S4GRU

If you aren't travelling anywhere and staying in a Band 25 only area for awhile, I would leave them alone myself. Robert

I can't say with 100% certainty because Ericsson 800 and 1900 RRU's look the same. However, the fact that there are four is a very good sign. I feel with 95% certainty that one of them is likely 800. Robert

It has nothing to do with any PRL's. If you go into known Band 26 or Band 41 coverage, see if it connects on its own. If it doesn't, go in and manually enable the bands and try again. Robert

I love how in an official Sprint correspondence, it mistakenly says BC 26 and 41. It's Band 26 and 41. Band Classes are not used for LTE. Robert

First off, CDMA is reported in RSSI and LTE is reported in RSRP. You cannot compare the numbers straight up in an apples to apples comparison. You have to subtract about 25dB from the CDMA number to get a rough equivalent of RSRP. So a CDMA of -76 RSSI is approximately the same as -101 RSRP. So you can see the signal strengths are pretty close. Second, you do not know what site your LTE is coming from. CDMA and LTE can come from two different locations completely. The app tells you which CDMA site your 1x connection is coming from, but it cannot tell you which one your LTE is coming from, because the LTE does not populate any base station location info in Android. So you never can be sure if you are connected to the same CDMA and LTE site in an urban/suburban area. So comparing signal strength to draw conclusions is not really possible. Last, I would like to explain something else. From the same site, CDMA and LTE on 1900 broadcast at similar power levels will have similar signal strength as you go away from the site. So if you are standing in front of the site and are getting -50 RSSI on CDMA, you would get roughly -75 RSRP on LTE...the same signal strength. If you went a 1/2 mile away and the CDMA was -75 RSSI, you would get roughly -100 RSRP on LTE...the same signal strength. If you went indoors a half mile away and the CDMA was -95 RSSI CDMA, you would get roughly -120 RSRP on LTE. These are the exact same signal strength. However, this tends to be the maximum level that a good quality LTE signal can use. Depending on your device and interference, you may or may not be able to stay connected to LTE here, even though CDMA is working just fine. This is a good understanding of how the fragile nature of LTE works. It's not that the signal is weaker as you get away from the site. It's that LTE needs a stronger signal to be functional. If you even took this out a little further and go into the basement. If the CDMA dropped to -105 RSSI, you may be able to text or make a call. Your device would likely not connect to LTE at all, but the signal would still be there. Around -130 RSRP on the LTE. But your device could not use, and may not even see it. However, some hotspots in ideal situations may be able to use a signal that weak with limited performance. Robert

If they install the 800 RRU now (like they are doing up in ABQ & Clovis), then it's just a matter of stopping back by and installing the Band 26 LTE carrier card at the RBS and integrating it with the network. Pretty simple stuff. Robert

Not necessarily. The capacity of one LTE carrier is equal to four EVDO carriers. And since there is probably only one or two EVDO carriers at the site in Alamogordo now, this will be an exponential amount of data capacity. Additionally, I believe Alamogordo is just outside the IBEZ if memory serves and can receive a Band 26 LTE carrier too, doubling LTE capacity even further. And if it is not enough, I believe the WiMax Protection Site is on a different tower. Sprint can convert that to NV and add even more capacity. And if Sprint adds Band 41 to this site, or both, the amount of capacity for a city the size of the Fat Cottonwood would be astronomical. So it's not as bad as it may seem. One LTE carrier will likely provide fair to good service. And Sprint has lots of options to increase capacity further. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

You should consider becoming an S4GRU Sponsor. In the Sponsor section we have Sprint site maps. You can see which ones have been upgraded and which ones are left to be upgraded. It will help you to know if there is another site nearby that still has LTE to be turned on. Sponsor info: http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1195-information-about-s4gru-sponsorship-levels-and-how-to-become-a-sponsor/ Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Pinto Bean Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

The one RRU at VZW sites is just for the Band 4 LTE being added. LTE 750 and CDMA don't use RRU's on VZW. And interestingly, not all VZW Band 4 LTE OEM's are using RRU's. The one here in South Dakota is not. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

There have been a few isolated instances where N5 users have reported the ability to connect to Band 41. But the overwhelming majority cannot. They are waiting on the Spark update. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

All the sites in this market, including Fergie and Alexandria, have already had all their LTE equipment installed. They are just waiting on upgraded backhaul to be installed. They will go live one by one as backhaul arrives at each one and is ready over the next 6 month period or so. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

They really can't tell you. And you shouldn't ask them to reveal Sponsor content. You could get them in trouble. But I will tell you...the answer is no. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

The backhaul supplied is supposed to be able to handle all three LTE sectors and deployed EVDO carriers to capacity. If it's backhaul related, then the backhaul installed did not meet NV spec. Which had to occur in some instances where backhaul could not be obtained that met NV spec. This is not common, but it is possible. As you also outlined, it is most likely the downstream channel airlink is over capacity. Additional LTE sites nearby coming online will solve the problem. Or an additional LTE carrier being installed on the underperforming site should it be in an area where there is no other sites nearby to help with the load (assuming there is spare spectrum to do so in this area). Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

This guy is claiming that the G2's LTE performance is slower than all devices, including the EVO LTE: http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/2059-network-visionlte-northern-connecticut-market-including-hartfordnew-london/?p=272151 Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

These two links are in reference to the CSFB issue. This has nothing to do with slower LTE. The CSFB issue is explained in this article. http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-357-nexus-5-and-lg-g2-experience-temporary-sprint-lte-connectivity-issues-due-to-circuit-switched-fallback-technology/ CSFB becomes a lesser issue every month and now is isolated only to a few pockets in Samsung markets. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

cliff dweller Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Hit 60 degrees today when the Chinook winds blew in and melted all our snow. We went and played in the park. A little muddy, but fun. Now the snow is blowing back in tonight and we will be below zero tomorrow night. Life in the Black Hills in Winter! Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Upgrades are a still occurring. Too few sites carrying too much traffic. Additional sites spread out the loads allowing speeds to return to normal. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

This is not the case. I am not hearing issues where Triband phones are slower. Sometimes, Triband phones are faster and keep a signal much better. Especially the Nexus 5. You cannot take just one off speed tests. Phones will often connect to different sites, different sectors of a site and even different carriers on the same sector. And then there is the CSFB issue that could allow a Uniband device connect to a closer site than a Triband. But this effect would only be temporary until the closer site gets CSFB. There are just a lot of variables. You really need to run a controlled test and fully understand how to read your engineering screens before you can conclude that. And based on all of our observations to date, there is nothing different about the performance of Triband LTE phones that makes it slower. They are not. And when another band is deployed in your area and the initial Band 25 is clogged up, the Triband is going to be way, way faster than the Uniband LTE devices. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

The issue in Springfield must be the backhaul provider in that locale. All the sites have been upgraded and waiting for backhaul. Almost every other city has at least one site running LTE. Except for Bloomington. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

I believe it is a generic message that went out nationwide in batches. It's gone to people outside Sprint coverage. It's gone to people in places where NV hasn't started yet. It has gone to places that are NV complete. It's going everywhere. Although Shentel is starting to deploy Band 26 LTE according to our sources. They got a small batch of ALU Band 26 cards. I guess there is a major hangup in deliveries on ALU Band 26 LTE carrier cards. ALU will be the last Sprint OEM to deploy Band 26, apparently. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

There are many repeaters on our maps. Are you certain these are Sprint corporate repeaters? As for when, we have only seen one repeater show up with a NV upgrade. And that was in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We have no timeline when they will be upgraded in general. And for 3G, they won't need to be upgraded, as they just repeat the signals they receive, regardless of what the equipment looks like on the initial transmit side. However, for LTE, they would likely need to have their equipment upgraded if it doesn't support the G band. Which was not even a band when most of these repeaters were manufactured. It's possible that many of these repeaters out there will get removed when CDMA 800 and LTE 800 are deployed fully. Probably a good portion, more than half, may be well covered with 800MHz signals making them not necessary. At best, I would say repeaters will be the lowest priority at Network Vision, and at worst they may not upgrade them at all, just counting on 800MHz fixing the problem. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

And we liked it!! Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

They will not deploy LTE in North Central PA for a long time. It is not even scheduled. They deployed GMO sites in your market. I just confirmed this last week with a Samsung deployment manager. If the 3G speeds aren't going to work for you for 2014, you may want to consider another provider. The corridor from Erie to Williamsport will likely be the last part of the Sprint network to get LTE. Even after Hawaii. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro