Mode Cell towers

Cell towers: the public broadcast information of LTE cells.

Group	Cellular & rail
Default frequency	806 MHz
Default sample rate	20 Msps
In the mode list	LTE, band scan

Step-by-step: Tutorial-Cell-towers

What Cell towers is

LTE base stations broadcast system information (operator, band, cell identity) that any receiver can read. It is the public part of the signal.

Frequencies and settings

LTE downlink broadcast (MIB, SIB1 - SIB5).

Setting	Value
Start frequency	806 MHz
Tuning range of the mode table	450 to 3800 MHz
Sample rate asked	20 Msps
Lowest working rate	1.92 Msps
Channel width	10 MHz

OnAir takes any frequency you type; the numbers above are the mode's starting point and the range its table describes. In the app the shortcut label is LTE, band scan.

What OnAir shows

Operator, band, EARFCN, PCI, eNB / sector, TAC, neighbours, band scan; receive only.

The mode's own tab has these screens: Cells, Sites, Neighbours, Operators, Map, Log. The other tabs (Overview, Receiver, Scan, History) are described on the Main window page.

Tips and caveats

• Checked with generated signals and impairments; recordings of real signals welcome.
• Which radio: Usually yes for narrowband signals: an RTL-SDR tunes roughly 24 MHz to 1.7 GHz at up to about 2.4 Msps. Wide signals such as TV channels need a faster radio, and OnAir says next to the source what the selected radio can do.
• Try it without a radio: most modes include a built-in synthetic test signal, so you can open the screen and try the controls first.
• Receiving and the law: OnAir only reads the public broadcast information of cells and base stations, and does not decrypt or follow any user traffic. Check the rules where you live. See Legal.

Related pages

• All modes, Cellular & rail
• Supported radios, Troubleshooting, FAQ
• More in Cellular & rail: 5G NR cells, NB-IoT cells, GSM-R, LBJ