Related
I was rather disappointed in the GPS performance of my shiny new Desire S...
It was so erratic, I loaded GPS Test app to check out the signal-to-noise ratio.
Then, just out of curiosity I took the aftermarket outer case that I had bought (rubber+plastic) off.
The GPS signal increased dramatically and many more satellites appeared. This effect IS consistent.
I was thinking of modifying the case by cutting a hole in it to improve GPS reception, but I'm not sure where the GPS antenna is located.
I know that phone and WiFi antennas are in the battery cover, but I would suspect that the GPS antenna probably is not.
Anyone know where it is positioned ?
Thanks,
- Steve
Not sure about the Desire S, but I had Legend before and the GPS antenna was behind the camera cover. It was connected to the plastic cover in a similar way the WiFi/phone antenna connects to the battery cover using small metallic terminals. I used elimination to determine which was the GPS.
Interestingly enough, I do not suffer from poor or erratic GPS performance on the Desire S. I get quick fixes from plenty of satellites even in less than ideal conditions, eg, a moving subway train.
Slightly off topic, what I did notice though (using GPS Test) that even with 12 strong satellites, the highest accuracy ever achievable on the Desire S is 9 feet, whereas every other HTC phone I've tried (Legend, and even the very budget Tattoo) goes down to 6 feet accuracy. Wonder why that is?
Oh, maybe it is build into the cover, then. I'm used to seeing ceramic block GPS antennas which never look thin enough to be built into a battery cover.
At least my GPS works quite well too until I add the flexible case on.
I was annoyed that the case attenuates the signal, because it was a particularly expensive and otherwise beautifully made one.
If nobody knows where the antenna is, I might have to do some experiments too.
As for the ultimate accuracy of 9 or 6 feet.. Well I suspect that it's just a subtle difference in the firmware. I don't believe that kind of accuracy is reliably achieveable anyway unless you use Differential GPS techniques - And I presume Qualcomm doesn't add that kind of luxury to their phone chipsets.
- Steve
An update :
I got a GPS lock, and observed satellite signals using GPS Test.
Then I put the DS into airplane mode so no radios were active to mess things up.
Covering the lower part of the case all over (including battery cover and screen) with foil has NO EFFECT.
Covering the upper part of the case around the speaker causes GPS signals to fade away.
The hard plastic cover supplied with my case kit has NO EFFECT.
As soon as I apply the rubber part of the case kit to the upper part of the DS, the GPS signal fades.
Conclusion:
The GPS antenna must be in the upper part of the case
It's the rubber part of my case kit that reduces the GPS signal.
Hope this is if interest!
- Steve
So the GPS suffers from the death touch as well like the wifi since the antenna is at the same place.
amonrei said:
So the GPS suffers from the death touch as well like the wifi since the antenna is at the same place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
erm.. I thought that the WiFi antenna was in the battery hatch with all the others ?
I reckon that the GPS antenna is probably the other end of the phone up near the camera lens. I've never had a problem with it being obstructed by hand, only by my damn expensive case!
Wifi antenna is at the top too but i thought people already knew this from the famous wifi death touch/grip?
I have only 4 statelite sinal so poor, i cant do anything by this. I only hate my DS because it
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA Premium App
hi all
same issues with GPS here (Portugal).
but also tryed removing the (expensive) hard cover I bought and it started working ok
it catches a lot of satelites and gets a lock real quick...
so try removing the cases!!
edit: getting 10 sat / 10 used in fix - acc-5.0 from GPS... in my attic window...
poppy8x said:
I have only 4 statelite sinal so poor, i cant do anything by this. I only hate my DS because it
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm so sorry to hear about your problem.
I have many years of experience with different types of GPS and although the DS is not the best I have ever seen, it is not too bad (without the extra case, that is!) Only dedicated GPS units like SIRFstar seem to beat it, and that is understandable.
Do you only get about 4 satellites with the DS out in the open air with no buildings around? It can not work well indoors or sometimes if there are large buildings around.
Have you tried using "GPS Test" or a similar application to clear the AGPS data then load it fresh again?
If all else fails, perhaps your DS is faulty?
- Steve
fasty said:
I'm so sorry to hear about your problem.
I have many years of experience with different types of GPS and although the DS is not the best I have ever seen, it is not too bad (without the extra case, that is!) Only dedicated GPS units like SIRFstar seem to beat it, and that is understandable.
