iPhone '4' thread

lozzaman

bubblesmoney wrote: »

Look at one of my threads regarding this issue on the desire and what helped me work around it.

Signal strength is best compared using the raw signal values in dbm and asu values, both of which can be found on the desire, I am not sure if the same is there on the hero, but should be there as both are froyo 2.1. Antenna design probably is similar on both the devices and on my desire after the recent firmware update And me fiddling the settings the signal drop in my left hand with right bottom angle free is in the range of a drop of 4 to 10 dbm and in my right hand covering right bottom angle is about 10 to 14 dbm at worst. Probably 90% of people will be right handed and hold the phone in the left hand and type with the right. Even the worst figures I've quoted are on really trying hard to make it drop. Heard the froyo newly released Korean version had got a new global version of radio in the software that makes the signal handling even better, the desire will get it in a few months but I doubt the hero will get 2.2 froyo.

14dBm would definitely make my phone drop where I am at the moment. I get -105dBm most the time according to the phone so have to use my Desire hands free here otherwise calls will drop. Though with the Desire I've not ever manage to get extra attenuation of as much as 10dB (tried in my London apartment, with a nice -64dBm instead!)

I should note that a lot of phones seem to not even be able to see the network so I'm not complaining, other than the fact this is a suburb of a major city and not one of the 5 networks provides satisfactory coverage.

DUTR

Jeve Stobes suggested to rub magarine on the iphone 4 to cure reception issues..... I can't beleive it's not butter :eek:

bubblesmoney

lozzaman wrote: »

14dBm would definitely make my phone drop where I am at the moment. I get -105dBm most the time according to the phone so have to use my Desire hands free here otherwise calls will drop. Though with the Desire I've not ever manage to get extra attenuation of as much as 10dB (tried in my London apartment, with a nice -64dBm instead!)

I should note that a lot of phones seem to not even be able to see the network so I'm not complaining, other than the fact this is a suburb of a major city and not one of the 5 networks provides satisfactory coverage.

Looks like you are in a poor signal area. When in a poor signal area then try to avoid using your full hand to cup the phone, try just holding with your fingers like you normally would and try to angle the phone so that the bottom bit of the phone juts forward free of being squashed between a cupped hand and face. That show improve the drop in signal and prevent dropped calls in poor signal areas.

64dbm in your apartment is great. Signal drops are more in weakness signal areas. Dbm etc are logrithmic values as I gathered so the figures like -100dbm is a lot lot weaker than -64dbm. -113 is the floor where you lose the signal as at that point the signal is equal to the background radiation level.

10 dbm is fine, everyone phone does it a bit, the lowest drop in have seen in technology papers is about 7,but I get many times now 4dbm only. Most people including tech websites like pocketnow just quote the bars which is pretty useless for stating the signal strength or for any signal comparison across sites or phones or platforms. The bars like in all apple phones are just a curved cooked up derivatives that suits the pr purposes of some companies to depicted some crappy value irrespective of the actual situation. Please note that the 14 dbm is the worst in can deliberately try and get now, before the software update and my fiddling with the phone often I could get drops of 20 to 25 dbm but not anymore. Am looking forward to the Korean official realease version of the froyo update as the global radio software on it has got some good reviews already, hope that's the version of radio released here in uk too. Radio can be different for various networks is what I gathered and some networks like three can fiddle the settings so that roaming PRL shift doesn't happen or happens too slowly. My work around makes the PRL shift faster when you lose the signal. See htc desire antenna thread on MSE forums for my thread on that.

Apologies for spelling mistakes as I am testing some beta keyboards which is making the errors but perservering because the beta keyboard learns a user's typing techniques and works faster when used more.

Oscar_The_Grouch

DUTR wrote: »

Jeve Stobes suggested to rub magarine on the iphone 4 to cure reception issues..... I can't beleive it's not butter :eek:

This is a misquote. The actual quote was "if you want to rub margarine in your natal cleft, you know where you can shove your deathgrip."

