Coverage on Cashmere Ave (Khandallah) outside the school is terrible

Forums › One NZ (including Farmside) › Coverage on Cashmere Ave (Khandallah) outside the school is terrible

lchiu7

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#39977 22-Aug-2009 09:43

In the middle of a major (dare I say, quite well to do) suburb in Wellington, VF coverage is really poor or almost non existent. Now given there is a primary school there, one would wonder having good cellphone coverage would be important given the need for the school to contact teachers, parents contact pupils etc. But most of the time with VF (and apparently TCL also) coverage is really poor and I certainly notice when I am talking while driving past the school (using my BT headset of course) a call can cut out.

I guess I should get a 2Degrees SIM card and check it out since I need to have good coverage for my son's phone and it's not.

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#249767 23-Aug-2009 10:14

My parents moved from a bad Vodafone reception area (Welcome Bay, Tauranga) into the avenues (Off 11th ave, Tauranga South). They commented that a large cell phone tower was only a few doors away and they should have great reception now. The site has Telecom 3G and Vodafone 3G on it but no 2G GSM. So they have very poor reception again!

VFNZPaulBrislen

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#249780 23-Aug-2009 11:39

Couple of points:

You say:

In the middle of a major (dare I say, quite well to do) suburb in Wellington, VF coverage is really poor or almost non existent.

Why do you think that is? Does Vodafone actively shun customers who make money do you suppose?

Now given there is a primary school there, one would wonder having good cellphone coverage would be important given the need for the school to contact teachers, parents contact pupils etc.

Ah, I think you might be onto something. Two magic words there: primary school. Ever tried to build a cellphone tower anyhwere near a school?

But most of the time with VF (and apparently TCL also) coverage is really poor and I certainly notice when I am talking while driving past the school (using my BT headset of course) a call can cut out.

So, poor coverage, in a well-to-do area, by a school, where lots of people congregate at certain times of day (drop off and pick up) and sit and talk on their phones/receive their email/update their Facebook status (sitting in the car wondering where the cellphone reception is ZOMG).

It's not the easiest thing to do, put up a cellphone mast in a well to do area near a school where usage patterns are going to be exceedingly high at certain times of the day.

For more information on cellphone masts etc have a look at the Ministry of Health's page on such things.

And with that, I shall don my tinfoil hate and return to my weekend.

cheers

Paul

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sbiddle

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#249783 23-Aug-2009 11:44

andrewcnz: My parents moved from a bad Vodafone reception area (Welcome Bay, Tauranga) into the avenues (Off 11th ave, Tauranga South). They commented that a large cell phone tower was only a few doors away and they should have great reception now. The site has Telecom 3G and Vodafone 3G on it but no 2G GSM. So they have very poor reception again!

If you don't have a 3G phone this is something you're going to see a lot more of. There are plenty of places now were there is 3G coverage but poor or non existant GSM.

lchiu7

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#249789 23-Aug-2009 12:05

PaulBrislen: Couple of points:

You say:

In the middle of a major (dare I say, quite well to do) suburb in Wellington, VF coverage is really poor or almost non existent.

Why do you think that is? Does Vodafone actively shun customers who make money do you suppose?

Now given there is a primary school there, one would wonder having good cellphone coverage would be important given the need for the school to contact teachers, parents contact pupils etc.

Ah, I think you might be onto something. Two magic words there: primary school. Ever tried to build a cellphone tower anyhwere near a school?

But most of the time with VF (and apparently TCL also) coverage is really poor and I certainly notice when I am talking while driving past the school (using my BT headset of course) a call can cut out.

So, poor coverage, in a well-to-do area, by a school, where lots of people congregate at certain times of day (drop off and pick up) and sit and talk on their phones/receive their email/update their Facebook status (sitting in the car wondering where the cellphone reception is ZOMG).

It's not the easiest thing to do, put up a cellphone mast in a well to do area near a school where usage patterns are going to be exceedingly high at certain times of the day.

For more information on cellphone masts etc have a look at the Ministry of Health's page on such things.

And with that, I shall don my tinfoil hate and return to my weekend.

cheers

Paul

Paul

All very valid points but I guess I am just annoyed that cellphone coverage in an area that is relatively important to many parents of children in the school, is to poor. As an aside, I have had anecdotal that TCL coverage is also poor (CDMA anyway) so it might be the challenge in placing a cellsite in a residential area where folks might complain.

