Network Vision/LTE - SF Bay Market

[thatrandomguy]

Also to add onto my earlier post, I just randomly remembered that I've connected to B41 in Alameda just in a few places, Nob Hill near the Fruitvale Bridge and The Beanery in Alameda Marketplace on Park St (it's a cafe in a building with a bunch of other small business & a health food store)

 

I'm just guessing from experience but I don't believe there are if many B41 sites in Alameda mostly because B25/26 do such a great job because most people here seem to have every carrier but Sprint.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 using Crapatalk

[ingenium]

Also to add onto my earlier post, I just randomly remembered that I've connected to B41 in Alameda just in a few places, Nob Hill near the Fruitvale Bridge and The Beanery in Alameda Marketplace on Park St (it's a cafe in a building with a bunch of other small business & a health food store)

 

I'm just guessing from experience but I don't believe there are if many B41 sites in Alameda mostly because B25/26 do such a great job because most people here seem to have every carrier but Sprint.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 using Crapatalk

B41 is actually currently on at least 28% of Sprint sites in the SF Market. If you're looking at just SF and the East Bay it's much higher, I would say 50-65%. About 10% have a second B41 carrier. Plus all the Clear sites (~300 total), which Oakland has a lot of and SF to some extent. Clear really fills out Oakland so that B41 is pretty prevalent, but they never expanded north into Berkeley.

 

If you want details on exactly which sites have B41 and where the Clear sites are, you can check the Premier thread in my signature.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6

[MtnSierraSprint]

Clear really fills out Oakland so that B41 is pretty prevalent, but they never expanded north into Berkeley.

 

If you want details on exactly which sites have B41 and where the Clear sites are, you can check the Premier thread in my signature.

 

 

 

No  Clearwire sites in the "flats" ?

 

I would imagine there are some out in Contra Costa. I noticed a (3G/800/4G) tower out by Briones Reservoir on Happy Valley. That is  one of my favorite places to run and hike.

 

 

I am not a Premier member just yet, but I always appreciate someone recomending me for a promotion to a senior position. My intention is to test Sprint myself in the next month or two when I upgrade my phone to a cross carrier model that is fully compatible with Sprint and Verizon. When I become a Sprint customer I will think about upgrading my membership then.

[MtnSierraSprint]

Well based on the coverage maps from CLEAR that lilotimz pointed me to, it looks like there are not any (Clearwire) sites in the flats north of Powel St. (Emeryville) and 24 in Berkelely/Oakland. Here is the link for those who are interested. Note zooming in displays tower locations:

 

http://www.clear.com/coverage

 

Contra Costa County looks like it will/has benefitted quite a bit, as well as Oakland as you pointed out. The (3G/800/4G) tower out by Briones Reservoir is a Sprint tower, and it looks like Sprint has that area along Bear Creek and Alhambra Valley Rd. out to Pinole nicely covered in a rural suburban area. Look forward to testing it.

[bbspot]

anybody else have problems sending texts?  My internet works fine, but I cannot PRL/FIRMWARE/PROFILE update.  It responds with a Network Error, please try again later

[crazy_vag]

I've seen lots of delays sending and receiving texts over the last few days.  Things seem to have come back to normal now.

[MtnSierraSprint]

I have been checking out towers/antennas along the Route 24/13 interchange from the Caldacot Tunnel down to the Rockridge BART station and between the Claremont Hotel and Lake Temescal. I have some photos of several of them. Two I think are likely Sprint. The newest tower over by Lake Temescal and the PG&E substation is probably Verizon because my signal strength seemed to increase as I got closer, although I forgot to check when I was closest to it, since I was there to take a picture of it . The other set of antennas in that spot are marked as being ATT. Anyway I did not want to post images of antenna sites if they are not Sprint. I have looked at the "How To Spot" Sprint towers section and if anything none of the antennas look exactly like the ones in the examples. Definately some that look like Samsung but they have 4 cables instead of six to my untrained eye. I can post a couple of  them or maybe have one of you check via Personal Messenger first if it is possible to send jpegs that way.

