yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Vibrant General] gilroy_lh:
My phone was manufactured on July 2010, but the GPS is working fine. Just takes some time to lock sometimes. Not sure if I should try this.
[Vibrant General] cliffordconradsumner:
Thank you sir, I will search for your name specifically :)

Edit: WOW, you have a lot of posts in this thread. I don't suppose you have a keyword I could search for do you? If not I understand...and I promise I'm not lazy, just very busy :)
[Vibrant General] skier354:
Worked great!

Initially I tried bending the copper contact up but it broke because it is pretty flimsy. Then I did the solder method after the contact broke off and the GPS works great now! I do have to say it didn't work very well on Slim Bean rom but on HellyBean 4.2 it works wonderfully. I can get signal indoors and it locks within about 15 seconds.
[Vibrant General] siddesu:
Excellent guide, worked well for sc-02b, the japanese version of sgs from docomo. tried it on two phones. worked flawlessy on the second phone, gps fix now acquired in seconds and inside of some buildings.

managed to break the contact on the first one. uncovered a bit of the two tracks it was connected to, soldered a piece of wire to them and to the antenna, and it worked just as well.

fwiw, before i soldered the piece of wire, i tried just lifting the pcb contact and stuffing a little aluminium foil inside to keep it pressed to the antenna. that worked well too, but i like my soldering iron too much...

thanks a bunch, the damned phone should have worked like this when it was new.
[Vibrant General] zhort:
biddlog have

work nice
[Vibrant General] KWKSLVR:
Sorry I didn't see this sooner. I'm glad to see that there are still people out there benefiting from this. Thanks for posting your experience!
[Vibrant General] selmandeli:
With the new 4.3 builds GPS works fine (even after ds), better than on Froyo.
[Vibrant General] embedded123:
I just completed the hardware fix and I notice huge improvement

BUT Waze is struggling to get a lock.

GPS status gets instant lock - 10\10 satellites.

Google Maps locks in 3 seconds.

Waze always losses connection.

I tried to uninstall/install Waze, still no luck.

does anyone know how to solve this issue?

BTW I'm open for new navigation app to check the GPS connection.

10x
[Vibrant General] selmandeli:
Try CoPilot or Syqic. They have free version. I thing iGo MyWay is the best payed navigation app.
[Vibrant General] embedded123:
Thanks i will try one on those.

BTW do you know why Waze can't have a gps lock?

I could not find explanation....

10x
[Vibrant General] selmandeli:
At first you should get GPS test from the play store. If you can get a lock in it, then a problem is on Waze. Make sure that your WiFi is off and only AGPS is working. Personally I have never used Waze.
[Vibrant General] embedded123:
I have GPS test and I'm getting instant lock with it.

Waze is doing me some trouble but I can't understand why...

I'm looking for a free navigation app that includes traffic reports.

got any recommendations?

10x
[Vibrant General] avstdr:
On last 4.3 and 4.4 GPS works without any fixes.

But just one problem - long period between founding satellites and connecting to satellites.

Is someone knows what it depends of?
[Vibrant General] nexzor:
In 4.3 pawitp changed the blubbs to a newer Version. With these it was reported that you see more satelites but geht a slower fix. You can allways Extrakt THW blobbs from an cm10.1 build and injekt them or search for a flashable ZIP. It is floating around in one of the original cm threads
[Vibrant General] salvador3:
I get a lot more sats in view but my phone cannot lock to them indoors. Even the SNR hovers around 20-30 for about 11 sats.

Why is this?

I tried with different roms. Macnut 14, Ginger Clone R2, and now Nero v3 and none of them can lock indoors like my friend's HTC Desire Z.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
[Vibrant General] jadenguy:
As of 3 days ago they said it was a software issue and it was samsung's fault and they couldn't do anything for me warrently-wise. they resent the OTA update, but that's rather moot.
[Vibrant General] xpcomputers:
Can you take it to a Samsung Repair Centre and show them this thread. And demand that THEY open your phone and bend your contacts to save your warranty? (Then Samsung are the ones taking the risk if they mess it up and snap it off.)

They might also be able to solder on stronger contacts for you too!

Must be worth a try....

Anyone live near a Samsung repair centre and think they can sweet talk an engineer round to have a look for you?

Mike
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
It is my understanding that Samsung released the app to directly and officially address the Galaxy S (more specifically the Vibrant and Captivate) issue and that the carrier (T-Mobile) has been instructed to honor the warranty if the app shows that after resetting to stock the GPS fails the apps tests.

Whoever you spoke to is not following the official supply channel fix. I would keep pushing, try for someone different and ask for their supervisor. Unfortunately, when I read that this app was the official call on if it was to be fixed, it was from my news reader application, so I don't remember if I got that from Lifehacker, Engadget, TechCrunch, Android and Me, or one of the may others I follow. I wish I could be of more help. I do distinctly remember though that when covering the pros and cons of the app a con was that is did not really do anything but reset defaults and run a test, where the pro was that if the test failed they were obligated to replace the phone.
[Vibrant General] engineer14:
I hear ya, but just to clarify, are you not under warranty even if you are not a tmobile customer as long as you got it from the tmobile store?
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
Unfortunately in the real world where we live it may be true that you are under warranty, but the store is easier to deal with rather than have to do a claim directly with the manufacturer. If you are not a T-mobile customer AND you did not purchase the phone from their store, then they will not be likely to want to help you.

Dealing with a manufacturer usually entails shipping the device to them, waiting some long period of time for them to determine if it will be covered by the warranty, or if you will be getting a bill after they fix it (they may not inform you until they have fixed it), and then waiting some long period of time for the fix and return. The whole time you are sans-phone and by the time you get it back the Nexus S has become old news because they have released some quad processor device running at 3Ghz having 4Gb of RAM, and a Terabyte of internal storage which is so thin that people have started calling the iPhone 4 Fat instead if Phat.

Just say`n
[Vibrant General] KWKSLVR:
I added more information to the Original Post
[Vibrant General] phntm:
thanks gps working much better

my vibrant was built in mid June, back in august gps seemed to be working fine, got decent amount of locks although signal got lost a lot.

i upgraded to ji6 in aug, seemed to be nice and all, but starting September, the think just stopped working. i would get 9-13 birds having 3 or 4 with lvl 40+ and no lock.

I had very specific spots around the neighborhood where i could get a 40 meter accuracy fix but it would get quickly lost once I left the spots.

i'm on jl5 baseband and i elevated the contact today:

while initial fix was slow and i didn't get any higher levels from the birds, once a fix acquired I saw a big difference in the number of birds locked on to.

I could also travel around the house without loosing signal, and get a quick re-lock near a window.

all and all well worth the opening.

since i assume this problem might come back as the contact moves back down, i pushed a small piece of paper under it (both not to snap it while trying to elevate it and to win more time before it brakes contact again).
[Vibrant General] engineer14:
lol, quadcore phone. my phone has a working gps but it takes almost 3 minutes for a fix, should i attempt this?
[Vibrant General] raegae2000:
After breaking a tab I decided to go out and buy myself a solder.

Dropped a blob of molten medal on the connector and tested it out. I knew it probably wasn't going to work since the blob didn't seem high enough. Opened GPS test and LbsT test mode and kept it open for 10 minutes but it didn't want to connect.

Not wanting to wait the next day to go to a repair shop, I tore open my broken Xperia X1 and grabbed a long gold battery connector. I soldered it on and bang it worked.

It’s still a bit slow to lock, but it locks and that’s all that matters.

Btw this was my first time soldering. My dad talked me through it since he's old and has shaky hands :)

Update: I now get 10 sats in view with 6 tracking in less than a minute (in my house)
[Vibrant General] jadenguy:
Called again, the t-mobile support lines are empty because people are celebrating...

Finally got my warranty repair.

Does anybody think 6 bucks a month for insurance is excessive BTW? they gave me the option, probably gonna skip it and mod the heck out of my phone with new firmware and what not...
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
It's good you had someone you tell you how. It is not hard, but it does require some good understanding of the basic principals and a little practice to do a halfway decent job. As long as all you joints look nice and shiny silver, with no pits or points, and you have a nice ROUND mound than you are doing fine. Be careful of overheating things, and remember that solder will only stick to what is hot - so forget trying to get hot solder to stick to a cold pad.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
I carry it on all of our phones for one reason and one reason only - these big screens are a mighty large target, and breakage is covered by the insurance, but not without it.
[Vibrant General] jamesey10:
I got my Vibrant in late August. The GPS actually worked from the start and I never had an issue with it. I live in Los Angeles.

However, I was in Europe for the last 2 weeks, and I couldn't get a lock once. Anyone know what's up with that? I thought the G in GPS stood for Global.
[Vibrant General] BaoQ:
I think you need to download SGS Tools and use the GPS fix so it'll change to the European satelittes.
[Vibrant General] jonwilly:
This was my Christmas gift to myself. Great post and GPS locks much much faster. Locking in on 5 to 8 birds. Still need to do some additional testing.
[Vibrant General] asdf916:
i bent my contact nice and high (quite a bit higher than OP's pic), but my vibrant's still taking a LONG time to lock in....although that's better than nothing (was never able to use the gps before the fix).

can anybody tell me why i cant get into lbstestmode? after i type in the final * of the code in the dialer, the code disappears and nothing pops up.
[Vibrant General] KWKSLVR:
It changed with the OTA update. Download the SGSTools app mentioned in the original post and just click on lbstestmode from there. It will take you right into it!
[Vibrant General] regP:
Broke the contact also. Not surprised since its paper thin. Ill be taking my SGS to a repair shop tomorrow. For this who soldered a drop on themselves to make contact with the antenna, Where exactly did you make the drop? Did you cover the entire length of the contract area on the mainboard?
[Vibrant General] ZX3ZX4:
asdf916-

The code that works for me after the JI6 update is: *#3214789650#
[Vibrant General] jonwilly:
After further testing I have to say I now have a very functional GPS. Locks are much quicker and easier to get. Google maps on the ride back home this Sunday was accurate. Very thankful for this post.
[Vibrant General] jamesyl:
If you are going internationally, I suggest the following steps:

1) Unless you have a roaming data plan or are getting a SIM card with a data plan, change SUPL from MS Based (assisted GPS) to Standalone.

2) Clear GPS data. This will delete the US satellites from cache.

3) Reboot your phone

4) (For some ROMs, check with your ROM dev) Make sure WiFi is off

I wasn't able to get a lock in Asia until I had completed these steps after using my GPS just fine in the US for months.
[Vibrant General] Thelgow:
I got my Vibrant 2nd hand off a coworker and loving it. however I only ever got the sats to lock one once, with gps restore standing in the middle of an elevated bridge over a busy downtown manhattan street with good clean view of sky. nothing else. It sees 11, but doesnt bother connecting.

As for antenna, you think I can use a wire for a laptop wifi antenna and just solder that onto the clip?

I do soldering on arcade sticks and xboxes so something like a lil wire is no prob for me.
[Vibrant General] pjbbigbear44:
ok

sorry to hear that
[Vibrant General] regP:
Any luck yet?

I too not wanting to wait for the phone shop to open went to the hardware store and purchased a solder iron and some rosin core solder. I didnt end up completing the job because during my dozens from test drops I couldnt get the drop small enough.. Im sure I need a smaller pencil tip. If only there were some reference shots from those who have done it already. I plan to go back to the hardware store and buy a smaller tip today and retry.

I also thought about taking some contacts off my old blackberries and using those but the working area is just too small to get those suckers in there and solder them on. Did you guys remote the rear speaker before making the drop?
[Vibrant General] Ilmoran:
No, I haven't heard back from him yet, nor have I found anything that I think would work well as a replacement contact. I might try the solder drop tonight or tomorrow.

Just off the top of my head, if your solder drop is too big, you might try placing the drop and then using some solder wick or a desoldering bulb to remove some of it (I'd try the solder wick; I hate the bulbs).

I also tried a "contact enhancer" or some such. It helped a little, but not enough to be satisfactory.

If I do try the solder blob, I'll try to take pictures.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
Nothing here either. I am not sure we are going to get a response.

I have been thinking about this a lot, and what it takes to make a good contact to properly transfer the signal at these high frequencies. I just don't see how with the skin effect you can get proper signal transfer across the pad to spring junction. I am a bit amazed that it works at all. Contrastingly, a good solid round contact between the two from an appropriately sized solder mound, nice and round with no peak, should transfer the radio frequency energy fairly well.

I hypothesize that a well done solder drop of the correct height might actually be a much better connection than the spring contact could every be. Better yet, if the drop was a little tall, and you then used an emery board to carefully create a flat spot on the top to make and maintain good contact without over stressing the board on top of it by being too tall, it would make a excellent connection.

The best connection of course would be a set of MHF4 series connectors one male and one female bridging the two boards. They would even snap together. The undeniable issue here is just how critical the alignment issue would be. I think you would actually have to assemble the two boards with one side not soldered and tack it into place, then separate them and finish the solder connection to even get it to work. This is what Samsung should have done to begin with, not this half-ass ****. Hell if you look the cell antenna actually has coax running to the bottom board and then a spring connector. WTF?? Why did they not just have the coax plug directly into the antennas instead?
[Vibrant General] Ilmoran:
From the post in the other thread, I think he soldered something more solid than a different spring connector.

I was looking at something like the MHF4's while I was at radioshack, but had the same conclusion that alignment would be a b!tch, and not something I was willing to try yet.

I don't think I'll be trying to file down the solder blob though.

Do the connectors you linked have to snap together, or do they slide together with a snug fit? Also, do you know if the height is correct to fit in the Vibrant?
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
I am fortunate enough to have working GPS out of the box, and have just been lending my voice to the various threads to assist by sharing my body of RF experience. I have worked in everything from RADAR to setting up Wireless ISPs.

That said, I have not opened up my phone, so I don't know the distance between the boards. The datasheet shows the mated condition on the second page and it says the distance needs to be a maximum of 1.2 mm for both two boards or a board and a coax. I do believe they snap together, so I imagine the minimum distance probably can't be less than 1 mm. MHF2 and MHF respectivly would each be a little thicker if need be.

http://www.wellshow.com/rf-connectors/mini-connector/ipex-mhf4-connector/

As I mentioned before in another thread - there is also U.FL

http://www.wellshow.com/rf-connectors/mini-connector/hirose-u-fl-connector/
[Vibrant General] Ilmoran:
Alright, well, if I'm feeling adventurous, I *might* consider trying to do the connectors. Do you happen to know where I could order a small number of those? Was trying to look for them, but I couldn't find anything that look liked non-bulk ordering.

Unless I can get a sample pack of them from somewhere XD
[Vibrant General] regP:
You guys are going over my head now lol.. But speaking of of spring. The issue I see is the whole area between the existing connector and the antenna is so it seems impossible to do anything without removing the antenna from the midplate. What if one were to solder a tiny copper such as the one below to the mainboard of the phone and on the other side of it solder a thin piece of copper to the top to make the connection to the antenna?

In theory, the spring would be able to compress so it would fit easily between the midplate and the rest of the phone. Also the spring would keep the connection solid without putting too much stress on the mainboard. The flat piece of copper on the top (similar to the one that was originally there) would be making contract with the entire square lead on the midplate antenna.

(I know this one isnt copper)

I prolly dont have the skill to solider pieces that small but it seems like it would make for a strong connection between the mainboard and the antenna. Feel free to call me stupid though because as I said the technical level of this thread is starting to ge above my head. :rolleyes:

Found these on Amazon but I doubt they are small enough.
[Vibrant General] graham_h:
Thanks 110% for this post.

I fixed my wifes phone easily.

It was so bad it wouldn't lock onto any sats.

upon removing the cover the antenna "tab" was as flat as a pancake.

A slight twist of the screwdriver bent it up 2mm

Now its working better than my Galaxy !!

9 sats in a matter of seconds :D:eek:

One point to note......... if you don't have finger nails like the dude in the video......... grow some !!!

Seriously it'd be impossible to get the case off without (unless there is some super thin tool you can buy)
[Vibrant General] johnny12times:
This worked like a charm! For the first time, I have an actual useable GPS on my Vibrant. :) Thank you to everyone who put effort into this, I couldn't be happier. Having done the FFC mod already, I found this to be an extremely easy to do mod. Very happy with the results.
[Vibrant General] johnny12times:
I personally HIGHLY recommend any kind of credit card or credit card like device. That's what I've been using since the first time I pulled my back cover off, and it works like a charm. :)
[Vibrant General] KWKSLVR:
If this will fit I'll see if I can't hunt one down.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
We don't just need simple electrical conductivity, we need the ability to transmit the correct frequency of RF across the connection. The type of spring you pictured would provide continuity, but it does not have enough outer surface area in the circumference of the wire that makes up the spring to carry the frequencies we need. GPS signals are 1.57542 GHz (L1 signal) and 1.2276 GHz (L2 signal) which means the physical area for the skin effect would need to be much larger than the circumference of the wire in the spring.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
Measure the distance between the two boards when screwed in place, then look for appropriate connectors based on the length here --> http://www.wellshow.com/category/rf-connectors/mini-connector/

For example if the distance is: ..... then use mated male/female

2.5 mm . . . . U.FL or MHF

2 mm . . . . . U.FL or MHF2

1.5 mm . . . . MHF3

1.2 mm . . . . MHF4

Edit:

It looks like SparkFun.com has the U.FL SMT plug, but I have not found a receptacle yet. We would need both halves as SMT and the correct thickness. I am still working on a source.

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9144

Edit, Edit:

Newark electronics seems to have both halves in SMT, they sell singles, and before S/H you can get both for just over $3.00

This is a surface mount coax, so soldering would require some measure of skill, and you would be soldering both parts of the signal path (antenna/center conductor and the ground plane/shield) where the spring only carries the center conductor.

U.FL Jack --> http://www.newark.com/hrs-hirose/u-fl-r-smt-01/rf-coaxial-u-fl-jack-str-50ohm/dp/18K7517

U.FL receptacle --> http://www.newark.com/hrs-hirose/u-fl-r-smt-1-10/receptacle-smt-u-fl-50ohm/dp/50P8856

upon further investigation both of these parts list the same manufactures part number and are the same as what SparkFun has.
[Vibrant General] regP:
Knew it sounded too simple to work lol. Thanks for the info.
[Vibrant General] dcchristopher:
Great post but hopefully I won't have to take my phone apart yet again (FFC mod). I would like to note though that the Market app (Samsung Mobile -> GpsRestore) appears to have made my locks incredibly fast ... like, suspiciously fast. I will have to test it on the way to work tomorrow, in Navigation mode.

The only time GPS worked reliably and consistently for me was starting with JI6, Macnut R12 and Axura 2.0.5 (and rest assured I have flashed or updated tens of different ROMs). Then I upgraded to JL5 and it quit working again, almost completely. I happened by this post and noticed the GPS Restore app mention. I have no idea how I never read about this before. Now I appear to have "stock" _and_ a working GPS.

Here's hoping it does the trick ... long term! Thanks, again!
[Vibrant General] SamsungVibrant:
I'm a skeptic, show me pictures of your accuracy in GPS Test.

So I'm a skeptic of this whole hardware fix thing.

Can some people who claims this fixed their GPS post photos of your GPS Test showing the accuracy in feet.

You can use "ShootMe" to take a screen capture.

How many feet accuracy are you guys getting with this supposed hardware fix?
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
Yea, they can. Screen shots are all over this thread. I suggest you actually read it.
[Vibrant General] KWKSLVR:
Wow, 140 wasted posts. ;)

Actually read the thread. I think maybe there's two people that haven't had success.