Category: WEBSITE

2009 was an uneventful year for new cell sites in the Reno area. T-Mobile was most active adding the most new cell sites and turning on their 3G voice & data network in 2009. Cricket added coverage in the Spanish Springs area. Otherwise, all other carriers did not add coverage via new cell sites this year according to our sources.

For 2010 Verizon Wireless has a new cell site planned for southwest Reno near the Washoe Golf Course. AT&T has a cell site planned to improve coverage in the Somersett area of northwest Reno.

In the new year posts to this website will occur as new cell sites are known, and other major carrier news is announced. For more frequent updates, check out our Twitter MicroBlog Updates in the left column of this website, or follow us from your Twitter account @RenoWireless.

I’ve just come across Cell Phones.org – a website which features comprehensive cell phone and carrier news and reviews.

Cell Phone Reviews and Free Cell Phone Information from Cell Phones.org combines timely information from sources such as The Boy Genius Report, Engadget, company press releases, as well as original content and commentary to deliver timely information about the latest cell phone news all on one website. Their carrier reviews give national coverage information for most cell phone service providers, mentioning the pros and cons of each provider.

New cell site construction in the Reno area has slowed to a crawl so far this year. Lately I’ve been listening to podcasts that cover the latest cell phone and wireless industry news and rumors. Check out the “Podcasts” I’ve added to the Links page.

With the swarm of earthquakes that have hit the northwest Reno area since February there has been heightened awareness of procedures to take to prepare for earthquakes.

After a major quake cell phone and land-line communications may be unavailable due to damage to cell sites, power failures and/or overloaded communication channels due to too many people trying to use their phones at the same time.

After a quake phones should be for emergency calls or brief calls to check the status of family and close friends. If you are unable to place calls, you may be able to communicate via text messaging as was common during the 9/11 attacks. An interesting National Communication System tech bulletin describes the use of SMS in times of disaster and otherwise.

After about 2 months of testing and configuring, the new website powered by Wordpress is live.

The new website design will allow other wireless users to post comments and allow more interactivity between others. Features of the new site include:

• RSS feeds so you can easily monitor wireless news, website changes and comments

• Get e-mail notifications of comments and replies

• More features to come

I have just completed the “Dead Zone” pages that lists previously reported dead zone and drop-out areas. More importantly, anyone can now submit their own experiences with dead zones or drop-outs via our online form. See the Dead Zone link at the top of the page.

To prevent spam all submissions are moderated, but should appear on the web site within 24 hours.

Thank you for your participation. With the help of user reports, hopefully the wireless carriers will act quickly on this information and fill coverage holes where needed.

Added link to Santa Clarita Valley Wireless – photos and map of Cingular cell sites in that area.

