I wrote the interviews for T-Mobile and AT&T here several years ago, going into technical detail. AT&T has always had a fairly solid network in and around Kutztown, especially on the campus of Kutztown University. The major reason for this has been the leased property - the north water tower on campus. That site has been active since the early 2000s, and I suspect it was originally AT&T Wireless. I can't be sure though. I recall my IS-136 (TDMA) phone back in 2002 *may* have been roaming, but I can't remember. It's been too long! Currently, the GSM network has much less of a load on it due to the fact that 3G HSDPA 850 and 1900 were switched on officially on April 27th, 2010. During the early AM hours in the weeks before, AT&T was running tests in the area, and you could pick up HSDPA 850 at about 3:00AM. The GSM network is better than it ever was. AMR Full-Rate is occasionally given, IF your signal is poor. Do not depend on it, however, as I have seen times when it simply does not happen. But overall, the quality has improved even if full-rate is not given: Less handoffs, mainly. The GSM network may still use a very well designed call setup method that puts your call on 850, BUT if the network / phone detects that the 1900 signal is strong, say you are outdoors, it switches you over after about five seconds. If you lose 1900 reception, your phone hands back to 850. This usually works well, but if you want one example where it calls TOO MANY handoffs, walk on campus (don't worry, it's state owned property!) and go to the Student Union Building Bear's Den Coffee Shop. No call to action intended, but go get some coffee, and stand in the centre of the room and make a call on GSM. You may notice clicks. That's because you are hovering between 850 and 1900 GSM, and the network cannot decide which band to keep you on. (It was one way at this point... I have not used GSM only there in a while!) The benefit for the configuration above, when it works correctly, is that it takes the load off of 850, which has to be used almost all the time in parts of buildings. Most people are using 3G phones though. THAT network is what you want to use, ESPECIALLY if you can lock your phone to it. First of all, there are six or seven different AT&T cell sites that your mobile can be connected to when you are on campus or in the immediate area. The numbers are 732, 731, 735, 848, 3001, 3006, and one or two more. (HEX values are different. - I think the values are sometimes also different on HSDPA.) 3001 and 3006 appear to be outside of Kutztown, going towards Trexlertown. 3G gives you an advantage for voice calls EXACTLY like Verizon / Sprint CDMA: Both technologies allow your phone to average the signal between sites to allow for better quality of service in bad signal conditions. Use it if you can! 'Not sure how many cells at once, but judging by the engineering mode on my old CU-500 in other markets, I have seen as many as five cell sites at once. Voice quality on 3G is... well, it's AMR 5.9 a LOT of the time. It's going to sound muffled and grainy. - However, AMR 5.9 on 3G is far better than AMR Half-Rate on GSM, because it's still resistant to bad reception much more so than GSM, and you won't hear handoffs. Want AMR 12.2? Open up a data session on your phone, making sure it's switching packets over 3G, and THEN place a voice call... . Note that there is one type of handoff you WILL hear on 3G: 850 to 1900, and back and fourth. Also, be prepared for your 3G signal to drop back to GSM A LOT while indoors. Locking my phone to it allowed calls to stay active, but too many wrong moves with holding the phone's antenna to your shoulder, and calls will drop sooner than on GSM! Data is OK on 3G, hovering at about the speed of a cheap DSL connection at worst. Still very good though. Peace!

Two cats suffered sudden heart attacks upon moving to this home, due to area cell phone masts. All pets developed chronic disease upon the increase in the number of cell phone towers in this neighborhood. I urge Kutztown residents who are ill to google the Bioinitiative Report. These signals are lethal to life.

