Network Vision/LTE - Columbus Market

[Flompholph]

Probably not. You will probably see it go the other way as in 800smr is only scanned for if PCS is gone like the Iphone is setup. But as more sites go 800smr you will notice that you are using it more.

According to singnalcheck pro I have 3 towers in 10 miles broadcasting 800 was 4 but the tower behind my house stopped yesterday morning. And another 2 towers 15 miles northwest of me are broadcasting 800. It still won't switch back and forth between 1900 and 800 until after I prl update. But that's fine if it won't connect to 800 I will still just update my prl to flush everything so I can connect to 800. It covers more dead spots especially in hilly terrain. There are still dead spots just a lot less of them. I appreciate the info maybe more about 800smr will be covered on part 3 of your series of papers.

[amcferrin90]

In the PRL the 800 and the 1900 are the same priority, so unless the 1900 disappears I believe it's just a matter if signal strength. If you're in range of a 1900 signal at -85 dBm and there's a 800 signal that's -101 dBm and both signals are the same priority your phone will stick with the stronger signal. Now get near an 800 tower, it's also transmitting 1900, your phone will still probably prefer the 1900 over the 800 because the 1900 SIDs are the same, call it lazy. Now if you dip down somewhere where all 1900 disappears but there's some 800 signal, your phone would switch over to that and hold the 800 until the 800 signal goes away prompting a PRL scan which would likely put you back on 1900.

 

Just because a tower is broadcasting 1xA, it is also broadcasting PCS. Let pick on one site in the area here:

PCS SID: 4418  NID: 204  BID: 59761

1xA SID: 22450  NID: 214  BID: 59761

 

Those are both being transmitted from the same tower, one on 1900 and the other on 800. If you are in an 800 dead zone and travel into range of the broadcasting 800 tower, since you are already acquired to SID 4418, your phone will acquire with SID 4418 networks staying on 1900, unless there's no SID 4418 network transmitting where you're at. Then triggers the PRL scan which could land you on a SID 22450 network jumping to 800 (all the same priority). Your phone would then prefer the SID 22450 networks until there is no more SID 22450 transmitting in range, another PRL scan and back to 4418 if you're in range of that or another SID in your PRL list. 

 

This is why the partial 800 coverage is frustrating people. Now enter a modified PRL that makes 800 a preferred network over PCS. Your phone will spend a lot of time and battery looking for 800 to connect to even if there's a good PCS signal. What I've run in to is being 10-15 miles from an 800 site and my phone preferring it at -102 dBm for voice and data and ignoring the stronger PCS sites for data. Typical of the settings in Sprint phones, hang on to any little gleaming blip of signal no matter how horrible or unusable it is. I've found that data just doesn't work at anything lower than -96 dBm so while it's neato to be connected to a tower 10-25 miles away, it's totally useless.

 

Once they fire up more 800 towers, it will work better and I have no doubt once they're all up Sprint will have one kickin butt network. 

 

Rereading what I wrote now, obviously what I said at the beginning is not completely right but following the thought and example I think I explained it.

[digiblur]

Pretty close but a few things I am going to point out.

 

You said the SIDs are the same but then you talk about the SIDs being different numbers. Not sure I understand that part.

PRLs don't pick networks based on signal. They get picked based on availability. You can have a -60 signal and a -105 at the same priority and it will use the weaker original one.

 

Also you will not lose much battery in today's chipsets with 800smr at a higher priority. I have had this on my personal PRL for many months with no real differences noticed.

 

Now remember this is only during idle traffic. Once you connect that phone call all the PRL rules go out the window and you are at the mercy of the network to throw you around from channel to channel.

 

Glad to see someone else understanding the fun of PRLs. I have started writing my Part 3 of my articles which is about LTE and 1x800. The irony is about 30 minutes later I picked up my first 800smr signal in my market. Lasted for about 2 minutes then they cut it off. Probably just enough for them to make a 911 test call. It was cool to see especially since I knew exactly which site it was based on the 1x PN since I tracked and mapped those out years ago.

[amcferrin90]

You said the SIDs are the same but then you talk about the SIDs being different numbers. Not sure I understand that part.

 

The one site someone had reported 800 from it last Friday I think. I drove all around the area even next to the site. On the SCP screen all I would see is SID 4418 with the same BSSID as what was reported on 800. Once I used the 800 priority PRL the SID showed as 22450 with the same BSSID. Well the BSSID varied slightly depending on which sector I was in.

[digiblur]

The one site someone had reported 800 from it last Friday I think. I drove all around the area even next to the site. On the SCP screen all I would see is SID 4418 with the same BSSID as what was reported on 800. Once I used the 800 priority PRL the SID showed as 22450 with the same BSSID. Well the BSSID varied slightly depending on which sector I was in.

