Better Reception for PSP-290

[eka]

I have done some tests with these antenna stickers designed to improve recption on mobile phones. I think it's an improvement for reception without having to do any physical mods.

With the standard PSP-290 unit with no antenna sticker i got a FIX in the following times.

1.15
2.35
1.20
1.50
2.55

With the sticker the times i got were.

0.50
0.50
3.50
0.55
1.30

All times are in minutes & seconds & were done on 3.40 OE firmware with Deniska's PSP290TEST.

As you can see all times were quite good to get a FIX with the exception of the 3.50.

These stickers are available on ebay for next to nothing (and no i do not sell them myself so have nothing to gain by promoting them).

I will be interested to know if anyone else reckons they get an improvement.

THANKS FOR YOUR PROGRAM DENISKA.
YOU THA MAN!!!

[An0nJ0hn]

Nice. Check out the CPU clock speed thread for a similar goal. The thread has gone badly off topic in a good way. You may like it.

[r2000]

Most reviews/comments about those "signal boosters" is: waste of time and money.

I do not think it makes any difference with PSP.

[bah]

Advertising spam of a completely BS product.

Can a mod delete this thread and ban the spammer, thanks.

[eka]

SPAM??

You've got to be kidding.

All I've done is some tests. I believe it improves my reception. Not by a lot but by a small amount.
I just thought others might like to know.
Not everyone wants to bulid an extension cable & have wires all over the place. Effective but not very practical really.
I've put the results of my tests up so people can make up their own minds.
If you don't like it don't bloody well buy one.
I'm just trying to give some people some options.
Sheesh!!!

[Mobz87]

But didnt you place the antenna sticker on the wrong side of the GPS?

[eka]

My understanding of these antennas is that they have to contact with metal to do anything at all.
Placing it on the front which is plastic, i dont think would provide any benefit. But please, prove me wrong by all means.
By the way has anyone pulled one of these apart & if so have any pics of it opened up.

[bah]

I stand by my spam comment.

These things do not work, they are a fraud.
You are either gullible and misinterpreting results, or sell the stickers on ebay yourself (I read the part of the post saying you do not).

Ive said my bit, don't be suckered into pointless gimmicks people, do some research.

[eka]

Exactly do some research for yourself.
This is not a sales pitch. I was just sharing the results of my "research".
Maybe these things are rubbish but hell it cost me a dollar & i believe it helps marginally.
As for "bah" accusing me of spam, misrepresenting results & calling me gullible. Your comments are not appreciated, nor helpful in any way. It's crap like this that turns these forums into a complete waste of time.
I will not respond to anything "bah" says again in this thread as it only breeds more crap in forums.
So go for it mate. Give it your best shot. I won't respond so you can have the last word.

[Codaz]

Hmm what about a dollar, even if they are fraud, hell if the guy Eka has some positive results, leave him.

Myself i have such a think and maybe i'll try it...

[atari800]

Seems like good research to me
Am I going to run out and buy one? No
Too bad there wasnt a USB Mini-b extension cable so we could see if the 111-222-333 Mhz putting out noise is effecting the satellite signal....or is it just how people see there system as working best

but thats a different thread/argument

[in7ane]

bah, don't dismiss it as spam/faulty test, it is quite likely that it does improve GPS' reception, just not by being an antenna as such. My guess is that it either reflects GPS signals back into the unit, or, more likely, acts as a shield between the PSP and the GPS (someone modified a metal PSP case in one of the other threads and got better reception as that blocked the PSP's interference). In either of those cases placing the antenna under the GPS unit should improve reception, but placing it above may degrade it. Other metal objects may works as well (probably not tin foil though, as it's aluminum). Having said that, this is just a guess.

eka, if it's not permanently attached the the GPS, can you try it on top (front) of the unit and see if you get worse/better results?

