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I recently moved into a new ‘cell phone death trap’ apartment (apt).
I’ve seen my phone connect, I’m guessing; connect to four different cell towers from my apt. I’ve sat and watched it go from 2 bar E, disconnect, to 1 bar G, disconnect, to no bars 3G, disconnect, and so on….
But here’s the clincher…
Sometimes it will also connect to a full strength edge network, but it indicates it’s roaming by the Triangle icon. Now if I’m on that ‘Triangle” network, my phone works great, meaning I actually can make and receive calls!
But, I’m guessing again, because it shows it is roaming; it also does not like to stay connected to this network. Actually it prefers to switch itself back onto a weak edge network without any signal.
My phone battery doesn’t last more than five hours, NOT TALKING, just in standby because it is constantly switching towers.
At this point I want to throw my Hermes out a window! But I know that wont do any good, because anyone else who come to my apt and has AT&T/Cingular gets the same results.
So here’s my question:
“Can I force my phone to stay on a particular cell tower?”
If so, I love you….
you should re-post over in this thread Daniel's software might be able to solve your problem (or Daniel might have other ideas).
thank you for the suggestion. i tried that and he said, "Sorry nop. It isnt the pourpose of cmp or bs...."
I don't think you can force to a specific tower but you can force to a particular provider:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/NETWORK/MANUAL
and also select whether you want to force GSM/WCDMA and the GSM/UNTS band:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/BAND
Maybe by going this route you can lock onto a reasonable signal.
2 other alternatives... Sell the appartment... Buy a landline and donate the Hermes to me
taze said:
I recently moved into a new ‘cell phone death trap’ apartment (apt).
I’ve seen my phone connect, I’m guessing; connect to four different cell towers from my apt. I’ve sat and watched it go from 2 bar E, disconnect, to 1 bar G, disconnect, to no bars 3G, disconnect, and so on….
But here’s the clincher…
Sometimes it will also connect to a full strength edge network, but it indicates it’s roaming by the Triangle icon. Now if I’m on that ‘Triangle” network, my phone works great, meaning I actually can make and receive calls!
But, I’m guessing again, because it shows it is roaming; it also does not like to stay connected to this network. Actually it prefers to switch itself back onto a weak edge network without any signal.
My phone battery doesn’t last more than five hours, NOT TALKING, just in standby because it is constantly switching towers.
At this point I want to throw my Hermes out a window! But I know that wont do any good, because anyone else who come to my apt and has AT&T/Cingular gets the same results.
So here’s my question:
“Can I force my phone to stay on a particular cell tower?”
If so, I love you….
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you able to change networks?
Are you able to ask your service provider the location of the towers and if they're planning either any upgrades or any more in the area?
If not you may wish to consider the first point, changing service providers.
I know what a pain it can be to have little or no service when needed. Personally, here in the UK, I'm on Orange. Where I lived in Wales it was either Orange or Vodafone that has a decent signal. When I'm out and about with work those are the two popular towers with o2 creeping up and some others too, but for the most part those are the strongest.
I don't, I'm sorry, have any better advice for you. Apart from leave your Hermes on charge when you're home near a window (safely) and carry a bluetooth earpeice around instead Good Luck with your Valiant Quest
ach2 said:
I don't think you can force to a specific tower but you can force to a particular provider:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/NETWORK/MANUAL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i went to that tab and all i have is a Find Network button, which does nothing...no manual option
ach2 said:
and also select whether you want to force GSM/WCDMA and the GSM/UNTS band:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/BAND
Maybe by going this route you can lock onto a reasonable signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried this method as well and it does not help. apparently both the good and the band networks all fall under GSM(900+1800)+UMTS(2100). The other two band options never find a network.
ach2 said:
2 other alternatives... Sell the apartment... Buy a landline and donate the Hermes to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll consider it....thank you for your suggestions, I REALLY APPERCIATE ANYONES (constructive) FEEDBACK.
Elwyn M3100 said:
Are you able to change networks?
Are you able to ask your service provider the location of the towers and if they're planning either any upgrades or any more in the area?
If not you may wish to consider the first point, changing service providers.
I know what a pain it can be to have little or no service when needed. Personally, here in the UK, I'm on Orange. Where I lived in Wales it was either Orange or Vodafone that has a decent signal. When I'm out and about with work those are the two popular towers with o2 creeping up and some others too, but for the most part those are the strongest.
