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Is the Nexus One 3g issue a dealbreaker?

Title says it. Contemplating purchasing this phone because I want a sick Android device but its plagued with bad 3g reception stories. Is it that big of a deal? Does anyone regret buying the device over it? Is it a design flaw as i have read or software?

mrbox23 said:
... Is it that big of a deal?
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No
mrbox23 said:
Does anyone regret buying the device over it?
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I don't
mrbox23 said:
Is it a design flaw as i have read or software?
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Click to collapse
It is neither. It is the wireless networks you guys have here in the US that sucks... (At least in El Paso, TX)

I'm tired of people blaming the wireless network, because that's just plain wrong in most cases.
I am a big N1 fan but I will be the first to admit that there's a 3G problem. But here is what I've observed:
- The problem is less evident on the AT&T model, as 3G runs on the same frequencies as 2G, and in general AT&T uses 850/1900, which are lower frequencies (better penetration) than T-Mobile.
- If you're in a very strong 3G area (like on the streets of NYC), you aren't likely to have any problems no matter how you hold the device.
- If you're in somewhat of a sketchy 3G area, and use the T-Mobile version of the phone, it's very possible you're going to drop to edge, if you cover the bottom portion of the phone with your hand. If you have the AT&T version in a sketchy area (low signal overall), it's possible you'll kill your signal entirely if you hold the phone a certain way...but I would say this is very rare.
There's probably a combination of a software and hardware issue causing the 3G issue. With future updates to the radio firmware, I'm sure there will be some improvements, but I don't know if it's going to be as good as some of the other phones available (especially in the case of T-Mobile, where the G1 tends to be fair a lot better 3G wise).
Having said all this - do I regret purchasing an N1? Definitely not - everything else about the phone makes up for the 3G issues, and I still have hope for future improvements.

Reception isn't "deal breaker" bad, and you'll notice there are much less complaints from AT&T users about it. If you are normally in areas with good coverage everything will will be great, but fringe areas might be frustrating. Weak signals are the phones kryptonite.
My question to anyone on the fence is usually, "name a better GSM phone" and then when they say "iPhone" I call them a fanboi. There's nothing worse than being an Apple fanboi.

its not a deal breaker at all. I still hold by my theory that the signal bars are just calibrated less conservatively than other phones, cause I've made and held calls for 15 min with zero bars of 3g showing. even my nokias had trouble doing that.
Sent from my Nexus One using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

PrawnPoBoy said:
Reception isn't "deal breaker" bad, and you'll notice there are much less complaints from AT&T users about it. If you are normally in areas with good coverage everything will will be great, but fringe areas might be frustrating. Weak signals are the phones kryptonite.
My question to anyone on the fence is usually, "name a better GSM phone" and then when they say "iPhone" I call them a fanboi. There's nothing worse than being an Apple fanboi.
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Just cause they say the iPhone, doesn't make them an Apple fanboy.. people can have legitimate reason why they like the iPhone more than the Nexus...

There could be something to the theory that the phone just reports reception more conservatively. But then again I can easily drop a call in a low signal area by moving my hand around. This is the first phone I've had that does that.
Just cause they say the iPhone, doesn't make them an Apple fanboy.. people can have legitimate reason why they like the iPhone more than the Nexus...
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Spoken like a true fanboi.
PS: I was actually joking. I have a jailbroken iPhone as well and its also awesome.

PrawnPoBoy said:
There could be something to the theory that the phone just reports reception more conservatively. But then again I can easily drop a call in a low signal area by moving my hand around. This is the first phone I've had that does that.
Spoken like a true fanboi.
PS: I was actually joking. I have a jailbroken iPhone as well and its also awesome.
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see i have always had the same problem with my other phones in low signal areas, they would ALWAYS drop the call if i moved my hand over it. but they all had antenna in the bottom, like the nexus. i think if your previous phone had the antenna in the top, then you never would have experienced this before.
my nokia n95 was the last phone i had with a top antenna, it was internal at the top near the camera, and that thing was superb with RF.
but then i got the e71 and the bottom antenna dropped calls when i covered it. no service, all the time. i trained myself to hold at the top ever since.
so the nexus doesnt seem abnormal to me. i just thought it was common knowledge though...

