Everything 800mhz (1xA, LTE, coverage, timeline, etc)

[Fraydog]

It seems weird that they don't install the 800MHz RRUs in the IBEZ even though eventually 800 will be available in that area for Sprint to use. Seems like it's unnecessary extra work for the installer techs, no?

The problem with installing those RRU's now is that there's no solution to the IBEZ mess in sight. Sprint is better off saving up their money and waiting.

 

Sorry, I wish I could be the bearer of better news in that regard.

[tmiw]

The problem with installing those RRU's now is that there's no solution to the IBEZ mess in sight. Sprint is better off saving up their money and waiting.

 

Sorry, I wish I could be the bearer of better news in that regard.

 

Wait, I thought Mexico and the US came to an agreement. Wouldn't help with Canada but still.

[lilotimz]

It seems weird that they don't install the 800MHz RRUs in the IBEZ even though eventually 800 will be available in that area for Sprint to use. Seems like it's unnecessary extra work for the installer techs, no?

 

To let everyone know that they have the capability to deploy 800 mhz when it's free to do so and they aren't broadcasting the signal and interfering with the license holders on both sides of the border. 

[RCM]

I new to this thread. I have a question about 800MHz LTE and Sprints 2.5GHz band 41. I live in Southern Michigan and about a week ago I talked to some Sprint tower climbers that were installing 2.5 equipment on a water tower in my rural area. The first thing I was wondering is why they would be installing 2.5GHz equipment before 800MHz LTE antennas? Seems like that would be installed in bigger cities this early in the upgrade proce

 

There is no "800MHz antenna" per se at least in our state. Samsung is installing one antenna per sector (sometimes two if it is a high-capacity site). However, depending where you are in Michigan, those antennas may have 1 or more RRUs attached to the backside of each single antenna. So my question to you is how many of these square-ish RRUs are on each antenna on the site you are referring to? If it's one then that site will not be getting 800MHz.

 

If there are two+ then you will be seeing 800MHz sometime in the near future if you haven't already.

[tyboxer12]

Full acceptance of all five 800/1900 Network Vision upgrades on a cell site is a prerequisite to Nokia's rollout of 8T8R band 41 upgrades on the same site. That doesn't mean that 800 LTE is indicative of a band 41 upgrade coming soon, just that it won't be possible otherwise.

800 LTE seems spotty, will it improve?

[JWMaloney]

800 LTE seems spotty, will it improve?

 

It can improve through optimization over time. I can't tell you for certain what will happen, but I can tell you anecdotally that in my area, 800 LTE performance was initially sub-par.

[Thomas L.]

It can improve through optimization over time. I can't tell you for certain what will happen, but I can tell you anecdotally that in my area, 800 LTE performance was initially sub-par.

But it got better? How much better?

 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

[JWMaloney]

But it got better? How much better?

 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

It reaches everywhere now

[WiWavelength]

But it got better? How much better?

It reaches everywhere now

 

Once optimized, band 26 LTE 800 slices, dices, juliennes, washes your car, and cures cancer.

 

AJ

[mikejeep]

But it got better? How much better?

 

To simplify it greatly.. when they first install the B26 equipment, picture the antennas pointed straight down. Limited range. Eventually, crews come around and point everything in the right direction. So B26 should not only cover the B25 footprint, but also expand beyond it. It's easy to tell if a site isn't optimized if you're not getting B26 beyond the B25 coverage area of a particular site.

 

-Mike

[Hatstrow]

There is no "800MHz antenna" per se at least in our state. Samsung is installing one antenna per sector (sometimes two if it is a high-capacity site). However, depending where you are in Michigan, those antennas may have 1 or more RRUs attached to the backside of each single antenna. So my question to you is how many of these square-ish RRUs are on each antenna on the site you are referring to? If it's one then that site will not be getting 800MHz.

 

If there are two+ then you will be seeing 800MHz sometime in the near future if you haven't already.

Thanks for the replies! I wasn't aware that there isn't a separate antenna for 800MHz. Thanks for clarifying. I live west of I-69 in Union City, MI. The tower I am referring to is located in Athens, MI. When I was out there I didn't look that closely at the antennas so I couldn't tell you, but I'll have to make a point and look now. 

 

So if it has one, the site won't be getting 800MHz at all or just not anytime soon? I haven't picked up any 1x800 or 800 LTE around my area. 

[WiWavelength]

To simplify it greatly.. when they first install the B26 equipment, picture the antennas pointed straight down. Limited range. Eventually, crews come around and point everything in the right direction.

