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{Solved} No GPS reception

Seems that original back cover is acting like an antena. I get a very low or no signal without it.
I took a piece of aluminium paper and start touching where I thought back cover is touching when I put it.
When I touched the area between camera - battery - right upper corner, I start having high signal and fixed 8 satellites in less that a minute. That area seems black plastic but is not. Also worked with the back cover of the extended battery (not working before).
Resuming, if back cover touch that area is acting like an antena. If not, is acting like a shield.
This should help the people with very bad or no signal (even with original back cover if there isn't a contact there) and also those with extended battery.
Take care with the aluminium paper to not shortcut anything there. If is not working for you, try touching with the other side of the aluminium paper (now I understand why they called them htc touch )
If by doing this you loose signal on wifi or phone, probably aluminium paper is acting like a shield for them and we should find the area that also must be touched (haven't tried yet).
Ps. Sorry for my english. If needed, I can write this in italian, spanish or romanian and someone with a better english to translate it.

first of all thanks for your findings, I also suspected that most of the gps problems are related to battery cover because I never had gps lag with the one come from original package but after changing it with another one (buyed from expansys) I start having gps lag (partially reduced with aztor rom and other registry settings).
Could you post some photos for us?
Thank you.

also disable AGPS!
i notice when agps is on, gps keep disconnecting, and connecting.

netnerd said:
also disable AGPS!
i notice when agps is on, gps keep disconnecting, and connecting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem with AGPS on.

Maybe it's the aluminum... An antenna has to be a conductor.
The back cover it's only plastic, it cannot flow any current!
But if it's solved for you, great!

Hi, I have no problem with the original cover but I do have with the one that cames with the extended battery. Aluminium improved the segnal but no good enough and I'm trying something else. I'll post photos when I'll do it. I think Gps problems with original cover are because there isn't a good contact between the cover and the area I described in the first post. People with that problem should take off the back cover and touch that area with something methalic (a key for example) and see if works (give it some time to fix the satellites).
Never used A-GPS.

What a joke man..

After the repairing of my X1's ribbon cable I went home gladly with my X1 functional... partly..
I noticed there's an error in signal in my X1 when I was checking my phone at the SE center.. But I thought it was maybe due to poor reception thus I neglected it..
Now I know that there's some new problem arise.. Any idea how a ribbon cable can affect this?

The signal error is not due to flex, but most likely an assembly error/other fault. Could you explain better what type of error are you getting, e.g. SIM is not read, connection cannot be made, calls cannot be made, data is not received?
Flex contains connectors for front camera, ear speaker, LCD, light sensor, front keypad PCB and optical keypad module, as well as LED lights on all sides positioned on the flex itself - therefore problems with any of the above can be attributed to the flex. However, flex consists of different separate areas, where problem with one will not necessarily mean the whole lot of things will be affected. For example, not working ear speaker may be present with working rest, VC camera not working, while LCD is fine etc. When the lot fails as a group, then the problem is either flex at the slide point, flex at the PCB connection point or the main PCB itself, in which case it may not necessarily be the flex. So what is the new problem?

enigma1nz said:
The signal error is not due to flex, but most likely an assembly error/other fault. Could you explain better what type of error are you getting, e.g. SIM is not read, connection cannot be made, calls cannot be made, data is not received?
Flex contains connectors for front camera, ear speaker, LCD, light sensor, front keypad PCB and optical keypad module, as well as LED lights on all sides positioned on the flex itself - therefore problems with any of the above can be attributed to the flex. However, flex consists of different separate areas, where problem with one will not necessarily mean the whole lot of things will be affected. For example, not working ear speaker may be present with working rest, VC camera not working, while LCD is fine etc. When the lot fails as a group, then the problem is either flex at the slide point, flex at the PCB connection point or the main PCB itself, in which case it may not necessarily be the flex. So what is the new problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It read my SIM card but I'm not getting any connection signals from my service provider.. Yeah most likely would be an assembly error
I really got annoyed that I need to go back to the service centre and fix it again. Today I went there and they said technician aren't there and I need to return tomorrow.
Thanks for the reply. Now I learned something from you. Thank you
Ethan Liew from Malaysia

The antenna module is very easy to access, see disassembly procedure and see if you can reposition it. http://www.formymobile.co.uk/xperiadisassembly.php Speaker and antenna module is positioned on the side OPPOSITE to the camera, you can see removal on photo 4.

enigma1nz said:
The antenna module is very easy to access, see disassembly procedure and see if you can reposition it. http://www.formymobile.co.uk/xperiadisassembly.php Speaker and antenna module is positioned on the side OPPOSITE to the camera, you can see removal on photo 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took my phone to the centre for another checkup. And sadly they can't even identify what's going on with my signal too. They're sending it to the HQ. Guessed it'll take another long time to be fixed. Hope I'll get Leo for free tonight. Then I'll just leave my X1 goodbye~

[Q] How did I kill my WiFi reception?

