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Cell Phone Relay Stations (Towers)
Cell phones radiate energy in the microwave region of the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum. They communicate with Relay Stations that are commonly referred-to as Towers. Yes, it's kind of a silly name. It does not convey what the equipment there is really doing.
These Relay Stations receive the RF signal from your cell phone. They then remove the audio (your voice) and connect your voice to the telephone networks. In case you are interested, the official name for the worldwide telephone network is: the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). This is the sprawling collection of the entire local, regional and long distance telephone companies of the world.
The cell phone Relay Stations also perform the opposite function. They connect the audio that is coming from the (PSTN) party to whom you are speaking, onto an RF signal and send it back to your cell phone. More information on the PSTN is available.
These cell phone Relay Stations can usually be spotted easily. They are often 3 antennas, spaced equally (120 degrees apart) around a radio tower. They are often slender rectangles, with the long dimension oriented vertically. They will usually appear to be tilted somewhat towards the ground.
The RF energy from these Relay Station antennas is quite small, once you are 50 to 100 feet away. RF radiation that impinges on you, from the cell phone that you hold in your hand is typically much stronger than that of the Relay Station, because your cell phone is so much closer to you.
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