GPS failed to lock, and what i did to fix it(kind of). - LG V20 Questions & Answers

I bought a second handed H918 in Asia and later found out the GPS failed to lock at all. AGPS works, but it is far from accurate and useless for navigation services.
I google a lot of similar issues, some suggested it's a software fault, some have to return the phone to LG for replacement. Since mine does not have any warranty whatsoever, I can only try to fix it on my own.
After I remove the top plastic trim, there are six metal connectors from the motherboard, but only three of them are aligned with a metal content point on the trim, that means only the antenna in the right is in place. I happened to have a dead LG G4 around me, so I pull one of the antenna sticker from its plastic cover (marked P1C 0518 from the top left corner) and aligned it to the top left connector (it is very lucky that the connector in the G4 is nearly the same width, so it only takes a little mod to make it fit). After I cut away all the unnecessary part of the antenna sticker to make it fit inside the plastic trim, it will still block the ir blaster which I will never use, so it is okay for me.
And my GPS is back! signal is strong and very reliable.
But I still have one question unanswered, I have no idea what is the use of that middle antenna. Does anyone have an idea what it does? I can't find any problem not having it. WIFI, BT, LTE all working very nicely.

Type2501 said:
I bought a second handed H918 in Asia and later found out the GPS failed to lock at all. AGPS works, but it is far from accurate and useless for navigation services.
I google a lot of similar issues, some suggested it's a software fault, some have to return the phone to LG for replacement. Since mine does not have any warranty whatsoever, I can only try to fix it on my own.
After I remove the top plastic trim, there are six metal connectors from the motherboard, but only three of them are aligned with a metal content point on the trim, that means only the antenna in the right is in place. I happened to have a dead LG G4 around me, so I pull one of the antenna sticker from its plastic cover (marked P1C 0518 from the top left corner) and aligned it to the top left connector (it is very lucky that the connector in the G4 is nearly the same width, so it only takes a little mod to make it fit). After I cut away all the unnecessary part of the antenna sticker to make it fit inside the plastic trim, it will still block the ir blaster which I will never use, so it is okay for me.
And my GPS is back! signal is strong and very reliable.
But I still have one question unanswered, I have no idea what is the use of that middle antenna. Does anyone have an idea what it does? I can't find any problem not having it. WIFI, BT, LTE all working very nicely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well done! Is there any chance you took any photo's while you had it apart?

I wish I could see it as well. My gps unlocks all the time

If this will help, I upgraded my H918 to the the latest stock 10u firmware and am now running a stock ROM and my GPS gets a lock near instantaneously when on device only. Not sure why but my phone just did not seem to like custom ROMs such as WETA ROM nor the NATF MEGArom when it came to GPS. I'm on ARB1 now so I think my only options now are ALPHA ROM and SUPER ROM so Im a plan on trying those eventually and see if same thing happens.
No clue why this would be as many users for those ROMs running my model reported no issues but just throwing it out there for people having issues.

Related

Diamon2 T5388++ NEW GPS reception fix

EDIT: DISREGARD THIS. GO TO POST #3 and #4
Hello guys,
this is my first post so if I'm posting in the wrong section please bear with me.
I recently bought a T5388++ HTC diamond 2 clone. Everything was fine except that I couldn't get a GPS fix. (In the Start -> Settings -> System -> GPS Settings [Satellite State] I only had *red* satellites)
I used the "aluminum foil in the back side" fix, which worked well and I could get a fix.
Being an uneasy person I open the back cover of the cell phone to take a look (beware the headphone cables).
Now here is the good part.
On the left side (near the sd card and where the stylus ends) is probably the GPS antenna.
In the inside, on the board's side, there are two metallic "pins" which (when the cover is closed) touch the back of the antenna. What I did was to add some foil on the back side of the antenna so the contact with the pins would be more tight.
This worked like a charm and the signal is very good. I can even get a decent fix (3-4 *blue* satellites) from inside the house.
Sorry for the lack of pics, if anyone tries it, post a couple pictures and I can show you what I did exactly.
EDIT: DISREGARD THIS. GO TO POST #3 and #4
Pics!!!!
Here are some pics.
First unscrew the four screws, one at each corner of the phone.
Then slice the phone with the help of small flat screwdriver or some other tool. (there are some appropriate notches for that purpose)
**Beware of falling parts**
In the forth and fifth pic you can see where I install the alu foil.
Now you can close the phone and enjoy your newly found GPS!
[I also tried some solder, but the results where almost the same]
Congrats.
However, I can assure you that is not the GPS antenna. Based on the antenna size and shape (its a small inverted F antenna, see the black sticker that is attached to in on top of the stylus case) I am assuming it is either the Bluetooth or WiFi antenna.
The GPS antenna is a bit higher, it is the small pink 'cube' thingy on top of the phone, connected by the micro coax connector.
I had reported before the micro coax is loose in some devices, and I suspect you 'accidentally' fitted it better while opening and closing the phone.
But congrats on your successful operation anyway, being able to open and close the phone and still have a working one is already good, and often, just doing that and ensuring all connectors are clean and properly fit solves a all sorts of problems.
Yeap you are right!
I have read you saying this about loose connectors, so when i first opened the phone I refitted the micro coax.
In my defense I tried to see if this was the antenna. I disconnected it and opened the GPS. Seeing many satellites on the screen (red ones) I concluded that this was not the GPS antenna. (I thought maybe WiFi since I've seen this type of connector on my laptop's wifi)
But having read your post now, I tried a new experiment and found out that the "red" satellites appear, due to the A-GPS (with neither "my" GPS and THE GPS antenna).
Damn...
So could someone change the title to "OLD GPS reception fix"
I had the same problem with GPS. I have risked and have changed orientation GPS of the antenna - GPS perfectly works. BUT now the speaker in which I hear the interlocutor doesn't work for me. At other person after the assembly has broken touch the panel. Therefore it is better not to recommend to open phone.
onde consigo a rom do htc t5388+ idioma PTG ?
magicwolf said:
I had the same problem with GPS. I have risked and have changed orientation GPS of the antenna - GPS perfectly works. BUT now the speaker in which I hear the interlocutor doesn't work for me. At other person after the assembly has broken touch the panel. Therefore it is better not to recommend to open phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You changed the orientation of the antenna. In which way?
When I opened the phone to see if the connector is set right one cable to the speaker was dispatched (very bad soldering). I had to remove the old cable and solder another one because it was not only loose it was broken, too...grrrr...that's very bad.
But I was lucky and did't burned my phone
So, I also recommend to be VERY careful when opening the phone.
BTW: It is much simplier to open the T5388++ than my ASUS P535.
MicAlter said:
You changed the orientation of the antenna. In which way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In a picture it is visible as I oriented the antenna.
cybermaus said:
Congrats.
However, I can assure you that is not the GPS antenna. Based on the antenna size and shape (its a small inverted F antenna, see the black sticker that is attached to in on top of the stylus case) I am assuming it is either the Bluetooth or WiFi antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please identify Wifi antenna? Look in attachment:
"C" is GPS antenna.
What is "A" "B" "D" ?
"D" - I see little piece of aluminum foil, but nothing else. Under this foil is place for stylus only and above foil is contact + Vibration Motor.
Somewhere I reed a tip not to hold the hand on the bottom of this phone during the phone call in order not to shield located there GSM antenna, so it means B is probably GSM. Are you sure C is BT and not GPS?
You're right. "C" is 100% GPS antenna. My mistake. (I've changed it now in original post.)
Well, my guess is B (at the bottom) is GSM, based on the fact it is larger (lower frequency) and seems to have two (one for the 850/900 MHz and one for 1800/1900Mhz), which leaves A and D for Blue and WiFi.
PS: Or GSM has two because it has 2 radio's? I wonder if they would share antenna or not, since it is a dual-sim dual standby, I guess the could share)
serak_hd2 WiFi probl.
If you have opened your phone already you can easily discover which one is wifi and BT. Just put a peace of paper on one contact (blocking connection), reassemble (screws are not necessary) and try connect to BT devise (compare to previous performance(distance)) if it is gone (or big performance difference), you blocked BT if not, it was WiFi. After you know which is Wifi, just try to ensure good mechanical contact from antenna till the board (bending contactors little higher or putting allufoil (aluminum can oxidize quickly, so it is not the best solution)). Try not to touch the board, some of the components can be sensible to static discharges. If you have not opened it yet, try to consider ones more the possibility to change it by your seller for new one.
problem with touch screen
t5388 + + touch screen does not work, but the image looks perfectly fine.
How to fix this?
thanks
cybermaus said:
The GPS antenna is a bit higher, it is the small pink 'cube' thingy on top of the phone, connected by the micro coax connector.
I had reported before the micro coax is loose in some devices, and I suspect you 'accidentally' fitted it better while opening and closing the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also had this problem, the connector was loose, now I have very good signal. No aluminium foil needed. Your post saved me!
My recommendation to other people trying to solve this problem: be VERY careful when you open your phone.

Poor GPS reception

I bought my G1 used off of eBay about 9 months ago. From the beginning the GPS never seemed to work that good. I didn't use it very much until recently when I got a 2600mAh battery for it and upgraded to CM6.0.0. I decided to investigate the GPS problem further as I wanted to be able to use the navigation feature on it in my car & work van. I was trying to find out where inside the phone the GPS antenna was so I knew which position it would get the best reception in the car. That's when I found this pic:
(sorry, won't let me post links due to being a new account! This was a pic of the antenna tape on the outside of the case next to the camera lens)
And when I looked closely at that area of my phone this is what I saw:
(sorry, won't let me post links due to being a new account! This pic was 2 little tabs sticking out from the original antenna tape, looks like it had been cut off!)
The antenna tape was missing! I can't believe I have been without proper GPS operation all this time. It seems the only location service I was getting was triangulation from the cell phone towers. It makes me wonder if the person I bought the phone from may have intentionally removed the antenna so he couldn't be tracked?
Anyway, I made my own temporary antenna out of aluminum foil:
(sorry, won't let me post links due to being a new account! Just imagine a piece of aluminum foil cut to fit where the original antenna tape goes and taped to the case over top of the original antenna tabs)
Went outside to test it and picked up 8 satellites right away using GPS Test app. Oh I was so happy and mad at the same time! I used the navigation most of the day yesterday. A few times it lost signal, probably due to poor contact between the aluminum foil and the tabs from the original antenna.
So now my question..........Where can I get a new proper antenna from? Does it come attached to the case if I buy a new case or is it a seperate part? So far in searching for G1 repair parts I have not been able to find the antenna as a seperate part & cannot tell if a new case comes with the antenna tape attached.
Thanks for any help!
Jeff
I can't answer the question about where to get parts, aside from looking around for broken parts phones (i.e. cracked screen)... Gotta say -- that's a funny story... and a good thing to keep in mind for others having GPS issues.
It is also why I don't buy stuff like that used.

Just repaired my GPS

Prying the frame open wasn't such a problem although you should be careful not to force anything, it actually clicks open nicely when handled carefully. I ran into problems with the little bridge of the GPS, it broke of when I looked at it. Well actually I did help a little with a screwdriver but it broke on touch so to speak.
So there I was with a broken GPS and my sight isn't everything either so what to do. Well I found a solution. Have a seat. This is shocking.
I folded a peace of alu foil a few times and fitted it in the little space on the speaker just left from the gps and covered the broken bridge with it. I wont have to tell how difficult this is considering you have to avoid all contacts in this area. So if you try it it's your choice.
Result. A blasting fast GPS that indeed gives me never seen before fixes. This just must be my lucky day. Geocaches here I come. Time to put my external GPS aside again. Nothing beats a mad hatter.
So you kind of inadvertently upgraded the GPS antennae!
Thanks for posting, don't suppose you could post a picture?
Been checking this GPS thing myself.
I actually wonder how people manage to break that contact. You only have to bring it up a notch.
When checking the back cover you can see that there are 2 places that are contacts. i've checked with the multimeter and both are connected to each other.
Now there is one thing that is strange to me. The contact that is not the one touching the metal 'spring', well on the circuitboard there is this what looks like a piece of conducting foam that would make contact with the other one on the back. Measuring that foam it indeed conducts. It conducts to ground (measured between the coax connector and foam = 0 Ohms).
Now I actually dont know if it really touches the antenna but it would be odd to create a contact when it would not be touching.
So maybe there are 2 places that should make contact to the antenna.
Does anyone have an actual clue, or even better pictures, of the changes that were made on the models after October?

