own reasons, or you may have con- will be rewarded when they leave
nected well with them. What about highly motivated and take the ac-
all the people who didn’t come up? tion you recommended.
What did they think?
Mark A. Vickers is a certified profes-
The solution: Get strategic sional coach and certified speaking coach.
feedback. To determine the true ef- He is a communications consultant fo-
fectiveness of your presentation, try cused on helping individuals and orga-
the following tips: nizations improve performance through
● When people say “Great job,” in- improved communication and speaking
stead of taking the accolades and skills. He created the Communications
saying thank you, ask them ques- Challenge, an objective way to measure
tions such as: communication effectiveness. Visit
o Can you tell me something spe- http://speakingisselling.com.
cific you learned?
o What are you going to do dif-
ferently as a result of what
you heard?
o How do you feel about this
subject?
● By asking specific questions after
you speak, you will discover what
they really heard. It’s important to
ask the people who come up to you
and the ones who don’t.
● Listen to a recording of what you
did. It’s important that you listen
as a disinterested, disengaged audi-
ence member who believes he or
she has better things to do than
listen to you. Is there anything in
your presentation that might get
that person’s attention? Were you
dynamic and personable?
● Have a professional, trained in
aglmediagroup.com
089
Buyers Guide

Quick-Guide to
Tower and Antenna Site
Construction Companies
As a supplement to AGL Magazine’s January Buyers Guide, a list of
tower and antenna site construction companies offers more detail to
help you choose a vendor for your next project. Where shown, logos and
company descriptions were provided by and paid for by each company.

AD GeoPhoto Joe Ceniglia Sr. Additional services include ware-

1770 Deamerlyn Drive 484.252.9446
York, PA 17406 joe.cernigliasr@aflglobal.com
Philip Savard www.aflglobal.com
717.891.5107 Services: site construction,
adgeophoto@gmailcom tower construction, site mainte-
www.adgeophoto.com nance, site modification
Services: balloon tests and photo Company description: AFL
simulations provides project management,
installation and design, civil
construction, antennae and line
installation to include sweep and
PIM testing, tower modification
AFL installation, RBS/BTS installation
2807 Gray Fox Road and integration, DAS design,
Monroe, NC 28110 installation and optimization.
housing and equipment furnishing
and network monitoring.
Allstate Tower
P.O. Box 25
Henderson, KY 42420
Kevin Roth
270.830.8512
kroth@allstatetower.com
www.allstatetower.com
Services: antenna installation,