Do you only get about 4 satellites with the DS out in the open air with no buildings around? It can not work well indoors or sometimes if there are large buildings around.
Have you tried using "GPS Test" or a similar application to clear the AGPS data then load it fresh again?
If all else fails, perhaps your DS is faulty?
- Steve
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for help me
I tried everything i can do i checked outside and on my house. i used gps test, gps stattus, gps-fix. And still problem
I think my DS is faulty. so sad.
My friend have one, and it work better.
An update :
I emailed the manufacturers of my rather expensive case explaining the problem.
They seem to have a good customer service department - I got a speedy reply but they claimed that they were not aware of any issues with cases affecting GPS reception. They say that all their cases are made from the same materials so they would have thought that if there was a problem, it would affect other phones too.
They have promised to pass my information to their engineers - I hope they might get in touch with me!
In the meanwhile, if I can find out precisely where the GPS antenna is on the DS, I might try cutting a gap in the rubber for it. I'm sure that would help.
- Steve
Look into the picture of this post:
http://www.android-hilfe.de/htc-desire-s-forum/133629-schlechte-gps-genauigkeit-verbessern-2.html#post1884901
It must be on the right site.
old.splatterhand said:
Look into the picture of this post:
http://www.android-hilfe.de/htc-desire-s-forum/133629-schlechte-gps-genauigkeit-verbessern-2.html#post1884901
It must be on the right site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, Very good indeed !
I don't speak German so I could never have found that.
I shall take a sharp scalpel blade to my rubber case and report back later.
Thanks very much for the information.
- Steve
Case
I use a Case Mate Barely There Case and it doesn't affect GPS, wifi or phone as far as I can tell.
Rick Ohlendorf
I use the Case Mate Barely There Case too, but I doesaffect the GPS for me.
When the case is on, getting a location lock in Navigation is impossible.
When I take it off, I get a lock within seconds.
if you look at the back of ds, upper portion there is 2 small holes, ive always thought that its a hole for wifi and gps. one hole below the flash led, another on right side of speaker.
then on my capdase alumor case, it also has a hole for those 2 hole, so it might confirm my theory that those are antenna holes thats why capdase also made holes for them.
I use a case-mate tough case, a much thicker dual layer heavy duty case, and I get a gps lock just fine with it on.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
I would like to extend the GPS antenna.. I just can't open the cover, how to do? I only managed to scratch it a little..
I have no case,but the signal is very bad.I turn on airplane mode and GPS,it often takes half an hour to get my location...
Best accuracy is about 5 meters.
The cover needs a stick.HTC used some glue.
It took me several weeks to understand that my new and expensive CaseMate BarelyThere is killing my GPS reception.
The phone acquires less satelites and accuracy is terrible. Having the case on, means GPS is almost unusable...
I've removed it now, and will be complaining to CM's customer service...
gb
Unfortunately this is not the only brand of case that causes these problems.
I bought an expensive otterbox case and get the same problem, although strangely other people with the same case apparently get no problems.
There are other threads in the DS forum with more details of this subject.
Buyer beware!
baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw.
Case is fine, I was testing my GPS earlier this evening, locked on within 15 seconds to 5m. Even then, you should do research before you buy things, as if you had done some research you would have found this issue was quite common for some people.
Also case-mate promise it will protect your phone with a slim profile, it doesn't say it won't affect GPS signal ;-).
Mates....
1. It is depending on what firmware you are! Wether you use testing ROMs or nightly builds etc...
2. It is depending where you live (or test the gps): if i move 20 meters away from my house, i rapidly get a gps signal without changing any settings or so...
3. It is depending on the case you are using: for instance, whe i am putting on my silicon case, i almost get no longer ANY wifi and gps signal...
4. It is depending which gps connection you are trying to get: Are you using A-gps or are you trying to get a fix with the inbuilt module... The desire S has no great gps inbuilt compared to other phones like iPhone e.g. and so you almost need to connect either via wifi or mobile network on the go.
5. it is depending on what ntp server you have configured. Htc has got sometimes a wrong code in their firnwares and the servers sometimes need to be set manually to get the best fix!
Cheers
Using Case Mate Tough Case, which is a chunky dual layer case. Silicone AND plastic outer shell. No problems at all with wifi or gps. A friend has the Otter box commuter. Also no problems.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
never knew these could affect gps n wifi...thnx all...
