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thebordella
EVDO User
Joined: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 26
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 Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 9:38 am Post subject: Any debug/service info that identifies tower? |
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Suppose I am trying to optimize reception in a very difficult (hilly/dense trees) area. Small changes in variables -- elevation, position, angle -- seem to translate to significant differences in performance, both in terms of RSSI and noise. But, I'm having a difficult time making sense of the variables to work toward optimization.
It is possible there is more than one tower at play here, and it is possible some of these wide variations come because changes in antenna position are 'biasing' the Verizon modem to associate with one tower versus the other.
I realize that the debug/service info from the VZAccess software (or a verizon lg phone) doesn't specify the particular tower one is associated with. But does it offer any info which could at least blindly help me determine whether I am associated with "tower a" or "tower b"? To know for sure whether a certain antenna position is picking up one tower, but a few feet over is picking up the other? Do any of the greek-to-me fields in the vzaccess field test screen clue me in to this info?
thanks! |
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shooter64738
EVDO User
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:42 pm Post subject: This might help |
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I am using Spring with a seirra 595 usb modem. If I hover over the signal bar while connected, and type in ##DEBUG, the debug window will open, and on the 'data' tab I THINK, you will see gps coordibnates. It lists a latitude and longitude, and an elevation. If you put those coords into google earth or some other mapping program, it will point you directly to the tower.
There is also another tab and I don't recall it's title, that has similar info, but thats YOUR location and elevation, not the towers.
I'll double check that info when I get home. Provided you can get to the debug window with your device and the Verizon software, I think you can easily locate which tower you're connected with. |
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thebubbleboy
EVDO Fledgling
Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 17
Location: Salem, Ohio
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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I have the same question. I have a U720/Sprint. When I type in ##DEBUG I don't see any info that would identify my tower. Is it there? Is that info obtainable with my modem? I have wondered which tower I use for some time and also get big changes in speeds with the most minor changes in position. Any help from the experts is appreciated, as always.
Thanks, Bubble |
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carsc99
EVDO User
Joined: 03 Oct 2007
Posts: 30
Location: Mansfield, TX
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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I am also running the 595U. I did the ##DEBUG and got some information, but no GPS coordinates. There is only one page that comes up called the DEBUG engineering information. There are no Tabs. Are you using the new Sprint Connection Manager? I just got my aircard and had to download this new one.
Scott |
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fordrhs41
EVDO User
Joined: 29 Jan 2007
Posts: 91
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 9:54 am Post subject: Re: This might help |
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| shooter64738 wrote: | I am using Spring with a seirra 595 usb modem. If I hover over the signal bar while connected, and type in ##DEBUG, the debug window will open, and on the 'data' tab I THINK, you will see gps coordibnates. It lists a latitude and longitude, and an elevation. If you put those coords into google earth or some other mapping program, it will point you directly to the tower.
There is also another tab and I don't recall it's title, that has similar info, but thats YOUR location and elevation, not the towers.
I'll double check that info when I get home. Provided you can get to the debug window with your device and the Verizon software, I think you can easily locate which tower you're connected with. |
What does a gps location look like, I have a page of info but do not know what I am looking for. There is an "absolute position" column with
2289980
2290429
1944514327
Are those gps numbers? |
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n6gn
EVDO Junkie
Joined: 22 Aug 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:12 am Post subject: Re: Any debug/service info that identifies tower? |
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| thebordella wrote: | Do any of the greek-to-me fields in the vzaccess field test screen clue me in to this info?
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I don't have VZ service and thus can't check their field test screen. However, see if you can find anything that looks like a PN number. On a Sprint manager this has a field of its own. The PN number will identify the carrier (pilot) of the particular sector you are using. I find that if I circle around a site that I can easily see and tell which of the (three) sectors is dominant at any location. It may be that the service screen will even show other candidates, along with the dominant one.
If you can do it, put up an image of the debug screen and maybe we can figure it out.
n6gn |
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fordrhs41
EVDO User
Joined: 29 Jan 2007
Posts: 91
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:14 am Post subject: Re: Any debug/service info that identifies tower? |
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If you can do it, put up an image of the debug screen and maybe we can figure it out.
n6gn[/quote]
Thank you for the reply,
I have the image saved but the "img" insertion has defeated me<G> |
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n6gn
EVDO Junkie
Joined: 22 Aug 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:20 am Post subject: Re: Any debug/service info that identifies tower? |
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| fordrhs41 wrote: |
I have the image saved but the "img" insertion has defeated me<G> |
It's always defeated me as well so I just put it on a web page somewhere and insert a URL pointing there.