Hello all,
My Nexus One has been through some serious physical abuse. It's gone flying out of cars because I left it in my lap and decided I was out of car. It's been dropped from arm's height, much to a mall phone salesman's dismay, to convey a sense of satisfaction with my mobile device. And it's been dropped from about a foot's height on carpet, which cracked the digitizer.
Got that taken care of relatively easily, and changed the housing while I was at it. Now I have abysmal WiFi performance. Where is the WiFi radio/antenna in here? It looks like the top black plastic cover houses the GPS and BT antennas {both of which still work perfectly}, and the bottom plastic cover houses the WCDMA/GSM radios, which also still work perfectly. Where's the WiFi antenna? How can I check if I nicked it or something?

Anyone? 10char

I don't know for sure (never really bothered to try and figure it out the few times I have had my phone apart), but I think it is the little wire on the side opposite of the volume keys that can be seen when you pull off that initial black plastic piece under the battery.

This wire is connecting the WiFi antenna indeed. I'm not sure where the antenna is, but I think that baseband antenna is the big one on the digitizer, and the lower cover is the WiFi antenna.

Ever have any luck with it? My wife and I both have T-Mobile Nexus Ones. They are both running CM7.1 with avjomomma's T-Mobile WiFi calling. We have poor cell service in our house, so we rely on WiFi calling.
My phone has great WiFi coverage. My wife's phone receives so little that the T-Mobile app senses poor signal and drops back to the cell network. If I hold our phones side-by-side, she always has 2 bars less than I do. I even tried moving my AP to the middle of the house, but even that wasn't enough.
She's getting increasingly frustrated, and so am I. I should also note that we paid only $120 for it, and it's a little beat up. I think it's possible that the WiFi antenna may be disconnected. Before I tear into it, do you guys think this might be an accurate assessment?
I also need to perform a backup and start over with a fresh CM7.1 and WiFi calling reflash.

I am running into the same problems as sheik124,
I broke my digitalizer and replaced it myself, everything ran perfectly for 1 month but dust was coming inside the screen, I reopened it to seal better for the dust and since then my wifi signal is useless, I have wifi only when I am 2 meters from my router and with very low power.
I suspected about the coaxial cable but I know it is not, I reopened it and checked its continuity and conection, the cable is in good condition and correctly attached in both sides, I cleaned as much as possible inside the phone but it did not improve...
Anyone knows where are located the wifi antenas?

Bulltza said:
I am running into the same problems as sheik124,
I broke my digitalizer and replaced it myself, everything ran perfectly for 1 month but dust was coming inside the screen, I reopened it to seal better for the dust and since then my wifi signal is useless, I have wifi only when I am 2 meters from my router and with very low power.
I suspected about the coaxial cable but I know it is not, I reopened it and checked its continuity and conection, the cable is in good condition and correctly attached in both sides, I cleaned as much as possible inside the phone but it did not improve...
Anyone knows where are located the wifi antenas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To remove dust from the screen I suggest you use compressed air (very expensive), or adhesive tape (not Scotch clerical) clothing for something like this, well, damp room to do it.
And I would like to see photos of the device, without them it is guessing on coffee grounds

No service after waterdamage

Hello,
My note fell into the water last night and it was a pain in the ass to fix. I kept my phone in a bag of rice overnight to soak up most of the water. Today I took it apart and removed the remaining water and put it back together. The phone finally works again! Yes, it all works except for the service.
When I unlock my sim with my code everything works, but I cannot call or be called because there's no service, even though whatsapp etc works fine.
Can anyone help me with this?

Also: sometimes it DOES work, but the signal is very weak. Sometimes I can call and be called and sometimes I cannot.

You might have disconnected the antenna while taking it apart. Check for bent connectors etc. You can also check the external antenna - remove the small black rectangular sticker on the right side of microsd slot above the battery. You can insert a thin copper wire with a piece of aluminum foil connected to it - you should get some reception. If you don't and you internal antenna is properly connected then the water might have damaged some electronics. It can get expensive.
Be careful and don't hold me responsible if you mess up your phone any further. And good luck.

I'm not sure. I'm still getting a signal every now and then. Is there a video on how to do this by any chance? And do you have a picture of the antenna by any chance so I know what to look for?

Sorry, can't be of much help here, never had to open my Note. But I remember back in days whaen I messed around with my Touch Pro 2 and HTC Desire it was a common issue. Nearly every time I got the phone back together either phone signal or Bluetooth were gone and the reason was always some bent copper connectors that didn't stick together when all the parts were back in place. These things are fragile. Sometimes had to clean them as well. Google for Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 disassembly manual, I'm sure there will be one with decent pictures somwhere online, it'll help you locate the internal antenna. If there's some weak signal sometimes it's a good sign and looks very much like disconnected antenna, you may check the external one to be 100% sure.
Edit: the antenna is a thin copper sticker somewhere on a flat surface of the chassis, either on the side or around the camera or something like that. It's often painted in the color of the chassis to prevent it from oxidation. There are several - phone, bluetooth, probably wifi and maybe GPS (dunno). It's usually possible to follow where it leads to and find connectors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6CJy71_9Ok
watch the whole thing but pay particular attention around 3:10

Nexus 4 GPS not Fixing after Screen Replacement FIXED , GPS Antenna MOD!

Edit : The major issue seems to be grounding for most people. I'll mark that and you might wanna try that one first. Might as well wrap your digitizer too since it takes only a second. I'm preserving the post as it was to indicate we've all learned something from this thread. Thanks for sharing your experiences and the nice words folks. Cheers!
DIGITIZER WRAP : So fellas , my family has a lot of nexus 4s , one of them had a broken screen which we replaced. I also fixed the proximity sensor issue with it more than once so feel free to ask questions about it too. After the replacement and fixing those issues , we had another problem which is GPS taking 2 minutes to get a fix , despite the clearly visible sky and whatnot it refused to get a fix. So i set out to find the issue. The internal antenna that is connected to the back cover of the phone (behind your front camera) was clearly making contact , the antenna wire was plugged properly which i tested thoroughly with my trusty fluke on probe setting. Anyway , the problem was the Digitizer , if you can believe that.
Remember the original comes with aluminum tape wrapped around it. I always thought it was to protect it from external interference. I was half-right. It does protect it from external interference but it also protects the antennas from the digitizer's interference. I got some aluminum tape , wrapped it around the Digitizer's IC and et voila! We got a fix in 16 seconds from 14 satellites.
(This mod as it is pointed out by folks here , is pure coincidence it seems. Apparently there is the issue resistance and frequency value of the gps signal , the antenna's resistance needs to match that value or it will not get a signal. So the fact that we even got a signal , let alone a better one is like pure luck. Apparently the added resistance happened to match that value somehow. Anyway , you might wanna just skip this one. Thanks to bla_blaber for pointing that out.)
I also came up with a mod on the back plate.
What we did was , we cut 2 aluminum foils to 3-4 mm width and then starting from the gps contact zones which are located at the right corner of the back plate we started to lay them down avoiding other antennas as best as we can. We worked our way to the bottom with that foil and then connected that foil to the ends of an antenna sticker that we bought off ebay. Then we secured everything in place , and closed the device up. Another et voila , Fixes the position in 5-8 seconds on the same spot. This could theoretically work on the gsm/3g antenna as well although we haven'T tried that , we got pretty good reception where we live. I think those are also on the back plate.
Anyway folks , that's about it. I thought i'd share my experience with you guys so you don'T have to live through the same thing and even make it better. I wish i could provide some pictures but we closed the device up to test it and did not pry it open again. It gets really tense when you're prying open your only phone.
Note : Use copper foil if you can find that , it has better conductivity.
GROUNDING : On top of all those , you need to ground your antennas on the designated places around the frame. Mine came with the pads although some assemblies apparently don't have those , i recently had one. The original has sponge pads to provide contact since those parts of the board are recessed a bit. So , the ground connections need elevation to make contact. Use conductive tape (stack 3-5 together that should be enough) to elevate the points. The ground point just below the front camera is responsible for grounding the gps antenna , i'll mark that in the picture.
The other pictures are there to point out other components. The reference one is the one with the blue tape all over it.
That blue tape insulates the the chips , especially the emmc from the frame. You also need to do the same. You don't want the frame to accumulate charge , because then it won't ground.
WARNING : CUT THE EXCESS TAPE TO THE SHAPE OF THE RECESSED GROUNDING POINT. DON'T SHORT ANYTHING OUT. ESPECIALLY THE ICs.
Thanks to Eriol The Mariner for bringing the grounding issue to my attention.