I've also GPS related Problems with this case. Didn't use it anymore.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App
I am also using this case but there are no problems with GPS. It depends more on a kind of application you are using. For example Sygic has a very fast fix, Google Nav takes more time. GPS status app has also fast fix, GPS fix takes more time. I have tried all this apps with and without and believe me, case has got nothing to do with it... And if you have this idea in your mind that case is blocking GPS, you will find all evidence to proof it. Just look around not only on this forum but whole internet, there is nothing so unpredictable and different to measure as GPS signal.
mx5_white said:
I am also using this case but there are no problems with GPS. It depends more on a kind of application you are using. For example Sygic has a very fast fix, Google Nav takes more time. GPS status app has also fast fix, GPS fix takes more time. I have tried all this apps with and without and believe me, case has got nothing to do with it... And if you have this idea in your mind that case is blocking GPS, you will find all evidence to proof it. Just look around not only on this forum but whole internet, there is nothing so unpredictable and different to measure as GPS signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that different applications may affect availability of initiation and position data which affect GPS acquisition (lock-up) time. I also agree that the GPS signals are relatively unpredictable (well, they are moving round all the time!)
However, I have proven beyond any doubt that the case I bought significantly affected GPS reception quality.
In fact, you can have the GPS test application working with (say) 12 satellites consistently visible, then as you offer up the rubber case near the GPS antenna panel you can observe the signals falling in real time and half the satellites are lost. I estimate the signal-to-noise ratio is degraded by more than 12dB. It's either due to signal attenuation by the rubber case material, or dielectric effect de-tuning the GPS antenna.
Incidentally, I am trained and qualified in the technology areas of RF communications and the evaluation of satellite link budgets. I design this kind of stuff.
The only thing I can't work out is why some people find that a particular brand of case makes their GPS almost unworkable, while others seem almost unaffected with the same brand of case. What I have noticed is that some people describe getting a map fix "by GPS" when actually they have no GPS signal whatsoever and actually the phone is getting its approximate positional information exclusively from the phone base station.
- Steve
It's weird there are so many differents feedback on this case.
I had a barely there last year with my Galaxy S and it was fine. I'll try to get one and try it.
I myself own a case and don't find much difference in the quality of wifi aswell as gps lock.
WiFi remains the same where as the gps signal fix has always random.
I was testing gps today with new casemate barelly there, no problems at all.
Fast fix, strong signal.
As a side note, only minus is that my case is a bit loose (can move my desire s slightly up/down, less than a milimeter), but fixed it with double sided tape.
Case mate tough. Got it recently and its the best case ever. I don't really use GPS but WiFi hasnt been degraded
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
Using a case mate tough no issues here
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App
tanks, and i dont like case things...
I also own this case.
No problems with Wifi or GPS here.
Smudo
Thanks
From Russia with love by my HTC Desire S
using this case, not having any issues with it, gps and wifi signal good
That's not true. It's quite a good case which does enhance the grip a lot. Signal reception has not been a problem till date.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App
GPS Signal i my cars
Hi all
I have the Silicon CaseMate skin and i works fine with both GPS and WIFI
But when im in my car there is no GPS signal because of the windshield that is coted.
When i drive my wifes car wich is the same model but without the coted windshield i get full signal with no problem...
Hi guys I'm having problems getting my GPS working on my Desire S.
My current environment is:
Kernel 2.6.35.14-uninity v9-gdfc9a05-dirty
OS: VirtUnity 2.39.0
Radio: 20.4801..30.0822U_3822.10.08.04_M
It's S-OFF, Rooted
* * * * * * * * * * *
When I bought it (second-hand) I've noticed that my gps was very slow and then when it would locate it would be with accuracy of 50m or so.
I started investigating and in the end ended up doing:
- Using GPSStatus app - refreshing the assistance data
- using the GpsFix app - the fix that changes the servers,
- AGPS PATCH
- Manually changed the gps.conf to spanish, german, europe servers, but with no luck...
- and few other fixes that were basically dealing with gps.conf
The result of all these tries is that GPSStatus fixes to 6 or 7 satellites, but then again in GMaps my accuracy is quite low (20m) which doesn't allow me to use the navigation really stably. For me the weirdest part is that it locks to 7 satelites and the accuracy is still 20m?
I remember my HTC Tatoo gps fixing in few seconds with accuracy cca. 0m
I had read that flashing the radio might help, I tried it (current vession), but with no major change...