Anyone else having navigation issues?

I am currently running google maps 9.42.3. Android 6.0.1 Kernal 3.10.49-g6d40c12.
Last night, while taking my grandson to a soccer game, navigation would not update my position or take the next turn. I rebooted and that did nothing. As in the other thread, my GPS is not great. However, I could hit the location button on the map and it would get reasonably close to where I was at. Certainly close enough to suggest the next turn.
I know this has worked on this phone in the past. Is it possible that I "broke" it by turning off Google Play services access to my contacts? I now get messages saying that maps won't work properly because play can't access my contacts. I could understand why maps may not be able to navigate to a named contact if it didn't have access to my contacts but why would little ole me affect navigation? What could my limited contacts possibly have to offer to bring what used to be a great app to the point of being non-functional?
Thanks,
Wade
For what it's worth, Play Services needs access to pretty much your entire phone to work at all. And contacts is also tied to things like your Dialer, which is tied to your cell antenna... you get the picture. I found out the other day that if Google Maps can't get a fix from GPS, it takes a fix from whatever cell tower you're connected to, even if that tower is 10 miles away. More towers in your area, the better chance you won't notice the difference.
I am having navigation issue.
I don't know very much about the problem but you can fix navigation issue by just touching to the Harpia GPS device by removing the back cover of your mobile. It actually works for me every f***** time.
10 Seconds GPS Redneck Fix
Using @ashishwebmail touch tip I devised a 10 second solution for my XT1609 G4 Play. Sort of a temporary redneck fix but it works.
(Next I'll probably be experimenting with very thin conductive tape that might fit within the back of the phone.)
I straightened a paperclip except for the end with the bend upward. Took off the case and phone back. Put the paperclip in my case with the upward bend flush in the case corner so it contacts the GPS antenna. Replaced phone in case without phone back. Voila!
Getting a GPS fix every time in 2-6 seconds using both GPS Status and GPS Test, indoors with WiFi on or off!
Unable, as a newbie to this board, to post a link to the case I'm using. It's my favorite smartphone case ever, and cheap.
It's the one on eBay with the title "Slim Shockproof Rugged Hybrid Soft Silicone Case Cover For Motorola Moto G4 Play"
Conductive Tape GPS Fix Confirmed
Removed the case and phone back. Laid a 2 mm wide strip of aluminum tape from the top GPS corner, along the edge of the battery compartment, to the bottom corner, careful to keep it away from the phone back notches. Doubted the adhesive was electrically conductive as I think it's just cheap construction flashing tape, so I folded it back on itself on top of the GPS antenna to be sure it made electrical contact with it. Replaced phone back and case.
Getting GPS fix in 1-3 seconds indoors every time in 20 tries! (This is with WiFi on or off.)
I had an issue with the GPS not working for navigation on the Moto G4 Play and I ended up having the phone replaced under Motorola warranty, it was a bad GPS. This seems to be a fairly common issue for this model.

