Hi all.
Recently I went to use my gps and it detected me around 200-500m off from where I was at. I refreshed it and problem still exists. Feel like uninstalling gps, but how? Any ideas/solutions? Thanks in advance.
What rom are you running? dont know what to say, i run stock with 2.3 and the gps has always been spot on so my guess its the rom thats probably not the best cause the desire gps is known to be very good.
mortuus82 said:
What rom are you running? dont know what to say, i run stock with 2.3 and the gps has always been spot on so my guess its the rom thats probably not the best cause the desire gps is known to be very good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-.-" its in my signature, what's a signature for?
try agps or flash a different rom.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1466516
just follow this thread (it's the agps fix)
dany89 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1466516
just follow this thread (it's the agps fix)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for quick reply. Followed the guide, problem still exists. Any other options/fixes?
My (wife's) Desire developed a GPS problem as well. Eventually I had to disassemble the phone and bend the antenna contacts a little bit to fix the problem.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
rete said:
My (wife's) Desire developed a GPS problem as well. Eventually I had to disassemble the phone and bend the antenna contacts a little bit to fix the problem.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So there is no other solution?
In my case, no. The problem was not software or faulty hardware, but GPS antenna contacts that came loose (probably caused by dropping the phone).
I just posted this under another thread, but here goes again (this was a while ago and I can't recall exactly where all the contacts were that I bent slightly). If your phone is no longer under warranty it is a worthwhile procedure; it will save hundreds of dollars/euros if you can fix it this way. In my case the GPS eventually stopped working altogether - it would never see any satellites under GPS Status, never mind lock on.
I fixed it by opening up the phone and making sure all GPS connections were good. If you are reasonably handy you can follow these instructions to dismantle the phone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXZqIjtFoAU
The GPS antenna is shown at 2:47 (it has a connector at both ends - make sure that both are snapped into place).
But before you disassemble the phone that far, at 1:49 in the video ("Remove the antenna") try the following: when you have removed the antenna you will see several copper contacts (similar to the two vibrator contacts highlighted in the attached photo). I seem to recall there were 4 copper contacts under that antenna cover. Gently bend the contacts slightly upwards - this will either ensure better contact or (as with my phone) re-establish contact. To remove the antenna is very quick.
rete said:
In my case, no. The problem was not software or faulty hardware, but GPS antenna contacts that came loose (probably caused by dropping the phone).
I just posted this under another thread, but here goes again (this was a while ago and I can't recall exactly where all the contacts were that I bent slightly). If your phone is no longer under warranty it is a worthwhile procedure; it will save hundreds of dollars/euros if you can fix it this way. In my case the GPS eventually stopped working altogether - it would never see any satellites under GPS Status, never mind lock on.
I fixed it by opening up the phone and making sure all GPS connections were good. If you are reasonably handy you can follow these instructions to dismantle the phone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXZqIjtFoAU
The GPS antenna is shown at 2:47 (it has a connector at both ends - make sure that both are snapped into place).
But before you disassemble the phone that far, at 1:49 in the video ("Remove the antenna") try the following: when you have removed the antenna you will see several copper contacts (similar to the two vibrator contacts highlighted in the attached photo). I seem to recall there were 4 copper contacts under that antenna cover. Gently bend the contacts slightly upwards - this will either ensure better contact or (as with my phone) re-establish contact. To remove the antenna is very quick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome guide. However, since I'm only 15 I don't think I can do it. The tools that are required are currently not available...
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium
It's not as complex as it seems - to remove the antenna you only need a Torx T5 screwdriver to remove the 2 screws. It will however void your warranty if you're still under warranty. In case it helps anyone else, you need 3 tools to disassemble the phone to the point where you can access the GPS antenna: a Torx T5 screwdriver, a small Phillips screwdriver (the type you get in cheap precision screwdriver sets) and a plastic guitar pick (to gently pry the phone apart starting at the indents provided in the phone's body).
Actually there are also contacts to be adjusted on either side of the camera, accessible at 2:11 in the disassembly video (and not only under the antenna at 1:49 in the video). These screenshots shows all the contacts I adjusted (in addition to the GPS antenna).
I thought this was worth sharing, this is my second thread ever on XDA and hope it helps somebody.
Quick story about my case:
I tried software fixes, ROMs, and made a lot of reading, when I finally figured it could be an antenna issue, I decided to give myself a try on my cellphone repair skills, turns out I turned a “nearly dead” GPS taking 10 minutes to lock into a “better than average” GPS taking 20 seconds to lock. Time taken for the task, 15 minutes, time suffering from bad GPS signal, 1 year, go figure.
Let’s see if you are a candidate to try this solution:
- You must be sure this isn’t a software related issue (i.e. my GPS works with X rom but it doesn’t with Y rom, that would certainly be a software issue).
- You CAN get a GPS lock but the signal is weak (i.e. constantly dropping signal in an area where you are sure another phone works fine) or GPS locks takes up to 5 minutes (and you already tried a software fix to speed up GPS lock).
- You’re phone is relatively old (i.e. it was bought when it came out, although I’m sure the quantity is low, I assume there are still E98X phones which are brand new and I would not recommend disassembling a brand new phone).
- You have experience opening cellphones (i.e. experience using small phillips screwdriver, gently popping frames/housing/covers, putting back in position plastic buttons before re-assebly).
Before we start, quick explanation on what may be happening to your phone if you are a candidate:
- Presumably, the GPS antenna (and Bluetooth, 3G/4G as well) is making poor contact with the springs on your phone.
- This phone uses contact springs for pretty much everything (see attached picture for springs locations of antennas), so these springs and/or the antenna contacts eventually bent away from each other and lower your GPS, Bluetooth, 3G/4G signals.
Here is what you need to do:
- Remove the back cover, and remove the back frame (See the following video from minute 0:00 to 1:50 for disassembly of backframe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9OJRtf39QA).
- Inspect every spring and antenna contacts (see attached pictures for antenna springs and pad locations), make sure they are not rusted or damaged, else you need a replacement part for it (for antenna pads, you may want to clean those with isopropyl alcohol if you have some).
- Using a soft, thin, *plastic* tool (thinner than a credit card, but sturdier than paper), lift every spring you see up to 10 degrees (see attached picture for reference) and wiggle it up and down to force it to stay tilted up about 10 degrees (don’t force it up more than 15 degrees when wiggling or you risk to break the spring, there are quite a few of springs, I remember at least 5 pairs, so make sure you get them all done).
- Revert all disassembly made (See the following video from minute 6:32 to 7:51 for reassembly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QxLa5rXX7Y), and VOILA!! your GPS signal came to life again (and hopefully your Bluetooth and 3G/4G are enjoying the new perks too!)
-Additionally, better 3G/4G signal does save battery, your cellphone amplifiers require less work and produces less heating too.
Disclaimer: I’m not responsible for damage to your phone, this guide is intended for an grown up audience who takes responsibilities of their own actions.
Reserved
Jose-MXL said:
Reserved
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was looking for something like this. Thanks very much..........
Let me know if you need anything else (i.e. more detailed instructions) and report back your results, unfortunately for the audience, I didn't take pictures of the process since I wasn't sure it was going to work (and then just took the picture of the NFC springs), so if you can take some pictures of how the contacts looks in the inside, that would awesome, I can update the main post with these, there is quite a few springs inside so you want to make sure you get them all in shape.
I forgot to say in the main post, better 3G/4G signals give a lot less of work to the amplifiers, which means less phone heating and less battery consumption, this is a nice service to do to a 2 year old phone like mine.
Enclosed is a picture from a replacement mid frame cover. Could you please use something like ms paint to circle which pins you bent upward? Looking at my Optimus G Pro 980 Mid frame cover and motherboard/logicboard I do not see these........
Jose-MXL said:
Let me know if you need anything else (i.e. more detailed instructions) and report back your results, unfortunately for the audience, I didn't take pictures of the process since I wasn't sure it was going to work (and then just took the picture of the NFC springs), so if you can take some pictures of how the contacts looks in the inside, that would awesome, I can update the main post with these, there is quite a few springs inside so you want to make sure you get them all in shape.
I forgot to say in the main post, better 3G/4G signals give a lot less of work to the amplifiers, which means less phone heating and less battery consumption, this is a nice service to do to a 2 year old phone like mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jmacguire said:
Enclosed is a picture from a replacement mid frame cover. Could you please use something like ms paint to circle which pins you bent upward? Looking at my Optimus G Pro 980 Mid frame cover and motherboard/logicboard I do not see these........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UPDATE:
See main post, I got a picture from somewhere else for the spring locations.
