Network Vision/LTE - Mississippi Market (Jackson, Hattiesburg, Meridian)

[S4GRU]

I just uploaded 2 more sites as In Progress in the Mississippi market over in the NV Sites Complete maps. One is outside Hattiesburg, the other is on US 49, about 20 miles SE of the Jackson area. These sites are actually accepted as complete with 3G Network Vision upgrades and will appear in next week's update. Two other sites went live with 3G upgrades last week along I-20, east of Meridian inside Alabama.

 

Robert

[JeffDTD]

Here is a picture of the Hattiesburg site. I wasn't able to get close to the cabinets because they're down a dirt road that is gated. This was from an apartment parking lot.

 

No ehrpd .

 

Best speed I could pull. Most of the speed tests pulled 400-800k. The upload speeds were often higher, so I'd assume they're still tinkering with it. The site looks like its probably using microwave backhaul.

 

 

I drove to Jackson this morning and on the way back, tried to visit the site just south of star, ms. Unfortunately, it was quite a ways down an ill maintained dirt road. I drive a 2 door accord, so that's a no especially given the rain we have had lately and this being bfe Mississippi.

 

Speeds were fantastic and consistent but again no ehrpd.

 

 

 

[digiblur]

Don't see any RRUs up there. Wouldn't worry about the ehrpd thing.

 

-- "Sensorly or it didn't happen!"

 

 

[JeffDTD]

Yeah I didn't see rru' s either, at least not what I'm accustomed to seeing from others photos. One panel looked like it might have one , but none of the rest.

[S4GRU]

I don't see RRU's. This is the fourth site in the South now shown as 3G only complete that has not shown NV panels.

 

I'm starting to fear that all these 3G sites popping up in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi may be like this site in the Panhandle of Florida: http://www.mywakulla...-12/SP12-16.pdf

 

The site referenced in the PDF is called out as a Ground Mount RRU's/No Touch Site. If you read through the PDF, you will see that this site is not getting LTE. In Sprint docs I have seen to date, I have only seen Ground Mount RRU's/No 800. I had never seen one that said Ground Mount RRU's/No Touch Site. But when I look in the site database for this site in Florida, it says "Ground Mount RRU's/No 800." Uhh ohh.

 

Have they changed their mind and now sites that have Ground Mount RRU's will now not get new panels and LTE at all??? I sure hope not. I hope the Florida site above is an isolated case. We have always been told there would be sites that would not get LTE. And I have been told these would only be one hundred or so where they could not deploy LTE. But there are thousands of sites nationwide that have Ground Mount RRU's, hundreds in my market alone. Sprint promised LTE over their entire 3G network, and I hope they are not pulling back on that.

 

I have a lot of Ground Mount RRU sites in my market, in my area. Heck, even next to my home. If these sites are never getting LTE, it may change my whole view of Network Vision. My whole view of the LTE deployment. My whole view of Sprint and maybe even my whole view of S4GRU. This is a big deal to me.

 

I do hold out hope, though. There is a Shentel ground mount RRU site in Mont Alto, Pennsylvania that has LTE. I have a member in that area going to try and get us pics soon. But Shentel may do their own thing, regardless of Sprint.

 

This my plea...Dan. Listen to me! There is no reason these ground mount only sites cannot have LTE. The sites may not be able to handle the weight and/or wind load of the RRU's mounted next to the panel, and they may not be able to handle legacy panels and NV panels together, but surely they can handle one NV panel by itself connected to a ground mounted RRU. We would rather you do a hot swap on these sites and be without service a few days than to never have LTE at all.

 

I am waiting to see what they do at my site. But they have only installed one ground mounted RRU per sector. I'm getting a little nervous. The electrician said it is an LTE upgrade he is working on, but he may think all the sites he visits are LTE upgrades, even if not. One third of the sites in the Albuquerque market are slated for Ground Mounted RRU's. It would be very tragic if all of them were bypassed for LTE. Very tragic.

 

Robert

[S4GRU]

I have a request of S4GRU Members. Please go through all your permit jurisdictions in your area and see if you can come up with plans like Wakulla County, Florida in this link: http://www.mywakulla...-12/SP12-16.pdf

 

If you find some, send them to me, please. I would like to look at several sets of plans of Ground Mount RRU's and see if they all have no LTE like the one above. It may be an isolated site. And that's fine, if so.

 

But if it is correct that all Sprint sites with ground mounted RRU's get no LTE, then I feel perhaps, we may collectively at S4GRU lodge our protest to Sprint. And maybe even plea with SoftBank. Sprint needs to install LTE on its entire network. Not only is it a commitment they have made, but also, they need it to be competitive. Also, rural areas should not get the middle finger by Sprint. LTE for all!

