yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
Ok. I have an update! I just did a factory reset for the hell of it. After reinstalling all my apps, I fired up gps info and crossed my fingers.

Within 10 seconds, I had 10 birds in view, and 9 locked a few seconds after!! All this from INSIDE MY HOUSE. Awesome!

So in the end, the antenna fix worked, I just had other issues that a factory reset cured.

Sweet. My Quadrant score went up to 1028 from 900 after the reset too.
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
All is good now! Thanks for the info guys! :D
[Vibrant General] dgsmith90:
Thanks to the OP for informing us all of this fix. It doubled my SNR with pretty much all the satellites and now I'm getting a decent GPS lock for once.
[Vibrant General] cmd512:
Just did this fix on my unbranded SGS as the contact points are inside the inner shell just like the Vibrant.

I did add one additional step that I think will help the "retract to original position" concerns: I basically took a tiny sliver of paper (non-conductive), folded it up several times, and using a tweezer, I inserted into the last bend of the sprung contact. If you carefully pack it in, it will stay in place and also force the spring upward.

I think with this additional "cushion," it will keep contact sprung upwards, ensuring firm contact with the antenna pad.

Thanks again for this awesome DYI tip!
[Vibrant General] dattaway:
I found out my contact spring was amazingly easy to break. The corner where it flexes was quite brittle and shot across the room like a spring. Not much bending was required. To add insult to the injury, I tried scraping what was left of the old connector without a soldering iron. I would discover that the pads on this circuit board aren't as sturdy as others. Now I'm going to spend time with a microscope, soldering iron, and epoxy to surgically re-attach a wire and perhaps solder the antenna directly.
[Vibrant General] jhuynh:
I see you fixed your issue but just an FYI iPod Touch doesn't have a built in GPS....
[Vibrant General] heygrl:
Just an FYI, even though you're not getting a lock even though you're listening to the sats with good SNR, doesn't mean the GPS is not working properly. I get the same behavior with my Motorola DEFY, usually only in the GPS Test app.
[Vibrant General] samnada:
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.application.com-android-gpstest-qjx.aspx

For some reason it seems to get faster locks and lock on to more sats than the other GPS Test we see screen shots of. Once I have a lock using the Lockwood app the other one locks right away. No idea why there's a difference.
[Vibrant General] larryvand:
>>>22-35 SNR

Which is better for an improvement after the mod?? A smaller number for SNR or a larger number for SNR.

Meaning... if the mod really worked and improved the GPS should I be seeing a larger SNR number or a smaller SNR number? My understanding is that I want as large a number as possible. Like 40+ on all the birds. But what is truly the realistic number that people are getting with good GPS coverage?

Thanks
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
Doh. You're right. Fail. It just fakes the location using wifi signals. Go Apple lol.
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
Thanks for the link. You're right, it does lock faster than the other test app.
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
There's that software/firmware component. Sometimes GPS Test sees 12 satellites, many with 30+ SNR, yet it cant lock into any of them. Google maps is downright pathetic for it, you gotta lock into them with other software and then open Maps. Now that we have the hardware fixed I hope the software can catch up.
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
Yea, I definitely noticed that with Google Maps. It doesn't matter how many birds you have locked, your location jumps around constantly when you aren't actually moving.
[Vibrant General] ZX3ZX4:
I've had fairly good GPS since the JI6 OTA update, so I haven't yet modded the phone. You always want the SNR [signal to noise ratio] to be as high as possible. I usually get mid-30's to low 40's SNR on majority of birds, but even so I still get occasional wandering when navigating. I've never heard of anyone getting above 50 SNR on any phone. Sometimes, on a bad weather day, my SNR numbers may be in the mid-20's. Here is a short video of what it looks like on a good day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms5zqvXEtlE
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
Damn, you seemed to be blessed with an exceptional GPS, a great reception area, or both. What ROM is it?
[Vibrant General] KWKSLVR:
In my case, I didn't see an SNR improvement after making the adjustment to the GPS Contact. I did see an improvement in number of locks and accuracy. Now, I did see a significant improvement in SNR when I went to the JK6 modem (which is a 2.2 Modem so don't go flashing it if you're on 2.1).
[Vibrant General] rmeden:
bezel separate from glass, won't go back together!

