Trip

Mike, Two things: 1) My MetroPCS phone won't roam on AT&T, but does connect to AT&T GSM when all else fails in case it needs to make a 911 call. However, when it makes those connections, it doesn't report the Provider information. Despite this, it shows the text about adding a site note, but if you tap it, it says it can't add one. Would it be possible to either have it log sites without provider information, or have it not show the text about adding a site note if it's just going to fail when I tap it? 2) Do you happen to know what phones people are using on Verizon (13/4), AT&T (2/4/5/17), and US Cellular (5/12) with SignalCheck that properly show GCI/PCI? I'm trying to buy cheapie phones to be able to track/map all carriers, like I've already done with my MetroPCS phone for T-Mobile, but SCP compatibility is obviously not something that is regularly reported in reviews. Thanks. - Trip

I rode up US-15 yesterday and confirmed that of the six nTelos sites I pass, Carysbrook, Gordonsville, Madison Run, and Orange all do not have B25. Palmyra probably does not have B25. (I saw the signal on my analyzer, but not strong enough to have been on the tower I was passing unless it was just very weak for some reason. More likely I was just seeing B25 from a distant site.) The tower at Troy, though, south of Zion Crossroads, did appear to have B25 according to my analyzer (got up to -65 dBm on it), but my phone would not connect to it. There wasn't a good place to pull over and tinker, and a profile update as I was going by didn't bring it up either. I can also confirm that the Sprint site at Zion Crossroads also still does not have B25. Finally, and off subject, but nothing pisses me off quite like dropping from B25 LTE at -105 dBm to Verizon 1X roaming in a matter of seconds, with nothing in between. - Trip

Deval, Any further information on this? Thanks again. Everyone, I went over to my wife's parents' house today for Thanksgiving dinner (she came here yesterday) and while I was there, I walked around with her father, my spectrum analyzer, and my phones. While I wasn't able to get my Sprint phone to pick up anything besides US Cellular 1X outside and the spectrum analyzer didn't show anything, my T-Mobile phone did connect to the site in question with LTE, at -122 dBm on PCS. Given that Sprint is on 800 MHz and I will be looking with a high-gain directional antenna at some height rather than a cheapie phone on the ground, I don't think the number sees unreasonable. All I need to do is pick out a booster. - Trip

Looking at the LTE data included in those files, I am pretty confident that: 0188B5 is Low Moor 0188B6 is Mallow 0188D3 is Selma Let me know if you agree and either I can add it to the LTE map or you can. I'm less confident, but think it's possible that: 0188B7 is Rivermont 0188B9 is Covington 0188C4 is Sharon 0188F0 is Cliftondale Park If some of these are correct, looking at the CDMA data in the spreadsheet now, there may be a mapping between the CDMA BSID and the LTE GCI, which would be EXTREMELY helpful if true. Note: Low Moor = 2x15 = 188B5 Mallow = 2x16 = 188B6 Selma = 2x33 = 188D3 Sharon = 2x24 = 188C4 (possible) Can't rule out a coincidence, but it sure looks like there's a correlation. I'm hoping to be able to add some data from US-15 tomorrow. Appomattox today was a bust; the analyzer showed nothing at all on G-block or SMR, so no LTE there yet. I did, however, get a few more CDMA sites pinned down as a result and just added those to the spreadsheet but did not update the map. - Trip

Were you connected to EV-DO? I only see 1X in your notifications bar, but it looks like there are too many notifications to show them all. - Trip

Well, in Appomattox with my phones and spectrum analyzer. Survey says... http://i.imgur.com/fBWHeK4.png Not yet. - Trip

The roaming indicator appears over the signal level indicator, not over the 3G/4G icons. There are plenty of images in the nTelos thread from before the past week showing the nTelos LTE service as LTE roaming. EDIT: Guess it depends on whether you have the spinning spark or not, but here's a picture: http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4897-lte-ntelos-west-virginia-nw-virginia-shentel-network-vision-soon%E2%84%A2/page-74?p=443043&do=findComment&comment=443043 - Trip

If they were to do no LTE roaming on Verizon, then couldn't they say there's a lower cap on 3G roaming (where Verizon is available) and a higher cap on LTE roaming where Verizon is not available? Or would that be too confusing? - Trip

So, did anyone ever dump 55030? I'm glad to analyze it but I need the file with which to do so. - Trip

Yes. They have LTE where my parents live (they have an LTE hotspot, and I had LTE there before I switched to Sprint) and own no spectrum there besides CLR. See here: http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/6741-us-cellular-roaming-and-technical-thoughts/?p=393641 - Trip

I'm hoping they use MFBI on their Band 5 LTE so that Band 26 devices can access it, but we'll see. - Trip

It looks exactly like Sprint's map. I know the rural Virginia cell towers very well and if it was T-Mobile, there would be LTE coverage in eastern Fluvanna County near Kents Store (which shows as no coverage). If it was Verizon or AT&T, there would be coverage between Orange and Culpeper. And it's missing LTE coverage in Culpeper itself, which is also missing from the official Sprint map even though B25 and B26 are both present there. - Trip

Please do B26 MFBI... - Trip

On Saturday I'll be returning from my parents' house via the normal route up US-15 and I'll be trying to see if any of the 6 nTelos sites I pass have LTE. I've updated my PRL and profile; is there anything else I should do to prepare for it? I will bring my spectrum analyzer so that I can look and see if G-block or SMR LTE is active so at least if I don't see it and it's not on my analyzer I don't sit there for a long time wondering. - Trip

If you have some coordinates or an address or something, it might be possible to dig up some FCC or FAA records on it. - Trip

As Ryan said, LTE doesn't support BSL information like CDMA does. But with your logs (plus the logs of others!) we could put together a database file that puts the current site information in the Site Note field. - Trip

Would you mind logging the trip with SCP, or can you do both at once? Flompholph and I would love to have your logs for both the nTelos and Richmond parts. - Trip

Under Preferences, enter Location Settings and check the "Enable Location Service" checkbox. I usually set the priority to high accuracy but that makes battery drain a concern, so I don't recommend most people do that. Under Logger Settings, check the Enable Site Logger checkbox, and if the "log sites with missing GCI" is checked, uncheck that. Then after a few days, do some log exports and we'll take a good look! Thanks! - Trip

Yes, SCP users, please turn on logging and be sure the "Enable Location Services" checkbox is checked. - Trip

When Shentel is done with it, it will be amazing. We just have to get that far. - Trip

By the way, are the Sprint NV antennas vertically polarized or is it elliptical or circular? - Trip

Well, yes, of course it needs a directional antenna. But if the amp is going to fail to pass (or only partially pass) the bands I need, then it won't help. I'm already planning to go big or go home with this. - Trip

Not to go wildly off subject, but... really? I didn't think anyone actually believed T-Mobile's numbers. I know I don't. Way too many holes in the coverage (when you think about how wildly overstated the maps are) to actually reach that many people in a serious way. By contrast, at least Sprint roams in places where it has no coverage. True, I see T-Mobile native in more places than I see Sprint, but I have nTelos (which will soon be Sprint) and US Cellular and the RRPP members to fall back on (albeit in 3G--beats "No Service"). T-Mobile may be moving in that direction, but nothing is announced yet. I have that on Sprint today. - Trip

Thanks, that would be amazing. If I'm going to spend several hundred dollars on such equipment, I want to make sure I'm not wasting my money. - Trip

I said "buy or bring." Buy would be the headline, what goes in the TV commercial, but you could bring your own if you wanted and it was compatible. - Trip