Actually my friend, that picture only shows the pads for the antennas, try to match it with your phone and see where they contact, these are going to be the springs, they don't look like spiral springs, these are other type of springs which I don't recall the name but they are more like a V shape, and one of the sides is attached to the board and the other one "springs" up and down, let me know if you got it or I will open my phone again, just for you! (no kidding)
Also, if I were you I would try to do the same for all pairs of springs I see on the motherboard, there is a pair for the speakerphone and one more down the board for something else.
GPS finally fixing
Thank you so much for this post. Before this solution, I tried different roms, gps fixing apps, disabling carrierIQ, editing the gps.conf file to add "better" servers, etc. This is the only solution that really worked. Now I am getting a GPS fix in 10 to 15 seconds where before it was up to a minute or more. I have an LG E980 (ATT Version).
As directed, I turned off the phone, removed the rear case back, removed the battery+sd card+sim card, removed the screws in the back panel of the phone and then separated the back panel from the front panel to expose the circuit boards and spring contacts. Then, I cleaned all the spring contacts and their mating flat contacts on the back panel with alcohol. Then I bent all of the spring contacts up slightly, re-seated the back panel making sure the side buttons were in the correct place (I do not believe the quickmemo and power buttons are interchangeable even though they are the same size fyi), and then secured the screws back in place.
Thank you!
Way to go buddy, I'm glad I could help you and that you were able to follow those horrendous instructions, I can't be sure on your case since yours wasn't as bad as mine, but on my case it also improved 4G reception overall, these antennas are used for pretty much everything so it would only be logical to get better signal on all the services, this is a "must" service on old E98X phones, perhaps nearly half of the GPS and bluetooth issues on the forum are due to this plus a weak or faulty software filtering not helping.
any info how to increase the wifi antenna? could this be the white cable?
Sent from my LG-E980 using XDA Free mobile app
I've quit using my OG Pro because the GPS is so poor. Hard to get a fix and drops constantly. Glad I stumbled on this, and will give it a try.
Can you point out which springs are specific to the GPS antenna? I suppose I can try to work with all the springs, but with my luck, I 'll break something that was working fine.
fungo45 said:
I've quit using my OG Pro because the GPS is so poor. Hard to get a fix and drops constantly. Glad I stumbled on this, and will give it a try.
Can you point out which springs are specific to the GPS antenna? I suppose I can try to work with all the springs, but with my luck, I 'll break something that was working fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know which ones they are. I did all of them. They are a lever type spring contact so it is hard to break them. Just do so lightly.
Wow fairly simple fix with great results, thanks!
Jose-MXL said:
Before we start, quick explanation on what may be happening to your phone if you are a candidate:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tightening all the screws fixed all my GPS issues. No disassembly required! Add this into OP.
Thanks
Just did this, really improved the speed and reliability of everything- gps, wifi, etc. Thanks.
A quick tip for those doing this the first time. be careful of the buttons. I've taken apart my optimus g pro a few times now, and those dern things like to fly out of you're not careful when taking it apart. Also, when putting back together, use a small piece of scotch tape on the exterior of the frame to hold the buttons in place when you put the frame back in place. make sure the tabs of the tape stay on the outside, and pul them gently as you snap the screen back on. It's easier to have the frame on the table on put the screen down onto the frame when done this way, and save those dern buttons from coming out of their slots.
I have two OG Pro (E980) developed same broken GPS issue.
Now, I think the problem is the two soft contact pads, when I bent little bit, the GPS 's issue got fixed.
Also, the method not to improve any 4g/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth.
LG made such low quality contact PINs
Two years have passed and this thread is still helping people with their now "ancient" G Pros. My problem was that the coax cable had popped loose. Still I went ahead and re-tensioned all the contact springs. GPS is now functioning like new. Thanks to all who contributed.
hi i do a lot of driving and more often than not im having times where im losing signal for over an hour which in my opinion is unsafe. my question is will changing the baseband of my phone help to increase or at least offer me an opportunity to decrease these dead-spot areas? im currently (as of 3 days ago) running cm12.1 with baseband n900tuvucnb4. if so can someone point me in the right direction as to where i can find a solution
When I got my new-to-me N3 it had terrible reception - around 10dBm worse than my N3. I had a hardware problem. You may too. If you're on warranty, just bring it in. Otherwise, the antenna signal wire in the phone sometimes goes wrong (usually because someone mashed it down on its connector off-center). It's under the antenna plane (or whatever you call the inner cover beneath the battery door). Undo the tiny Philips head screws, pop the cover off, pull the old cable off (straight up from the connectors) with needle nose pliers or tweezers. Pop the new one on (make sure connectors are lined up exactly. Reassemble. Done. Signal still not as good as my trusty old N2, but only 2 to 4 dBm down (which is quite a bit) which I attribute to our not-that-great antenna. But it now works OK.
