Understand the antennas
A colour-coded diagram brings reported azimuths and beamwidths into view, band by band.
- Open the antenna diagram for a selected site.
- Pan, pinch and rotate; tap a sector to inspect its band or antenna.
- Zoom the map to inspect the diagram. Arc radius is a display scale, not a coverage estimate.
- Choose All Bands or one band. Centre site returns to the tower; double-tap to zoom in.
- When sectors overlap, use the inspector to move between antennas and open the associated Cell details.
Site → band → cell
Read the radio layers at a site without losing their context: technology, frequencies, bandwidth and duplex.
- Select a site and open Bands.
- Tap a band to see its matching cells and records. Unknown bands remain visible.
- Check warning labels and original record values when an entry needs review.
Back to the source
Inspect the licence, radio and antenna fields behind a cell, with links to ISED’s official searches.
- Open Bands → Cells, then tap a Cell ID. If several records appear, expand the record you want to inspect.
- Inspect TX/RX frequencies, bandwidth, Cell ID/PCI, licence ranges, identifiers, manufacturer and antenna geometry.
- Copy identifiers or open the ISED licence and equipment search links. Original values remain available.
Find exactly what matters
Combine operator, PLMN, band, radio technology, frequency and site characteristics. Watch the matching-site count update.
- Open Filters from the search bar. Expand the category you need.
- Use Bands for 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G and Unknown; choose whether any or all selected bands must match.
- Frequency and date bounds are optional. Blank means all; dates use the native date picker.
- Also filter radio manufacturers, structure types and provinces/territories. Done applies the view; Reset clears it.
Explore the network
Explore cellular sites across Canada. Pin colours identify the operators; fans or arrows show antenna directions as you zoom in.
- Pan and pinch to choose an area.
- Tap a dot or pin. If several sites share that position, choose one from the list.
- Use the carrier shortcut in the search bar to focus on a network.
- Nearby sites remain individually visible. Tap their pins to spread them out temporarily; fine lines point back to their actual positions. Choose a pin to open its site.
- Tap an empty area or move the map to collapse the expanded pins. Operators sharing the same position remain grouped.
Search your way
Look up a Cell ID, a place or a coordinate pair. Find saved sites and recent searches alongside local results.
- Tap Search and enter an address, Cell ID or latitude/longitude.
- Coordinate examples: 45.420808, -75.695917 or 45.420808，-75.695917.
- Choose a result to open its location on the map.
Map, Satellite & Hybrid
Choose clear road context, aerial imagery, or imagery with useful labels. The selected site layers stay on top.
- Open the layers control at the right of Explore.
- Select Map, Satellite or Hybrid. Map colour treatments are available for the standard map.
- Zoom in to inspect the roads, terrain and buildings around the sites.
Places around the sites
Bring points of interest into the map to recognize the surroundings of a reported site.
- Open the layers control in Explore.
- Under Map style, choose Map with points of interest.
- Zoom in to see nearby places. Map, Map with points of interest, Satellite and Hybrid are four alternative styles; POIs are not an independent layer over satellite imagery.
A different point of view
Tilt the map into 3D and rotate the view while keeping sites and selected links in context.
- Tap 3D in the map controls.
- Rotate the map with two fingers. Use the compass to restore a north-up view.
- Tap the control again to return to 2D. Detailed terrain and buildings depend on map availability.
Position & heading
Keep your location in view and understand the direction and distance to a selected site.
- Allow location access when you want location-based features.
- Use the location arrow to centre or follow your position; heading mode follows your orientation.
- Pan the map to explore independently. Location is optional.
Look Around
Connect a map location with Apple’s street-level imagery where it is available.
- Select a site and open Look Around.
- Choose an observation point on the map and explore the imagery.
- Available in areas covered by Apple’s street-level imagery.
- Open full screen to use the guide map at the bottom. Locate site brings the selected site back into view.
- The guide shows straight-line distance and bearing from the selected observation point to the site. That point is not the live street-view camera position.
- Use the walking action to open an external maps app. If a new scene cannot load, the previous scene is kept.
A map that sets the tone
Choose a standard or muted map in light or dark colours. Muted backgrounds put more emphasis on your site layers.
- Open Layers → Map colours while using Map or Map with points of interest.
- Choose Light, Muted Light, Dark or Muted Dark.
- The app remembers separate choices for its light and dark appearances, initially Muted Light and Muted Dark. A dark map does not change the app theme.
- Map colours are unavailable for Satellite, Hybrid and the separate offline basemap.
Follow the microwave links
Trace point-to-point links between endpoints. A selected line displays its length and reported capacity.
- Enable the microwave layer in the search bar. Long-press the button to browse links.
- Tap a line. Open a matched A or B endpoint to inspect its cellular or 6 GHz site.
- Expand capacity and source records. Rotate to landscape for a right-side panel.
- Tap blank map space to clear the selected link.
Registered 6 GHz stations
Add an independent layer of ISED 6 GHz station records alongside cellular sites and microwave links.
- Tap the stacked 6 GHz button in the search bar.
- Select a marker to inspect its licence, licensee, frequency, bandwidth and antenna properties.
- Use matched microwave endpoints to open the corresponding station.
- This shows registered stations. Wi-Fi AFC still determines channel and power availability.
See what makes up a network
Explore how sites break down by operator, band, technology or equipment. Combine filters to compare the parts of a network.
- Open Insights → Composition. Use Group by to choose an operator, band, generation, equipment manufacturer or another category.
- Use Filters to narrow the region or compare selected values. The chart and colour legend update to match your choices.
- Select a result to inspect its matching sites. Expand an equipment manufacturer to see its models, then open the selection on the map.
Put two networks side by side
Compare two operators within the same region using reported site and 5G-site counts.
- Open Insights → Compare.
- Choose two operators and one shared region.
- Inspect the regional breakdown and matching site lists.
Keep your own field notes
Save sites with a custom name, notes and tags. Your collection remains available offline.
- Use the bookmark action in a site’s details.
- Add a name, notes and comma-separated tags.
- In Favourites, search, filter, sort or reorder. Edit and delete from the saved entry.
Your collection, across devices
Optional private iCloud sync and file backups help keep saved sites, notes, tags and order together.
- Open the cloud button in Favourites to enable iCloud sync or Sync now.
- Save a backup file, or choose a backup to restore and merge.
- Offline changes sync when service returns. Disabling sync does not erase an existing cloud copy.
Share the exact site
Send an app link to the selected site, or open its location in your preferred maps app.
- Use Share in site details. The site link starts with northtowers://.
- The recipient needs North Towers installed to open an app link.
- For external map actions, choose Ask each time, Apple Maps or Google Maps in Settings.
Take the data with you
Download the national database once. Explore records and diagrams offline, with a lightweight Canadian basemap when needed.
- Open Settings → Database updates to download or update the national database.
- Compare installed and server versions, or enable automatic Wi-Fi updates.
- Enable Offline map for a lightweight view of Canadian outlines, provinces and cities.
Your colours, your map
Personalize band and carrier colours, pin directions, display scale, site heights and the app icon.
- Open Settings to choose app appearance, language and app icon.
- Open Settings → Band colours to change the colours shown on your map and antenna diagrams. Carrier colours has separate choices for operators.
- Choose Fans or Arrows for pin directions in Settings.
Share a view, hide the coordinates
Copy site coordinates when you need them, or mask them for a screenshot with a long press.
- Press and hold the coordinates in Explore or Diagram.
- The masked numbers keep their formatting; distance and bearing retain their units.
- Press and hold again to reveal the values. Check the whole screen before sharing.
