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GPS Problems? Possible Hardware Solution

So I came across this (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1101066) thread in the DHD forum the other day, and had mixed feelings about it. In theory it makes sense, but in practice it seems kind of scary. Anyway, I've had GPS issues on and off since I got my Inspire, sometimes it would work excellent, sometimes it would kind of work, sometimes it wouldn't work at all. I've tried every software solution I could think of (new radios, gps script, reinstalling locations, wiping EFS partition, etc), and I figured my problem had to be hardware, but I'd never seen a hardware solution offered until I came across this thread. First off I would like to say that I have not tried this fix yet, however I'm inclined to and here's why:
After reading this, I started thinking, "OK, so it's just not getting good enough pressure on the GPS antennae contacts, wonder what would happen if I tried to apply manual pressure?" So I launched GPS Test and watched it find 2 or 3 satellites, but didn't lock after about a minute. So I applied pressure to the battery flash/GPS cover, 1 finger on the top of it 1 finger on the bottom, making sure not to cover the hole. What happened? Immediately it found 9 satellites and locked to 20ft, showing better connections to the satellites than i've EVER seen. I let off the pressure and watched as the signal strength to these satellites dropped intensely, went back to 2 or 3 satellites, and lost the lock. I again applied pressure, got a bunch of satellites back and got an immediate lock.
Before I go about taking my phone apart and trying to fix these contacts from the inside, I wanted to see if applying pressure on the back flash/GPS cover improved anything for anybody else, or if it's just my imagination. Please report back

I havn't had any problems with my gps, but if the problem you are having is what I was having I would be cracking the phone open to fix it...
I dont mind taking things apart

My GPS works, but there's some disconnect between Navigation and the GPS, I sware. If I run Navigation by itself, then I lose signal 2-3 minutes after getting a lock. If I run My Tracks in the background, then it stays locked.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App

3 Inspires, no GPS issues at all, but it makes sense and doesn't look difficult at all. Go for it.

Well I tried it. I can't say if it was me applying pressure or me just getting lucky with signal and clear skies...but I locked to 7 very quickly and it found my location with in 20 feet here as well.
Interesting...
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App

cwhitney24 said:
Well I tried it. I can't say if it was me applying pressure or me just getting lucky with signal and clear skies...but I locked to 7 very quickly and it found my location with in 20 feet here as well.
Interesting...
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App
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cool deal
not bad and it didnt seem that hard to do, keep checking on it to make sure for the next few days

cwhitney24 said:
Well I tried it. I can't say if it was me applying pressure or me just getting lucky with signal and clear skies...but I locked to 7 very quickly and it found my location with in 20 feet here as well.
Interesting...
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App
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Um, I just tried applying pressure and got 8 meter lock on inside my house. My GPS usually NEVER locks on, even outside in clear skies. Wtf.
Edit: And now it's working all the time. I love you.

It didn't hurt to apply pressure to the area where you said the gps contacts are. So I opened up gps status in my home. Let it try and find some satellites on its own. Nothing was happening for a few seconds. Then I applied pressure to where the flash is on our phones one finger above the flash and the other below the flash. It then fixes satellites on my phone. And when I let go the fixed satellites dropped and my radius grew. I tried applying again and then it went back and started to drop. So I let go and it went up so I think the contacts are contacting and now I'm just covering up the gps but it seems to work. So now when I want to use gps ill remember this trick.
Thanks
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

I pried out the flash cover and noticed that the antenna contacts on the cover were oxidized except for the part where the corner of the spring contacts landed. I scraped away the oxidation with a sharp object and bent the spring contacts up a little bit to make a firmer connection and I immediately got a boost in GPS reception. I dont' know what metal makes up the antenna in the flash cover but it sounds like oxidation builds back up again after a couple of months. I'll keep an eye on it and post an update.

