Tower Locations and Improving Signal Strength

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har

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The coverage map shows 4Gs coverage along the False Bay coastline between Muizenberg and Simonstown. However, the nearest Cell C store (who are not particularly happy about being the only Cell C store in Cape Town who don't have 4G coverage themselves and haven't been given any dongles) say that this coverage doesn't actually exist.

Which is right, the coverage map, or the Cell C store?
 
Cell C's coverage map shows that there area where my father lives is covered by UMTS900, but when I tested there last Sunday, all I could see what EDGE. I would really like to get him onto the 60GB bundle before the end of this month.
I'd like to know the locations of the surrounding 3G towers so I can investigate using an external antenna. Is there anyone at Cell C I can contact?
 
Hopefully the Cell C rep will reply to you, ginggs, but failing that, I am having limited success with the following technique and a nokia phone:-

In Tools-> Options Switch off GPS but switch on Network-based location. Nokia Maps will then estimate your position according to which tower you are connected to. So at least you can find out where Nokia thinks the tower is. This is not necessarily accurate, but at least it is consistent.

It would be nice to know exactly what information Nokia bases their database on.
 
har said:
In Tools-> Options Switch off GPS but switch on Network-based location. Nokia Maps will then estimate your position according to which tower you are connected to. So at least you can find out where Nokia thinks the tower is. This is not necessarily accurate, but at least it is consistent.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I haven't used Nokia Maps in this way before, but have used Google Maps which has its own tower-based location lookup (not using Nokia's A-GPS).

I've had some success on MTN and Vodacom using CellTrack on my Nokia to compare with the Cell IDs seen in MDMA.
Problem with Cell C is my N95 does not do UMTS900 and I think Cell C are using completely different Cell IDs for their 2G and 3G cells.
 
From the coverage map it looks like the area only has fringe coverage from the sites across the bay and may a site or two at Simons Town and Kalk Bay (areas with dark red on the map would indicate strong levels near the tower)
 
Cell C 4Gs Towers in Cape Town

I need to install an external aerial to get a decent signal in my office. (I get a decent signal in my garden)

Where are Cell C's 4Gs towers in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. Bergvliet / Constantia / Diep River areas?

Thanks
 
TimTDP said:
I need to install an external aerial to get a decent signal in my office. (I get a decent signal in my garden)

Where are Cell C's 4Gs towers in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. Bergvliet / Constantia / Diep River areas?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Before you try that. If you have a USB-USB extension, then put the modem near to your window close to the garden.
 
Cell C + Antenna

I have put up a circular patch antenna from poynting, outdoors (note: the antenna has to be in the 900MHz range) and it is making all the difference.
I previously used a USB extension to place it at a window, but this caused it to be in the sun all day and was getting speeds around:
DL: 1.7-2 Mbps, UL: 0.7-1 Mbps

With antenna
DL:5-6Mbps, UL: 2Mbps

Note, only inductive pigtails seem to be working on the E1820 modem.
Seems the antenna connection might be disabled, I have done tests with different pigtails to prove this.
 
FrancTheTank said:
^^ good advice.
Some specs have USB2.0 extended up to 40ft ~12m with a good cable.
Click to expand...

I've had some problems using 3G modems and long USB cables - seems like the modems have to support high speed USB and not all of them do. In some cases I can see the internal storage but still can't use the modem..
 
It is not a matter of USB high speed rate. It is due to the pulse nature of modem load. However you can use powered USB2.0 hub and connect modem dictectly to the hub. Then use longer cable between PC and hub, because power to the modem is supplied from the hub. Chose a hub with power supply at least 2A regulated.
 
I thought the 900Mhz band was supposed to penetrate into buildings better than 2100Mhz hence why Cell C used that freq......I get better signal off MTN 2100Mhz with no antenna than i do with the E1820 with the Poynting antenna connected on Cell C. I'm also pretty sure all Telco hardware is sitting on the same tower that i can see from the roof probably 2km away.
Inside with no antenna i can't get CellC HSDPA,if i go outside i can get it.

With antenna i get max download speed of just under 3Mbp/s, if i go sit under the tower 2km away that goes to 6-7 Mbp/s.
Do the transmitters on the tower have like a beam affect & it depends how the beam is facing re coverage strength?
Seems to be alot more people messing with antenna's to get this 900Mhz signal than i remember ever seeing before.
My CellC sim put into 2100 MHz modem picks up no 3G signal so that means i am using CellC on 900Mhz .

The below from Cell C's site doesn't really fit for what i see:
# A single HSPA+ 900 transmitter can cover 3 to 5 times more area than a UMTS 2100 site
# Indoor coverage with HSPA+ 900 allows for 10 to 20 decibels more gain than UMTS 2100, i.e. much better coverage within buildings

So how come i can get much better 2100Mhz signal strength with no antenna with a differant provider if the transmitters/repeaters are on the same tower then?
 
Last edited:
Tun@ said:
I'm also pretty sure all Telco hardware is sitting on the same tower that i can see from the roof probably 2km away.
Click to expand...
But how sure are you that is where your Cell-C UMTS signal is coming from? Because of the bigger coverage it may be coming from another tower further away.
Tun@ said:
Do the transmitters on the tower have like a beam affect & it depends how the beam is facing re coverage strength?
Click to expand...
Yes, it depends on the direction the sector antenna is facing, as well as the declination (how much it is pointing down).
 
Tun@ said:
Seems to be alot more people messing with antenna's to get this 900Mhz signal than i remember ever seeing before
Click to expand...
-----
What was your target before? 7.2Mbps? Now your expectation is 24Mbps. Lower frequency gives an advantage, however 24Mbps modulation techniques require cleaner signal. It is why antennas became more important
 
Can the Cell C rep indicate when White River Mpumalanga will be connected to the 3G network?
 
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