agl magazine
February 2016
090
lighting system installation,
power and grounding installa-
tion, site construction, tower
construction, build-to-suit,
microwave installation, RF
equipment installation, site
maintenance, tower reinforce-
ment, foundation installation,
platform installation, shelter
installation, site modifications
Company description: Allstate
Tower fabricates self-supporting,
guyed, agriculture and specialized
steel structures engineered
specifically for its customers’
requirements. Allstate Tower
offers turnkey installation
services, tower maintenance and
inspection services for any tower.
The company has served the
broadcast, wireless, CATV,
agriculture, government, utility
and general contracting markets
for more than 10 years.
See ad on page 102
American Products
597 Evergreen Road
Strafford, MO 65757
417.736.2135
sales@amprod.us
www.amprod.us
Product: enclosures
Company description: American
Products specializes in offering
high-quality, competitively priced
enclosures and shelter solutions
for protecting sensitive electronic
and passive equipment in the field.
We provide these enclosure solu-
tions to support the telecommuni-
cations and CATV industries for
wireless and fiber applications and
now offer equipment and fiber
integration for quick deployment
in the field.
AN Wireless Towers
350 Kuhn Fording Road
East Berlin, PA 17316
Dan Simmonds
717.465.0519
dan@antowers.com
www.antowers.com
Services: tower reinforcement,
tower and reinforcement fabrication
Antenna Products
101 SE 25th Ave.
Mineral Wells, TX 76067
Phil Park
940.325.3301 ext. 210
ppark@antennaproducts.com
www.antennaproducts.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation,
tower construction, RF
equipment installation
B+T Group
1717 Boulder Ave., Suite 300
Tulsa, OK 74119
Leigh Anne Self
918.587.4630
info@btgrp.com
www.btgrp.com
Services: antenna installation,
microwave installation, RF equip-
ment installation, tower reinforce-
ment, site modification
Bay Communications II
391 Oakland St., 2nd Floor
Mansfield, MA 02048
Jim Riley
774.719.2134
jriley@baycommunicationsllc.com
www.baycommunicationsllc.com
Service: build-to-suit
Company description: Bay
Communications II is a Boston-
based provider of wireless commu-
nications infrastructure. We
develop, own and manage commu-
nications towers throughout the
Northeast and the rest of the
United States.
Bell Tower
6037 S. Industrial Road
Chelsea, OK 74016
Bruce Burris
918.789.9020
belltowersales@sbcglobal.net
www.belltowercorp.com
Services: site construction, tower
construction, build-to-suit, micro-
wave installation, tower reinforce-
ment, foundation installation,
platform installation
aglmediagroup.com
091
Buyers Guide
Black & Veatch
6800 W. 115th St., Suite 2292
Overland Park, KS 66210
Brian Robinson
913.458.6656
robinsonb@bv.com
www.bv.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power and
grounding installation, site construc-
tion, tower construction, build-to-suit,
microwave installation, RF equipment
installation, site maintenance, tower
reinforcement, foundation installa-
tion, platform installation, shelter
installation, site modifications
Company description: Black &
Veatch provides planning, design
and deployment services for ad-
vanced telecommunications applica-
tions used in wireless and wireline
networks for voice and broadband,
utility automation and telecommu-
nications, and public safety.
See ad on page 39
Black Box Network Services
1000 Park Drive
Lawrence, PA 15055
800.316.7107
www.blackbox.com
Services: antenna installation, site
construction, build-to-suit, RF
equipment installation
Blackdot Wireless
27271 Las Ramblas, Suite 300
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Doug Getty
949.271.7852
dgetty@blackdotwireless.com
agl magazine
092
www.blackdotwireless.com www.dialight.com
Services: site construction, build-to- Service: lighting system installation
suit, site maintenance, site modifications Company description: For more than
15 years, Dialight has been the innova-
Bronto Skylift tor and market leader in LED obstruc-
47 Taft Vineland Road tion lighting. We have a comprehensive
Orlando, FL 32824 product line of LED-based obstruction
Steve Starling lighting systems to meet all of your
352.895.1109 obstacle lighting, alarm monitoring,
steve.starling@bronto.us and reporting needs. Our systems are
Products: aerial work platforms, fully FAA-certified, Transport Canada
overhead access and ICAO-compliant.
See ad on page 74
Cell Blocks
40 N. Highway 49/88
Jackson, CA 95642
James Fey
510.418.4322 Electric Conduit Construction
jamesfey@cellblocksinc.com 816 Hicks Drive
www.cellblocksinc.com Elburn, IL 60119
Service: foundation installation Mike Purpura
630.936.3282
Champion Telecom mdpurpura@electricconduitcon-
401 Whitney Place struction.com
Fremont, CA 94539 www.electricconduitconstruction.com
John Althoff Services: antenna installation,
510.226.8525 power and grounding installation,
sales@championtelecom.com tower construction, RF equipment
www.championtelecom.com installation, microwave installation,
Services: antenna installation, site maintenance, tower reinforce-
lighting system installation, power ment, foundation installation,
and grounding installation, build- platform installation, shelter installa-
to-suit, microwave installation, site tion, site modifications
maintenance, shelter installation Company description: Electric
Conduit Construction offers complete
permit, site preparation, construction,
testing and commissioning services for
small cell installations. We specialize in
Dialight dense urban sites. We will upgrade or
1501 Route 34 South install new street furniture to accom-
Farmingdale, NJ 07727 modate small cell antennas. Your site
Anthony Russo will be optimized by our attention to
732.751.5845 testing and tuning.
arusso@dialight.com See ad on page 83
February 2016