 

I think I can put Mike's description in words that all you ladies can better understand.  Initially, the band 26 antennas are pointed straight down, limp.  But after a few weeks, if the band 26 antennas hear that you are interested in hooking up with them, they become more erect, pointed in the right direction.

 

Make sense?

 

 

AJ

[burnout8488]

Can someone analyze my market's scenario?

 

1x800 worked for 2 weeks in my market, everywhere. As of a few days ago, it's totally turned off, everywhere. Were those first few weeks testing, and everything should light up and go "accepted" soon?

 

Just hoping this activity is following a trend that has been present in other markets. I was under the impression that 1x800 was blocked during testing, then released once it was done, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. I was connecting to it everywhere, now, nothing.

 

This was from February I believe:

 

Forecasted (Q3 schedule) BC10 Sites On-air

Current on-air - 10[+]%

End of 2013 - 43%

Mid 2014 - 100%

 

 

Guess we're almost done!

[RCM]

Thanks for the replies! I wasn't aware that there isn't a separate antenna for 800MHz. Thanks for clarifying. I live west of I-69 in Union City, MI. The tower I am referring to is located in Athens, MI. When I was out there I didn't look that closely at the antennas so I couldn't tell you, but I'll have to make a point and look now. 

 

So if it has one, the site won't be getting 800MHz at all or just not anytime soon? I haven't picked up any 1x800 or 800 LTE around my area. 

 

Check out the pics I took for these posts:

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/3369-report-in-progress-sites-here/page-67&do=findComment&comment=185326

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/3369-report-in-progress-sites-here/page-68&do=findComment&comment=185327

 

Some members have far better equipment than I and can get closer shots but you should be able to get the idea. You should see a box (RRU) near the top and bottom on the backside of the wider antenna. That is what you are looking for when you're out spotting. Note: these photos were taken some time ago and the legacy equipment (the narrower antennas on both sides of the wider antenna) has been deactivated and most likely removed since leaving only one antenna (and accompanying RRUS) per sector.

 

I couldn't say as for when the Athens site might see 800LTE since that falls under Premier Sponsor status and I couldn't divulge that. However, my speculation is that if Sprint is putting up Band 41 (2500 MHz) then 800MHz couldn't be too far behind if it already hasn't went live.

[tyboxer12]

It can improve through optimization over time. I can't tell you for certain what will happen, but I can tell you anecdotally that in my area, 800 LTE performance was initially sub-par.

Okay, thanks!

[Hatstrow]

Check out the pics I took for these posts:

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/3369-report-in-progress-sites-here/page-67&do=findComment&comment=185326

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/3369-report-in-progress-sites-here/page-68&do=findComment&comment=185327

 

Some members have far better equipment than I and can get closer shots but you should be able to get the idea. You should see a box (RRU) near the top and bottom on the backside of the wider antenna. That is what you are looking for when you're out spotting. Note: these photos were taken some time ago and the legacy equipment (the narrower antennas on both sides of the wider antenna) has been deactivated and most likely removed since leaving only one antenna (and accompanying RRUS) per sector.

 

I couldn't say as for when the Athens site might see 800LTE since that falls under Premier Sponsor status and I couldn't divulge that. However, my speculation is that if Sprint is putting up Band 41 (2500 MHz) then 800MHz couldn't be too far behind if it already hasn't went live.

Thanks for your help. I'll keep this in mind when I'm out spotting. 

[ghostkilla1388]

Once optimized, band 26 LTE 800 slices, dices, juliennes, washes your car, and cures cancer.

 

AJ

I'd love it if it would wash my car haha. I've been getting more B26 and love it. I work In a metal building(auto parts store) and have 1 bar of B26 yet still is pretty quick. Now only to see what happens when it's fully optimized.

 

Sent from my Galaxy S5

[Pedro1278]

1xA 800 makes a huge difference! In this room I usually have around -100 and it usually is very hard to place a call on 1xA 1900 as it takes a while for the call to connect or sometimes it doesnt connect at all and I get an error saying "out of the coverage area"

 

My friends have to use my phone sometimes to make a call here becuase tmobile has 0 service in here... they could use wifi calling here but they dont.. i dont know why

[rage_kage]

Thanks for the replies! I wasn't aware that there isn't a separate antenna for 800MHz. Thanks for clarifying. I live west of I-69 in Union City, MI. The tower I am referring to is located in Athens, MI. When I was out there I didn't look that closely at the antennas so I couldn't tell you, but I'll have to make a point and look now. 

 

So if it has one, the site won't be getting 800MHz at all or just not anytime soon? I haven't picked up any 1x800 or 800 LTE around my area. 

