I bought my G1 used off of eBay about 9 months ago. From the beginning the GPS never seemed to work that good. I didn't use it very much until recently when I got a 2600mAh battery for it and upgraded to CM6.0.0. I decided to investigate the GPS problem further as I wanted to be able to use the navigation feature on it in my car & work van. I was trying to find out where inside the phone the GPS antenna was so I knew which position it would get the best reception in the car. That's when I found this pic:
(sorry, won't let me post links due to being a new account! This was a pic of the antenna tape on the outside of the case next to the camera lens)
And when I looked closely at that area of my phone this is what I saw:
(sorry, won't let me post links due to being a new account! This pic was 2 little tabs sticking out from the original antenna tape, looks like it had been cut off!)
The antenna tape was missing! I can't believe I have been without proper GPS operation all this time. It seems the only location service I was getting was triangulation from the cell phone towers. It makes me wonder if the person I bought the phone from may have intentionally removed the antenna so he couldn't be tracked?
Anyway, I made my own temporary antenna out of aluminum foil:
(sorry, won't let me post links due to being a new account! Just imagine a piece of aluminum foil cut to fit where the original antenna tape goes and taped to the case over top of the original antenna tabs)
Went outside to test it and picked up 8 satellites right away using GPS Test app. Oh I was so happy and mad at the same time! I used the navigation most of the day yesterday. A few times it lost signal, probably due to poor contact between the aluminum foil and the tabs from the original antenna.
So now my question..........Where can I get a new proper antenna from? Does it come attached to the case if I buy a new case or is it a seperate part? So far in searching for G1 repair parts I have not been able to find the antenna as a seperate part & cannot tell if a new case comes with the antenna tape attached.
Thanks for any help!
Jeff
I can't answer the question about where to get parts, aside from looking around for broken parts phones (i.e. cracked screen)... Gotta say -- that's a funny story... and a good thing to keep in mind for others having GPS issues.
It is also why I don't buy stuff like that used.
Prying the frame open wasn't such a problem although you should be careful not to force anything, it actually clicks open nicely when handled carefully. I ran into problems with the little bridge of the GPS, it broke of when I looked at it. Well actually I did help a little with a screwdriver but it broke on touch so to speak.
So there I was with a broken GPS and my sight isn't everything either so what to do. Well I found a solution. Have a seat. This is shocking.
I folded a peace of alu foil a few times and fitted it in the little space on the speaker just left from the gps and covered the broken bridge with it. I wont have to tell how difficult this is considering you have to avoid all contacts in this area. So if you try it it's your choice.
Result. A blasting fast GPS that indeed gives me never seen before fixes. This just must be my lucky day. Geocaches here I come. Time to put my external GPS aside again. Nothing beats a mad hatter.
So you kind of inadvertently upgraded the GPS antennae!
Thanks for posting, don't suppose you could post a picture?
Been checking this GPS thing myself.
I actually wonder how people manage to break that contact. You only have to bring it up a notch.
When checking the back cover you can see that there are 2 places that are contacts. i've checked with the multimeter and both are connected to each other.
Now there is one thing that is strange to me. The contact that is not the one touching the metal 'spring', well on the circuitboard there is this what looks like a piece of conducting foam that would make contact with the other one on the back. Measuring that foam it indeed conducts. It conducts to ground (measured between the coax connector and foam = 0 Ohms).
Now I actually dont know if it really touches the antenna but it would be odd to create a contact when it would not be touching.
So maybe there are 2 places that should make contact to the antenna.
Does anyone have an actual clue, or even better pictures, of the changes that were made on the models after October?