EMF Telecom
328 Hill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37210
Sonny Peterman
847.910.0025
speterman@emftelecom.com
www.emftelecom.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power and
grounding installation, site construc-
tion, tower construction, build-to-suit,
microwave installation, RF equipment
installation, site maintenance, tower
reinforcement, foundation installa-
tion, platform installation, shelter
installation, site modifications
Company description: EMF Telecom
has locations in the Midwest, mid-
South and South. We are committed to
safety, quality and productivity, and
we have the crews and managerial
experience to complete projects on
time and in budget. We have experi-
ence in macro, DAS and small cell site
construction, modifications and equip-
ment upgrades and maintenance.
FDH Velocitel
222 S. Central, Suite 1110
St. Louis, MO 63105
Dan Sammartano
314.773.4000
Daniel.sammartano@fdhvelocitel.com
www.fdhvelocitel.com
Services: antenna installation, lighting
system installation, power and ground-
ing installation, site construction, tower
construction, microwave installation,
RF equipment installation, site mainte-
nance, tower reinforcement, founda-
tion installation, platform installation,
site modifications, steel fabrication
Company description: FDH Velocitel
is a $300 million infrastructure
engineering, consulting and construc-
tion services company that delivers a
complete suite of professional services
to acquire, design, engineer, imple-
ment, upgrade and maintain wireless
telecommunications sites.
Flash Technology
322 Nichol Mill Lane
Franklin, TN 37067
Barry Baird
615.503.2021
barry.baird@spx.com
www.flashtechnology.com
Service: lighting system installation
Company description: The Flash
Technology Service Department
recruits the best contractors from
across the country as partners to
facilitate the installation and mainte-
nance of your FAA-required tower
lighting. Factory-trained to the latest
standards, all maintenance and
installations are quality-managed
with mandatory documentation
tailored to fit your requirements.
See ad on page 35
High Gain Wireless
P.O. Box 308
Great Falls, VA 22066-0308
Rick Heilbrunn
703.759.0743
rheilbrunn@highgainwireless.com
www.highgainwireless.com
Services: build-to-suit, microwave
installation, RF equipment installation
Company description: High Gain
Wireless executes difficult site develop-
ments by unifying its experts’ diverse
backgrounds in engineering, site
development, construction, project
management and finance. One unique
offering is the company’s expertise in
building out license-save markets.
John Burns Construction
17601 Southwest Highway
Orland Park, IL 60467
Bill O’Malley
708.326.3500
womalley@jbcco.com
www.jbcco.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power and
grounding installation, site construc-
tion, tower construction, build-to-suit,
microwave installation, RF equipment
installation, site maintenance, tower
reinforcement, foundation installa-
tion, platform installation, shelter
installation, site modifications
Company description: John Burns
Construction provides telecommuni-
cations construction. They deploy
small cell installations onto city
traffic and lighting poles and replace
foundations and poles. Expertise
includes passive and active IDAS
installation for neutral-host and
single-carrier in-building applica-
tions. The company self-performs all
construction work, including trench-
ing, piping and installing fiber and
power to DAS and small cell sites.
aglmediagroup.com
093
Buyers Guide
MUTI ‒ Sabre Industries
Telecom Services
2626 Midwest Court
Champaign, IL 61822
Scott Kisting
217.819.3040
skisting@mutionline.com
www.sabreindustries.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power
and grounding installation, site
construction, tower construction,
microwave installation, RF equip-
ment installation, site maintenance,
tower reinforcement, foundation
installation, platform installation,
shelter installation, site modifica-
tions, turnkey site development
Company description: MUTI-
Sabre Industries Telecom Services
offers a full range of infrastructure
services to the telecommunications
industry, including tower construc-
tion, modifications and mainte-
nance; shelter storage,
decommissioning and refurbish-
ment; inspections; microwave
design and deployment; integration
and maintenance; warehousing and
material management; generator
installation; maintenance and
refueling, emergency services; and
DAS and small cell solutions.
See ad on page 21
NB+C
6095 Marshalee Drive, Suite 300
Elkridge, MD 21075
Jeff Ebihara
agl magazine
094
616.218.9444
jebihara@nbcllc.com
www.networkbuilding.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power
and grounding installation, site
construction, tower construction,
build-to-suit, microwave installa-
