Help Signal drops completely - HTC Desire S

[notebook]

@solorize

Can you confirm you have the settings 'GSM auto (PRL)' and 'WCDMA preferred' on your Desire S? Mine doesn't have either.

On mine, the only available options are 'WCDMA only', 'GSM only' and 'GSM/WCDMA auto'. 'GSM only' is very different to 'GSM auto (PRL)'.

Edit: Just realised you're talking about the settings accessed via Engineering mode. I didn't follow the link in your post.

 

[notebook]

@billy06

If what you quote is written on a piece of paper that came back with your phone, it would be very useful to many here if you could upload a good photo/scan of it (so it can be read) and post a link to it here.

It would be an excellent bargaining tool for people with similar problems who want to get the right thing done with their phone or even, perhaps, get out of their contracts with this particular phone(?!).

 

[Plympool]

HTC previously advised me to switch my phone settings from WCDMA preferred to GSM auto (PRL) and it initially appeared to help (i.e. I awoke the next morning to find that my phone was still connected to O2).

Unfortunately, the problem returned the following day and it was at this point that I discovered the issue with incoming calls going directly to voicemail when my phone was asleep and connected to H. This problem actually seemed more prevalent with the GSM auto (PRL) setting, although this could just be a coincidence.

Picking up my 'repaired' phone from the O2 shop tomorrow. Not holding out much hope and have already drafted a letter of complaint in anticipation.

 

[solorize]

Ok, I can now confirm that switching the phone to GSM auto (PRL) does NOT help as my phone signal was again lost this morning at around 11:00 [FONT=&quot]

I left a response to my "still open" HTC Global Contact System ticket, informing them that my phone still lost signal even after it going off for repair with O2. To which the person informed me that my problem will be forwarded onto the HTC developers to be further investigated.

I really am at a loss on how this is ever going to be fixed as I don

 

[ercm03]

[FONT=&quot]
I really am at a loss on how this is ever going to be fixed as I don

 

[schnide]

Well this is all sadly predictable, and a bit of a PR embarrassment on HTC's part for certain. It's really, really poor.

For those interested, O2 no longer have any black Desire S phones in stock either online or in-store. They only have the teal colour. However, I would be wary of taking a Desire S again which is a real shame as I otherwise almost entirely loved this phone.

Is it really THAT hard for HTC to say:

"We're really sorry, we've found a bug but to keep our loyal customers, we're investigating it as quickly possible and issuing a firmware update as soon as we can"?

billy06 - I wholeheartedly agree with notebook that scanning your note would be damning evidence and possibly the only thing that MIGHT spring HTC into action through sheer embarrassment. If you can scan or take a photo and post it, please do so with anything you can that helps prove it came from HTC.

 

[schnide]

[FONT=&quot]I don

 

[solorize]

Quick update.

I let the chap that I have been dealing with at HTC know that I still have the same problem even when I switch to GSM auto (PRL) and that I would like to be kept uptodate with what the developers find and if and when there is an update. He said he will put me on a 'list' (what ever that means?) after furnishing him with my details.

Now I have decided to try my preferred network type to GSM only to see if that does any good.

I am now just clutching at straws in hope that one of the settings works! problem is there are quite a few to try. Does anyone know which ones are safe to try? and what they all mean?


WCDMA preferred
GSM only
WCMDA only
GSM aut (PRL)
CDMA auto (PRL)
CDMA only
EvDo only
GSM/CDMA auto (PRL)
Unknown

btw.
Does anyone know if we are "intitled" to insist from our provider (in my case O2) a new replacement phone, if our current phones are not fit for purpose as they keep dropping the signal?

 

[pagepack]

I asked HTC why don't they revert to an earlier firmware for O2 customers until a fix released? "We will consider your comment", was the reply.

 

[pagepack]

Does anyone know which ones are safe to try? and what they all mean?

From another forum...

GSM Only - Only uses in G/E and never switches to 3G/H. Should have minimal battery usage.

GSM Auto (PRL) - Automatically switches between G/E/3G/H based on the PRL (Preferred Roaming List) for a provider on your phone. Not supported by all providers and may not be supported in certain regions. Should have moderate battery usage since it uses a predefined list to switch.

