possible antenna gate?

[tlgem]

Watch from about 5:07 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm5vPD82PlI

Anyone else seeing this?

 

[ckelly33]

I just tried it. Changed about 2 when I touched it. Doubt there are real world ramifications liked dropped calls as with Antennagate

 

[MA2GA28]

Probably won't cause an 'antenagate' but it is interesting nonetheless. I am still hopeful that an update is released to improve the radio performance for both Wifi and phone signals, as both are relatively weak on this phone according to my real-world usage and a number of reviews out there.

 

[Danny1Bears3]

Did not notice any signal change when I touched it.

Turbo Shot

 

[vzwuser76]

When antennagate happened, it was found that most all phones will do this to one extent or another. The issue with Apple's phone was that when you did it on there, it put a bridge between two antennas, and caused a significant drop. That isn't the case anywhere else because no one else uses external antennas.

And this can happen with any antenna. Ever tried grabbing a radio antenna and the signal changed? Sometimes it gets worse, sometimes better. Your body can act like an attenuator or a booster depending on conditions.

 

[camachinist]

Less than 2dBm here. I also tried various metal objects with little result; some actually improved reception. As example voice went from -95 to -.97 and wifi went from -48 to -50.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[StormnNJ]

Had to maneuver finger to replicate it but mine dropped one bar. It's a nonissue since no one is going to normally hold their phone in that position to cover it that way

 

[vzwuser76]

@Cam.
Higher numbers there are worse. Notice they have a - ahead of the numbers? These are negative numbers, so the lower the number, the better.

@StormnNJ
Bars don't really give you an accurate reading. Goto Settings>About Phone>Status>Network Type and Strength and it'll give you the readings in negative dBm. When looking at that, the lower the number the better. For example -65dBm is stronger than -85dBm. Once you start getting into -100dBm is where you start having problems.

 

[camachinist]

Yep, familiar with radio signals since I work with electronics in my business. Deterioration appeared to be on the order of 2dBm max with finger in position indicated by video for a period of 10 seconds. It took a bit for the app (one from the play store, not stock on the phone) to show up the change. I posted the prior from the phone and didn't get into a verbose explanation but the 'bad' numbers were with the finger. When placing a tablespoon over the end of the phone and moving it around, reception improved as much as 5dBm (lower number). I happen to live in a rural area and did note the directional indicator on the app pointing in a direction other than the closest cell tower, about 2 miles away, so perhaps that one isn't VZW. I didn't try to reset and see if the phone would pick it up. The distance and structure could account for the generally mediocre signal performance. In use, no complaints.