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Forums › Spark New Zealand › XT Coverage Desert Road


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Master Geek
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Topic # 86575 8-Jul-2011 22:19
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Hi All

Am heading south next week which will take me along the Desert Road. Looking at the XT coverage map it appears that there is a large area of no coverage between Turangi and Waiouru. Is this an error or is there actually coverage along this stretch?

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  Reply # 491304 8-Jul-2011 23:31
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Vodafone has marginally better coverage. Not much either network can do, with open space and no easy source of power putting a cellsite isn the middle of nowhere isn't an easy thing to do!

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  Reply # 491449 9-Jul-2011 16:41
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sbiddle: Vodafone has marginally better coverage. Not much either network can do, with open space and no easy source of power putting a cellsite isn the middle of nowhere isn't an easy thing to do!


Hook up to the overhead lines, there's plenty of power in them...Sweeetas bro.Laughing

Also, not sure if there is any fiber running along SH1 or not.





 
 
 
 


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  Reply # 491453 9-Jul-2011 17:11
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There's not much for the army to hit out there, but if you start putting up cell towers, they'll run em over with a tank, guaranteed!

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  Reply # 491460 9-Jul-2011 17:51
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Having travelled this piece of highway with both 2degrees and XT, from just south of Turangi XT is totally dead until you get to Waiouru (you'd have to flag someone down if you broke down), 2degrees (vodafone) had signal the whole way but would drop to GSM in sections

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Reply # 491463 9-Jul-2011 18:15
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On Thursday morning I was a passenger in a car traveling from Wellington to Taupo. I joined an audio conference call just as we left Levin. My iPhone4 running on XT did not drop the call which ended just before we reached Waiouru. This is a credit to the radio engineering teams responsible for this area.




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  Reply # 491468 9-Jul-2011 18:28
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Having a look at the Telecom coverage maps also confirms no coverage:

http://www.telecom.co.nz/mobile/ournetwork/coverage 



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Master Geek
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  Reply # 491475 9-Jul-2011 19:05
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Thanks all for ur replies. Vodafone do seem to indicate better on the cov map. I think they have a site at tukino?? Guess will just have to find out the hard way!

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  Reply # 491491 9-Jul-2011 19:40
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nzpilot1181: Thanks all for ur replies. Vodafone do seem to indicate better on the cov map. I think they have a site at tukino?? Guess will just have to find out the hard way!


Well after checking my maps yes Voda do have two and Telecom have nothing.  One in Tukino and Dessert Road North.  Check out the maps in my blog in the link below.





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  Reply # 491505 9-Jul-2011 20:13
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sbiddle: Vodafone has marginally better coverage. Not much either network can do, with open space and no easy source of power putting a cellsite isn the middle of nowhere isn't an easy thing to do!


This is what I don't get.  When we were in Africa ~2 years ago, we'd be in the _middle of nowhere_ and there'd be a big celltower.

I assume they were powered by Solar and backhaul was Satellite.

It was crazy to see.




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  Reply # 491791 10-Jul-2011 22:30
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Those diamond lords have lots a money




Ray Taylor
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For my general guide to extending your wireless network Click Here

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  Reply # 491798 10-Jul-2011 22:51
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muppet:
sbiddle: Vodafone has marginally better coverage. Not much either network can do, with open space and no easy source of power putting a cellsite isn the middle of nowhere isn't an easy thing to do!


This is what I don't get.? When we were in Africa ~2 years ago, we'd be in the _middle of nowhere_ and there'd be a big celltower.

I assume they were powered by Solar and backhaul was Satellite.

It was crazy to see.


Its like that in China to,

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  Reply # 491811 10-Jul-2011 23:16
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I remember when going along desert road a HTC 7 Trophy was showing native 2degrees coverage for a bit, this was perhaps November last year. All other signal from vodafone and telecom was dead and it seemed rather strange.
Can't remember whether it was tested to work or the phone having some kind of cached network meter or something.

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  Reply # 492360 12-Jul-2011 11:10
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johnr: Its like that in China to,


Any idea how they're powered? Generators? Solar?  I wouldn't think a big massive cell tower could be powered by Solar, but I don't know how much power they draw.




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Master Geek
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  Reply # 492362 12-Jul-2011 11:17
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Native 2degrees cov along desert road??!! Wow where would this b coming from?

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Reply # 492373 12-Jul-2011 11:44
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nzpilot1181: Native 2degrees cov along desert road??!! Wow where would this b coming from?


They have a cell site on the Sky Tower that reaches Desert road

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