View all 2006 Archives

Dec 20, 2006	New Nextel cell site active at Robb Drive and Sharlands Avenue – a new monopole next to the Winner’s Corner convenience store.
Dec 9, 2006	Verizon Wireless launches EV-DO wireless broadband service in Reno area Reno Gazette-Journal article.
Dec 6, 2006	New T-Mobile cell site active at Rock Blvd. and Greg Street in Sparks, next to Abbey Carpet. CID 4340x.
Nov 12, 2006	Added a few Commercial Web Site Links
Nov 8, 2006	New Cingular cell site active on Overmyer Road in Sparks, which is 2 blocks SE of McCarran and Glendale. This new cell site will improve coverage and capacity in the I-80 and E. McCarran Blvd. area. CID 6118x.
Nov 2, 2006	New T-Mobile monopole cell site active behind Speedway Market at Peckham Lane and Neil Road. CID 4337x.
Oct 13, 2006	New Sprint PCS cell site at the Galena High School football field. A temporary mast was recently erected, and there are plans to put the antennas on one of the stadium light poles.
Oct 11, 2006	New Cingular cell site now active behind Sportsman’s Warehouse near Moana and Kietzke Lane (CID 6121x). The site is a 75′ tall flagpole that should enhance coverage at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Atlantis Casino and residential areas to the east of the site.
Oct 10, 2006	New Cricket cell site active on North Edison near Mill Street – co-located on a monopole with Cingular Wireless. This new site will improve coverage in the  industrial area of south Sparks.   Cingular micro-cell site discovered at the Cingular Wireless store at Damonte Ranch Parkway and South Virginia Street (CID 6195x). This site provides 1900Mhz coverage at stores around the shopping center. Due to the limited coverage of the site, it will not be included in the “number of known cell sites” totals or on the maps at this time.
Oct 9, 2006	New Verizon cell site active at Pyramid Way and Queens Way in Sparks. The new site is co-located on a church tower with Cricket.
Oct 6, 2006	New Verizon cell site approved for construction on Chalk Ridge Court in Somersett development in west Reno.   New T-Mobile cell site approved for construction near Speedway Market at Peckham Lane and Neil Road.
Sept 28, 2006	New Verizon cell site under construction at Pyramid Way and Queens Way in Sparks. The new site is co-located on a church tower with Cricket.
Sept 26, 2006	New Verizon cell site now active at Aircenter Circle near Longley Lane and Mira Loma Drive. The new site is co-located on an existing pole with Cingular and Cricket.
Sept 16, 2006	Thanks to a spotter, a new Cricket cell site has been discovered on Grove Street, between Kietzke and Harvard. The spotter indicates the site went up around the beginning of this year. The antennas are on a guyed pole.
Sept 13, 2006	Updated links to Sprint PCS and Nextel’s Published Coverage Maps to new website showing zoomable street level coverage maps.
Sep 9, 2006	New Sprint cell site active behind Wal-Mart at South Virginia Street and Damonte Ranch Parkway. The site looks to be temporary, with the antennas mounted on a guyed pole, The site is next to a permanent monopole currently occupied by Cricket and Clearwire.
Sep 3, 2006	New Cingular cell site approved for construction – flagpole next to Sportsman’s Warehouse at Kietzke and Moana Lane.
Aug 17, 2006	Added Premium Content that let’s website contributors download Google Earth KML files showing cell site locations for all the wireless carrier’s in the Reno/Tahoe area.
Aug 4, 2006	Discovered 4 new Nextel cell sites along I-80 corridor between CA/NV border and Hirschdale, filling in former coverage gap.
Aug 3, 2006	Nextel co-located on Chalk Ridge Ct. in Somersett development in west Reno.
Aug 1, 2006	Changed link to Cingular’s new interactive, street-level coverage map.   Added map point for newly discovered Cingular cell site in east Dayton near Pinenut and N. Rainbow Dr. (thanks to R. Silver)
