This dataset contains the spatial extent of AM tower structures in the state of Florida. AM stands for "Amplitude Modulation", which refers to the means of encoding the audio signal on the carrier frequency. In many countries, AM radio stations are known as "medium wave"(MW) stations. AM stations are also sometimes referred to as "standard broadcast stations", since AM was the first form used to transmit broadcast radio signals to the public. AM towers are unique in that AM stations have different operations for daytime and nighttime operation. This is because AM signals go further at night, due to atmospheric changes. Usually day and night operations are at the same site, but some may use different sites. These daytime and nighttime operations lead to duplicate records at the same location. Because we are only interested in tower locations and not individual AM stations for this particular dataset duplicate records representing day/night stations were removed .This is an update to the amtow_feb17 layer.
Serve as base information for use in GIS systems for general planning, analytical, and research purposes. It is not intended for engineering work or to legally define reservation boundaries, FCC licensee data or FCC market boundaries.
publication date
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). No warranty expressed or implied is made by the FCC as to the accuracy of the data and related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the FCC in the use of this data, or related materials.
445 12th St. SW
Federal Communications Commission
GeoPlan relied on the integrity of the attribute information within the original data.
This data is provided 'as is'. GeoPlan relied on the integrity of the original data layer's topology
This data is provided 'as is' by GeoPlan and is complete to our knowledge.
This data is provided 'as is' and its horizontal positional accuracy has not been verified by GeoPlan
This data is provided 'as is' and its vertical positional accuracy has not been verified by GeoPlan
Spatial and Attribute Information
In 2012, the FCC stopped releasing its data as spatial data. Downloaded AM Towers using the AM Query Broadcast Station Search. Selected only Florida stations with an output of Text file (no delimiters / no links). Downloaded from (https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-query) in February 2017. Copied all records and pasted them into a text file. Saved as AMTOWER.txt. - Opened and formatted AMTOWER.txt in Excel. Added field names using amtow_jun12 and Data arrangement for Text file outputs (https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-fm-tv-textlist-key). Saved coordinate fields as LATD, LATM, LATS, LATDIR, LOND, LONM, LONS, and LONDIR - Saved as .csv file - Opened .csv in ArcMap and exported to a dbase table - Added LATDD and LONDD fields using type = double. These fields will be used to house the coordinates in decimal degrees. These field names were chosen to mimic the coordinate fields in amtow_jun12. - Used field calculator to convert coordinate fields from DMS to DD. The equation for latitude (LATDD) was: ( [LATS] /3600) + ( [LATM] /60) + [LATD] The equation for longitude (LONDD) was: ( [LONS] /3600) + ( [LONM] /60) + [LOND] - Generated XY data using the LATDD and LONDD fields. The projection was defined as WGS 1984. AMTOW shapefile -There were originally 444 records when received from the FCC. AM towers are unique in that AM stations have different operations for daytime and nighttime operation. This is because AM signals go further at night, due to atmospheric changes. Usually day and night operations are at the same site, but some may use different sites. These daytime and nighttime operations lead to duplicate records at the same location. Because we are only interested in tower locations and not individual AM stations for this particular dataset 194 duplicate records were removed leaving 250 records. - Projected the event layer to Albers_Harn using project tool and exported out as shapefile - Deleted all fields not present in amtow_jun12 - Added descript field based on LICENSEE - Added FGDLAQDATE based on the date GeoPlan acquired the data - Added a LAT and LON field based on combination of LATD, LATM, LATS, LATDIR, LOND, LONM, LONS, and LONDIR then deleted those field because they are not present in the previous AMTOW shapefile - Restructured table and uppercased all fields Note: When the FCC generated this data set spatially in the past they limited the lat/long fields to 4 decimals. Now that we are generating the spatial locations the decimals have been left to the default value of the field type of double. The result is a visible shift of 30-36 meters. Although the new points should be more accurate most AM tower locations are actually a collection of multiple towers spread several hundred feet apart so no single point will accurately reflect AM tower locations.
Metadata imported.
Dataset copied.
Internal feature number.
ESRI
Feature geometry.
Esri
A combination of letters and numbers that identify an FCC license.
FCC
AM station frequncy. AM stations occupy the frequencies of 540 kHz to 1700 kHz. These stations are allocated on a non-interference basis.
FCC
Service type. AM for all.
GeoPlan
FCC given code. The AM band frequencies are divided into three categories: Clear, Regional, and Local channels. The allowable classes depend on a station's frequency, in addition to other variables. On the Clear channels certain stations are specifically classified as Class A stations or as Class B stations. The other stations have their class determined by the frequency.
