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

[Dkoellerwx]

Sprint had MT-SMS (mobile terminated SMS) from roughly 1999 onward.  The service was great, not to mention, free and worked very well for notifications of new e-mail.  It was almost like "push" e-mail via BlackBerry, Microsoft ActiveSync, or Gmail, but long before any of you had a smartphone.

 

Sprint did not incorporate MO-SMS (mobile originated SMS) until circa 2004-2005.  In between, Sprint had PCS Short Mail, which was a Web based version of SMS.  You would receive messages via SMS; however, you had to go on the Web to originate messages.  Oddly enough, I recall Nextel had a similar service.

 

AJ

I don't remember any of that,

 

I never had a cell phone until 2008... a flip phone pay-as-you-go on T-Mobile.... it was terrible but I couldn't pay for my own, and that's all my parents would spring for. Got my own smartphone in 2010.

 

Anyway... 800... haha.

[digiblur]

Oh god, I thought I was in the NY Market thread for a second.

 

*shudder*

 

But on a serious note, with 800 1x going onair soon enough, will all of the devices get a forced PRL update? 

 

They was a recent round of PRLs with all but 4 800SMR SIDs in them. 

[Deval]

They was a recent round of PRLs with all but 4 800SMR SIDs in them. 

 

Yes, but did all the current devices automatically download the updates? 

 

Thought occurred to me, I have never seen a phone automatically download a PRL update. 

[nexgencpu]

They was a recent round of PRLs with all but 4 800SMR SIDs in them. 

I like your slang! they is dope! lol!

[Dkoellerwx]

Yes, but did all the current devices automatically download the updates? 

 

Thought occurred to me, I have never seen a phone automatically download a PRL update. 

 

I've seen it happen on mine. Was browsing something, don't remember what, all the sudden it ran a service update, and looked for a new PRL. Only took about 20 seconds, but I couldn't do anything while it was doing that. After that, the PRL was a new number. That was a couple weeks ago. 

[cletus]

Yes, but did all the current devices automatically download the updates? 

 

Thought occurred to me, I have never seen a phone automatically download a PRL update. 

Sprint devices do indeed automatically update PRLs. I have seen the message for it once on my evo3d.

[nexgencpu]

Just got a PRL update notification on my HTC ONE about 3hours ago!

[tommym65]

Here in Northwest Exurbia, I am surronded by 1x800 service. However, I have an Airave, plus my closest Sprint tower has only 1900 Mhz service, no 800 yet. Consequently, my GS3 (PRL 25015) locks on to 1900 voice when I am in my subterranean office near the Airave, and because the 1900 SID is at the same priority as the 800 SID, tends to stay locked on to 1900 as I then wander around Northwest Chicagoland.  This is somewhat annoying, as 800 Mhz voice offers better connectivity and call quality than 1900, now that a lot of Sprint sites here have it..

 

However, I think I have found a way to force the phone to 800: If I go to "settings" and try to force a PRL update, the phone says that it has updated the PRL (even though it hasn't really done so), then seems to reset the 1X connection and start at the top of the PRL list to find a carrier.  Since the 800 listing precedes the 1900 listing in PRL 25015, this seems to cause the phone to lock onto 1X800 and stay there, at least until I trudge back down to my basement office and the Airave takes over again.

 

My question [There's a question here? Really?]: Do the PRL/800 Mhz gurus think that "fake" updating the PRL could actually cause this behavior? Thanks for patiently listening.

[lynyrd65]

Here in Northwest Exurbia, I am surronded by 1x800 service. However, I have an Airave, plus my closest Sprint tower has only 1900 Mhz service, no 800 yet. Consequently, my GS3 (PRL 25015) locks on to 1900 voice when I am in my subterranean office near the Airave, and because the 1900 SID is at the same priority as the 800 SID, tends to stay locked on to 1900 as I then wander around Northwest Chicagoland. This is somewhat annoying, as 800 Mhz voice offers better connectivity and call quality than 1900, now that a lot of Sprint sites here have it..

 

However, I think I have found a way to force the phone to 800: If I go to "settings" and try to force a PRL update, the phone says that it has updated the PRL (even though it hasn't really done so), then seems to reset the 1X connection and start at the top of the PRL list to find a carrier. Since the 800 listing precedes the 1900 listing in PRL 25015, this seems to cause the phone to lock onto 1X800 and stay there, at least until I trudge back down to my basement office and the Airave takes over again.

