WRITERS SHARING RESEARCH:
In my last police procedural fiction book, I did some research on cell phones and the terminology used by police officers. I thought I would share it with other writers to save you the research time.
Cops and detectives use cell phone triangulation records in most cases now. So here is some basic information with many of the terms used. I hope this helps some other authors.
WHAT ARE CELL TOWERS:
Cell towers, also known as cell phone towers or cellular towers, are tall structures that transmit and receive radio signals. These towers facilitate wireless communication between mobile devices and the network. Mobile phones connect to the nearest cell tower to send and receive voice, text messages, and data.
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WHAT IS CELL TOWER PINGING?
Cell tower pinging is the process of using a cell phone's signal to determine its location. This can be done by sending a signal to the phone and having it respond with its location data.
How does cell tower pinging work? Cell phones communicate with cell towers by sending and receiving radio signals. The cell tower that a phone is connected to can be determined by the strength of the signal between the phone and the tower. By triangulating the signals from multiple towers, the phone's approximate location can be determined.
HOW DO COPS USE CELL TOWER INFORMATION?
When cops are researching where cell phones are pinging from, they typically use a process called cell site location information (CSLI). CSLI is data that records the location of a cell phone by tracking its connection to cell towers.
Is It Legal? In the United States, cell tower pinging is legal if it is done with a warrant or with the consent of the phone's owner.
WHAT IS THE TERMINOLOGY:
- Cell Towers - General term for cell towers
- CSLI (Cell Site Location Information) is data that records the location of a cell phone by tracking its connection to the cell towers.
- IMEI + a fifteen-digit number is how each cell phone is identified. This number is assigned at the factory.
- The cell towers don't have a specific name, they are known by their radio frequency.
WHAT IS THE METHOD:
Each cell tower has a unique identifier, which is called the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI). The IMEI is a 15-digit number that is assigned to every cell phone when it is manufactured.
When a cell phone connects to a cell tower, it sends the tower its IMEI number. The tower then records this information in its logs.
Cops can obtain CSLI data from cell phone carriers with a court order. The data they receive from the phone companies will show which cell towers the phone has connected to and when. This information can be used to track the phone's movements over time. So the cops don't know the individual cell tower information. They get it with the phone information.
In addition to the IMEI number, cell towers are also identified by their location. This information is typically stored in a database called a cell site locator (CSG). The CSG is used by cell phone carriers to track the location of their towers.
The specific information that is included in CSLI records can vary depending on the cell phone carrier and the type of phone. However, most CSLI records will include the following information:
- The date and time of the call or text message
- The phone number of the caller or recipient
- The cell tower that the phone was connected to at the time of the call or text message
- The strength of the signal from the cell tower
- In some cases, CSLI records may also include the latitude and longitude coordinates of the cell tower. However, this information is not always available.
If you are writing a book about a crime, it is important to be aware of the role that CSLI can play in an investigation. CSLI can be a valuable tool for law enforcement, but it is important to remember that it is not always accurate. The accuracy of CSLI can be affected by a number of factors, including the strength of the signal from the cell tower, the location of the cell tower, and the type of phone.
CELL TOWER INFOMATION DISCLAIMER:
However, it is important to note that CSLI data is not always accurate. The accuracy of the data can be affected by a number of factors, including the strength of the signal, the distance between the phone and the tower, and the terrain.
Overall, CSLI data is a valuable tool that can be used to track the location of cell phones. However, it is important to understand the limitations of the data before using it to make decisions.
WHAT IS THEIR AREA OF COVERAGE?
The coverage radius of a cell tower depends on a number of factors, including the technology used, the height of the tower, and the terrain.
In general, a cell tower can cover a radius of 1 to 3 miles for 4G LTE and 5G cell towers. However, in some cases, the coverage radius can be as much as 10 miles.
For example, a cell tower using 5G technology with a directional antenna can have a coverage radius of up to 10 miles. However, a cell tower using 4G LTE technology with an omnidirectional antenna may only have a coverage radius of 1 to 2 miles.
