Network Vision/LTE - Central Iowa Market (Des Moines and surrounding areas)

[userkv8031]

I'm excited for some of the 1xrtt towers in Iowa to finally see some upgrades. Those seem to be mixed among the central and eastern market. I was one some of those towers in the eastern market and had trouble just getting voice calls to go through. Things along the 35 corridor were okay until I started getting close to the MN border then things went downhill fast. The network is having issues with both data and voice.

[bmoses]

I'm excited for some of the 1xrtt towers in Iowa to finally see some upgrades. Those seem to be mixed among the central and eastern market. I was one some of those towers in the eastern market and had trouble just getting voice calls to go through. Things along the 35 corridor were okay until I started getting close to the MN border then things went downhill fast. The network is having issues with both data and voice.

 

no joke, i just posted in another thread that i went to st louis this week and almost the whole route through south east iowa was 1X instead of 3G. same thing going to MN, get past ames and you lose 3G again until MN.

[cerebasan]

I just did a speedtest downtown here and the ping is 464ms....LOL. the download is 267kbps and 18 upload.

[userkv8031]

no joke, i just posted in another thread that i went to st louis this week and almost the whole route through south east iowa was 1X instead of 3G. same thing going to MN, get past ames and you lose 3G again until MN.

 

If you take avenue of the saints after you get through Waterloo it goes to 1xrtt. I found a lot of areas where the voice network just didn't work even being next to the towers. Sometimes it wouldn't go through and other times it would go through but would be so choppy it was pointless. It is like the equipment is barely functioning. I didn't stop and look at any of the towers but I would imagine the equipment is rather old and takes up large amounts of space. I have had 3G in SE Iowa in the past so maybe a bit of work is taking place.

[bmoses]

If you take avenue of the saints after you get through Waterloo it goes to 1xrtt. I found a lot of areas where the voice network just didn't work even being next to the towers. Sometimes it wouldn't go through and other times it would go through but would be so choppy it was pointless. It is like the equipment is barely functioning. I didn't stop and look at any of the towers but I would imagine the equipment is rather old and takes up large amounts of space. I have had 3G in SE Iowa in the past so maybe a bit of work is taking place.

 

i went back and checked the sponsors map and every tower along the route i took is a GMO site and has been 3G accepted already. so obviously even though its been accepted they haven't switched over to the new equipment yet for some reason. I was also looking at this thread and it lists the east iowa market at being 50% complete on 3G accepted sites! i wonder what the hold up is on getting them turned on/switched over to the new NV equipment.....

[bmoses]

I probably shouldn't even repeat this because it is most likely highly inaccurate but in case someone else hears the same thing it can be considered already addressed

 

my mother in law was in a sprint store the other day looking at phones to upgrade to (old people and phones makes me want to /suicide, but thats another story) and the sales reps told her that the network upgrades would be done by the state fair...... (mid august-ish for those not from iowa reading this)

 

again, as most of us know the sales reps are the last to know what is going on so take this as a huge grain of salt. if anything we will have some LTE coverage by mid august, but being completely done, probably not going to happen.

 

 

and in other news, found some more towers with fiber work being done but still no equipment deliveries or tower work being done yet. good thing i guess is that when they do start waiting on backhaul shouldn't happen

[sweyers]

no joke, i just posted in another thread that i went to st louis this week and almost the whole route through south east iowa was 1X instead of 3G. same thing going to MN, get past ames and you lose 3G again until MN.

If you're going either way on 35 out of Des Moines, and plan on using any data whatsoever, in my experience a Verizon PRL is a must (1x only anyone?). Even holding a call in some place north of Ames and south of Albert Lea (where there is mostly NOTHING but the highway) can be very difficult. Amazing how long that corridor has been neglected. Funny (yet not funny) that once you cross into MN/MO you're right back on 3G again. Shows what importance Iowa really is to Sprint as a whole (Ha!). Sprint really does need to get on the ball though, I can only really count on 3G in Des Moines and anywhere connected by 80 (Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Waterloo, Council Bluffs etc). And that doesn't necessarily mean reliable 3G either. Marshalltown, Carroll, Mason City, Fort Dodge, Ottumwa, are just a few places I have been that have been (still are?) 1x only. The only reason I say that they may not be is that the last time I was in Marshalltown (in March) I saw eHRPD (testing maybe?). At this point, if Sprint brings some solid speeds and consistency back (especially in DSM), great, but the first carrier to approach their value (price and coverage wise) with an iPhone and an unlimited plan (yes I know, a lot to ask) is getting my business. This is 2013 not 2002, seeing 100-300kbps down on a frequent basis in a metro of 500,000 and leaving a major cross country Interstate highway perpetually stuck at 2G until who knows when is absolutely pathetic.