tion, RF equipment installation,
site maintenance, tower reinforce-
ment, foundation installation,
platform installation, shelter
installation, site modifications
Company description: Founded
in 1984, NB+C is a leading wireless
site development firm comprised of
three business units: Site Develop-
ment, Engineering Services and
Construction, and Technical
Services. We are staffed with more
than 400 professionals who are
totally committed to client service
and project results.
See ad on page 7
Peabody Engineering
13435 Estelle St.
Corona, CA 92879
Mark Peabody
888.511.6828
sales@cellsitedisguiseguys.com
www.cellsitedisguiseguys.com
Product: concealment solutions
Company description: Peabody
Engineering has been manufactur-
ing RFTC telecom concealment for
20 years. We are approved vendors
with all major carriers and have
vast experience working with A&E
firms, site acquisition specialists
and contractors. Our creative
design, engineering and fabrica-
tion team can develop a high-quali-
ty, prefabricated concealment for
your macrosites, DAS or small cell
antenna venues.
See ad on page 75
Pepro
671 Colbert Ave.
Oil City, PA 16301
William Rupert
814.676.5688
wrupert@peprollc.com
www.peprollc.com
Services: power and grounding
installation, site construction,
tower construction, build-to-suit,
site maintenance, shelter installa-
tion, site modifications
Company Descripton: Pepro is the
leading manufacturer of shielded
enclosure systems for fixed and
mobile applications. The company
has provided state-of-the-art
deployable radio sites without loss
or failure since 1992. The patented
Faraday cage system protects
equipment from lightning strikes,
EMI and RFI. Pepro is a veteran-
owned small business.
See ad on page 69
Quality Tower Services
1630 Elmview Drive
Houston, TX 77080
George A. Jackson
713.722.9119
george@specialtydrilling.com
www.qualitytowerservices.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power
February 2016
and grounding installation, site
construction, tower construction,
build-to-suit, microwave installa-
tion, RF equipment installation, site
maintenance, tower reinforcement,
foundation installation, platform
installation, shelter installation,
site modifications
Redwing Electric
15 Daniel Road
Fairfield, NJ 07004
Edward Dawson
973.276.0056
edawson@redwingelectric.com
www.rwellc.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power
and grounding installation, site
construction, tower construction,
build-to-suit, microwave installa-
tion, RF equipment installation, site
maintenance, tower reinforcement,
foundation installation, platform
installation, shelter installation,
site modifications
Retel Services
151 Highway 74 South
Suite 3969
Peachtree City, GA 30269
Theresa Sharp
423.596.4444
theresa.sharp@retelservices.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power
and grounding installation, site
construction, tower construction,
build-to-suit, microwave installa-
tion, RF equipment installation, site
maintenance, tower reinforcement,
foundation installation, platform
installation, shelter installation,
site modifications
Company description: Retel
Services is a full turnkey service
corporation offering support for
carriers and vendors within the
wireless industry. With more than a
century of combined experience, we
provide a distinct ethical approach
of delivering quality and care to
every endeavor to ensure success.
SBA Communications
8051 Congress Ave.
Boca Raton, FL 33487-1307
800.847.SITE
www.sbasite.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power
and grounding installation, site
construction, tower construction,
build-to-suit, microwave installa-
tion, RF equipment installation,
site maintenance, tower reinforce-
ment, foundation installation,
platform installation, shelter
installation, site modifications,
tower leasing
Company description: As your
first choice provider of wireless
infrastructure solutions, SBA
continues to set the standard for
customer satisfaction by “Building
Better Wireless.” Clients depend on
SBA to provide their wireless
infrastructure needs at all stages. We
focus on tower ownership, leasing,
site management, site development,
construction and technical services.
See ad on the back cover
Selective Site Consultants
9900 W. 109th St., Suite 300
Overland Park, KS 66210
David Saab
913.438.7700
dsaab@ssc.us.com
www.ssc.us.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation,
power and grounding installation,
site construction, tower construc-
tion, build-to-suit, microwave
installation, RF equipment
installation, site maintenance,
shelter installation, site modifica-
tions, DAS installation
Skytec
23 Inland Farm Road
Windham, ME 04062
Rick Sullivan
207.893.1700
skytecinc@aol.com
www.skytecinc.com
Services: lighting system installa-
tion, tower lighting repairs
