Commercial Antennas Have Improved Their Appearance

By Essie Osborn


The thick forest of television antennas that used to grow from the rooftops of suburbia has disappeared, a welcome result of evolving technology. Although the digital age has arrived, modern communications still rely heavily upon over-the-air, antenna-based reception and transmission, requiring the construction of many additional antenna structures. While excellent coverage is essential, those new units should not create a negative impact on daily life.

An antenna is an assemblage of poles, wires, metallic extensions or dishes that can receive or transmit electromagnetic information. Commercial antennas are primarily involved in a money-making service, and that includes television, radio, and cell phone installations. Those associated only with non-profit, residential use, including home satellite dishes or amateur radio equipment, are not in the same category.

Before a business can place a new installation, however, a number of local issues must be seriously considered. Although consumers purchasing new electronic communications expect that they will have strong, reliable connections, most simply do not want to actually see the necessary installations and towers that make the entire experience possible. Because of this understandable attitude, cities have created new regulations regarding antenna visibility, size, and location.

An installation bristling with metallic spikes might appeal to a technocrat, but not to most people living beside it. Operators of most systems have been forced by this understandable public attitude to be creative with new antenna placement and design, and try to make them as unobtrusive as possible. Creative design solutions begin with the idea that new facilities should be nearly invisible.

One of the most successful methods of reaching that goal is termed co-location. This process places the necessary new hardware on the face of an already existing base, doing away with the need for new construction. Because other companies are already using that tower, the design must fit into their operations, must not impact them negatively, and cannot be aesthetically inappropriate.

For many new services, however, co-location is not feasible. In those cases, there are often stringent regulations for new construction. Although cities vary, most have rules that attempt to accommodate the needs of both service provider and customer. In many areas, new towers may not be constructed in a side or front yard, and cannot disrupt current traffic flow or eliminate current parking capacity.

Color schemes must be compatible with the existing site, and cannot alter the view from nearby properties. Many locales today require that all the connective wiring must be placed underground, and the visible portions covered by landscaping or vegetation. Height ordinances must also be taken into consideration. While these general rules may seem restrictive, the positive result has been a proliferation of antennas that most people never even notice.

For many residents, the results look like nature. In California they may look like palm trees, while those in New York sport deciduous branches. Other towers have been disguised to blend into unique natural desert backgrounds. Although designing antennas to fit the natural world may initially cost a little more, it proven to be a popular practice that benefits both business and consumer.




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