I removed the circular bezel to apply the fix w/o too much trouble.

The problem is it is not attaching back to the glass firmly on one side. Maybe I should have only pried the "back" part of the bezel!

Any idea how to fix it? I see some holes that the glass it is supposed to fit in, but can't figure out how to get them in there.

I've found one YouTube videos on how to remove the glass, but nothing on how to assemble it!

It's not the end of the world, the phone works fine, (GPS wasn't that bad before, and now about the same) but it looks like it was opened and not completely closed.

Robert
[Vibrant General] ZX3ZX4:
I just have a stock Vibrant. I have tried my GPS in other U.S. geographic locations and it's about the same. I'm thinking of rooting, but want to make sure I understand all the steps so I don't screw up and have to post one of those I-think I-bricked-my-phone messages!
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
I had my bezel unclip on one side when I was prying the midplate off too. You have to bend the bezel slightly to get the hooks to drop into the holes, then it sits flush with the display. You also have to make sure that the mainboard is clipped down to the bezel properly, it lifts up sometimes too.
[Vibrant General] rmeden:
----/

Do you mean tilt it lengthwise so the bezel ("/") makes this angle against the glass "-". How much of an angle is needed? as much as a slash? (45 degrees)

You could also mean a "twisting" motion of the bezel.

Robert
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
I mean twisting slightly length wise. Like you are wringing out a towel. That kind of twisting. Just enough to get the hooks to fit into the little slots.

It's hard to describe and I don't remember exactly what I did as it was a while ago. Sorry.
[Vibrant General] rmeden:
I just tried again. I don't think it's going to work. :( Maybe I broke some clips when removing it? I'll keep an eye out for a display installation video.. that should provide some clues.
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
Is it sticking out, as in there is a gap between the bezel and the glass now? I think there are two sets of hooks or something like that. I found it was a pain to get mine clipped back in when it popped out. I had to twist the frame more than I was comfortable with before it popped back into place.

If i remember correctly, there are hooks on the front side (screen side) and clips on the back side (mainboard side). The hooks on the SCREEN side have to go into place first, then the rear clips snap in place. The problem is that the back clips make it harder for you to get the FRONT hooks in because they prevent you from moving the frame enough to get the front side hooks in (which is why you have to twist the frame).
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
The GPSTest developed by Mike Lockwood is a true godsend, and clear indicator that there is a big software problem. With this app running in the background the GPS is near perfect.

Basically open the app, select start, lock into satellites, and go back home. If you didnt stop it, it will keep polling the receiver (you will see the satellite icon on the status bar). Now open any other app that uses GPS, and BAM, good accuracy with many locks. The GPS is now as good or better than any other smartphone.

If only the firmware was good enough to play this well without having to open an app every time I intend to use the GPS... hopefully in the future.
[Vibrant General] dave1977nj:
on the captivate it connects to the back plate rather then the plastic piece when you take it apart. there is only a connector for the regular anntenna that's makes contact.
[Vibrant General] VICosPhi:
Thanks a LOT for this guide and step by step instructions. After bending the GPS contact, my vibrant has 60 feet of accuracy indoors as opposed to 132 feet accuracy before. I'll update the post once I drive somewhere to see how it performs outdoors...all I hope is it won't jump at traffic lights....
[Vibrant General] kmfisher:
I'm going to back in and add a piece of plastic/paper under the clip to prevent it from bending back down. It seems that it is slowly getting worse right now. I got 14' accuracy that first day on a cloudy day, now I can only get 23' accuracy on a sunny day and it is taking longer to pick up satellites. It may not get worse from here, but I want to guarantee a great connection.

My question, is what is the other connector for on the opposite side of the circuit board? If I bent that up some, what connection would that improve?

