drlovety

Although there haven't been many reported NV acceptances in the Seattle area in the past few weeks, it appears that Sprint is getting the issues with eCSFB on Band 41 ironed out.  This week, my Galaxy S5 is sitting natively on Band 41 while in the Pioneer Square area, where I used to have to force it to "LTE only" to get to it.  I'm receiving and sending voice calls perfectly, as well.  It's hard to see it, but it looks to me like progress is still being made in the area.

Good to hear!  I'm on a non-triband phone, so I have not seen an improvement.  Unfortunately, I have seen Sprint's network deteriorate since they've rolled out NV.  I have a 15-30 min commute and I'm dropping calls at least once a day.  My commute time is before 6am, when network traffic is low.  Also, my dropped calls are happening at random places, not just a dead zone.  Also, their speeds have suffered.  While I don't need anything over 5mbps, I have seen 4G speeds not reach 1mbps.

Has anyone seen any 800mhz signals?  I know we talked about that a few months back.

Sprint needs to work on coverage, I think their tower spacing was done poorly.  There is no way that VoLTE will ever work effectively the way their towers are spaced here in Seattle.

Has anyone started hearing Sprint's new radio commercials?  They are saying they've got this awesome new network.  I don't think their network (at least in Seattle) is ad blitz ready.

Nope not next to a business.  I have checked the towers near me, they all have the NV equipment, but none of them are live broadcasting, still 3G only.  I have tried my wife's phone and its a galaxy note 3, mine is a galaxy s5.  Same issue on both phones.  More so on the Galaxy S5, but none the less same issue...  I would understand if it were happening while I was driving around, but with the phones being stationary and it happening.  I just find that a bit weird...  

I'm thinking it's a tower problem.  Try being stationary around another tower and see if that occurs.  If it's only happening near you it could be that tower.  Strange.  Please report back if you find a solution.

I saw this over at reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/Sprint/comments/2b49dt/phone_regularly_drops_3g_connection/

Nope its not connecting to an AirRave.  I dialed *99 as the instruction manual online i found says for this:

 

"By dialing *99 on your wireless phone, an audio message will confirm if you are in range of the

AIRAVE. Also, you will hear three short beeps on your wireless phone before making and

receiving calls."

 

It does not do that on either of my 2 phones that are having the problem.  Any other suggestions?  Also I am way to far from any of my neighbors for that to happen as well...

Ok, hmmm.  How long has this been going on?  I ask that because, it also could be another professional microcell.  I have one at work, every time I leave, it drops a call, as it switches from legacy gear to NV.  Are you near a large business that would have a microcell?  I don't think microcells have been upgraded to NV.  You might want to try LTE Discovery, there is a map tab that will show you the location of which (voice) tower you are connected to.  See if it's skipping around.  You have access to the maps, start investigating.  Has the tower that your connected to not been upgraded?  Last time I had access, pretty much all counties but King was upgraded.  Finally, try another phone and see if the same thing happens.

Greetings everyone.  Just curious, I have been having issues recently while on the 3G network here Washington while my phone is sitting still in my home.  I constantly am losing Data (eHRPD) per the Signal Check Pro app.  Its happening quite a few times every hour.  This slows down my data quite a bit, and by slows down, I am meaning ill be using a webpage and it will be fine, then all the sudden it takes forever to load and then when eHRPD comes back it loads fine.  Has anyone else had this issue?  If so does anyone know a solution?  Also note my phone dropped back to EVDO Rev A. earlier today and It took quite a bit to get it back on eHRPD.  I was also having the same issue when connected to that as well.  Thanks for your input.

Ask your neighbor if they have Sprint, and if they do, ask if they have an Airave.  It sounds like your signal is connecting to an Airave rather than a actual sprint tower. Try this, make a call on EVDO Rev A.  If you hear beeps when the call connects, then you are on an Airave.

I have seen what you described because I have an Airave.  I got an Airave because I can't get a Sprint signal in my home.  The only issues I've been having lately are dropped calls (not the legacy to new NV equip dropped calls as towers around me have been upgraded).

 

This was a few min ago in south Marysville.  There's still a big gap between north Everett and Arlington/Smokey Point.

There is a tower off of 116th that does not have upgraded backhaul.  Once there is fiber to the tower, it will buzzin with LTE.