[platinumdragon]

Seems like good research to me
Am I going to run out and buy one? No
Too bad there wasnt a USB Mini-b extension cable so we could see if the 111-222-333 Mhz putting out noise is effecting the satellite signal....or is it just how people see there system as working best

but thats a different thread/argument

I found one here but it's a big rip off http://industrialcomponent.com/usbstuff/cellext.html

You could probably make something like that with an old PSP cord and a female adapter

[bah]

http://www.andybrain.com/extras/cellphone-antenna-booster-sticker-review-and-test.htm

http://reviews.ebay.com/Cell-Phone-Booster-Antenna-Stickers-Do-they-work_W0QQugidZ10000000001458986

I was going to leave it be as this guy seems to like to get holier than thou. I am simply informing people not to waste their money, no matter how little.

Google for reviews for these things or even explanation of the principles they supposedly operate on. The one in the image shown does not even contain any conductive materials. They do nothing, end of story.

The quicker this thread dies the better.


Edit: in7ane: The only way these things can do anything is by resonance, for that they would need to be tuned to the correct frequency not to mention be conductive in some way to start with.
If these things actually did this, and the PSP is creating interference in the same frequency range, then putting it between the GPS's actual antenna and the PSP unit would 'draw in' the interference rather than block it.

A lump of metal would be far more effective as a shield as it would actually effect the RF signal in some way, unlike these things.

Anyways, enough of this stuff. You guys can make up your own mind, its your $ not mine.
I just don't like the encouragement of pseudo-science gimmicks like this, magnetic inner soles or whatever else, as it detracts from peoples respect for actual technology.

[An0nJ0hn]

I found one here but it's a big rip off http://industrialcomponent.com/usbstuff/cellext.html

You could probably make something like that with an old PSP cord and a female adapter

A couple of us are working on making cables. Check them out and let us know what you think and if you have any ideas that may improve upon our current designs.

This is the thread:
http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=62604&page=4

r2000 of these forums found a much better deal on that cable here:
http://pc-mobile.net/guge.htm

I got mine from there for 8.50 USD and received it within a week.

[skylife]

nice find eka, yes please do some more tests as in7ane said. would be interesting seeing the results, and if they are positive i mite invest my hard earned dollar into it.
cheers mate

[atari800]

Some people say shielding the PSP to reduce it's noise interference makes it lock on quicker
Others say reducing the clock speed works (which could reduce cpu/component noise)

Heres an observation:
I dont have my PSP shielded and got a GPS-290
It does appear to lock on quicker when I reduce CPU to 111
I am wondering if the bus speed between GPS,USB and the main system is the bottleneck here.

By default Sony set PSP to 222 mhz although it can go up to 333 - they may have done this to extend battery life but maybe there is some other issues that influenced that decision, like the bus speed effecting other components functionality.

I am thinking if the GPS is only designed to stream in info at a certain speed, it could be the CPU running so fast isnt giving enough time to retrieve packets from it.

*Now I am not an expert on GPS PSP technology but here is what I am thinking;
<--1 second of time ---->
|------------------------------|
...........................***** <---- (packet burst from sat)
|---------------| <---- psp at 333 mhz
|------------------------------| <----psp at 222
|----------------------------------------------| at 111

maybe once it captures the packet - it tries to adjust so it can determine the next packets arrival. Once it can do this several times in a row - it is considered fixed.
<--1 second of time ---->
|------------------------------|
*****............................<---- (packet burst from sat)
|---------------| <---- psp at 333 mhz
|------------------------------| <----psp at 222
|----------------------------------------------| at 111

(see how any speed can capture this now?)

Now when they are fixed you can bump up the speed to 333mhz because it is already knows with great precision when the next packet will come in.
...and also speed up screen drawing


Just a thought
/|\

[An0nJ0hn]

The PSP definitely creates interference in my opinion. I just got back from road testing my home made extension cable and the PSP locks on faster at any CPU speed using the cable. I had full reception except when I was parked under some high voltage power lines (not regular neighborhood power lines) when my reception dropped to a still usable/acceptable 50%.

I had my PSP on the passenger seat and the PSP-290 receiver at the top of my windshield with the cable hung over the passengers side sun visor in order to keep the receiver up high and away from the PSP.

