Related
First off, I want to say that Plato56 was the first person to try this, and I want to give all credit where credit is due. Several others have applied this method, including myself, with great results. I apologize for not knowing everyone and I apologize if any of this is not clear. Please let me know and I will clarify the best I can and update this original post.
Ok, the other thread found here is close but the wrong contacts are circled. I've uploaded several pics to reference as you read through this post. The first pic has the correct contacts circled. The contacts circled in the other thread are for the cellular radio.
So What's The Deal With The GPS on my SGS!?
Essentially, the problem is two fold.
Problem #1: Samsung has no clue how to put out decent firmware.
Problem #2: The copper contact that Samsung chose to connect the GPS Receiver to the GPS Antenna is about the crappiest selection they could have possibly made.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS THREAD IS TO ADDRESS PROBLEM #2. If we address and solve one then we can (hopefully) tackle the other effectively one day. Here is a technical, but relatively easy to understand explanation of why Firmware alone can't fix the GPS problems that plague ALL SGS phones (even if your GPS is "fine" it still has weak SNR Numbers)
Explanation (Courtesy of T313C0mun1s7):
Q) Is it hardware?
A) It's complicated. We are talking about very high frequency RF here, you gotta understand how electricity acts when you reach these frequencies to fully get this, but I will summarize. At zero hertz or DC current electricity flows through the body or center of the conductor. As long as you have enough conductor to carry the required current you are good. So the type of spring contact they used is fine for DC, in fact I went looking for replacement contacts and the only thing I can find are designed for either battery tabs or for grounding contacts. As you go higher in frequency the AC current of electricity takes on what we call skin effect, it travels as waves around the surface of the conductor. For this reason large diameter, low loss coax usually has a hollow center conductor. It make no difference electrically and makes it more flexible, lighter, and less expensive because it saves copper. Connections have to be solid and shielded because the RF can "leak", noise can be introduced, and the conductor should be tuned to the frequency carried. In short, these spring connectors are about as bad a connection as you could have picked. It is not enough that they touch the pad, you need good solid contact for a good transfer with the skin effect and to minimize loss. It seems that this problem is exasperated by poor contact. This fix it to simply improve the contact by increasing the pressure and hope to minimize the ill effects of this poor choice of contact design. To complicate things there are in fact things that can be done in software to improve the situation - this made trouble shooting harder because people tend to see these things as black and white and therefore either hardware OR software. If you want to know how software can affect this, then you will need to read back through the thread as I have already explained it twice and this answer is already too long.
Q) Should I ever expect a fix?
A) Read the OP. It was "fixed" (ie they improved the connection, but they did not re-engineer a proper fix) already. It seems if it was made in September there is a good chance it is ok or marginal. If it was made (or possibly re-manufactured?) in October it seems they are at least as good as the fix we are applying in this thread. Either they are using better contacts or they are increasing the angle to apply more pressure.
Q) Will T-mobile replace it?
A) They recognize the problem. This is what the app Samsung released is for. It resets everything to the stock settings (and nothing else). If you use it and can show unacceptable performance with the GPS (via the measurements the app makes - it is the official guide replacement), then they should replace the phone for you without any fight.
Now that you know why you should consider applying the hardware fix to your SGS, read on to determine if it may actually help your situation. I.E. does your unit's manufacture date and/or modem make this modification worth your time?
Prerequisites (Courtesy of T313C0mun1s7)
If you don't yet have at least JI6 then you need to be at least at that modem level FIRST. If you are already using the JI6 (or newer) modem and your GPS still sucks AND your phone was manufactured prior to October, then try this. Otherwise don't expect results. To determine your manufacture date, look on the box. If you no longer have the box, then look under the battery. The middle line has the serial number marked with a S/N. To the right of that will be a set of numbers with a period in the middle. It is month and year in European format, so 10.09 would be September of 2010.
To summarize:
* Phone made in October 2010 or after - this should not be needed
* You have not upgraded to at LEAST JI6 - then do that FIRST
Steps To Apply The Hardware Fix:
NOTE THAT THIS TECHNICALLY VOIDS YOUR WARRANTY especially if you choose the alternate method that involves a soldering iron
However, there is nothing noted on the phone that says if you remove this or go beyond that your warranty is voided.
Also, as goes without saying, don't blame me if you snap your GPS Antenna Contact off, break your plastics, or lose the ability to procreate!!!
* Turn off your GPS and shut down.
* Remove the back of your SGS and take out your battery, SIM Card and MicroSD Card.
* Remove the 7 screws that hold the back plastics. All you need is a Philips Head screwdriver from any jeweler's kit or glasses repair kit (you can get one from CVS/Wal-Mart, etc). Here is a video that shows you how to open up your phone. Take your time with this. I know it seems unsettling at first, but everything will be OK as long as you take your time and use a little common sense!
Be sure to watch for three small things after you get the back off. If you aren't careful, all three will sprout legs and run away :
1) Volume Rocker
2) Power Rocker
3) A little round plastic circle next to the lower right of your SIM Card slot that may fall out
* Refer to the 3rd and 4th pictures I uploaded (courtesy of androidmonkey). These photos depict the CORRECT CONTACT to gently bend up. The 4th photo depicts the position your contact should be in. You'll probably find that yours is laying flatter and thus isn't making contact with the GPS Antenna (which is on the plastic backing that you removed). As I said a second ago, gently bend this contact up. I used a flathead screwdriver from a glasses repair kit. It doesn't take much bend this contact. I started from the side that the fourth photo depicts. After I got the contact up a bit, I moved my screwdriver over 90* where the hump is and pried a little more. That's it! It's really simple. Just don't go happy with your bending. I have no experience replacing a snapped piece of copper so I can't be of any help if you destroy yours.
* Button everything back up. The back plastic will pop back in 10000% easier than it came off. Put the screws back in, pop your SIM and MicroSD back in and your battery. When you boot back up, you might wanna clear your GPS settings just for the heck of it. I did. DO NOT be shocked if it takes a few minutes to get a lock. It's probably the first time your SGS has ever had a real chance at a lock. Subsequent locks (Hot and Cold Start) will be faster.