[MtnSierraSprint]

I was looking at some images posted by dbsynergy of Sprint sites in SF and I think these two may be Sprint. They are both positioned low and in areas where they would seem to have limited coverage. However they are ideally placed for traffic by the Caldecot Tunnel (Green Painted ones) and right next to the BART Tunnel (Orinda/Contra Costa Tunnel) and Chabot Canyon area.

 

 

 

 

 

There is another pair facing 90 degrees to the right mounted on the side of this building.

[MtnSierraSprint]

Well that went well. I was hoping you could paste .PNG image files directly into a post.  I saw an S4GRU "How To" on posting images using Imgur.com, but as of now Imgur.com is over run with Google and Social Networking tracking scripts, which seem to be required to register. As you may have guessed I am a firm proponent of online privacy policies that actually meet the definition of privacy. Imgur.com's privacy policies do not in my view. I am glad that S4GRU in so far as it uses Google Analytics, Facebook Conect and a few others, allows you to block them and still have a fully functional web site.

 

Back to posting images. Any tips on how to do that without using Imgur. I tried posting jpegs (341K and 237K respectively) and that did not work either. Actually the png's were twice as big.

[lilotimz]

Well that went well. I was hoping you could paste .PNG image files directly into a post.  I saw an S4GRU "How To" on posting images using Imgur.com, but as of now Imgur.com is over run with Google and Social Networking tracking scripts, which seem to be required to register. As you may have guessed I am a firm proponent of online privacy policies that actually meet the definition of privacy. Imgur.com's privacy policies do not in my view. I am glad that S4GRU in so far as it uses Google Analytics, Facebook Conect and a few others, allows you to block them and still have a fully functional web site.

 

Back to posting images. Any tips on how to do that without using Imgur. I tried posting jpegs (341K and 237K respectively) and that did not work either. Actually the png's were twice as big.

 

Drop and jump images into www.imgur.com home page and it automatically uploads. One does not need an account to host images on imgur (though you need one if you wish to upload private pictures / albums or non public ones). Once files are uploaded just copy and paste the link and use forum image embed option in the post. . 

[MtnSierraSprint]

I was checking Permit Applications for Berkeley, CA at the following link for those who are interested:

 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Division/Current_Zoning_Applications_Log.aspx

 

The Regent St. location is very well situated on the Ashby/College Av. corridor. The application is dated 3/30/15:

 

"Sprint is upgrading its wireless network to LTE service throughout the City of Berkeley.  The new antenna and equipment configuration will provide improved phone and data service for existing Sprint customers.  Currently Sprint is the only carrier on the rooftop.
1.   Statements Related to Needs Sprint is upgrading its wireless network to LTE service throughout the City of Berkeley.  Currently,
there is no 2500MHz LTE service in this area of Berkeley.  The proposed antenna and equipment modification will provide new 2500MHz LTE service to the area of Berkeley surrounding 2999 Regent
Street. The service coverage area is approximately a 0.3 mile radius extending north to Stuart Street, south to Alcatraz Avenue, west to Telegraph Avenue, and east to College Avenue. "

 

This is good news, but the .3 mile radius highlights the level of densification needed to achieve continuous consistent coverage. Anyone know if this site is activated yet?

[MtnSierraSprint]

http://imgur.com/5yLycrQ,fsnykB1

 

They are both positioned low and in areas where they would seem to have limited coverage. However they are ideally placed for traffic by the Caldecot Tunnel (Green Painted ones, "First Image") and the "Second Image" is right next to the BART Tunnel (Orinda/Contra Costa Tunnel) and Chabot Canyon area.

[lilotimz]

http://imgur.com/5yLycrQ,fsnykB1

 

They are both positioned low and in areas where they would seem to have limited coverage. However they are ideally placed for traffic by the Caldecot Tunnel (Green Painted ones, "First Image") and the "Second Image" is right next to the BART Tunnel (Orinda/Contra Costa Tunnel) and Chabot Canyon area.

 

First one is Sprint and second is ATT. 

[MtnSierraSprint]

Thanks lilotimz. I was not sure what you meant by "Drop and jump images" but I got it figured out. Also now that I have looked at it more closely will post the links  to each image next time rather than the way I ended up doing it.