Jul 25, 2006	Cricket and T-Mobile cell sites now active on Chalk Ridge Court in Somersett development in west Reno. T-Mobile CID 4338x.
Jul 23, 2006	3 carriers approved to co-locate on existing monopoles providing coverage to the Somersett development in west Reno: Cricket, T-Mobile and Clearwire Wireless Broadband. Sprint PCS already provides coverage from the site located Chalk Ridge Court.   Cricket approved to co-locate on a monopole with Cingular on North Edison Drive, next to the Truckee River.   Verizon approved to co-locate on a monopole with Cingular and Cricket on Aircenter Circle near Longley Lane and Mira Loma Drive.
Jul 3, 2006	2 new Cingular cell sites discovered covering the I-80 corridor between Reno and Truckee: One is located near the CHP truck inspection station, approximately 1 mile east of the Prosser Village Road/Truckee interchange near Truckee (CID 1254x). The other is located approximately 1.5 miles SSW of Floriston (CID 1255x). Calls on Cingular still drop between Floriston and Farad, however initiating a call is possible courtesy of roaming on a T-Mobile cell site in Floriston.   2 new Verizon cell sites discovered in the Truckee area: One is located east of Glenshire along I-80 – approximately 1.25 miles ESE of the Boca interchange. This site is on a lattice tower co-located with T-Mobile, Sprint and Cingular. The other new site is next to the Northstar Ski Resort administration building, co-located on a monopole with T-Mobile.
Jun 13, 2006	New Nextel cell site approved for construction at 910 Robb Drive, at the Winner’s Corner convenience store.
May 12, 2006	Two side-by-side monopoles under construction above Somersett subdivision, near Sprint’s temporary cell site on Chalk Ridge Ct. At this time known carrier’s that will co-locate at the site include a permanent Sprint cell site, and Clearwire Wireless Broadband.
Apr 23, 2006	New Nextel cell site active at 3105 Plumas Street at an office complex near Brinkby Avenue.   New Nextel cell site active behind Scolari’s supermarket on South Virginia and Hwy 395 freeway – co-located on a monopole with Sprint, Cricket, and Clearwire Wireless Broadband.   New Sprint cell site active near Longley Lane and Aircenter Circle – co-located on a monopole with  Nextel.
Apr 20, 2006	Sprint Nextel to acquire Ubiquitel – the local affiliate for Sprint PCS. News Release
Apr 11, 2006	New T-Mobile cell site active in northwest Reno near Kings Row and Wyoming Ave. The antennas are disguised inside a church steeple at 2207 Kings Row. CID 817x
Feb 27, 2006	New Cingular cell site permit approved at 1750 Mountain St. in Carson City according to Reno Gazette-Journal   New Nextel cell site approved for construction at 3105 Plumas Street at an office complex near Brinkby Avenue.
Feb 14, 2006	New Nextel cell site under construction behind Scolari’s supermarket on South Virginia and Hwy 395 freeway. This site is co-located on a monopole with Sprint PCS and Clearwire.
Feb 6, 2006	Newspaper story about hidden communications gear in Reno Gazette-Journal.
Jan 18, 2006	New T-Mobile cell site approved for construction near Kings Row and Wyoming Ave. in Reno in a church steeple.
Jan 9, 2006	Confirmed new Cingular cell site co-located on monopole approx.1 mile east of Spooner Summit along Highway 50. CID 378x. This location provides good coverage from Spooner Summit east to Carson City for Nextel and Verizon as well. Updated Dec. 13 and 15th updates with CID info.   Discovered new Cingular GSM cell site on tower at Spooner Summit. CID 336x.   2 new Cingular cell sites in Carson Valley, south of Carson City – locations unknown. CID 1358x and 6101x.
Jan 4, 2006	New T-Mobile cell site active in Spanish Springs near the water towers at Pyramid Lake Hwy and Golden View Drive. CID 1315x.