I don't, I'm sorry, have any better advice for you. Apart from leave your Hermes on charge when you're home near a window (safely) and carry a bluetooth earpeice around instead. Good Luck with your Valiant Quest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your suggestions. Unfortuantly im locked in a 2yr contract, thats how ****ty american cell phone companies do things. Plus, the better providers in the area dont use SIM cards (ie. Sprint/Verizon), so that would mean bye bye Hermes.
Ill will go by the Cingular store and ask about the possible service upgrade, but those fools dont really know whats what, thats why im on xda-dev!
I like the bluetooth idea, ill try find a "sweet spot" in the apt and try that method. Thanks again!
"I have dream..."
My idea just seems possible, however i cant program so who am i too.....
The idea of having blocked cell id numbers. If i could FieldTest or somehow extract the cell ids from the towers i dont want, then create a file that the phone checks against before joining a tower.....
I dont know, just a dream i suppose...
In both cases (roaming and not) are you registered in same operator?
If you're having a difficult time maintaining solid cellular reception, you might want to consider buying an external antenna. Refer to my post here regarding an antenna that can be purchased from Radio Shack. The antenna is now on clearance for $20 and the pigtail is $10. This may or may not help depending upon your location in relation to the towers, but if you try it out, let me know how it works.
Cheers
Yeah, I'm on an 18 month contract... But I'm about 8 months in now
You might even be able to get bluetooth repeaters once you find your, ahem, sweet spot
danielherrero said:
In both cases (roaming and not) are you registered in same operator?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i believe so. the only reason i think it's roaming is because of the Triangle icon. But my SIM is only authorized for one operator, Cingular.
is there a better way to check?
Thank you very much Daniel!
Lancealot said:
If you're having a difficult time maintaining solid cellular reception, you might want to consider buying an external antenna. Refer to my post here regarding an antenna that can be purchased from Radio Shack. The antenna is now on clearance for $20 and the pigtail is $10. This may or may not help depending upon your location in relation to the towers, but if you try it out, let me know how it works.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would be willing to try those products but i believe they're now fully discontinued. Either of those item numbers from your post no longer exsist.
No problem
taze said:
i would be willing to try those products but i believe they're now fully discontinued. Either of those item numbers from your post no longer exsist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call your closest Radio Shack and ask if they have either of those catalog numbers in stock. Worst case scenario is that they won't, however they can check the districts perpetual stock and see how many are available, and if you ask nicely, they can have the antenna and pigtail shipped to their store so you don't have to run all over creation just to get it.
...An even worst case scenario would be if you didn't live in the US or didn't have any Radio Shacks close by.. however I might know of someone who could use their employee discount to cover shipping costs Let me know if you have any questions.
weinson said:
you should re-post over in this thread Daniel's software might be able to solve your problem (or Daniel might have other ideas).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Taze,
I would also recommend that you try one of Daniel's applications - he is working on Comm Manager Pro but I think that Bandswitch will probably help you. I find similar problems to those you describe at work here in the UK with T-Mobile and my battery would often run low even during a day at work. The problem appears to have been caused by the Vario II (Hermes) spending all day jumping back and forward between networks whilst hunting for the best signal. Although the Bandswitch application (very small footprint) will not increase the signal you may find that forcing the phone to operate in a particular band helps - this is very easily achieved via the Bandswitch interface rather than going into settings each time. I now regularly switch to GSM each day when I get to work and it has solved my battery run-down issue completely!
Comm Manager Pro does much the same and more. It allows you to define a location (according to Cell ID and LAC Code) from which you can set the CMP application to (amongst other functions) switch to a particular band - or even turn the phone off).
Given what you have said this may not help but I would certainly give it a go. Good luck.
Regards
tony.wheeler said:
Taze,
I would also recommend that you try one of Daniel's applications - he is working on Comm Manager Pro but I think that Bandswitch will probably help you. I find similar problems to those you describe at work here in the UK with T-Mobile and my battery would often run low even during a day at work. The problem appears to have been caused by the Vario II (Hermes) spending all day jumping back and forward between networks whilst hunting for the best signal. Although the Bandswitch application (very small footprint) will not increase the signal you may find that forcing the phone to operate in a particular band helps - this is very easily achieved via the Bandswitch interface rather than going into settings each time. I now regularly switch to GSM each day when I get to work and it has solved my battery run-down issue completely!