Yes those will change per sector kind of like the PN's.

[COZisBack]

Hey peeps. Just wanted to give some help hunting with cabinets.

 

Here is a close up on the new Samsung Network Vision cabinets. There will always be two of them:

 

 

NOT to be confused with these Legacy Cabinets:

 

 

There are other types of Legacy Cabinets around Columbus. This is just one set.

[UPdownLoAD]

In the PRL the 800 and the 1900 are the same priority, so unless the 1900 disappears I believe it's just a matter if signal strength. If you're in range of a 1900 signal at -85 dBm and there's a 800 signal that's -101 dBm and both signals are the same priority your phone will stick with the stronger signal. Now get near an 800 tower, it's also transmitting 1900, your phone will still probably prefer the 1900 over the 800 because the 1900 SIDs are the same, call it lazy. Now if you dip down somewhere where all 1900 disappears but there's some 800 signal, your phone would switch over to that and hold the 800 until the 800 signal goes away prompting a PRL scan which would likely put you back on 1900.

 

Just because a tower is broadcasting 1xA, it is also broadcasting PCS. Let pick on one site in the area here:

PCS SID: 4418 NID: 204 BID: 59761

1xA SID: 22450 NID: 214 BID: 59761

 

Those are both being transmitted from the same tower, one on 1900 and the other on 800. If you are in an 800 dead zone and travel into range of the broadcasting 800 tower, since you are already acquired to SID 4418, your phone will acquire with SID 4418 networks staying on 1900, unless there's no SID 4418 network transmitting where you're at. Then triggers the PRL scan which could land you on a SID 22450 network jumping to 800 (all the same priority). Your phone would then prefer the SID 22450 networks until there is no more SID 22450 transmitting in range, another PRL scan and back to 4418 if you're in range of that or another SID in your PRL list.

 

This is why the partial 800 coverage is frustrating people. Now enter a modified PRL that makes 800 a preferred network over PCS. Your phone will spend a lot of time and battery looking for 800 to connect to even if there's a good PCS signal. What I've run in to is being 10-15 miles from an 800 site and my phone preferring it at -102 dBm for voice and data and ignoring the stronger PCS sites for data. Typical of the settings in Sprint phones, hang on to any little gleaming blip of signal no matter how horrible or unusable it is. I've found that data just doesn't work at anything lower than -96 dBm so while it's neato to be connected to a tower 10-25 miles away, it's totally useless.

 

Once they fire up more 800 towers, it will work better and I have no doubt once they're all up Sprint will have one kickin butt network.

 

Rereading what I wrote now, obviously what I said at the beginning is not completely right but following the thought and example I think I explained it.

I think these screenshots show what you are talking about.

[COZisBack]

Heads up folks. I highly recommend AGAINST site hunting in Chillicothe. Most of the sites are half a mile off the road on private property with no paved drives up to them.

 

If you want to take your four wheeler and your Remington with you, enjoy yourself.

[jbeta]

Hey, I noticed an odd blip of purple out in Dresden not far from SR 16. I will be heading that way in a few days, so I'll check it out and get some data, if no one has already done it by then.

[COZisBack]

Hey, I noticed an odd blip of purple out in Dresden not far from SR 16. I will be heading that way in a few days, so I'll check it out and get some data, if no one has already done it by then.

 

There are two sites out that area that have LTE accepted.

[COZisBack]

The sites out West are EASY and I do mean EASY to get to. I'm updating the Address/Names of sites on the spreadsheet using the new maps.google.com and the CMH map that I have with satellite view. They're just super easy.

[digiblur]

The sites out West are EASY and I do mean EASY to get to. I'm updating the Address/Names of sites on the spreadsheet using the new maps.google.com and the CMH map that I have with satellite view. They're just super easy.

 

If you want cities and zip codes in flash, drop me a line.  I know a guy who has a friend who kinda sorta has a reverse geocoder at his fingertips.

 

I like having the zips and then I broke up the sites by regions, so my sort method ends up being by Region, County(Parish in my case), ZIP, then Site ID.  Groups them together very nicely on the sheet.

[COZisBack]

If you want cities and zip codes in flash, drop me a line.  I know a guy who has a friend who kinda sorta has a reverse geocoder at his fingertips.

 

I like having the zips and then I broke up the sites by regions, so my sort method ends up being by Region, County(Parish in my case), ZIP, then Site ID.  Groups them together very nicely on the sheet.

 

DAMMIT! I wish I would have started with that.

[jbeta]

There are two sites out that area that have LTE accepted.

 

oh, i will have to look a little harder... so then, is it really of any value to go get the serving cell id's since we already know they're up? I know my phone is "useless" for signal strength.