My compass is still messed up, the compass app always says "Abnormal magnetic field" and spins like a mad man, even with calibration. Plus when it does stop spinning, it's off a good 30 degrees from true north.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
Wi-Fi

Cellular is the bottom (Via the U.FL coaxial cable next to the GPS)
[Vibrant General] samnada:
I'm thinking inserting risers under all the contacts like the GPS one wouldn't be a bad idea. As I recall there's one right across from the GPS contact, and two more at the bottom of the phone. Seems like they could all have the same lack of good connection problem. I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts.
[Vibrant General] daddysays:
Crap I broke it, lol

Wonder if Samsung will notice when I send it back?

Edit: Oh yeah I'm suing the OP
[Vibrant General] cmd512:
That's what I did, worked well. I find that bending it up is both risky and probably won't do you much good in the long run. Plus, you risk the change of breaking it. Taking the time to carefully pack in some folded up paper was a much easier and safer solution for me.
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
Go for the solder fix!
[Vibrant General] trunkstar1:
I admit I haven't read this entire thread yet, but I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. I simply ran the "GPS Restore" app in the market and it appears to have fixed or at least DRAMATICALLY improved my GPS...
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
There is both a hardware component and a software component to the GPS problem, or it would be more correct to say that there is a way for software to effect the bad design of the hardware. The hardware fix definitely helps, but it does not fully correct the bad design. This is why different people that have done the fix still have varying degrees of success with different modems. That said, the default settings is most likely the best bet for the majority of people, and the app simply returns those to default.

If using the GPS Restore app made your GPS perform acceptably then doing this fix will likely do little to nothing for you. If on the other hand the GPS is still far from acceptable you should see a good measure of improvement.

This thread contains a great deal of good information from people reporting their own success and providing tips & assistance, to detailed technical explanations of exactly what the problem is and how this fix deals with it. We even go in depth into what would likely be a true fix by changing the connections entirely to coax connections that are rated up to 6Ghz. So if you wish to know more than I stated here I suggest you fully read the thread.
[Vibrant General] trunkstar1:
Awesome, thanks for the explanation and the all the info.
[Vibrant General] ferhanmm:
Just did the fix. at 5 am lol. anyways worked Great. Was never able to get a lock indoors till now. saw 11 connected to 5 after about 20 secs.

I recommend everyone to do this. Even if your phones gps works. Extremely easy to do and takes about 5 mins. Didn't use a credit card though, I used a thinner material plastic to wedge between the metal. Thanks!

Manufactured date: 10.09

Improvement: huge.
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
5am? Wow. I hope you had a coffee first lol.

Glad it made a difference. I have the same build date and it made a big difference for mine too.
[Vibrant General] oka1:
The Roiginal post Did not mention...

There are 2 of these contacts not one. Not sure if it really matters, but since there are 2, I bent both up then tested see 10-12 sats and lock in less than 30 secs 5-8 sats

It definitely helps but my Point was there are 2 CONTACTS the other one is on the other side in the same plane (location).

The problem with the factory reset fi it seems to only work for a short while:confused:
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
There is one contact, if you are seeing two then you are in the wrong place.
[Vibrant General] rmeden:
Yes it's sticking out about 1 mm. It's barely noticeable.

My mistake may have been to use a (dull) utility knife to loosen the bezel. I tried a CC but it and all my screwdrivers were too think. I had the blade descending to the "bottom" of the bezel (screen side, face down). Now I understand the clips are at the top not along the sides so that's how I may have damaged the clips on the screen size of the bezel. If my analysis is correct, maybe people should be warned to only pry the half of the bezel you want to work with rather than the whole side.

I tried a pretty severe twist and couldn't pop it in. I'll live with it until I see a video on screen replacement as that will require a similar step.

Maybe I'll win a new phone at CES :)

Robert
[Vibrant General] nonamejay:
Gps fix-works

People should use the google supl to use as a triangulation server as it allows instant lock. the one that comes with the phone is garbage this also works on the N8 etc other phones with gps lock problems.

1.Disable “Use Wireless Networks” – Settings / Location & Security

2.Dial *#*#1472365#*#*

3.Under “Application settings” Change “Operation Mode” to MS Based

4.Under “SUPL/CP Settings” Change the SERVER & PORT to "supl DOT g**gle DOT c0m" and port 7276 [ Do not use www in front of supl]

5.REBOOT

6.Turn back on the “User Wireless Networks”
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
There are several good disassembly and reassembly videos on YouTube, try some searching to see if you find what you need. Most of the videos (and hence what to search for) are actually the i9000, but they are identical for tear down and rebuild.
[Vibrant General] cmd512:
The contact on the other side is WIFI/Bluetooth. The two at the bottom are your cellular pads.

Doesn't hurt to put some rolled up paper on each to ensure sound contact. :)
[Vibrant General] ferhanmm:
Some will have to dial this instead: *#3214789650#
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
And this advice is exactly why some people have had so many problems with their GPS, and why Samsung released the reset tool.
[Vibrant General] cmd512:
+1, there is so much recommendations floating around based on pure speculation and/or anecdotal evidence...
[Vibrant General] rmeden:
I've looked at many of them. I can't find any that removes the bezel or the glass. They remove the circuit boards but don't take out the glass assembly.

I found one with a subject of "screen replacement", but it only covers *disassembly* not the assembly part (which supposedly you get if you buy the new screen from them)

Robert
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
LOL, Nice!

I would try to find one for you, but I have about 6 months of Enterprise Network Design and Project Management curriculum to get completed in the next 26 days. So I am kind of tied up at the moment.
[Vibrant General] Calles:
Thanks this greatly improved my signal!! Got a lock on 5/8 sattelites instead of 0/1 from mycket window now :). Be careful though I got a little to enthusiastic watching the dissassembly video and took apart the hole phone instead of just removing the back piece. No harm done, but remember that the video is not for this fix in specific...
[Vibrant General] xpgroup:
After the fix, I can now view 11 birds just couldn't lock.... any idea what went wrong?
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
Looking the background in the picture would suggest that you clear all GPS data using the method in the OP again, and then MOVE OUTSIDE. GPS signals are very high frequency and low power. High frequency means they do not penetrate objects well and low power is self explanatory. It was never designed for in building use, and looking at your signal levels you seem just south of getting a lock on most of your sats. Finally, be patient on your first lock. I might take 10-15 minutes on your first cold start after a clear.
[Vibrant General] samnada:
I've seen similar issues with that version of GPS Test. Try this:

- Get the version of GPS Test written by Mike Lockwood.

- Leave GPS off and run the app. Click the Menu button and select "Clear Aiding Data"

- Turn on GPS. Click on Menu and select "Start".

Once Lockwood's GPS Test gets a good lock run your original GPS Test and I bet it will lock within seconds.
[Vibrant General] trevreds:
After a week long vacation then several days with the Hardware fix, I can say that my GPS is now perfect. I also used to get a lot of 're-routing' ...even while driving. At my home the arrow would have a large blue circle around it, as my GPS was not sure exactly where it was within the circle. After three days of use to and from work averaging 40 miles a day of highway and side streets I did not get even one 're-route'. Rock solid lock while driving and good lock in my home with no blue circle around the arrow.

One small thing...after a reboot the GPS went to hell and would not get a lock. I nearly **** a brick! I tried the GPS restore which did nothing to improve it. Then I did *#*#3214789650#*#* and deleted the GPS Data. That did it ...my GPS is once again working great.

I bought myself a dashboard mount for my Vibrant, because I now use it as my GPS. (The way it should have been from the start).

