Network Vision/LTE - Georgia Market (Warner Robins, Macon, I-75 Corridor))

[lordsutch]

Might have been an upgraded Clearwire protection site, or a DAS at Jordan-Hare. Either way an interesting development.

[lordsutch]

Here's a weird sighting: when playing with Signal Detector yesterday, I found a few weird things near downtown Macon along I-75:

 

First I found an out-of-sequence GCI where it appears band 26 on a tower is misconfigured and off by one (the tower at Ocmulgee East industrial park off I-16).

 

Second the Mercer University site seems to be broadcasting just on band 26 with a GCI in the Cxxxx range, instead of the 3Axxx range elsewhere in the market.

 

Third, the phone briefly connected and registered to an AT&T band 17 site before dropping to EVDO. This may be connected to scattered reports of other AT&T connections in other markets; it's possible there's a widespread misconfiguration by AT&T, or it's possible Sprint does have an unannounced roaming agreement with AT&T in place. This seems worth additional investigation.

[lordsutch]

LTE roaming on AT&T in Cochran, about 35 miles southeast of Macon in their old Alltel territory, is definitely enabled; it's slow (presumably throttled, unless their local network is crap) but usable for basic purposes and beats the Verizon 1X network at least.

[jgore43]

Where is your 1x signal coming from?

 

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

[RAvirani]

LTE roaming on AT&T in Cochran, about 35 miles southeast of Macon in their old Alltel territory, is definitely enabled; it's slow (presumably throttled, unless their local network is crap) but usable for basic purposes and beats the Verizon 1X network at least.

Holy...

[RAvirani]

LTE roaming on AT&T in Cochran, about 35 miles southeast of Macon in their old Alltel territory, is definitely enabled; it's slow (presumably throttled, unless their local network is crap) but usable for basic purposes and beats the Verizon 1X network at least.

What happens if you try to place a voice call? Does it go over AT&T's LTE (or HSPA) or Verizon 1x?

[lordsutch]

Where is your 1x signal coming from?

 

The 1x signal was bouncing between Verizon and a very distant Sprint (1900) tower, either in Hawkinsville or on I-16 near Dudley (I'll have to look in the CDMA log to figure out which one it is). In the screenshot it's the Sprint tower.

 

I didn't try a voice call. I'll probably be back down there midweek and can test it then.

[RAvirani]

The 1x signal was bouncing between Verizon and a very distant Sprint (1900) tower, either in Hawkinsville or on I-16 near Dudley (I'll have to look in the CDMA log to figure out which one it is). In the screenshot it's the Sprint tower.

 

I didn't try a voice call. I'll probably be back down there midweek and can test it then.

Yeah...it will be interesting to see how voice is handled. Also, if possible, next time you're there, try switching your phone into GSM/WCDMA (or UMTS) only mode. I wonder if AT&T roaming is LTE only or if you would be allowed on their WCDMA (or UMTS)/HSPA network...

[lordsutch]

Yeah...it will be interesting to see how voice is handled. Also, if possible, next time you're there, try switching your phone into GSM/WCDMA (or UMTS) only mode. I wonder if AT&T roaming is LTE only or if you would be allowed on their WCDMA (or UMTS)/HSPA network...

 

The Pixel XL doesn't have a GSM/UMTS-only setting when a Sprint SIM is installed; the only options are LTE (preferred), 3G, 1X, and Global.

[RAvirani]

The Pixel XL doesn't have a GSM/UMTS-only setting when a Sprint SIM is installed; the only options are LTE (preferred), 3G, 1X, and Global.

Oh…well try to see if you can hit AT&T WCDMA/HSPA some other way. I know that AT&T's 800 HSPA tends to just edge out their 700 LTE in terms of range although that alone can't be used to prove that WCDMA/HSPA roaming is not active…

[greenbastard]

The Pixel XL doesn't have a GSM/UMTS-only setting when a Sprint SIM is installed; the only options are LTE (preferred), 3G, 1X, and Global.

I'd like to see how incoming calls are handled. eCSFB from At&t LTE to 1x Verizon??? Or SRLTE that connects to LTE and pings 1x constantly?

[lilotimz]

I'd like to see how incoming calls are handled. eCSFB from At&t LTE to 1x Verizon??? Or SRLTE that connects to LTE and pings 1x constantly?

Srlte.

 

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[WiWavelength]

I'd like to see how incoming calls are handled. eCSFB from At&t LTE to 1x Verizon??? Or SRLTE that connects to LTE and pings 1x constantly?

 

No slotted mode device is pinging CDMA1X constantly.  Wrong idea, wrong terminology.

 

AJ

[WiWavelength]

The Pixel XL doesn't have a GSM/UMTS-only setting when a Sprint SIM is installed...

 

Just like countless other Android handsets, it does in the Testing.apk.

 

AJ

[lordsutch]

Ok, here are the results of my experimentation:

 

Voice calling seems to fall back to 1X. In my current location (my office in Cochran), it falls back to Verizon, but I've seen 1X on Sprint 800 and 1900 around too.

 

In the "Phone info" APK, LTE/UMTS auto (PRL) seems to have no effect (staying on LTE, with 1X fallback). LTE/WCDMA and WCDMA preferred drop the phone to 1X/EVDO(!). So no dice there trying to connect to UMTS or GSM for voice.

 

Also, Play Services keeps asking me to "add my new phone number," so whatever's going on may be working with a fake phone number behind the scenes to keep things working somehow.

[S4GRU]

Ok, here are the results of my experimentation:

 

Voice calling seems to fall back to 1X. In my current location (my office in Cochran), it falls back to Verizon, but I've seen 1X on Sprint 800 and 1900 around too.

 

In the "Phone info" APK, LTE/UMTS auto (PRL) seems to have no effect (staying on LTE, with 1X fallback). LTE/WCDMA and WCDMA preferred drop the phone to 1X/EVDO(!). So no dice there trying to connect to UMTS or GSM for voice.

 

Also, Play Services keeps asking me to "add my new phone number," so whatever's going on may be working with a fake phone number behind the scenes to keep things working somehow.

 

 

[lordsutch]

One other thing from today's driving around: I had a brief band 41 sighting near the ex-WiMax protection site in Warner Robins (Russell Parkway near Moody Road). I didn't stay on band 41 long enough to be sure it was coming from the protection site and an airplane mode toggle nearby put me back on band 25, but that's the most logical guess based on the timing advance value I saw. I didn't have time to investigate more.

 

I'll try to swing by the Macon ex-WiMax site in the next few days and see if it's broadcasting LTE too.

 

EDIT: Ok, this is weird. If the data I have is accurate, the band 41 site is nowhere near the ex-WiMax protection site - it was just a coincidence that I picked it up about 1 km east of the protection site. It's broadcasting a Sprint MCC/MNC 310-120 with GCI 04545739 on EARFCN 40719, 2602.9 MHz. So it may actually be a full 8T8R build.

[lordsutch]

Discovered some more doings in the Georgia market on a drive this afternoon:

 

Four GMOs are now broadcasting LTE on band 25 south of Warner Robins and Perry: three in southern Houston County, and one on the outskirts of Hawkinsville. Site IDs and more details in the premier GMO thread.

 

Also, I've narrowed down the band 41 site to one of two existing towers in southern Warner Robins... it may not be fully open to traffic yet, or eCFSB isn't enabled yet, so my connections are intermittent. At least two distinct carriers (EARFCNs 40521 and 40719) and four sector IDs are active.

[JonnygATL]

Perhaps I haven't looked recently at the Sprint coverage maps for middle and south Georgia but, to me at least, it looks as if Sprint is showing much more rural coverage between Macon and Valdosta along the I-75 corridor.  I've not driven that portion of 75 in years - partly because brown skin doesn't do well in those parts (I've seen "Get Out," thank you very much) - and partly because Frontier airlines has dirt cheap fares to Miami.  So I'm usually flying over it.  For any that have driven it within the past year, would you say that the actual coverage improvements match Sprint's estimates or is this overstated 75 corridor coverage?  

[Hmight]

Perhaps I haven't looked recently at the Sprint coverage maps for middle and south Georgia but, to me at least, it looks as if Sprint is showing much more rural coverage between Macon and Valdosta along the I-75 corridor. I've not driven that portion of 75 in years - partly because brown skin doesn't do well in those parts (I've seen "Get Out," thank you very much) - and partly because Frontier airlines has dirt cheap fares to Miami. So I'm usually flying over it. For any that have driven it within the past year, would you say that the actual coverage improvements match Sprint's estimates or is this overstated 75 corridor coverage?

Lol theres part in rural georgia i would drive through if im not white.

[lordsutch]

It's been pretty solid the last few times I've gone south to around Valdosta (excluding the GMO at GA 26, which is now upgraded although the map is out of date)... then it gets flaky between Valdosta and Lake City, where it gets solid again.

 

It may be exaggerated when you get a few miles from the interstate, though; I suspect they optimized some of the sites with "shooters" (90-degree antennas rather than 120-degree antennas) to cover I-75 as much as they could, which may not be accounted for properly in the maps.

[lordsutch]

Also, I've narrowed down the band 41 site to one of two existing towers in southern Warner Robins... it may not be fully open to traffic yet, or eCFSB isn't enabled yet, so my connections are intermittent. At least two distinct carriers (EARFCNs 40521 and 40719) and four sector IDs are active.

 

Been a while since I updated the public thread. The towers along I-16 between Macon and Dublin and beyond (at least to GA 29 or so) are now broadcasting Band 25 only too. The range isn't great but parallel US 80 also gets covered mostly, and the signal on GA 96 gets you almost, but not quite, to where you can pick up the tower in Bonaire - I doubt you'd have much luck with LTE indoors in Allentown or Dudley though.

 

The "urban" GMOs (one in Vineville/Ingleside, one on the north side of Warner Robins near the ANG base, and the one by Hawkinsville High School) still don't appear to have been touched, so maybe they're in line for new antennas with GMRs at least.

 

The mystery band 41 site remains a mystery. I can pick it up somewhat reliably near the Booth Road Walmart in Warner Robins, and can also pick it up on Moody Road south of Feagin Mill, but when I get closer to any of the candidate sites I drop to band 25 or band 26, which seems backwards. Hopefully I'll hit paydirt soon before I spend too much on gas driving in circles chasing this thing down.

[lordsutch]

Just to briefly update things, the straggler 3G-only site on the north side of Warner Robins on US 129/SR 247 was finally updated to LTE.  As far as I can tell, it's another GMO with the old PCS antennas still being used. I haven't had a chance to check any of the sites around Macon lately though.

 

I haven't seen any evidence of any more band 41 deployments beyond the mystery site in Warner Robins, which still defies my efforts to definitively locate it.

[danlodish345]

Just to briefly update things, the straggler 3G-only site on the north side of Warner Robins on US 129/SR 247 was finally updated to LTE.  As far as I can tell, it's another GMO with the old PCS antennas still being used. I haven't had a chance to check any of the sites around Macon lately though.

 

I haven't seen any evidence of any more band 41 deployments beyond the mystery site in Warner Robins, which still defies my efforts to definitively locate it.

is it just a band 25 upgrade?

[Dkoellerwx]

is it just a band 25 upgrade?

 

That's what a GMO LTE site is...