* Boot up, leave your GPS off. Just because it can't hurt, clear your GPS settings. Here's how:
1) Download this app http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=775154
You can find it by searching for "sgstools" in the market. Click on Secret Codes then Lbstestmode. At the bottom you'll see "Delete GPS Data". Just click that!
OR
2) Open your dialer and hit *#*#1472365#*#*
Click "Delete GPS Data".
* Turn your GPS on. Wait for a lock! If you want to know what's going on, download two apps:
"GPS Status & Toolbox" by EclipSim
and
"GPS Test" by Chartcross Limited
That's it!
ALTERNATE METHOD - ADDING SOLDER TO YOUR GPS CONTACT
*WARNING* As I mentioned earlier IF YOU CHOOSE THIS METHOD THERE IS ZERO CHANCE OF YOUR PHONE REMAINING UNDER WARRANTY *WARNING*
If you feel inclined to modify your phone in a much more permanent way, you can opt to add some solder on top of the contact (no need to bend the contact up, in fact, don't). I attached a zip with some pics that show what two posters, regp and Mannymal did. I've soldered a few things in the past, but I'm by no means an expert. If you choose to do this, a few things to remember.
* First, seriously consider avoiding this if you have no experience with a soldering iron. In what I've seen on a limited base, you'll get minimal SNR gain in return for the effort that goes into this. I can't emphasis this enough.
* There are probably a 100 tutorials on how to solder floating around on YouTube, watch them (all).
* The absolute largest diameter solder I would use is .022.
* Find the smallest tip possible.
* Heat the CONTACT with your soldering iron, not your solder, or you will create what is called a cold solder joint that will probably lead to your GPS not working at all on down the road. You have to get the contact hot enough to receive the solder, which is touched to the part (in our case, the contact) that you want to apply the solder to.
* Be careful not to make your solder to high. I suggest looking at the photo that shows the angle of the contact after it's been raised and using that as your benchmark. We want to make contact with the GPS Antenna, not break the thing when we snap the back plastic on.
* If you end up with two much solder you can either clean the tip of your soldering iron and touch the hot tip to the solder to remove some or you can use an emery board to file it down.
* Use an small emery board (nail file essentially) to file down and smooth off your joint. I suggest doing this holding the phone upside down so you don't end up with 1000 tiny solder particles floating around your phone.
* REMEMBER, phones are tiny. These boards are tiny. A soldering iron that is too hot left on ANY board for too long will destroy it. Multiply this rule x10 for delicate parts.
Good luck.
Observable Data Changes
(Grabbed from this thread after several days of playing with this fix).
Accuracy: 16-28 feet stationary 38-50 feet moving (moving accuracy has improved and is now on par with stationary numbers since I started running the Stock JL4 Rom)
Average SNR: 22-35. Obviously you'll always have one or two that are lower and one or two higher. My max I've observed was 42.
Number of Sats Locked/In View: 8/11 most of the time. Yesterday afternoon I was locked on 10/10 with a 22 foot accuracy inside. I've had 11/14 before as well, just depends on the time of day.
Cold Start Lock: 30 seconds
Hot Start Lock: 5-15 seconds
For reference, my Garmin Nuvi is currently connected to 7/10 with a 16-18 foot accuracy and my Vibrant is connected to 7/10 with a 21-25 foot accuracy. (stationary of course)
Unnecessary re-routing: No
Wandering on Google Nav/Lost Signal with Nav: Very rarely. For me it happens when I lose signal which is only if the phone is resting on my jeans. If it's in my cupholder, center console, hand, etc it's fine. Earlier today I lost signal with it in my cupholder but I was traveling in an area where my Garmin Nuvi only had a connection to 5 satellites.
My Tracks: No data from me yet
There are some after screen shots in this post.
Other notes: I'm on the road a lot. Today is my first day to really extensively test it. Basically, it's MUCH better. Is it perfect? No, but I will say that unlike these other fixes that involve changes in lbstestmode and reset apps that only last for a couple of hours at best, my GPS performance has been very consistent ever since I adjusted the antenna contact. Is it as good as my old Blackberries with signal strength? No. How does it compare to other Android devices? I have no clue.
What I do know is that it works well enough for me to be comfortable not having to grab my Nuvi everytime I switch vehicles.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrap Up
I hope this works for those of you like me that have tried almost every firmware update, tweak, etc. Between this fix and JL4, all I can say is that this device is probably as near to perfect as it'll ever be. I've been running this fix for well over a week and I've experienced no signs of the modified contact losing it's contact with the antenna.
If You Still Have Problems
* Even though you used the Samsung GPS Restore App (Found in the market for Vibrant/Captivate only)
* Even though you deleted GPS Data
* Even though you have your WiFi Off like Plato56 recommends in this post
* Even if you tried a full system wipe
Don't panic if you don't have a ton of locks. Like mentioned above, there is still a firmware component to this issue. I see times where mine doesn't want to lock. Usually if I turn GPS off and then turn it back on it runs smoothly from there on out. Depending on where you live, time of day may make a difference. Inevitably, in the afternoons I may only get 6 of 11 locked on. All other times I can get 9-11 of 11 or 11 of 14, etc. Bear with it. This fix is NOT a silver bullet, but give it a day or two of reasonable playing time to determine if it helped.
For example, right now I'm indoors locked on 7/11 with a 21 foot accuracy and SNR's averaging 31. I used to see 0/3 with SNR's averaging 29. That's a definite improvement. If any other Android was in the same position it would probably show 8/11 with a 10 foot accuracy and SNR's averaging over 65.
So take it for what it's worth, but the fix is DEFINITELY worth the effort!
ADDITIONAL TWEAK
Check out this thread here and read through the OP carefully. A few days ago I flashed "S.gps.zip" and I've had great results with it on Bionix 1.3.1 with the KA7 modem. I didn't see an increase in accuracy, but I did see a HUGE improvement on the speed my GPS locked and the number of birds locked too. I played around with all of the 2.2 modems last night and they all saw improved results.
