The phrases in the test file are very similar to those listed at http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/audio/harvard.html, which also gives a citation for the IEEE paper from which they are drawn.

More information on the phrases ('Harvard Sentences') in the sound sample used is available at http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/audio/harvard.html. Audio files are available at http://www.voiptroubleshooter.com/open_speech/american.html

Looks like Verizon is wardriving for all kinds of stuff. Too bad they don't report on their findings, like wifimaps.com does -- but they're just Wi-Fi.

I'm dissatisfied with my Sprint coverage, so I was poking around on the web looking at coverage maps for other carriers. T-Mobile has a coverage map overlaid on top of a street map (at least for Portland, Oregon). It was pretty cool... unfortunately... it helped me decide that I'd be no better off with T-Mobile.

The St. Petersburg Times did this a while ago so this is a nice update: http://www.sptimes.com

Such a consumer testing organization would need access to the phones' programming to make such a data logger. I'd bet a cup of coffee that they'd get little to no cooperation from the carriers.

Verizon has development kits from all the manufacturers so they can hack any phone they want - a distinct advantage. Then there's the matter of the quarter million dollar test rig, though I suspect something could be homebuild for much less.

"Such a consumer testing organization would need access to the phones' programming to make such a data logger. I'd bet a cup of coffee that they'd get little to no cooperation from the carriers."

Well, Verizon Wireless has no permission from all the other carriers it tests, so it would be possible without carrier permission. You can go buy the special phones, but they will cost you. Levy told me the Nokia used for (I think) T-Mobile costs $3,000.

I began wireless in mtero/Portland area in analog days with a massive Motorola book phone. Switched to GTE PCS which did not work, to AT&T again,to digital/analog,which did. Then,to GSM and TMobile (now it is called that). Back to AT&T GSM after a headstart...thought about Nextel,nope won't work at home. Verizon? Never worked in the sticks where I live, still doesn't. Cingular is all that works where I live and where I work.Don't care about EVDO, EDGE, WCDMA...I just want to have a phone that works...here...there... and everywhere.

>> need access to the phones' programming
> Levy told me the Nokia ... costs $3,000.

Verizon doesn't just want quality/coverage data- they need specific information in order to plan and make improvements. They also have to worry about making the system efficient- it costs money to send that technician out driving full-time. They also have to do it in a LOT of cities, simultaneously, regularly, etc. - it's a problem with a large scope.

ConsumerReports (or whoever) wouldn't have to do quite the same amount of work. I believe it could be done with off the shelf equipment, with relatively little hacking. It wouldn't be perfect of course, but it would be better than what exists now. In fact, many CR tests make comprimises which are similar to those which would make this test feasible. It would still be expensive, but then buying 250 sets of tires isn't exactly cheap.

Prepare for the Slashdot effect!

One of those voices is definitely from Maritime Canada.

It seems to me it would be cheaper just to track call logs of dropped calls experienced by customers. If I'm not mistaken, most new cell phones have gps capability.

I love that this super wagon has like $250,000 of electronics gear in it, but the poor dude has to use a tape adapter in his stereo. They couldn't get him the CD player upgrade? At least that's what it looks like in the photo.

bryan kennedy

There is a company called GWS that performs regular (once a year or so) benchmarking drives and sells the data to the local carriers. The setup is very similiar to what is shown here. I'm not sure if they are nationwide, but we (carrier not supplied) do use the data here in Southern California.

Just imagine--if the data from these tests were released publicly, we wouldn't have to have wireless phone advertising campaigns anymore! We could determine the best carrier based on the data, rather than by J Lo's endorsements!

Many phones with serial connections will respond to a set of AT commands that include a readout of visible networks and strengths.
But checking signal srength is only half the battle. Congestion can cause dropped calls even in areas with plenty of bars. You would need one of these fancy setups to check for that.

Does this involve mobile ip?

I have an old nokia (6360) which I have set to field test mode - you get all kinds of neat info - including the signal level in dB for the 12 nearest cell towers soo much more informative than the stupid bars - but I wish I knew more.

Wow cool!

Is there any implication on health doing that job? I guess its not around long enough for meaningfull statistics?

Autoversicherung Online

This is news? LA Cellular was doing this for their own network AND Verizon's back in 94. They had 3 cars that did nothing but drive and gather data. At the time they had to write our own software to fully crunch the data using some Sparcs and Informix. Over time they used more Sparcs and Oracle when got tired of being a live beta test site for Informix. So far as I know, AT&T which bought LA Cellular is still upgrading and supporting that application. The amount and type of data was pretty amazing. The accounts dialed out on were "Ghost" accounts which were purchased under assumed names so the tests would be with live accounts that you and me would have gotten at the time.

