Delve R-800 Increase Your Signal Strength Fix.

I hated this phone. The DELVE gets horrible signal and LOVES to drop calls. I could sit this phone next to my repeater and it would have 3 bars. Every other phone within 200 ft got full bars, but not the Delve. Prior to biting the bullet and not worrying about bricking this phone as it would have been no big loss IMO, I seriously though about running over it with my truck just for GPs. Now I have full bars and no more dropped calls.


What we are going to do is change the front end gain of the RF receiver. This was found on my CDMA Alltel Phone. Use at your OWN risk and don’t blame me if your phone decides to become better suited for masonry. 

QPST_v2.7_Build_301.exe    (FYI, this proggy will also give you file system access like BitPim)

Google it, you WILL find it. Don’t waste my time asking for it.

Now you will need to setup the software to talk to your phone. Using your device manager find what comport the WDM for your phone is. It is under “comports”. Select that comport in your “QPST Configuration” and “Enable” that port.

Now open the “RF NV Item Manager”

Select “File” - “Read From Phone”.

Recommend: (from this point on, RECORD ON PAPER the default values of anything you change, all default values stated were from my phone)

Look for the Item (select write to save new values)

NV_FM_AGC_1    (default MIN = 43 MAX = 28)
This made no sense, well kinda. The Automatic Gain control was locked to 28 for EVDO. I want more and have it vary for conditions. After several tests using a known power from my cell repeater I came to - My new values are set to (MIN = 25  MAX = 45). This was actually the last thing I adjusted.

NV_C0_BC0_VGA_GAIN_OFFSET_1    (default = 2592)
We want a lower offset, I gave mine a difference of 1000 at first then later tweaked it to 500. Final value (2092)

NV_C1_BC0_VGA_GAIN_OFFSET_1   (default = 3492)
Again we want a lower offset, I gave mine a difference of 1000 at first then later tweaked it to 1100. Final value (2392)

I also noticed before modifications that this phone liked to drop calls WAY before the signal was ever fully dropped out. Like it didn’t like me anymore. This was one of the first fixes I did before venturing into the RF Gain. This can be found

NV_CDMA_MIN_RX_RSSI_I    (default -1150)
My new value that helped significantly was a difference of 50 (-1200)

Now, reboot your phone via your power button and bask in the beautiful bars! Under debug, my RX RSS went from (-96 EV  -117 1X ) to (-74 EV  -83 1X ) THAT’s 0 BARS TO 6 BARS!!!!

If you need your 6-didget SPC (service programming code). Here is how to, it works.
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=183093&highlight=cdma+tutorial

(fyi force the WDM port to be less than I think 7, otherwise cdma workshop won’t work. I made mine COM4. Using your computer’s device manager, find what comport the WDM for your phone is. It is under “comports”.)

Now you have your SPC.

   

Thanks! I have U.S. Cellular and usually have a pretty good signal wherever I go, unless I'm in BFE. I'm going to a pretty remote location to go hiking today so we'll see how this works out.

A tip for people who want to try this, when you connect your phone to your computer, don't enable mass storage mode! This will not work if you do. I had to figure this out the hard way. :p

and lastly the CDMA Workshop wouldn't read my SPC code it kept giving me an error
I did find out how to figure it out though. I'm not sure if it works with the Altell delve...
but to figure out you SPC code
type:
47*68#13580 This opens a screen that says "Test Mode<m>"
now type:
170#
It should now be displaying you SPC code.
*Edit after you type 170#, type 002 This will reboot your phone
Also be very careful in this screen if you decide to play around like I did. I completely erased everything in my phone and had to go re-activate it!*

Thanks again, awesome tutorial! I'm not sure if it helped the signal yet, but at least it kept me entertained!!

will this help me get EV instead of 1x? my friends razr and my previous phone v6m always got it at my house but my delve never does.

I edited my PRL list and you can change everything in there from home systems to preferred SID's. If you can find a tech that is in the store and not the retail reseller they can usually help you out.

I live in NC. my phone reads 1x not EV will this still work?

I'm new to this site and just wanted to say that i did this and man it really made a big difference in my signal strenght....I have a samsung delve with alltel service and was thinkin of throwin it out of the window ridin down the road at 70+...lol..But thanks to u guys i can finally enjoy my phone....



PS: I drive a big truck all over the world and will be in touch on how and where this fix benefitted me the most....Once again THANX A MILLION!!!!!!!!         

You could always just go back and change everything back to their original values; that's why he told you to write them down.

Umm use the cable to connect the phone to the computer and when it asks to enable mass storage mode on the phone when you connect it, say no, otherwise it won't show up in the device manager.

Idk about the drivers; it installed just fine for me and I have Vista. Of course, I also have a card so....

I have had a Samsung-Delve with US Cellular for about a month now, as a replacement for another phone. I had not understood why such an expensive phone has such a shameful signal.

BUT YOUR SUGGESTION WORKED GREAT! I have gone from no bar to 1 bar in my house to 3 bars, and can't wait to get outside tomorrow and see if the sound quality is better!

THANK YOU! I am fairly new to this forum and to the Samsung-Delve.