Edited 30/1/2012: My GPS 100% fixed (21/4/11 PICS ADDED)

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sxi200

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2010
1,510
449
Melbourne
Yes, it is hard to believe but the fix is that simple.

Now my phone is truly awesome.

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sgsI9003

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2011
1,382
271
New Delhi
Hard to believe that Samsung is so dumb that they could not have done this fix at factory level or it may be a conscious decision not to have the gps signal powerful enough.

My i9003 was not having any gps locking issue but earlier it worked only outdoors & would lock in 15-20 sec with 10mt-50mt accuracy.

I took kitchen foil & folded it few times to make 1cm area of antenna cover with it...................................cant believe the gps NOW works indoors & locks in 10-15 sec with 7-8 satellites in view. I tested indoors with 1 floor above & 2 floor above. In a multi story building it locks perfectly in a drawing room, in small rooms you take it near windows & it locks perfectly............................amazing.

Outdoors it locks instantly within 2-3 sec under clear sky with constant 5mt accuracy to 11-12 satellites.

So I took the gps on a 800kms drive & after extensively using it now I am confident that I can fully depend on it, one downside is that gps using sucks battery fast so gps constant use need a car charger which now I need to buy.

Samsung route 66 shows navigation perfectly with 5mt inaccuracy, on the way I could locate restaurants, petrol pumps etc well in advance in a new cities which otherwise I didn't have any clue about.

Here are few screenshot I took at various location as proof, now I constantly get 30-40SNR in gps test with constant 5mt accuracy.

This post has images showing how pressing that area with tape helps the gps signal wire underneath.
http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=13190989&postcount=4
 

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Last edited:

JJEgan

Senior Member
Oct 24, 2010
30,509
5,923
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
yep boii, the GPS antenna

Wrong its not an antenna under the stick tape if you look .

You need to go further down for the antenna .

If the block of plastic on top of the antenna was easy to remove/replace it would be easier to just tighten up the GPS connecter .

http://www.careace.net/2010/06/09/disassembly-of-the-samsung-galaxy-s/



It also looks like the position of the point you are pressing is not the GPS connector ,as the pictures point to bottom of the sim holder for connection .


http://www.careace.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/galaxy-s-disassembly-11.jpg


jje
 
Last edited:

sxi200

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2010
1,510
449
Melbourne
The OP can sell this amazing technological fix to Samsung.

I like that :) I probably should. Just hope they know about it now.

I think the problem happens over time. With general use and heat that black bit covering that area must give a little therefore parts lose contact. A tiny push back in is all it needs.

Hope the S2 has a better design.

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Phandroid

Senior Member
Aug 24, 2010
160
8
OMG! What did just happen? This ****'s working like a blast!

Thank you very much for this!

PS:

I got 10 sats and 10 fixes after about 2 seconds. This is the best result I've EVER had on the SGS.
 
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The Undertakerr

Senior Member
Apr 23, 2011
319
175
Thanks! By putting some pressure on the top of the antenna, my GPS signal does improve. Just wondering if I myselve are not a human extension of the antenna now. Will test this a little more, but this may be an easy solution for my GPS problem!:)
 
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Lukeenho

Senior Member
Aug 25, 2010
54
4
Could someone post any relevant track record? Like of some sport activity - running, cycling, or driving, whatever. I want to see some MyTracks track or such, for see the real accuracy improvement....if there´s any
Thanks
 

Intratech

Senior Member
Jun 15, 2009
5,338
4,693
London
Hmmm Trying selling a "fix" that someone saw from somebody else that was already in use by another somebody and so on can be tricky ;)

Specially when Samsung already is delivering sgs,s with"well pressed" antenna stickers (seems to be)

« »

It was a joke coming from the iPhone's condom fix for it's antenna issues amigo. :p
 
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sxi200

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2010
1,510
449
Melbourne
:)))))))))))

I've already lodged a patent for this fix. May have to split the profits with the other founders.

Or I could take out the credit from the OP and claim it was all my idea - lol.

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Last edited:

thaikinh

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2007
73
5
Hanoi
koreandroids.blogspot.com
I bought my Galaxy S 1 month ago and I was very disappointed with the GPS performance in comparison to my old HTC HD1. Even outside, I had to give up after 10 mins trying without any sat fixed. After applying this fix, it works like a charm, got 4-5 sats fixed within 10-20s even in an area surrounded by high buildings
Thank you, a lot!
 
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thaikinh

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2007
73
5
Hanoi
koreandroids.blogspot.com
yep boii, the GPS antenna

Wrong its not an antenna under the stick tape if you look .

You need to go further down for the antenna .

If the block of plastic on top of the antenna was easy to remove/replace it would be easier to just tighten up the GPS connecter .

http://www.careace.net/2010/06/09/disassembly-of-the-samsung-galaxy-s/



It also looks like the position of the point you are pressing is not the GPS connector ,as the pictures point to bottom of the sim holder for connection .


http://www.careace.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/galaxy-s-disassembly-11.jpg


jje

From the link you give, you are wrong, the GPS antenna IS under the sticky tape

galaxy-s-disassembly-8.jpg


The left in the fuselage GPS antenna, extending to the back shell from the back

(the frame is face-up)
 
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JJEgan

Senior Member
Oct 24, 2010
30,509
5,923
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
From the link you give, you are wrong, the GPS antenna IS under the sticky tape

Nope under the sticky tape is a plastic panel on mine anyway peel yours off .
But looking again at the frame it looks like sticky tape then part of the frame the bits with the white spots and underneath the frame is the antenna but only at the bottom end .