Hello, I'm interesed in some pics and also with the proximity sensor issu that i'm facing to... Thank you very Mutch from a french Guy with a poor N4 (GPS ans proximity issu)
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Free mobile app

jmouf said:
Hello, I'm interesed in some pics and also with the proximity sensor issu that i'm facing to... Thank you very Mutch from a french Guy with a poor N4 (GPS ans proximity issu)
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll make the pictures on Monday. I'm going on a short vacation now. If you want i can also help you on skype when i'm free.
Cheers!

OK thanks. No problème for the wait... I'm already waiting for 6 month ( when i changed my broken screen!!)
I use proximityscreenoff app for now.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Free mobile app

GPS
Hi!
So, i manage to fix my proximity sensor with the "black ruber" method but if you can show me how to fix the GPS that will be pretty cool !
Thanks in advence

Same problem here!
I also have exactly the same problem. Waiting for the photos of your work! Thank you for your post! :good:

I bought my Nexus 4 the day it came out. I was one of the lucky ones. Since then ive had an attachment to it. The only problem is that the gps stopped working after fixing the LCD. Hopefully we get the images soon so I could fix my GPS as well. You sir are amazing :good:

I'm also patiently awaiting a response too!
I bought my phone used and the GPS was probably always wonky, always losing its fix and taking forever to get a lock. It's really annoying when you're driving using the GPS and it loses GPS signal and then I get lost lol!
The GPS works sometimes but not very well, which makes me think there is something wrong with the GPS receiver.
I'm guessing the previous owner replaced the screen (the bezel was a bit weird around the screen, made me think it was replaced), so that would explain it... I'd rather try to fix this myself though.

Sorry boys , i had a crapton of work to do , i didn'T have time for pictures or anything. I made a picture for you now , it's not my phone but i marked what i did.
1. You have to make sure that your digitizer has this aluminum shielding or else it will cause interference.
2.Don't over-tighten the screws around the proximity sensor which are marked.
3. Below the middle cover is the proximity sensor , which i marked. Insert a paper shim there to make sure it is in position.
4. If you make the foil antenna , avoid other antennas AT ALL COSTS! It will not explode or anything but the other antennas' signals will degrade.
5. Make the antenna very narrow so it doesn't interfere.
6. Place the antennas on top of gps contact points and make sure they don'T touch each other.
7. Antenna material has to be conductive.
8. You cannot possibly brick your device with these instructions. So , if you brick it , it's totally your fault.
The picture :
http://postimg.org/image/m06morc2v/
Good Luck.

Hi !
Thanks for the help and sharing your tips.
I have a similar problem : I replaced my Nexus 4 broken screen but also the battery one week ago.
After the replacement, a GPS problem shows up: the GPS is taking a few seconds (around 20 sec) to fix for the first time but the signal is very weak (low accuracy on GPS tester app) and eventually the fix is lost after 30-40 seconds, recovered for 30-40 sec and lost again etc. When the weather is cloudy, it's even worse : the GPS can't keep the fix more than 5 seconds. It's acting like the GPS antenna has an issue.
I have tried to reopen the phone, to check if the aluminium shielding was here and it was. Just in case, I wrap another aluminium tape around the Digitier's IC with no result
The replacement screen seems to be a genuine one, everything is working fine (proximity sensor for example) except the GPS.
I haven't tried the antenna mod yet but I think that it should be working fine without it.
Does anyone has another idea to help me ?
PS : sorry if my english is wrong, I tried to do my best

Try this attachment... It will fix it
boltthrower56 said:
So fellas , my family has a lot of nexus 4s , one of them had a broken screen which we replaced. I also fixed the proximity sensor issue with it more than once so feel free to ask questions about it too. After the replacement and fixing those issues , we had another problem which is GPS taking 2 minutes to get a fix , despite the clearly visible sky and whatnot it refused to get a fix. So i set out to find the issue. The internal antenna that is connected to the back cover of the phone (behind your front camera) was clearly making contact , the antenna wire was plugged properly which i tested thoroughly with my trusty fluke on probe setting. Anyway , the problem was the Digitizer , if you can believe that.
Remember the original comes with aluminum tape wrapped around it. I always thought it was to protect it from external interference. I was half-right. It does protect it from external interference but it also protects the antennas from the digitizer's interference. I got some aluminum tape , wrapped it around the Digitizer's IC and et voila! We got a fix in 16 seconds from 14 satellites.
I also came up with a mod on the back plate.
What we did was , we cut 2 aluminum foils to 3-4 mm width and then starting from the gps contact zones which are located at the right corner of the back plate we started to lay them down avoiding other antennas as best as we can. We worked our way to the bottom with that foil and then connected that foil to the ends of an antenna sticker that we bought off ebay. Then we secured everything in place , and closed the device up. Another et voila , Fixes the position in 5-8 seconds on the same spot. This could theoretically work on the gsm/3g antenna as well although we haven'T tried that , we got pretty good reception where we live. I think those are also on the back plate.
Anyway folks , that's about it. I thought i'd share my experience with you guys so you don'T have to live through the same thing and even make it better. I wish i could provide some pictures but we closed the device up to test it and did not pry it open again. It gets really tense when you're prying open your only phone.
Note : Use copper foil if you can find that , it has better conductivity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this attachment... It will fix it

