Network Vision/LTE - Hawaii Market (including Honolulu, Oahu and all Hawaiian Islands)

[markjcc]

From the pics you posted, those are omnidirectional antennas.  CDMA2000 can use omnidirectional antennas on a single sectored site, but not on a multi sectored site.

 

AJ

Those look pretty pathetic though looks like my wireless router antenna.

[markjcc]

I see they have 1 issued permit, why ain't they building/upgrading on that site?

[WiWavelength]

Those look pretty pathetic though looks like my wireless router antenna.

 

I doubt that you are technically equipped to judge whether antennas are "pathetic."  Regardless, those are omnidirectional antennas for defunct Nextel iDEN.  They are irrelevant to the Sprint network.

 

AJ

[kineticman]

From the pics you posted, those are omnidirectional antennas. CDMA2000 can use omnidirectional antennas on a single sectored site, but not on a multi sectored site.

 

AJ

AJ - just out of total curiosity, do you have any pictures of an omnidirectional site for CDMA that you are speaking of? Never seen one myself. I'm assuming they are rare?

 

 

[Nacron]

Bumping this thread a little with some absolutely PATHETIC antennas.

 

 

 

This is "my" cell tower. I put that in quotes because it's only kindasorta mine. I live 2.1 miles from this tower, and I have absolutely NO service inside of my house. If I walk out onto the back porch, I'll be lucky to get an empty triangle icon (technically this is very limited 1xRTT and has worked once when I checked my voicemail) for about a minute at a time. And no data. Nothing.

Triangle means you're roaming on Verizon or Mobi's towers. Probably Mobi as the data is almost non existent

 

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[markjcc]

5 Permits issued on Oahu

 

Can anyone confirm any speed changes there

[808Bill]

Triangle means you're roaming on Verizon or Mobi's towers. Probably Mobi as the data is almost non existent

 

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Or  that data roaming is turned off on the phone, which it is by default.

 

Edited October 27, 2013 by 808Bill

[jknight]

5 Permits issued on Oahu

 

Can anyone confirm any speed changes there

They still need to do the work on the tower. Probably won't be till late spring or summer

[TechSmurf]

I'm not even aware of any permits on Oahu...

 

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[markjcc]

I'm not even aware of any permits on Oahu...

 

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Oops ment big island

[ramjet73]

I'm a little late to this party, but I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things I've been doing to cope with the lack of Sprint LTE in Hawaii.

 

1. When my contract ended this past June I called Sprint account services (formerly retention) and explained that I didn't want to upgrade my Evo 3D and sign a new contract to get an LTE 4G phone without LTE service but wanted to keep my Sprint account open so I could maintain my Google Voice integration. They understood my dilemma and let me keep my Evo 3D on a $19.95 100 minute, 100 text message and no data account for $19.95/month and the Google Voice Sprint integration still works with that account. I can still use data on my Evo 3D when connected to a WiFi hotspot but usually leave that phone at home since it only has 100 voice minutes and no data plan to support VoIP services.

 

2. I opened a T-mobile prepaid account and selected the $30/month 100 minute/5GB of 4G data plan. I am using that account with a 16GB Nexus 4 that I picked up on the Play Store in September for $249 and am quite happy with the HSPA+ and LTE speeds I get in areas that have coverage (some hacking is currently required to enable T-Mobile LTE on the Nexus 4). My phone calls are primarily made using VoIP apps over data connections but I still have the 100 voice minutes when needed.  

 

3. This afternoon I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7" tablet from Sprint for $50 and will be paying about $120 ($5 per month plus taxes and fees) over two years which still comes out to much less than the list price of $299 for that model and even the $179 that Amazon is currently charging for the WiFi only version. It's not the greatest tablet (the Nexus 7 2013 has way better specs) but at about $170 it is much less expensive than the T-Mobile Nexus 7 ($384 with 32MB on the T-Mobile website) and will allow me to test the coverage of the Sprint LTE network as it rolls out on Oahu where I live.

 

While acknowledging that these are all band-aids and not the ideal solution for mobile devices and networks, they allow me to live with the current situation while positioning for the eventual rollout of NV/LTE in Hawaii. I've been a Sprint user since they bought Primeco in Hawaii about 14 years ago and my intent is to subscribe to the $80 unlimited everything plan once the LTE network in Hawaii (at least for Honolulu) is built out.

 

These options may not work for everyone but I prefer to make lemonade out of lemons rather than complaining about things that I cannot control. I do believe that once the Sprint NV/LTE network is available in Hawaii its performance will be competitive with the other carriers and offer much better value than AT&T and Verizon.

 

YMMV.

[mahalocat]

ha!  Whats Up Ramjet!   I hear you on your bandaids....Unfortunatly I don't hAve the $ to buy a nexus.