View all 2005 Archives

Dec 27, 2005	New T-Mobile cell site at Hwy 395 and Parr Blvd. is active. CID 1519x   New Nextel cell site on Peavine Mountain providing coverage in northwest Reno, Somersett area, Cold Springs and along Hwy 395 a few miles into California.
Dec 21, 2005	New T-Mobile cell site at I-80 and Stoker is active. CID 1322x
Dec 17, 2005	4 new cell sites approved for construction in the past week in Reno… T-Mobile at I-80 and Stoker Avenue, co-located with Cingular and Cricket. T-Mobile off Hwy 395 and Parr Blvd., co-located with Cricket. T-Mobile off Hwy 395 and Golden Valley Drive, co-located with Cricket. Sprint (Ubiquitel) near Longley Lane and Aircenter Circle (south), co-located with Nextel.
Dec 15, 2005	Another report indicates that T-Mobile constructed and is also located on the monopine on Highway 50 (noted in the Dec. 13 update). CID 1305x.   New multi-carrier monopole along Hwy 50 approx. 1 mile east of Spooner Summit. Website contributor reports that Verizon and Nextel are currently operating on the monopole, and Ubiquitel (Sprint) and Cingular will be adding antennas very soon.
Dec 13, 2005	A website contributor reports a new Cingular Wireless cell site along Highway 50, about 4 miles west of Highway 395 in Carson City. CID 339x. This new site fills in an earlier dead zone. Coverage is now solid from Carson City to Spooner Summit. (Added to Google Maps pages).
Dec 1, 2005	New Cingular Wireless cell site approved for construction atop east building of Scolari’s Shopping Center at McCarran Blvd. and Caughlin Pkwy.
Nov 22, 2005	In the news… “AT&T Wireless” name to be revived? With the SBC merger with AT&T finalized, SBC will adopt the “AT&T” name – and possibly revive “AT&T Wireless”.   User reports… Cingular Wireless customers who were customers prior to the 2004 acquisition of AT&T Wireless and their network are now using the New Cingular/AT&T Wireless 850/1900 Mhz network. Until recently they were still roaming on the T-Mobile 1900 Mhz network which Cingular had to give to T-Mobile as a condition to acquire AT&T Wireless and their CA/NV network.
Oct 19, 2005	New Cricket temporary cell site active near McQueen High School in northwest Reno. The site is across the street to the south of the school, just west of an RV storage yard, and provides new coverage to previously non-coverage areas of northwest Reno in the Robb Drive & Mae Anne Ave. area.
Oct 18, 2005	Now testing the use of Google Maps to show cell site locations. View the new maps pages in progress here.
Sept 29, 2005	New Nextel cell site under construction atop Peavine Mountain, which should help provide coverage in Somersett area of northwest Reno, and partial coverage in Cold Springs.
Sept 28, 2005	New Cingular cell site active on medical building behind Sak-n-Save on Silverada Blvd. in Reno. New site should help prevent drop-outs along Hwy 395 between N. McCarran and Parr Blvd, and along McCarran between Sutro and Evans. (CID 6119x)
Aug 22, 2005	New T-Mobile network cell site active on Sparks High School athletic field light pole. (CID 1317x)   New Cingular cell site approved for construction, co-located with T-Mobile and Nextel on medical building behind Sak-n-Save on Silverada Blvd. in Reno.   New Sprint PCS cell site applied for construction, co-located on tower with Nextel near corner of Longley and Aircenter Circle.
Aug 12, 2005	Sprint PCS and Nextel officially merge companies. Sprint will continue to support and invest in both networks.
Aug 9, 2005	New Verizon Wireless cellsite active at Caughlin Pkwy. and Caughlin Square, just north and across the street from the Scolari’s shopping center in Reno.
Aug 8, 2005	Added Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wirelss Dead Zones.This website is now accessible at www.renowirelessinfo.com
July 29, 2005	Wireless internet service provider Clearwire has been co-locating antennas on several cell towers in the area preparing for upcoming launch of their service.
July 18, 2005	News: Sprint PCS launches EV-DO high-speed wireless data in the Reno area according to this Reno Gazette-Journal story and UbiquiTel Press Release.
July 5, 2005	New Sprint PCS repeater serving the Somersett subdivision of northwest Reno.
June 11, 2005	Updated Carrier Evaluations, Dead Zones List, and various links.
May 10, 2005	New Sprint PCS cell site at 7125 W. 4th Street in Reno active.
May 7, 2005	Updated Cell Site Maps. In the past few weeks discovered some new cell sites in outlying areas…New T-Mobile cell site co-located behind Safeway in Truckee. New Sprint PCS cell site co-located along Hwy 89 near Alpine Meadows Road. New Cingular/AT&T Wireless cell site co-located along I-80 near Farad.
Apr. 22, 2005	New Nextel cell site completed construction on a co-located hilltop near Interstate 80 at the NV/CA border. This site should extend their I-80 coverage from Verdi to Farad.
Apr. 12, 2005	New Verizon Wireless cell site approved for construction near the intersection of Caughlin Pkwy. and Caughlin Square, just north and across the street from the Scolari’s shopping center. The cell site will be located at an office building, with antennas hidden in the attic, similar to a Verizon cell site at S. Virginia and Wells Ave.   New Sprint PCS cell site at 7125 W. 4th Street in Reno completed construction.
Mar. 28, 2005	New Sprint PCS cell site under construction at the church at 7125 W. 4th Street in Reno, approx. 3/4 mile west of W. McCarran. This site will enhance coverage in the lower Caughlin Ranch and Mayberry areas.
Mar. 16, 2005	Added link to CellCoverage.com – A website to report poor wireless cell coverage. Operated by a tower leasing company who is working with the wireless carriers to report and solve coverage problems. This website’s author is still trying to confirm if new Cingular Wireless customers are being placed on the Old Cingular/T-Mobile network or the New Cingular/AT&T Wireless Network. Existing customers of either carrier are still using their original network but are able to roam onto the other network in case of poor signal on their primary network. Eventually all Cingular customers will be put on the New Cingular/ AT&T Wireless Network.