Comm Manager Pro does much the same and more. It allows you to define a location (according to Cell ID and LAC Code) from which you can set the CMP application to (amongst other functions) switch to a particular band - or even turn the phone off).
Given what you have said this may not help but I would certainly give it a go. Good luck.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im going to try bandswitch today and see how it works. thank you for the suggestion!
i wish daniel could add the feature of blocked, preferred, of locked Cell ID's. that would be worth a good amount of money to me....
Hi.
I would like to help you.... I can detect cells and lac but I cant force radio hardware to attach on a particular cell. This a task for Radio ROM. The only posibility (maybe) would be if the operator names are diferent. Could you go to settings a search for operators? Maybe your operator has different name in roaming than non roaming. In that case It would be easy to help you....
Oooo if FieldTest were a controllable application....
Ok what I’ve discovered so far after watching FieldTest for about an hour.
The Good Connection -
LAC 0020
MNC/MCC 31017
NCELL INFO1 700-80 dbm <---- (at least four out of six NCELL maintain a steady 700-80dbm, often all six NCELL)
NCELL INFO2 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO3 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO4 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO5 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO6 700-80 dbm
BAND 2CS
CHANNEL 1:CCCH (stays, doesn’t change)
The Bad Connection
LAC d6ef
MNC/MCC 31380
NCELL INFO1 140-100 dbm
NCELL INFO2 140-100 dbm <---- (i get two NCELL at the most 140 each, rarely four NCELL, never more)
NCELL INFO3 0
NCELL INFO4 0
NCELL INFO5 0
NCELL INFO6 0
BAND 3:850 (once I saw it switch to PCS on this same MNC)
CHANNEL 1:CCCH/0:BCCH/255<UNKNOWN> (switches between these quite frequently)
So what I’ve interpreted from all that is.
Well I’ve confirmed my ****ty connection. Even though the phone often shows two bars, I can’t make or receive calls. Based on the NCELL db numbers and the constant channel changing, that **** just don’t work.
Most importantly, the phone is always trying to switch to the highest possible band. Because PCS is a lower band than GSM 850, my phone won’t stay on the PCS connection.
O yes, another discovery is, in WM6, if you are connected to a PCS band network, it displays the Triangle icon as if you are roaming but in fact it is not roaming.
So Daniel since you seem to be the best chance for a better life [for my Hermes]:
I need a way to force band selection beyond just GSM and UMTS.
I tried BandSwitch and it does not work for me because all my available connections fall under GSM.
And even beyond that I’d like to be able to force MNC’s, as I believe they are the specific network number.
Or can I block a LAC?
In settings, I only have one operator, Cingular, “Home of the most dropped calls.”
Hi.
I undestand perfectly your frustration and I will try to do what I can althought It doesnt seem easy thing because there isnt any(known) api to manage Radio Rom. Fieldtest is OEM dependent and I imagine It only works for only one manufacturer of radio hardware chip.
Ok, first try. If you start radio phone 10 times....
1) how many times your phone register to roaming (and wished) network?
2) If registed to roaming network, how much time (aprox) stays on it before register to bad cells?.
Why? well ,CMP executes actions when you enter on some place (compound by cells and lacs). You could create a place with your hated cells and then associate the action "reset radio" when registed to those cells (or lacs). In this way if your device falls into bad cells it would be resetted (only radio, not phone) until registed to good cells...
Only an idea....
Dani
If you can determine the direction of the "bad" towers, try lining your walls with lead sheets to block their signals and letting you connect to a prefered tower.
I'm trying to develope an application for my Trinity, and I'm currently thinking of implementing a GPS function to track down my current position.
But: I've heard there also are other metods to find out your position, by triangling the GSM-bases, using GPRS-position(???) and also, I've seen a service that uses SMS(??? It says you can send a SMS to a server, and it will find out where you are...=)
Now, which one of these are pure misunderstandings, and which one does work?
I've heard of a application that that uses GSM-bases to triangling the position, and it actually works...
So my second part is, anyone knows how to implement this is C# ?
