MOD EDIT: This modification may very well harm your phone. Read this post for more details, read the entire thread, and most importantly, proceed with caution.
Okies guys heres the breakdown on reception, seems that Nexus S 4g's have antenna ports under battery cover, which seem to be ill placed. Your hand is over them all the time lol. One labeled G this is gps , w1 and w2 on volume side are for wifi and 4g, and r1 is 3g. Do these mods at your own risk, i take no responsibility for damages incurred. Take bread ties that is in your kitchen drawer strip back 1/8th to bare metal, ensure that it is straight before inserting it by the center of r1, use tape to hold in place. This gave me from a no bars 3g to solid 3bars. good luck, tell me if it works for you enjoy !!!
Nexus S 4g 2.3.4 OpenSoju 0.2.6, D720SPRKE5 radios for grj90 update
Data faster?
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
If this works, you're my hero. That's my only qualm with this phone...
Can describe what you see visually re: data speed improvement?
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
This is just my opinion. Nobody has to believe me. I am not an electronic engineer, but I do hold a radio license that is recognized by the FCC. This mod may very well work, but I think it could do more harm than good. I don't know for sure but these ports could be test points for factory tuning and repair. Adding a random or guessed length of wire to it "could" help the radio. There is also a good chance that you could fry the RF output final transistors in the phone. If the radio was strictly receiving through that port then maybe it wouldn't hurt the phone. If the phone transmits at the same frequency, this random length wire could throw the output section of the phone out of tuning. This wouldn't change anything except the input impedance from the output finals and the internal antenna. This circuit was designed to work together with a specified impedance, that we don't know the value of, and putting a better antenna on it from just guessing how long it needs to be at the frequency the phone is TX/rx is a risky thing. We don't know what the impedance of the antenna is supposed to be nor do we have the proper tools to measure antenna impedance between the transmitter and antenna to get the lowest standing wave ratio for the desired frequency. Also, what I have learned in testing antennas in a much lower frequency range than this phone is that low swr doesn't mean that the antenna will perform well. As they say in a hobby I have participated in is that you can make a wet noodle resonate but that doesn't mean you're going to "get out" with it. I'm already explaining things in a way that would go over the heads of many a lay person if they weren't into and studied in the hobby of amateur radio.
I'm not saying I know better or am better than anyone here. To make a long story short, if you don't have the right equipment, knowledge, and skill to do stuff like the mod is about, then I would HIGHLY suggest you not trying it. There is a very good chance that you could burn up the RF output transistors in the phone and then essentially you would turn the phone into a receive only radio like your FM radio. Putting a random (guessed) length wire on a receiver isn't going to hurt the electronics inside it, it will just make it receive better or worse. With a transceiver (a radio that can transmit and receive), this experiment has the possibility of burning out components inside the phone on the transmit side. I've blabbed enough. This is only my opinion on this, that's all...
All I have are plastic thingies that keep my bread soft and fresh...
You don't do the spin and tuck?
thats the best way
oscarthegrouch said:
You don't do the spin and tuck?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
oscarthegrouch said:
You don't do the spin and tuck?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only do that when I'm down to the last few slices..
So.. any updates to this mod?
Sounds like Oscar knows what he's talking about... OP, please keep us updated on whether or not your phone blows up. I would like to try this but don't know if its worth the risk... I wish we didn't have this issue...
bearsblack said:
Sounds like Oscar knows what he's talking about... OP, please keep us updated on whether or not your phone blows up. I would like to try this but don't know if its worth the risk... I wish we didn't have this issue...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bad bad bad idea, it messed up my 3G radio antenna,no data at all data goes in and out, it won't let me update profile, sprint can't fix the problem w a hard reset of data.. gotta go in and get a new phone... told em didn't want the nexus anymore and im getting the Evo 3D.
This phones radio just sucks period! From what a rep at sprint told me... its not sprints data its the radio antenna itself poorly made.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
okies this is an update to whether phone has blown up or wot . lol no it hasnt not gone to waste and yes mr radio expert Ocsar is correct in knowing bout rf and antenna length this is a test port to plug in antenna or equipment at a shop and test for tuning its is a direct connect to the transmitter/reciever, if u open ur phone u will see that the port actually goes down under the main board to the build in wire that is on pcb.The wire was cut in progression to get best reception, data rate improved slightly will have s/s of data after more testing
soz bout ur phone lucky, sounds like u may have pushed it down and in to port hard and broke the flat copper piece away that lies right under the port. good luck with your evo tho they rock
Diagram of mod
This is a simple diagram of mod,
luckylui said:
Bad bad bad idea, it messed up my 3G radio antenna,no data at all data goes in and out, it won't let me update profile, sprint can't fix the problem w a hard reset of data.. gotta go in and get a new phone... told em didn't want the nexus anymore and im getting the Evo 3D.
This phones radio just sucks period! From what a rep at sprint told me... its not sprints data its the radio antenna itself poorly made.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take it with a grain of salt but phonedog's review of the 3d wasn't good when it comes to data and radio performance. I'm just sharing what I read. http://www.phonedog.com/2011/06/23/htc-evo-3d-review-by-aaron/
lol... the best part of this mod is that the 6 feet of scotch tape you used to attach the bread ties to the back of your $500 phone
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
I tried this today. Made a very slight improvement in my case. Not enough to keep it modded though. Just removed it.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
mikeinghilterra said:
lol... the best part of this mod is that the 6 feet of scotch tape you used to attach the bread ties to the back of your $500 phone
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMAO mike didnt say it was pretty just trying ideas to help reception.
Honestly I never really suggest hardware mods, they usually do more harm then good..
Related
http://www.cellularfactory.com/det.jsp?d=1316&c=612330
Anyone try this? Or willing to? A couple of the places that I go, I don't get signal....Such as my brother's, in the mountains, where the closest T-Mobile tower is about 30 miles away, lol... But I'm not sure if it'd actually work...Or does anyone have a way that doesn't look too stupid, to increase the signal?
Snake oil!
Do you really think that if it worked, Dell wouldn't have built this technology into the phone in the first place?!
Uh, yeah. I do think that. Because it isn't made by dell. There are -always- third party items... That's like saying 'If the otterbox commuter was any good, dell would've included it.'
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
Big time snake oil!
This isn't any different than those annoying signal booster stickers that you would see on late night tv in the late 90's.
The only way I see this working is if it were to touch the current phones antenna. I don't see that happening. I would say give it a try and give us some feedback. I always wondered about these antenna add-ons.
Akuma, I do agree, but at the same time, outside things can interfere with signal... I don't see it being too good for the battery, though... Idk. I might check it out.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
these probably work the same as those SAR radiation shields.. its proven to boost up to 4dB but the main plus is that u get a lot less radiation exposure, actually up to half the exposure to ur head/brain.. but it all depends on the materials its made of and the placement of the phone... ur hand could interfere and actually make it worse,..
So did you test it?
I've done countless tests trying to tweak the AT&T Note to get better data speeds on T-Mobile, but it appears the best solution may be the simplest.
Tools required:
Propane torch
Hammer
9ft (3m) 18 gauge wire
Ok, forget the tools list, get some aluminum foil from your moms kitchen drawer and some sissors and start cutting some pieces like I show in the pics below. It's trial and error, but very easy and requires no special tools or mods. The foil size and placement is very subjective to how you hold your phone and the type of case you have. There may not be a one design for everyone, but I'm hoping with more folks testing we can get closer to optimal.
FYI, this works due to one of two priciples, detuning the stock antenna or by becoming a passive radiator. I dont have the tools or rf credentials to figure out which it is. Who really cares anyway?
I've attained dowload speeds of 9500kbps and upload speeds up to 2600kbps.
PS: Don't blame me if Mom yells at you for using all her foil!
i can't wait to try
this, i hope it works for me.
speedtest
This is with the small strip of foil on the bottom, as in the pic.
rotohammer said:
This is with the small strip of foil on the bottom, as in the pic.
View attachment 1075478
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the brand of the foil matter? Lol j/k...can't wait to get out of the office and buy some foil on my way home.
babymatteo said:
Does the brand of the foil matter? Lol j/k...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's really funny is all the detailed effort I put into strategically placing strips right on the antenna foils underneath the screw cover to find the sweet spot, for it only to fail once the screw cover was re-installed. A real pain, considering how much better the external foil works. The key is to let the foil touch the metal shell under the back cover as you snap it back on.
I think this pretty much will prove that its not the radio, but in fact just the antenna design once and for all.
what rom and radio version r u using?
tsukiyokon said:
what rom and radio version r u using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saurom RC_7 w/T769UVLB7 radio
So how is this providing better download speeds? any improvement on aT&T side? or does it just improve signal?
rotohammer said:
Saurom RC_7 w/T769UVLB7 radio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
never tried that radio before, where can i get that?
thx
---------- Post added at 02:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 AM ----------
rotohammer said:
I've done countless tests trying to tweak the AT&T Note to get better data speeds on T-Mobile, but it appears the best solution may be the simplest.
Tools required:
Propane torch
Hammer
9ft (3m) 18 gauge wire
Ok, forget the tools list, get some aluminum foil from your moms kitchen drawer and some sissors and start cutting some pieces like I show in the pics below. It's trial and error, but very easy and requires no special tools or mods. The foil size and placement is very subjective to how you hold your phone and the type of case you have. There may not be a one design for everyone, but I'm hoping with more folks testing we can get closer to optimal.
FYI, this works due to one of two priciples, detuning the stock antenna or by becoming a passive radiator. I dont have the tools or rf credentials to figure out which it is. Who really cares anyway?
I've attained dowload speeds of 9500kbps and upload speeds up to 2600kbps.
PS: Don't blame me if Mom yells at you for using all her foil!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u should show us the speeds before mod.
Omg.....sheer genius.....it really worked. I cant believe it. Im getting the same speeds as my T-Mobile T989 Galaxy S2 got again!
I normally struggled to hit 800kbps down and 30kbps up. Hitting over 2Mbps down and averaging 300-500kbps up now!!
It was such a simple solution!
Thank you!!!!!
Sent from a big ass phone
madman604 said:
Omg.....sheer genius.....it really worked. I cant believe it. Im getting the same speeds as my T-Mobile T989 Galaxy S2 got again!
I normally struggled to hit 800kbps down and 30kbps up. Hitting over 2Mbps down and averaging 300-500kbps up now!!
It was such a simple solution!
Thank you!!!!!
Sent from a big ass phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2mb down???? Just curious do you have "4g"??? I would be crying if I had 4mb after doing this tweek nvm 2mb.
Sent from my SGH-I717R using xda premium
Sent from a big ass phone
hoolllllllllllly,
it works for me too, i used to have 2-3mb down and 300kb up,
and now i got 4-5mb down and 2mb up
im in ics 4.0.3 w/ gs ii leak radio
sounds exciting !!!
any others ？？？
will this work for at&T as well??
Ghetto but I think it actually works. On t-mobile btw.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
hmm... another thing for my ToDo list when i get home (besides playing D3)
i'll post result after the "hardware mod"
The amazing thing is you dont even have to unscrew anything or glue anything.
Just lay the foil strips down and snap the back cover on
I did testing in several parts of my house. Even areas that previously didnt get almost any reception, were good.
Again. Amazing lol!
Sent from a big ass phone
jghidalgo307 said:
2mb down???? Just curious do you have "4g"??? I would be crying if I had 4mb after doing this tweek nvm 2mb.
Sent from my SGH-I717R using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im on Mobilicity. The speeds are capped at 3Mbps at best. Its a discount carrier in Canada. I pay $25/month after tax for unlimited calls and data
Definately not 4G
Sent from a big ass phone
madman604 said:
Im on Mobilicity. The speeds are capped at 3Mbps at best. Its a discount carrier in Canada. I pay $25/month after tax for unlimited calls and data
Definately not 4G
Sent from a big ass phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windmobile can go up to as high as 8 Mbps down, and 300ish Kbps up on a SGS2 T989
but on my NOTE, the highest i ever got was 3 Mbps down, in the same spot were my T989 gets 8 Mbps down
so this thin foil trick will be very interesting if it works.
then i can finally dump my SGS2 and use my G.NOTE as a full time phone
Correct me if i am wrong but here is what i see :
1-Battery is descent but if it fails for whatever reason , i have to ship it back to fix the battery . Also not sure in terms of development, what would it mean to not be able to do a battery pull. Also if the battery dies, gotta wait for it to charge
2-This is the only HTC phone that does NOT do surf and talk on 3g
3-No micro sd , i am on unlimited and i was planning on buying full price to keep it , but in the future if they decide to screw us over and take it away completely ( verizon is not exactly loyal to their customers ) I am pretty much SOL.
4- No bluetooth and simultaneous aux in like the rezound had. SO if I am in the car and I have my bluetooth paired and the aux in , it will not route my music to the aux port like the rezound did and route my phone calls to my bluetooth.
So what do the new owners think, did i get it right ?
jmichaels1982 said:
Correct me if i am wrong but here is what i see :
1-Battery is descent but if it fails for whatever reason , i have to ship it back to fix the battery . Also not sure in terms of development, what would it mean to not be able to do a battery pull. Also if the battery dies, gotta wait for it to charge
2-This is the only HTC phone that does NOT do surf and talk on 3g
3-No micro sd , i am on unlimited and i was planning on buying full price to keep it , but in the future if they decide to screw us over and take it away completely ( verizon is not exactly loyal to their customers ) I am pretty much SOL.
4- No bluetooth and simultaneous aux in like the rezound had. SO if I am in the car and I have my bluetooth paired and the aux in , it will not route my music to the aux port like the rezound did and route my phone calls to my bluetooth.
So what do the new owners think, did i get it right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1 Pretty much just like the iPhone... There is a certain button combo you press/hold that will act as a "battery pull". I'm not sure what it is off the top of my head since I haven't had to do it (I have a Rezound).
#2 The only plus about the fixed back is the phone will definitely feel sturdy! I've got an extended battery on my Rezound and man it's annoying how squeaky it is.
#3 Hope they don't mess with unlimited. I don't use much storage luckily. I just checked my Rez and I only had a few GB's used total between the internal and external storage.
#4 I couldn't get that to work on my Rezound... Either I'm doing it wrong or maybe it's how my car handles it?
The only thing that has me questioning hitting the pre-order button is how often I will need to use voice/data over 3G (since this doesn't have the ability). Decisions decisions...
gps
tehknics said:
#1 Pretty much just like the iPhone... There is a certain button combo you press/hold that will act as a "battery pull". I'm not sure what it is off the top of my head since I haven't had to do it (I have a Rezound).
#2 The only plus about the fixed back is the phone will definitely feel sturdy! I've got an extended battery on my Rezound and man it's annoying how squeaky it is.
#3 Hope they don't mess with unlimited. I don't use much storage luckily. I just checked my Rez and I only had a few GB's used total between the internal and external storage.
#4 I couldn't get that to work on my Rezound... Either I'm doing it wrong or maybe it's how my car handles it?
The only thing that has me questioning hitting the pre-order button is how often I will need to use voice/data over 3G (since this doesn't have the ability). Decisions decisions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are like me and depend on google nav all the time driving , you will need it . 4g is not very reliable driving across state lines and if u get a phone call and need to re route - well then you to make a decision between which one is more imp ... doing it once might not be a big deal , but on a long road trip might become really irritating .
That's a good point... I never thought of it affecting me that way.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
despite all these little cons im still going to get it becuase of the specs
I am happy
johnminator said:
despite all these little cons im still going to get it becuase of the specs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am glad you said that, i really wanted to know peoples opinion of my points . I know the specs are beastily , i am so broken hearted that it has all these problems because I know htc has phenomenal reception. I am ready throw my gs3 in my toilet bec of my reception
jmichaels1982 said:
I am glad you said that, i really wanted to know peoples opinion of my points . I know the specs are beastily , i am so broken hearted that it has all these problems because I know htc has phenomenal reception. I am ready throw my gs3 in my toilet bec of my reception
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol and it should not be that hard to root and unlock and s-off
with cm10 or aokp this phone will be a monster
really
johnminator said:
lol and it should not be that hard to root and unlock and s-off
with cm10 or aokp this phone will be a monster
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See we would still be having the same issues .
Any my experience is with HTC is that sometimes they refuse to release a bootloader unlock tool .
I am afraid not as many developer will jump on this because of 1- release of note in the same time 2- release of nexus 4 in the same time 3- how exclusive this device is to verizon . Now you narrowed it down to a handfull of devs that have to do the following : Unlock bootlaoder if htc refuses to it , port a custom recovery to it , and of course root it and then here is the biggest problem , FIX THE RIL TO WORK WITH AOSP .
Over in the rezound world that took a year and if it wasnt for Chad , they would have never had it . and the signal is still shakey.
jmichaels1982 said:
See we would still be having the same issues .
Any my experience is with HTC is that sometimes they refuse to release a bootloader unlock tool .
I am afraid not as many developer will jump on this because of 1- release of note in the same time 2- release of nexus 4 in the same time 3- how exclusive this device is to verizon . Now you narrowed it down to a handfull of devs that have to do the following : Unlock bootlaoder if htc refuses to it , port a custom recovery to it , and of course root it and then here is the biggest problem , FIX THE RIL TO WORK WITH AOSP .
Over in the rezound world that took a year and if it wasnt for Chad , they would have never had it . and the signal is still shakey.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is true also but one question about the galaxy note 2 for vzw. How will the development for it be will we have cm10 or only touch wiz custom roms?
jmichaels1982 said:
Correct me if i am wrong but here is what i see :
1-Battery is descent but if it fails for whatever reason , i have to ship it back to fix the battery . Also not sure in terms of development, what would it mean to not be able to do a battery pull. Also if the battery dies, gotta wait for it to charge
2-This is the only HTC phone that does NOT do surf and talk on 3g
3-No micro sd , i am on unlimited and i was planning on buying full price to keep it , but in the future if they decide to screw us over and take it away completely ( verizon is not exactly loyal to their customers ) I am pretty much SOL.
4- No bluetooth and simultaneous aux in like the rezound had. SO if I am in the car and I have my bluetooth paired and the aux in , it will not route my music to the aux port like the rezound did and route my phone calls to my bluetooth.
So what do the new owners think, did i get it right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. The new batteries that are coming out with the new phones are like night and day. HTC (not just HTC) are starting to use new batteries with better technology (I'm sure some on XDA could answer this question with details). Apple is no longer the king of battery technology if you get the hint.
2. You are going to see this more and more with Verizon phones. Verizon should have the nation coverage with 4g by the end of 2013.
3. Many of the cell phone manufacturers are moving to cloud service and you will see more of this in the future. The carriers need to reconsider their data plans in the future. Verizon knows about this phone and many others that are coming down the pipe line with no SD card slot.
4. I have not tried bluetooth and simultaneous aux with the DNA. So I'm not sure about this. But HTC had to upgrade the Beats software because it seems to be louder and much more clearer. I also don't have a buzzing sound between songs like on the Rezound.
good question
johnminator said:
That is true also but one question about the galaxy note 2 for vzw. How will the development for it be will we have cm10 or only touch wiz custom roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you head over to the verizon gs3 forums you will see a sticky with a ridiculous donation amount ( i think in the range of thousands ) to get one of the most elite devs to unlock the boodloader( ADAM ) . I am not sure if we will be that lucky again
Then comes the part where the RIL has to be adjusted to suit verizon weird 3g cdma tech that doesn't like AOSP very much
Till all that happens , you are stuck with touch wiz on note II which is plagued with its own set of problems
Here is what i am referring to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1760568&highlight=bounty+unlock
NorthlandAZ said:
1. The new batteries that are coming out with the new phones are like night and day. HTC (not just HTC) are starting to use new batteries with better technology
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to call BS on this but will gladly eat my words if you can show me a valid source for your information on this new and mysterious HTC battery tech.
jmichaels1982 said:
If you head over to the verizon gs3 forums you will see a sticky with a ridiculous donation amount ( i think in the range of thousands ) to get one of the most elite devs to unlock the boodloader( ADAM ) . I am not sure if we will be that lucky again
Then comes the part where the RIL has to be adjusted to suit verizon weird 3g cdma tech that doesn't like AOSP very much
Till all that happens , you are stuck with touch wiz on note II which is plagued with its own set of problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dangg so tell me this if i really want a good dev phone what should i get
At this point
johnminator said:
dangg so tell me this if i really want a good dev phone what should i get
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like verizon is losing more devs because of their stunts. I hate to say this but the time will come when we have to chose between the network and dev.
They lock all their bootloaders by requesting the manufacturer to do so. Their last stunt with the loss of unlimited plans bec of an upgrade made lose a whole lot more ( ATT customers can upgrade and keep their unlimited and tmobile have the choice of unlimited 4g for extra 20 a month ).
But as of now the GS3 has amazing development , i just hate the phone its self , piss poor reception. If you have good reception then its a haven for dev.
Here is my advice , WHEN YOU A BUY A PHONE, know this , make sure u will love it as is , in its pure native stock form . Relying on verizon devs is becoming more and more scarce in comparison to the Tbolt days.
Wot-75 said:
I'm going to call BS on this but will gladly eat my words if you can show me a valid source for your information on this new and mysterious HTC battery tech.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are going to call BS on this??? Ok take a battery from a phone that is 3 to 4 years old with the same mah and you tell me it's the same technology????That's just common sense. What you just said is, if I went to Wal-Mart and bought a name brand battery and then bought a off brand battery. The off brand battery would out last the name brand? Not sure what is BS on this, but that's up to you.
Yeah my battery really sucks.... NOT..
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
And the phone is really slow and the screen sucks... NOT.. Next time you call someone know Wtf your talking about. I never said the battery was top secret, just battery tech is getting better.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
Thank you so much
NorthlandAZ said:
And the phone is really slow and the screen sucks... NOT.. Next time you call someone know Wtf your talking about. I never said the battery was top secret, just battery tech is getting better.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LIsten i am sorry about the other dude. To all who has came out here and clarified my doubts , thank you for taking the time out ! none of you had any obligations to do so and you answered all my questions perfectly ....
I love XDA for that ..
To be honest, if you have the coin to buy the DNA at full price and concerned about the Dev community associated with the device, leaving vzw and unlimited data is the best route. For years I've been a users of more than 5 gbs per month on Verizon's network, and I was getting closer typo 9 per month with lte phones. But now that phones can handle having the Wi-Fi radio on all day without murdering the battery, staying under3gb/month isn't that big of a deal at all. Between the beastly one x+, the option for unlocked international phones, being able to use true nexus devices, etc. I couldn't be happier. The DNA is a great phone, but the concerns you have (including the big one, simultaneous voice and data) it does sound like art would suit your needs better.
However, if att blows in your area or had a bass experience with them in the past, then by all means, disregard everything I've just said
jmichaels1982 said:
If you head over to the verizon gs3 forums you will see a sticky with a ridiculous donation amount ( i think in the range of thousands ) to get one of the most elite devs to unlock the boodloader( ADAM ) . I am not sure if we will be that lucky again
Then comes the part where the RIL has to be adjusted to suit verizon weird 3g cdma tech that doesn't like AOSP very much
Till all that happens , you are stuck with touch wiz on note II which is plagued with its own set of problems
Here is what i am referring to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1760568&highlight=bounty+unlock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I do completely agree with what you're trying to say, your facts here are a little goofy. The bootloader unlock took 3 weeks from release date.....pretty damn good if you ask me. Yes, people did pool together a lot of money for it, because they all wanted it that bad. It was a bounty, not that "it cost thousands of dollars". And I also run AOSP only on my gs3, not a single problem with it.
Unlocking the bootloader is night and day difference on the manufacturer though. That was a Samsung device....this is obviously HTC. S-off is a completely different creature all together. I had a Evo 4g, Thunderbolt, and Rezound, (along with other manufacture devices) and they are always puzzling.
To say that we're gonna lose devs to the Nexus 4 could be a bit overzealous seems you're talking about people jumping ship and canceling contracts/switching providers for a phone. It happens but not nearly as often as you think. Believe me, we'll still have plenty of devs for it. Currently the only device in the US market with BOTH 1080p screen AND S4 Pro Quad processor.....it'll attract some attention
You can almost guarentee we'll have Team Bamf onboard here too......
EDIT - and I was also under the impression that it does have simultaneous voice and data?!?!
Just started a new job, and my service really sucks here. I have a microcell, but I'm not at the point of being able to hook it up at work without a legitimate business need.
I'm about another month on my Thunderbolt before I move on to something else, but honestly, I'm not sure I'll keep Verizon if my phone won't work at the office.
Any ideas?
Oh, and I'm running the HTC extended battery.. I haven't had issues with the case before, but I guess I don't have a comparison yet with the stock cover..
dbornack said:
Just started a new job, and my service really sucks here. I have a microcell, but I'm not at the point of being able to hook it up at work without a legitimate business need.
I'm about another month on my Thunderbolt before I move on to something else, but honestly, I'm not sure I'll keep Verizon if my phone won't work at the office.
Any ideas?
Oh, and I'm running the HTC extended battery.. I haven't had issues with the case before, but I guess I don't have a comparison yet with the stock cover..
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I know exactly what you're talking about. I remember they used to actually work with those older flip phones, but not too sure about how it would work on a Thunderbolt.
If you're rooted, I would just recommend flashing a few radios to see if that improved your signal at all.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium
Yeah.. understood.. I'm running the only radios I can run on my ROM right now.. so.. just wondering if anyone had any other luck. I know the 4G antenna is specialized, so, improving that, probably not going to happen. But, I can maybe send one text with every 5 or 6 tries, so.. I might just have to bring my micro cell in and give it a try.
AFAIK, Antenna boosters do very little. Why not try some aluminum foil under the battery cover and see if that helps? You can copy one of those you see online.
NOTE: Glue or tape the foil to a bit of paper or plastic so it can't move around and short something out.
Do you want FM radio on the G3?
This thread is dedicated to discussion and development of a kernel/rom that will enable the FM radio on the Verizon varient of the G3.
FWIW, if I want / need to listen to local FM radio on my phone, I use the Tunein Radio app. Works well in my area.
rfarrah said:
FWIW, if I want / need to listen to local FM radio on my phone, I use the Tunein Radio app. Works well in my area.
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Yeah but if we use FM we don't have to waste our mobile data plan.
It would be nice. I go to the drive in movie theater every now and then and listening on my phone through a Bluetooth speaker would be nice sometimes. That way I don't have to worry about my battery dying.
l33tlinuxh4x0r said:
Yeah but if we use FM we don't have to waste our mobile data plan.
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Good point!
It would be nice to have when on the treadmill at the gym. They transmit the tv sound using fm transmitters.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
How would this made possible? I am really interested in this.
I think it'd be nice to have. If other g3's are equipped with the option, why not the vs985? Anything to help thwart big red from forcing us to use data - I'm down.:good:
Is it software or hardware that has it disabled though, that's the question.
stillmatic917 said:
How would this made possible? I am really interested in this.
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startswithPendswithOOH said:
I think it'd be nice to have. If other g3's are equipped with the option, why not the vs985? Anything to help thwart big red from forcing us to use data - I'm down.:good:
Is it software or hardware that has it disabled though, that's the question.
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Some people say that it is hardware. They say that verizon soldered the FM pins on the board to short them out.
Personally I believe that they disabled it in software. I think that they did it to force us to use data instead of somthing that is free so that they can make more money. I think that it may be kernel or framework/lib related or both. I have already determined that FM is enabled in the Sprint kernel and that it is disabled in the Verizon kernel. There are also files that are in the Sprint rom (known to have working FM) that are not in the verizon rom. Here is a list of files that are missing from the Verizon rom among others but these ones look promising.
Code:
/bin/BCM4339_003.001.009.0061.0313_FM_I2S.hcd
/etc/permissions/com.broadcom.fm.xml
/etc/permissions/com.lge.hardware.fm_radio.xml
/framework/com.broadcom.fm.jar
/framework/com.broadcom.fm.odex
I have zipped up the files and will attach them here. I also included other files with FM or radio in their name from the sprint rom although I don't believe that they are different from the ones in the Verizon rom.
If I want to listen to the radio I'll pull out my old Walkman lol! No need for I here! That's my vote
l33tlinuxh4x0r said:
Some people say that it is hardware. They say that verizon soldered the FM pins on the board to short them out.
Personally I believe that they disabled it in software. I think that they did it to force us to use data instead of somthing that is free so that they can make more money. I think that it may be kernel or framework/lib related or both. I have already determined that FM is enabled in the Sprint kernel and that it is disabled in the Verizon kernel. There are also files that are in the Sprint rom (known to have working FM) that are not in the verizon rom. Here is a list of files that are missing from the Verizon rom among others but these ones look promising.
Code:
/bin/BCM4339_003.001.009.0061.0313_FM_I2S.hcd
/etc/permissions/com.broadcom.fm.xml
/etc/permissions/com.lge.hardware.fm_radio.xml
/framework/com.broadcom.fm.jar
/framework/com.broadcom.fm.odex
I have zipped up the files and will attach them here. I also included other files with FM or radio in their name from the sprint rom although I don't believe that they are different from the ones in the Verizon rom.
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Click to collapse
On the hardware side, do you think it is just a matter of opening the g3 and putting a DMM on the FM circuit to verify it's shorted or not, and/or also look for missing components in the antenna path? A lot of times OEM's use the same boards and just disable features via software based on the carrier &/or model, but sometimes they do modify/disable the circuitry.
Schematics...hard to come by...anybody have a source?
startswithPendswithOOH said:
On the hardware side, do you think it is just a matter of opening the g3 and putting a DMM on the FM circuit to verify it's shorted or not, and/or also look for missing components in the antenna path? A lot of times OEM's use the same boards and just disable features via software based on the carrier &/or model, but sometimes they do modify/disable the circuitry.
Schematics...hard to come by...anybody have a source?
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Click to collapse
I already checked the FCC for schematics and pictures but I did not see any. I did however see a memo form LG saying that they wanted a bunch of stuff kept confidential. Not really sure on the hardware front... I have never been to big into electronic engineering. I'm more of a software guy.
l33tlinuxh4x0r said:
I already checked the FCC for schematics and pictures but I did not see any. I did however see a memo form LG saying that they wanted a bunch of stuff kept confidential. Not really sure on the hardware front... I have never been to big into electronic engineering. I'm more of a software guy.
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I'm more of a hardware guy. I used to be an RF tech and worked in mobile phone repair for a couple years too. I have tons of respect for all the software guys out there. I'm too damn lazy(or dumb) to keep up with the software. Hardware evolves much slower
I'm sans DMM right now, but I don't have a problem cracking my g3 open(no insurance - it is a scam) just to check the soldering once I snag a DMM from work tomorrow. I haven't seen a g3 teardown yet, but I'll look into it. 13 screws on the back and then...a mystery...woo hoo!
Working with no schematic is always interesting, but I'll try and explore some and post back in a bit - with pics along the way. I hope it's something obvious like a short or a missing component in the antenna path. But as far as modifying circuitry and such...I'm not going there, ok? Unless we find something obvious on the hardware side we have to push more on the software side of things. I'm not killing my phone for this
d08speed3 said:
If I want to listen to the radio I'll pull out my old Walkman lol! No need for I here! That's my vote
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Go ahead and use a Nokia 3310 to make phone calls, carry your paper maps and hard cover books around while you at it. There's no need for a smart phone. Why are you even on the internet
startswithPendswithOOH said:
I think it'd be nice to have. If other g3's are equipped with the option, why not the vs985? Anything to help thwart big red from forcing us to use data - I'm down.:good:
Is it software or hardware that has it disabled though, that's the question.
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Click to collapse
I love using the data they give me since I have unlimited I used over 600 GB one month and usually over 300 every month I bet they hate me so much
d08speed3 said:
If I want to listen to the radio I'll pull out my old Walkman lol! No need for I here! That's my vote
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Click to collapse
Who listens to regular radio anymore anyway? :silly:
I'm interested, just because why not have the ability. What if the zombie apocalypse happens and the only thing working on your phone is FM radio.... :silly:
Let me know how I can help. Don't know much about coding though, I'm an econ major
cap1tal1sm said:
I'm interested, just because why not have the ability. What if the zombie apocalypse happens and the only thing working on your phone is FM radio.... :silly:
I suggest an add on feature for the camera app that functions as a Zombie Scanner.....
As for FM Radio, it would be nice, but I havent really had any good luck with it on other models... reception was always janky.. Of course I DO live in the trees of NEW HAMPSHIRE......
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startswithPendswithOOH said:
I'm more of a hardware guy. I used to be an RF tech and worked in mobile phone repair for a couple years too. I have tons of respect for all the software guys out there. I'm too damn lazy(or dumb) to keep up with the software. Hardware evolves much slower
I'm sans DMM right now, but I don't have a problem cracking my g3 open(no insurance - it is a scam) just to check the soldering once I snag a DMM from work tomorrow. I haven't seen a g3 teardown yet, but I'll look into it. 13 screws on the back and then...a mystery...woo hoo!
Working with no schematic is always interesting, but I'll try and explore some and post back in a bit - with pics along the way. I hope it's something obvious like a short or a missing component in the antenna path. But as far as modifying circuitry and such...I'm not going there, ok? Unless we find something obvious on the hardware side we have to push more on the software side of things. I'm not killing my phone for this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off thanks for having the balls to open your phone and thanks for checking for us. When you do get a chance to take this baby apart take lots and lots and lots of pictures. Try to document everything. And as far as FM antenna goes it uses headphones plugged into the headphone jack as an antenna.
Here is a link to the FCC pictures of the sprint G3 https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repo...Frame=N&application_id=929848&fcc_id=ZNFLS990 From there click on "Internal Photos" It shows everything just not labled. I can only make out the simple stuff like the charging port, the camera/lightsensors, the sim holder etc. The CPU (Soc) is visable when the phone is appart but most everthing else is covered by a heatsink.
Found what appears to be the Verizon version on the fcc https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repo...Frame=N&application_id=252995&fcc_id=ZNFVS985 again look at "Internal Photos"
Looks like we have a wire in the photos that the Sprint version did not have. It may just have been removed for the photo on the Sprint version though. It runs along the sie of the PCB along the side of the battery. Most likely this is something important and not related to the radio but like I said before I'm not a hardware guy. If it is radio related how kind of them to use this easily removable wire instead of solder.
Also it appears that what is hidden by the heatsink is different on the two boards. Hopefully it is just unimportant changes like RAM chips or something. Upon further investigation it looks like most if not all of the same parts are there, they are just in differnet locations.
l33tlinuxh4x0r said:
First off thanks for having the balls to open your phone and thanks for checking for us. When you do get a chance to take this baby apart take lots and lots and lots of pictures. Try to document everything. And as far as FM antenna goes it uses headphones plugged into the headphone jack as an antenna.
Here is a link to the FCC pictures of the sprint G3 https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repo...Frame=N&application_id=929848&fcc_id=ZNFLS990 From there click on "Internal Photos" It shows everything just not labled. I can only make out the simple stuff like the charging port, the camera/lightsensors, the sim holder etc. The CPU (Soc) is visable when the phone is appart but most everthing else is covered by a heatsink.
Found what appears to be the Verizon version on the fcc https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repo...Frame=N&application_id=252995&fcc_id=ZNFVS985 again look at "Internal Photos"
Looks like we have a wire in the photos that the Sprint version did not have. It may just have been removed for the photo on the Sprint version though. It runs along the sie of the PCB along the side of the battery. Most likely this is something important and not related to the radio but like I said before I'm not a hardware guy. If it is radio related how kind of them to use this easily removable wire instead of solder.
Also it appears that what is hidden by the heatsink is different on the two boards. Hopefully it is just unimportant changes like RAM chips or something. Upon further investigation it looks like most if not all of the same parts are there, they are just in differnet locations.
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Click to collapse
I just wanted to check in and apologize for not posting pics yet. The holidays got in the way - like they always do. That and my camera kinda sucks so I have to use one from work.
I've taken the phone apart a few times and just need a better camera to get the shots I need to post. Thank you for the links in your previous post - they helped out, along with a d855 breakdown I found as well.
The main thing I was looking for preliminarily is if we had an IC with FM capabilities and it appears that we do. When I get a better camera I can verify 100% the # on the chip and post it, but it looks like it is a qualcomm WCN3680 which is an WiFi/Bluetooth/FM chip. I don't know if this helps you out, but here is a linux support/driver page regarding the wcn36xx: http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/wcn36xx (If its no help to you - please disregard.)
Also, I saw your post #335 in the skykernel thread regarding using commands for a BCM4339 IC, but it appears we do not have that IC on our board. I found a labeled breakdown of another G3(model not listed, but had the TV antenna I believe - I'll post a pic later when I get home) which does have the BCM4339 IC on that board. The d855 euro g3 model, which has FM capabilities, has the qualcomm wcn3660 on that board, so maybe the commands we need to enable FM could come from the d855 model instead?
I have some links, datasheets, and I will post a somewhat labeled board layout when I get home in a few hours.
And hopefully I can get the most detailed pics as possible posted in the next day or two as well.
Time to put my phone back together and get back to work
oh yea, someone get this up and running (idk how im not smart enough) lol