OK, after being so annoyed with the Navigation on this phone not working, I finally found a fix that is working for me and I am in shock that what I did produced a working GPS. First, anyone who doesn't know how to take apart the black cover (not the battery cover) do a search. Next, after removing the cover, the GPS Antenna without a doubt is one right next to the power button. I found this out by putting a piece of electrical tape over every gold connector that touches an antenna, then closing the black cover, turning on the phone, running gps test, and after trying different spring connectors, I noticed I had the correct one when the app GPS Test couldn't locate any satellites. Next, I also noticed that on the inside of the cover that I took off, the one that requires six screws, there is a silver looking strip that is supposed to make contact to the connector that has a full metal top part, so when the cover goes back on, the silver strip must make contact to this negative grounding harness top. I added a bead of solder to the silver strip on the inside of the black cover so that I knew it was making contact. I believe that this is a source of everyone's problems with navigation. That strip must be a shield and the design doesn't look like it makes good contact to the connector's ground metal plate. You'll see what I mean when you open the cover.
Next, while I had the cover off, I wrapped a 30 gauge wire around the gold spring pin that connects to the GPS antenna and ran that wire down the side of the phone right along the PC Board in hopes that it extends the antenna. I just ran it like 3 inches and remember, I ran it down, not up. The GPS antenna already goes up. I put a tiny bead of solder on the wire where it contact the gold spring contact that is attached to the PC Board so that it does not come off accidentally. And believe me, it is really simple. You cannot mess anything up. Just a dab of solder is all it takes.
I put the black cover back on, and then ran the GPS test app and at one point I had 12 satellites read and used with a 7 foot accuracy!!! Next I went to the Navigation app and started playing around with different addresses and my navigation WORKED!!! I am still in awe three days later. I drove from New Jersey to Rhode Island yesterday and had the Nav running for the entire trip. Only one time did I get a small circle about the size of a half inch which lasted for 4 seconds. At that point, I was driving though a forest type side road with limited sky view.
Please try this fix for anyone who has Navigation issues with their Nexus S and let me know if it fixes it.
Dan
Awesome. Samsung should have hired you before they released the Nexus S and 1st-gen SGS phones. My Captivate never had reliable GPS. I might as well have had Ray Charles giving me directions.
Funny thing is Google nexus phones are bugged...
Nexus one multi touch bug
Nexus s compass not working...
I think the issue here is with whoever was choosing and picking the hardware that would have powered a nexus...
HTC and Samsung do not surprise me... But Google not testing the compass on a flagship phone before releasing scares me :-\
Luckily my gps works fine (i9023 here) but the broken compass create a lot of troubles with gps navigation as very often the phone thinks to be driving in the reverse direction...
The nexus one digitizer wasn't a bug. Just a crappy digitizer. It worked as it meant to. It sucked but wasn't a bug.
The GPS and compass issues for the nexus s are different as well. Some devices have crappy ones and apparently don't work. My GPS and compass works perfect on the other hand. Always has
evcz said:
Funny thing is Google nexus phones are bugged...
Nexus one multi touch bug
Nexus s compass not working...
I think the issue here is with whoever was choosing and picking the hardware that would have powered a nexus...
HTC and Samsung do not surprise me... But Google not testing the compass on a flagship phone before releasing scares me :-\
Luckily my gps works fine (i9023 here) but the broken compass create a lot of troubles with gps navigation as very often the phone thinks to be driving in the reverse direction...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have problems with navigation, even tho i hardly ever use it. However, this compass thing; I downloaded an app called Smart Compass and it works really well... Where I know it's north, the compass points north and so on. but mind you, I got my phone after companies stopped selling it so I might've gotten the last of the good batch
Could you post a photo of the finished fix so I can check if I'm going to fry something ? Thanks !
@VOLTAGEROCK:
post some photos for better help if it's possible, before and after modifications please
thanks in advance
I will but gimme a day or two. All I know is I'm on day five and its still working!
wow
Sent from my
RESSURECTED Nexus S
CM10 NIGHTIES
DmA81 said:
Could you post a photo of the finished fix so I can check if I'm going to fry something ? Thanks !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should have at the time of doing it, but I didn't know what i was doing was going to work!! Now I have to take the phone apart again, but you give me a reason to hook up my Touchstone from the Pre while the phone is open and accessible. I will do my best to put the pics up in a timely manner and in the meantime, if there's anyone out there, go to the iteardown fix it (i think that's what its called) and look at the video or pics of the Nexus being taken apart.