It can be done...
neofix said:
I've heard there also are other metods to find out your position, by triangling the GSM-bases, using GPRS-position(???)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't help you on how to do it, but I know an app that does. Google Maps works this way. It finds my location within about 1Km using GPRS. I don't have GSP on my phone. It only works is some locations. For example, at my house (in a rural area) it doesn't work. I am guessing this is either because I have only one base providing service, or that base is missing certain features.
Good luck on finding a solution to implement this. It can be done somehow.
PhilD41 said:
I can't help you on how to do it, but I know an app that does. Google Maps works this way. It finds my location within about 1Km using GPRS. I don't have GSP on my phone. It only works is some locations. For example, at my house (in a rural area) it doesn't work. I am guessing this is either because I have only one base providing service, or that base is missing certain features.
Good luck on finding a solution to implement this. It can be done somehow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, that means that there is actually something called GPRS-positioning, now the 10 billion dollar question is how to implement this
Yes, the Google Maps "location" feature works well for me in USA. It locates the nearest cel towers to my device...good luck with your project.
i don't know about GPRS-positioning, but i do know for sure that Google Maps doesn't use it like PhilD41 said, Google Maps tries to figure out your location using cell phone towers around you. Cell Tower Triangulation, i think is the term. you can search that term and see how to implement it
Azimuth21 said:
i don't know about GPRS-positioning, but i do know for sure that Google Maps doesn't use it like PhilD41 said, Google Maps tries to figure out your location using cell phone towers around you. Cell Tower Triangulation, i think is the term. you can search that term and see how to implement it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right then - Been trying to search bit for Cell Tower Triangulation, and found some interesting threads- unfortunatly for me, nonen that describes how to actually triangulate though But so far, I'm very thankfull for all the replies here
here is how it works:
http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~simra/publications/Thesis/node12.html
and Iphone has already similar software... so if you want to back engineer it: http://technology.slashgeo.org/technology/08/01/03/0440258.shtml
mahsoud said:
here is how it works:
http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~simra/publications/Thesis/node12.html
and Iphone has already similar software... so if you want to back engineer it: http://technology.slashgeo.org/technology/08/01/03/0440258.shtml
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe! Now, just to find a way to implement this... Still haven't managed to get any closer to a soultion... :|
Navizon Virtual GPS
Check this out, this program already does what you want:
http://www.navizon.com/navizon_v-gps.asp
It has tracking by gps and virtual gps (gsm bases, wifi)
Hope this helps!
Greetz Bas
neofix said:
I've heard there also are other metods to find out your position, by triangling the GSM-bases
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're thinking of Assisted GPS. You operator and cell towers' equipement needs to support this for it to work.
rev3nant said:
I think you're thinking of Assisted GPS. You operator and cell towers' equipement needs to support this for it to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! Thanks for the reply, I belive this is something else then assisted GPS... Since the A-GPS, as you said needs a A-GPS server on the operator-side, while triangulation only needs three cell towers.... (Less accuracy, but still)
bas.bootsveld said:
Check this out, this program already does what you want:
http://www.navizon.com/navizon_v-gps.asp
It has tracking by gps and virtual gps (gsm bases, wifi)
Hope this helps!
Greetz Bas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply!
This is the kind of feature I want to implement, but I need to find out how to do this in coding...
Hi,
some interesting for you i hope.
As far as I can work out GoogleMaps uses the navizon database to triangulate your position. Navizon uses freely donates gps+wifi data.
Here's my slightly informed opinion, from best to worst
connected/Inbuilt GPS: most accurate u will get
Navizon: probably as good as AGPS but i think better as it triangulates on phone mast details and (if u have wifi built in) wifi router details (see website for this cool feature)
A-GPS: next most accurate you will get.
No such thing as SMS/GPRS location. This is in fact a service provided by companies who use a mobile phone operators databases to triangulate your position (API licenses cost between £500 and £2000 in UK PER operator!!!) . So not much better than AGPS but a method (with a cost).
Can you do this in c#? yes. download Visual Studio 2008 90-day trial edition and you'll find a GPS application ready and waiting. Its a bit buggy but a g8 starting point.
If you simply want to get gps position for an app without having to code anything, you might want to wait a little and download my next GPSSpot application. It will save the current GPS position to a registry key for other apps to use.
seanpu1 said:
Hi,
some interesting for you i hope.
