New Antenna for Sony Ericsson GC83 Wireless Network Card

Make a new antenna to replace the one I'm sure you have broken off inside your card. This one will not break and does not cost $30. Sorry about the crappy pictures.

Step 1: Remove and Disassemble Card

Take to card out of your laptop and remove the SIM card. Use a small screwdriver to release the metal tabs along the sides and take both of the metal covers off. You may have to pry the tabs out of the sides of the socket, carefully.

Step 2: Where to Connect New Antenna

Examine the socket that your old antenna fit into. On the side or the card where it is soldered in you can see where the outside of the antennas plug fit in and also a contact in the center that came from the center pin of the antenna (the part that is now broken off inside the card and impossible to remove, due to a horrible design).

Step 3: Solder New Antenna Wire On

Find a nice piece of thin 2 conductor wire, I cut one off an old PC speaker. Strip the contacts at slightly different lengths to avoid a short. Solder the center conductor to the center contact on the card, solder the other conductor to either of the outside conductors.

Step 4: Reassemble

Put the card back together making sure the new antenna wire is routed so it all fits. The antenna wire should go out the old antenna hole, I broke off all of the old socket's fingers to give clearance.

Step 5: Install in Laptop

Install the card back in your laptop and route the antenna along the side. Cut the wire to length and make sure the conductors are not shorting out. I taped mine along the side of my laptop with electrical tape. It seems a little cheesy but holds it flat and is hardly noticable. Best of all I can now slide it into my bag without fear. Signal strength seems to be at least as good as with the original abomination.