[Q] serious reception quality problems - Galaxy S I9000 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all
I have just received a new SGS GT-I9000 bought from Singtel Singapore. I am operating it though on Israely Orange provider.
I am almost sure that from the first time I operated it, it gave poor reception quality (still with a 2.1 Singtel ROM).
I have rooted and flashed the mobile twice. First time with a local version that uses the middle east baseband (I9000JXJPD). After a day of operation I have changed to another local version with baseband (I9000XXJPP or something like that..)
On both versions the operating system works amazing but I got very poor reception quality. It seem like the poor quality is both on UMTS and GSM. I installed one of the signal quality applications and it looks like the SGS has a 20-30 dB attenuation in comparison to my old G1. At home, right under a BTS I have no problem but once in medium quality area I get 0 reception with this one.
I start suspecting I have a hardware problem. This is a brand new mobile still under waranty but it is going to be a serious headache to get it fixed as I bought it far away from home..
Is there a record of faulty SGS's ? did anybody else have a similar experience ?
Since I can't easily take it to a lab, can anybody recommend me what else can I do or check before I give up ?
Thanks
B

Related

Radio Reception

Got mine today, I've noticed the cellular reception seems to be quite poor. I live in a bad signal area anyway but this seems much worse than my Kaiser on T-Mobile. Most of the time it just sits here searching for a network. Has anybody else noticed poor reception.
Mine seems about the same as my Cruise so it's acceptable for me.
What radio version is it as a matter of interest?
I noticed mine is on the tad bit low too - I'm sure the Diamond1 had more bars
Ditto
Existing phone 2 blobs, TD2 struggling.
Generally speaking in poor signal conditions: my D2 has one bar less reception than my old Cruise. So I can confirm this issue. No big deal for me though untill now.
Radio version is 3.43.25.19
mine seems the same as my TD1 - I also live in a poor reception area
cactusbob said:
Radio version is 3.43.25.19
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I guess we'll have to wait for a new ROM with a better radio.
Yeah a better radio would be nice. Having said that the GPS reception seems to be excellent compared to my Kaiser, I even get a fix in the house now.
Hello
For cactusbob :
can you said how Many signals your catch with your diamond II in outside ?
8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or 12 satellites.
Because on my old diamond the first version i catch 11 signal when i'm driving (it has 7201a chip) and the new version had 7200a chip.
Thanks for your reply and what your navigation software.
@+++
About 6-7 satellites outside, using iGo 8
I'm disappointed HTC still haven't sorted this out. My Touch Pro went back 'cos the reception was much worse than my Hermes (which I am still using).
Bad reception
I live in Chicago and use AT&T. MY Trinity was alright, but this one just looks for a signal. I have more missed and dropped calls than received.
Well initially I was not 100% sure but I am now... I'm struggling to hit more than 1 bar on H though on G it's full
I know for a fact I have full reception on H around my area - I live in London so you would expect it!
Put the sim on a few phones now and they are higher.
If I revive the HD, I'll test in that but I am sure that will prove the same
It's odd as well I'm in London as well and my reception for H varies between 1 and 2 in my house outside if I take a walk to my local station it goes between 2 bars and full 4 bars, but in central I get the full 4 bars.

Is reception on the Captivate that much worst than my Tilt2 ?