WCDMA Preferred - Automatically switches between G/E/3G/H based on the best/strongest signal available and is supported by all providers. Has high battery usage since it constantly scans the network for the strongest signal to switch.

WCDMA Only - Only uses HSDPA and will not switch to G/E/3G even if the HSPDA signal is too low. Use this only if you use your phone in a area with good coverage. Should have moderate battery usage.

 

[normal man]

Hey guys i posted a similar thread below, which is I should not have updated to 1.47.110.3 regarding the same issues

The only way to resolve it is take a punt with your network providor to send you a replacement phone and hope that as they would have had stock since the launch or restocked after it will have a much earlier software version on there, as the update has only been around for about a month or so on all UK networks.

This is what T-Mobile kindly did for me, they service was brilliant compared to HTC who are basically f ing useless, no one will help you there at all and you can send your phone but they will not do anything about it.

I registered a complaint and got the most petty reply ever, they need to buck thier ides up quickly as customer service is one of the main reasons people buy certain products, but once my contracts up i aint ever going near a HTC phone again due to how they have treated me and others

 

[billy06]

no note to post this is what i was told by HTC Cs UK, i am now waiting for them to get back to me on how to "resolve" this issue

 

[solorize]

I found the below discriptions on another forum so thought I would post up so we all know what the options are:

WCDMA preferred:
The GSM phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 3G is favored more.

GSM only:
The GSM phone is capable of using only 2G data communication. When the 2G signal is too low you get nothing at all.

WCDMA only:
The GSM phone is capable of using only 3G data communication. When the 3G signal is too low you get nothing at all.

GSM auto (PRL):
The GSM phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more. This one is a bit confusing to me since PRL is associated mostly with CDMA technology and not GSM technology.

CDMA auto (PRL):
The CDMA phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more.

CDMA only:
The CDMA phone is capable of using only 2G data communication. When the 2G signal is too low you get nothing at all.

EvDo only:
The CDMA phone is capable of using only 3G data communication. When the 3G signal is too low you get nothing at all.

GSM/CDMA auto (PRL):
Some phones are equipped with both GSM and CDMA capabilities. This setting appears to just have the phone attempt to stay connected to the data communication type that works the best.

Unknown: - If none of the above fit or the phone is acting weird as far as connecting to the carrier, you will see your preferred network type is set to this

When using the 'only' options you should still be able to make calls.

 

[solorize]

I asked HTC why don't they revert to an earlier firmware for O2 customers until a fix released? "We will consider your comment", was the reply.

Lets hope that they consider it VERY HARD as something needs to be done and soon.

Couldn't they just rename and repackage an earlier version but give it
a later number than the 1.47.206.2, so we upgrade but in reality downgrade?

Don't know if this is possible, but I am sure there MUST be a way somehow?

 

[pagepack]

Lets hope that they consider it VERY HARD as something needs to be done and soon.

Couldn't they just rename and repackage an earlier version but give it
a later number than the 1.47.206.2, so we upgrade but in reality downgrade?

Don't know if this is possible, but I am sure there MUST be a way somehow?

They could do exactly that, but at the minute its about HTC saving face.

 

[ukgun]

I have had a reply, and they are asking me to try another sim card and see if
I still get the same problem, and also after that do a factory reset

Therefore I will stick in a payasugo sim i have lying around.

I am not looking forward to doing a factory reset as that means
reinstalling and trying to remember all setting etc.

Does anyone know how to do a backup of your Calendar
and Contacts etc.. so I can restore them after doing the factory
reset. As I cant see a way to do it with the HTC Sync software

Hi all, exact same problem here...orange are swapping my phone today...to back up your contacts and calender go and create a gmail account then sync with your htc, this will back up all your contacts and calender

 

[starman316]

even better still see if they will release a upgrade, but remove the call performance update that we see in the changelog of 206.2 that caused the incoming calls issue

as from what i hear and seen in 206.2 the menu system etc was much smoother, and emails sync'd properly which they dont in 1.31

i can not see them doing anything, i was just told we would have to wait until the next update and it could be months! and even then do we update? its one hell of a risk now isnt it

htc support

Ryan B: i have your details now and will pass the ROM details over to them and there will be a fix in the next update

 

[sj_4x4]

Details here: [Q] Issue with 1.47.401.4 : often get "Limited Service" and hard to get signal back - xda-developers

These instructions ?

download the zip file package for the radio
copy it to root of your devices SD card
rename the file to PG88IMG.zip
re-start you phone in bootloader by holding volume down and power on on deive restart (hboot not fastboot)
the bootloader will ask you if you want to install the update?
confrim
reboot

Which "radio" did you use ?

