Friday, January 25
Beta testing on the eastern side of the ConnectGRADD network has begun this week and the early results have been extremely positive. We'll be continuing with these tests into next week and expect to wrap them up by the end of the week.
With that, the plans we noted last week for releasing service in limited areas in early February are still on schedule. Check back here during the week for more details about that, as we expect to post that information here by Jan. 31.
On the western side of the network, the installations DCI had planned to begin this week at Robards have been delayed until Feb. 4. Once the Robards installation and initial testing is completed, we'll begin Alpha tests in Henderson, Union and Webster counties. That's now expected to happen in mid-February, hopefully the week of Feb. 11. Should that schedule change further -- in either direction -- we'll note it here.
Friday, January 18
The past two weeks have been spent in heavy continued testing, with installation work on hold pending the results of those tests, and both DCI and Motorola engineers have performed some detailed evaluations of the towers that have been turned up.
As a result of those tests, a few changes are planned for some towers on the network, but several will stay as they are. Those that aren't expected to get more work done on them have had an important software upgrade already installed, which has improved performance significantly, and are expected to be ready for Beta testing by late next week.
With that, Cinergy Communications is planning to move to the Beta test phase in parts of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and Mclean counties, beginning late next week if possible, or on January 28 (the following Monday). Beta testing will allow us to put our processes through practice runs, making sure orders are taken and processed correctly and customer accounts are properly set up.
We'll be detailing Beta test plans to our email list beginning next week, and pending successful Beta tests, expect to release the service in some areas at the end of the Beta period, likely in early February.
At the same time, DCI is resuming installations next week, with the Robards, Providence and Slaughters towers being next in line. Installation on the Robards tower will provide backhaul connectivity to several towers in Henderson, Union and Webster counties, and pending successful signal tests at Robards, we expect to begin turning up Alpha testers in those counties around the beginning of February.
Friday, January 4
While we haven't kept up the info here over the holidays, quite a bit has happened in the past three weeks, so let's get caught up on how the ConnectGRADD network is developing...
When last we left off, testing had begun and the results were something of a mixed bag. Since that time, we've expanded testing from the Owensboro and eastern Daviess County area into the rest of Daviess County and most of Ohio County. In this further testing, the results have continued to be mixed... Where it's good, it's very good, but where it isn't good, it doesn't work at all.
Several areas that should -- by all indications -- be getting strong signals, aren't getting enough signal to connect. As a result, DCI and Motorola engineers will be working on-site next week to evaluate specific situations and review parts of the overall network implementation. We'll all be going over the data they gather next week to establish a plan for going forward.
In the meantime, DCI has made the decision to suspend further tower installation work until the current problems are resolved, as they don't want to continue doing installations that may need to be changed later.
At the moment, 17 of the network's 28 towers have had equipment installed, and seven of them have full Internet access and are in Alpha testing with end users. The good news is that the successful tests have produced very good results, with speeds of more than 3 Mbps (down) being stable.
So while DCI and Motorola do their network and signal evaluations next week, CC will continue the established Alpha tests to finalize various speed settings and packages.
We'll try to report as much as possible next week on the results of the DCI/Motorola testing, and where it leads.
Friday, December 14
The network build continued this week with DCI completing installation work at the Henderson South and Livermore towers. Hawesville is next on the list, with installation set for next week, and Sacramento will also have radios installed next week, pending an approved inspection of that tower.
Alpha testing continued this week with fantastic results in some areas and disappointing results in others. Several testers in the Lewisport area are up with great connections and high speeds, while other locations being tested off that same tower failed completely, as did some farther south off the Pleasant Ridge tower.
Those failures are in areas that should not have problems getting connectivity, so the problems are considered local, but have not been identified yet. DCI and CC will be conducting several site-specific tests early next week to track down those issues and correct them.
Friday, December 7
Due to a combination of the holiday break and some unexpected interruptions we've fallen woefully behind on getting this web site updated, so let's get things caught up...
