All replies
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Re: Two-sector towers :(
tmo_mike_c Jul 20, 2017 11:29 AM (in response to drnewcomb2)- Member Since: Jun 25, 2012
drnewcomb2, I gotta admit, you're definitely WAY more knowledgeable about this topic than me and the CM staff. That's why it's great having you here, sharing what you know, and helping others. I don't have an answer for you now, but I will reach out for more insight about this. As always, thanks posting and being big help.
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Re: Two-sector towers :(
drnewcomb2 Jul 20, 2017 12:41 PM (in response to tmo_mike_c)- Member Since: Mar 9, 2014
So far, Neville Ray has not replied to my tweet on this subject. What I have read is that it's more likely that two more sectors would be added to make it a four sector site than that it would be taken down and rehung as a 3-sector site. However, some (Nokia?) base stations require a substantial upgrade to go to four sectors.
My issue is that these sites were set up in rural areas when T-Mobile (or its predecessors) were just trying to get GSM-1900 coverage to the highways connecting cities, no rural coverage was intended. With the advent of T-Mobile's low-band (700 MHz) , the paradigm should have changed. T-Mobile should now be starting to build a rural coverage and two-sector sites don't seem to be the best way to go about doing that. The two sector site is the only reason I could find to explain why I got no 700 MHz signal just 3 km from the tower.
BTW, my wife's Project Fi phone got a good signal via Sprint.
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Re: Two-sector towers :(
tmo_mike_c Jul 20, 2017 3:04 PM (in response to drnewcomb2)- Member Since: Jun 25, 2012
Ah okay. I follow him on Twitter and I know he's replied to other folks there in the past, so I got my fingers crossed for you. That would be awesome if he got back to you on this, but I'll still be working on this too. You've brought up some really good points and make sure I mention them as well as your 700 MHz experience.
If Sprint's working there, that kinda stings. Ouch!
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Re: Two-sector towers :(
tmo_marissa Jul 24, 2017 9:47 AM (in response to drnewcomb2)- Member Since: Sep 7, 2016
Hey, drnewcomb2, I just wanted to check in. I know tmo_mike_c is working on this -- did you ever get a reply on Twitter?
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Re: Two-sector towers :(
formercanuck Jul 28, 2017 10:47 AM (in response to drnewcomb2)- Member Since: Jul 22, 2015
This is sad for rural 'tower' areas. I typically have only seen this done in many 'small' rural areas where the antenna are mounted on utility poles (some actually have 3 sectors - looks strange).
For true rual coverage, a 2 sector build is pretty much going to miss a lot (basically anything 65 to 115 degrees at least) on either side. At 3 km, that area gets pretty large.
Sadly, I'm at 3 miles from a local site, with no service. T-Mobile 'claims' to cover it, and has verified it, even with their Drive team. A scan with multiple T-Mobile devices for a network only shows VZW and AT&T. I suspect that T-Mobile's drive team flew their devices on a drone at +500', or have vehicles outfitted with +50dB amplifiers and 2' Wilson antenna.