Federal regulations · Through 2026-08-25 · Newer source version available

47 CFR 24.53: Calculation of height above average terrain (HAAT).

(a) HAAT is determined by subtracting average terrain elevation from antenna height above mean sea level.
(b) Average terrain elevation shall be calculated using elevation data from a 30 arc second or better Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). DEM data is available from United States Geological Survey (USGS). The data file shall be identified. If 30 arc second data is used, the elevation data must be processed for intermediate points using interpolation techniques; otherwise, the nearest point may be used. If DEM data is not available, elevation data from the Defense Mapping Agency's Digital Chart of the World (DCW) may be used.
(c) Radial average terrain elevation is calculated as the average of the elevation along a straight line path from 3 to 16 kilometers extending radially from the antenna site. At least 50 evenly spaced data points for each radial shall be used in the computation.
(d) Average terrain elevation is the average of the eight radial average terrain elevations (for the eight cardinal radials).
(e) The position location of the antenna site shall be determined to an accuracy of no less than ±5 meters in both the horizontal (latitude and longitude) and vertical (ground elevation) dimensions with respect to the National Geodetic Reference System.

Where this section sits in the code

Title 47—Telecommunication
CHAPTER I—FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
SUBCHAPTER B—COMMON CARRIER SERVICES
PART 24—PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
Subpart C—Technical Standards

(a) HAAT is determined by subtracting average terrain elevation from antenna height above mean sea level.

(b) Average terrain elevation shall be calculated using elevation data from a 30 arc second or better Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). DEM data is available from United States Geological Survey (USGS). The data file shall be identified. If 30 arc second data is used, the elevation data must be processed for intermediate points using interpolation techniques; otherwise, the nearest point may be used. If DEM data is not available, elevation data from the Defense Mapping Agency's Digital Chart of the World (DCW) may be used.

(c) Radial average terrain elevation is calculated as the average of the elevation along a straight line path from 3 to 16 kilometers extending radially from the antenna site. At least 50 evenly spaced data points for each radial shall be used in the computation.

(d) Average terrain elevation is the average of the eight radial average terrain elevations (for the eight cardinal radials).

(e) The position location of the antenna site shall be determined to an accuracy of no less than ±5 meters in both the horizontal (latitude and longitude) and vertical (ground elevation) dimensions with respect to the National Geodetic Reference System.

Collected 2026-08-27T02:26:28Z. Source file · JSON

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