View all 2004 Archives

Dec. 23, 2004	Website update on the way… Due to Cingular Wireless’ acquisition of AT&T Wireless late this year, it’s time to update the Carrier Evaluations. As part of the deal, Cingular will be giving it’s network and cell sites in Nevada and California to T-Mobile, and Cingular will use the former AT&T Wireless network and cell sites. According to news reports, this transition could take up to 4 years. In the mean time I will be referring to the 2 different wireless systems as… 1. New Cingular/AT&T Wireless 2. T-Mobile/Old Cingular
Dec. 15, 2004	Nextel & Sprint PCS announce merger plans
Dec. 14, 2004	New Cingular/AT&T Wireless adds GSM 850Mhz to cell site at Plumas and Plumb. This addition improves coverage in the Plumb and Sharon area of old southwest Reno for people with GSM850 phones. They also recently added GSM850 to the Lemmon Valley water tower cell site. These additions complete their GSM850 overlay in the Reno/Sparks area.
Dec. 9, 2004	Newly discovered T-Mobile/Old Cingular cell sites… One near Daggett Pass on Hwy 207/ Kingsbury Grade providing coverage to the Carson Valley below, and Heavenly Valley Nevada Ski Resort. A website contributor reports T-Mobile/Old Cingular coverage at Kirkwood Ski Resort and along Hwy 50 around Strawberry and Kyburz
Dec. 2, 2004	News: Verizon Wireless Purchases Mountain Cellular in Northern California. This will affect wireless customers in the South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County area.
Oct. 27, 2004	Local newspaper story in the Reno Gazette-Journal reports on the Cingular/AT&T Wireless merger and comments by local residents.
Oct. 25, 2004	The FCC has approved Cingular Wireless’ acquisition/merger of AT&T Wireless according to various sources. AT&T Wireless employees have reported that they are already receiving new training, and that the name and rate plans could be changing within the next 20-30 days. Previous announcements have stated that Cingular will use AT&T Wireless’ cell sites, and Cingular’s present-day cell sites will be transferred to T-Mobile.
Sept. 15, 2004	Nextel cell site approved for construction above Interstate 80, just east of the NV/CA state line. This site will be co-located with 4 other carriers at the same site, which provides coverage along Interstate 80 corridor from West Verdi to the Farad area. Contributor report and Nextel coverage map shows coverage now available in the Susanville, CA area.
Aug. 31, 2004	AT&T Wireless coverage in Reno/Sparks improved today for customers with 850Mhz GSM phones, due to the lower frequency standby or “control” channels being activated.
Aug. 23, 2004	Contributor report about a month ago of a new Verizon Wireless cell site completed construction in Carson City near N. Carson St and Ruby Lane. The antenna structure is disguised as a flagpole.
Aug. 6, 2004	AT&T Wireless coverage at Lake Tahoe/Truckee/I-80 has improved in the last month for subscribers with GSM 850Mhz capable phones. The 850Mhz frequency generally delivers longer range and better in-building coverage than the 1900Mhz frequency which AT&T Wireless also uses. Full GSM 850Mhz support has also been activated south of Reno in the Carson City area.
June 13, 2004	Contributor report of new Cingular/T-Mobile cell site at Bordertown in Cold Springs now active (as of June 7).
May 23, 2004	Number portability now fully effective in Reno. See the prefixes page for more information.
May 17, 2004	New Cingular Wireless cell site under construction at Bordertown along Hwy 395 in Cold Springs – co-located with Sprint site.
May 12, 2004	Both AT&T Wireless and Cingular have construction plans in progress. Details will be announced as soon as permits are finalized.
May 3, 2004	New Nextel cell site at the base of Squaw Valley ski resort Previously undiscovered Nextel cell site at the Diamond Peak Ski Resort, southeast of Incline Village.
Apr. 18, 2004	AT&T Wireless introduces GSM America Plans that allow roaming on other GSM networks in the United States. For the Reno area, that means that AT&T Wireless customers may now roam on the Cingular Wireless network. AT&T Wireless announced plans to add 14 cell sites along U.S. Hwy 95 and Alt. Hwy 95 in the Fallon and Yerington areas. See last story on page here.
Mar. 14, 2004	Re-designed Home Page Added link to Cell Phone Forums – Your Cell Phone Source, updated other links.