PrawnPoBoy said:
There could be something to the theory that the phone just reports reception more conservatively. But then again I can easily drop a call in a low signal area by moving my hand around. This is the first phone I've had that does that.
Spoken like a true fanboi.
PS: I was actually joking. I have a jailbroken iPhone as well and its also awesome.
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I also hope you were joking about the fanboi thing, as the nearest I've come to owning and iPhone was using family members ones for a few hours. My previous phone was a G1, and your misconceptions of me (if your words were not taken out if context) for stating something that is quite true is quite sad.
As stated before, people can have legitimate reasons as to why they favor the iPhone more than the Nexus. If I was sucked in to the iPhone when it was released, I would probably also be an iSheep - luckily I was only 12 at the iPhone's release. Phone technology wasn't really all that interesting yet.. I didn't care about touch screens etc. Now though, I still don't care about the phone much - but it was definitely brought unneeded hate in the internet towards those who adore it.

I love my Nexus One. No 3G issues on ATT, this actually has much better reception than my HTC Tilt2 with the best custom radio rom for my area. Flashing the radio of your Nexus will help a ton if you experience any of these issues so if you plan on flashing your phone don't worry about it. I love my Nexus and I spend much less time screwing with how the phone works and a lot more time using it.

about nexous one
I have never had any 3g problems ever and i bought this phone right when it came out
i love it get it you will to

This is really simple.
1. Buy the phone. If you have bad reception,
2. Flash to the newest radio. If you still have bad reception,
3. Return the phone.
You most likely won't get to step 3.

The phone legitimately does not get great reception.
I lined up, side by side, my BB Bold 9000, my Motorola Milestone, and me Nexus One, all just sitting on the desk, all with Orange (France) 3G SIMs.
The Bold and the Milestone get about the same signal. The Nexus gets consistently -4 to -10 dBm worse signal in any given placement. Wrapping your hand loosely around the phone will cut the signal by from -6 to -10 dBm on the Nexus, and by around -2 to -6 on the other two.
HOWEVER, the statistics don't really matter - I still get good enough signal at my desk on all three of them to download applications, use GTalk/SMS/telephone/browser all day, etc. Yes, a speed test shows generally better speeds on the Milestone, but it is more than good enough on both Android phones.
AND the Nexus is much faster in day-to-day operation. It scrolls faster, loads faster, runs faster, etc. It is almost sure to get updates from Google faster, and the dev community really does rock.
If I was in the US, I would have to consider some of the other phones out there, simply because the other networks are better than GSM networks, but here in France, the Nexus is fine and dandy.
If I were you, I would consider the network as well as the product, because it makes such a huge difference in the US. But once past that point, if you decide Nexus: buy it, test it, if you don't like it, sell it or return it. Easy.

I carried around my iPhone 3G with me the last few days and any time I had bad or no reception with my N1 I would swap the sim card and try the iPhone and without fail the iPhone would alway have more than enough signal strength.
The phone's reception is simply not as good as other phones, but it not enough for me to want to return it. I just hope that HTC learns from this like they did with the recent change to the atmel touchscreen instead of the clearpad component. I'm sure they will.

I've never had a problem with dropping 3G signal exactly, just the occasional instance where it'll get stuck on "uploading." Not sure if that's a T-Mobile issue or a phone issue. Either way, it happens only rarely and lasts no more than 10 seconds or so each time, so not a dealbreaker.
Other than that, the phone is fantastic. Incredibly fast and customizable. People complain that Android isn't user-friendly, but I honestly find everything quite intuitive (with the exception of a few badly designed 3rd-party apps).

