Antenna mod?

[skyboxer]

Since the Inc2 has a very small antenna built into the battery cover and exposed contacts, has anyone tried making the antenna bigger by adding some fine wire held by tape, or perhaps some sort of metallic conducting paint? Does the original inc have the same design?

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[skyboxer]

OK, so I gave it a try

I guessed that the longer contact was the resonator and the smaller one the ground plane. There is very little room between the cover and the battery so a very small wire is required. I used a single strand salvaged from the shield mesh of a dead usb cable, about 2.5 inches long, taped on with a piece of cellophane tape. The wire must touch the existing antenna, since we aren't trying any coupling like those "signal booster" stick ons do. Make sure the rest of the wire is covered by the tape, you wouldn't want it to accidentally touch anything else.
My result is a signal increase from 1 bar to 2 bars in my remote area, and no more drops to 1x. GPS signal is the same as I think its antenna is elsewhere in the device. I didn't do any wavelength calculations, so increasing or even decreasing the length may result in a more efficient resonator and better results.

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[alpha752]

Id be interested in hearing more about this, and if its actually useful it may be an easy fix. My Dinc2 has much worse reception them my Droid X and iPhone.

 

[bik2101]

that's not what the battery door of an inc2 looks like.....

 

[skyboxer]

that's not what the battery door of an inc2 looks like.....

That was the door for my extended battery. I'm not getting as good a result with the stock cover for some reason. I think I might have to play with the length of the wire some to get it just right.

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[PvilleComp]

This is interesting! Skyboxer, what are the db readings you are getting before and after? It's been a LONG time since I took a radio class. Have you tried a zig-zag pattern on the back? Just curious.

Thanks for sharing your results!

FYI from the OP - No the OG DInc does not have the antena in the door.

 

[saynt j]

Just tried what skyboxer explained.... gonna see how it works, because I usually get 0-1 bars and -101 to -85 dbm with plenty of 1X to 3G flip flops while im sitting in one place.

 

[skyboxer]

This is interesting! Skyboxer, what are the db readings you are getting before and after? It's been a LONG time since I took a radio class. Have you tried a zig-zag pattern on the back? Just curious.

Thanks for sharing your results!

FYI from the OP - No the OG DInc does not have the antena in the door.

I didn't actually look at the db readings but was just going from the signal bar strength and the ability to hold 3G.
I figure since we can't root and rom our phones yet this might keep us occupied during the wait.

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[wabyrd]

I'm going to have to give this a try also. It may help save a little battery life since where I work I get a pretty weak signal. Last night I drained a full battery in about 5 hours due to weak signal with hardly any use. Going to get extended battery tomorrow if I get a chance.

 

[MunkinDrunky]

Hey I just happened across this thread and though I should share some info for all who want to see if there is really any signal improvement.

So for the Verizon network the frequency for the cellular signal is between 800 and 1900 MHz, I think. I saw that that range can also vary more, and the reason for such a range anyway is the location of the signal. For those that live in rural or light suburban areas, a lower frequency is better and for much denser populated areas, with more buildings and stuff in the way of the signal higher frequencies are used. SO, consider first the kind of environment you are in with your phone, then for the antenna length you choose to fit that frequency. For example at 800 MHz the resonant antenna length is 375 mm to match the wavelength. But since 375 mm is way impractical, taking half, or fourths, or eighths, etc. of that length will be the best you can do with just adding simple wire in your phone. As you work up to the higher frequencies like 1900 MHz you need less wire, only 157.894 mm ideally, but again you can cut that smaller by half's each time. So for 1900 you could do a 19.73675mm wire.

Maybe this will get some people on the right track if my reasoning is correct with matching ideal antenna length to wavelength.

 

[wabyrd]

Hey I just happened across this thread and though I should share some info for all who want to see if there is really any signal improvement.

So for the Verizon network the frequency for the cellular signal is between 800 and 1900 MHz, I think. I saw that that range can also vary more, and the reason for such a range anyway is the location of the signal. For those that live in rural or light suburban areas, a lower frequency is better and for much denser populated areas, with more buildings and stuff in the way of the signal higher frequencies are used. SO, consider first the kind of environment you are in with your phone, then for the antenna length you choose to fit that frequency. For example at 800 MHz the resonant antenna length is 375 mm to match the wavelength. But since 375 mm is way impractical, taking half, or fourths, or eighths, etc. of that length will be the best you can do with just adding simple wire in your phone. As you work up to the higher frequencies like 1900 MHz you need less wire, only 157.894 mm ideally, but again you can cut that smaller by half's each time. So for 1900 you could do a 19.73675mm wire.

Maybe this will get some people on the right track if my reasoning is correct with matching ideal antenna length to wavelength.

Does it have to be single strand or can it be braided? I was thinking of pulling out part of a pair from Cat6 cabling.

 

[saynt j]

Well, between the antenna mod with the USB shielding and the upgrade to GB, I've noticed a very slight improvement. Now at home I'll show 1... 2 bars max. And best db reading is about -80.

Like I've said before in another thread, I dont have any real data drops except when streaming video, and I'll drop a call once every other week. So, not a stellar signal showing, but the phone works as it should.

 

[MunkinDrunky]

I would say for this small scale- braided over single strand will only matter based on what you have at hand. If I remember correctly, not for our situation, but for larger cables that can have a lot of current, those bundles of wire will have mutual and/or self inductance that can cause a resistive current ( back emf). So yeah shouldn't be a concern here. Also for anyone else ive only been discussing design material, I really have no clue if this mod offers genuine results.

 

[Kronos61]

Do the protective case covers interfere with the signal?