When last we left off, Alpha testing was beginning in Owensboro and early results were a bit disappointing, mostly due to electronic noise in the city. To get a good comparison we moved Alpha testing along to the Lewisport tower to compare results in a more open, rural area. Those results were somewhat better, but the range at which we could get a good signal was still a bit less than expected.
With that, we're hoping the overlap of one tower's coverage area on to another will minimize the areas that can't get an acceptable signal. To check that, we're extending Alpha testing into southern Daviess County and northern Ohio County next week. We're currently contacting possible testers in the area of the Pleasant Ridge tower to set up installations early next week, and we expect to be contacting possible testers in the Baizetown and Scottown areas Monday or Tuesday.
At the same time, the network build by DCI continues. Next week, Henderson South and Livermore are set for installations, with Hawesville and Sacramento currently planned for the week of Dec. 17. This week, construction was completed at the Windy Hollow tower, and final paperwork was completed on the Elba, Robards and Fordsville towers.
Friday, November 9
Alpha tests began this week at several residences in and around Owensboro, where we're initially checking signal strength from the Police Hill tower in the city.
Only a fraction of the test results were available today, but the initial tests did show the interference from other sources in the city to be cutting into the signal more than expected. As a result, DCI will be doing some more equipment work on the Police Hill tower next week.
Also next week, DCI has installations scheduled on the Henderson South and Windy Hollow towers. This week, equipment installations were completed on the Uniontown and Hearon-Badley water towers in Union and Webster counties, respectively.
Additionally, GRADD performed initial signal tests this week on the Audubon and Pellville towers, giving both of them their approval. They'll be doing their testing next week on Uniontown and Hearon-Badley.
This week, our email update list members received a full tower-by-tower rundown of the network build and more details on testing. If you'd like further details, please call the number at left to be added to our email list.
Thursday, November 1
Some info this week on towers for which we haven't gotten recent updates...
* Livermore has had its civil and electrical work completed and is scheduled for radio installation the week of Nov. 19. DCI noted too that that could be moved up to the week of Nov. 12 if other installations go well.
* Sacramento is scheduled for installation work the week of Nov. 12, but will need Livermore and Windy Hollow to be completed to get connectivity.
* Hawesville is expected to get its installation next week as long as the installations at Uniontown and at the Hearon-Badley water tower finish as expected this week.
* Both towers in the Fordsville area are awaiting paperwork from their owners to come through to DCI. That's expected in the next two weeks, and DCI is hoping to schedule their installations the week of Nov. 26.
This week, the Henderson South and Audubon towers are being completed. Both will need the Robards tower to be completed though to get connectivity.
Next week is an exciting week for us, as we'll begin calling potential Alpha testers in the Owensboro area to schedule our first installations. Currently, our network engineers are working to establish the backbone connection to the Police Hill tower and when that's complete, we'll begin Alpha tests. Rather than wait for that to be completed, we'll schedule and perform Alpha installations so that we can begin testing immediately upon making that backbone connection.
We'll be calling our first group of possible testers off our email update list early next week. We'll post updates here on the testing once it's underway.
Friday, October 26
The weather was not very cooperative this week in allowing DCI crews to perform tower work, but we don't want to complain about finally getting some good rain, and there are a few things to report.
Some much-needed progress was made on some paperwork this week. Lease agreements for the Robards, Elba and Fordsville towers came through to DCI and are in final review. They're expected to be signed by Nov. 5, making those towers ready for installation. Also, a tentative agreement has been reached for the Calhoun water tower and final approval of that is expected to come out of the City Council meeting there on Nov. 12.
We also got a more comprehensive report on the effects of last week's storms that included some severe weather, including tornadoes, though none hit any tower sites. The worst hit the network took was on the Police Hill tower in Owensboro, where one of the backhaul radios was blown slightly off-center. The connection (to Lewisport) was maintained, but degraded slightly. That's being fixed Monday. Also, the Lewisport tower had a minor problem with some breakers tripping, but that's to be rectified by Monday as well.