I get the same (even better in a few places) 3G reception on my Nexus then I did with my iPhone 3GS

The OP needs to take note of all the people complaining about reception issues have also NOT mentioned whether or not they have updated the radio.
Everybody sitting with the stock radio from the models released in January/early-February are going to have a lot more complaints than someone who has either updated their radio or bought a newer model that has the updated radio preinstalled.

i still say its just a conservatively calibrated signal meter! seems to match my other phones just fine even if the actual bars are showing zero bars, its still making the call and receiving the data. me thinks its just a software calibration difference...

gsvnet said:
I'm tired of people blaming the wireless network, because that's just plain wrong in most cases.
I am a big N1 fan but I will be the first to admit that there's a 3G problem. But here is what I've observed:
- The problem is less evident on the AT&T model, as 3G runs on the same frequencies as 2G, and in general AT&T uses 850/1900, which are lower frequencies (better penetration) than T-Mobile.
- If you're in a very strong 3G area (like on the streets of NYC), you aren't likely to have any problems no matter how you hold the device.
- If you're in somewhat of a sketchy 3G area, and use the T-Mobile version of the phone, it's very possible you're going to drop to edge, if you cover the bottom portion of the phone with your hand. If you have the AT&T version in a sketchy area (low signal overall), it's possible you'll kill your signal entirely if you hold the phone a certain way...but I would say this is very rare.
There's probably a combination of a software and hardware issue causing the 3G issue. With future updates to the radio firmware, I'm sure there will be some improvements, but I don't know if it's going to be as good as some of the other phones available (especially in the case of T-Mobile, where the G1 tends to be fair a lot better 3G wise).
Having said all this - do I regret purchasing an N1? Definitely not - everything else about the phone makes up for the 3G issues, and I still have hope for future improvements.
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Bro, you're entire post actually supports the claim that the carriers need to build out their networks more in this country! Obviously if the phone works great in an area like NYC or Chicago, but not so great in "sketchy" places like where I live (Toledo, OH), then IT'S THE NETWORK!

PrawnPoBoy said:
I carried around my iPhone 3G with me the last few days and any time I had bad or no reception with my N1 I would swap the sim card and try the iPhone and without fail the iPhone would alway have more than enough signal strength.
The phone's reception is simply not as good as other phones, but it not enough for me to want to return it. I just hope that HTC learns from this like they did with the recent change to the atmel touchscreen instead of the clearpad component. I'm sure they will.
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Well, I have had the exact opposite experience. I always have a better signal with my N1 than my wife does with her iphone in the same places.
My wife and I used to have identical Nokia handsets, and her signal was always significantly better than mine. Minute manufacturing variations in low power RF devices can make huge differences, and such manufacturing variations are a normal part of any manufacturing process, including cell phones.
Comparing one phone to another and declaring a problem exists with an entire line of phones is just silly.
Basically, there is no real evidence of a unilateral "Nexus One" 3G problem, even if some handsets have less than expected performance.
So if you want a Nexus One, get it, and chances are that if you are happy with your network, you will be happy with your Nexus One.

[Q] Droid 4 GSM/UMTS Signal level?

Hello, has anyone compared signal levels of Droid 4 to 'real GSM/UMTS' phones?
I've been checking the signal level with android software BestPlace, best I've accomplished is -61dBm, and it's often -80 or smth. I've also never achieved the phone to show 5/5 on signal bar, always max 4/5.
With any other phone I can get decent signal everywhere, as the D4 drops out really often on highways and places with worse reception.
Obviously you can't wait this phone to have as good antenna as real GSM phones because there needs to be antenna for really wide range of frequencies.. But still, any way to make it better.. ?
IMO the 3G-GSM handover is really slow and does work like early 3G-phones.. Very slow switching from 3G to GSM and breaking calls during the switch.

bluri said:
Hello, has anyone compared signal levels of Droid 4 to 'real GSM/UMTS' phones?
I've been checking the signal level with android software BestPlace, best I've accomplished is -61dBm, and it's often -80 or smth. I've also never achieved the phone to show 5/5 on signal bar, always max 4/5.
With any other phone I can get decent signal everywhere, as the D4 drops out really often on highways and places with worse reception.
Obviously you can't wait this phone to have as good antenna as real GSM phones because there needs to be antenna for really wide range of frequencies.. But still, any way to make it better.. ?
IMO the 3G-GSM handover is really slow and does work like early 3G-phones.. Very slow switching from 3G to GSM and breaking calls during the switch.
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I have the same problem, and despite extensive googling have not found a solution yet.
I tried everything I could find and I am now considering a custom rom.
Sadly also the custom roms don't seem to pay much attention to GSM/UMTS reception, but that search was not extensive yet
Netherlands / KPN

