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ThomasM

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Everything posted by ThomasM

  1. ThomasM
    Ah, that makes sense. So the tower crews are out there doing the tower-top work and installing the new equipment cabinets but aren't adding 4g (or any new features) to the site. On many of the sites I've looked at, the legacy panels are gone so the new Samsung equipment (and antennas) must be on the air transmitting the same formats that the legacy equipment did, correct?
  2. ThomasM
    They have been announcing all kinds of small markets in Wisconsin (Wausau, Fond du Lac, etc.) while actively working on the big markets (Milwaukee, Madison, Kenosha, Racine). I don't think they announce a city/market until every site has every NV option operating and approved. Lately, when driving around I can't find ANY site in Racine County (just south of Milwaukee) or sites in the southern part of Milwaukee County that don't have the new Samsung equipment installed. SInce I don't have a 4g phone, I can't tell how many of them are transmitting 4g but I bet a bunch are!
  3. ThomasM
    Yes, you are exactly correct. And yes, I DID discover one site that has two DIFFERENT BID's on different sectors (not just the fifth digit). I went to the phone's "radio data" screen and the hex number it showed for one of the sites was exactly what SIgnalcheck displayed (the first four digits). I wonder where the phone's own debug screen is getting that fifth digit from? Not only that, many of the sites north of me in Milwaukee KEPT their old 4-digit BID and also KEPT their old "quasi-location" coordinates which turn out to be about a mile from the tower in the center of that sector's coverage. All of the new 5-digit BID sites transmit the EXACT coordinates of the tower itself on all three sectors.
  4. ThomasM
    Glad you mentioned the BID. When the NV upgrades began, some of the sites in my area got a new BID-a FIVE DIGIT ONE according to the LG debug screen. From what I've determined, the first 4 digits are the same for a given tower but the fifth digit changes depending on the sector. Is this really a new 5-digit BID (that your app and all the others DOESN'T display that 5th digit) or is that fifth digit generated from somewhere else?
  5. ThomasM
    Uh-huh. Downloaded the latest version this morning and then went out for lunch. The app doesn't stop updating anymore! By the way, any time someone says to me "if you don't know what this is you don't need it" (your app description for "hint") it drives me crazy!! The "hint" for my local site says 366 (sector 1). What info from the site are you using to populate this field?
  6. ThomasM
    It works...then stops updating...and then STARTS UPDATING AGAIN with no user interaction. It bugs me too. I don't know which "frozen dessert" it is but it's version 2.3.3 Maybe it's Hot Fudge Sundae with NO cherry!!!
  7. ThomasM
    Hey, I'll try anything!!! I turned on "network based location" and watched Signalcheck while driving around. Unfortunately, the same thing happened so on my phone that's not what's causing the app to not update location info. Maybe it's something screwy on my particular phone model. Whatever method LG is using to update it's own internal debug screen must bypass Android as it never locks up and always reports site changes in real time.
  8. ThomasM
    When I used to work at Nextel we had a service facility at the location I was at. Things were pretty much the same as it is now at Sprint-you could get a service contract which paid for problems or you could just chance it. And just as mentioned previously, the folks with broken phones and no service contract were very annoyed when they were told how much it would cost to repair the phone. This is just like a flat screen TV or a refrigerator or a washing machine with one important difference. These devices just sit there and their service history has little to do with the specific purchaser. No so with cell phones. I couldn't believe what some of the phones looked like that came in for service. They looked like someone used them as a football-all scratched up and filthy. Now THOSE are the customers that are crazy if they don't pay for the service contract. Then there are some folks whose phone looks like the day it came out of the box (I'm one of them). If my phone requires service, it will be for an internal problem like a bad chip. But most of those types of problems (bad chip, circuit board, jack, etc.) show up in the first year and would be covered by the manufacturer's warranty. The catch is that you have to send it back to the manufacturer yourself (and do without a phone in the meantime). I asked someone at Sprint about this and they told me that when I upgrade my phone be sure to hang on to the old one. They told me that Spint is happy to "swap" phones in such a situation no charge and then swap back when the broken phone comes back from the manufacturer repaired.
  9. ThomasM
    On Sprint's web site if you click on "detailed usage" they break down the DATA as "Sprint 3G data roaming"-at least on my account. But VOICE minutes look the same. I guess the only way to keep track is to tell your phone to warn you when it is roaming (mine pops up a message just before the call is placed offering to continue or abort the call). And then if you click continue check the call in your call log for the time. You could just selectively delete all NON-ROAMING calls thus keeping only roaming calls in your log.
  10. ThomasM
    Perhaps so, but telling subscribers that "we are going to keep an eye on you and if you exceed our (secret) roaming pattern limits we will disconnect your phone" isn't very professional in my opinion.
  11. ThomasM
    Nope. But it makes no difference if the phone is set to "use cellular network for location updates" (or some such wording) or if the phone is set to use the works (cell network and GPS). I tried troubleshooting this issue for weeks and even tried several more cell site tracking programs all with the same result. Stupid phone!! Luckily, I only have 5 more months until I am eligible for an upgrade (hopefully to a 4g phone).