GPS issues demystified

I updated with possible permanent solution HERE​
Hi, I'm opening this thread in hope to make some order with the GPS issues many of us are having.
There is a lot of misleading information as to the cause and solutions that have nothing to do with fixing the GPS (the 3 pins which are for the volume rocker, for example).
My phone is H850 version, but relevant to all variants.
I would like to thank Rick Jones for putting me on the right track, you can read some on iFixit here
What are the issues?
GPS reception getting worse over time.
Not getting a fix.
Getting a fix but losing signal sporadically.
OK, let's start:
All the "magic" is concentrated in the very top - right of the phone (viewing from the front).
Digging through FCC site for documents, I found this:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
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As you can see the GPS antenna is top left (view from the back).
It was thought that the antenna is on the metal back, but this is not the case.
In fact, it is on the plastic frame that holds the LCD, sandwiched between the LCD and it's frame.
Here is a photo of an LCD frame without the LCD:
The strip then goes to the other side and under the PCB:
And connects to the PCB here:
and here you can see with the PCB removed:
This is with the PCB in place:
Now, this is the metal back where the grounding mesh is:
Now, to elaborate, The Antenna for the GPS is of a "planar inverted-F antenna" type. (see Wikipedia here)
This is where the grounding part comes to light - It is part of the antenna plane, though not the antenna itself.
The pin(s) mentioned must make good contact between the antenna, PCB, mesh.
Problem is one or both pins do not make good connection to PCB/mesh. this can happen over time.
Adding some additional layer in the form of a conductive foil, yields better connection (see photos, they explain what to do).
I did this on my phone, and reception became very good, though not exceptional when I compared to other phones.
I usually get 5-10 meter accuracy outside. While certainly good, should be 3 meters or better with GPS+GLONASS+BeiDou.
And indoors close to a window, I get better accuracy and fix time with other phones.
A strange thing that might be software related, I get much better results both in fix time and accuracy, while using the diagnostic menu (*#546368#*850# on the dialer and "field test" then do "GNSS POS test")
when compared to apps like "GPS test"
Not satisfied with this, I decided to find a better solution for the pins, and found a suggestion to replace/solder on the pins a better connector in the form of a spring contact (similar to the springs on the vibration motor).
I salvaged from some faulty phone, (not G5), those springs an soldered on top of both pins, to make a hopefully long term solution. Also I removed the mesh, cleaned the glue residue as I suspect this is part of the problem.
While this did NOT improve the reception, it does work fine. However, it does have the risk that you can damage the pins/PCB, so unless you have good soldering skills, I suggest avoiding this and using the foil method.
Some extreme close-up photos of the springs soldered on the pins:
To summarize, the antenna is in 2 parts - 1. the flex strip to the LCD frame, 2. the ground plane to the metal back.
The pins, probably through stress, heat, lose good contact to their relevant mates.
The other solutions (such as the 3 pins which was PROVED to be the volume rocker) gives temporary, if at all, solution because all it does is lift the PCB and not even on the correct side - avoid THIS IS FALSE.
Yep. You're right.
I checked out the posts here where people where offering elaborate soldering of wires, or that volume rocker connection. I quickly found a post, or site, elsewhere that described the same as you and I knew that was correct almost immediately.
Actually it probably was that iFixit page you mention.
shloms said:
Hi, I'm opening this thread in hope to make some order with the GPS issues many of us are having.
There is a lot of misleading information as to the cause and solutions that have nothing to do with fixing the GPS (the 3 pins which are for the volume rocker, for example).
My phone is H850 version, but relevant to all variants.
I would like to thank Rick Jones for putting me on the right track, you can read some on iFixit here
What are the issues?
GPS reception getting worse over time.
Not getting a fix.
Getting a fix but losing signal sporadically.
OK, let's start:
All the "magic" is concentrated in the very top - right of the phone (viewing from the front).
Digging through FCC site for documents, I found this:
View attachment 4337847
As you can see the GPS antenna is top left (view from the back).
It was thought that the antenna is on the metal back, but this is not the case.
In fact, it is on the plastic frame that holds the LCD, sandwiched between the LCD and it's frame.
Here is a photo of an LCD frame without the LCD:
View attachment 4337810
The strip then goes to the other side and under the PCB:
View attachment 4337812
And connects to the PCB here:
View attachment 4337823
and here you can see with the PCB removed:
View attachment 4337822
This is with the PCB in place:
View attachment 4337821
Now, this is the metal back where the grounding mesh is:
View attachment 4337820
Now, to elaborate, The Antenna for the GPS is of a "planar inverted-F antenna" type. (see Wikipedia here)
This is where the grounding part comes to light - It is part of the antenna plane, though not the antenna itself.
The pin(s) mentioned must make good contact between the antenna, PCB, mesh.
Problem is one or both pins do not make good connection to PCB/mesh. this can happen over time.
Adding some additional layer in the form of a conductive foil, yields better connection (see photos, they explain what to do).
I did this on my phone, and reception became very good, though not exceptional when I compared to other phones.
I usually get 5-10 meter accuracy outside. While certainly good, should be 3 meters or better with GPS+GLONASS+BeiDou.
And indoors close to a window, I get better accuracy and fix time with other phones.
A strange thing that might be software related, I get much better results both in fix time and accuracy, while using the diagnostic menu (*#546368#*850# on the dialer and "field test" then do "GNSS POS test")
when compared to apps like "GPS test"
Not satisfied with this, I decided to find a better solution for the pins, and found a suggestion to replace/solder on the pins a better connector in the form of a spring contact (similar to the springs on the vibration motor).
I salvaged from some faulty phone, (not G5), those springs an soldered on top of both pins, to make a hopefully long term solution. Also I removed the mesh, cleaned the glue residue as I suspect this is part of the problem.
While this did NOT improve the reception, it does work fine. However, it does have the risk that you can damage the pins/PCB, so unless you have good soldering skills, I suggest avoiding this and using the foil method.
Some extreme close-up photos of the springs soldered on the pins:
View attachment 4337842
View attachment 4337843
View attachment 4337845
To summarize, the antenna is in 2 parts - 1. the flex strip to the LCD frame, 2. the ground plane to the metal back.
The pins, probably through stress, heat, lose good contact to their relevant mates.
The other solutions (such as the 3 pins which was PROVED to be the volume rocker) gives temporary, if at all, solution because all it does is lift the PCB and not even on the correct side - avoid THIS IS FALSE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you look over to the Antenna3 (top middle) and help me with my Cell reception problem? The phone's reception is horrifyingly terrible.
You are right , this helped me. I got this images from some forum post.]I tried the three contact one but that was just a dumb idea and broke my volume up
Don't try the three pin (those are volume contact points)method anyone who come here please read this
ChristopherXI said:
Can you look over to the Antenna3 (top middle) and help me with my Cell reception problem? The phone's reception is horrifyingly terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I opened this thread for GPS antenna, but I'll try to help
Which model of the G5 you have and which frequencies? Also is the reception bad on LTE, 3G, GSM, which?
Any how take a look at those photos, to see where the contacts for ANT3, should you check:
View attachment 4340158
Great thread thanks alot Shloms!
that will be helpful to many people.
prannoytambe said:
You are right , this helped me. I got this images from some forum post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats the wrong one!
it may work because it's the ground connection but the actual GPS antenna is the one above.
thetool said:
Great thread thanks alot Shloms!
that will be helpful to many people.
Thats the wrong one!
it may work because it's the ground connection but the actual GPS antenna is the one above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh might be mine had ground issue, but will try the other one once i open it for the vol button fix.
Still please lets help boost this post , other are killing peoples vol button with no fix.
Hi, I'm using Rs988. I live in Ukraine and here the operators support only 2g and 3g. The phone does not catch the signal of all operators. I think that the problem is in the antenna. As I understand the antenna for wcdma, gsm is at the bottom of the phone. How to improve the signal?
Отправлено с моего RS988 через Tapatalk
spinoza_web said:
Hi, I'm using Rs988. I live in Ukraine and here the operators support only 2g and 3g. The phone does not catch the signal of all operators. I think that the problem is in the antenna. As I understand the antenna for wcdma, gsm is at the bottom of the phone. How to improve the signal?
