It's the antenna, stupid...

[steel36]

This is just beginning to pop up in various forums, but I wanted to kick off a new thread dedicated to this specific cause.

It's being observed that you can affect your signal by ~20db just by the hold you use on the phone. Yeah, I was skeptical as well, but I tried it at work where my reception is now nearly unusable, and a regular in-the-palm hold gave me a reading of -100db.

If I then held the phone by my thumb on a bottom corner and forefinger on an upper corner, and waited a few seconds, my signal jumped to -82db. That's a big difference!

Surely they didn't design a phone you can't use while holding. The word is that the antenna is in the bottom of the phone and that is the problem. Can everyone else check this out on their phones and report back?

 

[dr.duct_mossburg]

Phones have been like this for a long time. Verizon made a big mistake letting this reading go into the phone. Everyone and their mother, brother and sister's cousin is going to be calling spouting off reading's.

 

[twinturbostang]

lol Mine went from -98dBm to -85dBm.

 

[steel36]

Phones have been like this for a long time. Verizon made a big mistake letting this reading go into the phone. Everyone and their mother, brother and sister's cousin is going to be calling spouting off reading's.

I'm def no expert, but 20 dBm seems like a major jump in signal strength, though, right? I'd be happy for non-Inc users to respond w/ their experiences too. But not in the poll, preferably, to keep it clear.

 

[Huffdaddy1982]

My last two Blackberries and the Palm before them were all the same. Had to be careful not to cover the back with my palm in low signal areas. Guess I am just used to it at this point as I automatically hold my phone differently in the areas I know to have a bad signal. Shouldn't have to but it seems like they make most phones this way anymore.

 

[Limjelo]

I have a crap signal at work regardless of my phone because my building is a giant cement block and yet my calls are crystal clear so I'm honestly not going to lost sleep over this like everyone else. However, I did the experiment and noticed a jump from -98/-100 to -89/-92 while adjusting the grip.

 

[moosc]

I'm ready to go back to my my MOTO Droid the service sucks on this phone it needs more metal to much plastic. Both phones sitting side by side on counter Droid 4bars inc.1bar what is wrong here?

 

[Bullpride]

i am noticing a move from about 92 to about 80 when I move my hand out of the way. I live in a fairly built up area of Tampa. Should my signal strength be better than this??

 

[Jasonrj]

The manual says not to cover the bottom inch where the Google logo is while the phone is in use because it will mess up your call quality.

 

[dgalanter]

I gotta say, I checked the signal vs. the bars... and the white bars vs. signal reading seems almost random. I'm not sure either are working right, because I've seen--outside--full bars with a -89 and inside -95 with no bars at all.

 

[cmiddleton]

-84 went to -60 with my "incredible" grip

 

[zhelf]

its funny my fiances droid has always 1 bar more than my incredible byt the dbm is usually better on my incredible. in my house i see anywhere from -76 to -90(basement) i have yet to get full bars on this device which is a bit unsettling since it seems ATT is actually stronger where i live since i always had full 3g signal. i would really rather be on vzw so we shall see.

when changing my grip the signal fluctuated up and down by a few it would go from -76(pincer) -82 (in hand) but then switch and kept fluctuating in the range without changing grip so

 

[dgalanter]

Is anyone actually suffering more lost calls with this than another phone? Because really, I'm not... so I don't think this is a real issue if not.

 

[Limjelo]

Is anyone actually suffering more lost calls with this than another phone? Because really, I'm not... so I don't think this is a real issue if not.

That's my exact feeling on this. I've got no dropped calls. No drop in call quality. No drop in data transfers (actually, my internet with the Incredible is amazing compared to my storm). So for me personally, I have no issue with the actual bar representation on my screen.

 

[pheatton]

I get the low signal bars in the office but once outside or drving the car its always between 3 and 4 bars. DB is around -50 outside.

Never once dropped a call.

 

[VZWBB]

I don't think it matters at all what your grip is. At least on my phone. I think what your seeing is placebo effect. Mine has varied +/- 10db with whatever grip I use. To say it more clearly, I've tried this and seen it just as good either way or just as bad.

Hmmn...maybe that wasn't more clear..lol.

 

[Qazme]

My phone reads -74 to -87 all day long no matter how I've held the phone. -87 is with the traditional thumb on the right side of the phone, index in the upper indent beside the camera and other fingers curled behind the google logo.

My blackberry had signal strengths in about the same area from -75 to -80 so the signal isn't too much different, even though the "bars" meter wouldn't agree. BB would show 5 full bars, where this phone only shows 2 or 3. No calls dropping, data slow downs, or clarity issues though. I think people also let themselves fall into the placebo syndrome too much too. Just use the phone!

 

[iowabowtech]

For some reason, in the house I lose a little less, like around 5. Outside, I seem to lose closer to 10. Quite repeatable in both cases. I'm usually somewhere in the 70's and lose into the 80's.

 

[iowabowtech]

-84 went to -60 with my "incredible" grip

That kinda made me smile a little.

 

[steel36]

Is anyone actually suffering more lost calls with this than another phone? Because really, I'm not... so I don't think this is a real issue if not.

Thankfully, "no" on the dropped calls. But I do think this is germane. The fact is I'm struggling for signal at my office, and show a weaker one elsewhere, and this seems like it could be responsible for the major battery drains that many of us are seeing.

I had a Hero at the same work location and ran that thing all day w/o turning things off and it would make it 24 hours before going orange. If I leave mobile data on at work on my desk w/ the Incredible, it won't even get me home.