[bmoses]

Anything new going on in Des Moines ? Still no activity as far as equipment being delivered to the tower they ran fiber to at Hickman and MLK. I will be sure and let you guys know when I see it coming in.

 

 

found this morning that this tower had a permit issued on 05/03, along with 6 other towers in des moines hopefully that means work will start soon!!!!

[Justindcarter79]

I'm seeing activity at the Hickman tower. There's a truck there with a trailer. I'm thinking they may be delivering equipment, it's a small trailer though.

[bmoses]

I'm seeing activity at the Hickman tower. There's a truck there with a trailer. I'm thinking they may be delivering equipment, it's a small trailer though.

 

woot!!!!! guess i know what i'm doing over lunch!!!

[bmoses]

stopped by the tower, there wasn't anyone there anymore. Not sure what they did there either as there was no equipment and nothing looked like it had changed, lock was undone from the gate though.

 

also stopped by the tower at 86th and aurora and there were workers there!!!

 

so close!!!!

[cerebasan]

Anyone have an idea what the closest tower is downtown on Grand/Ingersol? Any permit info for those towers?

Edited June 7, 2013 by cerebasan

[Justindcarter79]

I wonder what they were doing, yeah they were there for maybe an hour. Is there room in those closets to store servers and antennas ?

[bmoses]

Anyone have an idea what the closest tower is downtown on Grand/Ingersol? Any permit info for those towers?

 

you can find permit activity for des moines here. also if you become a sponsor you can get access to the iowa/nebraska thread that has a map of all the sprint towers, i've also been posting permits and other activity i've been finding in that thread. the only way to post what tower is closest to that location in this thread is if someone goes out and finds the tower and confirms its sprints and posts it. otherwise we would be posting about sponsor only information and that wouldn't be allowed.

[bmoses]

I wonder what they were doing, yeah they were there for maybe an hour. Is there room in those closets to store servers and antennas ?

 

i can't imagine there is much room in the building at that site, plus all the nextel equipment should still be in there. unless he was arriving with an empty trailer and was removing nextel equipment from the building and they are planning on putting the sprint NV equipment in the building? the legacy equipment at that location is sitting outside on the cement pad right now, usually they put the new equipment outside right next to it, but with nextel going away and this being a nextel/sprint site i guess its possible they could be utilizing the building instead.

 

either way he had to have been doing something for sprint since its a sprint/nextel site, so its good news regardless

[digiblur]

They will probably put it outside in case the building is removed plus it is cheaper on the lease.

[Justindcarter79]

I could see someone moving back and forth like they were loading or unloading equipment. My bet is they were removing Nextel equipment since its suppose to be done by end of month.

[bmoses]

stopped by the tower, there wasn't anyone there anymore. Not sure what they did there either as there was no equipment and nothing looked like it had changed, lock was undone from the gate though.

 

also stopped by the tower at 86th and aurora and there were workers there!!!

 

so close!!!!

 

stopped by this tower again, no one there today, so i drove up to it and peaked in the fence, no signs of any new equipment or work, so not sure what these guys did while there or if it was even for sprint.

[Justindcarter79]

I'm hearing Sprint is trying to have things ready for our state fair (biggest one in the country). I'm not so sure that will happen at the rate they are going.

[bmoses]

I'm hearing Sprint is trying to have things ready for our state fair (biggest one in the country). I'm not so sure that will happen at the rate they are going.

 

the sales people told my mother in law that when she was in looking at phone upgrades last week, that 4G would be here by the fair. not that sales people are purposefully dishonest or trying to mislead but they are usually the last ones to know anything. I'm sure there will be some 4G live by then but i doubt they will be done. especially since i have seen zero tower work yet, and i've checked a lot of towers, and the fair is 2 months away.....

[Beef]

the sales people told my mother inlaw that when she was in looking at phone upgrades last week, that 4G would be here by the fair. not that sales people are purposefully dishonest or trying to mislead but they are usually the last ones to know anything. I'm sure there will be some 4G live by then but i doubt they will be done. especially since i have seen zero tower work yet, and i've checked a lot of towers, and the fair is 2 months away.....

 

The Sprint salesman told me I would have 4g in 2 months too. That was over 3 years ago. Took alot longer. 

[cerebasan]

Exactly. That's why I'm following this thread so closely. I've been burned before and I need real proof to stay with Sprint past this summer.

[Justindcarter79]

I just saw the company working up the street that was trenching the fiber.

[cerebasan]

Which tower was that at?

Sounds exciting.......!!!!

[bmoses]

Which tower was that at?

Sounds exciting.......!!!!

 

sounds exciting = yes. actually exciting = probably not.

 

i've seen several towers where there have been workers there and then have gone back to check the next day and there were no signs of any work done.

 

i've seen a lot of towers getting fiber (8 so far), but no equipment deliveries or tower work yet