Network Vision/LTE - West Michigan Market (Grand Rapids/Lansing/Kalamazoo)

[RCM]

I've been too focused on downstate lately with the explosion of sites going live with LTE that I missed when TC showed up on the map. I have a trip to the Soo planned this summer so maybe there is hope that site will be upgraded by the time I get up that way.

[DanMacMan]

I was in Eaton Rapids yesterday and LTE there is fast, but coverage falls off pretty rapidly outside the city limits. My gf's mother lives about 4 miles east of town and I was barely able to maintain one or two bars of 3G at her house.

[S4GRU]

I was in Eaton Rapids yesterday and LTE there is fast, but coverage falls off pretty rapidly outside the city limits. My gf's mother lives about 4 miles east of town and I was barely able to maintain one or two bars of 3G at her house.

 

In most places with only one or two bars of 3G legacy service will be at the edge or just outside the edge of Sprint LTE service.

 

Robert via LG Optimus G using Tapatalk

 

 

[RCM]

Finally looks like a bit of an Allegan area site got mapped.

[BRUCEinGR]

Finally looks like a bit of an Allegan area site got mapped.

 

I think that was me (or at least it originated from my car). I took a trip with a friend to a ham radio swap meet in the Marshall area, and both of us were running Sensorly on our EVO's.

 

The spot in the Marshall area that we went to was just West of I-69, just off from W. Michigan Ave. While there was already some coverage showing in the area before we got there, neither of us could connect to it Sat. AM. We did get some LTE just a bit further West, coming up towards the Interstate, but I think that was already logged.

 

We were in a hurry on the way down, but did grab some LTE between Martin and Plainwell, so we planned to scout that out on the way home. We hit the same signal again on the way back to drop my friend off at his home in the Wayland/Hopkins area. Since he's from that general area and has an EVO he was into it for a bit. We scouted out the tower that was serving up the LTE and I got a good visual look at it, but like a dummy, I was running late on the way out of my house around 06:00 and forgot my camera!

 

We cruised around Allegan just a bit after that, but my friend was getting bored, so I took him home and gave up.

 

I plan to head back out that way this afternoon, this time with my camera and will get a pic of the site we found, along with another site just a little North of this area that I spotted work happening to on Wednesday. The second site is not "on the air" yet, but has panels and radios up.

 

Make sure to check the Michigan thread in the sponsors section later and I will post the pics there, along with site IDs.

 

For those people viewing this that aren't yet sponsors but want to know more, sorry, but like the saying goes... "Membership has it's privileges". (my little teaser plug for Robert today)

[RCM]

I think that was me (or at least it originated from my car). I took a trip with a friend to a ham radio swap meet in the Marshall area, and both of us were running Sensorly on our EVO's.

 

The spot in the Marshall area that we went to was just West of I-69, just off from W. Michigan Ave. While there was already some coverage showing in the area before we got there, neither of us could connect to it Sat. AM. We did get some LTE just a bit further West, coming up towards the Interstate, but I think that was already logged.

 

We were in a hurry on the way down, but did grab some LTE between Martin and Plainwell, so we planned to scout that out on the way home. We hit the same signal again on the way back to drop my friend off at his home in the Wayland/Hopkins area. Since he's from that general area and has an EVO he was into it for a bit. We scouted out the tower that was serving up the LTE and I got a good visual look at it, but like a dummy, I was running late on the way out of my house around 06:00 and forgot my camera!

 

We cruised around Allegan just a bit after that, but my friend was getting bored, so I took him home and gave up.

 

I plan to head back out that way this afternoon, this time with my camera and will get a pic of the site we found, along with another site just a little North of this area that I spotted work happening to on Wednesday. The second site is not "on the air" yet, but has panels and radios up.

 

Make sure to check the Michigan thread in the sponsors section later and I will post the pics there, along with site IDs.

 

For those people viewing this that aren't yet sponsors but want to know more, sorry, but like the saying goes... "Membership has it's privileges". (my little teaser plug for Robert today)

 

Well I have to admit you are an asset and very committed to the S4GRU community. I believe that Allegan site has been waiting untouched on Sensorly for some time.

 

I went to the Kalamazoo area last weekend. I took the long (and undesired) way down through Ann Arbor so I could get a piece of the LTE sites down there then swung over on 94 to see what I could grab in Chelsea, Albion and BC. Didn't add much if anything myself. Wife's phone was active while mine was "offline" running LTE Discovery and Sensorly.

 

On the way back we took 69 up through Lansing then 96 to Howell then home to see what was new there. The only thing I encountered was a crew on site at Island Hwy and 69 in Charlotte but I couldn't tell without stopping if it was Sprint related.

 

I would have loved to checked out northern Kalamazoo County, Otsego and Allegan but that would've been far out of the way since I was on the southern side (though I did map some rural area - check out 3G coverage in SE rural KZO county near Vicksburg and Scotts out in Nowheresville). While 131 to M-6 to 96 then home would be a nice Sunday drive, hard to convince the family, time budget and fuel budget to cooperate. There's new action in Flint and Holly areas so that helps me feel like I can contribute something while my immediate area is in bascially a holding pattern.

[t0n3]

After getting my first taste of LTE in Portland a few weeks ago I was happy to pickup LTE in Cascade near old 28th street last week! Also sensorly mapped my trip from GR to Baldwin on m-37, but no LTE action there yet...

 

I was really hating on my Evo 4g LTE antennas in Baldwin as I had to hike a hill to get service while another guy with an iPhone 4s even had data in the cabin!

Edited March 19, 2013 by t0n3

[Paynefanbro]

After getting my first taste of LTE in Portland a few weeks ago I was happy to pickup LTE in Cascade near old 28th street last week! Also sensorly mapped my trip from GR to Baldwin on m-37, but no LTE action there yet...

 

I was really hating on my Evo 4g LTE antennas in Baldwin as I had to hike a hill to get service while another guy with an iPhone 4s even had data in the cabin!

 

My undertsanding is that the EVO has an exceptional 1x radio. I often keep 1 bara weak signal inside of buildings whereas other phones like the GS3 would give up and roam.

[MattVeltkamp]

Had anyone seen any action out there. It seems as though things have slowed in the greater GR area. Granted there was a Tom of action there for a while, but now nothing...

 

Sent from my note 2 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[MattVeltkamp]

Has anyone seen any action out there. It seems as though things have slowed in the greater GR area. Granted there was a ton of action there for a while, but now nothing...

 

Sent from my note 2 using Tapatalk 2

[Overboost]

I wonder if the weather has slowed them down? I haven't seen anything in the Portage/Kzoo/TR area lately.

[mattrdahl]

IDK whats going on saw guys on the tower here at work the antenna have been up for couple of weeks and still nothing. i know its a sprint tower they are the only ones on this tower

[t0n3]

Interesting. I suppose maybe he was on AT&T and that's why he had better signal... I couldn't pull 1x or roam...

[delta772er]

I wonder if the weather has slowed them down? I haven't seen anything in the Portage/Kzoo/TR area lately.

 

All of the equipment is installed at 2 sites around Sturgis but they are waiting on backhaul. The site in town has had Ms. Dig around last week as there are flags and paint marking all of the various utilities around the site but nothing has happened since then.

[jefbal99]

Upgrades on the Sprint tower in Lansing near the old GM plants between Willow and Saginaw. New panels and two RRUs, indicating 800 SMR. I thought Lansing was in the 100mile exclusion zone, but we might be on the outer edge.

 

IMG_6341 by jefbal99_, on Flickr

 

Bigger version at Flickr with other pics.

[hfase]

Anybody here of anything around Muskegon. Soon as I get out and about I can take pics of a couple antenna I know of though.

Edited March 23, 2013 by hfase

[gr8nuguy]

New panels and two RRUs, indicating 800 SMR.

 

IMG_6341 by jefbal99_, on Flickr

 

Bigger version at Flickr with other pics.

I could be wrong, but i dont think new panels plus 2 rrus mean 800 smr....

[thomasmbl]

Does anyone know where the tower is for Southfield or close by

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[bbrad8]

Does anyone know where the tower is for Southfield or close by

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Believe you would receive better and more accurate responses over on the East Michigan thread. While we are in that area fairly often (actually there yesterday ), simply do not know the area well enough. I have provided a link to the current page of that thread below:

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/2262-network-visionlte-east-michigan-market

 

HTH!

[jefbal99]

I could be wrong' date=' but i dont think new panels plus 2 rrus mean 800 smr....[/quote']

 

One RRU is PCS, 4 hook ups LTE tx/rd and CDMA tx/rx. Other RRU is SMR, only two hookups for CDMA tx/rx

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Forum Runner

[digiblur]

 

My undertsanding is that the EVO has an exceptional 1x radio. I often keep 1 bara weak signal inside of buildings whereas other phones like the GS3 would give up and roam.

 

I find it the opposite. The EVO LTE has much less coverage than the S3 and Note2. Had a chance to compare all three yesterday on a short trip across town. The LTE coverage of that phone is downright laughable. So glad I got rid of it.

 

Sent from my little Note2

 

 

[S4GRU]

 

I find it the opposite. The EVO LTE has much less coverage than the S3 and Note2. Had a chance to compare all three yesterday on a short trip across town. The LTE coverage of that phone is downright laughable. So glad I got rid of it.

 

Sent from my little Note2

 

In my testing, the EVO LTE was mid pack on 1x signal. Nothing superior about it.

 

Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

[lordgilbon]

4g in downtown Kalamazoo now. I just mapped it In sensorly.

[MattVeltkamp]

Lte in Allendale. Tower just west of 68th of from Lake mi drive.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[azoclark]

4g in downtown Kalamazoo now. I just mapped it In sensorly.

 

I saw your post before leaving the house this morning so I decided to take the long way to work. I have added some more Sensorly data. It looks like the tower by the 411 Night Club on Willard St and N. Westnedge Ave is the active tower.