If you decide to flash one of those zips, I recommend making a Nandroid backup first. In reading through the thread it appears that there are a few people that had their flashes result in broken GPS's. I have no idea why, I'd imagine it's because they didn't clear GPS data and they just think it's broken. I recommend making a backup, shutting off your GPS, booting into CWM, flashing the zip, rebooting, clearing GPS data, turning your GPS on and enjoying locks. And, as always, I recommend using GPS Test by Mike Lockwood to test your GPS every time you make a change.
The Super GPS should work on any ROM on an Vibrant, but it looks like a lot of people have tried it on 2.2 ROMS so be aware that, as always, there's the chance you may brick your device. If it works for you, be sure to thank jellette for his work. As always, I take no responsibility if this messes up your phone. I'm just relaying what worked for me.
UPDATE: 7/31/11
I should have posted this a couple of months ago. I also have a theory about why sometimes this fix fails over time. For example, I run Overstock 2.4.1 and I often flash the S.gps2.zip when I redo my system. It's been a fantastic combo on Bionix 1.3.1, but often, after a few weeks my GPS begins to turn retarded and will eventually no longer lock. In the past I've always believed it's purely because the antenna contacts have started to relax. However, what I've discovered is that when I go back into CWM and reflash my kernel and reflash the GPS zip, everything is happy and perfect again. I'm by no means a hardware genius or a developer. I'm just an average end user that loves to tinker with things and be methodical in testing, but I'm starting to believe that there truly is something going on that corrupts our GPS Drivers over time (in reference back to how we know Samsung screwed the pooch on firmware for the GPS Receiver).
So, that said, before you crack your phone open over and over yanking and bending on contacts, reflash your kernel and the GPS Zip of your choice. And, like I've always said before, if the hardware fix doesn't seem to work for you when it seems to work for others on the same ROM as you, try another kernel, and try it more than once. I still fully believe that every GPS Receiver on every SGS can be made usable. It's not perfect, but it's a strong improvement from not being able to obtain a lock. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=16026963&postcount=12
Q&A
This thread is getting long so I am creating this Q&A post to answer many of the most common questions.
Due credits go to those that originally asked and answered these questions. Obviously this thread is the result of the efforts of many people.
Q) Is it a hardware issue? Why do different ROMs / Modems effect this?
A) It's complicated. We are talking about very high frequency RF here, you gotta understand how electricity acts when you reach these frequencies to fully get this, but I will summarize. At zero hertz or DC current electricity flows through the body or center of the conductor. As long as you have enough conductor to carry the required current you are good. So the type of spring contact they used is fine for DC, in fact I went looking for replacement contacts and the only thing I can find are designed for either battery tabs or for grounding contacts. As you go higher in frequency the AC current of electricity takes on what we call skin effect, it travels as waves around the surface of the conductor. For this reason large diameter, low loss coax usually has a hollow center conductor. It make no difference electrically and makes it more flexible, lighter, and less expensive because it saves copper. Connections have to be solid and shielded because the RF can "leak", noise can be introduced, and the conductor should be tuned to the frequency carried. In short, these spring connectors are about as bad a connection as you could have picked. It is not enough that they touch the pad, you need good solid contact for a good transfer with the skin effect and to minimize loss. It seems that this problem is exasperated by poor contact. This fix it to simply improve the contact by increasing the pressure and hope to minimize the ill effects of this poor choice of contact design. To complicate things there are in fact things that can be done in software to improve the situation - this made trouble shooting harder because people tend to see these things as black and white and therefore either hardware OR software. If you want to know how software can affect this, then you will need to read back through the thread as I have already explained it twice and this answer is already too long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) Should I try this fix?
A) Only if you can not get your phone replaced under warranty. If you can not and meet the prerequisites in the OP, then you are a good candidate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) How do I update to JI6? In the release notes of the Super_IO kernel, it mentions it has the UVJL1 modem. is this more recent than JI6??
A) Yes, JL1 is more recent than JI6. The nomenclature uses lexicograpical unicode values.
1. Check the first unit. The first unit in JI6 and JL1 are both 'J', so look at the next unit.
2. 'I' in the former, 'L' in the latter. 'L' comes after 'I' in the alphabet, so it's more recent.
3. You can stop here, because you've already determined that JL* is more recent than JI*. Any units that come after this are to distinguish within the L- or I-series.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) How do I reset the GPS setting?
A) Open your dialer and hit *#*#1472365#*#* or maybe *#3214789650# (I need clarification on these)
OR
The Samsung GPS Restore app (APK attached to this post)
OR
Since the Feburary 2nd, 2011 Market update you can find it here https://market.android.com/details?id=com.sec.samsung.GpsRestore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) Should we assume that any phone manufactured before 10/10 has these problems?
A) No, I would not think so. Something like this is usually a intermittent manufacturing flaw and would not affect everyone or there would be an even larger outrage about it.
Look at it this way. The spring contacts were designed to make contact without too much pressure when the back is properly in place. GOOD engineering would have accounted for slight variations in manufacturing and quality control and would have made the spring contacts overshoot the required distance a little to assure 100% contact in all situations. In this case I think they forgot to account for that and designed them to just touch, invariably some make intermittent contact and some fall just short of good solid contact (there are prior posts about how poor contact can get worse over time due to oxidation and arcing), but at least we have no reports of totally non-working GPS where they would have failed to touch outright. Chances are when October came around one of two things happened.
They decided to fix the issue and reenginerred the design to make better contact
The manufacturer ran out of the old contacts the the new shipment just work better
Either way, although this is a common issue, I don't see the evidence that it affected all pre-October phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) Any hints on how to get the back off after removing the screws? I watched the YouTube video, but I'm not having any luck with my normal sized fingernails.
A) It is very stubborn, the most important tool you have is patience. Just take your time. If you really need more than just you fingers here are some other options.
Set of Safe Open Pry Tools - http://www.repairsuniverse.com/prytools.html
Thinner than credit card type cards such as a Bi-Mart membership card, plastic business cards that are 1/2 thickness of a credit card, laminated ID badge, old Subway rewards card.