[MtnSierraSprint]

Here is one more. It looks a little like some Sprint photos I have seen, but my guess is it is Verizon, becuase my signal strength was increasing as I approached it. It is perfectly located in a high traffic area. The other antennas mounted on an adjacent structure have ATT signs posted on the fence. I would think all 4 carriers must have sites around here, so I am continuing to look.

 

 

[ingenium]

I was checking Permit Applications for Berkeley, CA at the following link for those who are interested:

 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Division/Current_Zoning_Applications_Log.aspx

 

The Regent St. location is very well situated on the Ashby/College Av. corridor. The application is dated 3/30/15:

 

"Sprint is upgrading its wireless network to LTE service throughout the City of Berkeley.  The new antenna and equipment configuration will provide improved phone and data service for existing Sprint customers.  Currently Sprint is the only carrier on the rooftop.

1.   Statements Related to Needs Sprint is upgrading its wireless network to LTE service throughout the City of Berkeley.  Currently,

there is no 2500MHz LTE service in this area of Berkeley.  The proposed antenna and equipment modification will provide new 2500MHz LTE service to the area of Berkeley surrounding 2999 Regent

Street. The service coverage area is approximately a 0.3 mile radius extending north to Stuart Street, south to Alcatraz Avenue, west to Telegraph Avenue, and east to College Avenue. "

 

This is good news, but the .3 mile radius highlights the level of densification needed to achieve continuous consistent coverage. Anyone know if this site is activated yet?

 

That site is still B25/B26 last I checked (about a month ago). There are a few B41 sites in Berkeley, but most have limited range. For example, the one near Berkeley Bowl East doesn't even reach past the intersection of Ashby and Adeline (ie, 5 blocks). And it's mounted pretty high up, above the surrounding structures. So 0.3 miles sounds about right.

[MtnSierraSprint]

That site is still B25/B26 last I checked (about a month ago). There are a few B41 sites in Berkeley, but most have limited range. For example, the one near Berkeley Bowl East doesn't even reach past the intersection of Ashby and Adeline (ie, 5 blocks). And it's mounted pretty high up, above the surrounding structures. So 0.3 miles sounds about right.

 

Thanks.  Like I said it is nice to see them adding it in areas where it does not exist yet, but I would think the Berkeley Permit and Zoning Application site would have a lot more applications in the pipeline if the necessary buildout were taking place. I know Berkeley is about as difficult as it gets when it comes to getting approveal for antennas. Maybe Sprint is waiting for Verizon to hammer the Berkeley City Council into submission with their current law suit, which the City of Berkeley is expected to lose at a cost of $1 million dollars.

[MtnSierraSprint]

First one is Sprint and second is ATT. 

 

Can you tell which bands the site with the green antennas/pannels is capable of? I am getting the feeling the panels used by the different carriers look the same but that the "boxes"/RRH are what are more unique. In the photo of the green Sprint site I posted above, that lilotimz identified, the RRH unit looks to me to be like the ones in the "How to Spot Sprint 8T8RTDD-RRHs".

 

Another thing I thought I would mention is that TMobile just upgraded the RRHs on their telphone pole top site on Tunnel Rd yesterday. I just happened to be walking by and asked one of the guys whether it was 700MHZ Band 12 (I am not even sure if Band 12 is allowed yet in the Bay Area), and he rattled off a number that I did not recognize that I assume was the model number for the new RRHs they were putting in. They were in the middle of raising and attaching things, so it was not possible to ask a bunch of questions. I thought he did say they were putting in another band. The reason I mention it is because this is an example of a carrier upgrading a site, and I do not see any application for a permit on the city site. So maybe modifications that do not change the physical appearance significantly are allowed, or have a quicker and easier path towards approveal.

 

Finally regarding the Sprint Regent St. upgrade at the site noted above the following additional information is included in the application.

 

"Sprint

Site

Number:

FN03XC065

2.5

 

 

Sprint proposes to modify the existing wireless facility (3 ‐ sector rooftop design with 3 existing panel antenna, one GPS antenna, and 2 equipment cabinets) as follows:

 

Install three (3) new 72in H x 12in W x 6in D panel antennas.

 

Install six (6) remote radio units (RRUs).

TOTAL OF SIX PANEL ANTENNAS, 1 GPS ANTENNA, 2 EQUPMENT CABINETS,

AND NINE RRUs WILL BE ON THE ROOF.

 

Sprint’s sites are very low maintenance.

They are only serviced if there is a technical problem with the

site, which rarely occurs. "

 

Based on that information can you tell what we can expect from this site when they finish, what it will be exactly?

 

Also I wanted to note this serves a high traffic area in particular Ashby Av./Rt. 13, Alta Bates Hospital, Whole Foods Market, and the Elmwood District of shops and restaurants along College Av, in addition to the lucky area residents who are Sprint customers who should be about to experience significant improvement in their quality of service. The B41should be able to handle peak traffic when it occurs (traffic on Ashby and College as well as people at all the restaurants and shops) and relieve B25 and B26 in the surrounding areas even if they are too far away to use B41. That is my theory anyway, and why that location is a perfect place to be getting an upgrade like this.

[lilotimz]

Can you tell which bands the site with the green antennas/pannels is capable of? I am getting the feeling the panels used by the different carriers look the same but that the "boxes"/RRH are what are more unique. In the photo of the green Sprint site I posted above, that lilotimz identified, the RRH unit looks to me to be like the ones in the "How to Spot Sprint 8T8RTDD-RRHs".

 

 

 

1) http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/3906-how-to-spot-sprint-antennas-and-rrus-samsung/

 

2) http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1704-frequently-asked-questions/

 

CDMA 1x1900, CDMA 1x800, EVDO CDMA BC1 PCS-AF, LTE B25 PCS G, LTE B26 eSMR

 

3) http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/6888-how-to-identify-t-mobile-network-equipment-ericsson/

[MtnSierraSprint]

Thanks I have been back and forth between the "How To Spot FAQ's" and the many other articles/examples that exist. I am getting there, but this is an "in my spare time pursuit". I did find the Sprint facility nestled in amongst the ATT, Verizon - Yes/No ?, and possibly TMobile panels (thanks for that link) at this location that serves the 24/13 interchange. It is about a half mile west down canyon along Rt. 24 from the green panels I posted above. The two panels in the image below are pointing west straight down 24 towards the bay. There may be  more panels on the other side of the building but there is no public access as it is fenced off past this point.

 

So I think this is an 8T8R in the shot below (right side of image), which is not present in the green panels up the canyon by the tunnel (so I guessed incorrectly with the green panels). I am not seeing the RRHs labeled in the example/FAQ photos that identify them specifically by model or function. Where there are two units/RRH what is the purpose of each one? Excuse me if I am misunderstanding how they work, but I assumed since there were two units there was one for each LTE band B25 & B26. Then there are CDMA Bands1 & 10. Maybe one RRH is for LTE and the other for CDMA. So I am still trying to figure out how to identify those differences, if you can tell the difference by the equipment that is visible. If they use a specific unit/RRH for LTE/CDMA or each band B25, B26, and B41 plus the CDMA bands that would be a useful set of photos. The setup below matches the FAQ/example of NV 1 + 2.5. 

 

 

 

Thanks for pointing me to AJ's tutorial "What's the Frequency...  Pt 1 - 3" . I have been trying to find the equivalent of MAN pages for iOS's Field Test but all the articles on it do not go into any depth regarding the full extent of the information that is presented. I still have not decided yet whether I will stay with Android or switch. I am leaning towards supporting the platform that offers and promotes greater privacy.

[lilotimz]

 

So I think this is an 8T8R in the shot below (right side of image), which is not present in the green panels up the canyon by the tunnel (so I guessed incorrectly with the green panels). I am not seeing the RRHs labeled in the example/FAQ photos that identify them specifically by model or function. Where there are two units/RRH what is the purpose of each one? Excuse me if I am misunderstanding how they work, but I assumed since there were two units there was one for each LTE band B25 & B26. Then there are CDMA Bands1 & 10. Maybe one RRH is for LTE and the other for CDMA. So I am still trying to figure out how to identify those differences, if you can tell the difference by the equipment that is visible. If they use a specific unit/RRH for LTE/CDMA or each band B25, B26, and B41 plus the CDMA bands that would be a useful set of photos. The setup below matches the FAQ/example of NV 1 + 2.5. 

 

 

Thanks for pointing me to AJ's tutorial "What's the Frequency...  Pt 1 - 3" . I have been trying to find the equivalent of MAN pages for iOS's Field Test but all the articles on it do not go into any depth regarding the full extent of the information that is presented. I still have not decided yet whether I will stay with Android or switch. I am leaning towards supporting the platform that offers and promotes greater privacy.

 

You are indeed correct! The smaller antenna and RRH is indeed the 2.5 setup. The left is the NV 1.9+800. 

 

For Sprint they run their RRUs in dual mode operation so LTE and CDMA at the same time. For Samsung the square shaped one is the 1900 MHz RRU while the one with a rectangular brace is and angled fins is the 800 MHz RRU. An easy way to know one or the other if you have not recognized them is look at the wires (jumpers). PCS has 4 wires and SMR has 2. 

 

Also thanks for reminding me I need to "modernize" my spotting threads. 

[MtnSierraSprint]

Progress! Thanks again for your help, and for "teaching by doing". This is interesting technology and you guys have created a wonderful community in which to learn about it.

[ingenium]

I was checking Permit Applications for Berkeley, CA at the following link for those who are interested:

 

https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Division/Current_Zoning_Applications_Log.aspx

 

The Regent St. location is very well situated on the Ashby/College Av. corridor. The application is dated 3/30/15:

 

"Sprint is upgrading its wireless network to LTE service throughout the City of Berkeley.  The new antenna and equipment configuration will provide improved phone and data service for existing Sprint customers.  Currently Sprint is the only carrier on the rooftop.

1.   Statements Related to Needs Sprint is upgrading its wireless network to LTE service throughout the City of Berkeley.  Currently,

there is no 2500MHz LTE service in this area of Berkeley.  The proposed antenna and equipment modification will provide new 2500MHz LTE service to the area of Berkeley surrounding 2999 Regent

Street. The service coverage area is approximately a 0.3 mile radius extending north to Stuart Street, south to Alcatraz Avenue, west to Telegraph Avenue, and east to College Avenue. "

 

This is good news, but the .3 mile radius highlights the level of densification needed to achieve continuous consistent coverage. Anyone know if this site is activated yet?

 

Just drove past that site the other day and there aren't B41 antennas yet. 

 

I also figured I'd share some things from the Premier thread which I believe are OK to post here (mods please let me know otherwise):

 

The first is that there appears to be a new site in Noe Valley, but we haven't been able to narrow down the location of site yet. The strongest signals from it are labeled "B" on this map of signals that don't match up to known sites. My guess is it's somewhere near Douglass Playground. If anyone is in that area and wants to try to track it down, I would happily accept Signal Check Pro logs and add them to the map. Or even better if you can find the site and get pictures.

 

The second is that mc_gusto found that SF publishes a map of all wireless sites within the city. https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?docid=1jgD0NwaO_dLNhIkjaANj_2fzV9WFwLDGgb8uM57x#map:id=3 It hasn't been updated since April, so it doesn't help yet to identify the site mentioned above. But it's still a very useful resource and can be used to compare Sprint site locations with other carriers, amongst other things.

[orangeblue]

I took BART from Oakland to SF via Trans-Bay tunnel and I noticed a very strong 3G signal but no LTE love from Sprint. T-Mobile was all the way LTE, although their speeds were not great at times.

[ingenium]

I took BART from Oakland to SF via Trans-Bay tunnel and I noticed a very strong 3G signal but no LTE love from Sprint. T-Mobile was all the way LTE, although their speeds were not great at times.

That part of the BART DAS hasn't been upgraded yet unfortunately. The part south of the Glen Park station has been upgraded for a while though (B25 only). I'm not sure what the hold up is.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6