This coming week, installation work is planned for the Audubon, Henderson South and Slaughters towers. Work that was hindered this week by bad weather is now planned for the week of Nov. 5 on the water towers in Uniontown and near Wheatcroft (Hearon-Badley).
In Owensboro, we're working to establish Internet connectivity, as well as remote management, at the downtown POP that feeds Internet service to the Police Hill tower for the network. That work is to continue next week, and we're still expecting to begin scheduling Alpha test installations by Nov. 1.
We'll send more details in our weekly email update. If you aren't receiving that and would like to, just give us a call at the number at left (1-877-472-3341) to be added to our update list.
Friday, October 19
We got a great overall update this morning from DCI, so let's get right into that...
As of this morning, 10 towers have radios installed and are through various stages of testing. Signal testing by GRADD is complete on four of those, with one more to be completed next week. That makes them approved for Alpha tests by/with end-users.
To begin those tests, we still need to get the Internet connection out over the network. We had hoped to have that done by today, but ran into some IP issues in the connection between our Owensboro POP and the Police Hill tower. We expect those to be resolved next week. At that point, we'll begin Alpha testing with users in Owensboro, southern and eastern Daviess County and northern Ohio County.
A few other towers, notably ones in the northwestern portion of the network covering Union County and parts of Henderson County, are ready for testing, but won't have Internet connectivity for Alpha tests for at least 2-3 more weeks, as DCI is waiting on some paperwork to come through to allow for installations on connecting towers between Owensboro and that portion of the network.
Next week, radio installations are planned for the Uniontown water tower and the Hearon-Badley water tower in western Webster County, meaning that entire section of the grid will be ready for signal testing while those connecting towers have their installations performed.
Also in the next couple of weeks, signal testing is hoped to be performed by GRADD on the Scottown and Baizetown towers in southern Ohio County, meaning they should be available for Alpha testing by the second or third week of November.
Finally, it's probably worth noting that the installations that have been completed passed an unofficial test last night as the storms that rolled through the area caused no major problems. DCI crews were checking all locations today and found no problems with any of the equipment. There were some power outages that might have affected a couple of towers, but no damage to any equipment or towers.
We'll get an email out to our list today with more specifics and, hopefully, be firming up Alpha testing plans by this time next week.
Friday, October 12
It's been far too long since we've updated things, and we apologize for that. There are three big projects running simultaneously here and that, combined with a day off in the middle of things, has made it hard to get back to this site. Let's catch up...
Signal testing has begun and has, for the most part, been going as planned. We had a few bumps in the road that have required some unexpected adjustments, but so far, no major surprises. Testing has been conducted on the Police Hill tower and two of the Ohio County towers, and results are being evaluated.
This week, the Cromwell tower in far-eastern Daviess County got radios installed, and installations are to be finished up on the Audubon (eastern Henderson Co.), Uniontown and Hearon-Badley (Union-Webster) towers early next week.
It was determined this week that one tower, the "Livermore South" tower in western Ohio County, will not be a part of the final network. A new location in that area is now being evaluated.
We are still planning to begin service tests where Internet service is ready by the end of next week. Final signal test results are still pending, so we aren't setting that in stone yet, but it's very likely we'll be contacting potential testers in Daviess County within the next few days.
More details in our email updates, and more info here next week as we get more test results.
Friday, September 28
We got a full update from DCI on the network build-out this morning, so let's go over where everything stands...
While this week's rain slowed things down for a day or two (small price to pay!) the work planned for the week was still expected to be completed. As noted and hoped for last week, that puts most of the eastern parts of the network in good shape for initial signal testing, which DCI and GRADD will begin performing next week. The areas expected to be ready for that testing, to begin Wednesday, Oct. 3, include Police Hill in Owensboro, Lewisport, Pleasant Ridge, Taffy, Scottown and Baizetown.
The Uniontown water tank and the Hearon-Badley tank in western Webster County are still scheduled to have radios installed next week. Two other sites, the CCI location in far eastern Daviess County and the Windy Hollow location in western Daviess County, are hoped to be ready for installation next week, pending the completion of some paperwork.