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wellyd

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#251350 28-Aug-2009 15:40

I would imagine that the teachers would not be too unhappy about this, except when try to use thier own phones. Considering the fact that some schools have looked at installing signal blocking equipment to stop students texting during lessons, it seems this school could count themselves lucky and will save on that extra cost!

lchiu7

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#251356 28-Aug-2009 15:56

This is a primary school! While some kids have phones, not so many it's a problem. Max age is 11 for the kids so it's more important they parents can track their children.

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wongtop

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#251371 28-Aug-2009 16:44

All three networks have sites in the shopping area near the corner of Ganges Rd and Dekka St. I guess it is the Cashmere Ave School that you are talking about. The next lot of cellsites are clustered around the bottom of Ngaranga Gorge and Kaiwharawhara. It looks like Cashmere Ave has a bit of a dip near the school.

johnr

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#251375 28-Aug-2009 17:01

lchiu7: This is a primary school! While some kids have phones, not so many it's a problem. Max age is 11 for the kids so it's more important they parents can track their children.

This is a sad excuse kids went to school before mobile phones were around and parents still picked them up

lchiu7

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#251382 28-Aug-2009 17:14

It's a society issue. When I went to school my parents were happy enough for me to walk to and from school. Now, real or otherwise, parents are much more reluctant to have their children walk to and from school. I drop my son off and while he walks home, he does call me en route just give me a status report.

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#251391 28-Aug-2009 17:45

I've heard a rumour Khandalla residents didn't want cell towers around the village...

Something to do with strange cancer mutations or zombie creation by having radiation around. Or something silly like this.

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johnr

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#251392 28-Aug-2009 17:45

Do you wrap him in cotton wool when he rides his push bike?

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lchiu7

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#251396 28-Aug-2009 17:58

Mauricio - there's a huge tower just in the village!

John - he doesn't have a bike - I don't think they are safe :-)

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ajw

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#251399 28-Aug-2009 18:33

lchiu7:
PaulBrislen: Couple of points:

You say:

In the middle of a major (dare I say, quite well to do) suburb in Wellington, VF coverage is really poor or almost non existent.

Why do you think that is? Does Vodafone actively shun customers who make money do you suppose?

Now given there is a primary school there, one would wonder having good cellphone coverage would be important given the need for the school to contact teachers, parents contact pupils etc.

Ah, I think you might be onto something. Two magic words there: primary school. Ever tried to build a cellphone tower anyhwere near a school?

But most of the time with VF (and apparently TCL also) coverage is really poor and I certainly notice when I am talking while driving past the school (using my BT headset of course) a call can cut out.

So, poor coverage, in a well-to-do area, by a school, where lots of people congregate at certain times of day (drop off and pick up) and sit and talk on their phones/receive their email/update their Facebook status (sitting in the car wondering where the cellphone reception is ZOMG).

It's not the easiest thing to do, put up a cellphone mast in a well to do area near a school where usage patterns are going to be exceedingly high at certain times of the day.

For more information on cellphone masts etc have a look at the Ministry of Health's page on such things.

And with that, I shall don my tinfoil hate and return to my weekend.

cheers

Paul

Paul

All very valid points but I guess I am just annoyed that cellphone coverage in an area that is relatively important to many parents of children in the school, is to poor. As an aside, I have had anecdotal that TCL coverage is also poor (CDMA anyway) so it might be the challenge in placing a cellsite in a residential area where folks might complain.

ajw

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#251401 28-Aug-2009 18:34

What a cellsite close to schools. Don't wake up this bunch of crankpots.

http://www.banthetower.co.nz/

richms

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#251620 29-Aug-2009 20:50

2 degrees are all nice lamppost mounted ones that I have been told have nothing that can be done to object to them, so you may find that there is better coverage for them in the school.

2 degrees seem to have better inbuilding coverage in some of the classes at unitec then vodafone do - and much better then telecoms crap coverage across most of the campus. It seems 2 degrees are doing it right and putting coverage into cities only, where people are and leaving the boonies to the vodafone roaming

Richard rich.ms

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