Again, I have no reason to believe that I didn't fix the problem as it's working everytime, when it wouldn't work at all before the mod. When you're looking at the phone from the back, the GPS antenna location has a letter G engraved into the black cover after the battery cover has been taken off. It's right below the electrical type tape that covers the antenna FYI.
*#*#gpsclrx#*#* always fixed my gps woes and i had a lot. no hardware mod required.
Sputnikk23 said:
*#*#gpsclrx#*#* always fixed my gps woes and i had a lot. no hardware mod required.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does that do by the way.? Because my mod works everytime and you never have to use the code you just put up. Even though I appreciate you putting that there. Also, what type of problems were you having with your navigation? Did it work periodically? Did it never work like mine? Just curious as to the problem you had with your navigation. Thanks
Dan
I can confirm this hardware mod fixed voltages gps. He's gone thru 2 nexus s phones and both GPS would constantly lose the position every few minutes then reacquire, and show a huge circle for his position. Somehow this hardware mod fixes some design issue with the nexus s where a shielding isn't properly grounded. And also he extended the GPS antenna with a wire for good measure.
By the way it was the sprint nexus s 4g he modified.
Please post pictures to go with your narrative. I would like to try this!
O
RogerPodacter said:
I can confirm this hardware mos fixed voltages gps. He's gone thru 2 nexus s phones and both GPS would constantly lose the position every few minutes then reacquire, and show a huge circle for his position. Somehow this hardware mod fixes some design issue with the nexus s where a shielding isn't properly grounded. And also he extended the GPS antenna with a wire for good measure.
By the way it was the sprint nexus s 4g he modified.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the clarification nation, Podact.
VOLTAGEROCK said:
What does that do by the way.? Because my mod works everytime and you never have to use the code you just put up. Even though I appreciate you putting that there. Also, what type of problems were you having with your navigation? Did it work periodically? Did it never work like mine? Just curious as to the problem you had with your navigation. Thanks
Dan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wipe gps data. not the same thing as the gps status wipe (which didn't work for me). try it, doesn't really hurt anything. seems a software code is worth a shot then opening up the phone you know?
Some ROMs it never worked. Other ROMs it was sporadic. When I would get it to work, it always eventually "lost" its ability to lock, etc.
But hey.. if you want to get all hyper-sensitive over your mod.. go for it. Was just throwing another method out there for the faint of heart.
Sputnikk23 said:
wipe gps data. not the same thing as the gps status wipe (which didn't work for me). try it, doesn't really hurt anything. seems a software code is worth a shot then opening up the phone you know?
Some ROMs it never worked. Other ROMs it was sporadic. When I would get it to work, it always eventually "lost" its ability to lock, etc.
But hey.. if you want to get all hyper-sensitive over your mod.. go for it. Was just throwing another method out there for the faint of heart.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sensitive as I cried at your remark, and then I got really hyper and started running in circles with joy that my nav works. So I guess you're right, I am hypersensitive! Btw, I was being nothing but nice to your reply. Its OK. I forgive you.
Pics requested
Check out the pics. One of them shows some solder on the silver shielding so it makes better contact with the connector when they close back up. The other shows a 30 gauge red wire soldered to the gps pin and running down the phone. Hope this clears up what you guys need to do to get the gps to finally work on this dag gone phone.
.I've been using navigation and never had such a problems.my gps always locking under 10sec and doesn't loosing signal.
Btw i live in UK and using nav in big city.