Maybe I should try with another radio? Which one? I read it has to be newer than the current one? Where to find it?
Please, could you give me some hints what could be the problem or next steps to try...
I even spent one afternoon on my balcony pressing the phone case near the top part, near the low part, everywhere
to see if it was the antena connection problem or something
Thanks in advance,
Luka
Radio has nothing to do with GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, or anything of the sort.
If you tried SW solutions and nothing helped, guess what? Yes, the HW might be to blame. What HW exactly? GPS antenna, or actually its connections to the main board.
use the AGPS patch, works for me
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1442032
If you had read it, you'd know he had already tried that.
Are there people who have good working gps? My experience is that it takes ages for gps fix and it is never stable. The roof of a car is enough to cut off the signal.
HelixH said:
Are there people who have good working gps? My experience is that it takes ages for gps fix and it is never stable. The roof of a car is enough to cut off the signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found that applying an external case (e.g. TPU gel) absolutely crippled my GPS signal. I tried 2 different types of case, expensive Otterbox and a cheap chinese one, both had the same effect. Oddly, some people find the same problem, yet others say it makes no difference for them.
I am convinced that the presence of the case "de-tunes" the GPS antenna on my phone. Making the phone body predominantly out of metal certainly introduces chalenges for the antenna designers.
With no added case, my GPS performance is, well, "OK". It works OK for me in my car despite it having a metal roof (!) and the kind of athermic windscreen that is known to block GPS signals.
Suffice to say, if you are using a case, try removing it. Keep all objects away from the upper plastic panel around the camera lens and flash.
There are other threads with more in-depth information about the Desire S GPS, including mods for the antenna which have helped some people.
The antenna is molded into the plastic case panel, and makes contact with the main phone circuit board via sprung pins. If your GPS simply won't work properly despite all good software fixes, it is possible that there is a bad connection there.
fasty said:
I found that applying an external case (e.g. TPU gel) absolutely crippled my GPS signal. I tried 2 different types of case, expensive Otterbox and a cheap chinese one, both had the same effect. Oddly, some people find the same problem, yet others say it makes no difference for them.
I am convinced that the presence of the case "de-tunes" the GPS antenna on my phone. Making the phone body predominantly out of metal certainly introduces chalenges for the antenna designers.
With no added case, my GPS performance is, well, "OK". It works OK for me in my car despite it having a metal roof (!) and the kind of athermic windscreen that is known to block GPS signals.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly my wife's experience. I was genuinely surprised to find out that a plastic case could affect GPS reception, but it seems too consistent to be false. Tried it right now, near the window. With case on, 2-3 satellites and no lock, taking off just the top of the case - within 10 seconds going to 8-9 satellites and quality lock.
I'm not sure if the effect is done by case pressure on the upper side of the phone (seems unlikely to me - this metal doesn't seem to bend even a slightest bit), or just by proximity of the plastic to the GPS antenna (likely). I'll try to cut a larger hole around GPS antenna area and see if it changes anything, in the worst case - I'll spend $4 on a new case.
---------- Post added at 12:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 AM ----------
I think I just figured out, where exactly is the antenna imprinted in the plastic, and what cut needs to be done in the case to allow GPS to function normally.
___
Auke11 said:
Have you read the topic where they are taping one of the connection in the plastic back cover. It seems to fix some problems.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1564000
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda app-developers app
Tried, still can't decide if it helped any.
Jack_R1 said:
Radio has nothing to do with GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, or anything of the sort.
If you tried SW solutions and nothing helped, guess what? Yes, the HW might be to blame. What HW exactly? GPS antenna, or actually its connections to the main board.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It took me a while to get it that SW/HW were abbreviations for software/hardware
It seems it's case opening time
This was my last resort, but it seems that there's nothing else that looks promising... Thanks
The Galaxy S4 has so many amazing sensors! Magnetometer, Proximity, Ambient light, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Barometer, Thermostat, Humidistat, Infrared!
The barometer is the most exciting to me because I build pressureNET, a global network of Android phones reporting atmospheric pressure and current weather. This project is open source and we're hoping to grow large enough to get meteorlogically significant data, which should allow us to improve thunderstorm forecasting significantly. We're collaborating with atmospheric scientists at University of Washington who are currently receiving a livestream of or data. We're currently receiving about 11,000 measurements per hour. Check out our blog at cumulonimbus.ca.
What other ideas do you have? This is Star Trek right here. What else can we build with this incredible sensor array?
This thread deserve a bump.
Seems like a lot of extra stuff taking clock cycles due to polling. Any way to turn some of that stuff off if you want?
rushless said:
Seems like a lot of extra stuff taking clock cycles due to polling. Any way to turn some of that stuff off if you want?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you find this information? I haven't seen anything like that so far.
I also am interested in how the temperature and humidity sensors will be used. I hope developers can figure out interesting applications.
I downloaded a few barometer apps for my Note a year back but they didn't seem that useful. I will definitely try out the pressureNet app; it sounds quite interesting.
I made a Weather Station app that utilizes these sensors a while ago and is available at Google Play for free:
Weather Station
In regards to the OP, globally collecting information from these new sensors I think has minimal value. First of all the sensors are not stationary, second they reside inside of pant pockets most of time. Atmospheric pressure may have some value but it is not useful unless you adjust for elevation (which my app does).
I for one and curious how the humidity and temperature sensors will function in practice.
How exactly will they compensate for being in my pocket, hand, etc?
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
Shammyh said:
I for one and curious how the humidity and temperature sensors will function in practice.
How exactly will they compensate for being in my pocket, hand, etc?
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple answer, it won't.
Look at this video and go straight to 13:40 where the reviewer both shows and mentions the inacuracy as a a temperature gauge.
http://youtu.be/diLD42QafIo
Beards said:
Simple answer, it won't.
Look at this video and go straight to 13:40 where the reviewer both shows and mentions the inacuracy as a a temperature gauge.
http://youtu.be/diLD42QafIo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could have been a bad case of early-softwareism.
Toss3 said:
Could have been a bad case of early-softwareism.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Possibly but it's my guess this is a pretty standard if not crude gauge. I doubt it has the capacity to offer variables or degrees (pun intended) in working out temperatures from pockets to real room, let alone being a bog-standard gauge.
Beards said:
Possibly but it's my guess this is a pretty standard if not crude gauge. I doubt it has the capacity to offer variables or degrees (pun intended) in working out temperatures from pockets to real room, let alone being a bog-standard gauge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's more likely that it's reading Celsius and the developer didn't convert it to Fahrenheit. It is that high b/c of her hand (body temperature is about 36-37 Celsius) and if she left it alone on a table it would probably register close to room temperature.
The idea of compensating for a hand or pocket is impossible. Therefore, the quality of the temperature sensor can be based only really on how long it takes to register temperature changes.
jsstp24n5 said:
It's more likely that it's reading Celsius and the developer didn't convert it to Fahrenheit. It is that high b/c of her hand (body temperature is about 36-37 Celsius) and if she left it alone on a table it would probably register close to room temperature.
The idea of compensating for a hand or pocket is impossible. Therefore, the quality of the temperature sensor can be based only really on how long it takes to register temperature changes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, not even sophisticated temperature gauges have an ability to ascertain heat outside of it's own source. It would require a sensor to be placed directly where it needed to relay the information back to.
If you want to see an app that utilising the baro sensor and gps, check out xcsoar flight software, where altitudes have to be barometric for airspace levels.
Problem in thermo hygrometer Sensor in S4 I9500-Please help
jsstp24n5 said:
I made a Weather Station app that utilizes these sensors a while ago and is available at Google Play for free:
Weather Station
In regards to the OP, globally collecting information from these new sensors I think has minimal value. First of all the sensors are not stationary, second they reside inside of pant pockets most of time. Atmospheric pressure may have some value but it is not useful unless you adjust for elevation (which my app does).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sir I have installed some custom ROM.
After that I lost my Thermo hygrometer sensor on S4
The readings are like this after running HWModuleTest:
ACC RAW COMP
0 34.48 0
Before installing rom the readings were
ACC RAW COMP
3 34.48 16.7888
This means that something happens to thermo sensor.
Please help How can I correct that.
From where I can get back these ACC and COMP values.
Please help me soon.
I'm not the person you quoted, but the simple answer is to go back to stock, if you haven't already done so. Your custom ROM possibly doesn't support the sensors.
I have taken a metal plate and cut an opening into the middle that exactly fits my smartphone. When I put this on my desk and put my smartphone in the opening, I get three bars instead of one.
Forget it, it was a joke. I have not tried it, and it would most likely not work. But I am dreaming of it, because I have the same situation in my home office and at work—only one bar and a poor, slow, stuttering Internet connection.