The terrain can also affect the coverage radius of a cell tower. Mountains and hills can block the signal, so cell towers need to be placed in areas with clear line of sight.
In general, cell towers need to be built every 5 to 10 miles to provide adequate coverage. However, the specific spacing of cell towers will vary depending on the factors discussed above.
Here are some other factors that can affect the overall radius of a cell tower:
- The number of antennas on the tower: More antennas can provide better coverage.
- The power of the transmitter: A stronger transmitter can provide better coverage.
- The frequency of the signal: Lower frequencies can provide better coverage over longer distances.
- The weather: Heavy rain or snow can block the signal.
HOW TO DETERMINE WHICH CELL TOWER IS USED?
This information is about how a cellphone customer can find out about their own cellphone towers. This wouldn't be used by the police necessarily but it is information I came across during my own research.
There are several methods you can use to determine which cell tower your phone is connected to. There are apps in the Play Store for this purpose. As an author, you won't need to track anything and probably don't need any apps, but it's good to know that this exists when plotting. These apps provide information about nearby cell towers, including the one your phone is connected to. · Check your phone's settings: Some smartphones display information about the connected cell tower in the settings menu. Look for "Network" or "About Phone" options to find this information.
Go to bookfunnel.com and sign up for an account. Here is a screen shot from the first page. I've fiddled with it to show the actual address and the logo, but it will look similar to this picture here.
The Books Tab keeps track of the eBooks you have uploaded and how many downloads there have been. There are drop-down links (in the orange boxes) to edit your books information and also to reupload copies.
Turn these Scrivener features off, especially if you plan to move your finished novel draft into Microsoft Word for final formatting. Because I self-publish and I need to upload in ePub and PDF manuscript, I use Word for a final proofread and formatting. I find Word is the best choice for me. The smart quotes do not translate well between Scrivener and Word. If you turn off the smart quotes, Scrivener will replace them with straight quotes and these translate better.
I'm writing my fourth novel in the Jack Nolan Detective Series. The book is still unnamed. This is Level 4 in my Eight Levels of Writing a Novel series. This first draft is down and dirty. It is the hardest lift of the entire project. At least for me, the first draft is the hardest. The characters all seem like stick figures. I find them unlikeable -- even if I liked them in the last book! Any humor doesn't seem to work. Everything just seems awkward. I have to literally force myself to keep typing. So this tip is to just keep writing. Don't check on any spellings or grammar. Don't even look back. Just keep going until you have the crime down, the main plotline down and the subplots at least in place. That will complete the first down-and-dirty draft. Every other layer will be easy compared to this one.
With bard.google.com, now it's possible to do research on the fly when writing fiction. Simply open a browser window, type in bard.google.com and start asking it questions.
Scrivener allows you to highlight text in any color you want. I use this highlighter in the Level 4 Draft to make a mental note to myself to check on things. For example: If I say that someone is coming home from a hospital in four days, I highlight this. This makes sure that this lines up with the plotline, or the crime line, or the subplot lines.
Like I mentioned earlier, I'm in the first draft of my novel and each scene begins with the same Scene Template as seen to the left.
When writing the first draft, I use the Scrivener Synopsis section in the Inspector Pane to list the clues I have dropped in that scene. Once I've finished the first draft, I can open the project in Outline View and this will give me a bird's eye view and chronology of the clues that have been dropped.
If your research requires a public figure or an organization, start at Wikipedia and take advantage of research already done. It will all have to be verified, but you will at least start off with some basics.
Go to Google and type in Philadelphia Courts or New York courts, etc.
It's important to know that there are at least four levels of record keeping in the USA. There is Federal, State, County, and then City or Municipal or Local. This will help when you are drilling down. It's best to drill down one layer at a time.
Another technique to researching over a period of time is to create a 'google alert' for a certain topic. Once you do, Google will send you a notice at hte end of each day with whatever articles are published or pop up in their search engines. This is a great way to find trendy subjects too.
Open access papers = www.oa.mg
Using an incognito window, go to YouTube and research your
Click on several videos and watch for one minute and click off. This will teach the algorithm what you are interested in.
