Lonehill Tower?

[Sabre]

Back in February Deckert posted a list of proposed Sentech towers that included one in Lonehill, does anyone know when this will be operational? Sentech website and calldesk haven't been helpful.

 

[dorris]

Finally, Another fellow Lonehill resident, according to their coverage map, which was recently updated, it will be coming online in this quarter of the year.
I ws most surprised to see that its changed, 3 weeks ago, their coverage map said 3rd quarter, so, there is some priority on it.
I'm still quite positive that with the reight antenna, lonehill could be covered by the tower in the fourways golf park, I drove around with a modem a few days ago, and picked up coverage, up to that traffic circle by the lonehill shops (just before the hill peaks over), and also picked up signal up to leslie roads intersection with witkopppen. We are so close ... yet so far

 

[Sabre]

Had a chat to a chap at Fatcomm and he said the Lonehill tower had been canned as they couldn't get permission to build ?!?!:-((

He said we would have to use the Fourways tower (cnr William Nichol and Witkoppen) which would be commisioned in the next few weeks ... bummer as I'm on the other side of the hill.

Where u at?

 

[dorris]

Doesn't come as any big surprise that the go ahead wasn't given to Sentech, I was actually amazed when I saw it on the proposed list, (I thought they'd already got permission from our lovely waspy neighbors that need everthing to look aestietically 'beautiful').

Anyways, I just measured the distance between me and the tower u mentioned on the sentech coverage map, I saw it a few weeks ago, and have been wondering if it was sentechs. the distance was 2.1Km, so once its online I should be able to get reception, although I am just over the hill, I'm on dennis road, close to the witkoppen side.

I got a dicy idea, if one of us gets signal, we could set up a wireless link between the 2 houses , and have the guy with signal (A) host both modems, (A) could plug the other dudes (B) modem into an ethernet bridge, and link it via an antenna to B, where he has another wireless card set up (possibly with another antenna).

If any technically clued up guys on the site could run through this and get back to me if its feasible, or what else it would require to work.
Can one run PPOE without a router, but straight into a nic??
If later both parties get reception, we could use this equipment to start up the lonehill wireless community (www.nodedb.com)

 

[peterc]

Hi, I'm in Lonehill East. I was referred to this forum topic by a colleague at Dataserve2000. A couple of weeks ago they tested the Lonehill area with a modem and got signal on Main Road. Going east down the hill it faded quickly, so they're proposing putting a remote antenna on top of the house. If this does not work, I'd be interested in joining a wireless community.
I'm frustrated by the poor communication in this area. Telkom can't supply me with adsl, and cell phone reception is real bad.
I'll forward this topic to Dataserve200 and see if they could assist with a wireless network.

 

[Sabre]

Cool, the more the merrier. Having a Lonehill wireless network sounds like an excellent idea provided we can get hold of a technical guru to help set it up (hopefully the pings are also not attrocious) .... best location fro a hub would be the shopping centre as this is the most central.

If you can collect some names of people that would also be interested in either a tower in Lonehill or a wireless network, it would help us to build a business case and/or getting Sentech/LRA to come to the party.

 

[dorris]

Great news!!
Went into Sentech on friday, Spoke to a guy called Casper, he informed me that the new tower, I think on the corner of witkoppen and W.Nicol, the one shared with telkom is up and being tested, but hasn't yet been signed over to Sentech.
I tried to see it on friday, could not get reception on the ground, but 4 bars on my roof, drove down main road, towards the W.Nicol intersection, got reception up to Bryanston drive.
The tower is not yet operational, the modem can speak to it, but it doesn't seem to be on the network yet, and could not ever see a signal above -98, it sat -95>x>-106.

SAbre: sorry I didn't reply to your mail, saw it, and never got round to replying.
With the cantenna/s I built with Comrade Borris, we were never able to see signal where the modem could not see it alone, but we could get a signal +-8% greater than the modem when both could find it, also it increased the s/n ratios by 10-15, I think I'll try mount a cantenna on my roof next week and see how it goes.