While that's going on, we'll be setting up the primary Internet connection at Police Hill, as planned, next week. That means the week of Oct. 8 we expect to be able to test the initial Internet backhaul signals into Ohio and Hancock counties for the first time!
We noted a couple of weeks ago that some towers were going to need some structural work before installations can be performed. That's the case in Henderson (city), Providence, and the "Owensboro East" tower in southeastern Daviess County. That work is progressing, and radio installations will be performed as soon as it's completed.
So things are moving, and we're getting ever-closer to our first Beta tests in Daviess, Hancock and Ohio counties. With good signal tests over the next two weeks, we hope to begin those the week of Oct. 15. We'll send more details about that to our email list first, so watch for that announcement soon.
If you aren't on that list and would like to be, just give us a call at 1-877-472-3341 and we'll add you to it.
Thursday, September 20
Several updates about work going on this week and plans for the next week or two...
The Taffy (north of Hartford) and Pleasant Ridge (northern Ohio County) towers have had radios installed this week, completing a chain that will cover much of Ohio County. Beginning today or tomorrow and going into next week, DCI and Cinergy Communications will be performing RF testing on those towers.
Also next week, civil work is scheduled for completion on the Police Hill (Chautauqua Park) tower in Owensboro. This will allow us to make the initial backhaul connection from our Owensboro POP to begin configuring and testing Internet connectivity. At the same time, RF testing will be performed there and extended to several other towers, including Lewisport, Scottown and Baizetown, while radio installations are scheduled for the Uniontown water tower and the Hearon-Badley water tower in northwest Webster County.
The following week, beginning October 1, installations are planned for the Robards and Windy Hollow (southwest Daviess County) towers. That same week, Internet connectivity testing should be performed on the previously-mentioned Ohio County chain, from Owensboro south to Scottown and Baizetown.
Those of you in that southern Daviess County area, down into Ohio County, might keep an eye out for DCI or CC trucks in your area over this next two weeks. We'll have crews traveling back roads in those areas to check signal strength and map coverage from those towers. Be sure and give them a wave if you see them!
Friday, September 14
We have a couple of updates today from the DCI crew...
The Scottown and Baizetown towers got their radio installations this week, as planned, so they're now awaiting power, which should be put in next week.
RF (signal) testing is now set for next week on the Police Hill (Chautauqua Park) tower in Owensboro and the Lewisport and Morganfield towers. Now that the work on those towers has been resumed, the plan is for GRADD's representatives to do their signal testing late next week or early the following week, and once they've signed off, we'll begin Beta testing out of Owensboro.
26 of 28 planned towers are now set, meaning they've been approved to be part of the network, although a few of them may need some reinforcing before equipment can be installed. The final two locations still in question are hoped to be firmed up in the next week or so.
More updates as they come in next week. Have a good weekend!
Wednesday, September 12
No, we haven't disappeared, and yes, there is still work going on!
As some of you may have seen in news stories this past weekend, there are still delays as the network architecture is reconsidered. That's why there's been no update here for some time. We'll get more out about that in an email in the next day or two, but here and now, let's report on what work is going on.
Six towers now have radios installed, and two of those -- Lewisport and Morganfield -- have power hooked up. That will allow for basic RF testing right away. Unfortunately, those towers don't have backhaul connectivity yet, so there's no Internet access to them yet.
Right now, two more towers are getting installation work performed this week, those being in Baizetown and Scottown in Ohio County. That work is expected to be finished by Friday.
Load studies have recently been performed on four more towers. So far, one passed, one did not, and two sets of results are pending. The Windy Hollow tower, southwest of Owensboro, passed and is ready for work to begin. The tower in Providence did not, but some minor upgrades are expected to remedy that, and it should not delay work there.
Meetings are planned for both tomorrow and Friday to try to finalize the changes in the network architecture. As soon as we get info from those meetings we'll get another update out on the work as it progresses again and the expected schedule. Check back for that and, for those of you on our list, watch your email the next day or two for a more detailed report.