Database Develop

[Reception mod] How to get great signal with your kaiser/tilt/tytn/vario

Ok guys, i just got my tilt about 3 weeks ago from a friend and was disappointed by the horrible reception it got. I tried everything i could find, different spl, pretty much every radio released even 1.65.30 X_X, but nothing improved reception. I had pretty much given all hope of using the phone since i only had 1 bar of reception where i lived until i decided to take off the cover. I noticed 2 connectors in the back of the device and some quick goggling showed that they were external antenna ports. So i thought what if i stuck a pin in there? what'd know once i stuck a pin the gps external antenna connector the gps signal jumped through the roof...than i tried the other port to the left and what'd know? my signal went from 1 bar to a solid 4 bars. I thought maybe this was caused by me holding the pin so i bent the pin enough so that it can be pushed into the connector yet lean on the case and added a bit of tape. To my surprise the increase in signal strength stayed! I decided to test out my little mod to make sure the increase in strength wasn't just cosmetic. I took my phone on the train with me (I live in nyc) 4 bars through the train ride. I made a call on the way back and i was able to have a Cristal clear conversation something i was not able to do before. The reception i get now is pretty much solid anywhere i go no matter which radio i use, 4 bars all the time even with 3G..
To sum it up:
1) get a pin, you'll see 2 connectors near the camera, stick the pin in and observe your signal jump from 1-3bars to a solid 4 bars.
2) bend the pin so that it still makes contect with the connector yet is flush with the phone so that the cover will somewhat close.
It seems our devices have pretty crappy internal antennas if sticking a small pin in the external antenna connector can give such a huge jump in signal strength.
Right now i haven't been able to get the cover to close completely. Maybe someone can find something that works better than a pin while allowing the cover to close properly?

Well, tried out with my Vario what you did. And now I don´t get it work with internal antenna again.
So right now I have no signal without a pin in the external antenna connection. With one I do.
Anyone there who knows if the internal one is just deactivated or if broke something when i softly put the pin in the connector?
How can I reactivate the internal antenna?

I highly doubt you broke anything. what radio are you using? try 1.70.19.09. Did you try a soft reset? I just don't see how activating the external antenna port would cause the internal one to completely stop working. I had this mod working for about 2 weeks before i posted it. I put the pin in multiple times carelessly even and never had problems.

Found this:
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=356460
That´s my problem. I work with WM Smartphones now since 5 years and do flashing and expermiments all the time. So I think I´m right when I say, that I broke my phone with the pin i used. Damn thing.
Of course I will try to fix it, but maybe that fault will be the reason for an upgrade to touch pro (II). We will see.
Any ideas of solution are highly welcome.
I tried other Radios and made a Hardreset without success.
Greetz
Cutter

The problem with what you have done is that you opened a rarely opened contact. The pin goes in and splits a connector apart, and when you pull the pin out, the connector doesn't make good contact. You have to make the contacts clean. I would suggest using a pin that has been mildly roughed up some how (maybe sanding side to side on the shaft of the pin to create grooves) and then use contact cleaner to wash and clean the contacts. Or, just put the pin in, and cut it off flush (or near flush) with the top of the connector.
This has been discussed elsewhere on the board, but I do not recall where right now.
It is not a software/firmware problem - it is just a mechanical failure.

[Q] No Signal at all after replace the housing

After the replacing of my X1's housing with the new one in the SE Service center I went home gladly with my new X1 housing. 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. (the officer in the SESC say so)
Now I know that there's some new problem arise.. Any idea what might cause this error? the phone can read the Sim card but there is no signal (no connection, no call or no data can be made). i try to check the antenna module, but it seem to be OK (i did not see any problem on it).
the next day i came to the SE center, they said it might be something wrong with the software (since i am used using cooked rom) how come it can make any different while i'm using it before i replace the housing. and they have to take it into the HQ. and guess what, it may take another 6-7 week... WTF
is there anyone having the same problem with me?