Guitar Pick
The plastic from a clear "clam shell" type package that everything seems to come in now. You know, the ones that seem impossible to open.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) CRAP!!! I BROKE MY TAB (This question covers Soldering)
A) Relax, take three deep breaths, all is not lost.
What you want to do is replace the tab with a small mound of solder to bridge the space between the boards and create a contact so the two pads touch. You want a decent amount of surface to touch and you want it flat for the best contact. You need the mound smooth and round because you are working with high frequency signals. Follow the instructions below carefully. If you need more details they are in this thread.
1) If you are experienced in soldering most will be second nature to you except for the fact that you are not actually soldering anything to anything, you are just making a mound on a pad. If you are not experienced then the first step is to WATCH THESE VIDEOS (A) and (B) then PRACTICE until you are proficient in the basics of heating, soldering, and removing the iron cleanly leaving a good joint.
2) Read this comic book (trust me) --> http://mightyohm.com/files/soldercomic/FullSolderComic_20110409.pdf
3) Now if you are confident that you are ready to actually touch a hot soldering iron to the inside of your phone lets continue.
De-solder the old broken contact from the pad using the soldering iron and either some wick or a solder-sucker (you can also use a cheap rubber bulb, but they rarely work well)
Use the soldering iron and wick or solder-sucker to remove any remaining solder from the pad. It can still be silver, but should be flat.
Realizing that you will remove a little solder with the iron when you pull it away, make a small, smooth, shiny, and round mound of solder on the lower pad just a little taller then you need for good contact.
It is important in this step to not leave any metal filing behind on the board or it might short something out. So do this step holding the phone upside-down so they fall away. File the top of the mound with an emery board so you have a flat spot parallel with the pad. Don't file too much at first.
Check the height of the mound by puting the top board back on. If needed file a little more and recheck. Go slow, don't try to take too much off at once. When the hight is right it should just barely be too tall. You want good solid contact, but you do not want the board to be stressed or bend.
If all looks good check again for hidden shavings and blow it off real good just to make sure.
If you mess up at any point just de-solder the pad and try again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) What are people's setting in LBSTestMode?
A) Factory Defaults - an earlier question covered how to get back there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) Will this work with the GT-I9000 or the Captivate?
A) Most likely, yes. We have even had some people with those phones report back with positive results.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) I did this hardware fix, but I am still losing locks. Now what?
A) Here is what the OFA (Original Fix Artist) Plato56 has to say:
1. Before anything else, make shure your WiFI radio is OFF. I dont mean not connected, I don't mean out of range, I mean hardware swiched off threw your settings or via the drop down status bar.
2. Use the Samsung GPS restore to get you LBS settings to default.
3. Update your modem to one of the 2.2 versions. Im particularly happy with JL4 modem myself
4. Learn to use ODIN!!!! Use this to reload your firmware of choice. Prior to flashing you favorate ROM, Always flash back to JDF (BONE STOCK FIRMWARE).
5. If you dont know what im talking about in 4, then go to the developers section and read, read, read.
6. If you have any other questions refer to sujection 1 first, then ask. Honistly, alot of people have put some work into verifing if this fix works and testing with various software, the least you can do is read this body of work and you just might end up with a working GPS.
7. My last tip of the day. Be patent with your first locks, the GPS does improve the more data it collects. This also means dont delete your GPS data unless you changed modems or are having real lock and or accuracy issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) Does this fix drift?
A) There have been a couple that have mentioned that it does fix the drift, but I think there may have been others that say they get better locks but still get some drift. I do believe though that everyone who has done the driving test with it has reported that it tracks better now and actually shows them on the correct roads, where before it didn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) What are the other contacts?
A) Opposite side is Wi-Fi, bottom is cellular.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) OK, so I can bend it up, or replace it with a bit of solder. Is that all?
A) Of course not. Some like to stick a little piece of plastic under the tab rather than try to bend it. Just a little sliver about as wide as the contact cut off a credit card should work. Your Mileage may vary, in my mind if you drop the phone that plastic is gonna be floating around in there somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) So inside I see. . .
A) Stop! go outside. GPS was not designed to help you get from your bathroom to your kitchen. GPS signals are low power signals that have to travel all the way from an orbital satellite. Low frequencies penetrate well, and bend around objects, but they require a lot of power to transmit over distance. High frequencies travel much further with less power and remains in a fairly strait line, but it does not penetrate very well. Guess what GPS uses. So don't make it try to penetrate your roof.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q) So there are two apps listed to test GPS and . . .
A) I've noticed a big difference between the two apps called "GPS Test". Try using the one written by Mike Lockwood (he's on the Google GPS team).
http://www.androlib.com/android.appl...stest-qjx.aspx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AND FINALLY
Q) What does tonight taste like?
A) Tonight tastes like chinese food and whiskey with coconut water
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A final note about satellites and tracking said hunks of orbital equipment
I have noticed a lot of people are wanting to compare signal levels. This is fine on a superficial level, and there should be some level of consistency as long as you live on roughly the same latitude as the person you are comparing with. As Einstein said - everything is relative. With that in mind I thought I would share a post I made in another thread. There is cool stuff in here - so check it out.
T313C0mun1s7 said:
Another thing that you have to realize is that the satellites themselves are a variable. The only way to make a satellite stationary is to put it into orbit directly on the equator, falling at the exact same rate the earth spins, and in the same direction. Even at that there is still a little wobble in a figure 8 pattern.
So GPS sats are anything but stationary, but they are flying at great speeds overhead coming in and out of view by their own rite at any time. At the speeds they fly the distances to you change by the mile rather quickly. So it should be no surprise that doing your testing repeatedly will never yield the same results twice. There are also a lot of other factors involved as well.
The point is that you are now getting very acceptable and usable results from your GPS consistently, even if you never get anything as great as your first time. Maybe you will get those strong of signals again, but even if you don't you seems to be an par with what the majority of people have reported so far.
