If Wireless Service is Now Available on BART in the Transbay Tube, Why Can’t I Get Service?

Posted on December 22, 2009, 8:37 am, by Thomas Hawk, under Bay Area News, iPhone.

Descent

The SF Chronicle reported yesterday that wireless service is apparently available in the Transbay Tube now between Oakland and San Francisco. From the Chronicle:

“(12-21) 21:51 PST — The latest wireless hot spot? Under the bay between San Francisco and Oakland.

That’s because four cell phone companies – AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint/Nextel and Verizon – have just turned on their wireless networks in the Transbay Tube, BART announced Monday.

“The best news is that the installation and operational costs are paid by the providers – not by BART,” said James Fang, president of the BART board.

Nearly 161,000 people take the Transbay Tube each weekday. Now their cell phones and laptops won’t have to be idle during the 10-minute or so ride under the bay.

Wireless service on BART has been gradually expanding since 2004.”

So I was looking forward to checking out this new service this a.m., but of course as expected crappy AT&T and their horrible network wasn’t able to get a signal in the tube on my iPhone once.

If all goes well, I suspect I *might* be able to get an Edge signal on my 3G iPhone if I’m lucky for about 20% of the ride by 2015.

Thanks for nothing AT&T!

Update: I tried the service again this morning in the Tube and it worked pretty well. I lost my AT&T 3G signal for the last 2 minutes or so of the Tube, but most of the time I was able to use the internet pretty well in the Tube. :) Thank you AT&T and BART! An update from the SF Chronicle on the service here.

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  • December 22, 2009 at 7:38 pm Miko Pachicko
    Waaaah! My phone doesn't work on the train! Waaaaah! AT&T, you lied to me! Waaaaah!
  • December 22, 2009 at 7:38 pm Miko Pachicko
    Don't mess with Thomas Hawk, or he may write a blog post about you.
  • December 22, 2009 at 7:39 pm anna sauce
    You have to sign up for the plan, it's kind of annoying. I can never do it by the time my train arrives.
  • December 22, 2009 at 10:08 pm Thomas Hawk
    you have to sign up for the plan? how do you do that?
  • December 22, 2009 at 10:11 pm Thomas Hawk
    according to the BART site: http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2009/news20091221b.aspx the service provides "Seamless wireless service above and below ground." It didn't feel very "seamless" to me this a.m.
  • December 22, 2009 at 10:13 pm Thomas Hawk
    @Mike Pachicko, look a chickenshit anonymous troll signed up for an account simply to comment on my post. How special.
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:18 am Miko Pachicko
    @Andrew Peterson AKA Thomas Hawk, Go suck a nigger's dick, you stupid gay-loving, motherfucking piece of shit.
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:22 am MVB (Curmudgeon of FF)
    Well... there it is, then...
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:32 am Jeff P. Henderson
    Miko just earned my first block. Later you coward!
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:35 am Jeff P. Henderson
    I just love these people who come out of the woodwork and think they are so clever because they are "outing" Thomas's real name. If they have ever actually read his blog, the might know that it is not a big secret....
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:40 am Miko Pachicko
    I can see the title already: "Miko Pachiko Is a Big Asshole"
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:42 am Miko Pachicko
    @Jeff P. Henderson, you didn't block me. If you had, I wouldn't be able to read your bullshit comment that you blocked me, and you wouldn't be able to read this. Idiot.
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:47 am MVB (Curmudgeon of FF)
    Well, what if he read your drivel and then blocked you? And, by the way, if he blocked you that means he can't see you but you can still see him.
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:48 am Miko Pachicko
    not how it works on FF, MVB. the block goes both ways
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:53 am MVB (Curmudgeon of FF)
    Actually, Miko, I can still see posts and comments of many who have blocked me. It is only those whom I have blocked that I can not see. Facts are sometimes confusing.
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:56 am Jeff P. Henderson
    So Miko, you ARE blocked, can you still see my posts? I can't see yours anymore. I like how the guy who just signed up is now an expert on how FF works. LOL!
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:57 am Miko Pachicko
    If you can see them, they haven't blocked you. Now admit that you are wrong and an idiot.
  • December 23, 2009 at 4:01 am Miko Pachicko
    You can block a user by visiting their feed and clicking the "Block" link. After you block another user, you won't see any of their posts or comments on FriendFeed, and they won't see any of your posts. However, they will still be able to see comments that you make on other people's posts and, if your feed is public, they could still read it if they are logged out.
  • December 23, 2009 at 4:03 am Miko Pachicko
    Now who's wrong, idiots?
  • December 23, 2009 at 4:06 am Miko Pachicko
    But can Jeff see Miko's comments?
  • December 23, 2009 at 4:08 am Jeff P. Henderson
    Cristo is 100% correct!
  • December 23, 2009 at 4:10 am MVB (Curmudgeon of FF)
    Jeff can surmise the blocked comments based on the rest of the conversation. He is, what we call, a high-functioning idiot.
  • December 23, 2009 at 4:11 am Jeff P. Henderson
    OK, I'll take that as a complement.
  • December 23, 2009 at 4:44 am Daniel Negreanu
    Hey Jeff, It's Miko. I'm using my real account to call you a big stupid poopy head. And I'll have you know that I have already blocked you, so I won't know if you in turn choose to block me, unless some wise-ass like Cristo decides to inform me. But otherwise, I'll have no clue. So fuck you, asshole!
  • December 23, 2009 at 4:53 am Jeff P. Henderson
    What are you, 13 years old?
  • December 23, 2009 at 5:16 am Daniel Negreanu
    What are you trying to say, Cristo? That my IQ is less than or equal to 100? I'll have you know that is false! And I am the bomb at poker! Do you have any idea how much money I've made playing poker? I would own you at poker if we ever played.
  • December 23, 2009 at 6:47 am Jeff P. Henderson
    @Christo, "poopy head"! Oh Nos, my feelings are so hurt right now! I'm not going to waste my time with the guy, whatever his name is. He's acting like a juvenile and is just trolling for a response. He can go find someone else to play with.
  • December 23, 2009 at 3:53 pm Thomas Hawk
    Oh look, the coward's made up a second troll account. The nice thing about FF is that you can just keep blocking them all. I wonder if he'll create a third one?
  • December 23, 2009 at 4:07 pm Thomas Hawk
    Ok, so wireless in the transbay tube seems to be working this am
  • December 23, 2009 at 7:19 pm Jeff P. Henderson
    Glad to hear that the wireless is working in the tube. Can't understand why they didn't add this years ago. Think of all of the money the phone carriers will make each day from commuters making phone calls and sending text messages while on BART. (Sorry to hijack your thread, BTY, had to feed the Troll!)
  • December 23, 2009 at 7:53 pm Thomas Hawk
    an update from the SF Chronicle here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/23/MNB41B8420.DTL&tsp=1

2 Comments

  1. Rob-L says:
    December 22, 2009 at 10:15 am

    And that’s why I don’t have AT&T. As appealing as the iPhone looks, when push comes to shove, I just want coverage and for my phone to work when I need it to!

  2. Cory O'Brien says:
    December 22, 2009 at 9:15 pm

    Glad to see it wasn’t just me. I read the same story, fired up my iPhone in the tunnel this morning and… nothing. Hopefully they actually flip the switch soon.

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