increase 3G signal?

Alright, I am within eye sight of my local cell tower, I'd say definitely closer than 1 mile.

I get FULL 2G (E / EDGE) ... full bars.

But the 3G signal on my android 1.5 Google phone seems to die out, and even when I get even less than 2 miles away it completely fades out or gets under 2 bars always. I can go to the corner of my home and get 1 bar of 3G if I am lucky.

I have gone as far as getting an app that disables 2G signal and only lets me use 3G (helps but it still fades in and out of service in 3G only mode)

Is there a way to increase my 3G signal reception (indoors especially)???

Had your phone been used before you bought it?

No it was new, but its a fairly 1st gen/2nd gen 3G phone so maybe they make them better now... the signal is great for EDGE/2G, but the 3G fades very quickly as I drive away from the tower... I mean REALLY quick. You would think it would go at least a few miles before fading down from 3 bars to 2 bars, no? I don't get jack at even a mile away and this is a brand new HTC android phone (brand new in 2009 anyways). Default install, and everything... I only have a few basic apps and I haven't hacked or rooted this one what so ever.

I just want at least 2 bars of 3G constant, and I believe at this distance I should be getting 3-4 FULL BARS?... I am REALLY close to a tower and its even on T-Mobiles "tower" website so I know they certainly use the one I am looking at not far away.

OH and before anyone asks... there's NO HILLS, and I can literally see the tower from my roof so there is no signal blockage from what I can see. Just my roofing crap (no solid concrete either! what gives?)

Are you sure it's a tower for your provider? If not, look here to verify it. http://www.cellreception.com/towers/

No, I used t-mobiles own tower website http://www.t-mobiletowers.com/

The store underneath my tower is even the tower name, so I am 100% sure its the tower right near by. Plus, if I walk under it the tower gives me FULL 3G bars reception so I know its using this same tower when I stand at home. I tested a different 3G tower nearby (with even more fancy tech crap on it) and I did the "drive in the opposite direction" test.... not bad but not good I think.

I would just like another bar or two of 3g, I know there has to be some type of can antenna or something internal I can buy..... no?

I thought those were bogus and didn't work? Anyone use tham in a smart phone recently? I remember they were given out free when they first came out so I am skeptical

They are crap.

The only way you're going to increase your signal indoors is to either get an external antenna that your phone connects to or see if t-mobile has some sort of repeater that you can put in your house like Verizon and Sprint do.

StarTrek, yeah I researched that before you posted.... AT*T has one (but requires broadband for some reason).

T-Mobile I found is doing a trial with one that DOES NOT need broadband, just ability to resubmit the signal. One guy got it through the beta or whatever that T-Mobile is doing with this awesome device (supposedly by "unbiased beta review") made the guys 3G go from fading out to a full 4 bars. It's called a "Cel-Fi" .. google it. But yeah, everyone I guess has one too, Sprint and everyone besides mine right now of course