Maybe our forum operators can explain what we are supposed to do to insert images correctly.
n6gn |
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thebordella
EVDO User
Joined: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 26
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:53 am Post subject: |
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Here is a screen cap of the Verizon access manager field mode settings. Note, if it matters, that this modem was in NationalAccess mode at the time this was taken.
Looking forward to your words of wisdom about decoding this info, esp. any tower identifiers!
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n6gn
EVDO Junkie
Joined: 22 Aug 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 12:44 pm Post subject: |
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| thebordella wrote: | Here is a screen cap of the Verizon access manager field mode settings. Note, if it matters, that this modem was in NationalAccess mode at the time this was taken.
Looking forward to your words of wisdom about decoding this info, esp. any tower identifiers!
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I claim no special wisdom but I think there is some useful information here.
All of this is only my guess!
For starters, it appears that you are using channel 548 and your phone thinks it is seeing about -93 dBm, or at least that would be my interpretation This should be 870 +548*.03 = 886.44 MHz which appears to be the center frequency of the 5th CDMA channel http://tk.com/wireless/800cell.html
It would seem that with Ec/Io (energy per chip divided by noise spectral density, I think) of 17 dB that you probably have 20-25 dB of margin before the call is dropped. At least that would be if this number is the call channel power and the phone can work down to -6 dB or something. I'm out of my element here so this is just a guess but at -93 dBm signal power this might be reasonable.
This RF channel information doesn't directly help you with site ID since no doubt that same channel is used by numerous cell sites in the area.
The more specific information would seem to me to be in the PN information:
Active Set PN Offset 2
Neighbor Set PN Offset 20
Candidate Set PN Offset 1
I'm not clear on the difference between 'neighbor' and 'candidate', though I think there are some watching this forum that do know. Perhaps we will get some help here. Of interest to me is the PN offsets for each, which I think will be unique to each sector of each site. I would be interested to see what happens when you get close to a different local cell site. If you get lucky you may find that Active and neighbor swap, indicating that the different one was previously a neighbor but got so strong that it became active.
If you have a chance do the experiment with a nearby tower and see what happens. In the meantime maybe someone who knows what they are talking about will help.
n6gn |
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shooter64738
EVDO User
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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I am using the older version of spint connection manager. Not the one with the black/yellow screens I have heard about.
This is the screen info from the older connection mananger.
[img]http://picasaweb.google.com/6picklesatwork/EVDO/photo#5120160111959694658[/img]
If it won't show in line, click this link to view it. (Which it's not doing for me)
http://picasaweb.google.com/6picklesatwork/EVDO/photo#5120160111959694658
I see a section for your latitude and longitude right above your transmit and receive power values, but the lat/long are empty.
There is a second set of coords under network2 that has my location, and elevation. |
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shooter64738
EVDO User
Joined: 07 Sep 2007
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 1:41 pm Post subject: |
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This might be a moot point, but I see similar information to this in my connection manager, but only if I am disconnected from sprint. I have to be connected when I do the ##DEBUG, to see the location information. On the other hand to see the information similar to this one, I have to be disconnected to see it.
We are kind of comparing apples to oranges here with the sprint/verizon setups, but perhps that information will only show if it's connected to the tower AND perhaps you need some other way to access it? maybe ##DEBUG, or ##DATA, or perhaps even some other verison specific entry to see the location info? Just a thought. Maybe it just doesn't support the lcoation feature?
Just some guess's |
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carsc99
EVDO User
Joined: 03 Oct 2007
Posts: 30
Location: Mansfield, TX
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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| With the new Sprint Connection Manager and doing the ##DEBUG and ##DATA I get no Long/Lat information. That is also trying with it connected and disconnected. |
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n6gn
EVDO Junkie
Joined: 22 Aug 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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| n6gn wrote: |
I'm not clear on the difference between 'neighbor' and 'candidate', though I think there are some watching this forum that do know.
n6gn |
To shed a bit more light on this, pilots (RF carriers from a particular site§or)appear to be come in sets; Active, Candidate,Neighbors and Remaining:
Active: pilots of sectors actually in use
Candidates: pilots mobile requested, but not yet set up & transmitting by system
Neighbors: pilots listed by system, as nearby sectors to check
Remaining: any potential pilots used by system but not already in the other sets
For purposes of identifying potential connections, it would seem that Active and Candidates are the PNs of interest. These are the ones must likely to exchange places as you move around or turn a directional antenna while surveying a particular location.
n6gn |
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dondrm
EVDO User
Joined: 06 Sep 2007
Posts: 64
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| Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Hey thebordella, did you access Field Mode with cntrl-d diagvzw, or...? (I'm not having any success with that--maybe the Mac software is different.) |
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