[digiblur]

DAMMIT! I wish I would have started with that.

 

I'll have to snag your list and run it through.  I will see I can populate the counties as well.

 

oh, i will have to look a little harder... so then, is it really of any value to go get the serving cell id's since we already know they're up? I know my phone is "useless" for signal strength.

 

Any serving cells are better than none, plus it's always nice to know the site is confirmed to mark it off as such.

[digiblur]

DAMMIT! I wish I would have started with that.

 

Done and done.. you've got mail with an XLS attachment  

 

I think you'll have to do about 8 sites by hand or so.

[amcferrin90]

I think these screenshots show what you are talking about.

Actually yes I think that was it what I was trying to say. Neurons were starting to shut down.

[RM42]

 

 

If you want cities and zip codes in flash, drop me a line.  I know a guy who has a friend who kinda sorta has a reverse geocoder at his fingertips.

 

I like having the zips and then I broke up the sites by regions, so my sort method ends up being by Region, County(Parish in my case), ZIP, then Site ID.  Groups them together very nicely on the sheet.

 

We all have a reverse geocoder at our fingertips.... http://www.findlatitudeandlongitude.com/batch-reverse-geocode/#.Uhfc4X96b3s

[mikeosu]

Hey everyone!  I've enjoyed reading the ongoing conversations about Columbus LTE for a while now.  Figured I would pop in real fast...I have a WIMAX phone with a contract that came up back in July.  I would love a new GS4 but it is really frustrating that I would be downgrading to 3G.  (Story of all our lives right?   ) 

 

Anyway, the main thread about LTE rollout dates says Columbus will be July 2014??  Was that the original idea or do you guys really think we will have to wait that long?  Seems a bit ridiculous for how big of a market we have and since we are already getting LTE in some areas.  A sprint rep told me last spring to expect by December of this year.  Just thought I would see if you guys have any updated estimates since you're the experts tracking it!

[imex99]

Hey everyone! I've enjoyed reading the ongoing conversations about Columbus LTE for a while now. Figured I would pop in real fast...I have a WIMAX phone with a contract that came up back in July. I would love a new GS4 but it is really frustrating that I would be downgrading to 3G. (Story of all our lives right? )

 

Anyway, the main thread about LTE rollout dates says Columbus will be July 2014?? Was that the original idea or do you guys really think we will have to wait that long? Seems a bit ridiculous for how big of a market we have and since we are already getting LTE in some areas. A sprint rep told me last spring to expect by December of this year. Just thought I would see if you guys have any updated estimates since you're the experts tracking it!

I would keep ur WiMAX phone until u see lte is usable in columbus, not officially launched but use able and much better phones will be out soon.

 

I like my EVO lte but miss my EVO 3d and WiMAX speeds horribly bad...

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4

 

 

[mikeosu]

I would keep ur WiMAX phone until u see lte is usable in columbus, not officially launched but use able and much better phones will be out soon.

 

I like my EVO lte but miss my EVO 3d and WiMAX speeds horribly bad...

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4

 

Yeah, that is kind of what I'm thinking.  It's just that this EVO Shift has very low RAM and becomes un-usable after opening a few apps.  Quite annoying...But from what I am hearing, it may be worth the wait and not switching to another carrier?

[imex99]

Yeah, that is kind of what I'm thinking. It's just that this EVO Shift has very low RAM and becomes un-usable after opening a few apps. Quite annoying...But from what I am hearing, it may be worth the wait and not switching to another carrier?

Maybe you could buy a used WiMAX phone that's better than the shift to hold u over...

 

I'm at the point bc I only get to wet my appetite on the lte in columbus right now, wish I kept the evo 3d but I'll have lte n the Granville area before mid September if the forecast stands.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4

 

 

[mikeosu]

Maybe you could buy a used WiMAX phone that's better than the shift to hold u over...

 

I'm at the point bc I only get to wet my appetite on the lte in columbus right now, wish I kept the evo 3d but I'll have lte n the Granville area before mid September if the forecast stands.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4

 

Can I do that without a new 2yr contract for a reasonable price?  And how do you know about Granville? 

[imex99]

Can I do that without a new 2yr contract for a reasonable price? And how do you know about Granville?

Yes, go to eBay or Craigslist and find a used Sprint WiMAX phone and make sure it says clean isn, u just buy and activate it....

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4

 

 

[imex99]

Yes, go to eBay or Craigslist and find a used Sprint WiMAX phone and make sure it says clean isn, u just buy and activate it....

 

Our insiders from our forums has stated about Granville and my 3 southern towers and also a sprint rep I was on the phone withm

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4

 

 

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4