Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Cropping up everywhere, whether steel latticework or tapered monopoles, encrusted with fiberglass antennas, cell towers raise up high into the air the communications equipment that channels our calls, texts, and downloads. For security reasons, their locations are never advertised. But it's our romantic notions of connectivity that hide them in plain sight. We want the network to be invisible, ethereal, and ubiquitous. The cell tower stands as a challenge to these desires. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

A new and unconventional means for learning about one’s customers, cell towers capture unique information that can be used in groundbreaking manners by any mobile operator to better serve, market, and sell to its customer base.

“If Thoreau drank more whiskey and lived in the desert, he’d write like this.”—High Country News Welcome to the land of wildfire, hypothermia, desiccation, and rattlers. The stark and inhospitable high-elevation landscape of Nevada’s Great Basin Desert may not be an obvious (or easy) place to settle down, but for self-professed desert rat Michael Branch, it’s home. Of course, living in such an unforgiving landscape gives one many things to rant about. Fortunately for us, Branch—humorist, environmentalist, and author of Raising Wild—is a prodigious ranter. From bees hiving in the walls of his house to owls trying to eat his daughters’ cat—not to mention his eccentric neighbors—adventure, humor, and irreverence abound on Branch’s small slice of the world, which he lovingly calls Ranting Hill.

Cell towers and 'stealth' antennas are cropping up all over, despite vehement objections from communities. Health and safety questions arise, but are often dismissed by planners & zoners - the people entrusted to protect community welfare - who have been told they cannot consider such questions. But safety concerns about radiofrequency radiation (RF) used in all wireless technologies, span decades and have yet to be resolved, despite increasing exposures. Cell Towers... cuts through the rhetoric to address the complex issues. With chapters by prominent scientists, government officials, physicists, engineers, and attorneys, the book is the most comprehensive and balanced resource available today. - Are the health concerns justified? What does the science say? - What are the roles of the lead government agencies: EPA? FCC? - Are the RF exposure standards reliable and current? - Are other species - such as birds - of concern? - What about property devaluation? Liability? Case law? - What can communities do? What are good zoning regulations? - Are we on an environmental collision course with ambient energy? "Finally, a publication dealing with the very timely and important issue of cell towers. Following Levitt's excellent overview of the problem, the book takes us through relevant scientific and regulatory issues in a thorough, easy-to understand manner. This is essential reference work for laypersons, as well as those in science, policy development, regulation, and legislation." - Jerry L. Phillips, Ph.D., Bioelectromagnetics Consultant, former Research Scientist, Cancer Therapy & Research Center in San Antonio, Texas, and Pettis Memorial VA Hospital in Loma Linda, California

FORENSIC RADIO SURVEY TECHNIQUES FOR CELL SITE ANALYSIS Overview of the end-to-end process of planning, undertaking, and reporting of forensic radio surveying to support cell site analysis The newly updated and revised Second Edition of Forensic Radio Survey Techniques for Cell Site Analysis provides an overview of the end-to-end process of planning, undertaking, and reporting of forensic radio surveying to support the forensic discipline of cell site analysis. It starts by recapping and explaining, in an accessible way, the theory, structure, and operation of cellular communications networks, then moves on to describe the techniques and devices employed to undertake forensic radio surveys. Worked examples are used throughout to demonstrate the practical steps required to plan and undertake forensic radio surveys, including the methods used to analyze radio survey data and compile it into a court report. A summary section condenses the technical and practical elements of the book into a handy reference resource for busy practitioners. The Second Edition contains 25% brand new material covering 5G New Radio networks and ‘6G and beyond,’ critical communications, mobile satellite communications, IoT networks, Cell Site Analysis Tools, and much more. Other sample topics covered in Forensic Radio Survey Techniques for Cell Site Analysis include: Radio theory, covering RF propagation, basic terminology, propagation modes, multipath transmission, and carrying information on a radio signal Core networks, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, subscriber and device identifiers, and international and temporary mobile subscriber identities Cell access control, covering cell barring, forbidden LAC/TAC, location updating, inter- and intra-carrier handovers, and 3GPP network types Forensic radio surveys objectives, terminology, and types, along with location, static spot, and indoor surveys The Second Edition of Forensic Radio Survey Techniques for Cell Site Analysis is an essential reference on the subject for police analysts, practitioners, technicians, investigators, and cell site experts, along with legal professionals and students/trainees in digital forensics.

Cell Phone Location Evidence for Legal Professionals: Understanding Cell Phone Location Evidence from the Warrant to the Courtroom is a guide, in plain language, for digital forensics professionals, attorneys, law enforcement professionals and students interested in the sources, methods and evidence used to perform forensic data analysis of cell phones, call detail records, real time ping records and geo-location data obtained from cellular carriers and cell phones. Users will gain knowledge on how to identify evidence and how to properly address it for specific cases, including challenges to the methods of analysis and to the qualifications of persons who would testify about this evidence. This book is intended to provide digital forensics professionals, legal professionals and others with an interest in this field the information needed to understand what each type of evidence means, where it comes from, how it is analyzed and presented, and how it is used in various types of civil and criminal litigation. Relevant case law are included, or referred to, as appropriate throughout this book to give the reader an understanding of the legal history of this type of evidence and how it is being addressed by various state and federal courts. Presents the most current and leading edge information on cell phone location evidence, including how cell phone location works, and how evidence is used and presented in court Covers tactics on how to locate cell phones and cell phone records Provides the first book to take an in-depth look at cell phone location evidence for digital forensics, legal and law enforcement professionals Includes a companion website with full-color illustrations of cell phone evidence and how cell phones work