Company description: Skytec offers
high-quality, high-intensity lighting
systems. We also specialize in replace-
ment parts for all strobe systems
dating back to 1970. Replacement
master controllers and circuit boards
are readily available. Complete repair
services include entire beacon repair
and circuit board repair. Large stock of
flashtubes for most strobe systems.
Free telephone technical assistance.
aglmediagroup.com
095
Buyers Guide
Slatercom-WCD
7905 State St.
Salem, OR 97317
Al Slater
503.581.5550
ads@slatercom.com
www.slatercom.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power and
grounding installation, site construc-
tion, tower construction, build-to-suit,
microwave installation, RF equipment
installation, site maintenance, tower
reinforcement, foundation installa-
tion, platform installation, shelter
installation, site modifications
See ad on page 102
Solar Communications
International
41146 Elm St., Suite F
Murieta, CA 92562
Steve Holborn
951.698.5985
sholborn@rftransparent.com
www.rftransparent.com
Services: site maintenance, site
modifications
Company description: SCI has been
hiding sites for more than 15 years,
leading the way in product design and
innovation. Count on SCI to deliver
the finest site upgrade or modifica-
tion the industry has to offer. SCI
provides turnkey services and
products to refurbish any manufac-
turer’s mono tree. Call today to
discuss your concealment projects.
See ad on page 45
agl magazine
096
Sollenberger Silos
5778 Sunset Pike
Chambersburg, PA 17202
Bob Francis
717.816.4592
silobob@sollenbergersilos.com
www.sollenbergersilos.com
Service: tower construction
Stainless
100 W. Main St., Suite 400
Lansdale, PA 19446
Jon Marcusse
214.717.2282
Jon.marcusse@fdhvelocitel.com
www.stainlesstowers.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power
and grounding installation, site
construction, tower construction,
microwave installation, RF equip-
ment installation, site maintenance,
tower reinforcement, foundation
installation, platform installation,
site modifications
Company description: A business of
FDH Velocitel, Stainless has provided
design, engineering, analysis, modifi-
cation, maintenance, replacement,
emergency repairs, inspections and
installation of broadcast towers for
more than 65 years.
Stout & Company
415 South Commerce St.
Natchez, MS 39120
Guy or Lou Ellen Stout
601.445.0504
louellen@stoutandcompany.com
www.stoutandcompany.com
Service: build-to-suit
Subcarrier Communications
139 White Oak Lane
Old Bridge, NJ 08857
John Paleski
732.607.2828
john@subcarrier.com
www.subcarrier.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power
and grounding installation, site
construction, tower construction,
build-to-suit, microwave installation,
RF equipment installation, site
maintenance, tower reinforcement,
foundation installation, platform
installation, shelter installation, site
modifications, rooftop management
Tower Systems
P.O. Box 1474
Watertown, SD 57201
Lynette Cotten
605.886.0930
lcotten@towersystems.com
www.towersystems.com
Services: antenna installation,
lighting system installation, power
and grounding installation, site
construction, tower construction,
build-to-suit, microwave installa-
tion, RF equipment installation,
site maintenance, tower reinforce-
ment, foundation installation,
platform installation, shelter
installation, site modifications
Unimar
3195 Vickery Road
North Syracuse, NY 13215
Thad Fink
315.699.4400
sales@unimar.com
February 2016
www.unimar.com
Service: lighting system installation
Company description: Manufac-
turing FAA-certified LED tower
lighting systems since 1999,
Unimar specializes in custom
solutions integrating LED L-810,
L-864, L-856 and the dual L-
864/L-865. Expect unmatched
engineering knowledge in product
design and delivery.
Westchester Services
604 Fox Glen
Barrington, IL 60010
Jack Auriema Jr.
847.277.0070 ext. 732
jrauriema@westchesterservices.com
www.westchesterservices.com
Service: build-to-suit
Company description: Westchester
Services was founded in 1996, and
we have built our reputation on
quality service and delivering a
quality product to our clients
throughout the country. By provid-
ing our clients with custom solu-
tions, our firm becomes an invaluable
tool to accelerate their build plans.
Westell Technologies
B:7.25”
750 N. CommonsT:7”
Drive
S:6.5”
Aurora, IL 60504
630.898.2500
info@westell.com
www.westell.com
Services: site construction, tower
construction
Company description: Westell
is a leading provider of in-build-
ing wireless, intelligent site
management, cell site optimiza-
tion and outside plant solutions
focused on innovation at the edge
of telecommunication networks,
where end users connect. The
company’s comprehensive set of
products and solutions enable
service providers and other
network operators to improve
network performance.