Yeah here in Marysville where I live I'm roaming where I usually get LTE. Wonder if they are doing work on my tower.

 

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Nah, this was an area wide outage.  It appears that things have returned to normal!

http://downdetector.com/status/sprint

There seems to be an outage in Everett/bothell/mill creek area. 1x only service.

I have 4 bars of 3G service on my iPhone and 2 bars on LTE. At home and around my neighbourhood. Anywhere else I go I get 4-5 bars of LTE.

 

Be it Alki-beach, past Roxbury St., Highline, Burien, Renton, Bellevue...

 

I think I just live in a deadzone.

 

If I call Sprint and complain will they actually send a truck out here and survey White Center?

 

I have 15+ people willing and ready to switch but I CAN NOT recommend Sprint without 800Mhz SMR in the Seattle area.

 

Which really sucks.

 

What do you think will arrive first, 800Mhz liberation, or 600Mhz deployment?

 

600Mhz is a MUST for border states.

To your first comment, different bars on 1x/EVDO vs LTE.  LTE is more fragile than 1x/EVDO, which may be a reason for the different bars.  Or, your phone is connecting to a not yet upgraded cell site broadcasting only 3G.  Therefore, your data antenna maybe connecting to an upgraded LTE site further away.  This second scenario would be the best for you, as it would give you HOPE that the tower closest to you would soon be upgraded and giving you great coverage from two towers.  Again, if you were a paid member (not a premier) you'd be able to access this map.

Also, bars aren't everything.  Is your LTE working well with just 1 bar?  If so, you are good!  People would die to have one bar inside their house.

You do not live in a deadzone.  You have 4-5 bars of 3G.  I have no bars of anything and use a Airave to get my cell phone to work.

Sprint will not send a survey truck, heck they won't even send a COW to a Seahawks game like verizon does.

I think 800 is the quickest plan of attack, and while there have been sightings of 800 signals (giving us hope) there isn't anything official.  I believe we are a year to years away from 800, which is just based on the fact that Sprint did not choose to install 800 equipment in the Seattle market.  There has always been talk about Softbank increasing coverage, such as building the network out, but that has been interpretations of what the Softbank CEO said in his speech, nothing official.

Sprint does not own 600, in fact I believe the auction for 600 will be held next year.  From the auction rules that the FCC are considering, it appears the real winner could be T-mo.  It's not clear if the FCC will consider Sprint lower 800 Mhz spectrum comparable.  T-mo just recently acquired a small batch of  low freq spectrum.  While the big three have nationwide lower freq.

If I had people looking at Sprint, I would ask them what they expected from Sprint before recommending them.  Not looking at the cost of plans and unlimited data, what else is needed?  For example, coverage at home and at work.  Those are the two places I need my phone and the places I spend the most time.  Not having coverage at those two places, would drive me NUTS!  If it were a year ago, I would never had recommended Sprint.  Now that NV build-out is coming to an end, I would recommend them.

Good Luck!

Does anyone have the timetable for Band 41 deployment for Seattle, WA?

 

I know 1900Mhz is up and running, but I don't see how 2.5Ghz is gonna help me if I'm only getting 1-2 bars of service (on 1900mhz) at Barton St. & 15th Ave.

The simple answer is, you are unfortunately correct!  2.5Ghz will not propagate as well as 1900Mhz.  So don't bank on it.  However, there are somethings to consider.  First, Sprint and Clear towers are mostly co-located, I think like 60%, therefore 40 % are located separately, which may work in your favor.  Check this site out to see if there is a clear tower near you: http://www.clear.com/coverage  You also need a phone that can access band 41.  The primary objective with Band 41 is to give a bigger pipe, not to increase coverage.  But again, there are some areas where you'll have a clear tower and not a sprint.  This occurred on my old WiMax phone where I'd have no 1x coverage, so call calls went to VM, but I had fast data access as I was near a Clear tower.  Also, sprint is upgrading (most) clear towers, so the tower near you may only be broadcasting in WiMax.  Access to the premier section of this website will help tremulously with roll-out answers.

