Joeynach

lolll. I have a panic attack evert time I drive to the city.I got used to the country roads .

Country

City

No problem [emoji4] .I'm going to Burbank,and bridgeview area next week.I think that whole area is covers with B41.Warrenville got a strong B41 too.

Cool man when you see my bookie, loan shark, and local teamster rep over there tell them all I said hi.

It's not a low frequency thing.  It's a SMR rebanding thing.  The United States, Canada and Mexico are rebanding their SMR spectrum to align.  And they also have different uses of narrowband transmissions and wideband transmissions in SMR.

 

Once both sides of the border are rebanded and using wideband transmissions, then Sprint will be free to deploy their B26 LTE in border areas.  They will not likely open up the whole border at once, but more likely, one state here and one state there once the spectrum is free and clear of interference on both sides of the border.

Thanks for the insight, but do you know what actually constitutes these border areas that are effected by IBEZ and SMR rebranding.  Seattle is about 100 miles from the Canadian border, a place like San Diego is 12 miles from Mexico, I wonder how they both fall equally into the IBEZ.  There must be some logic to what areas are inclusive and what areas are not.

There is 2.5Ghx being blanketing Seattle. Do you have a 1900Mhz only device? If so, your missing out on LTE. Westwood Village is a good example.

Yeah I know I am working on replacing my device.  Seattle is different from Chicago on B25 though.  It was way overcrowded in Chicago for about a year before a 2nd carrier purchased from US Cellular showed up.  In Seattle when I am on B25 most of the time it is quite useable even during peak hours.  In Chicago at its worst B25 would produce sub 200K speeds consistently, its better now.  I haven't really seen anything below 1Mbps on B25 here, and get 5-7Mpbs normally.

Yeah, finally Seattle and surrounding areas are being covered with 2.5GHz but that is for speed and coverage. 800MHz would be better for voice coverage and building penetration.

 

I am guessing the whole IBEZ issue may be resolved by next year and we may start hearing about 800Mhz (at least I hope)

So what is the "IBEZ" thing.  The FCC won't let Sprint deploy 800Mhz near int'l borders or something?  Does VZW and ATT have the same problem with their low freq spectrum near borders?

20Mbps testing mode.

Testing mode huh, I wonder when they are scheduled to bring Spark online here.  Seattle seems like a goofier market to me than Chicago did.  I see way too many 3G only upgrade sites spread out all across the area for a Samsung market this far along.  I wonder what local factor contributed to that.  In Chicago there were isolated backhaul and permitting issues that had a distinct pattern, usually sites on top of tall buildings and skyscrapers, and other tough locations across the region. It took time, but we were starting with leftover 3G only sites in the dozens, looks like here there are 100 or more.  Curious as to why.

I also don't fully understand the whole IBEZ thing and how it effect Sprint's ability to rollout 800Mhz service, both in the B26 and CDMA 800 areas.  I know thats the reason there is no 800mhz service here, I just don't get how it all works with IBEZ and what that means for actually getting that spectrum turned on here at some point.

Got you, you can still offline whole albums and playlist. But I could see how that would be limiting.

Yeah, I know its prolly abnormal but I am much happier with my entire library available available at my fingertips without having to worry about access and quality of data connection.  The life of an int'l traveler and consulting.  Thats what makes the GS5 Sport looking like my top choice right now.  A 5" N6 or iPhone6 at 64GB would also work.  Also Android L looks pretty damn sweet.

You should consider using google music, just let it match your track's and just stream them, that has made having the music stored locally obsolete.

I fly coast to coast every week now, and internationally a few times a year.  I tend to spend so much time where I need my music on my device without having a data connection (airplanes, subways, etc) to stream.  Thats why its a deal breaker for me.

Hopefully it'll come in a smaller 5" version as well. However, regardless of size, if it's anything like previous Nexus devices, it'll be a no-go for you (and me) because of the lack of expandable storage.

Indeed, thats a deal breaker for me.  Well sort of, there has to be 64 or 128GB versions of the device available since I have 32 gb of music alone.

I'd wait for the nexus 6 to be released before making the jump. It will be a next gen device, faster proc, better battery higher res, bigger screen, might even have CA support and most definitely android L.

 

Hopefully it actually makes it on sprint.

Do u have any info on its release data?  I also see its rumored to be like a Note 4 size phablet though, that's not really my style.

If I go for the GS5 Sport instead of the iPhone6 is it worth waiting for models that will be released with Android L?  I guess there is no clear indication that Android L will be released and available within the coming weeks, but I wonder if people here think its something worth holding out for if it means having it well before it would come via an OTA update.

Robert said there is a major update coming sometime soon for b41 sites and b26. In the tens of thousands!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 on Crapatalk

They are starting to turn on b41 8t8r spark sites in Chicago!! A good time to start thinking about upgrading your membership to have access the maps in Premier section. For the premier members feel free to click the link in my signature and fellow the new map that Tommy, David, Kyle and I have started. Also If you can't upgrade due to money or things going on. But want to help out, feel free to message me your scp logs. Anything helps

I didn't even know there was a premier map for 8t8r sites?  Did I miss this?  I know we have been struggling with updates to B41 maps, but this is huge.  Def worth the $$ for Chicago ppl.

I sold the phone months ago. Probably right after you said no. My post wasn't sales pressure. It's simply the only phone that would let you freely switch between Sprint/gsm/international gsm without any hoops to jump through. I'm just throwing ideas out there because you're still not set on a provider.

 

I know man I was giving you $hit.  I am still enamored with the GS5 Sport.