FYI - If you would like to see some real time tracking of GPS sats that you should be able to see (THIS IS REALLY COOL) go to http://www.n2yo.com and click the GPS link at the top of the page. It will load a page of sats that are visible from your location. Click the select all box and then click the track selected satellites button. It will load a world map with the orbital paths of the sats, then the sats themselves. You can watch them move and even select them for more information on each satellite. This is not limited to GPS satellites if you want to keep playing with it. The point is that if you watch it for a little bit you can see pretty quickly as they move relative to the world map they are on just how many miles (or kilos) they cover in a fairly short time.
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Click to collapse
Great Post
I have been looking for this information everywhere. I cannot wait until I try this. Thank you^^
How do I update to JI6? i'm running Macnut 14 rom with the Super_IO kernel.
In the release notes of the Super_IO kernel, it mentions it has the UVJL1 modem. is this more recent than JI6??
This might be a stupid question, but how do you tell the manufacture date of the phone. My box just has a date on it (but doesn't say what that date is for), which is 08/10/2010. Is this it?
salvador3 said:
How do I update to JI6? i'm running Macnut 14 rom with the Super_IO kernel.
In the release notes of the Super_IO kernel, it mentions it has the UVJL1 modem. is this more recent than JI6??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, JL1 is more recent than JI6. The nomenclature uses lexicograpical unicode values.
1. Check the first unit. The first unit in JI6 and JL1 are both 'J', so look at the next unit.
2. 'I' in the former, 'L' in the latter. 'L' comes after 'I' in the alphabet, so it's more recent.
3. You can stop here, because you've already determined that JL* is more recent than JI*. Any units that come after this are to distinguish within the L- or I-series.
Just gently bent my piece of metal up. Giving it 10 min to find satellites and will edit this post to report.
EDIT: HOLY CRAPOLA! In the time it took me to write this post, I got 11 satellites on a cold start, MS based, with supl.google.com. I'm going to keep it on hot start now that it's got some locks. I've never run a GPS test at my current location (indoors too!), but I usually got 1 or 2 about 30 miles south of here (outdoors). I can't verify that it's the alteration that helped, but my GPS is definitely better now. Much thanks to OP.
RE-EDIT: Huh, this is weird. I tried to exit out of app but it froze. Waited a minute and it exited out, but without the expected transition animation. Tried to open it again, but the GPS icon in the notification bar wasn't flashing so I rebooted. Now I don't get any satellites with the same settings as before. A couple reboots later, everything is going according to plan.
salvador3 said:
How do I update to JI6? i'm running Macnut 14 rom with the Super_IO kernel.
In the release notes of the Super_IO kernel, it mentions it has the UVJL1 modem. is this more recent than JI6??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If ur running a 2.2 ROM u are past JI6....
Sent from my Vibrant w/ Onyx 4.2 Overkill.....
Hung0702 said:
RE-EDIT: Huh, this is weird. I tried to exit out of app but it froze. Waited a minute and it exited out, but without the expected transition animation. Tried to open it again, but the GPS icon in the notification bar wasn't flashing so I rebooted. Now I don't get any satellites with the same settings as before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, relax, I found that this is not that unusual depending on what ROM / Modem and settings your using. It happend to me with JK2 stock and and stock modem. If your running one of the 2.2 builds update your modem to JL4 or JL1. Also i have found that reseting the GPS data can help after you change modems. Before geting into the unit again, i would recoment clearing your gps data and reverting to STOCK gps setings. MS mode does in some cases make locks look faster, but a weak network connect can cause problems. This is actualy why, i think, that Samsung is using standalone mode as it saves the bird info better. Im not shure about this but for me STOCK GPS SETTINGS WORK!!! Try them before opening up the phone a 2nd time.
As long as you've done the mod correctly and have good contact, you should be in better shape. There is the possablity that you did not bend the contact high enough and it settled back in. DONT OVER BEND but maby just a hair more. Also, dont forget to clean the contacts with a mild solvent as a weak contact will cause oxidation . I use a q-tip and alcohol. Dont use tunner cleaner, i tried this and being non conductinve, i had a problem at for a bit.
Remember, this is also a software issue so dont panic if you do the mod, get good results and then things change. Here is my curent configuration for reference.
Macnut 13
JL4 modem
STOCK GPS SETTINGS
Rom was loaded from a CLEAN Oden version of JFD with eveything formated etc..
Im locking with 8-11 birds out of 13 visable in under 15 seconds with accuracy that under 20ft standing still and 25-35 in a moving car. There are times that things will get a bit worse, but by compairing those times to my Garmin, I beleave this a result of the GPS network or other enviromental issues. I DO have "use wireless networks" as it seams to reduce GPS wander on the JL1 modem , at least in my area. Without it on I get an occational jump but it always finds it way back to good in a very short time. It up to you if you want to use it, its not nessasay, but sometimes helps.
To everyone who might suggest that I'm just one of the lucky one.. When I got this phone, I could not lock on ANYTHING. I could see a few birds, hit some sometimes, get a lock after 5 minutes and lose after the phone went into lock mode etc... you know, all the problems that eveyone else has. Now with the contact mod and updated modems, the results are better than an iPhone and rival my Garmin stand alone GPS.
salvador3 said:
How do I update to JI6? i'm running Macnut 14 rom with the Super_IO kernel.
In the release notes of the Super_IO kernel, it mentions it has the UVJL1 modem. is this more recent than JI6??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your fine, your current config is good, My advice, just update to the JL4 modem.
How do I reset the GPS setting?
Stick Thread!
How do I reset the GPS setting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The most dummy proof way (not that your dumb, I just like simple solutions) is to download this app http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=775154
Click on Secret Codes then Lbstestmode. At the bottom you'll see "gps reset". Just click that!
Or open your dialer and hit *#*#1472365#*#*
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
wow holy crap this fix worked. i live in apartments and after i did this, it locked on to sats for the FIRST time EVER within 30 secs. im amazed this actually worked lol.
so should we assume that any phone manufactured before those dates has these problems?
mine was manufactured before the date, but now that im on 2.2 i usually get a lock on 7 or 8/12 Sats....
but when using google Nav, i get several re-routes and lost signals...
so im not sure if this would help me??