Same problem here. I've two droid 4 and both have a much worse signal strengh than cheep gsm phones.
At the moment i'm trying some build.prop tweaks.
Did you already try something (e.g modified radio)?

low dbm compared to Galaxy 5 / LG3

Hey -
I'm having issues with call quality (other side says I'm breaking up, calls dropping, etc.).
When I compare my signal strength, I'm usually 6-10 dbm lower signal strength than my wife's Galaxy S5. I also compared it to my son's G3, and had a similar variation in signal strength.
Do I just have a bad phone, and should I swap it?
I'm worried that if I swap it, I end up with a refurb that has a partially used up battery for my brand new phone.
Thoughts?
Jim

jbresee said:
Hey -
I'm having issues with call quality (other side says I'm breaking up, calls dropping, etc.).
When I compare my signal strength, I'm usually 6-10 dbm lower signal strength than my wife's Galaxy S5. I also compared it to my son's G3, and had a similar variation in signal strength.
Do I just have a bad phone, and should I swap it?
I'm worried that if I swap it, I end up with a refurb that has a partially used up battery for my brand new phone.
Thoughts?
Jim
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Click to collapse
I take it you have a US Nexus 6 XT-1103? What carrier do you have, are you on a stock/custom rom, rooted. stock/custom kernel, what radio are you using?

jbresee said:
Hey -
I'm having issues with call quality (other side says I'm breaking up, calls dropping, etc.).
When I compare my signal strength, I'm usually 6-10 dbm lower signal strength than my wife's Galaxy S5. I also compared it to my son's G3, and had a similar variation in signal strength.
Do I just have a bad phone, and should I swap it?
I'm worried that if I swap it, I end up with a refurb that has a partially used up battery for my brand new phone.
Thoughts?
Jim
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Click to collapse
first off, they are completely different devices with completely different hardware. so you cant compare the n6 to the ither devices when looking for issues. secondly, the n6 antenna is supposedly a little shorter than samsungs, which could have slightly worse signal reception, if you live in or near the country (as opposed to being in a city).

jbresee said:
Hey -
I'm having issues with call quality (other side says I'm breaking up, calls dropping, etc.).
When I compare my signal strength, I'm usually 6-10 dbm lower signal strength than my wife's Galaxy S5. I also compared it to my son's G3, and had a similar variation in signal strength.
Do I just have a bad phone, and should I swap it?
I'm worried that if I swap it, I end up with a refurb that has a partially used up battery for my brand new phone.
Thoughts?
Jim
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Click to collapse
Just to be clear, when you say "6-10 dbm lower" you actually mean higher? Like your phone is 100 and hers is 90.

Sorry - should have provided more details:
1. It's a Verizon Nexus -not sure what that translates to for a model number.
2. By higher dbm, I mean that if I'm seeing -107 dbm on my phone, my son's LG3 and my wife's GS5 are seeing -96dbm. I guess the point is, both my wife and son can complete a call standing in the same location where I cannot.
Jim

N6 vs Note 4 dbm
This is by no means concrete proof, just showing that the radios in the Nexus 6 are no slouch...

jbresee said:
Sorry - should have provided more details:
1. It's a Verizon Nexus -not sure what that translates to for a model number.
2. By higher dbm, I mean that if I'm seeing -107 dbm on my phone, my son's LG3 and my wife's GS5 are seeing -96dbm. I guess the point is, both my wife and son can complete a call standing in the same location where I cannot.
Jim
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What radio are you running? Im running the M preview radio and it seems to be a little stronger than then 98r(verizon stock model radio) ones.

mademan420 said:
What radio are you running? Im running the M preview radio and it seems to be a little stronger than then 98r(verizon stock model radio) ones.
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I am running the stock Verizon ROM. I loaded the M radio last night, and I'm not seeing a noticeable difference in signal strength or call quality.
Jim

jbresee said:
I am running the stock Verizon ROM. I loaded the M radio last night, and I'm not seeing a noticeable difference in signal strength or call quality.
Jim
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Click to collapse
As @simms22 and @gee2012 said, there are several factors involved. I will admit, the Note 4's in-call sound quality is better than the N6's imho but by no means have I ever had problems with calls on it. I will admit, it does seem lower, but I found a thread yesterday that would increase the in-call volume. I applied it but havent actually tested this yet.
Updated: Im also running a 5.1.1 stock based ROM LYZ28E

As Apple once said, "you're holding the phone wrong." Notice the change in dBm while holding the phone normally (with the hand covering the bottom of the phone) and when you hold the phone just by the top edges.

stevemw said:
As Apple once said, "you're holding the phone wrong." Notice the change in dBm while holding the phone normally (with the hand covering the bottom of the phone) and when you hold the phone just by the top edges.
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Click to collapse
Actually, Steve, I do notice a drop of a few dbm's when I take the bumper case off. But my tests with other phones are with them sitting side by side, not touching. And the dbm measurements are not really the issue. The issue is that calls on my N6 suck, but the LG3 and S5 are great in the same location.

In case you hit this thread with a search engine - here's another thread with people who are experiencing reception issues:
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/f7b51bd9bf?page=6

Ok -
Took the phone back to the Verizon store. I set my phone next to the display model - mine showed 1 bar, the display showed full bars.
The tech took my phone and turned off Advanced Calling, and my signal strength matched the display model. I'm going to play with it at home, but it looks like there is an issue with advanced calling and the N6.

jbresee said:
Actually, Steve, I do notice a drop of a few dbm's when I take the bumper case off. But my tests with other phones are with them sitting side by side, not touching. And the dbm measurements are not really the issue. The issue is that calls on my N6 suck, but the LG3 and S5 are great in the same location.
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Click to collapse
I think the antenna is on the rim of the N6.
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/5b145d5570

[Q] Signal strength

I live in a fringe area of Verizon' in Phoenix . I have always had Motorola phones except for a Samsung Note 3. I never had dropped calls until I bought the Samsung phone and then Version checked my reception and said I had 7% dropped calls and they were not going to improve their service. I appeared my only option was to move to the east side of Phoenix which has great reception.
I bought the Nexus 6 in February and I haven't had any dropped calls since then. I was told Motorola had great radios and now I believe it.
My question is does any other manufacturer have a great reputation for superior radios? Unless I move I will never buy another Samsung phone but are there other phones I should consider to get good reception?
Version told me to buy the net extender which was a waste of money.
Any suggestions?

DaleGriggs said:
I live in a fringe area of Verizon' in Phoenix . I have always had Motorola phones except for a Samsung Note 3. I never had dropped calls until I bought the Samsung phone and then Version checked my reception and said I had 7% dropped calls and they were not going to improve their service. I appeared my only option was to move to the east side of Phoenix which has great reception.
I bought the Nexus 6 in February and I haven't had any dropped calls since then. I was told Motorola had great radios and now I believe it.
My question is does any other manufacturer have a great reputation for superior radios? Unless I move I will never buy another Samsung phone but are there other phones I should consider to get good reception?
Version told me to buy the net extender which was a waste of money.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC in recent years have been pretty good in the radio area, but still doesnt come close to Moto IMHO

mademan420 said:
HTC in recent years have been pretty good in the radio area, but still doesnt come close to Moto IMHO
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Motorola is quite well known for good radios for smartphones. HTC made horrible ones in the past and then made some good ones until Nokia got all over their backs for copyrights infringement. Samsung is the worst I have seen when it comes to cell phone signal reception and wifi reception. They mage good screens,good Flash memory and recently cameras but that is pretty much it. My cell phone reception and wifi reception on my new Galaxy S6 is pretty much horrible.

From my recent experience 1+1 has best reception. Then nexus 6,then galaxy s6 then lg g4.
Sent from my SM-G920T

My last phone was an LG. The reception on it was pretty horrible. I have a VZW tower I can see from my front porch. I would constantly not receive text messages and drop calls on the G2. I've had Samsung phones in the past, they've been hit or miss it seems. This is my 3rd Motorola made phone, and the reception is amazing on it. My personal opinion is you're not going to find a phone manufacturer on VZW with better radios. Fringe areas are the absolute worst by the way. I was on one until about a year and a half ago when they jumped on this tower.
http://kryon.smugmug.com/Purenexus/i-bRKJdsk/0/O/OPERATIONPNbanner5x1.png

Cellular strength and throughput

We know how much you like to stream, ahem, "videos", and so cellular data is mega-important. Rate this thread to express how you think the LG V20's LTE performs. A higher rating indicates that it's fantastic: throughput is excellent and signal strength is top-notch.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add.

