yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Vibrant General] SamsungVibrant:
Actually there are NOT screen shots all over. There are about 3 people who posted screen shots, and one of them showed zero connected sats.

The best accuracy I saw was about 14 feet. That is what Vibrants running JI6 already get.

I thought this hardware fix was going to do something amazing like 3 or 6 ft accuracy.

So if someones Vibrant already gets 14 ft accuracy, and was one of the first Vibrants produced early in the summer, then I suppose this hardware fix isn't going to improve anything. Which kind of goes against the logic that the little copper tab was adjusted in more recent builds.

Anyways, I still believe people who continue to have major GPS problems after JI6 are people who messed around with their GPS settings one too many times.

I mean GPS was by no means perfect after JI6, but if after JI6 you are still getting only 1 sat connecting, the problem is probably the end user messing around with GPS settings. I do think the Vibrant has true GPS hardware problems, but I don't believe the answer is the copper tab.

Thats what happens when a bogus thread on xda titled "GPS Fix" goes crazy on the web like a virus, a GPS Fix that ended up messing up peoples GPS more than it helped to fix it. Had everyone during the summer on every tech blog thinking it was a real fix. How do we know this hardware thing should be trusted, people opening up their phone, voiding warranty.

Just seems like people should be careful voiding their warranty of this happens to be bogus GPS Fix round 2.

One last thing, I think the problem is some kind of buffer issue. I've noticed my GPS after JI6 can lock onto 10 out of 11 sats, but within 30 seconds drops down to zero connected, then back up. There seems to be some kind of buffering problem. I don't think it has anything to do with copper tabs.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
So did you read KWKSLVR's reply? You know, the one right above yours. He is the OP and has followed every single post in this thread, as have I. I think his tally is about right. People are getting locks inside their home. My Garmin Nuvi won't do that. Nobody claimed this fix makes the phone perfect, in fact if you read just my posts and their replies on just this last page you will quickly see why the defective design of the antenna connection makes this a improved connection on a already poor design at best.

So if you need black and white perfection or bust either play it safe and stay away from this fix or find the coax U.FL or MHF connectors I mention and do it that way. Otherwise KWKSLVR is right, there is more than enough proof in the thread already that it definitely does work provided you meet all of the prerequisites in the OP.

I have read 6000 posts in a thread to know if I wanted to flash one of Masters Axura ROMs before taking the leap, certainly you could have read a bit more here. Like you said, you risk the phone itself so either read or walk.

Sorry if I seem a bit harsh or curt, but the evidence you ask for more than already exists, and if you are not willing to put up some effort on you own part, don't go demanding that others do more for you.

Finally, if you are looking for 3 foot accuracy (approximately 1 meter), then give up now because by design GPS resolution at that level is reserved for U.S. Military and Government application only. Commercial GPS has built in limitations for National Security. The office of the Navy can explain more - they designed it that way. Just ask them nicely and see what they say about it.
[Vibrant General] SamsungVibrant:
Actually, I've owned two HTC android phones that were able to get 6ft accuracy every single time, even indoors.

Also some HTC owners are able to get 3 foot accuracy.

None of those are military phones.

Once again, I asked for screen shots, there are maybe 3 screen shots of GPS test in this entire thread. That certainly doesn't qualify for "all over the thread."
[Vibrant General] xpcomputers:
That certainly used to be the case in the past.... but I'm sure that was changed quite a few years back. The military turned the full capability on for the general public, so we can get better accuracy these days (gps receiver permitting!), theoretically as good as the military!

Whether our phones can ever get the full potential out of the gps system to military accuracy, I very much doubt... but it is not the military doing the blocking any longer, just the limitations of cheap hardware.

I am convinced this thread and the fix it contains has a lot of merit (and have read it all), and so I don't personally need any more convincing, but equally maybe a few more screen shots would be helpful for people too, so they can be convinced before voiding their warranty?

Regarding the smt connectors, would you be proposing that the centre connector and the outer ground, are both soldered onto the same pcb pad in replacement for the sprung tab? (i.e centre and ground both pass the signal?)

Mike
[Vibrant General] jonwilly:
Super cold and cloudy today. Never could get a lock on the train. Only could get three birds but three is better then the zero I use to get.
[Vibrant General] granduke:
I've asked when this thread started and didn't get an answer. So I'll try again:

Is this fix just helping to get locks or are our track drifts reduced as well?

I have no problem acquiring the sats and navigation works "okay" while driving,

but when walking or standing still I zig-zag all over the map.

I use a bluetooth GPS and get no drifts (as well as better accuracy, of course)
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
No, the ground plane is very close to the center conductor on the board. It travels right up the side of the board on the outside. Obviously soldering down Surface mount technology with a hand held iron involves more skill than some of the other fixes, also there are a few more caveats as well. The main point of going to the SMT connectors though is to get a proper connection rather than a "maybe good enough" connection. Right off it looks like the center conductor would be difficult to access without removing the mainboard or at least the speaker. Also you would need to scrape away some of the green epoxy from the ground plane to expose it so it could be soldered to.

For reference here is a high res picture androidmonkey posted in another thread.

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6559/sgsvibrantinternals.jpg
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
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.
[Vibrant General] jonwilly:
I have noticed no drifting since making the adjustment. I use to be all over the place when in a car or on the train. Seems to help with drifting also. Only been testing for a few days but not once has it drifted.
[Vibrant General] regP:
So I bought a smaller solder tip this morning and I can now make smaller bubbles. When I get home I'm going to see if they fit properly and if they do Ill go ahead and make the drop for real. Wish me luck! :D
[Vibrant General] KWKSLVR:
You guys want screen shots, here's your freaking screen shots! ;)

I would like to note that the stationary ones were taken indoors. From day one I was unable to get a lock inside the house and never really locked on to more than three or so outside...so yeah, I have reason to be atimate when I say that this works. Even with all of the stupid tweaks that we all tried tirelessly, I never got more than three locks inside the house and that required being next to a window. Inevitably, after a day or so the tweaks would stop working. I've been running this mod for over a month and it's been fine.

Like I said in the original post, this isn't a perfect fix. It WON'T improve your SNR numbers but it will improve your number of locks, and it will make your GPS usable. Going from zero locks indoors to what you see in the pictures should be evidence of that.
[Vibrant General] KWKSLVR:
You may see some slight shifting with a low number of locks (anything under about 4 or 5 locks) but no, it doesn't go drifting into the next zipcode. And when I say shifting I'm talking about a matter of millimeters on what you see on your screen.
[Vibrant General] regP:
SUCCESS!!!

Ok I just wrapped up and I can report that the solder drop does indeed work. I've taken pictures for those who are interested in trying it.

My first drop was too big and made the phone bulge so I reheated my solder gun and managed to take off about half of the solder that I dropped on. What I was left with was an odd not perfectly round blob but it seems to be good enough to have done the trick. GPS now locks instantly even from inside my room. And I do mean INSTANTLY. The midplate fit back on perfectly so I'm not sure exactly how much contact is actually being made between the solder and the midplate contact but its obviously enough. K, now pictures...

Here is the final drop. I tired to take pictures that would display the size of it. Sorry for my lack of a macro lens. CLICK PICTURES FOR FULL RESOLUTION

The Results..

For reference this is what the weather here in the Bay Area is like today. All clouds and rain.

The signal I was getting outdoor with ZERO obstructions. After many minutes.

What I get now outside in my driveway post fix.

What I get from my desk inside the house post fix.

Hope this helps someone. Sorry for the lengthy post but I'm quite proud of my first solder job ever.
[Vibrant General] salvador3:
Wow thanks for the pics RegP! I will try this out myself! I tried just lifting up the contact but I didn't get acceptable results (albeit it did improve).

Can you post a picture of the solder tip you used?

Did you just solder over the GPS antenna contact or did you remove it then put the solder blob?

THANKS!!
[Vibrant General] regP:
Here ya go. After using half a spool of solder for practice drips I dropped the solder directly onto the mainboard. I wanted to make the bulb then try and attach it but the working space was way too small and I didnt wana touch the mainboard with the solder tip.

I remind you that with this tip I still ended up removing about half of the bulb in order to get the midplate to fit properly so if you can find an even smaller point do it.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
You DROPPED the solder onto the contact!!

regP, that is not the way to go. The contact needs to be heated with the iron enough for the solder to stick to it voluntarily and stay there when you pull the iron away. What you have created is a cold solder joint and at some point in the future it will cause you a great deal of headache. Cold solder joints are notorious for being hard to find, and hard to troubleshoot because of the intermittent issues they cause.

Might I suggest you reheat the drop and remove it with either some solder wick or a rubber bulb, then apply the iron to the pad with a small amount of solder on the tip to heat the pad. as soon as you can touch the solder to the spot where the pad and the tip meet and drag it away from the tip while touching the pad while remaining liquid you have enough heat. Let just a little more solder melt than you think you will need because some will remain on the tip of the iron.

Here is a video showing good technique:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

Also 1 showing Surface Mount:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NN7UGWYmBY
[Vibrant General] regP:
Ha, I shouldnt have taken your advice so literally when you said "drop". Lesson learned. I'll prolly redo it sometime later. Thanks for the heads up.
[Vibrant General] heygrl:
I have a Samsung refurbished or, just refurbished by someone Vibrant and my GPS has been spectacular on it. The sticker under the battery is vastly different indicating that it is a refurb ("Made In Korea") and I've had the 10.08/10.09 and this one I have right now which is 10.10 - GPS is excellent. No if ands or buts about it. Accuracy is usually 10-20FT, has no problem getting a lock in seconds. I have a DEFY to compare it to and it has less problems than that phone under the same conditions.

This was in Arizona

At my house right now it's at 20FT, out of the few Vibrant's I've had NONE have given me readings (10-20FT) this low consistently even under partly-cloudy conditions.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
I looked back just to verify and I didn't see where I said drop.

Mannymal said drop on page two, but I think he meant it as a noun and not a verb.

At any rate, you will want to redo that. Soldering is not difficult, it just requires some basic understanding and practice and those videos do a very good job of imparting that information.

BTW Mannymal, you never did say - What does tonight taste like? ;)
[Vibrant General] regP:
Yaaaaaa that wasnt you sorry for the confusion. I will def redo. I'm taking this whole thing as a learning process.. I appreciate you not flaming me for making a noob mistake. That definitely goes against the trend of the internet these days ;).
[Vibrant General] Ilmoran:
I just finished messing with soldering mine. I actually removed the contact and just used solder to bridge the connection. Had to make a fairly large blob of it; I know I'm making contact because now the corner of the case doesnt snap together quite the same. About to take it outside to test (I live on the third floor of an apartment, and have NEVER had good luck with GPS inside, so I'm not going to try to get a lock inside; but I was able to get 5 locks within 20 seconds on the balcony, so at least it works somewhat).

Edit:

As hoped/predicted, I got about 2 steps out from under the building and locked to 4 satellites. By the time I got maybe 100 feet from the building, I was at 9/10 with accuracy going from 30 down to 20. Didn't wait to see if it got any more accurate than that. Was getting SNRs of 25 to 40. Tomorrow I'll run the GPS on my way to work to see if it drifts at all, and maybe take some screenshots of it.
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
Tonight tastes like chinese food and whiskey with coconut water :)

Yes, I meant drop as a noun. Sorry guys for still not having a picture of my mod, I just don't have a camera, but like T313 has stated repeatedly, aim for a small drop (blob) with a nice round and shiny top. As T313 instructed in the previous page, I originally heated the contact until the metal stuck to it. Mine ended up being a little too big and the case bulges slightly, a small price to pay for excellent reception, even in bad weather. I might fix it later... what do you think T313, could that stress cause problems later on?

The best way to test is to use the GPS Test app, wait for it to lock into as many sats as it can in a minute, then open Google Maps to test accuracy. I was driving in my car with Google Maps open and it works flawlessly.
[Vibrant General] GibMcFragger:
Great Find! I am going to try it on mine. One question though (pardon me if it has been said and I missed it), but what App are you using (the one in your screen shots) to show GPS accuracy? I would like to see what mine is before I mess with it.

Going with the whole don't-fix-it-if-it-ain't-broke thing, heh.
[Vibrant General] Jeffizcool:
wow i just did this. i pulled the tab up and didnt fool around with soldering but it made a huge difference. kudos to all the guys that figured this out. I actually cant believe it made this much of a difference. the gps is obviously some hardware issues. shame on samsung for the poor QA. I am now getting accuracy of 14 feet and the locks are coming as fast as my old g1(which is good to me).

anyway thanks guys. I am now happy with this phone(with jl5 too) :D
[Vibrant General] SamsungVibrant:
General Solder Warning.

Just wanted those who are soldering to use caution. If you are using lead containing solder, and you don't protect yourself, you can get lead poisening from the fumes. Also, if you touch the solder without gloves, you can be exposed to lead, even worse, if you eat afterwards without washing your hands you can be directly exposing yourself.

You need a mask that protects you from lead oxide fumes.

If you don't know much about lead poisening, I suggest you read up on it. Lead exposure can severly impact the normal functional abilities of your nervous system, amongst other physiological systems.
[Vibrant General] nomadrider123:
I am assuming the gps will work even if one doesn't have a data plan. Is any one done this fix and running it without one?
[Vibrant General] tailsthecat3:
I dont own a samsung device and frankly will not after the sch-a530(the best device samsung ever produced). The galaxy s phones feel cheap and thanks sprint- for sticking with the prehistoric slide mechanisms :rolleyes:

I must say though, this post made me lol. Also very informative. Often times I will try things from other devices on my devices...

Good post, informative and humourous
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
Normally I might say yes, that the stress on the board may over time cause it to crack and possibly break a trace. However, in this specific case, I don't foresee much of an issue. You are close to the edge of the board, the board is bolstered by the speaker mechanism, and there are not a lot of traces here - just the antenna and ground. If it is only mildly too high and you want to fix it and take care of the case bulge, I would recommend just filing down a little as I mentioned earlier, rather than redoing it. Filing it will actually improve the connection a little provided you make the flat spot parallel with the board and you don't go too far down so as to lose contact.
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
What do you recommend I use for a file?
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
An emery board should work ok, and it gives you two different grit options. Just take it down a hair, then test fit. Repeat this until you have solid contact without excessive bulge. Without a spring you will need a little pressure to maintain contact, but you want it to reassemble well also.
[Vibrant General] Tobiass69:
captivate gps

bend the contact up alittle : well i tried this on my captivate i was able to get a lock after a few seconds in the house haven't had a chance to go outside and try it yet but it works in the house now
[Vibrant General] yogesh892:
anyone else try this on the captivate?
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
A bet a $5 donation to our favorite devs that its the exact same thing.
[Vibrant General] T313C0mun1s7:
Every time I see the Galaxy S GPS issues mentioned outside of XDA it always seems to be both the Vibrant and the Captivate. Also, the Samsung official GPS reset/test app was for the Vibrant and the Captivate. Finally, I know that there are more than just a few Vibrant owners here that are unlocked and using AT&T.

These were the first two of the Galaxy S phones released, the Fascinate came later. So it makes since that they would be practically identical. The corners and the lines at the top and the bottom look different, but that does not mean that they are different internally. In fact a Engadget review of the two when they were first released said this.

Based on what I have been able to find the internal hardware is identical between the two, including the inherent issue with the antenna contact. The primary differences as I have been able to find is as follows:

1. The Vibrant is exclusive to T-Mobile while the Captivate is exclusive to AT&T

2. The preloaded software is different between the Vibrant and the Captivate

3. The Vibrant has a more rounded look compared to the Captivate

4. The Vibrant has a longer talk time and standby time compared to the Captivate

Please note that of course that last point is subjective to change based on loaded ROM, theme, usage, etc. The statement is based on stock pre-loaded firmware and software as well as advertised standby and talk times.
[Vibrant General] Ilmoran:
Looking at the teardown here, they look very similar. My guess is the contact located in almost the same position is the GPS contact (ironically theres a close-up of it in that thread). It seems ok in that picture, but wouldn't be surprised if it's flattened in some of the phones.
[Vibrant General] archineer:
Successful on the Captivate

I didn't need to do a full teardown. The clip was easily accessible with a precision curved tweezer. I now get lock on 6-8 satellites within 5 secs indoors.
[Vibrant General] Mannymal:
Solder Blob Filing Results

I have filed the solder blob and have taken the opportunity to borrow a camera and take pictures of the procedure.

It does not look pretty in the pictures, but its because of the detailed macro on the camera, it doesn't look nearly as ugly from the naked eye. The results are that the case now sits flush on the phone, and best of all, as T313 predicted, signal has improved after filing the solder blob.

I would not be surprised if my phone works better now than if the contact had not broken and was bent properly, since there should be more contact against the antenna with this method.

I have taken a screenshot of my reception. Of note: this is a really bad place for GPS reception, and the weather is terrible right now. Before filing the blob I usually locked into a similar amount of satellites, but the signal quality was not nearly as strong as it is now. Before the phone was physically modded at all, I would be lucky if I could see, let alone lock, into more than 5 satellites.

I am confident to say that the solder blob method is a success, especially after filing the blob into a flat, shiny top. This information should be added to the OP.

Nero V3, no modifications to the GPS settings.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, overcast.
[Vibrant General] producestand:
I have a vibrant that was made in October, but has HORRIBLE gps, would this work?
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] notasimpleway:
I open the messaging app and select a thread for say Ricky, but it opens a thread for Jessica. Anyone have this problem? However, I think it sends it to the correct person, but leaves the text on the wrong thread of messages. This has happened on every ROM and on both my EVOs.

And lately Google Voice is keeping my phone awake a good bit. Anyone else?
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Rydah:
Never. Only if I click too fast right when I open the messaging app.

Sent From My HTC Evo 4G Using Tapa Talk Pro!
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nuggyunlimited:
Happened to me before and yea it sends the message to the wrong person I think its just a bug on some evos but it doesn't happen that much
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] thedudejdog:
it happens on my phone sometimes three times a day, I text a lot some months 3000+/month but it never does it on miui. try miui out and see if it does that. only on htc based roms and cm have I seen this happen
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] TheMagicalSock:
Yes, this is a bug in both the AOSP messaging app and the Sense messaging app.
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] k2buckley:
check and double check who you're sending a message to, regardless of what name you selected. That happened to me before and got me in BIG trouble, it certainly does send it to the wrong person. Has potential to be very bad. Thankfully it hasn't happened to me in eons, knock on wood, but yea, watch out.
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] notasimpleway:
Can anyone else confirm it does not happen on Miui? I don't want to accidentally sext my mother...anymore.

Sent from my iPhone with the bigger Gee Bees.
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] notasimpleway:
How come this has not been corrected? Surely, it has been reported. Also, thanks for replying.

Sent from my iPhone with the bigger Gee Bees.
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dougjamal:
I've never experienced it with either a Sense based rom or an AOSP rom. Now that I've made that statement, it's possible it'll soon happen....hahahaha

Sent from my EVO 4G using the Tapatalk Pro App.
[EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] notasimpleway:
And lately Google Voice is keeping my phone awake a good bit. Anyone else?

Yes, I am reusing my thread. No need go start a knew one.

Sent from my iPhone with the bigger Gee Bees.