O2 are supposed to be down grading mine, but I'm not holding my breath, so I need a plan-b.

 

[ukgun]

OMG just got my replacement phone from orange and it has the updated software already installed...I will keep this thread updated on any problems

 

[schnide]

even better still see if they will release a upgrade, but remove the call performance update that we see in the changelog of 206.2 that caused the incoming calls issue

as from what i hear and seen in 206.2 the menu system etc was much smoother, and emails sync'd properly which they dont in 1.31

i can not see them doing anything, i was just told we would have to wait until the next update and it could be months! and even then do we update? its one hell of a risk now isnt it

htc support

Ryan B: i have your details now and will pass the ROM details over to them and there will be a fix in the next update

A fix in the next update.. Hmm, well that's nice to say but with no indication of when this will hit, I'm not waiting around.

After making sure I spoke to the right people at O2, they have very kindly offered to replace my Desire S with a Sensation. I was offered a choice from a small range of phones, and although this is another HTC device, it is more expensive than the Desire S and so will end up costing someone, somewhere more money at no extra cost to me. Ultimately, this seems to be the only thing that will make HTC stand up and take notice in the long run.

 

[ercm03]

These instructions ?

download the zip file package for the radio
copy it to root of your devices SD card
rename the file to PG88IMG.zip
re-start you phone in bootloader by holding volume down and power on on deive restart (hboot not fastboot)
the bootloader will ask you if you want to install the update?
confrim
reboot

Which "radio" did you use ?

O2 are supposed to be down grading mine, but I'm not holding my breath, so I need a plan-b.

I followed [UPDATED]how to root 1.47.161.2 hboot 002 (and possibly others) - xda-developers and stopped after step 11
and I got the RUU from [ROM]Shipped Desire S ROM Collection - xda-developers

I have an unbranded phone so I used RUU_Saga_HTC_Europe_1.28.401.1_Radio_20.28b.30.080 5U_38.03.02.11_M_release which is what I originally had before the OTA.

 

[notebook]

@ercm03

As long as the phone is unrooted and the HBOOT version is commensurate with the software version of your phone, then to all intents and purposes no technician will know that it's been rooted (S-OFF).

 

[notebook]

@solorize

That depends on the contract you have with O2.

Generally, on pay monthly contracts, you need to give them the chances that they lay out in the contract regarding what they'll do to sort out faulty phones. At a certain point, and depending on who you talk to at O2, when you've been through several faulty phones, you should point out to them that you've been through x amount of phones, lost x amount of days use of your phone/contract and think it's now time to get a new model of phone. They should have a list of alternative phones that they can offer you, although they may not be equivalent. (See schnide's post above this one.)

From reading other forums, getting a refund or different phone, etc, is relatively easier with a PAYG contract than a monthly contract, because in the latter the contract is for the line and call package (the SIM), not the phone per se.

 

[notebook]

@sj_4x4

It'll be easier to just flash the whole O2 ROM rather than going down the seperate firmware route, unless you enjoy playing around with gadgets and general geekery.

All you need is the O2 ROM in this list, as long as it is the earlier version you're looking for.

 

[starman316]

A fix in the next update.. Hmm, well that's nice to say but with no indication of when this will hit, I'm not waiting around.

After making sure I spoke to the right people at O2, they have very kindly offered to replace my Desire S with a Sensation. I was offered a choice from a small range of phones, and although this is another HTC device, it is more expensive than the Desire S and so will end up costing someone, somewhere more money at no extra cost to me. Ultimately, this seems to be the only thing that will make HTC stand up and take notice in the long run.

they wouldnt swap mine for a sensation! so ur very lucky

Edit, since speaking to O2 again, a sensation is on its way