Network Vision/LTE - Albuquerque market (including El Paso, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Roswell)

[khammondnm]

 

You are right. I can't believe I did that. I am Captain Geography! Man, oh man, that really hurts!!! I'm facing South now. Maybe that's why I screwed it up? That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

 

Robert

have they come back to work on your tower again today?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[S4GRU]

have they come back to work on your tower again today?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

Yes. I need to drive by and check things out. I'm currently at the office.

 

Robert

[khammondnm]

 

Yes. I need to drive by and check things out. I'm currently at the office.

 

Robert

Do you think you will have a chance to look at the white rock tower? You said probably no 800 there either? That would be a bummer, signal penetration at my aunt and uncles house there is horrible.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[S4GRU]

Do you think you will have a chance to look at the white rock tower? You said probably no 800 there either? That would be a bummer, signal penetration at my aunt and uncles house there is horrible.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

I will be at the White Rock site at 4:30PM. White Rock gets very good coverage over about 3/4 of the area, except the back of Rover Blvd. and the back of Pajarito Acres near the canyon edge. But the main parts of White Rock and over near Overlook Park are good. But where it is bad, it is very bad.

 

Robert

[Strife]

I would also like to know what will happen to the Nextel towers that are not on the list i.e government only use. It sucks to know that there are a ton of nextel(sprint) towers where i work, but my phone has no access to them.

[S4GRU]

I would also like to know what will happen to the Nextel towers that are not on the list i.e government only use. It sucks to know that there are a ton of nextel(sprint) towers where i work, but my phone has no access to them.

 

Sprint has planned to only keep approximately 100 of the iDEN only sites out there. However, I hope with SoftBank investment, Sprint will rethink this strategy. I've estimated in an take off I did over a year ago, Sprint would need to keep less than 1,000 iDEN only sites in non CDMA coverage areas. 1,000 seems like a manageable number to keep and add to the the network and keep the coverage relatively unchanged for iDEN users commuting to Sprint CDMA/LTE.

 

Robert

[jroepcke51]

So I have been at Disneyland for Christmas and didn't have time to get on and read the forum. I just pooped my pants reading this. Guess I will head home to LA and drive around town and look at towers. I am so pumped for u Robert. Finally I can see the light. Holy hot tamales! This is awesome.

[S4GRU]

Do you think you will have a chance to look at the white rock tower? You said probably no 800 there either? That would be a bummer, signal penetration at my aunt and uncles house there is horrible.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

I have posted pics and info about my visit to the White Rock site yesterday afternoon here in the Sponsor section:

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/590-network-vision-site-map-phoenix-albuquerque-and-tucsonyuma-markets/page__view__findpost__p__85214

 

Robert

[S4GRU]

have they come back to work on your tower again today?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

I was able to get back to my site yesterday before the electricians left. They were much less nice the second day. They told me I could not come inside the gate and refused to talk with me. He said he didn't want to get in any trouble. I was disappointed. It's the first time in a long time I had someone at a site be less than friendly with me.

 

So I stood outside the fence and took pictures. They installed the Ground Mount RRU's and base station cabinets. See photos below.

 

In this photo, you can see the RRU's (2, one for each of the two sectors at this site) mounted to the legs of the cable tray that runs from the legacy base cabinets to the tower. There is also a junction box installed on the right side with a new conduit sweep to the new NV base cabinets. No wiring or power connected to the RRU's yet.

 

 

Here is a zoom in on the RRU's installed yesterday.

 

 

Here are the cabinets for the NV equipment. Compared to the day before, you can see they are now secured to the platform. There are now conduit sweeps in place and so are panels enclosing the base of the right cabinet.

[irev210]

I was able to get back to my site yesterday before the electricians left. They were much less nice the second day. They told me I could not come inside the gate and refused to talk with me. He said he didn't want to get in any trouble. I was disappointed. It's the first time in a long time I had someone at a site be less than friendly with me.

 

So I stood outside the fence and took pictures. They installed the Ground Mount RRU's and base station cabinets. See photos below.

 

Probably went back to the office, told someone and got yelled at, then given an example of how if something fell on you and you got injured how they would be liable.

[ericdabbs]

I was able to get back to my site yesterday before the electricians left. They were much less nice the second day. They told me I could not come inside the gate and refused to talk with me. He said he didn't want to get in any trouble. I was disappointed. It's the first time in a long time I had someone at a site be less than friendly with me.