But even disregarding that the picture shows the GPS connection is nowhere near the supposed sweet spot .Probability is that this sweet spot press on the circuit board .It definitely misses the antenna by about an inch .

jje
 

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  • 42
    EDIT: 30/1/2012.

    Just a follow up on this fix. Well, got sick of constantly having to replace the tape under the battery cover. Over time it flattens, so since I now use the S2 as my daily phone I decided to open it up.

    First I found the GPS connection on the motherboard. It connects to / touches a small metal piece on the inside of the rear housing. It's like a U shaped connector so I decided to lift it up with my fingernail.

    For a little while it worked great but the problem returned. So I decided to open it up again and lift the connector even higher. Unfortunately I broke it leaving only a flat bottom metal piece on the motherboard side. There was now no way for the 2 pieces to touch so I screwed it completely.

    So I then decided to solder a small bit on the rear housing side. I did that and put it back together. Ever since then the GPS has truely been 100% fixed. It hasn't missed a beat over the last 3 or so months of trying.

    END EDIT.

    NOTE: This is a hardware fix for those whose GPS is completely busted (NO sat views & lock). It is NOT a fix to improve tracking or lock or make an already working GPS better.


    After flashing every modem, fw and kernal version I had completely given up on my galaxy s GPS. It had to be a hardware fault.

    Back when I first got it, it was OK but a few months later became useless. This fix is hardware related and takes only minutes to diagnose and fix.

    It's also probably more useful for pre-October models (i9000 international) which had this fault.

    I do not take credit for finding out the fix. Credit for that goes to member 'allottios' (who heard about it from 'cbdrift') for bringing it to my attention on another forum topic.

    The fix is simple. Remove the back cover and to the right of the speaker is the GPS antenna. It is covered by what looks like some sort of soft plastic tape.

    Now open a GPS test app and then apply light pressure to the very top of the antenna with your finger. NOT the middle or bottom - that makes it worse.

    If, like me your GPS shows instant improvement then you have just worked out your problem.

    Simply attach a small piece of double sided tape or similar to the top of the antenna so that when you put the back cover on again their is pressure on that spot.

    Hope you get the same results I did.

    Edit: PICS ADDED: 1ST PIC - AT THE TOP RIGHT CORNER, YOU CAN SEE A WHITE STRIP WHICH IS THE DOUBLE-SIDED TAPE I ATTACHED TO THE TOP OF THE GPS ANTENNA. I DID NOT PEEL THE TOP LAYER FROM THE TAPE SO IT WOULDN'T STICK TO THE BACK COVER.

    IMG_0268.jpg, IMG_0270.jpg

    Edit (03/05) - If this fix doesn't help, you may also want to try out another fix posted by 'stockie78' (post 209).

    There is also a link below for more detail, including pics for this fix.

    It is not as simple as the above fix and it involves removing the housing. I have not tried / tested this myself and am not responsible if you break your phone.

    "stockie78

    Unfortunately the g-spot trick did not work for me, so I decided to look a little closer and removed the plastic housing.
    Another guy installed on the metal thingys there a cable and I did some test, too. Again no improvement with different cables and lengths.
    But while fiddling around with the metal connector I thought maybe lifting it could help and indeed this was the trick for me. Improved my gps dramatically!
    So instead of something pushing the antenna tighter, the metal connector now pushes harder and improves the signal quality.
    Maybe a solution for some of you too..."

    Link: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=878970

    Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
    7
    Hard to believe that Samsung is so dumb that they could not have done this fix at factory level or it may be a conscious decision not to have the gps signal powerful enough.

    My i9003 was not having any gps locking issue but earlier it worked only outdoors & would lock in 15-20 sec with 10mt-50mt accuracy.

    I took kitchen foil & folded it few times to make 1cm area of antenna cover with it...................................cant believe the gps NOW works indoors & locks in 10-15 sec with 7-8 satellites in view. I tested indoors with 1 floor above & 2 floor above. In a multi story building it locks perfectly in a drawing room, in small rooms you take it near windows & it locks perfectly............................amazing.

    Outdoors it locks instantly within 2-3 sec under clear sky with constant 5mt accuracy to 11-12 satellites.

    So I took the gps on a 800kms drive & after extensively using it now I am confident that I can fully depend on it, one downside is that gps using sucks battery fast so gps constant use need a car charger which now I need to buy.

    Samsung route 66 shows navigation perfectly with 5mt inaccuracy, on the way I could locate restaurants, petrol pumps etc well in advance in a new cities which otherwise I didn't have any clue about.

    Here are few screenshot I took at various location as proof, now I constantly get 30-40SNR in gps test with constant 5mt accuracy.

    This post has images showing how pressing that area with tape helps the gps signal wire underneath.
    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=13190989&postcount=4
    3
    Samsung should buy you more than one beer!

    How much money did they spent to fix that issue?

    Thanks man!
    3
    I am glad it helps sxi200! Thanks for the credit. I got the idea by reading this post by cbdrift so a lot of credit should go to him too!

    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=9426709&postcount=120
    3
    Hi,

    Unfortunately the g-spot trick did not work for me, so I decided to look a little closer and removed the plastic housing.
    Another guy installed on the metal thingys there a cable and I did some test, too. Again no improvement with different cables and lengths.
    But while fiddling around with the metal connector I thought maybe lifting it could help and indeed this was the trick for me. Improved my gps dramatically!
    So instead of something pushing the antenna tighter, the metal connector now pushes harder and improves the signal quality.
    Maybe a solution for some of you too...

    Br stocki

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