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How bad are the Radio (3G) issues I hear about the N1?

On the fence between the N1/HD2/Droid/Waiting for this new Dell tablet thing.
The only thing thats really keeping me from pulling the trigger on a N1 is that I keep hearing that the radio sucks for 3g, and now also wifi.
Now I like to assume these people are just n00bs and don't know how to get the best out of their phones like us xda geeks do.
So how true are they? Any regrets here on the boards?
P.S I'm in London,UK.

ive yet to have a problem, and i think its more of a US based problem than a UK one and I am in the US... get the N1 and dont look back, its a solid phone... the droid is a step down in my opinion

just got mine
I was thinking the same thing you where, I just went for it and order one. I have no issues with the 3G. The N1 is fantastic, and it is very fast. I think the early issues people have complained about must have been from an earlier batch of phone in the beginning stages on the release.
PS: in NYC

Had no problems with 3G or wifi

I honestly think the 3G issues is exacerbated here in the U.S. on T-mobile's network where they don't have "deep" coverage. In larger cities, such as Chicago (where I've tested my theory), no amount of covering the lower back portion of the phone caused me to drop off 3G. I went from 4 bars to 3, and that's about it. Here in Toledo, Ohio, T-mobile hasn't saturated the area with 3G, and covering the phone while indoors drops me to Edge. Outdoors I'm still fine.

0 WiFi problems here. On ATT, so I can't comment on 3G, but reception has been strong for voice.

Had no problems with 3G or wifi for almost 2 months with this speedster!

galaxys said:
Had no problems with 3G or wifi for almost 2 months with this speedster!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Las Vegas = 3G saturation
Damn you big city dwellers...

uansari1 said:
Las Vegas = 3G saturation
Damn you big city dwellers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a lucky roll af the dice

uansari1 said:
I honestly think the 3G issues is exacerbated here in the U.S. on T-mobile's network where they don't have "deep" coverage. In larger cities, such as Chicago (where I've tested my theory), no amount of covering the lower back portion of the phone caused me to drop off 3G. I went from 4 bars to 3, and that's about it. Here in Toledo, Ohio, T-mobile hasn't saturated the area with 3G, and covering the phone while indoors drops me to Edge. Outdoors I'm still fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha, toledo... i grew up in sylvania and all i can say is i am glad i am out of that **** hole of a city... and yes the 3g there is weaksauce... but that is a "verizon town"... i literally think 80% of the pop has verizon in toledo

silverkiller said:
Now I like to assume these people are just n00bs and don't know how to get the best out of their phones like us xda geeks do.
So how true are they? Any regrets here on the boards?
P.S I'm in London,UK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may be a junior member on this forum, but my 3G issues are legit. It's a design flaw, but as long as I'm in an area with strong 3G it never drops. At my house, my G1 will have stable 3G, but I can play the hand trick with the N1. Not a big deal, Wifi solves that. It only annoys me when it flip flops between 3G and EDGE, which you can fix. Really comes down to how good your coverage is.
Issues or not, no regrets here, I love my phone.

JHaste said:
haha, toledo... i grew up in sylvania and all i can say is i am glad i am out of that **** hole of a city... and yes the 3g there is weaksauce... but that is a "verizon town"... i literally think 80% of the pop has verizon in toledo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right about everything, lol... Verizon does have great coverage here. I'm only here for law school... originally from Cincinnati. I'm done in December and moving to Maryland/D.C.
HighTech216 said:
I may be a junior member on this forum, but my 3G issues are legit. It's a design flaw, but as long as I'm in an area with strong 3G it never drops. At my house, my G1 will have stable 3G, but I can play the hand trick with the N1. Not a big deal, Wifi solves that. It only annoys me when it flip flops between 3G and EDGE, which you can fix. Really comes down to how good your coverage is.
Issues or not, no regrets here, I love my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where in Ohio are you man? I completely believe you. But I put the blame on T-mo. I don't think they has really great coverage anywhere in the state, but I can only comment on Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo. When I visited my sis in Chicago a few weeks ago, I couldn't get the phone to drop below 3 bars of 3G. As I've said repeatedly in other threads, I think it's T-mo's greater level of 3G saturation in those cities. More towers, more overlap among those towers, etc. That's the logical conclusion. Sure HTC's antenna placement doesn't help, but with adequate data coverage, it would be a non-issue.

The 3G issue seems to be case-by-case. Sometimes I can't block signal no matter what I do, other times it's an obvious drop to edge when i hold my phone with my hand.
I've found in such situations, having the new cyanogen ROM with the 180˚ rotation helps a lot. Hold the phone upside down and I suddenly have full HSDPA

I don't have 3G where I live, but when I was down in San Luis Obispo where there's HSDPA, and when I went to a friend's house on the outskirts of 3G coverage, I had no problem dropping back to EDGE, then when I'd go outside or closer to downtown I'd get my 3G signal back.

I'm on CM5 as well in a small town in the Midwestern US. I don't really get 3G problems, but I DO see the phone switch back and forth between H and 3G while it manages the data connection. Sometimes this seems to make the data stall, but a reload of whatever I'm doing fixes it.

Good
I am on O2 & in London the 3G is very good, I downloaded an album from the Amazon MP3 store this morning & it was very quick. Coverage will depend on carrier, but the N1 seems to have a better connection than any of my previous WinMo devices, almost all HTC based.
At home I have an imperfect 3G signal, I get it about 75% of the time depending on where I am in the house. I don't think its an N1 issue, just poor coverage.
If I need speed at home and the 3G drop the Wifi is great, never had an issue with that.
I'm about 7 weeks into the N1 & I can't fault it.