Hi,
Thanks for your reply.
My Nexus 4 is not root so I can't change these configuration files.
My GPS was working fine before the screen (Lcd + digitizer) and battery changing, I used it every day on my road to work.
Now, it's just impossible because of these weird fix losses and I can't figure out the reason

Any news ? GPS find 0/23 satellits but isn't locking at all after replacing my n4 screen... tried everything described in the OP, can't get why the GPS doesn't work anymore after screen replacement, truly annoying!

Hey! Pictures are not showing up, could you up them up somewhere?
Could you also clarify the use of aluminum foil? Not sure I understand "make foil antenna", "make the antenna very narrow" part of your to-do? I'm having no GPS issues after screen replacement so I'm sure this will fix it just have to figure it out how
Thanks!
boltthrower56 said:
Sorry boys , i had a crapton of work to do , i didn'T have time for pictures or anything. I made a picture for you now , it's not my phone but i marked what i did.
1. You have to make sure that your digitizer has this aluminum shielding or else it will cause interference.
2.Don't over-tighten the screws around the proximity sensor which are marked.
3. Below the middle cover is the proximity sensor , which i marked. Insert a paper shim there to make sure it is in position.
4. If you make the foil antenna , avoid other antennas AT ALL COSTS! It will not explode or anything but the other antennas' signals will degrade.
5. Make the antenna very narrow so it doesn't interfere.
6. Place the antennas on top of gps contact points and make sure they don'T touch each other.
7. Antenna material has to be conductive.
8. You cannot possibly brick your device with these instructions. So , if you brick it , it's totally your fault.
The picture :
http://postimg.org/image/m06morc2v/
Good Luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hi, I also have these issues after I replaced my display with a 45$-product from AliExpress. Mine comes with an aluminum tape. I wrapped another tape around it with no effect. Any other suggestions?

Dear all,
I spent the last two days working on the problem, trying the fix suggested by the OP.
My replacement screen came with an aluminium shield on the digitizer's IC, but I still suffer from the problem reported here.
What I tried was to put some insulating tape around the digitizer's IC's aluminium shield. The GPS signal got better but still far from how strong/fast it used to be.
The addictional foil antenna was an epic fail for me.
Thanks to boltthrower56 for his precious help.
I'm still wondering whether is possible to fix the weak gps signal in some other way.
post scriptum: I'm so disappointed with LG (the Nexus 4 wasn't really meant to be easy to open/repair) and with these chinese sellers who sell very low quality screen (again, blame on lg, for the replacement part I was asked 140€!!)

nexus 4 gps fixed
...

I got a nexus 4 with a broken screen and repaired it (only the front screen with digitizer - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-LCD-T...K_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item5668d16af2). The screen seems to be fine, very clear picture etc, but it came without the foil around the digitizer.
I've tried adding insulating tape to both sides to a strip of kitchen aluminum foil (to prevent conductivity) and wrapped it around digitizer, gps works like crap compared to my old Xperia NeoV, signal is at minimum and it is accurate to about 60 feet at best.
Is there a difference between kitchen aluminum foil and that tape? I'm not sure what else it could be, contacts on back case seems to be ok and pressing on it doesn't change the signal. Maybe it is the new front panel on the screen that is interfering (though I'm not sure if that matters, since antenna is on the back)?

Hi, I'm having a similar problem with yours.
The difference is, I've never replaced my screen, so I'm very certain that I have the Aluminium Foil in the Digitizer (It's the one that you marked "Al. Shield" in the picture, right?)
I'm quite busy with exam right now so I can't tinker with my phone.
I remember that I dropped my phone hard few days or weeks ago, that could probably the cause
Will removing the back cover and checking the conductivity help? I can never get a good GPS signal anymore, it's always inaccurate by like 50-100 ft and it loses signal frequently.
And also, I could not understand your "foil antenna" mod(?), in your picture there was no foil at all. Should I put a foil between the GPS contact or what?

What did you replace then, do you still have a broken screen?
Maybe it's the back cover. I've soldered a bit my contacts but that didn't help at all.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Free mobile app