As far as I can work out GoogleMaps uses the navizon database to triangulate your position. Navizon uses freely donates gps+wifi data.
Here's my slightly informed opinion, from best to worst
connected/Inbuilt GPS: most accurate u will get
Navizon: probably as good as AGPS but i think better as it triangulates on phone mast details and (if u have wifi built in) wifi router details (see website for this cool feature)
A-GPS: next most accurate you will get.
No such thing as SMS/GPRS location. This is in fact a service provided by companies who use a mobile phone operators databases to triangulate your position (API licenses cost between £500 and £2000 in UK PER operator!!!) . So not much better than AGPS but a method (with a cost).
Can you do this in c#? yes. download Visual Studio 2008 90-day trial edition and you'll find a GPS application ready and waiting. Its a bit buggy but a g8 starting point.
If you simply want to get gps position for an app without having to code anything, you might want to wait a little and download my next GPSSpot application. It will save the current GPS position to a registry key for other apps to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! Nice reply sir!
But this really starts to stirr around my noodles - since I have a Iphone here, without a GPS, and it can give me a +- 100/200 m accuracy on where I'm using cell tower triangulation...
When it comes to the GPS-part, I've coded it finished, so I'm just so curious on how the author has done it... Is it using some sort of cell-tower location database? Hmm... I've tried to mail the developer, but without luck
But, when it comes to my app, I think NaviZone is the way to go...
if iPhone has wifi (which i believe it does) Navizone is the way forward. It will consume more power as your wifi has to be on. But it will only work in areas that have been "surveyed" by donating users.
(btw its also good to find local free hot-spots/unblocked wifi routers)
btw, cell-tower location databases have a VERY wide range in accuracy. Firstly its dependent on the accuracy of the cell knowing its own GPS position (big discussion came to my mind on how interesting that is, but I'll leave this out for now). Then dependent on the number of cells used in the calculation (the more cells the better.) So, inner city regions get fair to good accuracy, but out in the country accuracy drops to >1000m radius.
I'd be interested to know what the iPhone is like for accuracy out in the sticks, and whether they use NaviZone or a similar service.
Hello.
(sorry for my english)
I'm looking for a software that can detect the activity of other mobile phones near the mine (HTC Diamond).
I want to see if people use their phone in a place where it is totaly forbidden for security reasons. (exams for exemple)
Thank you in advance.
(no wifi and bluetooth ... SMS and Vocal )
darkatis said:
Hello.
(sorry for my english)
I'm looking for a software that can detect the activity of other mobile phones near the mine (HTC Diamond).
I want to see if people use their phone in a place where it is totaly forbidden for security reasons. (exams for exemple)
Thank you in advance.
(no wifi and bluetooth ... SMS and Vocal )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...we won't tell you -> you are a teacher ;-)
Just kidding; I don't know such a software or tool
and ... no, i am not a teacher, and not a cop too
This sort of software is hard if not impossible if not illegal to make with the tools at our disposal.
I would contact the KGB, they may have something of that nature.
hitenpatel227 said:
I would contact the KGB, they may have something of that nature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just talked to the KGB and they told me that we have to stop talking about this NOW
kgb is now dead, if any1 have this then is the mossad for sure ^^
iRiKi said:
kgb is now dead, if any1 have this then is the mossad for sure ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wasn't us, as the director I never signed for such a thing... MI5?
So you would be the first to use it in the "forbidden place" to snoop on others? Funny request, but surely for someone who needs to know this kind of info "for security reasons" would be able to afford a good programmer to do such a program.
darkatis said:
Hello.
(sorry for my english)
I'm looking for a software that can detect the activity of other mobile phones near the mine (HTC Diamond).
I want to see if people use their phone in a place where it is totaly forbidden for security reasons. (exams for exemple)
Thank you in advance.
(no wifi and bluetooth ... SMS and Vocal )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you would be the first to use it in the "forbidden place" to snoop on others? Funny request, but surely for someone who needs to know this kind of info "for security reasons" would be able to afford a good programmer to do such a program. Well I got a laugh out of this thread. Thank you guys for the great sense of humor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have wrote "security reasons" because my english is very light, and it's more easy to say that for me.