I've never had a problem, here on the East Coast of the US.

i live in Houston, TX i would switch from edge, to 3g constantly...
thankfully my college i got accepted to sends every freshmen a new iphone3Gs and are required to use. so now i must be a AT&T fanboy lol

The things mentioned were all rumors, they keep trying to find a flaw to this device, even though it's so new, with such huge improvements, in my experience its a flawless device.
I'm from new jersey, Edge, 3G, HSDPA, and Wifi all tested working flawlessly. From all the made up myths (screen, connectivity, you name it) the 1 thing that I disliked from this phone was the screens' ability to attract more fingerprints than a CSI show, and I fixed this issue by getting invisible shield (rubbery screen protector).
Rooted the N1, installed my trackball colors, got cyanogen 5+ with Kspec theme = 100% amazing phone, apps such as Gmote, google earth among so many more, make this thing so much more than a phone, I never drop from HSDPA to 3G or Edge unless I go to New York, I seem to be on 3G speeds at times, but in NJ HSDPA all day long. If you have any questions about the device, email me at [email protected] I'll link you to my youtube vids for information or questions. Take it from me and others that actually own the device, that its a well rounded cellphone and it's not even 3 months old. I've had a g1, mytouch, cliq, iphone 3gs, nothing comes close to this phone, btw check out tmobiles (even more plus) new plans, I pay 65 after taxes for all my needs, unlimited text, web, mobile to mobile, weeknights and weekends. They may charge you $30 to go to the cheaper plans. Take care.
- Gslick

silverkiller said:
On the fence between the N1/HD2/Droid/Waiting for this new Dell tablet thing.
The only thing thats really keeping me from pulling the trigger on a N1 is that I keep hearing that the radio sucks for 3g, and now also wifi.
Now I like to assume these people are just n00bs and don't know how to get the best out of their phones like us xda geeks do.
So how true are they? Any regrets here on the boards?
P.S I'm in London,UK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HSDPA sucks in the UK:
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On a more serious note, I don't seem to suffer crap wifi or mobile data (Vodafone contract), but you do read a lot about people with issues.
Do I regret it? Nope.

Nexus One 3G issues is real on all N1s..

Parden if this is posted somewhere else. But this needs some serious attention. As of current, I realize the 3G issues is a design flaw. So this means all N1s have this problem. You can test it for your self. The easy way to fix this would be to have stronger 3G coverage but thats not the case. Let me quote whats been said at droidstory.com and the nexus forums..
I’ve been saying all along that this is a RF issue. I noticed this right away when I got my phone and even posted this video on Jan 9 to show how the N1 drops 3G as soon as you hold it in your hand.
The problem occurs only when you are in an area with a weak 3G signal, anything less than -80dBm. (Higher negative numbers mean weaker signal.)
Basically, if you have -90dBM or less signal strength with the phone sitting on your desk, holding it in your hand will push it down to -100dBm or less. At that point all bets are off. Before the update it would switch to Edge around -100dBm, now it seems to hold on until about -105dBm.
The “dBm” (dB-milliwatt) is a logarithmic measurement of signal strength, and dBm values can be easily converted to and from mW values. So a decrease of roughly 3dBm yields a change of roughly HALF in the mW value.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After watching that video you can decide who to blame.
Google if the device's rx sensitivity is so poor when held in hand it needs a recall. Is it a hardware issue?
After google & HTC watche the video and get to test in an area with <-84dBm signal strength reading, I'd love to hear the response from their respective tech teams soon.
The signal reading being low low doesn't mean low signal. Compare with other devices/instruments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.. read more here and here
The question. What is Google waiting on to say something? to do something?? its enough that we also have serious touch screen problems to deal with but come on Google..Are we really beta testers? you think its EASY to give you 500+ for a phone?
share your thoughts..

at first i thought it was just me, but now is my phone as well as my wifes phone.
and to send it back with in the 14day period they keep $45 o yours when the phone is running like a pos. Great one Google i expected way better from yall

Not sure what my take is...
1. All phones drop signals a bit when held by both hands.
2. This bouncing between edge/3g doesnt happen to me in strong 3g areas. In the area where it sometimes happens I cant replicate the issue stated it seems random. But to be fair my G1 was always bouncing back and forth there , heck even with Sprint I had mediocre EVDO steadiness.
It may be a slight hardware problem made worse by a network with very spotty 3g coverage in most areas.

j23a45m said:
at first i thought it was just me, but now is my phone as well as my wifes phone.
and to send it back with in the 14day period they keep $45 o yours when the phone is running like a pos. Great one Google i expected way better from yall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its getting really annoying and the silence Google is practicing is getting defending..

If I cup the bottom of the phone in my hand, my signal strength does drop a bar or 2. I never lose 3G completely though. Luckily I have a strong signal where I live. I could see this becoming a real problem if I travel away from home though. It's rather annoying that Google didn't catch this before releasing the phone

I just tried the same thing (holding in both hands, covering back etc..) on my HTC Pure on at&t and my 3g connection dropped down to 2 bars from 5 bars. Seems to be normal behaviour with all phones with internal antenna.
I think the only problem seems to be that N1 is too picky about signal trength and switches to edge as soon as signal strength drops down slightly.
I do not think this is an hardware issue.
EDIT: See attached screenshot from my old Nokia 6682 user manual. They specifically warn against this.

Maybe you think it's "real on all N1s" because of anecdotic evidence and postings on the internet, but that doesn't mean proof.
Now it might have trouble with US 3g frequecies or it might just be a software "problem" where it switches to edge before the signal gets too bad.
I can safely say I've had no problems at all, the signal doesn't switch back and forth, signal doesn't change when I cup it with both hands etc.
Granted I have -75dBm signal where I live, but it's not like I sit around playing with my phone indoors all the time either

All cellular phones lose signal when you cover the antenna with your hand. ALL of them. I've had over 20 cell phones in the past 10 years, and every single one had this issue. Why this is a standout issue on the N1, I don't know.

The previous two Nokia phones I used all lose signal when holding the antenna area.

Well, again it happened to all phones with internal antenna...and not just Nexus One especially on a week 3G coverage.

ram130 said:
Parden if this is posted somewhere else. But this needs some serious attention. As of current, I realize the 3G issues is a design flaw. So this means all N1s have this problem. You can test it for your self. The easy way to fix this would be to have stronger 3G coverage but thats not the case. Let me quote whats been said at droidstory.com and the nexus forums..
.. read more here and here
The question. What is Google waiting on to say something? to do something?? its enough that we also have serious touch screen problems to deal with but come on Google..Are we really beta testers? you think its EASY to give you 500+ for a phone?
share your thoughts..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts are as follows:
The antenna is in the bottom of the phone - this isn't a design "flaw" it's how the phone was designed to fit the necessary components into a small fixed space. This isn't the first phone designed this way and it won't be the last. It was likely designed that way due to space constraints with the speaker, mic and camera up top. Again, the "issue" is only prevalent in areas of weaker 3G coverage.
The iPhone 3G is designed the same way and people see the same issues with 3G dropping when you cover it with your hand - you can find the same youtube videos on it.
Google was aware of this before it shipped and in the manual states not to cover the back of the phone and to hold it in the preferred position. I don't think Google has anything to say that isn't in the manual already...
Now, you can argue that the N1 may get poorer 3G reception compared to other phones, but to argue that covering the antenna with your hand causes a degradation of signal is a "design flaw" is asinine. This happens with all phones and all antennas. There's likely few ways they could have placed the antenna in the top of the phone with the size of the current phone and the hardware that's already up there.
I wouldn't hold your breath for Google to "do something" as people seem to want as there's nothing they can "do" other than say, "Read your manual and quit covering the antenna with your hand".