I still think a nexus 5 is your best bet. Other than the lack of expandable storage. Just get the 32gb, and cloud storage the rest of your stuff. This way, you can sample triband Sprint in Chicago, or go to tmo/AT&T prepaid or postpaid at will. It's cheap, too.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6

Says the dude trying to sell me his Nexus5.  I like the phone a lot, its got the carrier and band flexibility i need, but I told you the no expandable storage is a deal breaker for me.  I have 32GB of music alone I like to keep on my phone for all my coast to coast and long intl flights and such. 

If they refused to unlock your phone .a cheap moto E or G ($119/159) GSM international will do the job,plus a good backup phone

I have a crappy iPhone4 unlocked from ATT with a nice cracked screen, still works though.  I have used this as my intl backup phone in the past, but I really want just one device I can unlock and pop in an intl sim when I am abroad. 

Yes, that should work.

Just cuz Im a rockstar I am going to Argentina and Uruguay too!!  I see the networks are very similar in terms of technology and frequency.  Good for me.

Domestic unlocking will only be guaranteed for phones that launch after February 2015. All of the phones that Sprint sells with a removable UICC have a GSM/W-CDMA radio and can be unlocked for international use. I am sure that it is technically possible for current handsets to be unlocked for domestic GSM/W-CDMA networks, but you basically have to hack the phone to do so- Sprint won't do it for you. The Nexus 5 is your only option if you want that degree of flexibility today.

Got you, I see the GS5 sport supports:

So I assume if I unlock the phone and travel to Brazil where they use GSM I can pop in a local carriers micro-sim and get service.  Thats really all I am looking for, I know there won't be LTE support internationally or on other domestic carriers.

 

That looks like a nice phone. Just promise not to complain next year about the lack of carrier aggregation, B4/12 roaming, or domestic carrier unlocking if you get it

Wait the GS5 sport can't be unlocked?  But the regular GS5 can?  I was planning on unlocking the device and popping in a local SIM if/when I travel internationally.

And OK I won't complain about the phone not having carrier aggregation, I will just buy a new phone if I feel I really need it like a normal person.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend Sprint to anyone going to the University of Chicago, or that lives in the Hyde Park area. Service is fine a couple blocks from the sites on the outskirts where my apartment is, but go on campus or to any apartment in Hyde Park and you can forget about having coverage. B26 has made things better, but a lot of the time in people's apartments I'm on fringe 3G and even outdoors at times I lose my 4G connection. Sprint needs to build another site in the area ASAP. 

I know what you are talking about.  Last time I was down there I couldn't get any coverage indoors on campus, not even 1xRTT or 1x800.  When I was outside on campus if I was behind a certain building in a courtyard I would also get shunned to a faint 3G or 1x signal.  Univ of Chicago is really one of these trouble spots Robert was alluding to, but from my perspective I am less concerned with individual trouble spots unless that trouble spot is my home or work.  Being that my work is city to city now things are different for me.

I have no knowledge of TMo coverage, anywhere.

 

But, I have hung on while Sprint has struggled to upgrade service.  In Chicagoland, when you have a tri-band phone, your service will improve, to good-to-excellent nearly everywhere.  There is very broad coverage of all 3 bands, and 8T8R B41 is starting to take off, as you have seen in the Chicago Premier threads.  My GS5 (and my 2 hotspots) FAR outperform the GS3 (for obvious reasons), and if you stay with Sprint in this market, you will be satisfied.

 

I haven't traveled much outside of Chicago since last spring, but even then, and even before my GS5, I was getting fair to good data (and voice) nearly everywhere I went (Southeast, far West, around the Midwest; Colorado more recently).  I could also connect to B26 & B41 in many places on my Zing.  That was 6 or 7 months ago, and Sprint has upgraded thousands of sectors since then.  There are holes (and Sprint users in the holes are not shy).  I don't know what plan you are on, but if you replace your phone, you will start to consume much more data, and Sprint is also well-positioned to provide larger amounts of plan-covered-data than Magenta.

 

Either choice would likely be satisfactory, at least most of the time, but IMO Sprint will be more satisfactory as the final stages of NV are completed, and from that point into the future.  Many will disagree.

Thanks for the feedback, really good stuff in sharing your experiences.  I am also enamored with the GS5 sport for some reason so that has some weight too.

Joey...You don't sound like you want to stay with Sprint or go to T-Mobile. Why not just port off to Verizon or At&t and be done with it. 

I wouldn't say that, I just want a network that performs consistently no matter where I am in the USA, my needs have changed, I am not rooted to Chicago like in the past.  Have heard really nice things from Spark users, have heard nice things from TMO users.  What will work best for me is the network that is the most consistent from city to city without having to be in one of the carriers known "good markets".

If you never travel rurally, move to Tmo. Some people just fly airport to airport. I hear Legere also gives free backrubs. But he doesn't warm the lotion first.

I have been to Thailand, back rubs are overrated.  I don't expect to be spending too much time in rural areas as a Marketing Technology Consultant, but I do explore when I am assigned to a new location and it isn't beyond me from taking a roadtrip somewhere outside of the city for a weekend or so.  Either way I am city person, as long as my device delivers fast data in the cities I travel, good enough for watching video and slingbox so I can catch Bears/Bulls while on the road and stuff I would be quite happy. 

Honest opinion from my friends here in this forum: Sprint vs. T-Mobile from the National perspective.  I am less interested in just Chicago because my job has me all over the country these days.

You did know that other carriers were willing to buy your ETF right? IF you were actually going to leave.

I was less than enamored with Magenta's buy out your ETF claim.  It was really all smoke and mirrors and a process made difficult on purpose so that you wouldn't follow through.  You had to pay your ETF, then prove to TMobile by way of your bill that you paid it, then submit forms and the bill, wait 8-12 weeks, and get your ETF back in form of a visa gift card.  Less than a painless transition I would say.  Good marketing ploy though.