Same thing is happening to the tower by Exit 3 (Copeland Rd/Kinderhook) off of I-69 south of Coldwater.

 

No 800 1x or LTE yet, but Band 41 equipment is installed. Low population density area, other than providing signal to the freeway.  Nothing has been switched on yet though.

[SpenceSouth]

Have a direct comparison for in building coverage after the site about 1.5 miles away from me got a 1x800 upgrade.

 

On 1x1900: -85dBm indoors

On 1x800:   -69dBm indoors

 

Now that is a huge difference.

[chamb]

Have a direct comparison for in building coverage after the site about 1.5 miles away from me got a 1x800 upgrade.

 

On 1x1900: -85dBm indoors

On 1x800:   -69dBm indoors

 

Now that is a huge difference.

Yes, this is fairly typical.  I have had the NV upgrades in service here for over a year.  I normally see anywhere from a 10 to 15 DB

better signal on 800 over the 1900.   Some buildings are very friendly to 800 and others are not.  Depends on the construction of the building. I do not think I ever seen anything worse than a 10 db improvement.  

When you see reports of 800 not penetrating real well right now, I would suspect that the 800 signal is not coming from the same site as the 1900 OR the 800 antennas are still not optimized for best coverage.  It can take some time(several months) until they get the antennas set up just exactly correct.  The crews that hang the antennas on the towers or other structures are not the people that finally tweak them and make it all work correctly.

 

At my home, I initially had garbled voice service on CDMA 1X-800 for a few months until they hit my area and properly aimed the 800 antennas.  It acted to me like I had about 4 800 signals hitting my home all at about a -85 level.  Using signal check Pro, I could see I had one site that was primary, but it was moving around to 3 other sites quite often.   Then I actually caught the optimizing guys in town doing the adjusting.   My 800 voice is no longer garbled and works perfect.  My main site did crash one day and the other sites were there to pick up the traffic but they were no longer causing distortion to each other.

[greenvillesc]

Yes, this is fairly typical.  I have had the NV upgrades in service here for over a year.  I normally see anywhere from a 10 to 15 DB

better signal on 800 over the 1900.   Some buildings are very friendly to 800 and others are not.  Depends on the construction of the building. I do not thinwk I ever seen anything worse than a 10 db improvement.  

When you see reports of 800 not penetrating real well right now, I would suspect that the 800 signal is not coming from the same site as the 1900 OR the 800 antennas are still not optimized for best coverage.  It can take some time(several months) until they get the antennas set up just exactly correct.  The crews that hang the antennas on the towers or other structures are not the people that finally tweak them and make it all work correctly.

 

At my home, I initially had garbled voice service on CDMA 1X-800 for a few months until they hit my area and properly aimed the 800 antennas.  It acted to me like I had about 4 800 signals hitting my home all at about a -85 level.  Using signal check Pro, I could see I had one site that was primary, but it was moving around to 3 other sites quite often.   Then I actually caught the optimizing guys in town doing the adjusting.   My 800 voice is no longer garbled and works perfect.  My main site did crash one day and the other sites were there to pick up the traffic but they were no longer causing distortion to each other.

do they topically not adjust 800mh antennas until other neighboring sites have 800mhz installed?

[chamb]

do they topically not adjust 800mh antennas until other neighboring sites have 800mhz installed?

I am not positive, but that is the way I would do it.  All the sites were 800 active here when they optimized it.  Too much running to visit a neighborhood and only do one at a time. Plus they have a limited amount of people that are qualified and skilled enough to do it. Hanging an antenna on a tower is one thing.  Getting it working properly is a completely different animal.

 

I have about 4 different 800 equipped sites in my local area.  I see all of them serve me depending on just what valley I am in or what hill/building I am behind.  When they get it done correctly, it is a beautiful thing.   I am lucky, my area was done first and there has been enough time to tweak it and make it work properly.  No band 41 yet as this is a low population area and it really is not needed quickly for capacity.

[Hatstrow]

Same thing is happening to the tower by Exit 3 (Copeland Rd/Kinderhook) off of I-69 south of Coldwater.

 

No 800 1x or LTE yet, but Band 41 equipment is installed. Low population density area, other than providing signal to the freeway.  Nothing has been switched on yet though.

Hopefully that is a sign that 1x 800 and 800 LTE will be turned on soon if they are for some reason installing band 41 equipment. 

[greenvillesc]

Since the 800mhz antenna are housed with the 1900mhz how are they adjusted? Can this be done without climbing the tower (remotely) from the site or in a office somewhere?