Omg really..when is this topic going to end? Those of us with common sense know that it's nothing to do with the Nexus one or Android specifically. All phones do the same thing. I just did it with a friends iPhone. I can go around my building (AT&T) and cover anybodies phone with my hand and drop a bar, sometimes two. It's common networking knowledge. You cover the antenna, you lose some signal strength.
If you have 2 bars of 3G and you cover it up and lose 2 bars....What do you think happens? You go to Edge. Everybody thinks they know this issue like they invented the damn thing. There is no specific problem with the Nexus One. Give it up already.
Ironically common sense isn't so common these days...

I am sitting at my desk, I have a rooted N1 customized to the max. I am using the ERE36B Radio, (not the one in the OTA) I have 4 bars of 3G/HSPDA If I cover the bottom of the phone with both hands, I dont loose a single bar.
I fully believe this is a software issue. The leaked radio is working great for me, I almost never lose 3G now.
Yes covering the antena will cause you to lose signal, why wouldnt it?

Blah, I have a N1 and G1 on tmobile on different lines and they always have the same service same speed tests. Maybe my phone is the phenomenon, but I doubt it.

krohnjw said:
Google was aware of this before it shipped and in the manual states not to cover the back of the phone and to hold it in the preferred position. I don't think Google has anything to say that isn't in the manual already...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats the preferred position?
Any comfortable way caused you to block the radio.

I get the same signal strength my G1 did in all the same places. Using both the OTA radio and the 36B radio. If I'm in a place with weak 3G I force it to 2G. Why would Google give a **** about T-Mobile's 3G coverage?

JoshHart said:
Blah, I have a N1 and G1 on tmobile on different lines and they always have the same service same speed tests. Maybe my phone is the phenomenon, but I doubt it.
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Click to collapse
uberingram said:
I get the same signal strength my G1 did in all the same places. Using both the OTA radio and the 36B radio. If I'm in a place with weak 3G I force it to 2G. Why would Google give a **** about T-Mobile's 3G coverage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I have been saying. I have a MyTouch, N1, and G1 and they all have the same signal strength at all times. I sold the G1 already but my wife still has the Mytouch.
Everybody who complains has nothing to compare it to. How can you say something is worse because you "remember" another phone? You can't. It's T-mobiles coverage. It has nothing to do with Google, Android or HTC.
People just need to get over it already and stop complaining.

dumbestcrayon said:
This is what I have been saying. I have a MyTouch, N1, and G1 and they all have the same signal strength at all times. I sold the G1 already but my wife still has the Mytouch.
Everybody who complains has nothing to compare it to. How can you say something is worse because you "remember" another phone? You can't. It's T-mobiles coverage. It has nothing to do with Google, Android or HTC.
People just need to get over it already and stop complaining.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, since you have access to multiple Android phones...
Can you try the TRUE test?
Open up Settings -> About Phone -> Network on both phones sitting side by side.
Can you compare the *exact* signal strength on both phones? (dBm vs dBm when side by side)
And yes I have absolutely HORRID service in my place. I'm lucky to get better than -95.

In times of change the learners will inherit the earth, while the knowers will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
Good job, you apparently know it all. . . BTW, thanks for the earth

From the experience gained using mine is evident that all problems are not hardware but FULLY firmware related.
Since everytime I make a call the phone SHOWS a better coverage than staying only surfing the web. Also when tethering, if I make the phone call suddenly the HSDPA speeds tend to increase at about 20%, I presume that when you are calling, the firmware might be settled to somehow strength the radio signal. Compare this on-call speeds to my "normal" ones:
Anyway, right now the only temporal solution for the indiscriminated switch backs to GPRS when navigating is making sure of accesing the radio config (*#*#4636#*#*) and select WDMCA ONLY...

Reception

As many people here are probably aware of...the Nexus One had some 3G reception problems on T-Mobile. How is the Vibrant working out for those who have it (or get it today)?
EDIT: I'm not here to argue about whether or not the N1 had 3G reception issues. I'm really just interested to hear about the Vibrant's 3G performance in real world use. If you have a vibrant please let me know how it is for you. Thanks!

will let you know in about an hour and 10 minutes. I have had 2 different HD2's in the past 3 months, the first one had a consistent 5 bars of 3G at my house, and my last one would average 2-3, so I'm hoping the Vibrant will be more like my first hd2 in that regards lol

sounds good. will wait to hear about it. this was my biggest gripe with the nexus one, so hopefully it is better in this phone.

N1 does not have reception issue... its tmobiles coverage .. it does the same to my tp2, tmobile dash and I even saw the galaxy doing it in poor signal... in strong area it wont even drop a bar...
And galaxys antenna is at the bottom like the n1...
Check video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LROTHrTR92k&feature=player_embedded#
And here's my tp2 doing it.... its tmobile and of course covering it. Together is the issue.. forgive the language in the video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Eo7uFtAKDY

temperbad said:
N1 does not have reception issue... its tmobiles coverage .. it does the same to my tp2, tmobile dash and I even saw the galaxy doing it in poor signal... in strong area it wont even drop a bar...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not referring to what happens if you're in poor signal area. I'm talking about average signal areas where you have decent 3G and very good EDGE reception. The N1 loses 3G reception when held in a specific way, or often defaults to EDGE while other phones such as the G1 hold onto 3G just fine. I've tested this thoroughly, and am quite certain of this.

^ I have both, an N1 and G1. You are either very unlucky or full of $hit.

s15274n said:
^ I have both, an N1 and G1. You are either very unlucky or full of $hit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, seems like you need to grow up a bit.
These are my observations, and the N1's signal simply wasn't good enough for me to keep the phone. I no longer own it. I'm not the only person who has had issues with the N1's signal in comparison to other phones. It is true that you can hold many phones in a specific way to drop signal, but on the N1 holding it in a natural way causes a drop, which is a pretty big issue - at least it was for me.

gsvnet said:
I'm not referring to what happens if you're in poor signal area. I'm talking about average signal areas where you have decent 3G and very good EDGE reception. The N1 loses 3G reception when held in a specific way, or often defaults to EDGE while other phones such as the G1 hold onto 3G just fine. I've tested this thoroughly, and am quite certain of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Watch my vids, most phones do this. Just cause ya got full bars 3g doesn't make it a strong signal.....

temperbad said:
Watch my vids, most phones do this. Just cause ya got full bars 3g doesn't make it a strong signal.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tested this firsthand and don't need to watch any videos. natural use of other phones results in better 3G reception than natural use of an N1. unless you're actually *trying* to hurt the signal on a G1, it's not going to happen easily. That's my experience, anyways. By the way, I use the actual dbm's to measure the signal, not just bars. To say that "full bars" is not strong signal is actually pretty ignorant anyways. Generally full bars is a minimum of around -90dbm which is definitely a good signal. It differs a bit based on how they are calibrated on a particular phone, but this is an approximate rule.

gsvnet said:
Wow, seems like you need to grow up a bit.
These are my observations, and the N1's signal simply wasn't good enough for me to keep the phone. I no longer own it. I'm not the only person who has had issues with the N1's signal in comparison to other phones. It is true that you can hold many phones in a specific way to drop signal, but on the N1 holding it in a natural way causes a drop, which is a pretty big issue - at least it was for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read the issue .. I've owned a n1 for 6 months. The issue is tmobile not the phone... I.e. my videos. They do the same.... Its tmobile.. and partially bad antenna placement but its ultimately the poor signal That causes your hand to deflect signal... and from the video the sgs has the antenna in the same place as then1

gsvnet said:
I've tested this firsthand and don't need to watch any videos. natural use of other phones results in better 3G reception than natural use of an N1. unless you're actually *trying* to hurt the signal on a G1, it's not going to happen easily. That's my experience, anyways. By the way, I use the actual dbm's to measure the signal, not just bars. To say that "full bars" is not strong signal is actually pretty ignorant anyways. Generally full bars is a minimum of around -90dbm which is definitely a good signal. It differs a bit based on how they are calibrated on a particular phone, but this is an approximate rule.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ignorance is starting a thread about signal and not watching vids people post to help you out... one of them vids is the galaxy s... your answer is in that video

temperbad said:
I've read the issue .. I've owned a n1 for 6 months. The issue is tmobile not the phone... I.e. my videos. They do the same.... Its tmobile.. and partially bad antenna placement but its ultimately the poor signal That causes your hand to deflect signal... and from the video the sgs has the antenna in the same place as then1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can point figures at T-Mobile all you want but I constantly have 3G on a G1 in a lot of places where I didn't on an N1 (tested different radios as well, with similar results). The same goes for my Nokia N900, which I can't deplete the signal by the way I hold it no matter how much I try.
It is true that T-Mobile uses the 1700/2100mhz bands for 3G, while AT&T uses lower bands (850/1900mhz). The lower bands are less susceptible to interference like this, and that's probably why the issue wasn't very noticeable on the AT&T version of the N1. However, a properly designed phone will not have as much of a problem on T-Mobile's network as the N1, especially when you're holding the phone in a natural way, and not an obtrusive way.

gsvnet said:
You can point figures at T-Mobile all you want but I constantly have 3G on a G1 in a lot of places where I didn't on an N1 (tested different radios as well, with similar results). The same goes for my Nokia N900, which I can't deplete the signal by the way I hold it no matter how much I try.
It is true that T-Mobile uses the 1700/2100mhz bands for 3G, while AT&T uses lower bands (850/1900mhz). The lower bands are less susceptible to interference like this, and that's probably why the issue wasn't very noticeable on the AT&T version of the N1. However, a properly designed phone will not have as much of a problem on T-Mobile's network as the N1, especially when you're holding the phone in a natural way, and not an obtrusive way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thinks its both. But safe to say if we had better signal I.e. building penetration we would never see the issue...past this.. back to sgs
Please watch the video. The first one shows the same as how the n1 was. Imo the antenna is in the same spot. So that may help you out on your question

temperbad said:
Ignorance is starting a thread about signal and not watching vids people post to help you out... one of them vids is the galaxy s... your answer is in that video
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the Galaxy S, not the Vibrant.
The Galaxy S had issues with GPS signal, so far reports are that the Vibrant does not. Clearly there are some changes to the phone in that case. It could be an updated firmware. Thus I can't go by issues that the Galaxy S has, as the Vibrant could very well be different - especially considering that video seems to be from a completely different network operator/country, with different network characteristics, etc. On the other hand, on the N1, the 3G reception issue was a widespread problem, even recognized by Google to some extent - though they never did 'truly' fix it. I'll be the first to say the N1 is a really nice phone, even today - a good 6 months after its release. But it isn't quite as good as other phones in 3G reception, which I determined after owning the phone for almost three months.

temperbad said:
I thinks its both. But safe to say if we had better signal I.e. building penetration we would never see the issue...past this.. back to sgs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are the frequencies that T-Mobile was allocated, and they are not the only carrier using higher bands for 3G. It is the job of the phone manufacturer to develop a device that is optimized for the frequencies the intended network uses. The N900 is an example of a device that does really well in this area, the G1 isn't too bad either. In creating this thread, I was hoping to hear about actual usage of the Vibrant on T-Mobile's network, so how about we leave the thread to just that?
Thanks.

gsvnet said:
These are the frequencies that T-Mobile was allocated, and they are not the only carrier using higher bands for 3G. It is the job of the phone manufacturer to develop a device that is optimized for the frequencies the intended network uses. The N900 is an example of a device that does really well in this area, the G1 isn't too bad either. In creating this thread, I was hoping to hear about actual usage of the Vibrant on T-Mobile's network, so how about we leave the thread to just that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a fact tmobiles 3g doesn't penetrate buildings as well. I don't care what phone you have...
Anyways. I'm saying the antenna is more than likely at the bottom as well. So you may be getting n1 issues... anyways I'm done. Your pretty set in what you believe ...
Hope its well for you...

temperbad said:
Its a fact tmobiles 3g doesn't penetrate buildings as well. I don't care what phone you have...
Anyways. I'm saying the antenna is more than likely at the bottom as well. So you may be getting n1 issues... anyways I'm done. Your pretty set in what you believe ...
Hope its well for you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When did I argue anything about building penetration? Of course it's not as good as some other carriers, due to the higher frequencies in use. However, some phones handle this better than others, and I created this thread to learn about the Vibrant's 3G performance. You came here and began arguing over practically nothing, without any experience of the Vibrant yourself. And as 'heygrl' pointed out, you're clearly going out of your way to deplete the signal on the TP2, holding it an unnatural way. Thus the video is not really relevant.
heygrl said:
The vidzzzzzz you posted are crap.
Anyway I ACUTALLY have a Vibrant in a few hours and I will let the OP know how the reception is instead of posting up a bunch of stupid Youtube videos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Glad to see somebody who knows what they're talking about.

gsvnet said:
When did I argue anything about building penetration? Of course it's not as good as some other carriers, due to the higher frequencies in use. However, some phones handle this better than others, and I created this thread to learn about the Vibrant's 3G performance. You came here and began arguing over practically nothing, without any experience of the Vibrant yourself. And as 'heygrl' pointed out, you're clearly going out of your way to deplete the signal on the TP2, holding it an unnatural way. Thus the video is not really relevant.
Thanks. Glad to see somebody who knows what they're talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hows that a unatural way? people hold the top alot, think about holding it in landscape, if your holding it with your left hand, your gonna cover the antenna even more so than I was especially typing.. HOW was that Unatural. LOL Thats how you hold your phone....
Edit: and what consists of Unatural? lol Its a 4 inch device, your hands are gonna cover it no matter how hard you try and avoid it... Once again hows holding it at the top vs bottom unatural?
So basically since im holding it at the top vs bottom Im holding it wrong. lol

temperbad said:
hows that a unatural way? people hold the top alot, think about holding it in landscape, if your holding it with your left hand, your gonna cover the antenna even more so than I was especially typing.. HOW was that Unatural. LOL Thats how you hold your phone....
Edit: and what consists of Unatural? lol Its a 4 inch device, your hands are gonna cover it no matter how hard you try and avoid it... Once again hows holding it at the top vs bottom unatural?
So basically since im holding it at the top vs bottom Im holding it wrong. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whatever you say - I've used a T-Mobile TP2 (in areas with slightly sketchy 3G) and didn't notice this problem. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but under my usage I didn't see this. I don't see it on a G1 or N900 either.
Anyway, I don't care about the TP2 - I'm concerned with the Vibrant, so let's see what people have to say in terms of real world usage.

temperbad said:
I've read the issue .. I've owned a n1 for 6 months. The issue is tmobile not the phone... I.e. my videos. They do the same.... Its tmobile.. and partially bad antenna placement but its ultimately the poor signal That causes your hand to deflect signal... and from the video the sgs has the antenna in the same place as then1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there's a 78 page thread w/about 3300 posts on google's nexus one support forum that refutes your assertion that it's Tmo's signal or coverage - when the AT&T versions came out, they had same issues
convince them http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=0c0fb2a46ad64955&hl=en&start=3040

"Antenna" issue is truly software related

Okay, I've had my phone for a day or two and right off the bat I noticed that even though the phone had no bars of coverage, I actually had coverage and a good enough signal to boot.
I then found myself on XDA reading up on how to lock 3G since the old Nexus One/myTouch etc. trick doesn't work on the Vibrant.
I then came across someones post that leads us to a hidden menu
This menu has a wealth of information that, most of it I can decipher BUT I did find this lovely menu that lead me to the Vibrant's TRUE -dBm reading. The bars are WRONG, the Phone Information Testing menu is WRONG, and the phone has reception that is on par with the Motorola CLIQ I replaced it with. After -103 or so dBm, this shows as NO coverage (0 bars).
Here are the steps for those of us unfamiliar with it.
from i9000 FAQ said:
To get to the DEBUG and Phone status information -
*#*#197328640#*#*
Then select DEBUG screen
Then select BASIC INFORMATION
and the RSSI readout shows true -dBm
I suspected this yesterday but I wanted to be sure it wasn't a placebo effect kicking in.. explains everything really. We don't have -0dBm and this is proof.
During an active call, hit +Add call and punch in this number to bring up the menu. Store it as a contact also
(*#*#197328640#*#, add a contact like Field Test Mode, then go back and add the *, go back to the dialer and punch in *#* and it should bring this up.. select and you're on your way)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to note that the G1 doesn't "drop" 3G as much because the antenna is at the top (you'll see it when you take off the battery cover) so it has an easier time grabbing a signal because your hand isn't attenuating the signal. Do the same for the Vibrant or any other phone and you'll see your bars jump.
Final word: Good reception. Better than Samsung's of the past. I noticed that when I went to a few key locations and maintained a signal where my previous Samsung's fell off the cellular grid.

I bet it'll be fixed when they release 2.2 if they don't do it immediately, hopefully anyways.

Thanks for the info! I think you are right that the software isn't getting the real readings.

Definetly software I have speeds also when my bars drop if they even do when I'm in a poor signal area....... I love this phone.....

-100 under the RSSI readout is where the bars go to zero it seems. I had to get it just right though. Normally have 1 or 2 bars with the Vibrant.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
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I'm experiencing issues with the 3G signal dropping if I even touch the phone. If I switch to EDGE-only, I find it's impossible for me to lose any bars. Same on my 2G iPhone (no signal loss on 2G).
Of course, this begs the question of how the 'bars' are measured. But it would appear as if the 3G reception is not stellar on the Vibrant. When I'm not touching the device, I can reach -91dBm. When the device is held, it immediately jumps to -111 and gives me a reading of zero bars.

Jon C said:
I'm experiencing issues with the 3G signal dropping if I even touch the phone. If I switch to EDGE-only, I find it's impossible for me to lose any bars. Same on my 2G iPhone (no signal loss on 2G).
Of course, this begs the question of how the 'bars' are measured. But it would appear as if the 3G reception is not stellar on the Vibrant. When I'm not touching the device, I can reach -91dBm. When the device is held, it immediately jumps to -111 and gives me a reading of zero bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me its on par with the nexus one except the n1 would drop to edge much quicker.although the vibrant drops bars sometimes the speeds are the same and call quality sounds just fine.i think its just reading wrong like OP says... No issue for me.sometimes I can't even get one bar to drop.

