3G reception INOP!!! (iPhone 3Gs)

I have had my iPhone 3Gs for fifteen months. Recently, I acquired the AT&T 3G Microcell Tower because I was consistently receiving terrible voice and data quality. My iPhone worked well for about a month with the microcell, but three weeks ago, I noticed that the microcell signal was no longer working. I tried everything on AT&T's website troubleshooting the microcell, but no improvement. Finally, I took the microcell to an AT&T store to exchange it for another microcell. After the swap, I still had no microcell or 3G signal.
After resetting my network settings, rebooting my iPhone, and restoring its software to the factory settings, I returned to the AT&T store for a new sim card (all per Apple's online DIY advice). After installing the new sim card, I still have no 3G signal.
Everything else works great: voice, EDGE data, WiFi data, but not 3G and not microcell. At the AT&T store, the associate showed me his own iPhone 3Gs, which had 5 bars of 3G. I had 5 bars of EDGE. VERY DISAPPOINTING, especially since it renders the microcell completely useless :-((
Any suggestions, anyone? Should I turn this phone into a skeet, yet?
This problem was observed on both iOS 4.3.2 & 4.3.3

"...it may have a damaged antenna..."
Along those lines, how many antennas does the iPhone 3Gs have? AT&T says they have a single antenna for everything, but I find this hard to believe given the problems I am having with 3G and nothing else. If that were the case, a damaged antenna should prevent all reception, which is why I am skeptable.
Is there anywhere I can find a schematic or a wiring/circuit diagram of the device? If I had one, I might be able to repair it myself. I'd rather attempt to repair myself it than to send it off to Apple, wait a month, and pay $100 (or however much this repair costs). After all, it is out of warranty, barely.
Thanks for your reply.

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Message was edited by: mschrei4

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JamesAtkins wrote:
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Hi,
I have an iPhone 3GS 16GB which I love very much. Vital Statistics are:
Version: 4.1 (8B117)
Carrier: Voda AU 8.0
Model: MC132X
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6. My iPhone is far slower than it used to be. I’ve compared it to my brother’s identical 3GS on 3.1.2, and his phone flies in comparison to mine! Opening my SMS’s, email client, and internet browser is painfully slow.
7. When calling a number, often my iPhone ‘waits’ for 20-30 seconds at the ‘calling mobile’ screen before I hear any tone from the phone indicating that it’s making the phone call. This never happened when it was running 3.1.3. This never happens on my brother’s identical 3GS.
8. My wireless performance has decreased. I have run bandwidth tests through my wireless router numerous times from www.speedtest.net, and compared them with my brother’s results performed right before and right after mine. I’ve run this test against my brother’s 3GS more than enough times to form a statistical picture. On the whole, my wireless performance is around 10-15% worse than his 3GS.
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I have wiped my iPhone several times now. I have put it into DFU mode and totally, cleanly installed the 4.1 software. I have done this 4 times now.
The clean installs have not fixed the issues above.
I would like to know what my options are for fixing these issues?
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1. How can I roll back this accursed update?
2. Why would Apple release a software update(s) that hasn't been tested, and dramatically negatively impacts my beloved 3GS?
3. How can I get my brilliant 3GS +*back to the way it was*+!?!?
I’m very, very disappointed. And to be honest, the simple fact I’m taking the time out of my busy day to write this post means I’m very angry as well.
I know the problem with my 3GS *is not a hardware issue*. It's a software issue, and I'd like to know how I can get my old, fast, reliable, brilliant 3GS back.
Regards,
-J

The picture you show is normal. If you lightly double tap home button it activates reach ability mode for one handed operation. Nothing is wrong there. Another light double tap returns it to full screen. Do not press, just light touch the home button. AAs far as the other issues check the in call volume or ringer volume as it happens, just a possibility. as far as the banner not displayed on lock screen, as far as I know you need to have notifications set to alerts not banners in order for them to show up on the lock screen.

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Hi there,
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I haven't yet; I'm in the unenviable position of not having a phone I can use any more now. I wanted to see whether or not there was something I'd done incorrectly, or something I still had to do, in order to fix the problem, before I assumed the SIM was faulty.

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I have old iPhone 3G. Which i lost over the last long weekend so i brought the new iPhone 3GS. we all know that iPhone has shaky 3G reception but 3GS is worse than 3G. In the same places where i was getting full signal now i am getting hardly any signal with my new 3GS.And sometimes when its going back to Edge in case bad 3G, it's not returning back to 3G automatically after i moveed to good reception area.
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First of all , please excuse me for my english.
However i totally agree with infenitely.
1) 1 person with a problem: is not an issue. 2 Persons: can be. Many persons (and in this forum seems to be this case) : is a problem. Many persons all around the world (this is my 5th forum this evening): is a statistical mess.
2) Production processes : is something that i don't want to ear. I paid for something that had to have some characteristcs and (actually) it has half of what it was supposed to have. (in italy I paid 619 € for a 16gb).
3) assistance: is not possible to spend 25 minutes calling the Italian Apple Phone Number (0,48 € per minute) and then the first time the call dropped and the second time the person told me "i'm afraid, i cannot help you, probably depends on you provider.." or some other stupid answers that shows the incompetence of this Apple Operator.
I'm using it since one week ago (previously i had an iphone 3g) and right now this is what happened to me:
a) if during a phone call i receive a Text Message or an email, sometimes the call drop, other times i start to ear a metallic rumor and i have to drop the call.
b) with any reason the phone switch from 3g to GPRS (i don't have edge): i can say with any reason because the other phone i'm using for work (nokia E71) in the same place "on the other side of the table" has a full 3g signal.
c) during the internet navigation, it freeze like if there is no signal and then i have to power off and then power on it to navigate again
d) many times during the day it "says" no phone signal - impossible to do phone calls" (mre or less translating the italian phrase), when the other phones (mine and of my colleagues) has no problem.
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Excuse me again for my English
Ruggero

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RLB

I don't have the answer to this issue but I'm experiencing the exact same problem.
Since 4.3.3 my wifi signal strength is close to nothing. When I'm 3 feet away from any router, at home or at work, I have 3 bars not even full reception. As soon as I walk a few yards away from the router, I lose the connection completely.
I've tried everything to fix this. Reset network settings, turning off Bluetooth, disabling location services, full restore, reconfiguring routers, etc. but nothing works. I'm now using the iOS 5 Beta 3 and still no improvement to this issue.
In this thread there seems to be some recognition from Apple that this is a known problem and indeed a software bug. Hard to know if it's true though:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2815831
The same weak wifi signal seem to happen to iPad users too: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2387493 This thread dates back over a year, so it looks as if this problem is common but without fix.
More threads:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3014400
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3096274
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2724930
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3014267
Here are my specs, for reference:
Model
iPhone 3GS, MC139DN
Modem Firmware
05.16.02
I'll let you know if I find a fix...
Thanks,
Kris

3G reception INOP!!! (iPhone 3Gs)

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