This is perfect! I just did it, took about ten minutes. After reboot I just locked to under 60ft indoors during Hurricane Irene.
Thanks so much for this, now I can stop reading all these damn gps threads!
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App

Another update: just locked to 24ft outside in less than 15 seconds.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App

GPS lock
Christ..I dont believe this.. I always have problems with Google Navigation getting satellite lock..and maps is usually like 1500-1600ft +or-... I did the pressure on the spots above and below the flash like you guys said... all of a sudden..boom! GPS lock inside my house..(never happens) and 9 satellites locked..(most I ever saw was 5 before when I was outside in a clear area.)..the GPS nav icon is almost on my house roof!

This issue puts it in perspective how bad the quality is on this device.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

Wow can't believe there are this many people confirming this. I'll be adjusting my gps contacts in a a day or two and ill report back. Definitely seems like its gonna help a few of us anyway
signatures annoy me

I have actually noticed the same issues as you were describing. I have pushed on the back and waited and then found the signal got better. Then released the pressure and it got either worse or just stayed the same. Different results every now and then. I have also taken it apart and tried the DHD fixed that your describing and it worked excellent for a little bit then nothing. I'm returning it now to have HTC fix it. Probably the easiest way. Sucks not having a phone but at least they will give me a phone that does everything its supposed to. They were really nice about it too.

eryk4381 said:
I have actually noticed the same issues as you were describing. I have pushed on the back and waited and then found the signal got better. Then released the pressure and it got either worse or just stayed the same. Different results every now and then. I have also taken it apart and tried the DHD fixed that your describing and it worked excellent for a little bit then nothing. I'm returning it now to have HTC fix it. Probably the easiest way. Sucks not having a phone but at least they will give me a phone that does everything its supposed to. They were really nice about it too.
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Click to collapse
This is a great thread. I fortunately do not have the issue on my device to where I need to mess with it, but experience tells me living in a somewhat temperate / rainly climate the contacts may oxidize / signal degrades over time. Good to know how to address it...I had an iPhone 3G I took apart at the end of its life. I had noticed the GPS was really sucking toward the end. Sure enough, plain old brown rust was evident on the GPS antenna contacts...

****, I wish I had known about this before I exchanged my Inspire at my AT&T store. I couldn't get GPS lock at all. It was a hassle, and I had all but narrowed it down to hardware, so this really makes sense.
The thread about my particular issues: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1203133

GPS Problem (well researched)

I have an inspire running coredroid v8.1 and I cannot get a gps lock at all, even if I let it sit outside for 10 minutes...
I have reflashed the rom several times, and even tried the newest versions of virtuosity and cm
I have followed the video to pull the phone apart and I'm positive the gold pins are making connection
I have tried angel death's patch
I have ran gps status and cleared and re-downloaded in a-gps settings, ran gps test, and ran faster fix
I have tried the trick where you pull the sim out and get a lock (I still get no lock even with no sim)
I've looked everywhere and tried to do all the research before posting a new thread, but I just can't find anything else and I don't know what my problem is...
any insight would be greatly appreciated
EDIT: Also thought I should include that I have flashed radios 12.41.60.19_26.06.04.14_M, 12.54.60.25_26.09.04.11_M2, and 12.62.60.27_26.13.04.19_M with none making a difference

Sorry to tell you but you might just have a bad thing piece of harware. I started a thread a little while ago called "GPS Last Resort". I tried everything... And I mean Everything! I was told that there were "known" hardware issues with the Inspire. So I un-rooted and returned to a "stock" state and went through the PITA process of getting a replacement.
Once I got my replacement, it was a night and day difference. My new one locks in less than 15 seconds with 5-4 meters accuracy.
Don't drive yourself crazy. If it is still under warranty, get it replaced.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium

did your phone have any other signs of being defective or was it just the gps? I mean, the phone is great except for this! No boot loops, force closes, glitches, or anything...
Also, if it's just the antenna, could I buy an inspire with like a broke screen or something off ebay and just switch them out? Do you think that's a viable option?

Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this...
You may not even need to replace the antenna at all. When you pop off the cover for the LED camera flash (this is also your gps antenna) there are two little spring like clips that are the contacts for the antenna. If those contacts are not making a good connection - your phone will just keep searching for signal. If you are brave enough - you can pop out the antenna and carefully bend out those contact clips in order to make a better connection.
I was hesitant to do this myself - and sense the phone was still under warranty, I got a replacement.
Sorry again for the delay - hope that helps if you have not already found an answer.

dschreiber69 said:
Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this...
You may not even need to replace the antenna at all. When you pop off the cover for the LED camera flash (this is also your gps antenna) there are two little spring like clips that are the contacts for the antenna. If those contacts are not making a good connection - your phone will just keep searching for signal. If you are brave enough - you can pop out the antenna and carefully bend out those contact clips in order to make a better connection.
I was hesitant to do this myself - and sense the phone was still under warranty, I got a replacement.
Sorry again for the delay - hope that helps if you have not already found an answer.
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Click to collapse
Yea be careful with this. I decided I'd go ahead and pop off the camera cover to readjust my gps antennae contacts and ended up breaking the cover. ~2cm crack just under the flash, which raises up the cover enough that the contacts won't make contact at all unless I'm applying pressure that only Thor could exert on the cover.
side note - 2 weeks after I did this my screen shattered.
Haven't been having much luck lately..

homeslice976 said:
Yea be careful with this. I decided I'd go ahead and pop off the camera cover to readjust my gps antennae contacts and ended up breaking the cover. ~2cm crack just under the flash, which raises up the cover enough that the contacts won't make contact at all unless I'm applying pressure that only Thor could exert on the cover.
side note - 2 weeks after I did this my screen shattered.
Haven't been having much luck lately..
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Click to collapse
Ouch!
That is pretty much why I decided to go for doing the warranty replacement

I did the warranty after trying to remove the gps antenna because it still didnt work after i did that. The sent it back working !!!

Sensation: Keyboard Vibration not working

Hello,
I have a problem with the Keyboard vibration on my Sensation.
This is the story. I currently have a HD2 with Android CM7 (ACA) i really like it but i want a better camera. The one in the HD2 simply sux. Thats the only bad thing about that phone.
A Friend of mine had a sensation witch is 1-2 months old. He wanted a iphone 4S so i bought the phone. (he turned the vibration off @ day 1 do i dont know is this problem was alway's there)
I did not try the stock rom yet but in any other rom: ARHD, IncertCoin, Energy, LeeDroid i have the same problem.
My Keyboard vibration will stop working same goes for vibration when being called. I tried multiple roms, kernels and Radio's.
That had no effect. I also tried: http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/fix-htc-sensation-unresponsive-screen-issue-diy-guide/
But that did not help. What i did find out is the following:
-If the keyboard does not work i remove the the battery cover and it works again.
-It will also keep working as long as i keep the cover removed. If i put it back on it will keep working for a little while before it stops again.
-If i put paper between the silver connector on the side it wont make a difference it works for a while and then stops.
-If i put paper between the bottom copper connector it works better. Sometime it stops but it seems to work a bit longer. And if it stops it sometimes will come back without removing the cover. I still have a phone signal and wifi signal.
Does anyone know what that bottom antenna is for? I heard more people have this problem. Does anyone know what is causing it?
Thanks in advance!

Update. The bottom Antenna is the GPS Antenna.
Covering that is no fix for the problem only seems to improve it a bit.
If i cover one of the top antenna's it does not work at all.
the one at the top is for the Wifi and telephone. the one below that i dont know yet. But i still had a signal when that was covered.

Update 2:
I think i found the problem. The vibration motor is located under the Sim card.
When i remove the cover and put presure on the front side just below the back button and the back side on the left side of the sim card near the edge of the phone it does not work anymore.
So i think there is a connection problem with the motor. I'm not pressing on the rotating part of the motor so it could spin if it was working.
I guess i will have to send it in :'(

I used to have a Desire and the vibration would sometimes stop working, I'd just tap the phone with my hand and it would work again. Not ideal really.

I have similar problems. Going to call HTC tomorrow to get it fixed.