Dear Sam,
The pressure you’re putting me under is too much.

I QUIT!
Sincerely,

B:5.125”
S:4.375”
T:4.875”
Your Heart

Don’t let your heart quit on you. If you are living with high blood pressure, just knowing and doing
the minimum isn’t enough. Uncontrolled high blood pressure could lead to stroke, heart attack or death.

Get yours to a healthy range before it’s too late. Find out how at heart.org/BloodPressure

Check. Change. Control.™

aglmediagroup.com
097
Product Showcase
Product Showcase — Safety
Rigging and Tower Safety
Training Classes
The Competent Tower Rigging Course from
Comtrain covers OSHA 29CFR 1926.1401
and ANSI/TIA 1019A rigging operations
in which the loads are less than 1,000
pounds. The training is designed to address
the fact that the major tower companies
are requiring competent riggers on all
job sites (as per ANSI/TIA 1019) and will
be auditing sites to ensure the existence and
implementation of written rigging plans
on Class II, III and IV construction projects.
Rigging for construction can consist of, but
is not limited to: tower modifications, lines
and antenna work, maintenance work and
new-build construction. Comtrain also of-
fers a tower safety and rescue training course
constructed to meet the employer’s obliga-
tion to train, based on OSHA regulations
as related to work on wireless communica-
tion sites. This class will make climbers
aware of ANSI standards and equipment
needed to meet those standards.
www.comtrainusa.com
agl magazine
098
Tower Safety Harness
The DBI Sala ExoFit Nex tower climbing
harness from Connect-It Wireless is
designed to be the go-to harness for climb-
ers who want all-day comfort along with
all the extras a harness can have. The har-
ness includes aluminum front, back, side
and suspension D-rings, locking quick-
connect buckles and a removable seat sling.
Designed to be extremely light and water-
repellant, the harness has a cellphone car-
rier, integrated trauma straps, and lanyard
keepers. Duo-Lock quick-connect buckles
are lightweight, one-handed use with
memory-fit web-lock. With a 420-pound
capacity, it features the Revolver vertical
torso adjusters, eliminates loose ends and
locks into place to prevent slippage. The
product also features lightweight hybrid
comfort padding that is moisture wicking
and breathable for extra comfort.
www.ciwireless.com
Tower Safety Harness
The Exotfit Strata safety harness by DBI
Sala from Valmont Site Pro 1 is designed
with the climber’s comfort in mind. Sev-
eral advanced features are said to make
this harness the perfect combination of
safety and comfort. DBI’s revolutionary
LifTech load-distribution system features
February 2016
an adjustable spine that lifts the weight
off the wearer’s shoulders and transfers
to the base of his torso. The Ex-Link quick
SRL adapter reduces connection and dis-
connection time up to 80 percent. Po-
larmesh padding allows maximum airflow
to the back for breathability. Tri-Lock re-
volver connectors lock down all loose ends.
Other Valmont Site Pro 1 products include
bags, cable grabs, carabiners, climbing har-
nesses, harness accessories, helmets, lan-
yards, personal safety products, climbers’
positioning equipment, retracting climb-
er lifelines, rigging products, rigging cap-
stans, climbing and work ropes, rope
accessories, rope grabs and DBI LAD-SAF
flexible cable safety systems.
www.sitepro1.com
RF Safety Caution Signs
RF safety caution signs from RFSigns.
com indicate potentially hazardous situ-
ations that, if not avoided, may result in
minor or moderate injury. The signs can
be used to alert against unsafe practices
that may cause property damage. The
manufacturer offers two types of caution
signs: one that warns of potential emis-
sions above the occupational exposure
limit and one that warns of hazardous
emissions on the tower. The signs, which
measure 10 inches by 14 inches, are made
from 0.040 aluminum painted with UV-
resistant inks. The signs follow the ANSI
specifications for hazard communica-
tions and are available in a bilingual Eng-
lish and Spanish version.
www.rfsigns.com
Safety Lanyard
Westfall Pro’s BlackMax twin-leg shock-
asorbing Lanyard from GME Supply
incorporates bungee-style lanyard legs
with rebar hooks on each end. This lan-
yard meets ANSI Z359 standards, and it
stretches from 4.5 feet to 6 feet to help
prevent tangling and trip hazards. With
a dual-stage, shock-absorber design, it is
suitable to be used for standard 6-foot
free fall as well as extended free-fall situ-
ations up to 12 feet. Traditional lanyards
are not designed to stop the increased
arresting forces associated with extend-
