Coverage: specific cell tower confirmation?

[A341]

From what I've read, Public Mobile coverage is essentially Telus coverage, which is provided by Bell towers in the east.  Is this 100%?  I ask because in cottage country, I have a cell booster directional antenna pointed at the following Bell tower.  I seem to get strong Bell service, vs weak Public Mobile service from the same towner.  Any confirmation of coverage at this tower would be great. 

Station Location: J0063-2288 ROUTE 122 HY
Latitude: 45.8114
Longitude: -67.5783
Site Elevation: 381
Antenna Height: 9.1

Bell transceivers at
N45.8114 W67.5783

Freq(MHz) BW(Hz) Power Azm(°) Hgt(m) Elev(m)

700	5M	2004.75	310	9	381
700	5M	2004.75	155	9	381
700	5M	2004.75	40	9	381
700	5M	2004.75	40	9	381
700	5M	2004.75	310	9	381
700	5M	2004.75	155	9	381
850	4.15M	2004.75	155	9	381
850	4.15M	2004.75	310	9	381
850	4.15M	3007.12	155	9	381
850	4.15M	2004.75	40	9	381
850	4.15M	3007.12	310	9	381
850	4.15M	3007.12	40	9	381
850	5M	2004.75	40	9	381
850	5M	2004.75	155	9	381
850	5M	2004.75	310	9	381

[A341]

Thank-you.  I've been using the cell map mentioned above, but also scanned this map where I can drop a pin and look at topo changes between my pin and the tower: https://www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/cell-tower-map-canada/

It's also been a very lush spring and summer locally, almost tropical, and I think the forest canopy is as dense as I've ever seen.  

[darlicious · Accepted solution]

@A341 

I think this comes down to your location and the the topographical features between you and the tower you are connecting to....if for example you are at a lower elevation compared to what is around you compared to the tower. You may not be connecting to your closest tower because your phone can get a better connection ( but may still be weak) with a tower that's farther away be cause terrain interferes with or blocks the signal from the closer one.

By manually choosing 4G LTE or 3G and looking at the signal strength in your phone will help determine which towers you are connecting to....Go to settings>>about phone>>status>> SIM card status>>Signal strength 

Most important is the 3G signal because calls only operate on the 3G network at pm where as data and texting can operate on both.

[computergeek541]

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@A341 wrote:

OK, so Public Mobile tower service isn't restricted to specific frequencies, and would be accessible on towers with 700 and 850 range? 

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LTE services is possible on both.  LTE can be used for data and text messaging.  HSPA network (which is needed for phone calls) is available on "850", which could also be used for data and text messaging.  Where you could run into probelms would be for voice service if that "tower" is only for LTE. Being in Manitoba could also possibly complicate things, but it doesn't sound like you are in Mantioba based on discussion on the towers in your area being from Bell.

[Korth]

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@darlicious wrote:

I use this map....

https://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html?lat=46.733902&lng=-66.167244&zoom=9&type=Roadm...

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I use that map, too. It's excellent.

But it can be a little misleading. Radio sites are often directional, focussed to provide coverage (and to not intrude on the coverage) within specific areas. They're also available in a number of form factors, different antennae heights and sizes and power levels, some might be powerful enough to service half a city while others can barely service half a neighbourhood. And the map doesn't show structural or terrain features which can affect radio propagation. It's not as simple as just assuming everything within a certain radius is within range of the cell site, your phone could be in a (huge) blind spot just a few feet away.

Plus there's all the prioritization and distribution of frequencies, along with all the technical trickery which multiplexes cell traffic across numerous packets and frequencies, along with handovers between cell sites, etc, etc. Sheytoon can explain this stuff better than anyone else here, though I suspect no one person can truly understand all the workarounds and tradeoffs and genius and incompetence built into the entire network.

[A341]

OK, so Public Mobile tower service isn't restricted to specific frequencies, and would be accessible on towers with 700 and 850 range? 

[computergeek541]

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@darlicious wrote:

@A341 

That tower does not have the 1700, 1900 and 2100 mhz bands? That would account for your weak signal  the tower is missing over half the bands unless you only copied the lower ones. Otherwise yes pm is on the bell/telus network.

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The lack of 1700 and 1900MHz at a tower would not account for weak signal (unless the phone isn't compatible with the frequencies and technologies that the tower does support).  The 700 and 850MHz frequencies that it does have can provide signal much further into buildings, underground and to much farther distances outdoors. There's simply less capacity at that location that means that less people could use voice services at the same time (on HSPA band 5 850MHz)  and/or data speeds could be slower.

[Anonymous]

 @darlicious : To make it complete:

East to west in "declining" numbers is longitude in negative values in Canada also denoted as W.

South to north in increasing values is latitude in positive values in Canada denoted as N.

So if you see a coordinate without a negative value and you know it's in Canada then someone got lazy.

[darlicious]

@A341 

Your welcome! And thanks to @sheytoon because he taught me how to read the cell tower map and thanks to @Anonymous  because he just taught me to add (-)/(--) to the geolocation values.😃

But @sheytoon is the our resident expert on this subject.

Edit:

I use this map....

https://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/cancellsites.html?lat=46.733902&lng=-66.167244&zoom=9&type=Roadmap&layers=a&pid=0

[sheytoon]

@A341 outside of urban Manitoba, coverage is identical for Bell and Telus. See here: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Using-Your-Service/Network-sharing-explained/td-p/129...

What are the specs for your booster?

[Anonymous]

 @A341 : The frequencies here are actually 850 and 1900 using WCDMA/UMTS/HSPA.

 @darlicious : lat/lon coordinates in Canada will always be negative - xx for lon.

[A341]

Rural New Brunswick, here is a google pin: https://goo.gl/maps/zu9DazdZ21PQWmug6

I'm browsing cell tower maps, and I think I see an alternative to the one I'm using (per your suggestion of Frequencies not supported on my current tower). 

[A341]

You may have just solved it.  It is very possible that tower does not have all the frequencies.  There is another option I may try, at 20Kms distance (vs 5Kms) and I see it has the frequencies you mention.  Thank-you very much! 

Bell transceivers at
N46.0071 W67.5576

Freq(MHz) BW(Hz) Power Azm(°) Hgt(m) Elev(m)

700	4M	1448.87	100	82	216
700	4M	1448.87	150	85	216
700	4M	647.19	335	90	216
700	4M	726.16	225	82	216
700	4M	447.74	100	90	216
700	4M	796.21	335	82	216
700	4M	778.09	225	90	216
700	5M	1294.37	335	90	216
700	5M	2897.74	100	82	216
700	5M	895.49	150	93	216
700	5M	895.49	100	90	216
700	5M	2897.74	150	85	216
700	5M	2897.74	100	82	216
700	5M	895.49	100	90	216
700	5M	1592.43	335	82	216
700	5M	1452.31	225	82	216
700	5M	1556.18	225	90	216
700	5M	1556.18	225	90	216
700	5M	1294.37	335	90	216
700	6M	1448.87	150	85	216
700	6M	647.19	335	90	216
700	6M	778.09	225	90	216
700	6M	447.74	100	90	216
700	6M	1448.87	100	82	216
700	6M	726.16	225	82	216
700	6M	796.21	335	82	216
850	4.15M	1343.23	150	93	216
850	4.15M	1556.18	225	90	216
850	4.15M	895.49	100	90	216
850	4.15M	1294.37	335	90	216
1900	5M	7436.99	355	90	216
1900	5M	7436.99	355	90	216
1900	5M	7436.99	245	90	216
1900	5M	7436.99	245	90	216
1900	5M	7436.99	355	90	216
1900	5M	7436.99	100	86	216
1900	5M	7436.99	355	90	216
1900	5M	7436.99	100	86	216
1900	5M	7436.99	100	86	216
1900	5M	7436.99	245	90	216
1900	5M	7436.99	100	86	216
1900	5M	7436.99	245	90	216

[darlicious]

@A341 

Unless you are in Khyrgistan or Russia I am having trouble pulling up that towers location.

[darlicious]

@A341 

That tower does not have the 1700, 1900 and 2100 mhz bands? That would account for your weak signal  the tower is missing over half the bands unless you only copied the lower ones. Otherwise yes pm is on the bell/telus network.