[How-To] Fixing GPS on most china MTK chip phone

[stevenma61]

after having 3 to 5 china MTk chip phone, and reading tru the web. it seems like the GPS is the most common problems.

i can fix the GPS quite easily if i had a data/net connected.
but when i am without the net connection, then the GPS start to give problem to lock the position.

so i have figure out the main problem is from the GPS antanna.

below is the pictue that show with the reading with modified antenna extended and
with antenna folding back to the phone (phone is Inew6000)



picture 1 - put a aluminium foil to the GPS antenna

picture 2 - finishing work

picture 3 - GPS signal with the aluminium foil behind (phone is on the table)

picture 4 - GPS signal with the aluminium foil and extra pc of extended aluminium foil.

i have not tested it with my ZOPO ZP990.

for the ROM that i had promised for Inew6000, i will upload it by this weekend (hopefully i can do it)


Edit

if u find it difficult to take out the whole cover,
then try to do the following

take out the back cover, then try to insert the aluminium foil tru the samll hole, then try to stick it with tape, or just carefully cover back the back cover.
this will help to boost the GPS signal.


edit 2
I had tried with my Zopo Zp990, it seems that it does not work, then i pulled out the gps.conf from my Inew600( actually i did modified the gps.conf in inew6000 rom) , then replace it, then the ZP990's GPS start to get the signal faster, so the zp990 will work without modified the antenna, then i tried above method, yes, the signal is getting a bit stronger.
attached a copy of gps.conf in case any boby want to try.

[stevenma61]

I had tried with my Zopo Zp990, it seems that it does not work, then i pulled out the gps.conf from my Inew600( actually i did modified the gps.conf in inew6000 rom) , then replace it, then the ZP990's GPS start to get the signal faster, so the zp990 will work without modified the antenna, then i tried above method, yes, the signal is getting a bit stronger.
attached a copy of gps.conf in case any body want to try.

the file is attached in the first post

[Squier]

I recently installed the Xperia ROM on my iNew and tried the GPS today. After reading this post I've also put a small copper wire on top behind the battery cover and I got a fix within 2 minutes. This didn't work with other ROMs and/or without the wire. Not sure which of the two things helped best, but it seems to be working now. Will test more soon. Thanks for putting me in the right direction (no pun intended ;-) ) with your pics!

[stevenma61]

this morning , I tried with my inew6000 while I was heading to my office

at first, I did not pull out the modified antenna from the phone, but it get a hard time to pick up the signal, then I took out the back cover, and pulled out the modified antenna, and put back the back cover,
straight away, it pick up the signal, at the beginning, there were few white bar, less than 10 sec, it lock the satellite, and showing yellow bars.

And I use papago to navi to my destination, I purposely went off the route that papago show, then just a few seconds, then papago will reroute the destination.

[stevenma61]

below are my final work

picture 1 - when i don't use GPS, i fold it back n cover it with the back cover

picture 2, when i want to use GPS, then pull out the modified antanna, then put back the cover


it really really improve the locking of GPS
at the moment i pulled out the antenna, u can see the white bar start to pop up, then in less than 5 sec it lock the GPS (while i was travelling in the car)



addition info
as i mentioned earlier months ago, i had problem with the 2G/3G signal.
what i did is , at the 2G/3G antenna contacts point. (3 contact point, i used to isolate one point with the tape, that is i only use two contact point only, it help me to improve the signal also, to stable the signal.

[GizBeat]

This is very strange it doesn't work when folded inside the phone. GPS signals should be able to get through a thin layer of plastic. What happens when you just fold it up, but leave it connected? Have you tried laying it so it doesn't lay across any other antennas. Lay it like a maze within the back.

[stevenma61]

This is very strange it doesn't work when folded inside the phone. GPS signals should be able to get through a thin layer of plastic. What happens when you just fold it up, but leave it connected? Have you tried laying it so it doesn't lay across any other antennas. Lay it like a maze within the back.

ya, when i fold it back to the phone n cover it with back cover, then it has a hard time to pop out the white bar, even one white bar, then i pull out the aluminium foil , straight away , i see white bar poping up, 1, 2 ,3 4,....., then within seconds, some change to yellow, i even saw green bar before when i first tried with the method

edit,
i just fold( to put it back, so it can't be seen) n unfold n can be seen,
actually , the aluminium foil is no more touching the antenna inside the phone, it only slip tru the small hole, and i used tape to make it stay firm on the phone

actually , it did the same with the 2g/3g signal, when i take away the cover, it gave me a better signal.

[maple2]

stevenma61, thank you very much for the contribution.
I see that at the bottom of you phone, you damaged the cover of the plastic tape, we can see the inside copper layer now, did you do that for purpose to boost your 2G/3G signal?
Do you what is the function of this type of tape? It has two layers, the second layer is copper. is it to screen interference or is it part of the antenna?

[stevenma61]

stevenma61, thank you very much for the contribution.
I see that at the bottom of you phone, you damaged the cover of the plastic tape, we can see the inside copper layer now, did you do that for purpose to boost your 2G/3G signal?
Do you what is the function of this type of tape? It has two layers, the second layer is copper. is it to screen interference or is it part of the antenna?

as i had mentioned months ago, i did not have a good 2g/3g signal, the signal jump up n down every few minutes, that was why , i try to see how i can modify the antanna., i tried to put copper wire at the beginnibg, it help a little bit, in the house, but not much, then try to put aluminium foil, but not much help., then tried to scratch off the whie stuff to see if it help, but Finally waht i did is i took the whole frame out, then there are 3 contacts point, then i insulate one contact point, now is a bit better, the signal is quite stable, except i stiil have some points in the house that i had no signal.

The 2g/3g are quite weak or quite complicted. It is so hard to get the modified antenna to catch up the signal right.

Unlike the GPS signal, gps signal is quite easy to pick up , it be will improved a lot , if u just tape a aluminium foil at the antenna.


normal they r painted in color, i think is just for the look only.
the black phone is in black, the white phone is in white.

[maple2]

Thanks, stevenma61
It seems to me that for the wifi&gps part, you moved the two-layer tape away, replace it by the aluminium foil, will that weaken your wifi signal? It seems to me this two-layer tape is part of antenna. If aluminium foil provides better signal, why the producer use this type of two-layer tape instead of aluminium foil . Maybe it's for cosmetic purpose.

stevenma61, thank you very much for the contribution.
I see that at the bottom of you phone, you damaged the cover of the plastic tape, we can see the inside copper layer now, did you do that for purpose to boost your 2G/3G signal?
Do you what is the function of this type of tape? It has two layers, the second layer is copper. is it to screen interference or is it part of the antenna?

as i had mentioned months ago, i did not have a good 2g/3g signal, the signal jump up n down every few minutes, that was why , i try to see how i can modify the antanna., i tried to put copper wire at the beginnibg, it help a little bit, in the house, but not much, then try to put aluminium foil, but not much help., then tried to scratch off the whie stuff to see if it help, but Finally waht i did is i took the whole frame out, then there are 3 contacts point, then i insulate one contact point, now is a bit better, the signal is quite stable, except i stiil have some points in the house that i had no signal.

The 2g/3g are quite weak or quite complicted. It is so hard to get the modified antenna to catch up the signal right.

Unlike the GPS signal, gps signal is quite easy to pick up , it be will improved a lot , if u just tape a aluminium foil at the antenna.


normal they r painted in color, i think is just for the look only.
the black phone is in black, the white phone is in white.