Questions for Evo LTE users in SoCal

[Ez Duzit]

1st of October is upgrade time for me but I have a few major concerns. If I stay with Sprint I'll either get the HTC Evo LTE or the Samsung Galaxy S3, but please, please, please NO debate about which one I should get. That's a topic for another thread and I'm pretty sure there's already a few out there talking about just that.

For right now I really just need answers to the questions below.
I live in the Inland Empire and work as a Courier. I deliver from Temecula to Victorville and everywhere inbetween, and sometimes out to Palm Springs or Rancho Mirage. I can't have my phone constantly dropping calls since I need to be in contact with my office. I also need available 3G to be good enough for Google Maps or Navigation if I need to use them, and good enough l to look something up online if I need to. Basically I need the phone and data connection to be at least as good as my old phone.

So, Evo LTE users in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, are you getting decent call reception and data, or is it lots of dropped calls, low signal strength, and slow data?
If you upgraded from an older sprint phone, how is the reception compared to that?
Also, how is the reception when you are driving in these areas, (using your bluetooth headset of course)?

I've read so many posts for both the New Evo and the Galaxy S3 about constant dropped calls, low signal strength, and really slow or useless data, it's a big concern for me. I'm sure it will all change when 4GLTE actually gets here, but I can't wait. If I stay with sprint and upgrade, I need to know I can rely on my phone for calls and basic web access. This is kind of a deal-breaker so I appreciate any input, especially from people in the above mentioned areas.


Ez Duzit

 

[TimG517]

I use my EVO 4G LTE in Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Monica, El Segundo, LAX - all with no real issues. The day the shuttle was in town I had not very good 3G service, but I figured it was due to all the extra people in the El Segundo area. Once I got on the work plane at LAX it was back to normal. I would say the only complaint I have right now is there is no 4G WiMax. My old Photon worked great on the 4G WiMax in SoCal.

 

[MexRex]

I was in Ontario/Riverside area for a business trip earlier this month. The 3G speed overall were horrible. Just trying to get GPS and Places to find a place too eat was terribly slow. I was hoping the speeds would be better than back home here in Indiana. We had a day off that allowed isn't visit LA, where my 3G speeds were pretty good. Calls though were never dropped when I was in the area.

 

[aeroPM]

If you currently have WiMAX, then I wouldn't switch to anything yet. You won't have LTE for a while, 6-12 months, and the 3G in our area is much slower than WiMAX. If you don't have WiMAX, then I'd switch to the LTE. I got the LTE the day it came out but recently switched back to my old design because I have great WiMAX coverage and 3G speeds don't compare most the time. (live in Chino Hills, work by LAX) If it wrent for the difference in speeds between 3G and 4G, the EVO LTE actually had much better coverage and clearer calls than my family's other phones (EVO, EVO design and EVO shift). I still use my LTE tethered to the hotspot on my design, but will probably stick with the design until LTE gets turned on out here. Like I said though, if it weren't for the 4G, the LTE has as good if not better reception than my other phones.

Sent from my EVO using Android Central Forums

 

[BigDinCA]

Well I see that I'm a day late to the party but I've got 2 cents to share. I've got the EVO LTE and my wife has the Sammy.

I live in Murrieta and drive all over SoCal, from The Mexican border up through Ventura County and over to the state line in Blythe. The reception here by my home is fine and data speeds are decent. Speeds are faster in some places in Orange County and LA County, but every once in awhile I have to wait too long for the device to switch towers. Ironically, INSIDE my home my reception is terrible so Sprint gave me an Airave. As for data speeds, I have seen them drop 5-20% over the last few months, depending on where you are. My tests range from .32Mbps to 1.7Mbps on 3G. I average around .7Mbps. Judging by what I have seen on S4GRU.com I can only guess (and hope) that it is due to the beginning stages of the Network Vision updates in this area. My wife works in Moreno Valley on base (March ARB) and she hates the signal issues there. Outside she gets decent reception but inside her buildings Sprint has the hardest time penetrating walls. The Verizon people have similar issues but not nearly as much. She has had WiMax capable devices, but they stopped with that rollout about 2 miles from her work, so....... yeah. I liked the WiMax in LA and Orange County, but not while driving. It had to handoff to different towers too often and the process took too long so I would drop data for periods of time because I was driving faster than the new tower would issue me an IP address. WiMax basically operates like a wireless router, so it takes a bit for the device to be recognized and then be allowed access. When you're walking or staying in the same place it's great.

As for calling? No problems at all, really. I use a Plantronics Voyager Pro (like 75% of everyone on the planet it seems) but I also connect to the BT through the car stereo more often now. Call quality is great, even when the signal drops to 1 or 2 bars. I have noticed a few spots where I drop a call and then immediately pick up a full signal from the next tower, so something isn't right with the handoff from tower to tower. I've seen it most often on I-15 South traveling through Lake Elsinore and sometimes on I-215 North traveling through Perris. I am also hoping that this is due to reduced site coverage as they start the tower upgrades in the area. I saw that they were supposed to start southern Riverside County by October and it appears they have. I wish I still had the link to the S4GRU site where they show this specific area, but I don't anymore.

I've had the OG EVO, the EVO 3D and this new one. My wife has had the Epic and both Galaxy phones. With the exception of the data speed dropoffs, everything else is about the same. For me, the call quality is vastly improved. Hope this helps! If you have any question feel free to ask here, or PM me.

 

[Bassbiker]

Coverage is still spotty here in OC. I know it irritates Sprint to no end when i tell them they are dropping my call while I look out my office window at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. I will say I do get good coverage when I go to the IE but I have no clue when true 4G coverage will hit LA/OC/IE/SD or how competent it will be.

 

[Ez Duzit]

Thanks to all for the input. Although I was eligible for an upgrade on the 1st of Oct and really want a better phone, I'm going to hold off for just a little bit. Mainly because the other day it was leaked that the Galaxy S3 will be on sale for only $50 on Black Friday (1 day sale). Supposedly there will be killer deals on other phones too, but no other deals were leaked yet. So right now I am leaning towards the S3, but I'll wait and see what other deals they have on black friday.

Ez Duzit