I am running Nero.v3 with voodoo 5.0.4.
[Vibrant General] VICosPhi:
After bending the gps contact I've been getting outdoor(car) accuracy of 25 feet with 6 to 9 sat locks. Should I bend it more since many are getting 15 feet accuracy after the mod?
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
Is it a big improvement from before? You might be getting as good as you can get, and by bending it more you run the risk of breaking it.
[Vibrant General] VICosPhi:
Thanks for the response. Its not a big improvement(maybe I didnt bend it enough), I used to get 25 to 30 ft. accuracy in car and now I get 24 feet.
[Vibrant General] dustbuster:
This did improve my SNRs from the low 30's to the high 30's, and decreased the time to first fix (TTFF) from about 6 minutes to 75 seconds. Still, there was a software problem... switching from to Axura 2.2.5.8, I finally get ~10 second TTFFs. Looking at LBSTestMode/GPS Test, it seems like the difference is that I can actually get AGPS ephemeris data quickly now - the PNRs and locations of the visible satellites show up in a couple seconds, whereas they did not before on any of the ROMs I've tried (stock JI6, Nero 3, Macnut R14).
[Vibrant General] trevreds:
I would recommend you put a piece of plastic under the contact rather than risk bending it more. Also the plastic will keep it up and not allow it to return to its old position. Read a few of the earlier posts to see what worked for some of us.
[Vibrant General] :
this happened when I dropped my phone one day after only bending it a little bit. I don't recommend this. Guess I'll try soldering it now as I have no other choice.
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
Yes, its stupid fragile. Very bad quality. Don't fret about the soldering, it's easy and very effective, and then you can rest assured you have a permanent solution.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
I would suggest, however, that you first de-solder the base of the broken tab and build your solder joint directly on top of the pad on the board, not on the old contact.
[Vibrant General] coasterman927:
So, I'm stupid. I did this while sitting in a car after I bought the right screwdriver, and I lost my power button. Looked around for an hour, no dice. Will I have any luck if I call T-Mobile and tell them it just fell out? Will they be able to tell whether or not I opened it up? Because these reps are scaring me, telling me that if they happen to find that the phone is out of warranty, they'll charge me full price for a replacement. Which I do not want.
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
Are you serious? And I thought I was impatient, you couldn't even wait to get off your car.

I don't know that they even have spare buttons and stuff like that... you might have better luck with Samsung. I would keep looking for that thing in your car.
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
I was thinking about re-doing it this way. Its working fine now, but I'm a perfectionist.
[Vibrant General] coasterman927:
Yeah I'm pretty bad. I tried calling Samsung as well, they told me the same deal, but even worse is that I'd be without a phone for 6 business days while they "evaluate it." I will keep looking for it though, I mean it can't have gone far. It's either under the seat or in the center console. But it's so damn small!
[Vibrant General] xpgroup:
Thanks for the advice, it's officially fixed & the GPS finally works !!
[Vibrant General] :
I removed the contact. Do I just apply solder to were it was and make a little mound or do I need to add something (a wire, new copper contact etc)?
[Vibrant General] mugenfiji0327:
OMG!! I did this, deleted gps data and rebooted and the I loaded up maps and it found my location in less than 30 seconds. I then did lbs location test and locked on to 7 satellites out of 11 in less than a minute. I will test in a little while and see how long it takes to lock but this looks to be a promising fix. My settings are :

supl.google.com

Port # 7276

MS Based

Cold Start
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
The solder alone is fine, no need to add anything.
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
Yep. That worked for me too. I now get a lock in 25 seconds with 10m accuracy. :)
[Vibrant General] inconceeeivable:
Yeah...so...this is embarrassing, but I broke my Vibrant doing this. Anyone have a suggestion as to what I should do next? I basically bent the contact too far and it snapped off. Is there any chance I can pay Samsung to fix it? I don't have much experience soldering, so I really wouldn't feel comfortable replacing the contact myself (I'd always worry about fire or something lol).

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.:confused:

And yes, I'm an idiot. Just wanted to get that out of the way ahead of time.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
Your not an idiot, just unlucky. Your also not S.O.L. Read a little deeper into the thread and you will find your answer. I know Mannymal and myself discussed how to get the best results. Others did the solder method as well. Everything you need to know including photos and detailed tips are in the thread.
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
Yep, you don't need any experience at soldering. Just watch the tutorials and follow instructions. It's a rookie job and you'll be set for good, probably better than with the bent tab that can bend back or break after a fall.
[Vibrant General] salvador3:
Just installed Axura and this is the ROM that made my GPS work finally!

I get locks within seconds.

I tested the hardware fix with Macnut, Ginger Clone, and Nero and none of them get GPS locks as fast as Axura.

This should probably be stickied too.
[Vibrant General] inconceeeivable:
Sorry I was so quick to dismiss this option before reading more. I'll take a closer look at the tutorials.

Thanks for the info. :)