I am beginning to lose my cool when it comes to reception and my Captivate.
At work I used to watch a lot of youtube on my Tilt2 and altough it some times went on a wont connect spree....most of the times youtube was a no problem.
Unfortunately the Captivate is like almost never connects or just a little bit and once again loses it.
Is this about the whole hspa thing?
Even at home when reception is better for both, South Park is a lagfest with the Captivate if I use 3G unlike the Tilt2 but then again that could also be Skyfire....in any case...is this normal?
I guess you have never used and iPhone???
I had an iPhone 3GS and it was a POS when it came to reception.
I'm sooooooo happy I'm finally able to have an android phone on AT&T.
It takes some getting use to compared to the iPhone. Just basic navigating through the phone is very different.
I don't mind dealing with some minor flaws of the Galaxy S because I know for sure this phone will be improved because it was released on all four major carriers, not to mention it was already out as the GT i9000.
anyway - just my thoughts
sorry - I know this didn't answer your questions but wanted to share
Never had an iphone and never will! lol
Its just that I love this phone so much that I just cant stand it that reception is hurting me this badly...I just need to be patient I guess.
Like on the weekend... instead of streaming a soccer game to my Android I had to ask my wife for the Tilt2 again to watch the game with some friends at the park...
No. My tilt2 got sligltly better reception too. It OK I love my captivate.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Man, you guys are killing me. I have a Tilt 2 with Energy ROM and for the most part I'm happy with it, but I'm just dying to upgrade to a Captivate, but I keep hearing about reception problems. On the other hand, if you Google any phone these days you hear about reception problems. If you guys are saying the reception is worse than my Tilt 2 I'm just not sure I can live with that though. I frequently work on drilling rigs where reception is pretty bad to non existent. I'm thinking about just swapping out my Tilt 2 for a new one since the keyboard is wearing out, but for $125 deductible, an upgrade sounds pretty good.
Reception is the same or better from my original Tilt.
Phytrax said:
Man, you guys are killing me. I have a Tilt 2 with Energy ROM and for the most part I'm happy with it, but I'm just dying to upgrade to a Captivate, but I keep hearing about reception problems. On the other hand, if you Google any phone these days you hear about reception problems. If you guys are saying the reception is worse than my Tilt 2 I'm just not sure I can live with that though. I frequently work on drilling rigs where reception is pretty bad to non existent. I'm thinking about just swapping out my Tilt 2 for a new one since the keyboard is wearing out, but for $125 deductible, an upgrade sounds pretty good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would upgrade if I were you.
As much as I liked my Tilt2 there is no way I would go back to it after being using the Captivate. The speed difference is just too much.
So much that I have gone from fancy Energy Roms on my wife's now tilt 2 to the simplest and fastest 2.1 ROMS I can get so it does not feel too slow.
Tilt2 has had numerous radio upgrades you can install since it came out
I would imagine when samsung releases some radio revisions we will have better luck with reception.
I really have not noticed the Captivate having significantly less reception than the tilt2. Now for battery low on the other hand.....
For me the difference is obvious even on stock tilt 2 radio.
For example watching you tube at work with my tilt 2 it was almost always a non issue but with my Captivate I get several disconnections and most of the times I have to go to low quality mode to get a decent experience.
Still, no way I am going back to the Tilt2 ...wish I they could finally get android running on it...that would make it a much nicer phone I think
I dunno, I've had noticeably worse reception on my captivate than my old blackberrt 8310
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
shaolin95 said:
I would upgrade if I were you.
As much as I liked my Tilt2 there is no way I would go back to it after being using the Captivate. The speed difference is just too much.
So much that I have gone from fancy Energy Roms on my wife's now tilt 2 to the simplest and fastest 2.1 ROMS I can get so it does not feel too slow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second. So you're willing to sacrifice reception ability for speed of user interface, etc? Why? In your post you were just complaining about how poor the captivate's reception is vs. the tilt 2, yet you'd recommend the captivate because it has a faster CPU or slicker UI than the tilt2? Why not just carry two phones, one to actually use as a phone and one as a toy? That makes about as much sense to me. JMO.