 

Robert

[MacinJosh]

I have a request of S4GRU Members. Please go through all your permit jurisdictions in your area and see if you can come up with plans like Wakulla County' date=' Florida in this link: http://www.mywakulla...-12/SP12-16.pdf

 

If you find some, send them to me, please. I would like to look at several sets of plans of Ground Mount RRU's and see if they all have no LTE like the one above. It may be an isolated site. And that's fine, if so.

 

But if it is correct that all Sprint sites with ground mounted RRU's get no LTE, then I feel perhaps, we may collectively at S4GRU lodge our protest to Sprint. And maybe even plea with SoftBank. Sprint needs to install LTE on its entire network. Not only is it a commitment they have made, but also, they need it to be competitive. Also, rural areas should not get the middle finger by Sprint. LTE for all!

 

Robert

 

I sure hope that these are isolated cases. I'd be disappointed if this becomes widespread.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus running Paradigm 3.0 using Forum Runner

[JeffDTD]

Since Florida makes all public records available online expediently and for free, that will be the easiest place to compare filings. I will be on the lookout for online filings in the city of Hattiesburg, but the site I visited this morning was not in the city and the county filings in the state of Mississippi are ....haha somewhere in a filing cabinet forever.

 

I don't think sprint would admit what is being implied here, but I wouldn't put it past them to have already realized they won't get LTE network wide for many years to come due to site design or whatever. They don't have a track record of throwing money at their network in my neck of the woods. It doesn't scare me ...it's just more the same. Whether sprint gobbles up cspire or ends up in a relationship with tmobile in the next five years, either direction would deliver them a better tower infrastructure than they have now in my entire state.....and perhaps they'd rather take their chances with a few spots of LTE and better 3G than spend gobs of money in the "short term".

 

I'll be happy to continue to scope out sites around me and keep my eyes open for site filings in my city

[JeffDTD]

I don't see RRU's. This is the fourth site in the South now shown as 3G only complete that has not shown NV panels.

 

I'm starting to fear that all these 3G sites popping up in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi may be like this site in the Panhandle of Florida: http://www.mywakulla...-12/SP12-16.pdf

 

The site referenced in the PDF is called out as a Ground Mount RRU's/No Touch Site. If you read through the PDF, you will see that this site is not getting LTE. In Sprint docs I have seen to date, I have only seen Ground Mount RRU's/No 800. I had never seen one that said Ground Mount RRU's/No Touch Site. But when I look in the site database for this site in Florida, it says "Ground Mount RRU's/No 800." Uhh ohh.

 

 

 

Robert

 

If "no touch" means no network vision panels, doesnt that also mean these sites get no 1xA / smr voice?

[S4GRU]

 

If "no touch" means no network vision panels, doesnt that also mean these sites get no 1xA / smr voice?

 

Yes. However, I have always read in docs that Ground Mount sites do not get 800MHz deployments. However, the term no touch I had never seen before these Wakulla County drawings were sent to me. These ground mount no touch sites appear to be CDMA 1900 only because they are not changing the panels. And the panels can only support CDMA 1900.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

 

 

[JeffDTD]

Unless a neighboring site will broadcast 1xa /smr and compensate for the potential coverage gain, in areas where iden was deployed, this is really baffling and unfathomable. Not carrying nv to iden only areas makes some sense, but not carrying smr 1xa to cdma markets is... I dont know. Sorry for the sour grapes. I hope we get some clarification and rejuvenation of the plans once softbanks investment is approved.

[S4GRU]

Unless a neighboring site will broadcast 1xa /smr and compensate for the potential coverage gain, in areas where iden was deployed, this is really baffling and unfathomable. Not carrying nv to iden only areas makes some sense, but not carrying smr 1xa to cdma markets is... I dont know. Sorry for the sour grapes. I hope we get some clarification and rejuvenation of the plans once softbanks investment is approved.

 

My grapes are slightly sour too. And like I mentioned in my plea above, these could definitely support 800 and LTE with a hot swap. And that's what they need to do.

 

Robert

[Rickie546]

 

My grapes are slightly sour too. And like I mentioned in my plea above' date=' these could definitely support 800 and LTE with a hot swap. And that's what they need to do.

 

Robert[/quote']

 

Did you see my pm about a site I found in California??

 

Sent from my EVO LTE using Forum Runner

[S4GRU]

 

Did you see my pm about a site I found in California??