Failing this, there's a Wilson in-car signal booster which works quite well. but the phone has to stay in the car dock (there's an antenna coupler that works a bit the way wireless charging works).
I have a One X which i have converted to the new layout. I was running Lollipop and i noticed that the GPS signal was very VERY poor. It never gets any fix and can only see 2 - 5 satelites, where as my Sone Z3 Compact in the very same spot can see over 20 satelites and gets a fix almost instantly.
I have tried a few things.
I have tried to do what is described in the following guides two guides:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1930094
and
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1239713
Which didnt work. Then tried to install the following rom for the new layout:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-x/development/stck-rom-sense-5-debloated-4-18-401-4-t3111605
Both with the stock kernel and with the sweep2wake,doubletap2wake, etc. but same result.. Only getting 2 - 5 satelites and never get any fix
What can i do at this point? Should i try another Radio rom if such even exist and if so where can i get it ( I'm running 5.1204.167.31 now ) ?
Pulling up the tabs wont solve the problem permanently. The tabs will with time retard to their original position or lower because of metal fatigue.
Pulling them up again will make them break after off after ~ three times of bending. They are fragile.
My original solution for the GPS antenna some years ago was to cut a credit card to small rectangle pieces that fit right below the connector.
Carefully glued into place with Loctite 401. This prevents the tab to retard any further than the thickness of the card. I was lucky to find out that the thickness was just right. I got a lock in about 30 seconds after this mod being outdoor.
Some years later for the wifi antenna I instead soldered a thin cable from the board to the antenna. The wifi reception is as good as it can get.
If you have some thin cable that you can use. Must be around 3mm OD (outer diameter) or thinner. Or you wont be able to fit the case back again.
This would be the better option to solder cables between the antenna on the case and the board.
One X never had good gps ...don't expect it to compete with other devices.
GPS is working fine for me. But I have to say that I disassembled HOX (screen replacement months ago) so I put those GPS pins a bit higher. Other thing that might help is to enable all location services (google, GPS etc.) in settings, then reboot phone and use GPS Status & Toolbox app (first, delete A-GPS data and then download A-GPS data). First fix might take some time, but other are fast (I only leave GPS sensor checked after first GPS fix - so no Google Location services enabled).
So currently I'm having a major issue with my gps since it was so difficult to find any gps even outdoor, and even sometimes it didn't even found any gps at all. I've tried to reboot, change gps.config, change roms, reflash miui. Any of it doesn't solve the problem.
So I did some research a little bit about extending the gps antenna using wires. Then I peel the casing.
Before attaching the wire, I just try to test the gps. And surprisingly, the gps works very well. I even managed to connect to the gps indoor. The screenshot attached is the result of indoor gps test without the phone casing and antenna extension.
So what's the exact problem anyway with vince?
Does the metal casing interfere with the gps?
Do I need to use the phone without the casing?
In my case, yes I did found that that's the best solution. But it will not be practical to do so
Improvement workaround
Here is another method I used to improve the gps reception. The more practical way.
Simply take a small flathead screwdriver and scratch the contact point at the phone casing. I'm not sure which one is used for gps so just scratch every contact point in the picture.
Make sure the contact pin in high enough in order to make full contact with the phone casing.
Install the casing and the gps worked wonderfully just like without the casing earlier.
What definitive (and practical) solution did you find?
Actually, all you need to do is to press the case from behind, around camera 1 cm from top x 1cm from left/right + 3cm from top/1cm left/right.
My signal went from 0 inside, to 5 meters accuracy. Outside 3 meters. Device only. You can literally delete gps.conf and flp.conf file on redmi 5 plus, and it won't affect gps SNR ratio at all. It's like it isn't reading them. I've been messing around with fixing the issue for 3 days, read all possible posts on the subject, rooted my phone, experimented with everything available till this date. It's just upgraded version of what you have here
It seems there's a design flaw, because GPS antenna and contacts are on the back, and during time, that back seems to bend upwards, which is causing loose connection. One push restored everything in it's place.