derek4484 said:
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second. So you're willing to sacrifice reception ability for speed of user interface, etc? Why? In your post you were just complaining about how poor the captivate's reception is vs. the tilt 2, yet you'd recommend the captivate because it has a faster CPU or slicker UI than the tilt2? Why not just carry two phones, one to actually use as a phone and one as a toy? That makes about as much sense to me. JMO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok first I think someone forgot his pills this morning
First reception not extremely poor compared to the tilt2 just youtube freezes more often at work which is a hard place for every phone for some reason. The Tilt2 was better but I did had to switch radios from time to time like something will change then a new radio will do better for this month or so.
Second, this is only for video watching...phone calls I have zero issues in quality or connectivity so far...yes it is a phone so that IS the main reason to have it.
The main issue has been Skyfire but I got confirmation from the developer that this is indeed a matter of Skyfire on the Android not being quite up to par yet to the Windows version but they are of course working on it.
So, today for example, I have been connecting to the market and downloading stuff and even watching youtube quite smoothly.
So in my first post I gave the impression it was a huge difference it was based on SouthPark and Skyfire.
So if you are able to calm down a bit feel free to rejoin the conversation but if you are going to go off like that then by all means, there are more threads around.
Regards
Well I'm glad I found this thread. When first hearing about the Captivate I was not very interested due to concerns about the Samsung interface, reception issues and GPS issues. I was also really hoping for a 4.3" screen and possibly front facing camera and a flash.
Now after reading that the GPU is top notch, GPS issue is fixed, or will be soon, and reception is generally fine I'm very much leaning toward the Captivate. Samsung interface seems to be not as bad as I initially though, and the speed is plenty fast enough even without froyo. Also NewEgg has them for $79 with a contract renewal.
I have to say I really love the new MaxSense ROM's from Energy though. I hope I can make Android look that good once I take the plunge. I'm still worried about the lack of hardware keyboard too, mostly the fact that it covers half the screen when using it.
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months, tried out pretty much all the available radios, and have a pretty good judgement of it's reception. I've also owned a Tilt (Kaiser) for almost 2 years.
My Captivate gets much better reception than either phone: I get solid HSDPA reception in places where neither my Tilt/Tilt2 could. The trick is to just ignore the signal bar. I live in an area with poor reception, even after the 850 MHz upgrade, and at times my phone shows no bars, but gets good quality voice/data reception. So don't rate your impressions of signal quality based on the on-screen display, only how the device actually performs.
And as far as GPS goes, I've head-to-head compared it against my Tilt2 (which has a pretty decent GPS) and the hardware itself is more sensitive, and sees 3-4 satellites indoors in places my Tilt2 can't. There are definitely weird and inconsistent problems getting/holding a lock, but to me it feels like a kernel or other software issue. So hopefully a solution can be found (by Samsung or Devs).
Shammyh said:
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. That's good to hear considering I'm fairly happy with the reception on my Tilt2. I have to say the GPS is inconsistent though. Sometimes it won't even pick up outside. I'm thinking about heading to Best Buy this weekend to pick up the Captivate and give it a try. I'm really looking forward to the improved video performance, bigger screen, and a standard headphone jack.
Shammyh said:
For what it's worth:
I've owned a Tilt2 for 3 months, tried out pretty much all the available radios, and have a pretty good judgement of it's reception. I've also owned a Tilt (Kaiser) for almost 2 years.
My Captivate gets much better reception than either phone: I get solid HSDPA reception in places where neither my Tilt/Tilt2 could. The trick is to just ignore the signal bar. I live in an area with poor reception, even after the 850 MHz upgrade, and at times my phone shows no bars, but gets good quality voice/data reception. So don't rate your impressions of signal quality based on the on-screen display, only how the device actually performs.