The answer to that question depends upon your goals as an author.
If, however, you are a serious author working towards a career or life-long profession, then you will want a website. You may not need one with the first book, but you will be anxious to build your brand right away.
Although I have already said that you can write book series and operate with an Amazon author page, there will come a time when you want to brand yourself and your series. This will also help you build an online presence. It's all about competition. The more ways you use to run into readers online, the better it us for you and your books.
If you want to connect with readers, or start building a readership, you will then want and need a website. When I say connect with readers, there are a few ways to connect with readers.
For whatever it may be worth to you, I would recommend that you consider a website by the time you have written a third book, whether it is in a series or not. Once a reader has read more than one book, they will get curious about you. They will want to see a picture of you and maybe learn a few personal things about your life. Having a website, you can share a little bit of personal information.
If you will be self-publishing and are on a shoe string budget, then you will need a website, but you may be able to operate without one for the first year or eighteen months.
Step One: Find an affordable hosting company. You only need a basic plan. I use bluehost.com, but be sure to watch my video that I'll post here about how not to get into the trap of buying all kinds of services you don't need.
Do you want to be a published author and work with a leading publisher? Or do you want the freedom of self-publishing? Either way, you will need to learn to do at least some book marketing.
Don't worry if you are camera shy or introverted. The type of book marketing I'm suggesting here is for introverts. People who have these big boisterous personalities don't need anyone to help them gain a readership. Social media was designed for the extroverts -- even the narcissists!
It's important to be clear that when building an email list, that email list is your readership following. You may have free book searches who get on your list, and they may unsubscribe after a month or two. But the readers who like your books and look forward to hearing from you will remain loyal to you. You are cultivating a following. You need to see marketing as a slow and steady way to build this readership and maintain a monthly or bi-monthly contact with them.
I am knee-deep in Level 4 of writing the next book in the Jack Nolan Detective Series. I thought this would be a good time for me to take a break and reflect on what happens when I'm 'in the weeds' writing a novel.
When you first sit down to write a novel, everyone is filled with enthusiasm and creative energy. It's exciting. It's new. But as the manuscript begins to grow, before it feels finished -- or even ready to be polished, it feels cumbersome, heavy, and overwhelming. At least for me it does.
It's possible to get paralyzed by a fear of failure at any point during the writing of a novel. It's not a one-and-done operation. No one sits down, starts writing, finishes writing and ta-da, there's a book. Writing a novel doesn't work that way. It's a long process. It's a multi-layer process.
Writers block is another common problem among authors. This often sets in after that initial period of excitement about the novel wears off. At some point the writing of the novel shifts into a project requiring some heavy lifting. There's always a phase or two where the author has to tough it out. We have to keep at it.
Will my readers like the book? Will the book be good enough to get a literary agent? What happens if my book gets bad reviews? There are any number of fears of rejection that can cause us to stop writing. Decide ahead of time you won't allow these fears to stop you. Like I said earlier, think of your writing as a mission God has given you. This is your life's work, along with your other worldly responsibilities. Your writing could be an opportunity to pass on things you have come to learn in your life. That's a purpose. Or maybe writing is a way for you to share the gift of storytelling that you know you were born with. That's a God-given purpose. Whatever the reason, it's important to not allow fear of rejection to get in the way.
Distractions are one of the biggest obstacles to completing a novel. One reason is because life does serve up constant small and big emergencies that have to take first priorities in our lives. So an emergency distraction can throw a whole well-planned writing schedule up into the air in a heartbeat.
Most novels require at least some research. The internet can be a blessing with research but it can also be a curse. It's a blessing because the days of having to travel to a public library are over. It can be a curse because the research can suck you in and you can use up all your valuable writing time doing too much research.
Another trap to finishing a novel is to get caught up in a never-ending edit of the book. This usually hooks in with perfectionism problem in some way.
Once you complete a novel, there is a little sadness that sets in. This book is no longer your baby. It's no longer your little pet project. Once you hand it off to an editor, it becomes a shared work, so to speak.