So... no we dont have good programmer, and we dont have unlimited money for pourchase one.
i know many wifi-snifer, blutooth snifer ... so i try to find a "gsm" detector ...
i know that some cell phone can make vocal transmission without provider, si they are in the same aera.
if you want to joke about my request, you can ...
i just try to find a solution to a (small) problem we have with my work : people using phone in forbidden place.
good luck with fbi, mi5 and cia.
Now i dont think that it is possible, but i dont understand why people find this request so funny?
There are plenty of tools that measure radiation. The radiation of a phone in use should be much higher than one not in use or one using bluetooth. Not sure about wifi though...
Anyway, to have this type of measurement in the phone is maybe hard/impossible to develop given the way phones are built. But the idea of something measuring radiation is nothing new and these devices can be bought at many places (most for corporate or media usage). Now if you could just set the frequecy to monitor and a specified minimum threshold you should be there
But as previously mentioned... dont know if this is actually possible to do with a phone.
Heliosjiee said:
This sort of software is hard if not impossible if not illegal to make with the tools at our disposal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for this no-joke answer
i know that this is hard. (not illegal)
but no victoiry without try.
darkatis said:
thanks for this no-joke answer
i know that this is hard. (not illegal)
but no victoiry without try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
while this is very possible depending on the extent of the intend program this could be VERY illegal considering that the US goverment(idk about laws in other countries) got in trouble for monitoring phone calls.
If the program was meant to only detect GSM activity it is probable possible but at the same time there would be no accurate way to determine if the active phone was in your room or down the hall unless you knew which phone was where and what its info was. But in doing that im pretty sure you have already breakin a few laws lol.
If you are worried about phone activity im fairly positive there are phone jammers which block phone calls for a certain distance around the device. Though i do not know the laws around this.
I don't know how you'd do it with the phone...but there are DIY circuits that you can find online to make one with a 555 timer chip and a few resistors and capacitors. I did the same thing as a final project for an electronics class I took last year.
Just google "Cell Phone Call Detector circuit". It lights up an LED when it detects a call.
hello!
i don't know of a program to use with your phone, but i did a quick search on the net and found this for example: http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/detector.htm
maybe that can help you?
Here is your solution:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4355
and here is one for GPS:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8758
try to use a big speaker so you can hear if somebody uses the telephone
Well...
this is not really the thing you need.
Proof of GSM usage around you cannot be provided to 3rd party (your device). The reason is hidden in the GSM1.1 standard.
To monitor the activity of the radio devices surrounding you you should need to download statistics from the closest BTS units which is actually hard enough and the Diamond's CPU is not able to break the provider encryption in realtime (trust me. i've tried it hard enough
Back in the days we faced similar problem. From the other side, I was the student
The principal of our high school designed an emitter of 900/1800MHz signal and had it equipped with a clocking device. For that reason we could not use our cell phones during class... for two days (yeah, nothing is impossible!)
The question you should ask is. Do I want to monitor cellular activity or I need to ban the usage of mobile devices in the range of XY meters around me.
If the answer of the second question is positive jut get a pal of yours who knows something about solidering and within a few dolars you have the item you need.
My reception is poor on the phone. If I stick a piece of wire into the antenna port, it improves. I have flashed to the Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM which I believe has an upgraded radio version and am still having problems. Does anybody have any suggestions?
Welcome to forums
Enter to the Universal Wiki and go to the fttp site, then you can download several radios.
The best way is to test the more you can till you get the one with best reception.
What version do you have?
Most recommended are 1.15, 1.17 and 1.18
Good luck,
Most ROMs don't have the radio included, you need to flash it separately. So, no, don't think your ROM came with upgraded radio included. Speaking opf upgraded radio - sometimes upgraded, as in higher in number/date of issue is not necessarily the best for your particular location/ROM combination, so my advice would be to test a few different versions and see which one performs the best in your location.
Thank you kindly for the assistance. It was this issue that led me to put my Universal away and get an Advantage, but once I found this website I decided to see if I could get some help in fixing the Uni. I was missing it
whelp I put the Radio 1.18 on and it did no good at all. I attempted to put the Radio 1.15 on, but the flash utility is showing a picture of a device that is not a uni and it is not working when I try it. I have downloaded the file from a couple of different places on here and it is labeled as Universal_radio-1.15.00
any assistance will be greatly appreciated up to and including my willingness to bear your child. As I am a male, this would be no easy feat so it should show the depth of my gratitude
I have 4 years with my Uni and tested a lot of ROM´s and radios and still have the bad reception problem.