Отправлено с моего RS988 через Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes for 2G, and some of the 3G it's the antennas on the removable battery "chin"
This is for your model.
However, as you can see some of the 3G are shared with Antenna 3 on the top.
You can check the Bottom removable part if the 2 contacts make good connection with PCB.
Do you get good signal with other phones?
shloms said:
Hi, I opened this thread for GPS antenna, but I'll try to help
Which model of the G5 you have and which frequencies? Also is the reception bad on LTE, 3G, GSM, which?
Any how take a look at those photos, to see where the contacts for ANT3, should you check:
View attachment 4340158
View attachment 4340159
View attachment 4340160
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using the At&t version. the reception is bad on all LTE/3G/2G
Another post a while back used liquid nickel epoxy. Can be found on Amazon on the cheap to basically dab extra material which would harden creating a contact surface. This would be a lot more practical than soldering on new springs.
Genial hombre!
Enviado desde mi LG-H850 mediante Tapatalk
I have not yet managed to fix my gps permanently.
I took a copper solder-wick, cleaned it well with contact spray and put it at the gps contacts mentioned here.
At first it works well but after a few days gps intermittent again.
I removed the copper wire, and bent the gps pin so that it will have a good connection.
checked the connection between the board and the GPS pin (0.00 with multimeter = GREAT CONNECTION)
I suspect the problem is with the antenna inside the back-cover.
Bottom line: Maybe it's possible to improvise the gps antenna with thin wires?
thetool said:
I have not yet managed to fix my gps permanently.
I took a copper solder-wick, cleaned it well with contact spray and put it at the gps contacts mentioned here.
At first it works well but after a few days gps intermittent again.
I removed the copper wire, and bent the gps pin so that it will have a good connection.
checked the connection between the board and the GPS pin (0.00 with multimeter = GREAT CONNECTION)
I suspect the problem is with the antenna inside the back-cover.
Bottom line: Maybe it's possible to improvise the gps antenna with thin wires?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Inside the back cover? the antenna is the white flex and goes between the LCD and the main frame.
I doubt that the soft contact (I marked in green, because it was a response to some other post) is part of the GPS.
In theory, yes you could improvise an antenna, but I see 2 problems - 1. it would have to be a very specific length for the frequency (if I recall right 1750Mhz?) 2. the back cover is metal, and once it is closed, practically the inside is shielded to signals.
It is only the very top of the phone between the main frame and LCD that hosts the 3 antennas, including the one for the GPS.
I even thought about drilling a tiny hole in the back cover and connecting a GPS antenna (like you find in most other phones, can be bought as spare parts for many phones), through a thin shielded cable, and sticking it on the back cover from the outside, but so far the springs on the pins prove to be reliable.
What do you mean by "the antenna is the white flex and goes between the LCD and the main frame."?
I have managed to find a replacement Dead G5 to test it. (I'll need to buy it if I want to keep it)
I have replaced the back cover - Instant fix. (get 3m accuracy outside and 10m inside)
That was my thought - the back cover sometimes is the culprit.
Because I tried everything and nothing really works.
With my back cover (no mods) the signal is very bad.
thetool said:
what do you mean by "the antenna is the white flex and goes between the lcd and the main frame."?
I have managed to find a replacement dead g5 to test it. (i'll need to buy it if i want to keep it)
i have replaced the back cover - instant fix. (get 3m accuracy outside and 10m inside)
that was my thought - the back cover sometimes is the culprit.
Because i tried everything and nothing really works.
With my back cover (no mods) the signal is very bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean this:
You can't access this part unless you heat the LCD/frame to separate them, the antenna is the grey flex strip/pcb that has the antenna trace etched on it. you won't see this part as it is between LCD/frame as I mentioned.
View attachment 4337810
Now, can you see the arrow? this is the remaining flex strip that has the connector that you are familiar with. And this connector, as you know, touches the metal mesh on the back case.
View attachment 4337812
What I did, if you read my original post, is solder springs on the connector, and removed the mesh because I suspected it was oxidized and/or the glue was not conducting well.
So far, so good.
My guess would be that your mesh has the same issue and the other case you tested has a good mesh.