Using the cable, I find it best to run Map This! at 333 Mhz as I still got lock in less than one minute, LOC doesn't seem to matter. I left it at 1.

[atari800]

The PSP definitely creates interference in my opinion. I just got back from road testing my home made extension cable and the PSP locks on faster at any CPU speed using the cable. I had full reception except when I was parked under some high voltage power lines (not regular neighborhood power lines) when my reception dropped to a still usable/acceptable 50%.

I seen your thread on your usb cable you made -nice work!!!

I will go with your noise issue based on those credentials :thumbup: versus my USB sync/speed theory. I have nothing to back my claim uo.

Now I havent had any issue with powerlines or bridges interfering with me. I was stuck in traffic under a bridge for a long time. I do have access to powerlines but I hadnt walked around the towers or near the little station for any period of time - so I could be wrong there, but a parallel stroll under them didnt cause an issue.

[deniska]

The PSP definitely creates interference in my opinion. I just got back from road testing my home made extension cable and the PSP locks on faster at any CPU speed using the cable. I had full reception except when I was parked under some high voltage power lines (not regular neighborhood power lines) when my reception dropped to a still usable/acceptable 50%.

I had my PSP on the passenger seat and the PSP-290 receiver at the top of my windshield with the cable hung over the passengers side sun visor in order to keep the receiver up high and away from the PSP.

Using the cable, I find it best to run Map This! at 333 Mhz as I still got lock in less than one minute, LOC doesn't seem to matter. I left it at 1.

I did my own tests yesterday - looks like the cable does make a difference...
I got much better sensitivity. I think it was the first time I "saw" 12 satelites in view with PSP-290 unit...
I'll probably going to post my finding in a new thread...

[An0nJ0hn]

I seen your thread on your usb cable you made -nice work!!!

I will go with your noise issue based on those credentials :thumbup: versus my USB sync/speed theory. I have nothing to back my claim uo.

Now I havent had any issue with powerlines or bridges interfering with me. I was stuck in traffic under a bridge for a long time. I do have access to powerlines but I hadnt walked around the towers or near the little station for any period of time - so I could be wrong there, but a parallel stroll under them didnt cause an issue.

Thanks for the compliment on the cable. It's not soldered or anything but I made sure the connections were nice and tight. I could be wrong about the power lines as I was only under them for a brief moment. They were heavy duty lines that feed an industrial park next to Miami International Airport. Maybe it was them or maybe it was just a fluke. I'll check again later today as I have to go pick up some more stuff near there.

Deniska: That's great to read. I look forward to your more detailed findings as I'm sure you know this stuff better than I do. I usually get at least 10 Satellites in view with the cable. Also, with the cable I've started getting SNR values over 40. Today is pretty overcast weather around Miami so It'll be nice to see how it works today although I'm sure it will work great again as I have already tried it under worse weather. The true test will be when we get our next heavy storm with lots of lightning. For once, I'm looking forward to bad weather.

[platinumdragon]

Has anyone experimented with EMI shielding? Could try this on the back of the PSP http://cgi.ebay.com/58mmX25M-Roll-Aluminum-Foil-EMI-Shielding-Shield-Tape_W0QQitemZ300116682751QQihZ020QQcategoryZ7266Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If it doesn't work for that you can wrap it around your head so the government can't read your thoughts.

[An0nJ0hn]

I went down to the same site today and sat under those power lines a bit and did not have the same signal issue. I had full reception under the lines so perhaps yesterday was a fluke. Either way, the results with the cable continue to be impressive.
It would be nice if we could get someone to manufacture the extension cables for the PSP-290 at a reasonable price. I think that many people would/could benefit from the extra space between the receiver and the PSP. I tend to get good reception even without the cable but I know others are not as lucky. Also, I have yet to test Map This! in downtown Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. I will as soon as I get the time to do so.
I'm going to try to attach a good quality suction cup to my cable. Then I need to get one of those good quality car stands for my PSP.