SBC Radio Site Map: tool instructions

What it is. A map of fixed public-safety radio sites built from FCC license data: active licenses in the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. Search around a building’s address to see the radio sites nearby, how far away they are, whether terrain blocks the path, and a best-case signal estimate at the address for each frequency. Every site can be saved as a PDF report. The date of the FCC data is shown under the filters.

Search box

Type one of these and press Enter:

• Street address, ZIP code, or city and state (Rockville, MD or Ft Lauderdale FL): shows the sites around it. Text that ends in a state code, or has a street word (St, Rd, Ave), is searched as an address.
• Call sign (KNJA391): finds that license’s sites anywhere in the country.
• Agency or licensee name (state police, sheriff): searches the whole country, or one state with the State filter.
• County or city name without the word “County” or “City” (Fairfax, Baltimore).

Separate several search terms with a comma, for example: fire, sheriff.

Filters

1. Radius (1, 2, 5, 10, 25 or 50 miles): after an address search the map zooms to show this distance around the address, drawn as a yellow circle.
2. State: limits a call sign, name or filter search to one state. With the search box empty, picking a state shows that state’s sites that match the filters.
3. Government agencies only (on by default): only sites with at least one license held by a government agency (FCC licensee type Governmental Entity). This hides most private ambulance companies, hospitals and contractors.
4. Agency type: state police / highway patrol; police / sheriff; fire / EMS; 911 / emergency communications; emergency management; transportation / transit / highways; schools / universities; hospitals / medical; corrections; public works / utilities; not identified. Types are matched from the license text, so some sites are not identified. The number beside each type is how many sites in view have it. Clear unchecks them all.
5. Frequency bands: 150 MHz (VHF), 450 MHz (UHF), T-band (470-512 MHz), 700 MHz, 800 MHz and 4.9 GHz. Shows only sites with at least one frequency in a checked band.
6. + / – and the house button: zoom in and out; the house button returns the map to your search area.
7. List: Sites / Agencies: Sites lists each site in view, sorted by Distance (after an address search), A-Z, Tallest or Most licenses. Agencies lists each agency and how many sites it has in view, sorted by Most sites or A-Z; click an agency to show only its sites. The count on the right is the number of sites in view (up to 250; past that, the map asks you to narrow the search).
8. List blocks: each block has the number of its pin on the map, the site name, the agencies licensed there, the location, the distance from the address, the number of licenses and the tallest structure height. Click a block to open the site’s details.
9. Map style: the layers button at the top right of the map switches between Street, Topographic and Satellite. Your choice is remembered in this browser.

Site details

Clicking a pin (or a list block) opens the site’s details at the side and, after an address search, draws a dashed line from the address (A) to the site (Z).

• See full details / Collapse to summary: widens the details panel or returns it to its narrow size.
• Export PDF: opens a printable report in a new tab; choose Save as PDF. Page 1: the map, site name and location. Page 2: the path and structure. Then one page per license, with QR codes for the FCC and RadioReference pages.
• Location: coordinates; FCC County (as filed with the FCC) and Lat Long County (the county at the site’s coordinates, from the US Census), with a link and QR code to that county on RadioReference; distance and direction (degrees true) from the address. Height at the address is the building or antenna height used for the line of sight; change it to try other heights.
• Path from the searched address: a ground elevation profile from 1 mile behind the address to 1 mile beyond the site, with the line of sight from the height at the address to the top of the site’s structure. It says Clear line of sight or Blocked by terrain and where. Terrain only: buildings and trees are not included.
• Structure: type and height of the tower or building, ground elevation and tower registration number.
• Licenses: each license at the site with its contact organization, agency type, activity, licensee type, radio service, expiration, control points and frequencies (station class, digital or analog, power, ERP, EIRP and number of radios). After an address search, Min. Path Loss and Max Rx dBm give a best-case (free-space) signal estimate at the address; real signals are weaker.
• View in Google Earth: opens Google Earth looking straight down on the site, with a pin and the site’s coordinates on it. Use the 3D button at the lower right to tilt the view and look at the terrain and structures around it.
• View this license on the FCC website: opens the license in the FCC’s license database (ULS).
• View this license on the RadioReference website: opens the call sign on RadioReference, where trunked systems lead on to their control channels. If no system is listed there, use the county link in Location, or RadioReference’s Database → browse by state and county, to find the site’s channel list. RadioReference is not affiliated with SBC.

Questions or problems? Tell us what you searched and what you expected to see.