 

Sent from my EVO LTE using Forum Runner

 

I've seen that I have it but I haven't looked at it yet. I have guests over. My wife is making me be social.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

 

 

[lordsutch]

Looking at the sponsor maps, 800 coverage may be redundant at this site if the surrounding sites get 800 as well. That said that doesn't explain why there's no LTE.

[digiblur]

This Note is a listing of every single Protection Site in America (work in progress) and a confirmation whether it is working or not. This note will be updated daily as information changes and/or is discovered. Do your part! If you live in or near one of the areas needing confirmation, confirm the signal and post results to Sensorly website via their Android app and post in this forum. Thanks!!!

 

Not always, there are sites in the city that are very close that are getting 800 with extreme downtilt of course.

 

-- "Sensorly or it didn't happen!"

 

 

[Dkoellerwx]

Quote mismatch?

[Rickie546]

I've seen that I have it but I haven't looked at it yet. I have guests over. My wife is making me be social.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

 

That;s what I'm about to go do...can't be happier!

[digiblur]

Quote mismatch?

 

Sometimes those are the funniest.

 

-- "Sensorly or it didn't happen!"

 

 

[lordsutch]

I'm starting to wonder if what we're seeing in FL, GA, and MS is due to Sprint not planning to immediately deploy on 800 SMR in SouthernLINC areas (Hattiesburg is definitely in SouthernLINC's footprint, as is Georgia and most of the Panhandle Sprint market, which is where we're seeing accepted NV sites without new panels or tower RRUs); if that's the case, would they need to install new panels for LTE on 1900?

 

I guess the acid test is whether or not NV panels are being used in the Atlanta/Athens market where 4G is live. I haven't seen any photos from the market and I didn't start looking closely at towers until recently.

[Dkoellerwx]

 

I guess the acid test is whether or not NV panels are being used in the Atlanta/Athens market where 4G is live. I haven't seen any photos from the market and I didn't start looking closely at towers until recently.

 

Not sure about the rest, but they have to be using NV panels if they are broadcasting LTE. We are seeing 3G also getting signed off now in the Atlanta market, so they are without a doubt NV panels.

[S4GRU]

We have a member who has reported a Shentel site in Mont Alto, PA that appears to have ground mount RRU's and non NV panels that is broadcasting LTE. You can look at the coverage on Sensorly around the site there. LTE is definitely confirmed at that location. The site next to my house is labelled "Ground Mount RRU’s - No 800". They do not appear to be changing out the panels. If LTE appears with no panel change, then we would have definite confirmation that it's possible.

 

Robert via Nexus 7 on Tapatalk

 

 

[Dkoellerwx]

We have a member who has reported a Shentel site in Mont Alto, PA that appears to have ground mount RRU's and non NV panels that is broadcasting LTE. You can look at the coverage on Sensorly around the site there. LTE is definitely confirmed at that location. The site next to my house is labelled "Ground Mount RRU’s - No 800". They do not appear to be changing out the panels. If LTE appears with no panel change, then we would have definite confirmation that it's possible.

 

Robert via Nexus 7 on Tapatalk

 

Well that's confusing. How does that even work? I'm not an expert, or anything close to it lol, but it doesn't seem like they would be able to do that without changing out panels? Weird.

[lordsutch]

The way I understand it is the panels are calibrated for a particular wavelength or set of wavelengths, but don't really care much about what sort of signals go through the panels, so LTE and CDMA can be transmitted from the same panels on the same frequencies. Since LTE is on PCS G and CDMA is on PCS A-F, the wavelengths are similar enough that the ideal antenna for each isn't very different. The ideal antennas for ESMR, on the other hand, would be much longer usually (my understanding is that the ideal antenna is supposed to be 1/2 to 5/8 of the wavelength, and 800 MHz waves are longer than 1900 MHz waves, since wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency).

 

The SouthernLINC thing may also explain why 800 is planned on only about 80% of sites; if about 1/8 of Sprint towers are in SouthernLINC land or thereabouts, then 90%+ of sites will get 800 outside of SouthernLINC land. It doesn't explain yet why Robert's site is No 800, unless there's another ESMR incumbent in northern NM that Sprint is also avoiding (I don't think Robert is close enough to the border for Mexico to be an issue, unless Sprint is just not deploying 800 at all anywhere in markets with ESMR issues - Canada, Mexico, or Southeast bandplan).

 

Edit: It looks like the Mexico border bandplan held up rebanding in all of New Mexico, http://www.fcc.gov/document/new-800-mhz-band-plan-us-mexico-sharing-zone, so Sprint may have designed NV without 800 in NM rather than waiting for 800 to be settled.

[JeffDTD]

NL03MR478 will be another 3G only for now site ... Scoped it out today.