T-Mobile at Kutztown is very much "line of sight." There is a strong signal at this intersection right near the Kutztown University Straton Administration building's front lawn, looking straight at the local pizza place "Sal's." Walk to the north facing the poconos [in this same area] and you will have four to five bars including areas in the Kutztown Fairgrounds, and Kutztown University parking lots. On the University campus itself, things are bit odd. For example, if you walk into the parking lot in front of the Student Union Building, you will have "five bars." Walk towards the bookstore, and into the building at the bookstore entrance. Walk up the stairs. You will lose signal. Go towards the coffee shop on the other end of the building, facing the poconos, and you will have signal. Exit the building, enter the library. You'll lose reception on the first floor with the exception of the FAR right and left sides of the building [such as the side with the computers facing the newly built Academic forum]. Go upstairs in the library. Go by a window. You will get good reception. Exit the library, go into the Academic forum. You will get one bar on the first floor. You should be able to make and hold onto calls in here, but don't depend on it. Second floor not tested ; most likely second floor windows are better due to the line of sight propigation. Residence halls: -The older residence halls that have windows facing KUTZTOWN MAIN STREET, but NOT Fleetwood will generally get reception. -Outdoors on the DMZ you are wonderful. -At the South Dining Hall, you may have 4-5 bars outsside. Inside, it will stay useable but don't try to order food down there or you'll drop. -Upstairs is good. -At University place, you will hold onto a useable signal in the courtyard. Generally, if you have a window facing OUT of the building [and not the courtyard due to the way this building is made up] - thanks to AMR full rate's superior error correction, you will be able to make and receive calls. In the central building - The Annex, don't bother on the first floor. Second floor should work in the rooms. Third floor should work. -There are many dead spots in buildings but to be fair, these buildings were built during the cold war. -Coverage OUTSIDE Kutztown is exeptionally bad. If you need to make call, stop the car, get out, and hold the phone to your ear. Move around if you wish, just don't drive off. -You may lose coverage between Kutztown and Reading on I-78 or 222. -You WILL lose coverage - off and on, zero to two bars basically - while driving past Kutztown University's Straton Administration building, down main street, then out of the town past the fire company. Coverage will be strong until you exit the general limits of the town, then you will get weak signal all the way into Leesport, where it gets a bit better. [Here, we mean driving through fleetwood to give a general idea.] Final note: T-Mobile does not use AMR Half-Rate at Kutztown. Calls are crisp and clear where there is service. Digital farts are common on Samsung phones with one bar.

Reception is NOT the same as call quality. Here we have a Cingular / ATT site on the campus water tower. However, only one site serves an entire campus and town - more or less. This leads to AMR Half-rate being used at all times, even at 3:00am. I have tested this myself. I cannot get an FR call. This is why people will start to complain if their phone has anything less than three bars, because calls w--l s--nd *air wooshing effect* l--k this. That being said: -RECEPTION, I REPEAT, RECEPTION - is generally excellent. But reception does NOT equal call quality, and even with five bars on one's phone - certain models will consistently garble calls on occasion while sitting 2,000 yards from the mobile site. [read: Samsung d407. I smashed mine unintentionally through accadent, but I am in the end glad I don't have to use it anymore] [The KU SUB's coffee shop, as a reference.] -The Nokia 3595 does fairly well in AMR-HR, but obviously garble still occurs occasionally. When I put the phone into Enhanced Full Rate mode, my calls are what GSM should sound like. Not what Cingular makes GSM sound like in many markets. However, AMR-HR to AMR-HR calls sound just plain bad. -Phone calls usually do go through, even when my phone in in EFR. This is ironic, considering that Cingular felt that the tower needed AMR-HR at all times. This is an area that would benefit from AMR full-rate, and telling people to quite frankly "deal with it" with occasional network busy messagess. Once in a while, I get these when in EFR, but not ever day even. -Reception inside the residence halls, like all carriers, is very spotty. The buildings were built from the early to mid 1960s and 70s, and were designed to last half a century or more. However, AMR-HR makes calls of poor quality even with two or more bars inside these buildings. Finally, T-Mobile gets better call quality on campus with one bar [outdoors] than Cingular with five. This is because T-Mobile has weaker coverage, and only uses AMR full rate.