In northern CA Verizon drops calls all the time. Some of it is due to lack of coverage (and towns that consider themselves too "good" for cell towers). Driving through my home town on a call almost guarantees a dropped call, and I'm in Silicon Valley!

This is only complicated more by the poor quality software in the Motorola V710 phone. It's easy to crash. Motorola doesn't care, though.

And it looks like the driver of said wagon may have found himself on tardsite.com if he ever goes to Georgia. Hey, there, do you park much or just read about it?

Levy should come to the Big Island of Hawaii and see just how bad Verizon Wireless service sucks once you get out of any urban area. Some of the road coverage is so bad, you got to stop and look for a high spot to maybe get a bar or two. Despite many complaints to Verizon, who profess to be doing everything they can (sure!) Many of the dead zones are topographical in nature, but it appears that instead of expanding coverage and tower sharing with competitors, Verizon chooses to go it alone, and if their service is spotty, they don't care or you drop a call - they just round up to the next minute. There are location which had excellent coverage, but because of tower sharing selfishness, they pulled out and screwed their customers. NEXTEL all the way.

"I saw a report from February and it showed one dropped call for Verizon Wireless for the month"

This data is inaccurate, due to a billing system error (according to customer service), everytime I roam from a verizon tower to another system (which I can make calls from normally) the verizon phone that I have drops the call on purpose! It does this, because they were accidentally charging the other carrier for service, and vice versa. I dont' know if it has been fixed yet, but this happens to me all of the time, especially since they only have one tower up in the area currently. (I moved here with the phone, but up until they put in their tower, I had better reception than most of my friends due to the fact that it didn't matter what tower I was on.) -- annoyed subscriber.

A customised Nokia for $3,000? What a waste of money; most of the field menus which are designed for testing like this are available via netmonitor - a special feature which you can enable yourself in most older nokia phones (www.gnokii.org). It would be my guess that the majority of the need for more equipment is the need for logging and processing all the data which is produced; a 32x32 pixel LCD display isn't exactly good enough for a verizon field engineer, although it's just fine for me with my Nokia 6210!

The picture of the car should have hidden the licence plate, and it didn't really have to show the actual car even. No need to identify a car full of costly electronics for the notorious car burglars out there.

-Tor

Unfortunate/Obscure choice of format for the test file - none of my media players (mplayer, totem-xine) play it. (perhaps I don't have the right codecs). How about something that doesn't require a proprietry operating system, and an irritating (UPGRADE! UPGRADE! UPGRADE!) media player next time. (Speex, Ogg Vorbis? There are plugins for nearly all common media players for vorbis at least (WMP, iTunes, Winamp etc.)

There are independent Companies that do drivetesting for Carriers and other companies all the time. Consumer reports could purchase this data on a monthly or annual basis. However knowing how to interpret the data is usually far more difficult than just collecting it.

So in the last picture, are those yellow stickers radation warnings?

In the UK our regulator OfCOM carries out independent testing of this kind every year and publishes the information.

I used to work for a company that made this equipment called Rotadata (Now called Roscom). They are supported by the phone manufacturers and sell all over the world (in the US to Nextel and AT&T when I was there).

Anyone know, or have contact with a testman who handles eastern ma. more particular Cape Cod? I'd like to know if they've eta of new cell sites here. WE NEED THEM....thanks

What's with the Coke truck? Product placement or decoy?

I have 2 verizon cell phones. In my home in Dix Nebraska 69133 they are worthless. We have tried external antennas but very often they to cannot pickup a signal. My brother has cell phones with cingular, he can call or receive calls even in our basement. I would like to do without a land line in my home, but cannot because verizon is not strong enough in my home. If verizon does not make some changes soon, I am thinking very strongly about changing carriers. I know that they are only using existing towers in Nebraska, which makes coverage Extended at best.
So the "Can you hear me now", is a joke in Western Nebraska.

I'm intrigued by this line: "Dropped calls for Verizon Wireless are pretty rare these days, with some months of testing seeing none."

I've had Verizon Wireless for about 6 months now, and over the course of those 6 months I would estimate that I've had about 1 dropped call for every 20 minutes of talk time. even if I'm standing or sitting completely still, I drop calls constantly - and I live in the metro Washington DC area. But I'm stuck in a 2 year contract, so I guess there's not much I can do about it now.