ed free-fall. The BlackMax is available
with either steel or aluminum hardware.
www.gmesupply.com
Garments with RF Protection
The Naptex RF-shielding garment system
from UniTech Services Group, RF
Safety Division, results from more than
50 years of radiation protection garment
designing, including decades of lab testing
and worldwide field use. The garments
can be purchased or rented for occasion-
al, short-term projects. The manufac-
turer also offers FCC-compliant tower
signs. Standard designs ship quickly, with
no additional charge for customization.
A wide variety of materials and sizes are
available, including adhesive labels.
www.unitech-rf.com
Fall-Arrest System
Used as a connecting device in a personal
fall-arrest system, the FrenchCreek Pro-
duction Rogue SRL system connects the
user’s harness to the anchorage point. The
8-inch, subcompact, self-retracting lifeline
provides freedom of movement to work-
ers performing jobs at various heights. As
the worker moves toward or away from
the device, the spring-tensioned webbing
will retract back into the unit or will draw
out of it. The device automatically takes
up the slack in the webbing, keeping it out
of the way while minimizing free-fall dis-
tance should a fall occur. A centrifugal
braking mechanism minimizes free-fall
distance. A visual load indicator warns the
user that the unit has been involved in a
fall. The unit is available in single-leg or
dual-leg models. Meeting or exceeding
industry standards, the fall-arrest system
also features easy attachment, 360-degree
swivel, an impact indicator for easy visible
inspection, high-strength and lightweight
subcompact housing, a shortfall arrest
that stops a fall within inches, and a
400-pound weight capacity.
www.frenchcreekproduction.com
aglmediagroup.com
099
Product Showcase
Adjustable Lanyard
The Elk River adjustable positioning
rope lanyard provides stable work po-
sitioning for a variety of situations.
The durable polyester web wear guard
gives additional protection to the
0.5-inch-diameter nylon and polyester
kernmantle-style rope. The connecting
carabiners are made of forged steel,
and the quick adjuster is made of alu-
minum. The adjustable positioning
rope lanyard is available in 6-foot and
8-foot lengths to accommodate differ-
ent tie-off conditions and has a work-
er total weight capacity of 310 pounds.
The lanyard is made in the United
States and meets OSHA regulations.
www.elkriver.com
Personal RF Monitor
The FieldSense 2.0 is the next gen-
eration in personal RF monitors de-
signed for protecting personnel
working near telecom and broadcast
antennas from EMF overexposure. Its
expanded frequency range measures
from 50 MHz to 6 GHz on both the E
and H fields. Plus, the new dedicated
agl magazine
100
data logger records all information for
later review on any PC using free soft-
ware that’s provided. A fall-detection
feature sounds an alarm in the event
of a fall, notifying other climbers to
ensure a prompt rescue.
www.fieldsense.com
Tower Technician Training
Safety LMS training courses for safe-
ty and rigging are informative, engag-
ing and designed to maximize the
exposure to the subject matter. Train-
ing can be done at one of the company’s
many facilities around the country or
almost anywhere with access to a train-
ing tower. Popular courses include
Competent Climber and Rescuer, Com-
petent Tower Rigger, Fall Protection
– Train the Trainer, and Introduction
to Basic Rigging.
www.safetylms.com
Electromagnetic Safety Products
AR RF/Microwave offers handheld
safety meters, safety sensor heads and
safety software designed to measure
exposure levels of products and sys-
tems such as wireless telecommunica-
tions and base stations.
www.amplifiers.com/html/elec-
tromagnetic-safety-products.asp
RF Safety Monitor
The EME SPY 201 light and por-
table radio-frequency safety moni-
tor from RSI continuously measures
the human exposure level of elec-
tromagnetic fields in 20 selected
frequency bands from 88 MHz to
5.85 GHz. The monitor is suitable
for use by broadcasters, private
mobile radio system operators and
mobile phone system operators.
Analysis software provided with
the monitor allows configuring
various measurement cycle record-
ing parameters. It also allows the
user to retrieve and display the re-
corded filed measurements. Mea-
surements are transmitted to a
windows PC or tablet, or by a Blue-
tooth link to an Android smart-
phone to display exposure levels
generated by services such as FM,
TV, cellular networks and Wi-Fi.
The user can choose the number of
frequency bands to be measured by
the monitor.
www.rsicorp.com
February 2016
 MARCH 8