If coverage stinks now, NV will probably not help you in the Seattle area.  The only hope is Band 26 or 800Mhz, the old Nextel spectrum.  Over the last week, it appears that people have been seeing some 800 signals, but as of now the official status is that Sprint cannot deploy until our FCC comes to an agreement with Canada's version of the FCC.  Since the towers near me do not have 800 mhz gear, I presume it will be years.

Good luck!

I'm not too sure about the legitimacy of these 800MHz "upgrades", however this information is coming from a system we use to view all towers and NV progress on each called Glance. It is most definitely accurate, however I'm not sure if there is a system error showing some sites with active 800MHz 1xRTT or if they actually have the upgrades done.

 

Either way there is a progress graph indicating more towers in the future are slated to get those upgrades so that leads me to believe they aren't errors. Definitely interesting.

 

I PMed Robert with a screenshot of a tower that shows an upgrade done so I'm waiting to hear back from him to see what he thinks.

 

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Any update?  Have you gone to a tower and checked it out?  Like, look at the RRUs?  I've been driving around and have not spotted a 800 Mhz site.

While I wish it was real, I highly doubt it is. The information I have seen in the sponsor section hasn't said anything about 800 up here yet. I don't think the government has made a deal with Canada yet.

I highly doubt it as well, but hopeful!  I know there was a site in Tacoma that showed 800 accepted but Robert said it was a testing site of some short.  The towers around me do not have 800 MHz RRU (but I haven’t checked for 3 mos).  Heck, I don't even know how to force a phone to use 800Mhz, anyone know?  Just luck?  If anyone spots it, please take a screen shot and tell us where the tower is located!

Not to trump the possible 800 news, but I have been getting A LOT of dropped calls.  Everyday actually.  I'm in a fully upgraded NV area.  Has anyone else been experiencing this?  I know there is a lot of work in King County going on, but I'm not in King County and I’m getting dropped call in random places.  Places I've never had dropped calls before.  It's not my phone either, as others have had similar problems.  It's almost WORSE than during the legacy to NV tower transition.  Any ideas?

Unfortunately the information provided is confidential for work related reasons and for the sake of those paying for premier sponsorship accounts. I can say that so far I haven't connected to any myself and that I'll be travelling to one of these sites to try and connect to it

 

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Keep us updated!  Please confirm, this would be great news!

Seeing a lot of 800MHz 1XRTT popping up in West Washington using Sprints internal system. Some even as far north as Everett. I thought they couldn't build 800MHz that far north? System is showing 12 towers so far with these upgrades.

 

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What is "Sprints Internal System?"  You said Everett, which tower?  Has anyone seen their phones connect to 800 MHz?  Great find!

The same site just changed to 4G accepted a few days ago.  I've since rechecked a tri-band device or two and they are all now picking up the LTE signal.  The reason I asked about the different radios picking up different towers is the signal strength shows varies widely between 1x and LTE.

Yes, very common to have full bars, but have spotty LTE coverage.  This is normally due to being very close to a tower not supporting 4G, but the 4G radio is still obtaining some signal from a tower further away.  Always check SignalCheck to obtain the correct LTE "bars." Good to hear a tower was turned on!  Your problems should reduce as more towers are lit up.

Came home this evening and happened to glance at my phone and notice the 4GLTE icon on my Note 3.  The icon has been steady all night, with the signal hovering around -90.  I think the site at Juanita Beach finally had the 4G switch flipped. My old S3 is also showing the 4GLTE indicator.  

 

I also happen to have an S4 Tri-Band here with me as well and it isn't seeing LTE at all. 

 

Question...

 

Can a device pick up two different sites at the same time? One for 1xRTT and another for LTE?

I'm not sure with the tri-phone.  With my EVO LTE, one radio can be connected to a 1XRTT signal (even a different tower), while the LTE radio is also connected.  Check out the SignalCheck app, the app will show you signal information.

You have a tri band phone, so I don't know. It might fall under the eCSFB

Check this article for more info: 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/

I know it's hard for anyone to really be sure, but just wondering if anyone has an idea how long it might take Sprint to get clearance with Canada for 800mhz in northern Washington?

A few on here have said maybe 2016, so it could be after that?

Once approved by the feds, Sprint will then need to install the gear at each cell site.  The completed NV sites near me do not have 800 gear installed, therefore it will take additional time.