Got the htc one on sale for $50 when my 3d broke.  WITH the promise that lte would be here by Xmas.....not looking likely.

[ramjet73]

ha!  Whats Up Ramjet! 

Hey cat! Nice to hear from you.

 

There's nothing wrong with an HTC One for $50 except compatibility with Sprint's current network in Hawaii. The Nexus 5 looks really sweet since it will work on T-Mobile's $30 plan and Straight Talk's AT&T $45 "unlimited" everything (2.5GB of 4G data) plan and still position for the eventual rollout of Sprint's NV/LTE in Hawaii. I'm seriously considering ordering that from BestBuy for $149, even though it means entering a two year Sprint contract to get that price, and selling my Nexus 4.

[Dkoellerwx]

In case you missed it - 17 NV updates for Hawaii today!

 

All 3G updates so far, but progress nonetheless.

[bucdenny]

In case you missed it - 17 NV updates for Hawaii today!

 

All 3G updates so far, but progress nonetheless.

Once the fiber gets delivered, welcome Sprint LTE to Hawaii.  Some of these sites should get fiber by years end. 

[TechSmurf]

That makes what, 23/30 big Island sites 3g complete? Crazy. Go figure the county issuing permits at a sane pace is the one I can't track

 

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[TechSmurf]

Once the fiber gets delivered, welcome Sprint LTE to Hawaii. Some of these sites should get fiber by years end.

Being an Alca-lu market, don't get your hopes up too high.

 

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[gmadden]

I think I found some LTE antenna installations!

 

This is on Kauai. I live close to this tower and have been watching it closely - when I saw new gray antennas on it I had to take a closer look.

 

 

There were 3 of these antennas mounted to the tower in the last couple of days.

 

 

Zoomed in on one of the antennas now. It looks like that may be the RRU (new PCS 1900 style?) on the bottom, based on the AlcaLu antenna page. It's a little hard to see here, but that RRU definitely looks like the vented design seen here.

 

As you can see in the top photo, they've led black cables up to the three antennas that looks like it leads back to the base station on the bottom right.

 

Funny thing is, since these antennas have been installed, my service has gone to crap. I've always gotten full 6 bars standing 50ft away from this tower, and now I get around 2-3. Service dies about 1/2 mile up the road when before it would die about 2 miles up the road.

 

I'm not picking up any LTE signals, so I assume they haven't done the work on the ground yet, just mounted the antennas and run the cables. Anyone familiar with the process of installing this kind of equipment - do they usually mount the antennas first and then do ground work later? They left the gate to the tower property open, so I assume they're not done yet.

[lilotimz]

I think I found some LTE antenna installations!

 

This is on Kauai. I live close to this tower and have been watching it closely - when I saw new gray antennas on it I had to take a closer look.

 

 

 

There were 3 of these antennas mounted to the tower in the last couple of days.

 

 

 

Zoomed in on one of the antennas now. It looks like that may be the RRU (new PCS 1900 style?) on the bottom, based on the AlcaLu antenna page. It's a little hard to see here, but that RRU definitely looks like the vented design seen here.

 

As you can see in the top photo, they've led black cables up to the three antennas that looks like it leads back to the base station on the bottom right.

 

Funny thing is, since these antennas have been installed, my service has gone to crap. I've always gotten full 6 bars standing 50ft away from this tower, and now I get around 2-3. Service dies about 1/2 mile up the road when before it would die about 2 miles up the road.

 

I'm not picking up any LTE signals, so I assume they haven't done the work on the ground yet, just mounted the antennas and run the cables. Anyone familiar with the process of installing this kind of equipment - do they usually mount the antennas first and then do ground work later? They left the gate to the tower property open, so I assume they're not done yet.

 

Yep that's Alcatel-Lucent network vision gear for sure. 

[xian]

If you look on the sensorly mapper it shows that Hawaii is the last of only 5 states that does not have Sprint LTE. Has nobody here seen LTE light up on their phones?, or are people just not mapping it? Frustrated that we are alongside North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska. 

[TechSmurf]

Worse. You're the last major market to not have it. The other 4 states have little sprint coverage.

 

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[jknight]

Man. I don't know if I can hold out anymore. I can barely send picture messages anymore. Sigh. I don't want to switch carriers but I think at this point, I would pay more to get service that works.

[spidyspidey]

Worse. You're the last major market to not have it. The other 4 states have little sprint coverage.

 

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salt on the wound....ouch!

 

Man. I don't know if I can hold out anymore. I can barely send picture messages anymore. Sigh. I don't want to switch carriers but I think at this point, I would pay more to get service that works.

I have seen some improvement on the 3g.  I get 500k now instead of 25K when I do speedtest.

[TechSmurf]

First permit issued in Honolulu last week. Have a little water to flush out some of that salt.

[jknight]

Almost 8 months later. Honolulu at it's finest. Haha.