Any hints on how to get the back off after removing the screws? I watched the YouTube video, but I'm not having any luck with my normal sized fingernails.
kboater said:
so should we assume that any phone manufactured before those dates has these problems?
mine was manufactured before the date, but now that im on 2.2 i usually get a lock on 7 or 8/12 Sats....
but when using google Nav, i get several re-routes and lost signals...
so im not sure if this would help me??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my phone in late July and my GPS performance matches exactly what the OP describes AFTER he did the fix. My phone is pure stock JI6, with no HW mods. So, it doesn't seem valid to assume all pre-October phones have the problem.
Confirmed works... Thanks to all.
- All screen shots were taken from the same indoors location. Phone was sitting in a window.
- There are two before and two after screen shots. They represent the range of results.
- I'm running Macnut R14 with JL4
Before
After
Try this
JD - You might need to go online and order an actual case pry tool. They're usually included in disassembly kits for iPhones etc. Maybe try a guitar pick??
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
kboater said:
so should we assume that any phone manufactured before those dates has these problems?
mine was manufactured before the date, but now that im on 2.2 i usually get a lock on 7 or 8/12 Sats....
but when using google Nav, i get several re-routes and lost signals...
so im not sure if this would help me??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I would not think so. Something like this is usually a intermittent manufacturing flaw and would not affect everyone or there would be an even larger outrage about it.
Look at it this way. The spring contacts were designed to make contact without too much pressure when the back is properly in place. GOOD engineering would have accounted for slight variations in manufacturing and quality control and would have made the spring contacts overshoot the required distance a little to assure 100% contact in all situations. In this case I think they forgot to account for that and designed them to just touch, invariably some make intermittent contact and some fall just short of good solid contact (there are prior posts about how poor contact can get worse over time due to oxidation and arcing), but at least we have no reports of totally non-working GPS where they would have failed to touch outright. Chances are when October came around one of two things happened.
They decided to fix the issue and reenginerred the design to make better contact
The manufacturer ran out of the old contacts the the new shipment just work better
Either way, although this is a common issue, I don't see the evidence that it affected all pre-October phones.
I'll post screenshots later today. For now I can definitevly confirm that this fix improves gps signal levels and performance.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Hi there, I've been dealing with this gps issue of not locking for almost two months, and tried, as many users did, with different roms, kernels, radios, combinations, etc.
Also applied the " Instantaneous GPS Fixation v1.2 US & INTERNATIONAL" from AngelDeath: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11342772, did many tests using "Fasterfix", "GPS Status", "GPS Fix", etc.
Then I jumped to the "hardware" part and that was, as far as I could, to the antenna. I've been working as a technician for 20 years, so I'm familiar with electronic components, assembling and disassembling, soldering, etc. So, first I cleaned the antenna's contact as Rakesh2002 suggested: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1101066, no change, then I went one step furher and made a little "antenna" with thin wire and soldered it. Nothing happened. Finally I decided to take off the home made antenna, checked that everything was in proper place and, well... I was in the same place that I was in the beginning. GPS can't get more than 3 o 4 satellites, can't lock, waiting "forever" on clean skies, etc....I desisted.
Finally, I started to think on buying a Garmin GPS, because I can't return my phone to none, I bought it on Ebay, in my country there's no HTC vendors, etc, etc. In short, buying a simple GPS was cheapest than sending the phone to another country and, beside that, my phone was a little "touched".
This past saturday I decided to try one more thing, I use to flash roms on my phone on a daily basis and did this before for GPS testing purposes, and then I found this rom: "Stock 2.50.405.2" http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1155634 Flashed it and the magic happened, the GPS is locked within seconds, less than a minute the first time and now less than 30 seconds and sometimes in 5 secs.
This was my experience, the GPS is working now. If this is useful for someone, try it, flash this rom, there's nothing to loose.
happy 4 u
happy 4 u
happy 4 u
happy 4 u
happy 4 uhappy 4 uhappy 4 u
Does this ROM work well my friend?
hannth said:
Does this ROM work well my friend?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's working good for now, I'm testing it and no problems so far.
Good for you For me the GPS stopped working after this patch
ferluci said:
Hi there, I've been dealing with this gps issue of not locking for almost two months, and tried, as many users did, with different roms, kernels, radios, combinations, etc.
Also applied the " Instantaneous GPS Fixation v1.2 US & INTERNATIONAL" from AngelDeath: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11342772, did many tests using "Fasterfix", "GPS Status", "GPS Fix", etc.
Then I jumped to the "hardware" part and that was, as far as I could, to the antenna. I've been working as a technician for 20 years, so I'm familiar with electronic components, assembling and disassembling, soldering, etc. So, first I cleaned the antenna's contact as Rakesh2002 suggested: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1101066, no change, then I went one step furher and made a little "antenna" with thin wire and soldered it. Nothing happened. Finally I decided to take off the home made antenna, checked that everything was in proper place and, well... I was in the same place that I was in the beginning. GPS can't get more than 3 o 4 satellites, can't lock, waiting "forever" on clean skies, etc....I desisted.
Finally, I started to think on buying a Garmin GPS, because I can't return my phone to none, I bought it on Ebay, in my country there's no HTC vendors, etc, etc. In short, buying a simple GPS was cheapest than sending the phone to another country and, beside that, my phone was a little "touched".
This past saturday I decided to try one more thing, I use to flash roms on my phone on a daily basis and did this before for GPS testing purposes, and then I found this rom: "Stock 2.50.405.2" http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1155634 Flashed it and the magic happened, the GPS is locked within seconds, less than a minute the first time and now less than 30 seconds and sometimes in 5 secs.
This was my experience, the GPS is working now. If this is useful for someone, try it, flash this rom, there's nothing to loose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for information
I'm just curious, how many fix(s) did you get, and in how many seconds did you get them before and after the ROM?
I had a similar problem a while back, blowing compressed air onto the antenna seemed to fix it.
ferluci said:
Hi there, I've been dealing with this gps issue of not locking for almost two months, and tried, as many users did, with different roms, kernels, radios, combinations, etc.
Also applied the " Instantaneous GPS Fixation v1.2 US & INTERNATIONAL" from AngelDeath: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11342772, did many tests using "Fasterfix", "GPS Status", "GPS Fix", etc.