Again, as with the N1, it's hard to tell if this is a carrier issue or a hardware issue. T-Mo's 3G network is by no means up-to-par with their 2G network. But in my area, 3G is marked as 'Best' on their maps. This makes sense, considering I live in T-Mo's headquarters coverage, with HSDPA+.
But even with all of this coverage, I am getting 0-2 bars on 3G, max. This bothers me.

Jon C said:
Again, as with the N1, it's hard to tell if this is a carrier issue or a hardware issue. T-Mo's 3G network is by no means up-to-par with their 2G network. But in my area, 3G is marked as 'Best' on their maps. This makes sense, considering I live in T-Mo's headquarters coverage, with HSDPA+.
But even with all of this coverage, I am getting 0-2 bars on 3G, max. This bothers me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not hard to tell at all, go under the service menu and check your signal strength.. the proof is right there. How can anyone be unsure when I took screenshots of my Vibrant, in an active call - showing no bars of coverage - -0dBm (no service) and then under the service menu it says I have -105 dBm of signal strength and It was usually much higher than that. I had to illustrate my point though. -111dBm under the Phone Info menu is like -98dBm under the Service Menu.

I understand what you're saying, but, I'm getting "signal lost, retry?" pop-ups when holding the phone while 3G is on.
So it would seem it's not just a software misread of signal-to-bars?

Jon C said:
I understand what you're saying, but, I'm getting "signal lost, retry?" pop-ups when holding the phone while 3G is on.
So it would seem it's not just a software misread of signal-to-bars?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That has nothing to do with signal, as I can get that with plenty of bars, or on wifi... That is something else that has popped up for people (especially in the market)...
but any way, on 3g with zero bars I am actually getting slightly faster D/L speeds than I did with my g1 (probably upload too but I don't remember what I used to be getting)
Went from low to mid 600s up to right around 800 (or 790 up to 850)

I think the software explanation is completely bogus.
It might be true that the phone doesn't report the signal correctly. But the fact that as soon as you hold the phone, the signal changes, implies that this is not a software issue at all. Your phone's software has no way of knowing if a hand is touching it or not. The only thing the phone know is that the signal strength is changing which is a physical effect, not a software effect.
I did multiple tests using the network speed test applications and all showed that the phone's signal was significantly affected by me naturally holding the phone.
For example
If I held the phone awkwardly so that I didn't cover up the antenna at all I got these results:
Download: 736kbps
Upload: 720kbps
holding naturally:
Download: 133kbps
upload: 3kbps
I've repeated this test multiple times and always get very similar results. There has not been a single instance where holding the phone naturally got me anywhere near the same up and down rates.
So, case in point, this is not a software issue, this is a bad placement issue.

unxconformed said:
I think the software explanation is completely bogus.
It might be true that the phone doesn't report the signal correctly. But the fact that as soon as you hold the phone, the signal changes, implies that this is not a software issue at all. Your phone's software has no way of knowing if a hand is touching it or not. The only thing the phone know is that the signal strength is changing which is a physical effect, not a software effect.
I did multiple tests using the network speed test applications and all showed that the phone's signal was significantly affected by me naturally holding the phone.
For example
If I held the phone awkwardly so that I didn't cover up the antenna at all I got these results:
Download: 736kbps
Upload: 720kbps
holding naturally:
Download: 133kbps
upload: 3kbps
I've repeated this test multiple times and always get very similar results. There has not been a single instance where holding the phone naturally got me anywhere near the same uOpp and down rates.
So, case in point, this is not a software issue, this is a bad placement issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we all get it is losing some signal, all phones will when your covering the antenna in a not so great of coverage area... I think were getting at that its reading wrong when it does drop. Where as instead of just losing one or two bars its showing full signal loss, but that can't be totally accurate because of still getting good speeds and calls not dropping...
Yes it loses some signal but not as much as I think the readings make it out to be....

temperbad said:
I think we all get it is losing some signal, all phones will when your covering the antenna in a not so great of coverage area... I think were getting at that its reading wrong when it does drop. Where as instead of just losing one or two bars its showing full signal loss, but that can't be totally accurate because of still getting good speeds and calls not dropping...
Yes it loses some signal but not as much as I think the readings make it out to be....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough, I guess we are sort of talking to different points, but that doesn't change the fact that my upload and download speeds are absolutely dismal when I hold the phone naturally. No matter what they change in the software, this won't get fixed and the antenna issue is still a problem. I wouldn't care if the signal dropped a bit, but the extent that it does affect me is enough to make me want to return the phone. I mean did you see the difference in my upload and download rates? It was between 5.5x to 240x worse when I held the phone naturally. That is pretty terrible, especially when I compare it to my G1 (which had a far superior spot for the antenna in my opinion).

unxconformed said:
Fair enough, I guess we are sort of talking to different points, but that doesn't change the fact that my upload and download speeds are absolutely dismal when I hold the phone naturally. No matter what they change in the software, this won't get fixed and the antenna issue is still a problem. I wouldn't care if the signal dropped a bit, but the extent that it does affect me is enough to make me want to return the phone. I mean did you see the difference in my upload and download rates? It was between 5.5x to 240x worse when I held the phone naturally. That is pretty terrible, especially when I compare it to my G1 (which had a far superior spot for the antenna in my opinion).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I lose some speeds but not as bad as you... Being in a real strong signal I can't even make the bar drop one...
I do agree the antenna is in a bad spot just like is was on the n1.. I saw a video before I got mine and was pretty sure it was also gonna be at the bottom and sure enough it was ....
Edit: I got so used to holding the n1 at the top so much that this don't even bug me...although I believe the body even shields some signal since its basically aiming at your body...

unxconformed said:
Fair enough, I guess we are sort of talking to different points, but that doesn't change the fact that my upload and download speeds are absolutely dismal when I hold the phone naturally. No matter what they change in the software, this won't get fixed and the antenna issue is still a problem. I wouldn't care if the signal dropped a bit, but the extent that it does affect me is enough to make me want to return the phone. I mean did you see the difference in my upload and download rates? It was between 5.5x to 240x worse when I held the phone naturally. That is pretty terrible, especially when I compare it to my G1 (which had a far superior spot for the antenna in my opinion).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are two completely different and separate issues.