Do a search for Nexus S 4g on sprint nav problems and you'll see a whole slew of people with problems.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda app-developers app
So yesterday I decided to use my G2 for driving directions for the first time using google maps. Unfortunately, this was not my car, and this borrowed car did not have a phone holder on the front dash or windscreen, so I placed the phone on the console (where gear shiftier is). Well, then the navigation with G2 was truly horrible. Google maps would work, but then announce one minute later that "GPS signal was lost". Some people told me that the phone "needs to see the sky to make GPS work, therefore you should place it on a suction cup holder under windscreen", which I did. After that, the G2 navigation seemed to work. Anyways, this incident surprised me because I was able to use GPS navigation from inside of car cabin on my old iPhones.
You're not alone - the g2 has notoriously bad gps. Some say it's a hardware issue, some say it's software. Apparently the vs980 is particularly susceptible to weak antenna contact points so it would be worth a try to fix it. The way to do it is to take the back cover off and put something the thickness of a playing card under all the antenna contact points. There are a bunch of youtube videos on doing it. On the software side, people are messing with the gps config file but it looks to be hit and miss.
I find on my d803, that the kitkat roms are much better at gps than the lolipop roms. Might be an idea to try.
Solution
Look at this: https://youtu.be/jLuOz0W2A50
I bought a second handed H918 in Asia and later found out the GPS failed to lock at all. AGPS works, but it is far from accurate and useless for navigation services.
I google a lot of similar issues, some suggested it's a software fault, some have to return the phone to LG for replacement. Since mine does not have any warranty whatsoever, I can only try to fix it on my own.
After I remove the top plastic trim, there are six metal connectors from the motherboard, but only three of them are aligned with a metal content point on the trim, that means only the antenna in the right is in place. I happened to have a dead LG G4 around me, so I pull one of the antenna sticker from its plastic cover (marked P1C 0518 from the top left corner) and aligned it to the top left connector (it is very lucky that the connector in the G4 is nearly the same width, so it only takes a little mod to make it fit). After I cut away all the unnecessary part of the antenna sticker to make it fit inside the plastic trim, it will still block the ir blaster which I will never use, so it is okay for me.
And my GPS is back! signal is strong and very reliable.
But I still have one question unanswered, I have no idea what is the use of that middle antenna. Does anyone have an idea what it does? I can't find any problem not having it. WIFI, BT, LTE all working very nicely.
Type2501 said:
I bought a second handed H918 in Asia and later found out the GPS failed to lock at all. AGPS works, but it is far from accurate and useless for navigation services.
I google a lot of similar issues, some suggested it's a software fault, some have to return the phone to LG for replacement. Since mine does not have any warranty whatsoever, I can only try to fix it on my own.
After I remove the top plastic trim, there are six metal connectors from the motherboard, but only three of them are aligned with a metal content point on the trim, that means only the antenna in the right is in place. I happened to have a dead LG G4 around me, so I pull one of the antenna sticker from its plastic cover (marked P1C 0518 from the top left corner) and aligned it to the top left connector (it is very lucky that the connector in the G4 is nearly the same width, so it only takes a little mod to make it fit). After I cut away all the unnecessary part of the antenna sticker to make it fit inside the plastic trim, it will still block the ir blaster which I will never use, so it is okay for me.
And my GPS is back! signal is strong and very reliable.
But I still have one question unanswered, I have no idea what is the use of that middle antenna. Does anyone have an idea what it does? I can't find any problem not having it. WIFI, BT, LTE all working very nicely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well done! Is there any chance you took any photo's while you had it apart?
I wish I could see it as well. My gps unlocks all the time
If this will help, I upgraded my H918 to the the latest stock 10u firmware and am now running a stock ROM and my GPS gets a lock near instantaneously when on device only. Not sure why but my phone just did not seem to like custom ROMs such as WETA ROM nor the NATF MEGArom when it came to GPS. I'm on ARB1 now so I think my only options now are ALPHA ROM and SUPER ROM so Im a plan on trying those eventually and see if same thing happens.
No clue why this would be as many users for those ROMs running my model reported no issues but just throwing it out there for people having issues.