 

So I stood outside the fence and took pictures. They installed the Ground Mount RRU's and base station cabinets. See photos below.

 

In this photo, you can see the RRU's (2, one for each of the two sectors at this site) mounted to the legs of the cable tray that runs from the legacy base cabinets to the tower. There is also a junction box installed on the right side with a new conduit sweep to the new NV base cabinets. No wiring or power connected to the RRU's yet.

 

 

Here is a zoom in on the RRU's installed yesterday.

 

 

Here are the cabinets for the NV equipment. Compared to the day before, you can see they are now secured to the platform. There are now conduit sweeps in place and so are panels enclosing the base of the right cabinet.

 

Nice pictures of Ground mounted RRUs and NV cabinets of your nearest tower. I wonder what the power loss difference is between Ground mounted RRUs and RRUs mounted on top of towers next to the antennas? I am sure these ground mounted RRUs must still be an improvement on the legacy ground radios that there are currently.

[S4GRU]

 

Nice pictures of Ground mounted RRUs and NV cabinets of your nearest tower. I wonder what the power loss difference is between Ground mounted RRUs and RRUs mounted on top of towers next to the antennas? I am sure these ground mounted RRUs must still be an improvement on the legacy ground radios that there are currently.

 

Yeah, I'm not sure. I'll let you know if I notice anything.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

 

 

[digiblur]

We would have to know what kind of transmission line is used.

 

Another factor is they want to use RRUs at every site to have the same across every site no matter where they are mounted at.

 

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

 

 

[WiWavelength]

For those sites that will utilize ground mount RRUs, will they lack just LTE 800 or also CDMA1X 800? If they will lack both, one theory that came to me recently is that the coax infrastructure up the tower/structure may be ill suited to 800 MHz, such that Sprint would have to replace it or run a second set for 800 MHz.

 

Any credence to that?

 

AJ

[WiWavelength]

I am sure these ground mounted RRUs must still be an improvement on the legacy ground radios that there are currently.

 

That could be true, but I would not be so confident in that assertion. I think that you would need to define "improvement."

 

AJ

[S4GRU]

For those sites that will utilize ground mount RRUs, will they lack just LTE 800 or also CDMA1X 800? If they will lack both, one theory that came to me recently is that the coax infrastructure up the tower/structure may be ill suited to 800 MHz, such that Sprint would have to replace it or run a second set for 800 MHz.

 

Any credence to that?

 

AJ

 

This is possible. However, I'm thinking that most ground mounted RRU sites aren't going to get new panels. And if they utilize existing panels, no 800. And maybe even no LTE in some cases. Shentel does have a ground mounted RRU site with reused panels that has LTE 1900 coming from it. So I'm holding out hope.

 

3 of the 4 Los Alamos sites have ground mount RRU's. As well as most in the valley. It seems like the engineer who determined where ground mounts go here in our area was ultra conservative. Ground mounts are not necessary at 3/4 of these sites I've visited. Especially Los Alamos Medical Center rooftop. They could mount right to the parapet wall, like almost every other rooftop site in the country.

 

And ground mounts aren't necessary at my site for sure. But in all the ground mount locations I've visited locally they only have one RRU per sector. And to me, that means just CDMA 1900. Unless they can run LTE from the same RRU. But if memory serves, I think I remember someone once saying that only Samsung can do that with their RRU's. They can run any technology from the same band off one RRU. Other bands require other RRU's. But I believe Ericsson and AlcaLu need a separate RRU for each band and each technology.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

[khammondnm]

 

This is possible. However, I'm thinking that most ground mounted RRU sites aren't going to get new panels. And if they utilize existing panels, no 800. And maybe even no LTE in some cases. Shentel does have a ground mounted RRU site with reused panels that has LTE 1900 coming from it. So I'm holding out hope.

 

3 of the 4 Los Alamos sites have ground mount RRU's. As well as most in the valley. It seems like the engineer who determined where ground mounts go here in our area was ultra conservative. Ground mounts are not necessary at 3/4 of these sites I've visited. Especially Los Alamos Medical Center rooftop. They could mount right to the parapet wall, like almost every other rooftop site in the country.