[FIX] Dropped my S3 caused GPS to be inaccurate

I dropped my S3 on the floor. There was no damage, but GPS stopped working accurately. I tried GPS fixes, but those did not work for me. Eventually I discovered that it was a connector problem between the GPS and the antenna.
My fix was to:
remove the battery cover, battery, sim.
unscrew 10 screws and remove the back cover.
remove the speaker assembly that also holds the gps antenna
the GPS antenna is on the top left of the speaker assembly.
make sure the gps and antenna connectors are not broken and clean, and screw everything back in snug.
Hopes this helps someone.

Were there any seals to break so that your warranty could be voided? I might look into this. My gps works most of the time but should lock faster than it does sometimes. I shouldn't have to hold it to the Window in my truck.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

dirtfoot said:
Were there any seals to break so that your warranty could be voided? I might look into this. My gps works most of the time but should lock faster than it does sometimes. I shouldn't have to hold it to the Window in my truck.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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No there aren't any seals that need to be broken.

Like was your GPS just very inaccurate?? Because mine is
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

so call me crazy, but this might have fixed my gps. ive talked about having gps issues in the other threads (gps patch thread), and decided to give this a try. take apart my phone, detach the speaker assembly, and put it all back together (there is that one connector but are you sure its the gps and not the speaker?. ive had issues since release of the phone and am now getting gps lock in my house which was impossible. on the streets google nav isnt throwing me off either.
at first it didnt make much of a difference but after a while it started locking on. Id like to reiterate that ive tried lots of solutions: roms, apps, the gps patch in the development sub forum. Who knows if any of those kicked in, but it sure is coincidental of tearing the phone up lol.

joocrazy said:
I dropped my S3 on the floor. There was no damage, but GPS stopped working accurately. I tried GPS fixes, but those did not work for me. Eventually I discovered that it was a connector problem between the GPS and the antenna.
My fix was to:
remove the battery cover, battery, sim.
unscrew 10 screws and remove the back cover.
remove the speaker assembly that also holds the gps antenna
the GPS antenna is on the top left of the speaker assembly.
make sure the gps and antenna connectors are not broken and clean, and screw everything back in snug.
Hopes this helps someone.
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Click to collapse
So, "only" 2 months after this was posted and I was the first to reply to this, I finally found my micro screwdrivers and I tightened the screws under the back cover, and my gps is ridiculously better. Just before tightening the screws, it took about 15 seconds to get 1 or 2 satellites to lock. Immediately after, I retested and had about 18 in 5 seconds in the same seat inside. I feel like a moron for taking so long to do this. Thanks again.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

There seems to be a common issue with these phones and the loosely connected GPS antennae. Many have been using this fix as opposed to sending their device in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo93EF7rVIw
Even disassemble instruction videos floating around. Don't be scared, crack that beast open :laugh:

Lol this is awesome. I've been reading about people with gps problems tightening their screws all week and it actually working.
Now I didn't really have gps problems to begin (always instant lock outdoors. Indoors not so much) with but I thought it would be interesting to take a look at em. So I tightened them just a bit and now I get signal in my office on a rainy day. I use to never get a lock at my office. Awesome.
Still don't get a lock in my apartment but still a noticeable improvement.

joocrazy said:
I dropped my S3 on the floor. There was no damage, but GPS stopped working accurately. I tried GPS fixes, but those did not work for me. Eventually I discovered that it was a connector problem between the GPS and the antenna.
My fix was to:
remove the battery cover, battery, sim.
unscrew 10 screws and remove the back cover.
remove the speaker assembly that also holds the gps antenna
the GPS antenna is on the top left of the speaker assembly.
make sure the gps and antenna connectors are not broken and clean, and screw everything back in snug.
Hopes this helps someone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Confirmed working! I should see this earlier! For half a year I traveled across the globe, I spent countless times on my gps issue, I didn't remember it had problem due to a dropping but it just act so bad from the beginning. I tried all kinds of roms, cleaned all kinds of data/caches, tried all kinds of patches. None of them works! I thought this model is just bad at GPS.
Now I simply tighten some screws and it works fantastic than ever! I'd like to quote someone else because it also happens to me: my gps is now so powerful that I can lock gps even inside the room in a raining day!
---------- Post added at 06:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:33 PM ----------
we should let more people know this, maybe by changing the title. Because for me, I didn't remember about dropping, so I didn't think about to read this thread before.

