Sprint PCS - Killing E911 GPS in Sanyo SCP-7300

Author

Killing E911 GPS in Sanyo SCP-7300

a1winters@hotmail.com

2005-07-25, 11:48 pm

Since many are beginning to take their privacy seriously, and the
subscriber is NOT really in control of who has access to their location
info, the 100% hack is offered. Don't do this unless you can flow a
tiny blob of solder correctly, and know how to R&R plastic things
without trashing them: Remove the 4 screws from the housing back, 2 in
the battery well and 2 above (use a pin to open the 1/8" by 1/4"
rectangular cover next to antenna) These are tri-wing
we-think-our-customers-are-idiots screws, but a 1.5mm slotted can
remove them with patience if one doesn't have the 'special' kit. Unsnap
the back cover, and carefully lift the guts out of the keypad surround,
there's some tabs which need coaxing w/ Exacto to release it. Remember
to use the hinge side as a pivot, as there's still a ribbion connecting
halves of course. Release the tabs holding the keypad to the plastic
spacer/shield on backside of RF board, and it will pop off, it's
connectorised. Now, on the antenna side near the top (under the "back"
button roughly), you notice 2 chips, RFL6000 (the LNA), and RFR6000
(the direct conversion receiver core, it does all receive functions).
Between those chips, there are 3 bandpass filters, tiny square things
which are larger than the passive parts. For 2 of these, namely those
closer to the edge of the PCB, you will notice they are in the signal
path between LNA and receiver. These are for the 800 & 1900 Mhz bands.
The third filter is closer to the board center, and its input is via a
capacitor which terminates in a feedthru to the other side, to a test
antenna connector. This is the GPS filter, and is where the crippling
is done. Carefully flow solder between the filter side of that
capacitor and the GPS filter body (at the opposite end from RFR6000),
thereby shorting the GPS input to it. Do it correctly, privacy insured.
Botch it, you bring the phone back claiming a failure, & get a
replacement with the magic words = "LNP" and "Churn".
Publish freely and copiously, expand on it...

Steve Sobol

2005-07-25, 11:48 pm

a1winters@hotmail.com wrote:
> Since many are beginning to take their privacy seriously, and the
> subscriber is NOT really in control of who has access to their location
> info, the 100% hack is offered.

Of course, if you *completely* disable GPS, you're in violation of FCC
regulations. You can normally turn it off for everything except 911 calls.
That's been what I've done up until now (my current [non-Sprint] phone is a
Motorola model that doesn't allow you to only turn it on for 911, which sucks).

> Botch it, you bring the phone back claiming a failure, & get a
> replacement with the magic words = "LNP" and "Churn".

Right. Except at that point, if they open it up, it'll be pretty obvious
that you tried to modify the phone, and any store employee with half a brain
will toss you out on your XXX.

It's not the carrier's fault the government is requiring GPS capabilities.
Why penalize them for a decision they didn't make?

--
Steve Sobol, Professional Geek 888-480-4638 PGP: 0xE3AE35ED
Company website: http://JustThe.net/
Personal blog, resume, portfolio: http://SteveSobol.com/
E: sjsobol@JustThe.net Snail: 22674 Motnocab Road, Apple Valley, CA 92307

Paul Miner

2005-07-25, 11:48 pm

On Mon, 25 Jul 2005 16:50:02 -0700, Steve Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net>
wrote:

>a1winters@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>
>Right. Except at that point, if they open it up, it'll be pretty obvious
>that you tried to modify the phone, and any store employee with half a brain
>will toss you out on your XXX.
>
>It's not the carrier's fault the government is requiring GPS capabilities.
>Why penalize them for a decision they didn't make?

Exactly. As presented by a1winters above, it's fraud, plain and
simple.

--
Paul Miner

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