As for the other carriers cooperating...we just get a standard account. The trick is getting them to activate a phone that comes from the warehouse with a Verizon logo on it. Techs have egos too...
A year and a half with 60,000 miles and counting. We also contract with a third party tester to verify our own results, lots and lots of testing..
Nice article by the way, I had fun.
Peace

Verizon Wireless, of which I am a customer, has made no attempt to give me better service in the area where I live. I am on the Boliver Peninsula, just across the ferry from Galveston, Texas. There are four towns on the Peninsula. That would be High Island, Gilcrest, Crystal Beach, and Port Bolivar. The only town (which is the most populated) that can get decent service without loosing it's connection, is Crystal Beach. Now...if I want to make a call without loosing my connection, I have to travel to Crystal Beach about (about 6 miles away) or ride the ferry to Galveston (also 6 miles away) from my house. At home last night, while trying to talk to my son, I lost my connection 4 time. I finally gave up. I've been checking around with others to see how they fair with their provider and Cellular seems to be the one to go with. As soon as my contract is over with Verizon, I will be changing, unless Verizon makes some great improvments. They are plesant to do business with and I've been with them for years, but, it's time for a change, unless Verizon makes some big effort in the very near future.
Thanks for letting me "vent".
Roy Lynn Myers

Why not just hide tweaked out wireless phones in closets and on top of buildings all over the city? Sure, they'll get damaged all of the timem, but it's gotta be cheaper than $300,000 worth of car and paying a fulltime driver on top of that.

Based on my Verizon reception in the Summerfield, Bellview area of Florida it would appear that the "can you hear me now" guy has never been here because whenever I call anyone I start my conversation with "I'm on my Verizon cell phone and there is a good chance I will lose you but I will call you back"
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW VERIZON ??

Verizon, the people of Vernon Colorado would like to invite you out to our part of the country to check out the wonderful service we get (dropped calls, no reception, etc.). When you arrive, we are going to drive you out to the middle of nowhere, take your shoes and socks and let you walk back. You are welcome to call someone to come pick you up, but I promise you, your cell phone won't work.
We are tired of you taking our money every month but refusing to do something about the service. When will you "hear" us?

The exterior antenas on the car increase reception but most people rely on the antena on the phone. Biggest problem is hassle given to those who want to put up antena's. Not in my neighborhood, every one wants to call but they block errection of solution. I drive 160,000 miles a year through 27 states. Worst coverage is in Conn. and New Jersey in highly populated areas I use verizon,have tried ATT, Cingular, Sprint, and my own coverage and about a half dozen other services borrowing other peoples phnes

I heard about your site via the Kim Komando website. And, as I scrolled down to the end reading comments of Verizon service it was “deja vu all over again”, as Yogi said. Several years ago I was “sold” on a Verizon contract, said contract was made in California through a Radio Shack store in Redwood City...HOWEVER...since my new home would be in east central Arizona it purchased with the unequivocal assurance that IF IT DID NOT WORK OUT, THE CONTRACT COULD BE CANCELLED AT NO DISCONNECT CHARGE.

And I wanted the service. Reality?

I was stalled for three months by the local Verizon dealer and the Verizon “techs” that could be reached....(local is forty miles away!)...I had repeated dropped calls–especially in trying to talk to the “techs”! I often had to stand OUTSIDE my house to use the phone, ( a head turn of 7 degrees COULD drop a call), etc.,. I even bought a new and upgraded phone in hopes of making it work.

In an effort to get some help I finally was given an “800" number–(via the “local” Verison dealer). When attempted contact was made the next day, I was a informed by a recording that I had an ”incorrect” number; however, for a charge of $2.95 TO my land line telephone bill, I could be supplied with the correct number!

I have just two last comments to make. I suspect that Verizon was listening in to MY phone conversations and they stole “Can you hear me now?”. That phrase was repeated dozens of time for every ten minutes I was able to talk! Before I would ever even consider using any Verison service for phone calls again I would go back to my boyhood ploy. Two tin cans with a string fastened to the center of each. It is sure more reliable than that “jive-turkey” outfit.
Oh, yes! They DID try to sue me! Rots o' Ruck!!!

And this test simulates a real customer how? They're using antennas wired onto the top of the car! They should be using the built in antenna in the phone to get accurate results that would provide a similar experience to what the customers get...

How silly.

I wish he would travel up interstate 55 in Missouri, between Perryville and Arnold, and some of the areas around Festus. And yes, I too think you should get rid of the antennas on top of the car.

NOW... if they could just release the latest and greatest phones, we would be happy!

Most power users already know Verizon's coverage is the best... But we need the top of the line phones guys! I have been so tempted to go to Cingular, it is not even funny.

Dating back to 1995, I got my brand spanking new Verizon Cellphone. I wanted to use it in Pennsylvania, Zip 19380. I told the sales person so. He showed me the nice glossy maps, showing that the whole of that area was covered with the 'green' good coverage.

Within 24 hours, I knew that this was not true. Being an Engineer myself, I gave Verizon a chance, and offered them the opportunity to come to the address at which I needed service and resolve the problem. Meanwhile, they agreed to allow me not to pay the $30 monthly charge.

Months later, Verizon started charging me the $30 monthly charge again, claiming that they had fixed the problem. They had not. I invited them to send a technician to the address concerned, so he could do his tests and show me that he could access the Verizon network from either inside the house, or anywhere within 10 yards of the house. They declined to do so. Instead, they sent the disputed monthly charges to a collection agency, which ultimately led to my credit rating being ruined.

Verizon sucked in 1995, and I don't believe any of the claims of zero dropped calls in a month mentioned in your article.

I do however confirm that the calibrated handsets used for service testing do cost $2500-3000. At least the Nokia handsets do. Yes, you can enable the Field Test screens on many handsets, but unless the handset is properly calibrated, the tests are not valid for network performance testing.

I also don't agree with the metrics of Verizon's tests: Just because Verizon can make a call from an external antenna mounted above a perfect ground plane, in the middle of the road, does NOT mean Joe Public can make a call from his living room inside a house just yards away, using the handset's antenna, inside the living room of his house.

No offence meant to Levy, but... this type of impersonal testing in the middle of the street is no substitute for visiting the customer who has the problem (me) and witnessing the problems I have, instead of hiding behind phony test results.

I'm living with a tattered Credit History because of Verizon's bad service and unwillingness to let me out of a contract which THEY could not fulfill.

I am NOT living with a Verizon cellphone any more.

I had Verizon several years back, and the service I had was beyond "it sucked". I am restricted from giving a proper description as there are ladies and children that view this.

I could see a Verizon tower and get zero signal. I would be [b]in my home[/b] and end up paying for roaming. I would have to keep calling customers back because the signal would repeatedly drop and come back, even though I'm not moving.

I recently came back to Verizon, but it's not like I have any choice. I am in a different town, and I get far better coverage. The rates are better than Cell One, and I refuse to associate with the racists employed by AT&T (and I can prove my allegation, BTW). Though it is SO annoying to sit here at my computer and lose count on how many times my cell phone loses the signal.

Verizon has done a lot of improvement, and that in itself is remarkable. But the biggest improvement they have yet to make is not with the phones or the towers or the signals they use, instead they need to hire some decent customer service. I have dealt with some that are some down right fine people, and they helped me a lot. But thre's still those that are rude and annoying and one in particular that needs his a** beat good for the language he used.

I used QT Pro to export the file to WAV. Here's a link: http://s39.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2Y9H2IZ1HZT182LG2LM0AAEN6G

BTW I parked like that so we could swing the doors wide open and get a good view. I park with surgical precision...

Although you can't find coverage maps from carriers themselves, the next best thing is reading what others have to say. http://www.cellreception.com lists customer comments for carriers nationwide.

You all need to get the "arc freedom antenna" sold on evdo-info.com and I believe at Radioshack. It makes the difference.

I'm a drive tester in Portland, Oregon. This job is way more difficult than most people realize. Please be kind to us on the road. Of course wireless companies don't release that data; you don't want that in your competitor's hands. There is a company called telephia (http://www.telephia.com/) that drives for all companies every year. I think you can purchase their data.

I've had Verizon Wireless service for my cell phone for several years, now, and was happy with it for the first couple of years, but now I lose practically all of my calls. I am constantly calling their customer service people and they're nice to deal with but don't fix the problem. I'm stuck with their contract for now but when it expires I'll look for another cellular company.
Doug

Wow, I thought I was the only one having a nighmare problem with Verizon. I too was very satisfied with verizon years ago and now that I signed another 2 year contract with them, things really got bad with reception and dropped calls. When speaking to customer service, they tell me they can't guarantee reception in buildings. Their commercial should be "can you hear me now" and someone walk outside and down the street and say now I hear you.....that's if the call hasn't dropped by the time you get outside. Hope they find a solution as I am paying $120 a month for 2 years and I am very unhappy. I think these complaints should become more public so Verizon will take the so called policy of "worry free guarantee" serious. Or at least say "worry free as long as you don't make or receive phone calls in buildings.

I was happy with Verizon for year. Now, increasing numbers of dropped calls, and calls missed that go straight to voice mail without ringing my phone bother me many times daily. VZ does nothing. There are large coverage gaps where I live in suburban Chicago, with worsening performance as the months pass. I'll try the Arc freedom antenna in the car. Cingular, step up and make some hay here!

We all need to stop verizon from messing with consumers, i have started a website:

http://www.VerizonWirelessEatspoop.com

relocated to Boulder CO for a 2 month period. In my home, my Sprint phone service is terrible. Trying to determine who to switch my 2 line service to. Looked at Verizon, but I'd like to test the service before I buy.

Have to disagree strongly with one comment:

In northern CA Verizon drops calls all the time. Some of it is due to lack of coverage (and towns that consider themselves too "good" for cell towers). Driving through my home town on a call almost guarantees a dropped call, and I'm in Silicon Valley!

That's really odd, because *I* live in the Silicon Valley, and Verizon has been a champ for me. MUCH better than Cingular, ATT, Sprint, T-Mobile, MetroPCS, or anything else we have around here... between me and my friends, we've been on all the carriers, and Verizon has consistently been the best here.

Just re-upped with them for 2 more years, couldn't be happier with the service. :)

Have you seen this before? It's a number guessing game: http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/guessthenumber.html. I guessed 56452, and it got it right! Pretty neat.

Do you know anyone who might be a fit or who might even know someone who would be interested in such a position?

Drive Tester
Driver Tester I performs field data collection, post processing and evaluation of system performance and quality such as signal strength.
1) Basic knowledge of RF principles
2) Prior testing experience
3) Basic telecommunications industry knowledge
4) Knowledge of mapping routines, preferably MapInfo and strong laptop computer skills and database manipulation
5) May require ability to properly operate test vehicle and current US state issued driver's license
Minimum Educational Qualifications - Associate degree in related field
Minimum Experience Qualifications - 1 year related work experience
Position is a contract for approximately one year in Reston, VA.

Thanks so much!

Beth
Beth Kelly
kellyel@kellyservices.com
1-800-489-7943 PHONE
732-296-9490 FAX

Do you know anyone who might be a fit or who might even know someone who would be interested in such a position?

Drive Tester
Driver Tester I performs field data collection, post processing and evaluation of system performance and quality such as signal strength.
1) Basic knowledge of RF principles
2) Prior testing experience
3) Basic telecommunications industry knowledge
4) Knowledge of mapping routines, preferably MapInfo and strong laptop computer skills and database manipulation
5) May require ability to properly operate test vehicle and current US state issued driver's license
Minimum Educational Qualifications - Associate degree in related field
Minimum Experience Qualifications - 1 year related work experience
Position is a contract for approximately one year in Reston, VA.

Thanks so much!

Beth
Beth Kelly
kellyel@kellyservices.com
1-800-489-7943 PHONE
732-296-9490 FAX

help stop VerizaRape
http://verizarape.com

We have been a verison customer for 8 months. I can say nothing good about them. They may put money into their urban sites, but here in Ridgecrest, CA (25000+) they are terrible. I get numerious dropped calls, very bad static and breakup and general poor service. There are two verison stores here in town (not sure how they survive) and neither one can service anything. They are sales outlets and their only idea of support is call in. The verison contract is a death trap (maybe all of them are). If I quit my plan I must pay $280 for each of the phones they sold me for $50 total. Then there are all the other gottchas. This industry is all hype and very poor delivery to anyone out of the big metro areas. I got the phones in case of trouble while on the road and to stay in touch with my daughter off at college. I would have been way ahead on service and expense to just use a land line at peak rate time. Verison? Can you hear me? This is the sound of a customer that will not return.

WE need a tower!!!!! willing to give you old look-out tower used by forrest dept!!!! we arec 45 miles n. of payson ( your only white zone) call owner!!!! Mr. R Bunger say Annette sent you!!! thanks

I WAS WONDERING IF THEY DO BATTERY TESTING ( WITH A LOAD BANK ) IN THE CELL SITES. I AM IN MD AND WE DO TESTING HERE BUT WAS IN THE MARKET TO BUY A DIFFERENT TESTOR...

THANKS

Get dropped all the time, get the same response from my Verizon dealer "You're the first report we've had of dropped calls, must be your phone. Bring it in, let us re-program it".
Then when I get there, get treated like an idiot. When my contract is over, I'm outta here!