 

My question [There's a question here? Really?]: Do the PRL/800 Mhz gurus think that "fake" updating the PRL could actually cause this behavior? Thanks for patiently listening.

 

Try toggling airplane mode to see if it also toggles 800 for you.

 

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Rukin1]

Try toggling airplane mode to see if it also toggles 800 for you.

 

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

It doesn't work for me, I have to do PRL update.

[tommym65]

Try toggling airplane mode to see if it also toggles 800 for you.

 

Nope, doesn't work, nor does Signal Check Pro reset. Tried 'em both.

[gusherb]

I spent the past weekend 6.5 miles south of Knox, IN at Bass Lake again. Down there is a real test for Sprint service as the nearest two cell sites are: one 6.5 miles north in town, and one 6.5 miles directly east in Culver. 

 

I was excited to try my phone out there again as 1X800 finally showed up on the map for both of those sites! Well come to find out for some odd reason my phone decided it would behave opposite of usual and prefer PCS over SMR the whole weekend. It took 12 hours the first time for it to finally connect to SMR, even when cycling airplane mode and I rebooted it one time and it still preferred PCS. 

PCS fades in and out of service indoors over there, and SMR hovers around -91 to - 100 Db, and when PCS would fade completely out the phone would switch to no service and start scanning (I opened up engineering mode at this point) and watched it scan some PCS channels, Verizon, SMR, and then back to PCS. 

Also SMR 800 signal was not as strong as it seemed it ought to be, I'm wondering if these sites even though showing as accepted are still being fine tuned? 

 

Other then that I had excellent signal on all the sites that would let my phone stay on SMR! Before on PCS it faded out badly since the sites on the route I take are spaced about 10-15 miles apart. 

 

EV-DO was improved in Knox, but Sunday afternoon it completely flaked out until I finally started heading back west and my phone connected to the next cell site. I could tell they had the new Samsung equipment going, at least I thought so. I have a very non-scientific way of telling (besides looking at engineering screens)

When you dial a Sprint phone on a Samsung site it will courtesy ring about 1.5 times and then the ringback tone will sound just a little different when the call actually goes through. The Legacy equipment had no distinction between courtesy ring and when the call actually goes through. 

[tongboy]

I spent the past weekend 6.5 miles south of Knox, IN at Bass Lake again. Down there is a real test for Sprint service as the nearest two cell sites are: one 6.5 miles north in town, and one 6.5 miles directly east in Culver.

 

I was excited to try my phone out there again as 1X800 finally showed up on the map for both of those sites! Well come to find out for some odd reason my phone decided it would behave opposite of usual and prefer PCS over SMR the whole weekend. It took 12 hours the first time for it to finally connect to SMR, even when cycling airplane mode and I rebooted it one time and it still preferred PCS.

PCS fades in and out of service indoors over there, and SMR hovers around -91 to - 100 Db, and when PCS would fade completely out the phone would switch to no service and start scanning (I opened up engineering mode at this point) and watched it scan some PCS channels, Verizon, SMR, and then back to PCS.

Also SMR 800 signal was not as strong as it seemed it ought to be, I'm wondering if these sites even though showing as accepted are still being fine tuned?

 

Other then that I had excellent signal on all the sites that would let my phone stay on SMR! Before on PCS it faded out badly since the sites on the route I take are spaced about 10-15 miles apart.

 

EV-DO was improved in Knox, but Sunday afternoon it completely flaked out until I finally started heading back west and my phone connected to the next cell site. I could tell they had the new Samsung equipment going, at least I thought so. I have a very non-scientific way of telling (besides looking at engineering screens)

When you dial a Sprint phone on a Samsung site it will courtesy ring about 1.5 times and then the ringback tone will sound just a little different when the call actually goes through. The Legacy equipment had no distinction between courtesy ring and when the call actually goes through.

 

What phone were you using during this trip?

 

Sent from my EVO LTE

 

 

[Deval]

Sprint devices do indeed automatically update PRLs. I have seen the message for it once on my evo3d.

 

Ok thanks!

[gusherb]

What phone were you using during this trip?

 

Sent from my EVO LTE

My S3.

[ericdabbs]

Here in Northwest Exurbia, I am surronded by 1x800 service. However, I have an Airave, plus my closest Sprint tower has only 1900 Mhz service, no 800 yet. Consequently, my GS3 (PRL 25015) locks on to 1900 voice when I am in my subterranean office near the Airave, and because the 1900 SID is at the same priority as the 800 SID, tends to stay locked on to 1900 as I then wander around Northwest Chicagoland.  This is somewhat annoying, as 800 Mhz voice offers better connectivity and call quality than 1900, now that a lot of Sprint sites here have it..

 

However, I think I have found a way to force the phone to 800: If I go to "settings" and try to force a PRL update, the phone says that it has updated the PRL (even though it hasn't really done so), then seems to reset the 1X connection and start at the top of the PRL list to find a carrier.  Since the 800 listing precedes the 1900 listing in PRL 25015, this seems to cause the phone to lock onto 1X800 and stay there, at least until I trudge back down to my basement office and the Airave takes over again.

 

My question [There's a question here? Really?]: Do the PRL/800 Mhz gurus think that "fake" updating the PRL could actually cause this behavior? Thanks for patiently listening.

 

I have a feeling that since 1x 800 is still not prevalent on most NV sites, Sprint is provisioning their PRLs and cell sites for now to give 1900 priority over 800.  I am not sure if there are any issues handing off between 800 and 1900 for CDMA during a call and I think Sprint doesn't want to take any risks until 800 CDMA is more widespread.

 

I think by the early to mid 2014, we will see updates to PRLs and provisioning at the cell sites to give 800 higher priority.  I don't know how fast the rollout of 800 CDMA is expected to be considering that all NV sites already have the majority of the equipment installed and do field testing.  I am hoping when workers have to go back to cell sites to install 800 CDMA that they install 800 LTE as well and do dual testing of 800 CDMA and LTE to have it accepted at the same time.

[Moropo]

Since 800 penetrates better than 1900 it would imply the 1900 coverage would be a subset of 800 coverage and so every place in which 1900 is available, 800 would also be available. And if they give 800 higher priority than 1900, everyone would then be on 800 and no one on 1900 etc?

 

EDIT: 

 

I guess this could work on the beginning basically partitioning all the new phones (and hence 800 voice enabled) phones to be on 800 while the older ones on 1900. However, as time passes and everyone gets a 800 voice enabled phone the above scenario would occur of everyone being on 800 and no one on 1900?

 

I dont know much about this, just doing some out-loud thinking...

[bmoses]

can someone more knowledgeable answer this question for me.

 

if you are on a call, and are on 800 from one tower, and move out of range of that tower and its 800, and the next closest tower only has 1900 will the call hand off to that tower and switch to 1900? or will the call drop?

 

i ask because there is a spot on the interstate around here that everyone i know on sprint drops a call there. the problem is that, once NV is here and done, as you are coming from the south going north you would pick up a full build site that will have 800, but the further north you go the only 2 possible towers that you can switch to are both GMO sites so they won't have 800 for awhile.

[cletus]

This may have been answered already but will triband phones be able to natively handle voice+data at the same time with the new 800 bands or will it be one or the other still? Can I be on LTE/CDMA and talk at the same time or is it chipset dependent?

[tmiw]

This may have been answered already but will triband phones be able to natively handle voice+data at the same time with the new 800 bands or will it be one or the other still? Can I be on LTE/CDMA and talk at the same time or is it chipset dependent?

 

My HTC One can do LTE1900 + CDMA at the same time, so bands should not be a big deal.

[WiWavelength]

My HTC One can do LTE1900 + CDMA at the same time, so bands should not be a big deal.

Maybe. SVDO was very short lived as a handset capability. SVLTE may go away soon, too.

 

AJ

[cletus]

Maybe. SVDO was very short lived as a handset capability. SVLTE may go away soon, too.

 

AJ

Right. The EVO LTE had it my evo3d by virtue of having a separate WiMax antenna can do Wimax/talk at the same time. I just wondered if the new chipsets will support SVDO/SVLTE over separate bands. It would be a neat trick to have 800mhz voice +1900 LTE when calling. 

[Jaggrey]

Maybe. SVDO was very short lived as a handset capability. SVLTE may go away soon, too.

 

AJ

Why would SVLTE be going away soon?

[WiWavelength]

Right. The EVO LTE had it my evo3d by virtue of having a separate WiMax antenna can do Wimax/talk at the same time. I just wondered if the new chipsets will support SVDO/SVLTE over separate bands. It would be a neat trick to have 800mhz voice +1900 LTE when calling.

 

Simultaneous CDMA1X 800 + LTE 1900 will be no big deal, but it will be limited to handsets that support SVLTE.

 

AJ

[tmiw]

^ Not to mention that long-term we'll be going to VoLTE anyway.