  12. ThomasM
    Yeah, I figured that one out!! When I run CDMA Field Test Drive and SignalCheck at the same time it drives CDMA Field Test Drive crazy!! Apparently, SignalCheck forces those updates very often causing CDMA FTD to think an update has occurred and thus putting another entry in the log file. In a matter of 30 seconds there are LOADS of entries in it's log file while when it is running without SignalCheck also running it only puts an entry in it's log file when like you said the phone thinks something has changed. But running the apps individually they still exhibit that issue where they just mysteriously stop updating...and then start again!
  13. ThomasM
    Actually, the Sprint site is one of my favorites. It's in the back of a church on 42nd and Oklahoma. It looks like a TV tower and you'd never suspect it's a cellular site! Last time I drove by it (on one of my treks to Discount Liquor!) it still had the three weird looking antennas on each leg of the tower. It's easy to miss it so look for the big church and drive around the block. You won't believe it's a cell site either!!
  14. ThomasM
    I was considering taking a vacation to a place with no Sprint coverage. My plan info regarding roaming states "300 Mb OR A MAJORITY OF DATA" and "800 minutes OR A MAJORITY OF MINUTES". What does THAT mean? So I asked. I got a snippy email reply telling me I could use 300Mb of data and/or 800 minutes while on my vacation with no additional charge BUT SPRINT CAREFULLY MONITORS ROAMING AND IF THIS BECAME A PATTERN MY ACCOUNT WAS SUBJECT TO TERMINATION. OK, so what's this "majority" bit? Apparently you can use more than 300Mb of data and more than 800 minutes in a roaming area if you use lots more data and voice on the Sprint network during that billing cycle. DId you ever hear of such a stupid, ambiguous limit? Considering that everything regarding cellular service is explained in explicit tiny print on the contract, I am curious exactly what the "tipping point" is that irks them enough to cancel a line.
  15. ThomasM
    The SignalCheck app is still running and the icons in the task bar still accurately show the signal levels. Exiting the app and restarting it make no difference. The SITE INFO (Base ID, Street Address, etc.) stops updating. Memory isn't an issue as I have learned how the kooky memory management feature of Android works. That is why I shut the phone off and turn it on when I am going to be taking a drive and monitoring sites without loading any other apps. And it isn't the app "falling asleep" either as I use the SignalCheck feature to not let the screen go off when the app is in the foreground. This same phenomenon does exactly the same thing when using CDMA Field Test Drive, another site monitoring app. That program does do logging and after 10 or 15 minutes of no updates they suddenly begin again.....just like SignalCheck. Since the LG debug screen doesn't suffer from the lapse in updating, I can only assume it is Android refusing to update the app.
  16. ThomasM
    I'm just curious-how much is this "my way" plan from Sprint? I haven't priced plans in a long time....
  17. ThomasM
    I still can't believe signalcheck works so well on my ancient (non-4g) LG Optimus S!! I have seen Android stop allowing signalcheck to update but I've noticed the LG Debug screen must somehow bypass Android as it ALWAYS shows the exact cell info in real time. I sure hope you have logging of some sort in your new update which I noticed on your website was one of the requests. Maybe just let us view the "cache" file of site street addresses which knows if a site has been looked up on the internet before because it displays the site address in lower case.
  18. ThomasM
    UPDATE! I finally got frazzled about my dropped call issue and Monday (10-14) was a beautiful autumn day so I decided to do a little field testing on my problem. FIrst, I drove up to the tower which seems to be the root of all the problems. (North Cape, a little 'burg in the middle of Racine County, WI). Much to my surprise, all of the legacy equipment was gone except for the 800MHz Nextel antennas (this was a shared tower). At the very top of the tower was a new Samsung panel on each face. (So it's no longer a legacy site even though it may not be 4g yet). I know from talking to friends that the tower serving my home on interstate 94 and county highway g IS 4g and all the legacy antennas are gone. So I began a voice call in front of the North Cape tower and began driving towards the highway g tower. As I was driving I had the engineering screen displaying the "active sets" and the "neighbor sets" PN codes. The call just hung on the PN codes from the North Cape tower as the call quality got poorer and poorer. I dragged the call on that tower until I was within a half mile of the highway g tower. Call quality was horrible-I couldn't believe the call hadn't dropped! But then it did with NO BARS being displayed. Within 15 seconds the phone rescanned and found the highway g tower and displayed full bars. It also displayed ALL DIFFERENT PN CODES! I think the goofs in the Sprint engineering dept. have the wrong neighbor set PN codes programmed into North Cape such that if a poor phone ends up on that tower it doesn't know how to hand off to the adjoining towers! The dropped call scenario only involves being unfortunate enough to be the coverage area of that tower. If you begin a call on another tower and drive into the "bad" towers area, the call can't hand off to it. And, of course, I described what happens if you BEGIN a call in it's area. Now, how could you ever convey something like that to Sprint without getting the usual "it will get better after NV is complete" routine???