And as far as GPS goes, I've head-to-head compared it against my Tilt2 (which has a pretty decent GPS) and the hardware itself is more sensitive, and sees 3-4 satellites indoors in places my Tilt2 can't. There are definitely weird and inconsistent problems getting/holding a lock, but to me it feels like a kernel or other software issue. So hopefully a solution can be found (by Samsung or Devs).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no, my impressions were not based on bars...in fact, you will see not a single comment about those I think. That is irrelevant to me.
Although as I mentioned on my previous post, without considering the differences between the Skyfire performance, the difference is not that big.
How are you getting HSDPA on that phone, I thought the hack was not working for ATT?
Phytrax said:
Thanks for the input. That's good to hear considering I'm fairly happy with the reception on my Tilt2. I have to say the GPS is inconsistent though. Sometimes it won't even pick up outside. I'm thinking about heading to Best Buy this weekend to pick up the Captivate and give it a try. I'm really looking forward to the improved video performance, bigger screen, and a standard headphone jack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure you are going to love it.
I was afraid of going away from the keyboard but Swype is sweet too.
derek4484 said:
See, this doesnt make sense to me. After all it is a PHONE first, everything else second.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If reception is primary concern I hear the Jitterbug gets good reception?
Seriously there has been a slightly weaker signal for me but we are talking less than 10%.
P.S. map your coverage if AT&T gets bad enough coverage maps from real use they will have to fix their coverage.
My reception has been great with my Captivate, it drops less calls than my iPones and Nexus One did....my Blackberry Bold is still the king though (always had great reception with it, and battery life was insane). I do however have issues with AT&T's network in the DC/Baltimore area...theres just so many people using data that everything I do lags and takes twice as long, and I've almost never been able to watch Youtube videos in Hi-Def while on 3G...on ANY of my phones while in a populated area, but it works fine at my parents house and when connected to our 3G microcell at home. I think the Captivate works great as a phone and the 4" screen seems like it sits right in the middle of being too large and too small, meaning its perfect for me. I owned a Tilt2 and couldn't stand it after owning iPhones and the Sprint Hero...I loved the keyboard but signal strength and the browser killed it for me, it only lasted 2 weeks before it went back. Give me the Tilt2 form factor with the Captivates screen and guts on AT&T and it'll be my next phone lol.
shaolin95 said:
Oh no, my impressions were not based on bars...in fact, you will see not a single comment about those I think. That is irrelevant to me.
Although as I mentioned on my previous post, without considering the differences between the Skyfire performance, the difference is not that big.
How are you getting HSDPA on that phone, I thought the hack was not working for ATT?
I am sure you are going to love it.
I was afraid of going away from the keyboard but Swype is sweet too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand, it's HSUPA (uplink) not HSDPA (downlink) that's the problem. Without HSDPA, we'd all be getting download speeds of less than 1 Mbit/s. And since the hardware supports it, it's only a matter of time before someone releases a working HSUPA radio.
It really is a great phone though. And for me, the biggest deal-breaker over the iPhone4 (and most other phones) is that I can simply drag-and-drop video files from my computer to my phone. From simple Xvid/Divx/OtherAVI files, to 720p HD MKV files. No transcoding, or other work required.
Don't buy it expecting it to be flawless though, the underlying hardware may be, but without XDA and the community to fix the software flaws, it wouldn't be nearly as appealing a phone.
Well I found a guy selling a Captivate on eBay for $400. My contract isn't due for an upgrade yet so I figured what the hell, if they come out with something amazing next year I could use my upgrade then. I'm definitely looking forward to the h264 decoding and "5.1" sound. I just hope I can find some widgets to make the interface look as awesome as my Energy MaxSense ROM on my Tilt2.

Is reception dismal, or what?

I've seen lots of complaints about the HD7's reception. With my DEFY I've gotten the best 3G reception ever on T-Mobile. HTC seems to have longstanding complaints about 3G reception and hearing about it with the HD2 and HD7 isn't encouraging.
So, Is the HD7 the best or worst you've had on T-Mobile?
Mine is not good, the signal is very weak. My other phone which is the Nokia N8 gets better signal on the same spot.
Overall I get pretty good reception as I did on any of my other phones, except in my living room. It is a total dead zone. Only that part of my house, out of anywhere I go, has a problem. Otherwise I get on average 4/5 bars. I am in Northern California if location is anything important to you.
As more Radio's become available to flash we should be able to get optimal signals hopefully. I personally haven't found it any different to my previous phone (TyTN II)
I've owned a mytouch 4g, g2 and hd7 all of which are htc made
It seems that these phones tend to have a bad reception in low signal area
however the hd7 tends to have the worse
wi-fi calling really works in handy for the mytouch 4g and g2 and i wish they would release this for Wp7
I also have a Defy as well as a HD7. The Defy was the forth phone I had with T-Mobile the others being a Moto Razr V3, T-Mobile Tab and Nokia Nuron. The Defy gets the best reception I've ever had and still does. Sitting in the same spot in my home the Defy gets full bars 3G while the HD7 only gets 2 bars 3G. Even the Nuron gets better reception.
Remember that the "bars" don't mean that much. A better test would be seeing which phone keeps a working signal (can make phone calls) the longest, as you drive away from a tower and into a dead zone. Then you can see which phone actually has the best and the truest reception.
ace10134 said:
Remember that the "bars" don't mean that much. A better test would be seeing which phone keeps a working signal (can make phone calls) the longest, as you drive away from a tower and into a dead zone. Then you can see which phone actually has the best and the truest reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
I had one or two disconnections during my conversations but the reception has been OK.
Reception in North Texas is good. Went out to lunch with a friend on Saturday who couldn't connect to the internet on his fruit phone but we could on my hd7. Every place will be different.
Well it's kind of disappointing to hear the varying but mostly bad reports on the HD7's reception. I guess I'll have to wait for something from Samsung or Nokia, if I can't get my hands on one for cheap.
The reception is not that bad its only if you live in the middle of nowhere where I see even a remote issue
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
My reception has been just fine in places where T-Mobile has reception. That being said, after updating my phone's radios, reception and even data speeds have improved greatly.
Now that I have the No-Do update I'm sorry to say that reception on this phone is still really bad. I was hoping that T-Mobile or HTC would include some sort of radio update. Well, since they didn't is a way I can update my radio firmware without flashing a whole new rom?
I only know of two TMOUS (531) Radios...
1. RUU_Schubert_TMOUS_1.20.531.01_Radio_5.51.09.11a_22.31.50.09U
2. RUU_Schubert_TMOUS_1.54.531.02_Radio_5.51.09.29a_22.32.50.10U
I'm currently on the 2nd one... but I've also tried the newer European and Telestra ROM/Radios as well...
All of them have worse receptions than the HTC TP2 that I had... and it really sucks at my house where I loose data connections all the time.
My reception sucks! I came from Verizon where my reception at home was not the best but with this HD7 its awful. I did have TMO before with an MDA and the reception wasnt nearly this bad. I drop calls daily. However, in some of my clients homes where my old verizon sucked, this phone shines, go figure.
Reception is going to depend on where you use your device. Try it out for 30 and if it doesnt work for you take it back. This phone is amazing and worth the trial! Good luck!
TechJunkiesCA said:
My reception sucks! I came from Verizon where my reception at home was not the best but with this HD7 its awful. I did have TMO before with an MDA and the reception wasnt nearly this bad. I drop calls daily. However, in some of my clients homes where my old verizon sucked, this phone shines, go figure.
Reception is going to depend on where you use your device. Try it out for 30 and if it doesnt work for you take it back. This phone is amazing and worth the trial! Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure but making a call in a weak signal area with the right phone can be the difference between holding it or constantly dropping it.
dzotx said:
I only know of two TMOUS (531) Radios...
1. RUU_Schubert_TMOUS_1.20.531.01_Radio_5.51.09.11a_22.31.50.09U
2. RUU_Schubert_TMOUS_1.54.531.02_Radio_5.51.09.29a_22.32.50.10U
I'm currently on the 2nd one... but I've also tried the newer European and Telestra ROM/Radios as well...
All of them have worse receptions than the HTC TP2 that I had... and it really sucks at my house where I loose data connections all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm currently using the 2nd radio listed above. I really like this phone but the dropped calls are making me crazy. Damn if only T-Mobile would just go ahead and release WiFi calling on this phone.
JamesDax said:
I'm currently using the 2nd radio listed above. I really like this phone but the dropped calls are making me crazy. Damn if only T-Mobile would just go ahead and release WiFi calling on this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But your DEFY performs better under the same conditions? Right?
I have found the opposite.
I had the Desire HD, Galaxy S, and my HD7.
The HD7 works in my gym while the Desire HD did not. I found the reception the same for the Galaxy and the HD7.
I'm using mine on Telus.

[Q] Poor Signal Reception

My SGS has Poor Signal reception in Most areas where, Other Phones have around 3-4 bars. On my SGS Calls drop, and sometimes, It says No Service as well. This happens in Areas which are far from a cellular tower.
I use 3G, and even switching to GSM only doesnt help in most cases.
Anything I should try :?
Using In Sri Lanka, Dialog GSM. Using JVR, with JVO Modem. Tried the ZSJPG Modem as well, same problem.
flash JVT baseband. It drains battery little more but has better signal. From my experience.
I had similar problem in UK, flashed ICS and is getting better now
trex3491 said:
I had similar problem in UK, flashed ICS and is getting better now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah I think I noticed a bit of a difference on onecosmic's ICS port here in aus
Thanks heaps for the replies guys,
But ICS Port is still a wip isnt it ?
I'd wait till it completes and comes out of the testing stages.
Also, I think that this might be a hardware issue as well, so thinking of
taking the phone apart, and replacing the antenna material with something more sensitive / conductive.
Lets see how it goes..
You could try the 3g tweak script from thunderbolt, worth a try!
Sent using TCP/IP
Thanks Guys, I just sold the damned Phone. It was a headache.
What's the use of it If i cant make calls at home.
Thanks folks !

Loss of signal, poor reception, E instead of H (HTC One m7)

Been using my HTC One now since it's release day and although I wasn't a huge fan when it came out, it's grown on me like moss and i'm now 100% confident that I made the right choice in getting this instead of the S4.
However......
On my daily commute to work, a journey I've been taking for over two years now, I seem to have less signal than all the phones before this one ?
It's the same sim card, same number and the same network.
What happens is the signal will go really low to around 1 - 2 bars and the mobile data connection will teeter around Edge and 3G and come back up to H in parts.
My previous handset as you can see from my signature was a galaxy s3, it didn't ever drop below 3G, was mostly on H and never once went to Edge, on the same trip for well over a year, I've also used an EVO 3D which acted in the same manner as the S3, but the HTC One is really annoying me now as I'm not able to check things on the internet and such, which I've been able to do for as I said a few years now on previous handsets.
I'm currently on Venom rom 1.2.1 and I have an Orange Sim card in the UK.
My baseband is 4A.13.3231.27_10.31.1131.05L
I did try another Radio, however it had little impact on the reception and I was just wondering if anyone else had witnessed similar drops in signal quality themselves?
I'm using a case too, I have three, Double dip flip, Double dip and a silicone case, I've also had the phone without a case and it makes no difference at all.
Any help or thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.
same problm
I'm in the US , recently unlocked my but but mine all of the sudden drops from 4 bars to no signal. I have noticed that while I have WiFi on, the network signal seems more stable. I've been reading a lot of ppl have the same problm.
I am on TMo in London. When I first got the phone my signal was awesome. I had H with 3 plus bars all the time all the way from home to work, in work, at home. Since the update I have the exact same issue as you. I lose signal completely, it goes to E a lot of the time now. All in all a very poor experience. I was thinking of installing the original radio to see if that would do the trick(I think it was mentioned that the new update had a new radio). I just do not want to root and lose my warranty. I am getting pretty p'd off though so may just take the plunge
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
I'm in the same boat with you guys. My signal varies a lot from H+ to 3G and E and few times is just disappearing completely, taking a good 1-2 minutes until it comes back. I tried like 4 different radios, all with the same behavior.
I'm on GE 4.3 ... stock.
issue solved
ro_explorer said:
I'm in the same boat with you guys. My signal varies a lot from H+ to 3G and E and few times is just disappearing completely, taking a good 1-2 minutes until it comes back. I tried like 4 different radios, all with the same behavior.
I'm on GE 4.3 ... stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was also facing the same issue. Finally realized that it was because my network setting was on GSM or WCDMA i.e. 3G.
I changed my network to 2G and everything is fine.
try this out.
same issue!!
Is it possible 2b a Hardware problem !

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