FCC
Class A station is an unlimited time station (that is, it can broadcast 24 hours per day) that operates on a clear channel. The operating power shall not be less than 10 kilowatts (kW) or more than 50 kW.
Class B station is an unlimited time station. Class B stations are authorized to operate with a minimum power of 0.250 kW (250 watts) and a maximum power of 50 kW. (If a Class B station operates with less than 0.250 kW, the RMS must be equal to or greater than 141 mV/m at 1 km for the actual power.) If the station is authorized to operate in the expanded band (1610 to 1700 kHz), the maximum power is 10 kW
Class C station is an unlimited time station that operates on a local channel. The power shall not be less than 0.25 kW nor more than 1 kW. Class C stations that are licensed to operate with 0.100 kW may continue to operate as licensed
A Class D station operates either daytime, limited time, or unlimited time with a nighttime power less than 0.250 kW and an equivalent RMS antenna field less than 141 mV/m at 1 km for the actual power. Class D stations shall operate with daytime powers not less than 0.250 kW nor more than 50 kW. NOTE: If a station is an existing daytime-only station, its class will be Class D.
Tower status.
GeoPlan
Proposal to add a channel
Application
Application denied by initial Decision in hearing
Application granted by initial Decision in hearing
Construction Permit
Modification of a construction permit
Proposal to delete a channel
License
City location of "LICENSEE".
GeoPlan
State location of "LICENSEE".
GeoPlan
Country location of "LICENSEE".
GeoPlan
The FCC-assigned file number of the application.
FCC
Facility ID.
GeoPlan
The exact geographic location latitude of the structure in degrees (e.g., 42), minutes (e.g., 13'), and seconds (e.g., 10").
FCC
The exact geographic location longitude of the structure in degrees (e.g., 42), minutes (e.g., 13'), and seconds (e.g., 10").
FCC
Company or organization that holds the legal license from the Federal Communications Commission.
GeoPlan
Geographic location (latitude) in decimal degrees.
GeoPlan
Geographic location (longitude) in decimal degrees.
GeoPlan
Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) Coordinate of the Facility. The MGRS is the geocoordinate standard used by NATO militaries for locating points on the earth. The MGRS provides a means to represent any location on the surface of the Earth using an alphanumeric string. Hierarchical references are based on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system. The MGRS is used for the entire earth. http://mgrs-data.org/
GeoPlan
Webpage hyperlink to location in Google Maps.
GeoPlan
GeoPlan added field based on LICENSEE.
GeoPlan
The date GeoPlan aquired the data.
GeoPlan
Unique ID added by GeoPlan
GeoPlan
431 Architecture PO Box 115706
The Florida Geographic Data Library is a collection of Geospatial Data compiled by the University of Florida GeoPlan Center with support from the Florida Department of Transportation. GIS data available in FGDL is collected from various state, federal, and other agencies (data sources) who are data stewards, producers, or publishers. The data available in FGDL may not be the most current version of the data offered by the data source. University of Florida GeoPlan Center makes no guarantees about the currentness of the data and suggests that data users check with the data source to see if more recent versions of the data exist. Furthermore, the GIS data available in the FGDL are provided 'as is'. The University of Florida GeoPlan Center makes no warranties, guaranties or representations as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the data provided by the data sources. The University of Florida GeoPlan Center makes no representations or warranties about the quality or suitability of the materials, either expressly or implied, including but not limited to any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. The University of Florida GeoPlan Center shall not be liable for any damages suffered as a result of using, modifying, contributing or distributing the materials. A note about data scale: Scale is an important factor in data usage. Certain scale datasets are not suitable for some project, analysis, or modeling purposes. Please be sure you are using the best available data. 1:24000 scale datasets are recommended for projects that are at the county level. 1:24000 data should NOT be used for high accuracy base mapping such as property parcel boundaries. 1:100000 scale datasets are recommended for projects that are at the multi-county or regional level. 1:125000 scale datasets are recommended for projects that are at the regional or state level or larger. Vector datasets with no defined scale or accuracy should be considered suspect. Make sure you are familiar with your data before using it for projects or analysis. Every effort has been made to supply the user with data documentation. For additional information, see the References section and the Data Source Contact section of this documentation. For more information regarding scale and accuracy, see our webpage at: http://geoplan.ufl.edu/education.html
445 12th St. SW