ManiakalSealion said:
There seems to be a common issue with these phones and the loosely connected GPS antennae. Many have been using this fix as opposed to sending their device in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo93EF7rVIw
Even disassemble instruction videos floating around. Don't be scared, crack that beast open :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
marked. read later

[Q] Is my gps faulty?

Have had my GSIII for about 2 months now and I'm wondering if something is wrong with my gps. I have taken my phone and compared it to 2 other GSIII's using the app GPS Status & Toolbox. On my phone when the app is opened it says 'Looking for GPS Location' and will quite often never find anything. Sometimes it will lock on however. If I'm outside it locks on quicker but indoors it does not. On the other phones I compare it against they both lock on almost immediately.
The other weird thing about my phone is the compass in the GPS Status app. Mine never sits still it is always bouncing back and forth. The other 2 phones I compare against the compass locks on and never moves unless I move the phone.
Now when it comes to navigation my phone seems to work decent. The only places it does not take me directly to are houses it is usually off by about a block, but businesses it is spot on. I figured the maps app just doesnt have the exact house locations?
I am running stock 4.1.2 on Verizon. After reading many threads about gps problems I have already tried tightening the 10 screws under the back cover of my phone. I also did the whole clear cache and remove Maps updates and reinstall. Would this be enough to call Verizon and try to get a different phone while its still under the year warranty?

I have the same problem. Mine worked great for a few months and suddenly became very unreliable. I can be driving down the freeway at 70MPH and navigation will suddenly freak out and think I'm on some other side street and start giving me directions to get back to the freeway. It will do this constantly and never shut up and it will even show me driving in totally different directions down streets that are blocks away from where I actually am.
I tried the screw thing and cleared the cache and reinstalled the Maps updates but that did not help. The problem has recently become even worse. Sometimes it takes 15+ minutes to get a GPS lock while in my car and in my house where it used to work perfectly it won't lock at all.
Another problem I've had, while I don't know if it's related, is that Google Maps flickers when scrolling and randomly goes blank. Along with that, it will randomly scroll out into the middle of the Atlantic when I'm just trying to zoom in on a particular location near me.
Have you tried a factory reset? That's probably the last thing I'm going to try before going to Verizon and requesting a replacement though I really don't want to go through the hassle of setting everything up again just to do it yet again if I have to replace the phone.

I have not tried a factory reset yet but I should probably give it a try. I posted this on another GS3 forum and a former Verizon support person recommended to not get a replacement from Verizon cause they send out real crappy ones they have laying around. He said to call Samsung and get the phone fixed that way so I will probably try that if the factory reset does not work.

have read where removing battery door and tightening the body screws has fixed most gps problems. It seems that the contacts are very susceptible to the body getting loose. Daily vibration can cause them to slightly loosen and thus the problem. I would give it a try, it only a few seconds work.
Good Luck
See the Galaxy sIII shine via SynergyRom

I just tried the screw thing again. I think there is definitely something to that. Sitting here at my desk I could not get a GPS lock at all. After tightening the screws I get a lock within 1-2 seconds. Maybe I should get some Loctite to keep them from backing off? I'll have to drive around to see if it's really working but this is what fixed it before. The only thing now is the strange flickering/graphical glitches that I see when in maps/navigation.

bbolton_98 said:
have read where removing battery door and tightening the body screws has fixed most gps problems. It seems that the contacts are very susceptible to the body getting loose. Daily vibration can cause them to slightly loosen and thus the problem. I would give it a try, it only a few seconds work.
Good Luck
See the Galaxy sIII shine via SynergyRom
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Tried this and worked for me. Thanks Mine locks on a lot quicker now