Is something I can live with..., but in some areas reception is so bad.
Some are better than other. I discovered on my personal case that radio 1.08 and 1.18 are the ones that give me better signal and are not a battery eaters.
This must be also something to do with cell provider, on my case, Telcel sucks in terms of reception, and prices and, and....
problem is that it does not work at all in my office. maybe i can rig up an antenna that is on the inside of the phone
DerUbermench said:
whelp I put the Radio 1.18 on and it did no good at all. I attempted to put the Radio 1.15 on, but the flash utility is showing a picture of a device that is not a uni and it is not working when I try it. I have downloaded the file from a couple of different places on here and it is labeled as Universal_radio-1.15.00
any assistance will be greatly appreciated up to and including my willingness to bear your child. As I am a male, this would be no easy feat so it should show the depth of my gratitude
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Yes, some ROM upgrade utility apps will show Magician. If you downloaded a file labelled as Universal_radio - go ahead, it's all good and it is for your device, don't worry about the picture, however, follow the reset instructions for Uni, not the ones shown. Should work, don't see any reason not to. What is the message you are getting?
Rigging up an antenna should be the last resort. As far as reception is concerned, I can have only 1 bar showing or none at all, but that means I still have the reception, it's when I don't see 3G or the data connection attempts to connect and fails, I know there is a problem.
Interesting thing: we have a large mall and part of it has no reception whatsoever for my Uni, yet has some on other cellphones I use, but barely. So when I enter that area my GPRS and 3G connection disappears completely and restarts when I leave, I know exactly the location of the 'communications black hole'.
Can it be that your office blocks the GPRS? Can it be that your internal antenna is malfunctioning? What are the exact symptoms?
As for bearing children for me, I think it's the job better left to the professionals (women)
Forgot to mention, I don't have reception in my very own garage of all places! Drives me nuts!
that probably for the best since I wasnt sure where to begin. I went home and googled it and surprise surprise it's supposed to be darned near impossible (edit: me giving birth, that is)
my whole building is a blackout zone for my phone. other phones are weaker, but my uni is the only one I have seen that has no reception whatsoever. I got the radio 1.15 working and still no go.
I got the uni because I really need a phone that I can realistically work with Word and Excel on to save me the hassle of carrying around a laptop. I don't think anything will work besides a 'custom' internal antenna or maybe I just stick with the Advantage until the new rumored HTC clamshell comes out (assuming I can afford it)
DerUbermench said:
until the new rumored HTC clamshell comes out (assuming I can afford it)
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What you mean with this?
Please share your info about this!!!
orb3000 said:
What you mean with this?
Please share your info about this!!!
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=544734
don't get your hopes up. It's all a part of the rumors swirling around about the Leo and the Thoth since it looks like the Thoth will no longer be of the Advantage line
Thanks for that
Hopefully they really launch something similar to Uni!!
Alright, as a very last suggestion - try factory ROM, it comes bundled with Radio and Ext Rom, see what happens.
it's all a no go
looks like I am going to have to go to work on it.
Now all I need is a plasma torch, 50 feet of nylon rope, a hydraulic press, 17 ferrets, and a bible
I've searched for details on this on XDA and come up short on info specifically for the Touch HD so i'm asking my questions in here. I'm off to Italy in April and i'm a sad individual who is interested in using the in-built gps of the Touch HD on my Easyjet flight to get details of airspeed, position, etc.
As not all planes have the monitor showing all this info in the headrest, I'm hoping someone on the forums can answer a few of my queries. Obviously phone use is prohibited.
-Does the Touch HD GPS transmit any information?
I've read that most GPS devices only receive, but I want to be sure, as I also read that some chipsets transmit too.
-Putting the device into flight-mode appears to switch off all tranmissions while allowing the GPS to function.
While it "appears" to turn them all off, is it possible to still be transmitting data and the icons are incorrectly reporting everything off while in this mode?
As with all the ridiculous overkill with people pouncing on anyone who even twitches during a flight or does anything "odd", I've sent off an e-mail asking Easyjet for the definitive answer on GPS use while in-flight, so i'll post the reply when I get it.
Thanks to anyone who can enlighten me on this subject.
EDIT: Easyjet's response to my query:
Thank you for contacting us.
I would like to sincerely apologize for the long delay in responding to your e-mail. As we are receiving high volume of e-mails because of the disruption, therefore we are unable to answer your queries on time. However, I can assure you that this is not of our usual standard.
I understand your concern and would like to inform you that any electronic equipment is not allowed to be operated on board as they might create interference in transmission signals send from the aircraft.
Therefore, its always advisable not to operate any such devices on board.
I do hope I have been able to answer your question fully, if I have not, please click here and we will be more than happy to assist you further.
Yours sincerely,
Vipul Kumar
Customer Experience Champion
I dont think it will even work. In a car, you need to position it so that it has sight of the sky through the windscreen so that it can triangulate its position based upon the info it recieves from at least 3 satelites. I'd be very suprised if you coudl connect to 3 satelites through the plane window.
fivecheebs said:
I dont think it will even work. In a car, you need to position it so that it has sight of the sky through the windscreen so that it can triangulate its position based upon the info it recieves from at least 3 satelites. I'd be very suprised if you coudl connect to 3 satelites through the plane window.
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Well I get good satellite locks in buildings easily. You don't need space directly overhead to get locks. The HD has a very good gps.
I've read that many people have done it easily on planes with other phones just by sitting in window seats, so know it's physically possible to do so. Obviously the faraday cage effect will affect it, dependant on the materials used to build the plane.
I was on a flight to Greece recently on an A330, while in flight mode i opened iGO8 and
in my surprise after 10-15 minutes it got a lock and was working really well!
then i opened Google maps (i had cached the maps before flight) and that was working really well too!
On the way back i wasn't able to get a lock.. it was connecting to 1 or 2 sattelites only..
EDIT: to define.. i had window seat. It connected to 5-6 sattelites but it was able to show me correct info about height, speed, location etc
im not sure if the use of GPS in flight is prohibited.. that would be great to know!
Just ask the flight crew
As to whether you are allowed to use GPS receivers on board, it is at the discression of the pilot on the day. However, this list may be of use as to the general airline policy.
handsomedog said:
As to whether you are allowed to use GPS receivers on board, it is at the discression of the pilot on the day. However, this list may be of use as to the general airline policy.
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Thanks for the replies folks. I've already seen that list but cheers anyway. There are revisions to their rules almost daily. I'm still wanting to know mainly if the Touch HD chipset is just the receive type and the architecture side of it now, as I already know that most gps devices are able to function on a plane. Sirf III is apparently a receive only chipset. Does the Touch HD have this or another type?
Unfortunately when you ask the flight crew anything slightly technical and due to the "nature of the world we live in today" (to coin a crap phrase) they apparently aren't allowed to ask these types of questions with the pilot in flight. No idea why not, so most the time they just tell you to put it away. That's why I'm trying to find out before I get on the plane.
Why don't you just turn your GPS on and as the pjane is doing its impression of the 'Vomit Comet' into the Atlantic, reply to this thread with your findings...
telegraph0000 said:
Why don't you just turn your GPS on and as the pjane is doing its impression of the 'Vomit Comet' into the Atlantic, reply to this thread with your findings...
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Because there's no onboard Wifi or phone signals. I'll try spell out something using floating corpses, just for you though.
Your GPS doesn't transmit anything, ever - you're not allowed to transmit on the GPS frequencies. A differential GPS unit can use a second radio antenna to converse with its sister station, but nobody yet makes a phone with diffGPS.
Important to read this thread though:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=449056
as the "flight mode" doesn't actually work the way it says it does.
c_lee said:
Your GPS doesn't transmit anything, ever - you're not allowed to transmit on the GPS frequencies. A differential GPS unit can use a second radio antenna to converse with its sister station, but nobody yet makes a phone with diffGPS.
Important to read this thread though:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=449056
as the "flight mode" doesn't actually work the way it says it does.
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Excellent thank you, that's what I wanted to know.
Well I got a response from Easyjet (posted in my 1st message), and as I suspected, it didn't really answer my question. Oh well, I guess I'll ask when I get on the plane.