Well if you have the tools, you can try openingu p the bottom cover, that little rubber thing where it has the mini sony ericsson logo. Open that rubber up, and you should see a mini screw in the middle, open that up take it out, maybe just give it a quick clean, fit it back properly, and make sure everything is tight and see how that works out.
I've seen/heard a few people having such issue when taking the housing off, and not placing that radio/reception thingy back properly, therefore causing issues with reception.

briian_ said:
Well if you have the tools, you can try openingu p the bottom cover, that little rubber thing where it has the mini sony ericsson logo. Open that rubber up, and you should see a mini screw in the middle, open that up take it out, maybe just give it a quick clean, fit it back properly, and make sure everything is tight and see how that works out.
I've seen/heard a few people having such issue when taking the housing off, and not placing that radio/reception thingy back properly, therefore causing issues with reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did it twice, just to make it sure that everything was on their place, also try to flash the ROM, The Radio but still remain the same....
any other suggestion or idea what should I do?

Same problem!
I had disassembled my phone by myself twice; the first time it worked perfectly, the second, unfortunately, it didn't!
I bought a new antenna module for U.S. $10, installed it myself (warranty ended three months ago), walked out of the service centre and voila; I had reception and managed to make a few calls. However, on the way back home, all calls placed while driving dropped every 5km, which means the hand-over between cell towers was failing. The moment I walked home it was dead; no reception whatsoever indoors.
Now the way I see it, this could be due to one of the following two reasons: either the RF power amp failed, which means that most probably the phone needs a new main board (too expensive, not worth it) or something went wrong during the assembly, like the smearing of a sensitive part by skin oil (thus causing a short circuit) or failure to position a connector or multiple ones to connect properly to their respective terminals/connection points.
Upon further investigation, I noticed that my phone wasn't properly grounded; whenever I connected it to a computer to sync using ActivSync or in disk drive mode, I got a small electrical shock (painful though) whenever I touched the phone. This, however, doesn't occur at all when I connect the phone to the wall charger. I disabled USB charging since day 1 of owning my X1i
I believe that the battery cover acts as a ground for the phone electronics; it touches four golden connectors which in turn touch the mini USB port, the GPS/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna, a point on the main board half an inch away from where the loudspeaker is, and the metallic cover placed over the phone RF chips. Failure to ground the phone properly can result in either damaging any of these chips, building up a static charge that affects the antenna performance, or an open-circuit condition for one of the many systems on board.
Since my phone is fully working as a PPC now (PPC functions, Panels, Keyboard, Camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc...) and since I get reception outdoors, and since I have a brand new antenna module, I am guessing that either the RF amplifier is dead, or the housing is ****ed up beyond repair (i.e. it can't be aligned perfectly to get perfect contact on all said points) that it's either shorting a connection, or opening one that is vital for the cellular radio to function properly.
So what to do? Well I forced my phone to do two things:
1. Settings > Phone > Band
- Network type: I chose GSM instead of Auto, as we don't have consumer CDMA in Egypt
- GSM/UMTS Band: I chose the correct band for my provider instead of Auto.
2. Settings > Connections > Advanced Network > Disabled HSDAP
What happened? It worked indoors for a minute, and then stopped working again! Frustrating! So what did I do? I ordered a completely new housing off CNN and will attempt to rebuild the damned thing.
I will update you if I find out anything or reach any results with this phone that I love so much and hate more than anything I have ever hated in my life...

More info!
- During the drive mentioned above, the phone was switching between H, E and G, which means that all three RF chips are, or all components of the whole RF chip if it's one responsible, are working. At one point I got 4 bars of H and call quality was perfect between hand-over failures.
- Before disassembling my phone for the second time, people were complaining about high-pitched static; it can blamed over the mic, the RF (antenna or chip) or humidity levels (which are currently as high as 85%) affecting cellular communication channels.
- Flashing the firmware (R3A Generic UK) and hard-reseting didn't solve the problem.