AGL CONFERENCES
TRI-CITY TOUR PRIL 20-21
Stopping in 3 New Cities in 2016 A

Benefit from AGL Conferences:

· Learn from Industry Leaders & Experts

· Network with Decision Makers

· Experience Hands-On Industry Case Studies

· Showcase Your Products & Services

OBER 4
· Share the Latest Content with Colleagues
OCT

Register at aglmediagroup.com
aglmediagroup.com | P.O. Box 2090, Ashburn, VA 20146 | 703.594.8500
aglmediagroup.com
0101
Ad Index & Professional Directory

ADVERTISER INDEX
C2*......3Z Telecom 50........Harger Lighting & Grounding C4*......SBA Communications

101.......AGL Conferences 102.......Hodge Structural Engineering 102.......Slatercom-WCD

102......Allstate Tower 23,25...Huber+Suhner 73.........Site Pro 1

97........American Heart Association 61.........IWCE's Network Infrustructure Forum 45.........Solar

65........Autism Speaks 43........Md7 87.........The Shelter Pet Project

11.........BB&T — Atlantic Risk Management 13........Multiwave 17.........Times Microwave Systems

39........Black & Veatch 77.........National Association of Tower Erectors 29........TWR Lighting

74.........Bronto Skylift 7...........Network Building + Consulting 37........Unimar

51.........Competitive Carriers Association 76........NHTSA Buckle Up 59........Unitech

83........Electric Conduit Construction 75........Peabody RFTC Concealment 12........US Forest Service

83........Elk River 69........Pepro 19.........Wanho Manufacturing

36.........Engineered Endeavors 33........Radio Frequency Systems 69........WITCC

9...........FieldSense USA 32........Ready Business

35........Flash Technology 81.........Rohn Products *C2, C3 & C4 indicate cover pages

C3*.......GME Supply 21........Sabre Industries

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
Tower
Engineering &
Analysis
Licensed Nationally

(812) 422-2558
HodgeStructural.com

agl magazine
February 2016
102
WHY
DO YOU
CLIMB?
“I climb for the adventure.
The challenge of the job, pushing
yourself higher and higher
to do what 99 percent of people
never will. Time ies on the tower,
no matter how hard the work is.”

- #RealTowerClimber
#

REAL TOWER CLIMBERS CHOOSE GME SUPPLY

AMERICA’S PREMIER OUTFITTER

www.gmesupply.com

© 2016 GME SUPPLY, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

(800) 940-6762
aglmediagroup.com
0103
 Antennas

IN OUR BUSINESS,
IT IS ALL ABOUT
THE SIGNAL.

TOWER OWNERSHIP Our clients depend on SBA to provide

the wireless infrastructure that allows
LEASING them to transmit the signal to their
customers. As their first choice provider
SITE MANAGEMENT
of wireless infrastructure solutions, we
SITE DEVELOPMENT are continuously setting the standard
for customer satisfaction by
CONSTRUCTION “Building Better Wireless”.
TECHNICAL SERVICES

800.487.SITE sbasite.com
agl magazine
February 2016
0104
© 2015 SBA Communications Corporation. All Rights Reserved. The SBA logo, Your Signal Starts Here, Building Better Wireless and SBA Sites are all registered trademarks owned by SBA Telecommunications, Inc. and affiliated SBA companies.