Then I jumped to the "hardware" part and that was, as far as I could, to the antenna. I've been working as a technician for 20 years, so I'm familiar with electronic components, assembling and disassembling, soldering, etc. So, first I cleaned the antenna's contact as Rakesh2002 suggested: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1101066, no change, then I went one step furher and made a little "antenna" with thin wire and soldered it. Nothing happened. Finally I decided to take off the home made antenna, checked that everything was in proper place and, well... I was in the same place that I was in the beginning. GPS can't get more than 3 o 4 satellites, can't lock, waiting "forever" on clean skies, etc....I desisted.
Finally, I started to think on buying a Garmin GPS, because I can't return my phone to none, I bought it on Ebay, in my country there's no HTC vendors, etc, etc. In short, buying a simple GPS was cheapest than sending the phone to another country and, beside that, my phone was a little "touched".
This past saturday I decided to try one more thing, I use to flash roms on my phone on a daily basis and did this before for GPS testing purposes, and then I found this rom: "Stock 2.50.405.2" http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1155634 Flashed it and the magic happened, the GPS is locked within seconds, less than a minute the first time and now less than 30 seconds and sometimes in 5 secs.
This was my experience, the GPS is working now. If this is useful for someone, try it, flash this rom, there's nothing to loose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know! Thanx!
I use miui freshly squeezed edition. With the agps patch 2.2 I get 7-10 satellites from inside within 20 seconds, and outside of I open Google maps it locks on in 2 seconds.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using xda premium
the gps fix in the DHD is s/w issue,,
it can be fixed by cleaning two partitions on the system memory and 're-flashing' the .conf file for gps,,,, i was previously using ARHD 6.1.2 and after doing the above , i got solid 7,8 satellites and fix in < 5 seconds,,,
last week i flashed rcmix3d and the settings were deleted,,, have been busy at work so cant seem to find the xda thread that explained the process,,, will post as soon as i dig the link,,,, the process is guaranteed to work,
---------- Post added at 07:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:07 PM ----------
on another note, the gps DOES work fine on stock rom's as stated by the thread starter,,,
problems start when u flash other roms
This fix works well http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1266525
GPS is much better
Hello, I'm a "noob" on android but I think I'm a quick learner but I really need help..
I have a note 3 N-9005 that I bought and in the second day I was annoyed with touchwiz and I installed temasek's rom and kernel (I dont know how to flash kernel, it changed when I changed rom).. But I'm loving this rom!
One of this days I installed a app called gps test and gps status and I got no fix! sometimes 2sat. but almost allways 0sat.
I want to know if its the phone its damaged, rom problem, kernel or whatever..
Can somebody give me a light please? Many thanks
GPS is kernel.
Flash stock rom and test gps .
and try Device Only (GPS only).. not high accuracy
thanks for the replys!
I installed stock rom and still having the problem, installed back temasek rom and I started to think that the problem was hardware.
I read some guides were they say to tight up the screws on the back.. I did that and no improvement...
Then I removed the 10 screws and lift up the gps contact and clean it up because it may oxidize.. But still no improvement
After some attempts I started to think that the problem was maybe of the mid frame (were the screws are screwed) because it was a little bent...
I put it straigh, puxing it hard to a flat table.. Assembled and now I have a fix in 5 seconds or less... I think that maybe this can help somebody
And sorry for my bad english
You can't do anything I think. This phone has some problem with GPS, the N9005 version I mean, it never worked properly for me. The only think you need to keep in mind that, this device depends heavily on AGPS data, so just make sure that AGPS data is being downloaded at a frequent interval. Use GPS Status to set the interval.
There was an app, which would show you GPS locked always, probably it faked some data to make the phone realise that AGPS data is latest, some Indian dude posted it quite a long time ago in this Q&A section, it worked for me, didn't check about accuracy, but phone would always show GPS locked! Have forgotten the name of the app though, you could do a search.
try *#9090#
menu > key input> Q
menu> key input > 0000
wait awhile
UMTS > Common > NV rebuild > NV rebuild > system , protocol , GPS ,IMS.
you might have a problem with the antenna ... i had
you had to open the phone ... get to the gps module and play with the contacts ... it's not that difficult
try to find instructions on youtube
Thanks for the replys..
I said before "After some attempts I started to think that the problem was maybe of the mid frame (were the screws are screwed) because it was a little bent...
I put it straigh, puxing it hard to a flat table.. Assembled and now I have a fix in 5 seconds or less... I think that maybe this can help somebody "
So.. the problem is fixed!!!! and it wasnt the contacts on the board, it was the mid frame that was "bent"
many thanks
Could you/ someone tell me where is this mid frame exactly? Will you have to unscrew the screws or one can do that without removing them?
A picture of this mid frame section would really be great.
hi.. what I called mid frame is the part that comes off when you take out the screws that you can see when you take out the back cover.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1ntOfJS_1c (see this video to 3:10min) take attention what he says at 3:00min)
here is a photo of what you will see after remove that "mid frame" http://s3.postimg.org/gnfn2hslf/image.jpg
in the photo in red you can see gps /lte / wifi antenas... they should look like the ones on the image!!! they cant be bended, if they are put them in the right spot ... you can lift them a little to make beter contact with the "mid frame"
now what I made to fix mine:
my mid frame was bent because its plastic.. I pressed it hard against a flat table to unbend it...
put all on place and make sure the mid frame contacts are toching the antenas that you can see on the image..
screws need to be put in place screwed till the end to make the mid fame make a good contact with antenas.
srry for my english, just trying to help
i have a seriuos issue with this device
3 brand new devices all having the same problem with GPS.
it doesn't connect even for a second
i open gps status and toolbox, it recognizes 12 satellites but can't fixate on any of them.
changed gps.conf to the proper continent and country, still nothing.
could this be bad gps module on all of them?
version is v10a-eur-xx
Any, and I mean ANY Mediatek chipsed based phone has issues with GPS, at least in Europe.
This is the sole reason I avoid Mediatek like the plague.
Just Google "Mediatek GPS problem". There are possible fixes, but you have to try them out yourself.