 

And ground mounts aren't necessary at my site for sure. But in all the ground mount locations I've visited locally they only have one RRU per sector. And to me, that means just CDMA 1900. Unless they can run LTE from the same RRU. But if memory serves, I think I remember someone once saying that only Samsung can do that with their RRU's. They can run any technology from the same band off one RRU. Other bands require other RRU's. But I believe Ericsson and AlcaLu need a separate RRU for each band and each technology.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

That really sucks. So now you think you probably won't be getting lte at your site?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[WiWavelength]

This is possible. However, I'm thinking that most ground mounted RRU sites aren't going to get new panels. And if they utilize existing panels, no 800. And maybe even no LTE in some cases.

 

Ah, yes, that makes sense. Legacy panels would be an even greater choke point than the coax runs.

 

AJ

[S4GRU]

That really sucks. So now you think you probably won't be getting lte at your site?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

I don't know. But I'm not willing to bank on it. There were a lot of early Ericsson deployments (like Kansas and Texas) with just one RRU per sector, and that one RRU was LTE only. And they kept CDMA on legacy. Then they added CDMA RRU's later. However, that hasn't been the case in recent Ericsson markets like in Florida, Tennessee or New Orleans. Even now new sites in Kansas and Texas have multiple RRU's.

 

With just one RRU per sector here at our ground mount sites, I'm quite concerned. If my site shows up on the NV Sites Complete list with no new panels, I will consider my site one of the No LTE sites.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

 

 

[khammondnm]

I don't know. But I'm not willing to bank on it. There were a lot of early Ericsson deployments (like Kansas and Texas) with just one RRU per sector, and that one RRU was LTE only. And they kept CDMA on legacy. Then they added CDMA RRU's later. However, that hasn't been the case in recent Ericsson markets like in Florida, Tennessee or New Orleans. Even now new sites in Kansas and Texas have multiple RRU's.

 

With just one RRU per sector here at our ground mount sites, I'm quite concerned. If my site shows up on the NV Sites Complete list with no new panels, I will consider my site one of the No LTE sites.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

 

Hmmm, it would interesting to challenge the engineer. I don't know how one could ever go about it, but it would seem to me that Sprint would not be taking a conservative approach and would want lte anywhere possible. I guess we will see what happens. Have you seen anything about backhaul updates at your site?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

[S4GRU]

 

Hmmm, it would interesting to challenge the engineer. I don't know how one could ever go about it, but it would seem to me that Sprint would not be taking a conservative approach and would want lte anywhere possible. I guess we will see what happens. Have you seen anything about backhaul updates at your site?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

There has been no work to extend new backhaul to my site. No new telco boxes. No evidence whatsoever.

 

Windstream has fiber running right beside this site. However, VZW is using MW backhaul and shooting it up to Los Alamos.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

 

 

[newboyx]

So is anyone else starting to think that Sprint is deliberately keeping LTE from Robert's site? With all of the excitement and speculation that Robert was being "hooked up" first it is starting to look like quite the opposite.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Rickie546]

So is anyone else starting to think that Sprint is deliberately keeping LTE from Robert's site? With all of the excitement and speculation that Robert was being "hooked up" first it is starting to look like quite the opposite.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

That's possible, but they are doing the same thing at other sites around him. Maybe Ericsson can run off one rru now, but 800 would benefit areas like that I would think

 

Sent from my EVO LTE using Forum Runner

[WiWavelength]

So is anyone else starting to think that Sprint is deliberately keeping LTE from Robert's site? With all of the excitement and speculation that Robert was being "hooked up" first it is starting to look like quite the opposite.

 

 

Daniel really is the LTE Nazi. We just had the wrong Daniel. Not Daniel Holt, Daniel Hesse.

 

 

AJ

[S4GRU]

So is anyone else starting to think that Sprint is deliberately keeping LTE from Robert's site? With all of the excitement and speculation that Robert was being "hooked up" first it is starting to look like quite the opposite.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

In the ABQ market playbook, it was always labeled "Ground Mount RRU, No 800" for my site, long before S4GRU was a going concern. So I'm chucking it all up to coincidence.

 

My site is pretty unimportant, all things considered. For me, it's just the convenience of LTE testing. It's not like I need LTE in my home. However, I am concerned about the significant amount of Ground Based RRU's in New Mexico. If all these sites do not get LTE, then that is problematic for Sprint. Especially since Verizon does have their LTE panels on all these sites where they are colocated. Including the one looming over my head.

 

Robert