HTC Desire HD GPS problem – always searching for GPS satellites

By Category: HTC

I like my HTC Desire HD and I quite depend on it, with all the apps installed on it and sync-ed calendar and phone book, so when it broke….I was sad.
It worked fine for a while and then GPS stopped working.

As many other did, I searched forums and installed all GPS Test Apps from Markets – all gave me very consistent results – your GPS is not working.
But it has been working before, my HTC DHD is not one of the factory faulty ones.

What can be wrong then – I asked myself?

It could be:
1.  Any dodgy software upgrade – Navigation or Radio
2. Internal GPS IC
3. The GPS Antenna

1.  Any dodgy software upgrade – Navigation or Radio

I tried to uninstall the Navigation Pro (recently purchased) and flash latest RADIO – didn’t help.
Factory Reset – didn’t work.

2. Internal GPS ICToo bad then, it is still under warranty, I will go back to my Crazy John guys and surrender the phone…but let’s do one more thing…

3. The GPS Antenna
Then I have found that GPS antenna is quite accessible and has few design issues that could give it contact problems. It is assembled together with the flash-light near the camera and the entire panel is not soldered in place, it is just clipped in place and it contains the GPS antenna also. 

Then, I have found this movie, that solved my mystery:Change GPS Antenna – HTC DHD.

If you believe that GPS antenna is faulty,  first thing, just press down the dual LED flash panel with your thumbs and then try the Navigation software again – if it locks on satellites in few seconds, then you have solved the issue – your GPS antenna just had an imperfect contact, it was moved a bit from its connection.
If this trick is not working, then follow this movie to change the antenna or if the phone is still under warranty just let them do it.

 
 Luckily, in my case was just a contact issue and it was solved by  pressing down the flash-light panel with my thumbs, all around its edges. 
Then, I tried again the Navigation software and it locked the GPS satellites very quickly, few seconds everything looks fine now and if symptoms reoccur I will try to get a spare GPS antenna handy… just in case.

Cheers,

Nick
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