Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

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JR.
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Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

Post by JR. »

My local cell service is/was terrible. I even installed a repeater and external antenna... still intermittent (1bar) service inside my house with the antenna/booster. I was seriously considering buying an antenna tower to get my outdoor antenna up another 10-15 feet higher, or so.

Then.... This morning inexplicably I had full strength signal inside my house. :o

With the booster/out door antenna powered down, I still get 2 bars indoors.

I don't believe in miracles so one possible explanation is 5G rollout... I am a happy camper because my (4G) phone now works. :lol:

JR
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mediatechnology
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Re: Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

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JR.
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Re: Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

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I already figured out where my nearest cell tower is, and pointed my outdoor antenna in its direction weeks ago.

Only since yesterday have I received a strong signal.

I found a AT&T web discussion about their 5G program and they are only up in 10 cities, closest to me is one state away.

Still getting strong signal on day two so I am starting to feel lucky.

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mediatechnology
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Re: Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

Post by mediatechnology »

Does your carrier have a license at that site?
Seen any tower work?

Your site may have just been down for an extended period.
In our neighborhood AT&T had one down for months and refused to fix it.
Don't know if their lease expired or they left it down because an upgrade was scheduled or just didn't care.
Due to our topo it was a real problem for AT&T customers for about 9 months IIRC.
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JR.
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Re: Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

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mediatechnology wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:26 am Does your carrier have a license at that site?
I would assume so...
Seen any tower work?
I have never even visited the actual tower, and don't see it on my once a week shopping roll... I have only seen it on maps.
Your site may have just been down for an extended period.
perhaps
In our neighborhood AT&T had one down for months and refused to fix it.
The huge signal strength increase suggests a repair or power upgrade.
Don't know if their lease expired or they left it down because an upgrade was scheduled or just didn't care.
Due to our topo it was a real problem for AT&T customers for about 9 months IIRC.
After several months of asking many other locals it appears cell service from all vendors sucks here... I am almost 3 miles from interstate and downhill from there. The tower is on other side of interstate from me.

I recently applied for a free 30 day free trial from T-mobile and when they saw my street address they said never mind... :lol:

I hope this strong signal is the new normal... so far so good.

JR
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mediatechnology
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Re: Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

Post by mediatechnology »

This is the tower registration:

http://www.antennasearch.com/sitestart. ... er=1039595

It's almost 2 miles away...

Looks like the railroad has microwave relays on it.
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JR.
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Re: Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

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mediatechnology wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 8:23 am This is the tower registration:

http://www.antennasearch.com/sitestart. ... er=1039595

It's almost 2 miles away...

Looks like the railroad has microwave relays on it.
I'm 2.8M from interstate and that tower is on far side of the interstate, but may be a little closer as the crow flies.

Yes I found a handful of antennas registered in town, some a stone's throw from my casa, like fire dept, and municipal radio, but not doing my cell phone any good.

The tower looks like it changed hands a year ago, but I suspect the tower owner just rents space to the carrier... and some carriers rent bandwidth to other carriers, or not..... It seems like a dozen people selling service locally but only a handful of actual carriers.

Still have full strength signal so I'm a happy camper.

===

5G will probably require a sh_load of new small repeaters closer to houses... but may not reach nowhere MS in my lifetime. :lol:

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mediatechnology
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Re: Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

Post by mediatechnology »

I'm beginning to think your carrier may have peered with another carrier to solve a coverage problem and it just started working like magic.
It probably took a lot of truckers complaining...

It's 1.88 miles from your dead tree to the tower.

Your yard is big.
You have a lot more to mow than I do.
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Re: Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

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mediatechnology wrote: Fri Dec 27, 2019 9:19 am I'm beginning to think your carrier may have peered with another carrier to solve a coverage problem and it just started working like magic.
It probably took a lot of truckers complaining...
your guess is as good as any...

Since it was half ass working before I suspect an upgrade,,, I hope it isn't some kind of new equipment test, and permanent. Doing my research before signing with AT&T I don't recall anybody saying that it used to work good, then stopped.
It's 1.88 miles from your dead tree to the tower.
the one with a come along hanging off it? After new years I an getting serious about taking my chain saw to it.
Your yard is big.
more than one acre...
You have a lot more to mow than I do.
with the big dog zero turn mower it only takes me 20 minutes to cut the grass,,, and then several hours to do the trim.... :roll: My slave mower to trim the rain ditches while being towed was showing a lot of promise to save time, last season. I plan to pick up where I left off with that, next season.

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Re: Christmas miracle or 5G rollout?

Post by mediatechnology »

It's 1.88 miles from your dead tree to the tower.
the one with a come along hanging off it? After new years I an getting serious about taking my chain saw to it.
Yeah that one, next to the convenience store facing '80.

I think I would really like Hickory...
Are those groves around you fruit or nuts?
Pecans?

This is a great map viewer:
http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html
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