I have the same problema whith my LG H420...
How can i fix it ?
I had the same problem minutes ago. The views may come from a-gps sinse it didin't detect any signal. The problem is that the 3 screws on the bottom of the phone, where the gps antenna is, get loose. I have tighten the screws and... it worked. Now it find singal and fix on sattelites indoor and outdoor.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=67805410&postcount=1522
Worked for me, on H440N.
When I Lollipop GPS was wrong , since I upgraded to MM GPS has improved a lot , however, often use the app " GPS Connected" to fix in a stable satellites
I tried everything but it does not set the satélites !
3 screws were tight !
But even then I squeezed more !
what can I do ?? :crying: :crying:
I have tried "EPO Tools free" by eben80 and the connection and stability of GPS is better
Rats, I have the same issue with my h440n ... it used to work now and then before ... like half the time. Recently it sorta worked 1 out of 10 times and now it seems dead completely. Maybe that's due to the fact that I dropped it seriously multiple times and recently even cracked the digitizer big time. I'm NOT with Mediatek so I should be fine, but I'm not. Has anyone else with the h440n had this issue and resolved it successfully? I'm trying to find sth on ebay but other than this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loud-Spea...478333?hash=item25a70da17d:g:dRAAAOSwv0tVZK2P
I cannot find anything else as a spare part. Not even sure if that one includes a gps module ... just says speaker and antenna ...
jonathansmith said:
Rats, I have the same issue with my h440n ... it used to work now and then before ... like half the time. Recently it sorta worked 1 out of 10 times and now it seems dead completely. Maybe that's due to the fact that I dropped it seriously multiple times and recently even cracked the digitizer big time. I'm NOT with Mediatek so I should be fine, but I'm not. Has anyone else with the h440n had this issue and resolved it successfully? I'm trying to find sth on ebay but other than this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loud-Spea...478333?hash=item25a70da17d:g:dRAAAOSwv0tVZK2P
I cannot find anything else as a spare part. Not even sure if that one includes a gps module ... just says speaker and antenna ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The trick with tightening the bottom 3 screws, close to the speaker, actually DID help me. I tightened them quite a bit and that seems to have resolved the issue for now. Big ups to whoever it was that came up with this super easy fix and damn LG ... poor build quality, still an ok phone though, for the bucks.
EDIT: After some testing - the fix worked, as I said, but GPS signal is still somewhat poor. It is enough to get you from point A to B, in a way, but the signal keeps on dropping. It simply won't lock to any satellite gps, constantly loses connection and reconnects again, and then the same again. I've read there are some apps that can help with that. Will try out some. If anyone has a solid one that fixes this, do mention it.
We need to fix it soon, or we forget Pokemon Go!
:crying::crying:
This did work for me
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2243965
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71635848&postcount=2266
GPS fix
Search on YouTube: "GPS fix - Easily improve your GPS antenna of your MT6589 based phone" by gersonnl
Worked on my LG Spirit!
milisav1 said:
Search on YouTube: "GPS fix - Easily improve your GPS antenna of your MT6589 based phone" by gersonnl
Worked on my LG Spirit!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where exacly have you put tape? Can you show photo of cover?
I remember trying to use this tablet solely as a GPS for my car, it never quite worked alright, I thought it was the Lolipop upgrade then I thought it might be something wrong with the antenna hardware.
It finds my position, with approximately 100 meters precision then it keeps jumping around up to 300 meters, things gets better while moving but it has no clue what direction I'm going when I come to a stop.
I have tried many apps and tweaks to fix the GPS, none have worked. I remember the GPS working once when this tablet was new,
that's it, or maybe I was hallucinating?
In all these cases the tablet was using a stable internet connection in my car.
Tried Kitkat, Lolipop, custom and stock kernel :crying:
nitzero said:
I remember trying to use this tablet solely as a GPS for my car, it never quite worked alright, I thought it was the Lolipop upgrade then I thought it might be something wrong with the antenna hardware.
It finds my position, with approximately 100 meters precision then it keeps jumping around up to 300 meters, things gets better while moving but it has no clue what direction I'm going when I come to a stop.
I have tried many apps and tweaks to fix the GPS, none have worked. I remember the GPS working once when this tablet was new,
that's it, or maybe I was hallucinating?
In all these cases the tablet was using a stable internet connection in my car.
Tried Kitkat, Lolipop, custom and stock kernel :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So true. Gps sucks. Not accurate and takes long time to get the position.
Now i am not even able to use my tab. It always freezes within few seconds after i turn on the tab. Tried every possible solution. Used custom rom, stock rom, stock kernel, custom kernel, flashed fresh rom via apx mode nv flash. :crying:
My tab even freezes in recovery and had to hard reboot it.
Even posted a thread in xda but no solution given by ny1.
It's not so bad with Kitkat, after uninstalling everything leaving the rom completely naked with the barely essentials to not leave it glitchy the performance is acceptable.
Got 41k on Antutu, the lowest score was memory which scored 57 lol.
I suspect this tablet does not have a proper compass sensor, I've changed and resoldered the antennas but it hasn't changed anything.
Seems like a problem with drivers or hardware level.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Lol I finally sorted it out.
Who would put a compass between a couple of magnets?
Exactly, it's the magnets for the flip cover making the compass sensor utter useless.
Removing them fixes the GPS issue. They're actually inside the tablet near the upper bezels where holds the pen.
nitzero said:
Lol I finally sorted it out.
Who would put a compass between a couple of magnets?
Exactly, it's the magnets for the flip cover making the compass sensor utter useless.
Removing them fixes the GPS issue. They're actually inside the tablet near the upper bezels where holds the pen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to remove compass
fu24 said:
How to remove compass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must take the magnets off, the compass is needed in order to make the GPS to work properly, get a metal object and stick it to the tablet.
That's exactly where the magnet for the flip cover is located, just carefully pry the tablet open and remove them.
There's two of them.
Please note you must take off the pen, the SD card and the flip cover to open the tablet.
You shouldn't have problems to open it up using ordinary tools such as plastic pry tool or even a credit card.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro