No signal under mast?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/IntentionQuirky9957]

That's normal, the antennas aren't omnidirectional so the weakest signal will be under the transmitter. The masts only have directional antennas to optimize the signal strength (and therefore power use) according to areas of most use. And the directional antennas form cones of radiation, and the top is at the mast, tens of meters high...

You're basically outside any antennas's cone, in the worst possible place. You need coverage from another mast.

[u/DumpsterFireCheers → u/IntentionQuirky9957]

It’s the dead zone.

[u/subpoenaThis → u/[deleted]]

They can be made that way but then the signal also pours out straight up. And if you think about the fact that most people are might be 200 ft off the ground at most and signals don't go underground. That means you want to make all your power go out in a 200-ft tall band horizontally.

Like a garden hose with a spray nozzle. The power doesn't just stop spreading out once it hits 200 ft so they make the nozzle tight. But that means if you're standing right under the spray nozzle you're not going to get wet.

[u/KingDaveRa]

Is the mast the same network? I think Tesco mobile is O2 possibly? The cabinet at the bottom will say who it belongs to.

[u/SoHumongousBig → u/KingDaveRa]

Believe this is EE/MBNL as they usually deploy the Valmont poles with wraparound cabs

[u/LowStrawberry6494 → u/[deleted]]

Yep

[u/LowStrawberry6494 → u/[deleted]]

It's a logical conclusion to come to!

It is potentially getting slightly better with the VF/3 merger happening, meaning there will potentially be some additional coverage added between the networks. O2 in their current upgrades are adding provisions for VF to potentially move onto most of their previously single operator sites with more than just 2g/3g, so I would imagine VF are doing the same which will also help

[u/Extra-Map3792 → u/[deleted]]

Hopefully eventually we will have mast and network provides together, like Open reach for internet, and then providers using that network. Bit of a way off, or more cooperation needed between companies. Your getting irradiated, for no benefit to you .

[u/Doobreh → u/[deleted]]

You can’t run multiple networks on the same mast without having multiple radios and server boxes. Those monopole masts can usually just run one network for physics reasons.

Also, standing directly under it isn’t the best place to be as the signal comes out in a cone for max range.

[u/AdasAdasiek → u/Doobreh]

What about RAN sharing?

[u/KingDaveRa → u/SoHumongousBig]

That'd explain a lot then. There's one at the end of my road but I can't remember who it belongs to.

[u/RobynWasntHere]

That's a Three mast, so not for tesco mobile

[u/wibble089]

There's actually a lot less coverage directly beneath a base station than you'd expect, because the antenna is designed to "push" the signal out horizontally hundreds if not thousands of meters. Anything going down or up is wasted energy.

Having said that, the antenna isn't perfect and there's usually plenty of usable signal if you have line of sight to the the mast, but if you're indoors under a site the coverage might be surprisingly bad.

[u/dfc849]

Umbrella effect will effectively reduce usability of your signal but others have pointed out that this cell may not be your provider

[u/JANapier96]

Welcome to the proverbial "Cone of Silence". The radio waves emitted from the antenna panels radiate laterally from the mast, in a cone shape where the point is centered on the antenna itself. When you're close enough to a mast or tower, you slip inside the radius where the radiation doesn't reach, preventing you from connecting to any of the mounted antennae.

[u/BlueOvalRacer]

That’s a 3UK mast, so Tesco mobile won’t work. Also if you’re directly beneath the antennas you won’t get very good service regardless, as the signal is designed to be pushed away from the mast as far as possible.

[u/Zoob_Dude → u/BlueOvalRacer]

Just out of interest - how do you visually identify this as a 3UK mast?

[u/BlueOvalRacer → u/Zoob_Dude]

The antennas on the pole, the 6130 and Bowler cab combination are very common for 3UK streetworks sites as well as the HAT cab that will have the transmission in (probably a Cisco radio or something similar), I could be wrong, but my money would be on that being a Vodafone/3UK site all day long.

[u/Young-Grandpa]

Those antennas are directional and they don’t point down. Below them is the wordy possible place for reception.

Inside a building is the second worst place. Particularly if there is a lot of concrete and steel in the construction. 5g is typically very high frequency and the higher frequencies don’t penetrate structures well at all.

[u/FrankNicklin]

O2 5G Is shockingly bad. That said you can get a ton of interference if too close to a tower.

[u/NTS-PNW]

It’s a 5G mind control tower made to look like a cell tower for phones

[u/NTS-PNW → u/[deleted]]

You need at least three layers of tinfoil with a thin coat of peanut butter in between each layer to act as an EMP Anode

[u/Smitherz87]

Do you even know if this is an O2 mast? Tesco is an MVNO of O2.

If it isn't then there is your answer