We visited the Hawaiian island of Oahu Dec. 8-13, 2004 for a Marriott
timeshare promotion (we didn't buy), staying at the JW Marriott Ihilani
hotel at the Ko Olina resort in the southwest corner of the island.
Sprint PCS reception was fine everywhere we went, with only a few
exceptions, and pretty much matched the coverage map and the tower map
on the Sprint PCS website. We tried not to send back too much Picture
Mail of beaches and tropical drinks to friends back home.

We encountered only three large dead spots in our travels, none a surprise:
1. Traveling clockwise (eastward) on Highway 83 on the northernmost part
of the island, we lost the Sprint signal around mileposts 14 and 15, but
over some of the gap there was a Verizon digital roaming signal (SID
60). We regained a good Sprint signal in Kahuku. (Stop in Kahuku at
Giovanni's shrimp truck - it's the white truck covered with graffiti
next to a tropical smoothie truck.)
2. On the north shore, there's no Sprint PCS or roaming signal when you
start walking the trail into the Waimea Valley Audubon Center to Waimea
Falls.
3. At the westernmost point of the island on Highway 93, the signal ends
a mile or so before the road ends. No roaming signal either.

At the Marriott, there's a cell site on the tallest point of the parking
garage/Spa building. I was told it was Nextel, because the
Nextel-sponsored Pro Bowl football players stay that that hotel. The
antenna wires led to an unlabeled, locked room, so I couldn't confirm
any Nextel identification.

On the other hand, I was told that the ATTWS signal is pretty strong
there, too. There was a spot in the lower lobby corridor where I lost
the Sprint PCS signal (SID 4132) and the Verizon signal (SID 60) and
picked up an ATTWS signal (now Cingular, SID 167), though I didn't make
a note if I successfully made a call using the ATTWS signal.

Happy New Year!

--
Frank Harris in San Francisco with an A680 and PRL 10025


› See More: Coverage report for Oahu, Hawaii