Unfortunately, the signal strength is really poor for me

Good signal for me, Lte slows down to less than 2Mbps down while my s7 is doing 34Mbps avg. Im on at&t.

Not enjoying the quality I'm getting, even at home. 2 bars average, and this is in the Dallas area.
Worse than my Note 3, so I don't blame AT&T.

Glad to know I'm not the only one with speed issues. I was thinking there was something wrong with my phone.

I have issues indoors at my job but my Note 7 was the same way too at my job

A lot better than my Note 7. I tested this morning because I am finally getting around to setting up the phone the way I like. It tested at 80/16 which the Note 7 would only speed test at 23/12. This was at home.

Saw a report that the S7/Edge got an update to support 4x4 MIMO and 256QAM down and 64QAM up
Also supposedly the V20 supports this but hasn't been turned on for us (seriously WTF)
http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/1...-mimo-256qam-technologies-faster-data-speeds/

From I what I have read on Reddit from posts by Qualcomm engineers, the LG v20 does not support mimo. It lacks the additional anttenas for mimo, though it does support 256 QAM. I was tempted to get the s7 edge, but AT&T doesn't support MiMo or have any plans of implementing it in the near future.

I'm always at 1 or 2 bars. I often get "no service"

Most of the time I get 0 bars with an X, or full bars with 4G but no LTE, where i used to get LTE with my previous phone, I think this phone has a weak antenna

I need some kind of hardware mod. Anyone know where is the antenna in the phone?

deathhall said:
Most of the time I get 0 bars with an X, or full bars with 4G but no LTE, where i used to get LTE with my previous phone, I think this phone has a weak antenna
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I have the opposite experience, I get better service with this phone. Maybe yours is defective.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I'm with the 1-2 bar group. My Nexus 5x and Samsung S8 are guaranteed to have 2 more bars than my V20, no matter where I go. I also get the spinning circle near the signal meter indicating it's searching. I've downloaded several apps to confirm my suspicion that this phone's antenna(s) suck. I like the phone, but signal is important when it affects your ability to communicate, not to mention drain on battery.

I think a phone of this size shouldn't be any of bad reception, especially with so many metal contacts within its cover, which must act as antenna.

i have really bad / unreliable reception.
i rooted the phone.
might it be a firmware problem? could i flash it? i believe the firmware that was linked in the instructions was for canada... i'm in europe germany
right now i've got the Alpha Omega ROM installed.

Purchased an AT&T version of the v20 off Ebay h910. What I have learned is the antennas are in the polycarbonate end-caps. GPS would not work for me at all on a clear day outside. Found a thread on the Internet that identified the problem, some replacement end caps do not have the antenna contacts in them. Google "becareful_buying_the_top_plastic_bezel_of_the_v20" for the thread on the fix. I found an additional thread on fixing the call reception but it did not work for me, search "v20-signal-issues". Hope this helps as I spent hours and hours trying things until I found the gps fix. The GPS is in the top end cap confirmed, the 3g is supposedly the 3rd contact in the bottom end cap but can't confirm.

I still have yet to identify my horrible signal strength. The antenna connectors on mainboard were just there with no plugs. Imma check tomorrow if my phone has this stuff in top and bottom caps.

McQueefus said:
Unfortunately, the signal strength is really poor for me
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Click to collapse
Ya for me too. I have an h910 with dirty santa US996 Super V20 ROM. I don't live in the US so I don't get proper network with Optus here in Australia.

nirvikkhanal said:
Ya for me too. I have an h910 with dirty santa US996 Super V20 ROM. I don't live in the US so I don't get proper network with Optus here in Australia.
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Click to collapse
Why anyone would use a phone intended to be used in the US in another country doesn't make sense
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs