Site Notes

Barred Operation 

A link to this note means that although the site was active when I tested it, the engineers had it operating in "barred mode". In the case of a GSM site, barred means that phones will not try to monitor this installation while it waiting for a call, but it can handoff to it during a call. Although phones such as the Nokia 5190 and the Nokia 6190 can be told to ignored barred status (from screen 19 in Monitor Mode), this doesn't really help much. The phone may park on the site, but the network will refuse to setup your calls.

Terminal 1 (Microcell Connexions)

Added: 17-Sep-2001

This site (ID 140) is a bit different from most. It's primary function is to serve the airport, but it is not an indoor site. In fact, the signal from this site can be picked up over 3 km away on Derry Road, but you'll rarely see your phone lock into it unless you are in the airport property. In other words, it functions as a normal macro site, but it is designed only to cover a designated area (in this case, Pearson Airport).

Industrial Parkway & Engelhard (Microcell Connexions)

Added: 08-Sep-2001

This site (ID 104) was originally located on the Aurora water tower, just north of the railway lines, west of Yonge. However, that location wasn't doing very much for Microcell, so it has been relocated to a monopole at the corner of Industrial Parkway & Engelhard. Its impact on the Aurora area is very positive, and coverage there has improved markedly.

Royal York & Dundas (Microcell Connexions) 

Added: 31-Mar-2001

This location is a high output repeater that uses two different donor sites. One of those sites is at Kipling & Dundas (ID 254) and the other is at Kipling & Eglinton (ID 267). It is used to fill in a weak area along Royal York and along Dundas, though since it is a repeater, it adds no new capacity.

Dixie & Burnhamthorpe (Microcell Connexions) 

Added: 12-Jan-2001

This location is a high output repeater that uses the Rathburn & Westminster site (ID 81) as its donor. It is mounted on the same building as the Rogers site on the northwest corner. The antenna is aligned eastward along Burnhamthorpe, but with a slight slant to the north. This will finally fix handoff problems along there, and at the intersection. The repeater's signal is very strong inside Rockwood Mall. That changes the network's rating in the mall from red, which it was previously, to a solid green.

Cawthra & Dundas (Microcell Connexions)

This location is a very high output repeater that uses the Queensway & Stanfield site (ID 357) as its donor. The antenna is aligned northward along Cawthra to finally fix the weak signal problems along that between Dundas and to just north of Bloor. The repeater's signal remains strong (though not necessarily dominant) all the way up to Burnhamthorpe and beyond. It also covers a fair chunk of the southeastern quadrant of the Mississauga Valley.

Bluffer's Park (Microcell Connexions)

This location exits solely to serve Bluffer's Park. It does not cover more than about 25% of the road out of the park, so don't expect to be able to take a call through there. In other words, until Microcell Connexions puts a repeater or two along the access road, there is no contiguous service between the park and Kingston Road. However, Microcell Connexions is the only PCS provider with strong service in that park due to the topography of the land.

Inverhouse & Lakeshore (Microcell Connexions)

This location resides at the top of a rather tall building on the southwest corner of Inverhouse & Lakeshore in Mississauga. It acts as a medium range repeater to fill in the Clarkson Village area. It uses the site at Winston Churchill & Royal Windsor Drive (ID 205) as its donor site. It is not intended to provide primary coverage along Lakeshore Road, despite its excellent location.

Dundas & Credit Woodlands (Microcell Connexions)

This location will act as a medium range repeater for the site up at Creditview & Burnhamthorpe. It is aimed westward along Dundas to provide additional coverage as you come out of the Credit River valley. Until that site comes online, the signals along Dundas become very weak from about half way up the hill over to a point just beyond the antenna.

Mississauga Road & Highway 401 (Microcell Connexions)

This location acts as a repeater for the 582 sector of the site at Aquitaine & Winston Churchill. It has been aimed to provide strong coverage along the 401 as far east as Mavis. This was originally a very weak spot on Microcell Connexions, but it now benefits from reasonably strong signals all the way over to the coverage of the Hurontario & Britannia site.

Glen Erin & Britannia (Microcell Connexions)

This location used to act as a repeater for the 566 sector of the site at Aquitaine & Winston Churchill. It was converted to a full site in the late spring of 2001.

Robert Speck Parkway & Hurontario (Bell Mobility)

This location is a full site with its own command channels, but it doesn't cover a very large area. It's primary purpose is to provide strong signals along Hurontario, and to act as a donor site for the enhancers inside Square One. It also helps carry calls under Hurontario along Highway 403.