belusnecropolis

9 minutes ago, notsrealinc said:

I got the MSL code, took about 30 seconds with Chat tech support.

Is it device specific or something like 123456?

Dish provides a greenfield 5g opportunity, 4g capacity or a partnerconglomerllcship. American grit as Charlie has described it from 2014-now has not built a network for cellular. Grit ain't free, spectrum only squawks if you energize it, and interest will bear soon. 

Band 70 would be neat. NR 70 would be sweet.  

I took 3 months but I was able to get my free year line cancelled. Unfortunately I still have the magic box. The chat agent said keep it a couple months ago, but that is how mystery collections letters show up. I will just harvest it for parts and return it, but who do I get in touch with to complete the return process? I have no label or shipping box. 

After your update kicks in, maybe start here fren.
 

Just takes a few for approval some days, but never long.

S4GRU is the spot, you will like it. 

Imagine inflicting Comcast customer service + Sprint customer service on a customer base.

12 minutes ago, ingenium said:

Maybe scan the QR code with your phone to see what it says? I use Barcode Scanner https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.zxing.client.android and it copies the text of the QR code to the clipboard automatically.

 

After a bit more research, the ICCID equivalent for an eSIM is the EID I believe. It's longer and is static for the device. The QR code tells the device where to go to download the the eSIM profile for the line you're trying to associate it with. It requires an alternative internet connection already present (ie, on a phone you need wifi, it can't use the network of the provider you're trying to add). The QR codes are one time use. Once you use it to set up an eSIM on a line, if you want to move the line to a different eSIM, you need a new QR code.

 

There must be some generated ID of some sort for the eSIM as well, since the spec says that you can have multiple profiles for a carrier on the same eSIM. So for example, you can have 2+ T-Mobile lines on the same device/eSIM, and switch between them.

 

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Oh that is super nice! Thanks a million. In the meantime I tried my VZW prepaid line and no fortune was found. I will ask Sierra Wireless for a portal that provides me more information on activation too. I see a lot of these around now, the newer model is B14 capable and being installed in firstnet capable vehicles. Sure seems like something Sierra would want to utilize in a nice uniform policy.

There are two QR code on the EM7565 for an IMEI and what I am presuming is the esim. Both are followed by just the numbers, they are engraved or laser printed in to the finish of the body. Model, FCC, IC id, Product of Vietnam. There is another lower and left 7 digit number, no idea.

The LM960 has a plain finish. There is a sticker with a single QR code. Next to the QR code the IMEI, Model, FCCid, IC number, and then underneath it says assembled in china. 

I will go with the EM7565 since I have more info, and the LM960 is my stable daily driver.

1 minute ago, ingenium said:

What modems have them? Presumably there will be a way to enter the data from the QR code if you decode it. Not sure if it's just a number (like an ICCID), or if it's more like a cryptographic certificate (base64 encoded I assume). The issue with Sprint is that they register the IMEI too. That's why on the Pixel 3 there is a dedicated option for Sprint, then the QR code option for everyone else.

My understanding is that the eSIM QR code is generated for the current eSIM ICCID (it can generate multiple ICCIDs to allow multiple eSIMs to be on the device). So the equivalent of swapping the SIM into an "unsupported" device isn't possible; the QR code is valid only for the device it was generated for.

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Sierra Wireless EM7565 Telit LM960 and LM940. Thanks for the good info there, that helps a lot and seems like how Sprint usually operates on sim in the prior form, confusing and a customer support nightmare.

Hey, no one knew we could get a hotswap or a Sprint sim to actually work, then one day I just tried it and here we are. I will see what I can come up with.

You can also pick up a Raspberry Pi or ZBT 826 router and an M.2/mPCIe LTE radio and USB adapter for less than 150 bucks. This would be carrier agnostic, you can log all day and not have to worry about running an app with the screen on your phone. You can lock bands, scan channels manually, configure your own carrier aggregation combos and even hook up a directional for more precise hunting. Just insert or swap any sim , set APN and go, which is a RARE BIRD in Sprint land. The Red Speckled Spotted hotswap SIM is real. Takes about an hour or two to build if you are slow.

Also, you now have WiFi/fast ethernet available to share your sim's data connection and you can use a larger screen device for better browsing and live log viewing.

I wonder how much of a nightmare it will be to get esim activated on an embedded radio, on Sprint?

4 hours ago, brockeb1 said:

Fairly certain Sprint Spectrum is broadcasting from 5 other sites in the city as well, but don't have a way to double check at this point.

Ask that mod or check that premiere map fren.

8 minutes ago, dro1984 said:

I believe they had to turn the 900 band over to the Feds.    In exchange they got another small slice of 1900 (G-Band?)... part of the re-banding agreement??....can't remember the whole saga...

https://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/sprint-sells-900-mhz-spectrum-to-firm-led-by-nextel-co-founders

https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/pdvwireless-optimistic-900-mhz-band-will-see-action-soon

Sold to a PrivateCo, they would like to get a rulemaking clearing up the channel for legacy users and make the rest a skinny LTE network for utilities.

2 hours ago, dnwk said:

I am trying to buy small indoor antennas for my LTE module. When I read specs for an antenna, e.g. https://linxtechnologies.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/ant-lte-ws-sma.pdf

Why the average gain is in negative? Does it mean the antenna is actually losing power? I found most antenna is negative in gain for average gains. e.g. https://cdn.taoglas.com/datasheets/TG.30.8113.pdf

I don't know what it means.

It just the mathematics and the dark wizardry an engineer uses to measure power gain. It is a logarithmic measurement. dBm is a decibel milli watt, this assumes you use a reference of 1 milli watt. One way to measure is when

P(dBm) = Power expressed in dBm   
P(W) = the absolute power measured in Watts   
mW = milliWatts   
log10 = log to base 10 then P(dBm) = 10 · log10( P(W) / 1mW ) 
= 1 watt is 30dBm
Every time you gain 3 dBm you double your power. So -3 dBm is twice as powerful or larger than -6 dBm 



I usually roll in it up as a power of 10, this is negative in our case since it is a logarithm.  10^3 = 1000 while 10^-3 = 0.001. So with a power of 75 P(dBm) = 10 · log10( P(W) / 1mW )

If your transmitter has a very strong power of 75 then a receiver in the negative power of -75 is ideal.


tl;dr Real world -20 dBm or higher gain is pretty phenominal. you will see about -3 dBm from any paddle style antennae. It is just how gain is measured.  -99 god tier, -3 a bit better than some phones.

41 minutes ago, dro1984 said:

How much EBS Spectrum is left to give out or auction?

According to Mr. Nick about 50% of the nation and 15% of the population.

Just received an email from Calyx Institute. They ride on the EBS lease resellers agreement. Looks like they are asking for legislation to expand or extend the original lease agreement style of giving to publicish entities over auctioning the rest of the available EBS leases.

"Dear Member,

The Calyx Institute relies on the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum to provide unlimited wireless internet to members like you. However, after nearly 20 years of taking no action to expand EBS availibility, the Federal Communications Commisison is discussing how to license the rest of EBS.

Can you ask Congress to preserve the education requirement for EBS licenses?

We've heard from many of you that our wireless membership benefit program has been crucial to keeping you online and connected to the Internet. We're working with our friends and partners at Voqal to ensure that EBS is used to help even more communities, families, and individuals are connected for decades to come.

*Your current internet service is not at risk.* This is about expanding EBS availability to other parts of the country where it has been unavailable since the middle of the 1990s.

Please reach out to your member of Congress through this link to ensure that this public resource services its highest and best use – connecting students, families and communities that would otherwise lack internet access. You can help by telling the FCC and your Congressional representatives to Save EBS here.
 

Thanks!

Nicholas Merrill, Executive Director

The Calyx Institute

14 minutes ago, ingenium said:

For home internet via LTE, if you can get an AT&T signal and are open to buying some equipment (modem, possibly a router, and antennas), there is a solution that works and might be faster.

14 minutes ago, ingenium said:

This is the only, or was, my only option for home internet. I have 4 phones and 1 mifi device connected to the MB and now it is unusable at best

Get your gear here.

https://ltefix.com/

I do most of my shitposting here these days.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LTE.HACKS/ 

5 hours ago, dnwk said:

What is the motherboard for the routers?

MT7621 I pulled from a WG3526-p

I agree with his statement, what am I supposed to do with 5GHz of capacity at 70 or 90GHz the FCC is working on next week. If I needed that kind of capacity at feasible distance, I would run a jumper or strand to it. Need to work out that mid band mess some more. Still a lot of legacy out there for the couple years in many existing licenses. Dish has all the spare the market could handle a couple years ago, and that took substantial time to get worked through the system that gave us AWS-4. I see why he wants that 2.5 more everyday.

1 hour ago, RedSpark said:

Sprint’s recent FCC Filing is enough to get you depressed... Holy cow they’re in trouble.

https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/10415297968006/Sprint%20Standalone%20Ex%20Parte%20-%20REDACTED%20-%20FINAL%20-%204.15.2019%20%5BAS-FILED%5D.pdf

There’s so much in this it’s frankly overwhelming, but here are these nuggets:

“Footnote 55: Sprint chose not to participate in the 600 MHz auction in 2016 partly due to lack of financial resources and the need to spend cash on more immediate network needs, and partly because at the time it expected to successfully densify its network using monopoles, which would have reduced the need for low band spectrum.”

Page 33: ”Churn-bomb”

Page 38: “Liquidity Wall”

If you think they’re telling the truth here, Sprint is in deep trouble...

I like to think one of our many shitposts was quoted [BEGIN HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL] [END HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL]then [REDACTED IN FULL] to help scare the regulamuhtaters.

The government just announced another 20.4 billion USD in handouts for ISP's to build their networks out to 4 million more homes. On top of the billions doled out via CAF1 and CAF2. Rural, tribal and urban networks are being financed, subsidized or loan guaranteed to get free revenue streams for carriers by government. Why building out towers to these hard to reach customers or laying fiber in cities with degrading DSL, or other areas without competition is so hard seems to be a culture of unwillingness on the part of incumbent providers to do the actual work to meet these demands. These is a lot of demand. Depending who you ask, 25-50 million United States citizens lacking reliable and fast connections.

The incentives are there for literally every seat at the table. It is an easy make work project for the government and they can say they are connecting Y under X'ed users or whatever group is currently fashionable to market. The leaders of examplecorp get feelgood points to further ingratiate to the folks handing out our bucks, and get something the kids these days call brand potential, influencer credential, charting clout and the ever coveted status of disruptor. Plus all the Jobs! Beating China! Connected America! Smart Cities! It would be a marketing speak big bang.

When the you have all these pieces coming together, you literally can't count on the rubber to hit the road and tear ass up the track if the tire is deflated. I don't believe another round of combining conglomerates will have or has been yet, as successful as we would have hoped at this point in time tackling the tough work of completing the job. It should have been done the last time. T-mobile is expanding at a brisk pace, it can complete that either way. In fact to keep the license they have too. All of the tools have been there for a long time, 700MHz was a decade ago, this transaction mostly just rewards foreign shareholders and will be marketed as exactly the opposite.

1 hour ago, Tengen31 said:

TMobile stands to lose if they don't make good on their promises. They told the govt better rural coverage so they Dam well better

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3 minutes ago, Brad The Beast said:

Really? Why bother putting up equipment if you can't use it?

Just another effect of construction. It may be in an inopportune place or having difficulty with permitting and bureaucracy, maybe lining up associated trades to work on that site.

Another issue is areas that have fiber or microwave, but the backhaul is simply provisioned much lower than they have a capacity to deliver. Areas that exceed capacity needs with installed equipment may be forward thinking, but not allowing that capacity in an area it is installed in, even if undersubscribed is common. 

Just now, Brad The Beast said:

I think backhaul is one of the most expensive things isn't it?

It is high on the list of operating expenses with power and leasing yes.

1 minute ago, Brad The Beast said:

Yeah. In the three years I've been here I've seen 1 new tower go up in the entire state. It makes sense.

Yeah but a corner in NY that has 12% market capture has 1000Mb p/s throughput gear, but can't afford to upgrade the backhaul to get it there for some reason.

1 minute ago, Brad The Beast said:

So would it be safe to say that you are saying to expand into areas where Sprint could make a good reputation for itself (pretty much areas that don't have service yet)? 

Indeed, they have a large enough spend of 5 billion. Imagine allocating a decent source of that to the idea of expansion to grab more market share. You know what a neglected network experience is like in the Dakotas, Montana went by the wayside. You don't need blanket layered service like a city, but you could get there cheap. You also do not run the risk of overspend when your operating costs are so much lower from a capacity standpoint of 2.5. Further upgrading technology in an area that literally is not giving you the time of day requires maximum marketing. The cost of acquiring new customers in an area you did not service is the cost of flyers, a billboard or two and some airtime.

The cost of telling LA you are really gonna offer great awesome service this time, promise! requires TeeVee spend, a rebranding effort and a ton of resources diverted from possible network spend and if we are to believe the talking heads a straight up merger. That merger also uses the economic advantages of scale, rural expansion and increased services as a reference for how NewCo will be able to finance and expand at brisker pace due to new service revenue.

Just now, Brad The Beast said:

But certainly I could subsidize my urban users by improving services in their area, providing the ability to earn more paying customers? Then I'm increasing my ability to earn more money, thus making more money available for rural expansion. 

Sure, but the metrics say that is exactly what is not happening. Having spent 3 billion in the previous 2 years of the current one rolling out 2.5 there has been a steady loss of urban customers. Pouring debt financed resources into the same markets that do not lack capacity has netted the same pattern each quarter in this current year. Expand to win or keep feeding the snake it's tail. There are plenty of markets that are in the area of several thousand to 10's of thousands not receiving service.  The money is easy to get.