Feb. 29, 2004	Added Combined AT&T Wireless/Cingular map showing both Cingular and AT&T Wireless cell sites as they exist today. With the February 17 announced acquisition of AT&T Wireless by Cingular, the map shows likely post-acquisition Cingular cell sites assuming that the acquisition is approved by stockholders and governmental agencies, and that Cingular keeps existing AT&T Wireless cell sites as part of their network. Added Feedback section.
Feb. 17, 2004	Carrier News…  Cingular To Acquire AT&T Wireless, Create Nation’s Premier Carrier It is not known at this point if the acquisition will allow GSM phones to utilize the cell sites of both carriers – a total of 56 cell sites serving the Reno/Sparks city limits! A few of the two companies cell sites are co-located, so some consolidation is likely. A hypothetical combined cell site map will be posted soon. More to come on this exciting news for wireless coverage in the Reno area…
Feb. 9, 2004	New AT&T Wireless cell site at Interstate 80 near Hirschdale/Boca interchange (CID 1252x) – also providing coverage to the Glenshire area of east Truckee. The site is co-located with Cingular and Sprint. New Nextel site at the SPPCo. substation near Hwy 89 and Squaw Valley Road. New AT&T Wireless cell site now active at the Burton Creek county offices complex at Burton Creek and Hwy 28 between Tahoe City and Dollar Hill (CID 1313x). New AT&T Wireless cell site now active near Pioneer Trail and Black Bart Avenue in South Lake Tahoe – just north of the intersection on the existing westernmost AM radio tower (CID 1326x). Pinpointed the exact location of a Cingular Wireless site constructed in the late 1990’s. CID 466x is located on a home at Skyline Blvd. and Clearview Ct. – west of Sunnyside on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. Pinpointed the exact location of 2 AT&T Wireless cell sites that were constructed late last year and discovered on December 15: CID 1318 in Tahoma at the El Dorado County Transportation Department yard at Wilson and Harris. CID 1330 in Carnelian Bay atop the Sierra Boat Company building.
Feb. 2, 2004	Article in Reno Gazette-Journal about disguised cell towers in the area Cell towers go incognito
Jan. 29, 2004	Article in Reno Gazette-Journal about fight regarding Cingular Wireless’ proposed cell tower in northwest Reno neighborhood Reno residents might have to fight communications tower again
Jan. 20, 2004	New Cingular Wireless/T-Mobile monopole cell site active at at 940 S. Virginia Street – just north of the intersection with Sierra Street. (CID 8164x) New Verizon Wireless flagpole cell site approved for construction at 4550 North Carson Street, Carson City at the new Regional Hospital. New AT&T Wireless GSM850 support during calls from several existing cell sites in central Reno.
Jan. 13, 2004	Updated Bonus Pages Information.
Jan. 8, 2004	Added cell site locations to the Bonus Pages Cell Site Picture Gallery.
Jan. 2, 2004	New Cingular Wireless/T-Mobile cell site active at the easternmost wing of the Scolari’s Shopping Center at S. McCarran & Caughlin Parkway (CID 814x)