I did try various things, like putting my phone into a ring of wire, but that did not work either. But one thing did work and has helped me—I searched and found the best position at work. There is one place on my desk where I consistently get about two bars, sometimes three. If I move the phone just an inch, reception gets worse.
The position seems to be stable. Rain appears to weaken the mobile phone signal generally, but the best position remains pretty much stable, so I don't have to repeat the search on my desk every day.
Of course the best place for mobile Internet and mobile phoning is at a window, like leaning the phone vertically against the glass pane. But that is usually inconvenient, out of reach, out of sight, prone to the phone falling down, too far away from the charger or from the computer, what have you.
The trick to find the best place for the mobile Internet is Settings, About phone, Status. This command shows, among other things, the strength of the received signal in dB and asu. For both numbers more is better, but the dB figure is negative, so there a smaller number is actually more.
I have not found any equivalent indication for the Wi-Fi signal strength. There may well be an app for that, but since I am actually looking for improvements that can be seen in the signal bars, I have not searched for that. One more bar is my aim.
So that is my recommendation for now: Search for the best phone position if you are in the same unlucky weak-signal situation like me.
But now back to the original question. Is it really not possibly to amplify the radio signal by using some passive piece of metal? It could be used like a reflector, for example, similar to the parabolic mirror of a satellite TV antenna. Or it could look like an antenna itself, attracting the radio waves to the nearby phone. I'd be interested in this for both the mobile Internet and Wi-Fi.
i've seen some kind of mettalic sticker that u put behind the cover of your phone on some website/forum, it says it can amplify the signal, i haven't tried them though
a.marduk said:
i've seen some kind of mettalic sticker that u put behind the cover of your phone on some website/forum, it says it can amplify the signal, i haven't tried them though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is snake oil. Any contraption that fits inside the phone cannot amplify the signal, because it cannot receive more radio energy than the built-in antenna. Or, in other words, if it worked, the manufacturers would all put it in already.
Theoretically it might be possible for a bigger structure to concentrate more of the radio signal onto the phone's antenna, but I have never found a solution, except for large devices that have to be put on the roof or on a mast. But even for those the advice is to prefer active ones, i.e. amplifiers.
hgmichna said:
That is snake oil. Any contraption that fits inside the phone cannot amplify the signal, because it cannot receive more radio energy than the built-in antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not necessarily. Yagi antenna design uses directors and a reflector to amplify the signal to the driven/main element...yet they are not physically connected to that element.
At the frequencies used by cell phones, the directors/reflectors would have to be VERY close to the main element.
But placement is critical. Just slapping a contraption in the case would be hit or miss. Unless you knew where the antenna was and were able to place the decal properly in relation to that antenna, it might do nothing or even degrade reception.
hgmichna said:
Or, in other words, if it worked, the manufacturers would all put it in already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, they do...sort of. The engineers who develop cell phones take the shape of the case and placement of components (including the antenna) into account. They have to: The device has to pass MANY tests to conform to FCC regulations (and other countries if they want it to be usable worldwide). The internal structure of the phone is designed to shape the radiated signal and conform to regulatory standards.
ssenemosewa said:
Not necessarily. Yagi antenna design uses directors and a reflector to amplify the signal to the driven/main element...yet they are not physically connected to that element.
At the frequencies used by cell phones, the directors/reflectors would have to be VERY close to the main element.
But placement is critical. Just slapping a contraption in the case would be hit or miss. Unless you knew where the antenna was and were able to place the decal properly in relation to that antenna, it might do nothing or even degrade reception.
[…] The engineers who develop cell phones take the shape of the case and placement of components (including the antenna) into account. They have to: The device has to pass MANY tests to conform to FCC regulations (and other countries if they want it to be usable worldwide). The internal structure of the phone is designed to shape the radiated signal and conform to regulatory standards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. But then the Yagi antenna is a big thing that requires some space much bigger than the actual antenna element.
But I agree that, if the phone is in a particular position in relation to the tower and some piece of metal is perfectly shaped and placed, it may actually enhance reception a little.
In most practical cases this is difficult to accomplish. The phone is held in various directions, for example. I guess that placing the phone in an optimal place and position, like leaning it against a window pane, yields a better result without any special antenna enhancer element.
That's what I am actually doing with moderately good success. I will probably change providers soon though, which will yield a much bigger enhancement, as the new provider has a tower around the corner.