If you don't want an iPhone 4; don't buy it. CLICKY

lozzaman

bubblesmoney wrote: »

Looks like you are in a poor signal area. When in a poor signal area then try to avoid using your full hand to cup the phone, try just holding with your fingers like you normally would and try to angle the phone so that the bottom bit of the phone juts forward free of being squashed between a cupped hand and face. That show improve the drop in signal and prevent dropped calls in poor signal areas.

Well, yes. I don't cup the antenna and drop typically 2-4dB. Because, as you say the dB scale is logarithmic a drop of 3dB represents a loss of half the actual signal strength. Still, a drop of this value is acceptable and is something all phones suffer from. A drop of 20dB as can be seen on the iPhone4 when touching the bridge without a case is not acceptable. Whether this causes a dropped call or not depends on the received signal strength in the first place.

bubblesmoney wrote: »

64dbm in your apartment is great. Signal drops are more in weakness signal areas. Dbm etc are logrithmic values as I gathered so the figures like -100dbm is a lot lot weaker than -64dbm. -113 is the floor where you lose the signal as at that point the signal is equal to the background radiation level.

I would think the signal drop would be pretty consistent. A change from -64dBm to -67dBm is never going to be noticed though since the received signal is so strong. Where I am now, the strength does depend on where the phone is lying. Even moving the phone six inches can cause the phone to drop down to 'No Service' so I have to find a spot where it works and leave it there.

Anyway, I guess to sum it up. All phones suffer from a users hand getting in the way of the antenna (as will the iPhone with a case on) but usually it's to such a small degree (say 4dB) that it won't cause a problem. Putting a case on the iPhone4 reduces the problem to this acceptable range.

Oscar_The_Grouch

I know that there are people out there who don't want to put a case on their iPhone and I can fully understand why; the idea of having to put the bumper on every time you pick the phone up and take it off again when you plug it in to your stereo/tv/dock would be enough to drive you mad.

I'm just wondering how many people the signal drop is actually affecting. There are lots of people on here who have posted to say they don't have a problem. How many on this forum do and what have you tried to fix it?

lozzaman

Oscar_The_Grouch wrote: »

I know that there are people out there who don't want to put a case on their iPhone and I can fully understand why; the idea of having to put the bumper on every time you pick the phone up and take it off again when you plug it in to your stereo/tv/dock would be enough to drive you mad.

I'm just wondering how many people the signal drop is actually affecting. There are lots of people on here who have posted to say they don't have a problem. How many on this forum do and what have you tried to fix it?

Problem is, we really would need the raw data to see if it is affecting them or not. If they are in a high signal strength area of say -70dBm, then covering the antenna is not going to cause a bar drop, even though it could still be causing a major signal drop.

I used to live in a London suburb with really strong reception, so much so that I'd never see less than about -75dBm. If I had an iPhone4 there I doubt I'd have ever had the problem. That's not to say the problem doesn't exist.

bubblesmoney

Oscar_The_Grouch wrote: »

I know that there are people out there who don't want to put a case on their iPhone and I can fully understand why; the idea of having to put the bumper on every time you pick the phone up and take it off again when you plug it in to your stereo/tv/dock would be enough to drive you mad.

I'm just wondering how many people the signal drop is actually affecting. There are lots of people on here who have posted to say they don't have a problem. How many on this forum do and what have you tried to fix it?

The diagnostic test menu mode accessed through punching some codes on almost all phones is even present on the 3gs. This menu has been deleted by apple on the iphone 4 guess for obvious reasons that they don't want anyone to find out the raw signal strength. But some have revised work arounds to get around the problem and add that menu again.

vicki83

for anyone in leeds they have them at the o2 shop in the white rose centre even though it is not showing as them having any on the stock locator on the website....i'm gutted cos its for existing customers only and i am with orange :-(

bubblesmoney

vicki83 wrote: »

for anyone in leeds they have them at the o2 shop in the white rose centre even though it is not showing as them having any on the stock locator on the website....i'm gutted cos its for existing customers only and i am with orange :-(

You could always buy an O2 payg simple for free and you would be an existing customer. If it is network locked then unlock it and use with your orange sim if you want it that bad.

But make sure they sell it to payg customers too before getting the payg sim.