0db would actually be crazy awesome signal. Not "no signal" as previously mentioned. That this phone is saying 0db is "no signal" is obviously a glitch.

I ran the speed test both ways and got much faster download speeds with zero bars and my hand covering the antenna than when holding it at the top and full bars
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I hope that it is. It annoys me that my mom's 30 dollar phone gets full bars while this 500 dollar phone drops to one or two.

Horrible reception. Especially when wifi is on

My note 3 has noticeably worse reception than my note 2 and thunderbolt did in the same location. The problem seems even worse when wifi is on. In my home I almost never have a signal unless I'm near a window. I noticed that when I turn wifi off I sometimes quickly get a signal back (usually just 1/2 bars of 1X) and my phone seems to have a much easier time maintaining that signal than when wifi is on.
Does this have something to do with the software/radio in the stock ROM? Perhaps for power saving purposes? Has anyone experienced a better signal after rooting and flashing a custom ROM? Not sure what to do as the phone is flawless otherwise but this problem has been incredibly frustrating. Thanks

It's definitely what Verizon did to the phone or their towers. we all have the same problem. ..and truth be told I called Verizon about this and no sufficient answer was given..next day I went to att go...I've been good and even saving $60 more...
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

ROMS have nothing to do with reception. Zero.
Radio firmware, maybe (but even the evidence for that is rather slim. Usually the only things radio firmware updates ever change are things that only the carrier can detect - obscure low level stuff.).
Reading between the lines, it sounds like your signal is weak to begin with (and somewhat worse for the N3 compared to other devices). Since you mention WiFi, I presume you have a separate (wired) ISP, so you would probably be a good candidate for a micro/femto cell range extender. (It gives you localized 3G service for voice & SMS service but actually passes both as VoIP to your carrier across your Internet connection.) You can add a bunch of devices to it if you have a family plan.
There is really only two ways that WiFi would cause interference with the cell radio: either the phone hardware is defective or your router hardware is defective (interference spurs outside it's normal frequency bands).
In contrast to the prior respondent, I don't make the claim that my experience must be identical to everyone else's ... but FYI I'm sitting 20' from my WiFi router, and I have 4 bars WiFi & 4 bars LTE service.
good luck

jr_718 said:
It's definitely what Verizon did to the phone or their towers. we all have the same problem. ..and truth be told I called Verizon about this and no sufficient answer was given..next day I went to att go...I've been good and even saving $60 more...
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. Sadly Verizon is excellent in comparison to all other carriers in my area, especially in terms of 4g coverage by a large margin. I just happen to live in somewhat of a valley where service is poor. I can literally walk up the street 10 minutes and have 4 bars of 4g. Even outside of my house I usually have 2 bars of 3g. With my note 2 and thunderbolt I always had at least 1/2 bars of 1x or 3g indoors and rarely lost service. With my note 3 in the same indoor areas I almost never have service and typically have to go next to a window to get a signal.
bftb0 said:
ROMS have nothing to do with reception. Zero.
Radio firmware, maybe (but even the evidence for that is rather slim. Usually the only things radio firmware updates ever change are things that only the carrier can detect - obscure low level stuff.).
Reading between the lines, it sounds like your signal is weak to begin with (and somewhat worse for the N3 compared to other devices). Since you mention WiFi, I presume you have a separate (wired) ISP, so you would probably be a good candidate for a micro/femto cell range extender. (It gives you localized 3G service for voice & SMS service but actually passes both as VoIP to your carrier across your Internet connection.) You can add a bunch of devices to it if you have a family plan.
There is really only two ways that WiFi would cause interference with the cell radio: either the phone hardware is defective or your router hardware is defective (interference spurs outside it's normal frequency bands).
In contrast to the prior respondent, I don't make the claim that my experience must be identical to everyone else's ... but FYI I'm sitting 20' from my WiFi router, and I have 4 bars WiFi & 4 bars LTE service.
good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My signal is indeed weak in general. However, it is significantly worse than my previous note 2 and thunderbolt in the same areas. It seems to have a ton of trouble holding on to a signal, especially when I'm on wifi or not on a call. When I do have service I can usually make a decent quality phone call. The strange part is once I'm on the phone the call is rarely dropped. It's as if the phone is dedicating more power to the radio in these instances, similar with when wifi is on. As soon as I hang up my I seem to completely lose service again. If I attempt to make another call I get "mobile network not available" until I get a bar back. But once I'm on a call again it seems to lock on MUCH more effectively, and I can remain on the phone for over an hour without issues, leading me to believe software could be playing a large part in the inconsistencies.

bladerealm124 said:
Thanks for the response. Sadly Verizon is excellent in comparison to all other carriers in my area, especially in terms of 4g coverage by a large margin. I just happen to live in somewhat of a valley where service is poor. I can literally walk up the street 10 minutes and have 4 bars of 4g. Even outside of my house I usually have 2 bars of 3g. With my note 2 and thunderbolt I always had at least 1/2 bars of 1x or 3g indoors and rarely lost service. With my note 3 in the same indoor areas I almost never have service and typically have to go next to a window to get a signal.
My signal is indeed weak in general. However, it is significantly worse than my previous note 2 and thunderbolt in the same areas. It seems to have a ton of trouble holding on to a signal, especially when I'm on wifi or not on a call. When I do have service I can usually make a decent quality phone call. The strange part is once I'm on the phone the call is rarely dropped. It's as if the phone is dedicating more power to the radio in these instances, similar with when wifi is on. As soon as I hang up my I seem to completely lose service again. If I attempt to make another call I get "mobile network not available" until I get a bar back. But once I'm on a call again it seems to lock on MUCH more effectively, and I can remain on the phone for over an hour without issues, leading me to believe software could be playing a large part in the inconsistencies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its either a dud device, or placebo. I've had all the Verizon phones (I switch every 2 months) including Note 2 and Thunderbolt, and my Note 3 destroys them with signal reception. In the same location as the other two, got 1 bar with TBolt, 2 bars Note 2, and 3 bars Note 3. Gets progressively better with newer phones for the most part (or they have been upgrading towers near my location, but not likely as my wife has had same signal the whole time). It does make me wonder about placebo when you say you only get decent reception near a window (unless you live in a steel/concrete house). Is it better when you stand on your car and hold your phone up in the air too?

TechSavvy2 said:
Its either a dud device, or placebo. I've had all the Verizon phones (I switch every 2 months) including Note 2 and Thunderbolt, and my Note 3 destroys them with signal reception. In the same location as the other two, got 1 bar with TBolt, 2 bars Note 2, and 3 bars Note 3. Gets progressively better with newer phones for the most part (or they have been upgrading towers near my location, but not likely as my wife has had same signal the whole time). It does make me wonder about placebo when you say you only get decent reception near a window (unless you live in a steel/concrete house). Is it better when you stand on your car and hold your phone up in the air too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol definitely not placebo. In fact, it's typically the only way I can make phonecalls. It doesn't take concrete to cause signal loss. Just as an example I'm currently about 7 feet away from one window and 12 feet from another. I have NO signal (no bars, warning symbol). Just took a screenshot, now I'll walk to the window and set my phone on the windowsill. Just took a second screenshot. See below:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Windowsill:
Just lost my signal again after moving back away from the window. As I stated earlier it seems to be a software problem since once I'm locked into a phone call I can have service for over an hour but as soon as I end the call I will lose it again. Also, you are one of the first people I have read to have better service with this phone than other devices(especially the note 2). Like myself, I have heard tons of complaints about the service with this device. But as you can see in my case it is a bit strange. I'm hoping someone has some information as to why this could be. Obviously not a placebo when I currently can't make a phonecall (denied due to no service). However, once I get a random bar and get the call connected I can stay on the phone for long periods of time without any dropped calls. Only to lose service again the second I'm off the phone.

I've had the same issues with the n3. My thunderbolt use to keep 2-3 bars of 4G around the house and at work. With the N3 I am lucky to stay at 1-2 and most of the time it is downshifting to 3g. On 3g the speed is good but when it jumps back up to 4G with 1 bar the phone becomes useless.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

You can read 10 or even 100 people on the internet that have the problem..... That still means you're seeing 9,999,900 people NOT reporting a problem. What you google search, you WILL find. I can search for people who have BETTER signal, and WILL find many many people in the same circumstance as I. There is something wrong with your phone. Re-flash odin image. If that does not fix, then exchange it as a defective device. WIFI or phone call status should NOT affect your signal.

TechSavvy2 said:
Its either a dud device, or placebo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must have a dud Note 3 also then because I have worse reception on my Note 3 than my Note 2 that's sitting right next to me. And sometimes the signal strength on my Note 3 starts going down over time to where I have to turn airplane mode on and then back off to get good bars and signal back.

Is because you squeeze it too hard when you are holding it.
Sent from my Galaxy Note III; Previous owner/hacker of Galaxy S III, Galaxy Nexus, Droid X, HTC HD2, HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Tilt, HTC 8525, O2 XDA II, O2 XDA.

I really don't think you have a dud. I actually believe its the latest MJE update. My reception was noticeably better before that update and I believe that update had updates to the radio as well. Since then it has gone down. I've been keeping my fingers crossed hoping the upcoming kitkat update will resolve this but alas verizon is taking it's time with the update.

Both me and my friend have the note 3 and we both have noticed the same thing. We both drive trucks and the same area where we had service with a rezound and DROID we don't have service with the n3. I read somewhere the note 3 uses an "envelope" or something like that for power management for cell reception. Instead of stepping up or down power for the antenna is supposed to keep power as low as possible to conserve battery life. I've also heard someone else say that the previous radios were also better. Would love to find a solution, on a bad day I can drop 30-40 calls where it was only 5 or so with the rezound.
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Premium HD app

My Note 3's reception is equally as bad. It's terrible compared to my old Droid Razr Maxx and that's ridiculous. I'm really considering going to some other phone as this one has multiple problems including volume that goes up and down playing music, mute that doesn't stay muted, that stupid 'processing' nonsense with the camera when using stability, nanny nonsense with 'loud music can damage ears, turning down' and auto dimming the screen when no available setting can stop it, only a app can and worse yet, three times so far the friggin clock can't keep time and freezes!! Not happy with this phone at all!

I wont have time to try anything for a while but I was looking at some things on the phone and wondering if anyone knows what these values are or if anyone has tried to change them. Tired to do some research but I don't have much time during the week to do anything phone related.
android.telephony.apn-restore
persist.radio.add_power_save
persist.radio.jbims
Really hoping something can be figured out, me and a fellow truck driver talked yesterday and today and I had to have dropped the call 40+ times each day.

Just an update on my end. I called verizon several times regarding the reception issues I've been having. They sent me a new SIM which was no help. They sent a tech out who concluded the angle of the tower to my house causes a dead spot. Long story short I got them to send me a range extender at no cost. Works good in my home office but my Note 3 still has sub par reception everywhere else compared to my droid maxx and wife's S4. I still believe this latest update caused the radio to perform so poor.

Interesting information from everyone. Thanks for the input. The power management for cell reception sounds like the biggest potential culprit as my signal changes significantly when switching wifi off(usually gaining a signal or a stronger signal instantly). It is also strange that I will typically not have service 90% of the time and cannot make a call from my house. But if I acquire service for a few seconds(long enough to make the call) I can easily stay on the phone for over an hour in the same location where I do not have service. It's as if it "locks on" as a result of boosting my signal(reception power). I plan on rooting soon if this problem is not solved to see if any custom ROM's help with the issue, especially if the Kitkat update does not fix it.

The problem is the locked bootloader. Without a custom kernel none of the drivers or anything like that can be changed to improve anything major. Also I did try and disabled the radio power save and noticed an improvement (not much but it's a start) I think I'll try and flash the previous radios and see if that helps. Won't be able to test it until Monday. I get good service at my house but not much once I get away from a larger city
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Premium HD app

czach5932 said:
The problem is the locked bootloader. Without a custom kernel none of the drivers or anything like that can be changed to improve anything major. Also I did try and disabled the radio power save and noticed an improvement (not much but it's a start) I think I'll try and flash the previous radios and see if that helps. Won't be able to test it until Monday. I get good service at my house but not much once I get away from a larger city
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, forgot about that. I'm looking forward to your results. How did you disable the radio power save? Are you rooted?

I use rom toolbox pro but any build prop editor works. It's about 2/3 the way down. And I didn't have a chance to do any exact comparisons but even my friend said it seemed like I dropped calls less often
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Premium HD app

Worst phone ever
Horrible Reception
Locked bootloader
Last Samsung device
Htc One M8 here I come
Htcs RF is top notch
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