That makes perfect sense, I knew that the higher the frequency the less propagation it had so it wouldn't travel as far. I should have put 2+2 together. 

 

Until I work up to a premier sponsor I'm gonna hit up some sprint stores and go to a triband phone and see if I can find band 41 anywhere.

You can also use this link http://www.clear.com/coverage which when you zoom in will show you Clear tower locations.  Of course, the link won't show you which towers have been converted to Band 41, you will need the premier access for that.

Band 41 or 2500 mhz, is a high frequency and doesn't have the reach that 800 mhz has.  If you recall the the WiMax coverage, it was very spotty and I don't think I ever had a WiMax signal inside a building.  The higher the frequency the less propagation, so I couldn't imagine the signal bleeding too far into Canada, if any.  I believe I read somewhere that VZW had to get approval from Canada to use 700 mhz, I wonder how long that took.  I think Sprint has a big chunk of Band 41, which will be a great use for more dense locations, such as outside Clink during a Hawks game!

Here are a few tests down in Federal Way, around 2pm local time. 

 

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/758004699

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/758004095

 

They must be selling more LTE phones, as its actually getting noticeably slower, not just the speed tests. The latency is still pretty good though.

 

And when people must have gone home for the evening around 5pm.

 

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/758126338

 

I got the 'hang in there, we're almost done' text message last month too, like everyone else did. As well as the '$80 per line credit if you renew now' as the contracts are up in a month.

The main thing keeping me is the Google integration, haven't decided yet.

Wait, those are LTE speeds?  Yikes!  Sounds like you are about to jump ship!  I'm also looking too.  I did do some test driving with other carriers.  I know King Co. is way behind in their Sprint LTE build out, so "hang in there!"  However, I'm in Lynnwood and I'm still experiencing dropped calls (there aren't any legacy towers around me) and degraded service.  I will say the biggest reason I'm looking at moving is the lack of 800 Mhz freq.  So, I don't see their network getting better, coverage-wise, which is important for me as 5 out of the last 7 places I've lived, I've had to rely on a Airave in my home.

hey so anyone having difficulties with coverage in downtown seattle with the parade? Im curious to see how the upgrades have helped

I have never (over the past 5 years) had service at Clink during a game (Seahawks, Cougs)...no voice, text, or data...nothing.  It's very frustrating as you walk past a large Verizon COW parked right outside the stadium.  Does anyone know what it takes to get a Sprint COW?  I usually roam my phone on VZW and it works very well.  Also, my work ATT phone works great and I also test drove T-mo, which also worked at a Seahawks game this year.  The only Sprint product that worked was WiMAX, and it worked very well (the best actually, when compared to the other major players).  Again, as one person above pointed out, the equipment in and around the stadium has not been upgraded.  I'm interested to know how this new technology handles large crowds.  But again, it is very frustrating to not have cell service when other providers have improved their service at the game.

I was at the northern part of the parade and cell service was dead,  I could not place a call on Verizon or ATT.  The only thing I could do was text, but thru Verizon of course.  My Sprint service was DOA.  I had 4G LTE on my phone but it didn't work.  However, like mentioned above, I was in an area with only 1 or 2 LTE sites, so all the traffic was being routed to those sites, as I believe most phones will lock to LTE over 3G.  My friend was very mad she couldn't get a call out and asked me what was going on.  I told her to look around to view how many people were on their phone, and it seemed that just about everyone around us was using their phone.  Finally, I've been told that there were anywhere from 700,000 to a million people at the parade/rally, all within a few miles and that police were telling everyone to only use their phones for 911 as nothing was getting through.  I think everyone was having a difficult time with their service provider.  

GO HAWKS!!

I have seen LTE around me in neighboring cities such as Kenmore and have done speed tests where I could get 26 down. It's right around where I live it's still pretty poor. Really bad 3G and spotty voice, getting dropped calls, not receiving or being able to send texts.

 

But I think it may be worth it to stick with Sprint at least for 3 months and see what happens. If I see an improvement like other cities, I'll be very happy. Here is hoping to a big improvement.