  19. ThomasM
    I was visiting Menard's today on 27th Street between College Ave and Rawson Ave. It appears every cellular carrier in Milwaukee is either on the huge water tower or stand-alone tower right next to it just off Menard's parking lot. While walking to the store, I did a close examination of all the cellular antennas and I could swear the top three antennas on the standalone tower are the Samsung NV setup. They are just below a red light at the top of the tower. Too bad I have to wait until early next year to get a 4G phone or I could have reported if 4G was actually active on this site.
  20. ThomasM
    I ran some more tests today on my voice issues. I placed a call in a known non-NV area and looked at the debug screen. As I drove towards home, you could see the active PN sets change and the phone move to the next site.....until I left the area and got closer to my home area which now has a new NID and some NV upgrades (but maybe not full 4G). As I got closer to the tower that serves my home, the call quality got poorer and poorer. And the Rx signal level kept dropping even though I was only a half mile from the next tower. I exited the freeway right where my local Sprint tower is but the quality of my voice call was awful and the active PN on the debug screen WASN'T the one being transmitted by the tower I was in front of! Literally, I was "dragging" a tower from miles away instead of utilizing the tower right next to me. Then I disconnected the call. The base ID went to ZERO for about 15 seconds and then it "found" the tower I was parked in front of and, of course I had full bars and an Rx level of -57 which is super. I wonder how many complaints Sprint is getting from folks who do not understand that calls aren't being handed off between towers during this NV upgrade. And, of course, Sprint customer service hasn't a clue either-they just read the script stating that the service might not be too good until the upgrade is complete.....while customers defect to the competitors. If I didn't know what was going on I'd be shopping around right now too.
  21. ThomasM
    I remember when that tower was built. It was owned by NEXTEL and was one of a handful of very tall sites they installed in the Milwaukee area to expand their Chicago coverage. They didn't open an office in Milwaukee and begin marketing the service until 1997. I know-I went to work for them in February 1998!! When it went up it had only three 10dB omnidirectional fiberglass antennas at the top and BOY did it have coverage!!!
  22. ThomasM
    Hee hee! Thanks for all the comments especially the one about the screen name. I use it on most blogs since Thomas really IS my name and my last name begins with M!! I hope to have a good time here learning things about NV and maybe even contributing a few things too... Now I have to come up with an appropriate avatar.
  23. ThomasM
    I just discovered this site yesterday and already I've learned a lot more than I ever thought I would about Network Vision!! I worked for Nextel for 7 years doing IT for all of their Wisconsin locations (until Sprint came along) But not one to hold a grudge, I still have a Sprint phone and I got a really nice early retirement package in any event. I knew iDEN backwards and forewards but now I'm learning about CDMA and, of course, Network VIsion. It sure is a different animal!! Even though I still have a lowly LG Optimus S, when it's time for an upgrade early next year I'll probably spring for a 4GLTE phone since by then the network in my area will actually support it.
  24. ThomasM
    Thanks for all the replies! I DID read that PRL article and it was very informative. I worked for Nextel for 7 years so I know all about towers and knew iDEN backwards and forewards. But CDMA is a new animal for me as I finally knuckled under in July 2012 and switched to a CDMA smartphone. In the past year I've been reading everything I can about CDMA, 3G, 4GLTE and all the other niceties Sprint is into now. Also, 1900MHz was a new experience for me. It sure doesn't act like 800MHz!! One hill between you and the tower and bye-bye-HA HA. Thomas
  25. ThomasM
    Hi everyone! First post here.... The towers in my area are currently being upgraded to NV (Racine County, WI just south of Milwaukee) I noticed that the NID changed from 84 to 224 on many towers in my area and at the same time 3G dataspeed went way up after being pitiful for a couple months. The map reports spotty 4G coverage in my area also. I don't know as I haven't popped the extra $10 a month for a 4G phone yet since there was no telling when it would be available when I bought my last phone. So now here's the BIZARRE thing I am experiencing since this "half converted to NV" has begun. When I place a voice call IT DOESN'T HAND OFF!! Yup, I drag whatever tower I am on until I just run out of it's coverage and the call drops! Then the phone rescans and logs on to the closest tower. On one call, I had almost driven right up to the next site before the call dropped and then, of course, after a rescan I got full bars. Has anyone experienced this? Could this be due to misprogrammed neighbor sets? Sprint, of course, offers the "canned" responses about NV which are of no help. I have seen numerous posts on the Sprint web site in the blogs about dropped calls but the folks doing the posting have no clue WHY the calls are dropping. I updated my PRL and PROFILE (of course) to no avail. It's not the phone either because when I visit Milwaukee (that still has NID 84) things work perfectly. Oh, I also noticed that the base ID's all changed when the NID changed. And now they are transmitting the ACTUAL tower coordinates while before they transmitted a "pseudo" coordinate that was about a mile from the tower in the direction of that particular sector.
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