If it's not too expensive maybe you should keep this back cover, although reading from other threads, some users bought a replacement cover with good results initially and the problem returned after a while.
From what I see, there is NO antennas on the back cover except the NFC antenna which is around the fingerprint sensor - this is even stated at the document LG submitted to the FCC .
The back cover is used as a ground plane for the antenna and is not in itself an antenna.
Thanks for your detailed reply.
My old back cover doen't have a mesh at all.
I played with it many times and put a cooper shim with a mesh beneath (exactly like you did here)
pulled the gps pin and cleaned every contact on the back with contact cleaner...
Sometimes it worked well for a day or 2... most of the time it was bad from the beginning.
You never know if it's really fixed, just after a few days. so annoying.
been working on it for way too many hours lol
(Picture of the original back and the copper I used, after cleaning well of course)
tried also using some silver wire I took from another phone... was very bad.
thetool said:
Thanks for your detailed reply.
My old back cover doen't have a mesh at all.
I played with it many times and put a cooper shim with a mesh beneath (exactly like you did here)
pulled the gps pin and cleaned every contact on the back with contact cleaner...
Sometimes it worked well for a day or 2... most of the time it was bad from the beginning.
You never know if it's really fixed, just after a few days. so annoying.
been working on it for way too many hours lol
(Picture of the original back and the copper I used, after cleaning well of course)
tried also using some silver wire I took from another phone... was very bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is interesting indeed.
Ever since the "springs" fix I get a consistent good signal even when driving for hours and never lost signal, what's weird though, I never get less than 5 meter accuracy on any of the testing apps, but with the hidden diagnostic menu I get better signal and accuracy. I don't know, my model is H850 maybe my firmware V20c-ISR-XX. has something to do with it... for one thing, it only supports Quick charge 2.0, I checked the voltages with various certified QC 3.0 chargers, but that's not relevant to the GPS.
BTW, did you get a good accuracy (better than 5 meters) when using the original cover?
Anyhow keep us updated if it turns out the new cover is good long term.
My phone is Korean (rootable :victory
I got accuracy of 3m when using the copper mesh, but again only for a few days.
I will update. even now accuracy doesn't seem too stable indoors, but outdoors I get 3m.
indoors far from window I get about 10m-12m after stabilized.
I tested with iphone 7 - got 4-6m accuracy indoors almost instantly when far from windows
shloms said:
I mean this:
You can't access this part unless you heat the LCD/frame to separate them, the antenna is the grey flex strip/pcb that has the antenna trace etched on it. you won't see this part as it is between LCD/frame as I mentioned.
View attachment 4337810
Now, can you see the arrow? this is the remaining flex strip that has the connector that you are familiar with. And this connector, as you know, touches the metal mesh on the back case.
View attachment 4337812
What I did, if you read my original post, is solder springs on the connector, and removed the mesh because I suspected it was oxidized and/or the glue was not conducting well.
So far, so good.
My guess would be that your mesh has the same issue and the other case you tested has a good mesh.
If it's not too expensive maybe you should keep this back cover, although reading from other threads, some users bought a replacement cover with good results initially and the problem returned after a while.
From what I see, there is NO antennas on the back cover except the NFC antenna which is around the fingerprint sensor - this is even stated at the document LG submitted to the FCC .
The back cover is used as a ground plane for the antenna and is not in itself an antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange. My GPS and cell signal dips low when i Touch the glass , and more strange, When i touch the glass part that's close to the notification LED the Cell signal increases from -113 db to -99 db
This this caused by bad Grounding? Because you speculated that the Cover it's just a Grounding plane
should i get a new back cover to test?
The covers you guys shows there is a patch near the LCD cable and the corresponding place it touches there is a Mesh that goes under the LCD flex cable, My cover and Midframe has neither of those.
the mesh that goes under the lcd cable : https://i.imgur.com/XOzFfQe.jpg
the patch that make contacts with the mesh :
https://i.imgur.com/BNjjvEb.jpg
GPS strength: https://i.imgur.com/btT9xtT.png
Touching the glass : https://i.imgur.com/xQ9K0rC.png

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