 

Thanks JoeJoeJoe

If you have bad 3G now, you will have bad 3G and no 4G when the towers near you are upgraded.  Coverage may improve if say they add equipment to an old nextel tower or they re-position the new NV equipment (for example, moving from the middle of a tower to the top of the tower).  In other parts of the country people are getting better coverage due to 800 Mhz signal.  Sprint is not deploying (nor have I seen an 800 MHz RRH installed in the Seattle area) due to licensing agreements with Canada.  Until that is worked out, which I'm assuming will be at LEAST more than a year since they aren't even installing the equipment NV towers.  I live in a city that has all 3 towers upgraded and I have not seen any coverage difference.  However, speed is absolutely better, if you are connected.  Even 3G is above 1meg down, which in my opinion, is great.

To sum it up, I don't see coverage getting better with NV due to your current 3G coverage, "spotty voice, getting dropped calls, not receiving or being able to send texts."  You might just be in a bad spot.  If you want to stay with Sprint, look at an Airave.  I have one and it basically is a router that plugs into your internet router.  It routes the cell call to VOIP via your home internet.  You can normally get this device free from sprint, you might need to threaten to leave them.  It's not perfect, I do drop calls when I transfer to it or transfer off the Airave, but it does its job very well.

You mentioned verizon and the cost.  VZW is so costly, but you pay for great coverage here in the PNW.  They also use a lower 700 MHz signal (there have been overloading issues recently discussed).  I personally used T-mo (due to their less costly plans) this past month and was surprised.  Their speeds are crazy good, LTE almost everywhere in and around I5.  If I didn't have LTE, I had HSPA+ which is still amazing.  To me it appeared that T-mo had better coverage in the metro area, I also learned they use 1700 MHz, so it can penetrate better than 1900 MHz, I don't know if that made a difference since 1700 and 1900 are so close, but I did see a difference, which may also be due to more or better tower placement, I don't know.  I test drove their network with one of their prepaid providers.  I think that is really the best thing you can do than get stuck with a 2 years VZW contract, especially if you don't know they provide better signal at your house.  Also, T-mo has a feature on their phones where you can call over wifi, no need to get a Airave like Sprint, which is great since you can place and receive calls anywhere on a solid wifi connection.

Good luck!

It's interesting that north and south of the Seattle area is all red and yellow, but the area right around Seattle is all purple. Hopefully, we see more of those in changing to yellow in the near future.

 

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Yeah, I've noticed that too.  There has to be a reason.  One thing that jumps out is it appears most of the purple sites are King Co.  I wonder if this is a permit issue.  Anyone been watching the purple sites?  I wonder if legacy panels are still located on the site.  It may also be a Samsung vendor issue. It is interesting.

Then, feel free to leave for another wireless operator that you think will better suit your needs.  The grass almost always looks greener on the other side.  When you get a closer look, well, hope for the best.

 

And please remember that S4GRU is not the place for Sprint complaints.  Your post does not cross the line, but it could be worded in a more objective way.  Particularly, the assertion that TD-LTE 2600 is irrelevant because you "don't live under a tower" is an inappropriate exaggeration.

 

AJ

AJ-

First off, I started my post that showed that Sprint had improved per the article.  I then talked about my personal experience.  You stated yourself that I didn't cross the line, but your post seemed to suggest otherwise.  Maybe it was my comment about living under a tower.  I read the article from WSJ where it describes Sprint needing 13 to 15 sites to compete with 700 Mhz.  To me, that is significant, especially living in Seattle where we are surrounded my unforgiving terrain and will not see 800 Mhz for an undetermined amount of time.  Also, I can't see how Sprint can justify the cost to build 13 to 15 more sites per one 700 Mhz, the reason for my time to change carrier comment.

Again, I'm not a Sprint hater and did not come here to make people mad.  I like you, hate people that try to do that.  However, I am not excited about the TD-LTE announcement as I don't believe people in my region will reap the benefits (please forgive me if this is considered a compliant).

Go Sprint!

Interesting: http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2013/11/testers-find-wireless-networks.html

Sprint went from a score of 50 to 80 percent.

Anyway, still not impressed, very bitter about this and do not see a reason to stick with Sprint.  For me, it's not the speed, it's coverage and their coverage stinks.  I'm extreme bummed about their 800mhz not including the Puget Sound area.  The 2.5Ghz won't matter at all either, as I don't live under a tower.

Will we need to pay a premium premium data charge?  Super duper premium charge?  Deluxe data charge?  for Spark?