More Info!
- The battery cover isn't the phone's ground; it's grounded by being connected to four ground points: the mini USB port metallic frame, the GPS/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna ground, a ground point on the main board and the metallic cover over the sensitive RF chips.
- This is definitely an assembly problem. The reception is great outdoors switching between all bands and speeds. On my drive to work today it worked getting G, E, 3G and H all in 4 bars. The signal, however, is completely unstable, jumping from one speed to another. I am more inclinded now to believe that a new housing will fix this problem. Your housing was probably handled poorly at the service centre, which in turn caused this problem.
My advice is to shake them a little bit and see what they will do.

A New Housing didn't fix it!
I purchased a new housing from CNN. It came in good condition. The phone looks brand new now but still no signal. I am sending it in for service. I guess I blew up my Power Amplifiers...
Good luck mate!

melaskalany said:
I purchased a new housing from CNN. It came in good condition. The phone looks brand new now but still no signal. I am sending it in for service. I guess I blew up my Power Amplifiers...
Good luck mate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same problem haa...
I still waiting for a good news from the service center... I have been waiting for a month..
I wish You a good luck too...

I'm having the same problem. I opened up my phone a few days ago to clean the keyboard. The bottom row wasn't working correctly. Unfortunately after I closed it up again, it wouldn't get any reception (and the keyboard's bottom row was still not working correctly).
So I figured it was the antenna and tried to reposition it. I even removed the rubber layer as described here: http://blog.whitesites.com/How-to-Increase-Reception-on-Sony-Xperia-X1__633958291637656250_blog.htm
Outside I get ok reception, but it's far from stable, inside I get none. And even if I get reception inside, once I pick up the phone, signal drops. So I thought about grounding as well, problem is I even tried rubber gloves and that doesn't solve the problem. I'm afraid replacing the antenna's won't help here and my xperia is dead. Anyone has any other ideas?

Been there too!
I tried the same solution the blog explained. However, I ended up not getting any signal at all. It's only after I purchased a new cellular antenna+buzzer module that the phone started getting an unstable signal outdoors.
Did you notice any small pieces falling off the main board or the housing? It's either a hardware failure or a simple short/open circuit situation that can be fixed in a blink of an eye!

Question
Is there any possible way, hardware or software, to test whether all chips on the main board function properly? I tried the diagnosis tool available here but it doesn't check the chips one by one.

Service Centre
I took my phone to the service centre 6 hours ago. With the new housing on, and new screws that I scored from a secret source of mine, they deemed the phone untouched and serviceable; i.e. it passed for a phone that hasn't been tampered with!
They told me to call back in four days. I will keep you guys updated. Cheers!

I wonder if that'll fix it So to summarize you have:
- new housing
- new screws
- new vibramotor
- new antenna
And those things twice and that fixed it maybe?
I guess it's time for a new phone for me

Vibramotor?
Who said anything about changing the vibration motor? I installed a new antenna + buzzer module; i.e. a new cellular antenna and a new loud speaker (external speaker). The loud speaker is housed within the antenna module. My bad, maybe that part was vague because I never explained it enough.
And yes, it has a brand new housing too. I only installed the lower part though, as the upper part is just fine. Maybe they will fix it man; maybe they won’t I really don't know. I do hope they will fix it though.
I am currently using a backup cheap Nokia and ordered the Sony Ericsson Aspen. If they ever fix my X1 then I can change seamlessly between both phones. If not, then I will just use my X1 as a media/GPS device in my car and an Internet device over Wi-Fi.

Lucky you..... if they can fix yours in a few day... since mine has been in the service centre more than a month, without any news...
they said to me that it will take about 6 week...

What a joke!
The phone remained at the service centre for a week. They called me yesterday, and told me that the phone was fixed and that the total cost was EGP 100 (~U.S. $18). I went over and as soon as I held the phone in my hand to test it, it lost the cellular signal. When placed on the counter, the phone had a constant E signal.
I asked to speak to the manager, who told me that they just reflashed the phone with the latest firmware (Generic UK R3A, which I already had installed). Oh, and before that, he said he was sorry but the phone had a hardware problem and that they don't fix hardware; they only flash firmwares and if that doesn't fix the phone, then the user is pretty much on his own! I refused to receive the phone, so he gave me a refund for my money and promised to have its hardware checked and get back to me in 24 hours!
What a joke, what an f'ing joke! I already regret ordering the Aspen that is due to arrive next week with a friend of mine returning from Paris...

melaskalany said:
The phone remained at the service centre for a week. They called me yesterday, and told me that the phone was fixed and that the total cost was EGP 100 (~U.S. $18). I went over and as soon as I held the phone in my hand to test it, it lost the cellular signal. When placed on the counter, the phone had a constant E signal.
I asked to speak to the manager, who told me that they just reflashed the phone with the latest firmware (Generic UK R3A, which I already had installed). Oh, and before that, he said he was sorry but the phone had a hardware problem and that they don't fix hardware; they only flash firmwares and if that doesn't fix the phone, then the user is pretty much on his own! I refused to receive the phone, so he gave me a refund for my money and promised to have its hardware checked and get back to me in 24 hours!
What a joke, what an f'ing joke! I already regret ordering the Aspen that is due to arrive next week with a friend of mine returning from Paris...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG...
I do hope that you will get the good news next...

Bad News!
Deep breath... Ok!
Here is the deal: the service centre officially announced that the fault lies within the Mainboard; i.e. my guess that the Radio Frequency (RF) Power Amplifier Chip is toast was correct. They want to charge 90% of the phone's original retail price (which was EGP 4000 = U.S. $700) for a new Mainboard. I replied that that was impossible. They will contact SE's HQ and get back to me on Saturday to see if they can offer any other alternatives.
I guess that is the end of my ride with the X1. I will sorely miss it; it was a great phone while it lasted. Let's hope that the Aspen won't die on me in a year as well...

[Q] Replaced speaker, now no wifi/bt/cell.

I replaced the speaker in my i897 and now I get no signal for WiFi, Bluetooth and cellular service. I pulled the case back off and noticed the smaller gold spring loop that makes contact with the inside of the case in the corner near the camera is broken off. Would this be causing my issue or is the new speaker or something else to blame. Where do I start diagnosing and is there a DYI to fix the broken gold spring piece. (Identical to the one that touches the battery cover but smaller and under the case.
Thanks, I'm not ready to give up this phone.

rogleete said:
I replaced the speaker in my i897 and now I get no signal for WiFi, Bluetooth and cellular service. I pulled the case back off and noticed the smaller gold spring loop that makes contact with the inside of the case in the corner near the camera is broken off. Would this be causing my issue or is the new speaker or something else to blame. Where do I start diagnosing and is there a DYI to fix the broken gold spring piece. (Identical to the one that touches the battery cover but smaller and under the case.
Thanks, I'm not ready to give up this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't opened mine in a while but if I remember it right, the connections are right beside the speaker so you most likely damaged it. I can't help you much myself on how to repair it but mobiletechvideo.com might be able to (or even repair it for you). Good luck!

BWolf56 said:
I haven't opened mine in a while but if I remember it right, the connections are right beside the speaker so you most likely damaged it. I can't help you much myself on how to repair it but mobiletechvideo.com might be able to (or even repair it for you). Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The white antenna cable near the speaker appears fine, the new speaker works fine, WiFi works withing 8' of the router. Leads me to believe there is some antenna connection servicing BT/WiFi/cell in one not making a solid connection. Its not the large white cable though.

rogleete said:
The white antenna cable near the speaker appears fine, the new speaker works fine, WiFi works withing 8' of the router. Leads me to believe there is some antenna connection servicing BT/WiFi/cell in one not making a solid connection. Its not the large white cable though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our phone is known to have bad signal (Wifi, GPS and such) when there's something covering the top of the phone so perhaps there's something interfering near the antenna?

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