How's your GPS since the update? and other issues. - Vibrant General

MINE SUCKS
I have been using the (new gps fix) and here are its issues;
When on the freeway and driving around town at twenty five miles per hour my position is one block behind my location. the navagation tells me to turn when I am way past the street I was suppose to turn on.
The GPS still loses signal constantly
The accuracy on the Google map is way off in comparison to what the GPS program says the accuracy claims. It claims 30 to 40 feet and its 300 to 500 feet on the map. You better not be walking next to a cliff in the dark
and yeah I rebooted the phone, reinstalled Google Maps, and cleared the cach, and nothing has changed
Why did I wait for the update
I no longer trust Samsung.
The phone lag is getting worse every day and I have lost the ability to go to the market unless I reboot.
The battery life sucks as well, I cant make it through a day with out recharging.
Hey but the hardware is great if it works
Unfortunately I bought this phone for the supposed functionality and this includes the GPS.
Has anybody done any testing and what are your results or issues?

Did you miss the other threadS on this?
Delete GPS data
Wipe data, reinstall from fresh flash of JFD
Disable Use Wireless Networks.

Mine sucks too. Position in Maps jumps all over the place, it's usually at the far end of the error margin, and is relatively slow getting a fix (compared to a Nexus One)
Accuracy has never been consistent (usually above 10m)
The compass is really bad too.
There were improvements with JI6, faster lock, more satellites, fixed gmt and local time, smoother compass, but still far from reliable.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

heygrl said:
Did you miss the other threadS on this?
Delete GPS data
Wipe data, reinstall from fresh flash of JFD
Disable Use Wireless Networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry heygirl, your optimism is appreciated but that solution is no more than wishful thinking.
Drive a 1000 miles and your gps is still usrless. Wait a few days, abd your gps is useless.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

heygrl said:
Did you miss the other threadS on this?
Delete GPS data
Wipe data, reinstall from fresh flash of JFD
Disable Use Wireless Networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you delete GPS data?

mine is working awesome i did it last night and is working way better than before, in some places where i used to have 0 or 1 bar i now have 3 bars, the gps working without problems.

I have noticed bugginess still.
Twice now-- When turning on GPS, opening Maps, clicking the FIND MY LOCATION button.. it sits for a moment.. and then reboots my phone. brilliant, right?
Other than that, it is a bit more usable.. still not reliable like my G1 was.
When sitting still in MAPS, my blue arrow spins, jumps a millimeter, spins back... doesnt know which direction I am moving/facing.
Compass is still absolute trash.

pb3000 said:
mine is working awesome i did it last night and is working way better than before, in some places where i used to have 0 or 1 bar i now have 3 bars, the gps working without problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cannot complain about the GPS anymore. I flashed the ROM myself, formatted and repartitioned before...just to make sure. Quick GPS locks on plenty of satellites. It does seem that it works best in standalone mode on my phone.

My gps accuracy sucks (usually ~30m), but it does lock pretty quick. Subpar while driving, had me jumping around at stop lights and even lost the signal entirely for a few mins. In my opinion, not yet worthy of the title "gps." i'm on stock ji6.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

My GPS seems pretty good, although it was good before the update since I used the leaked GPS fix.
The only thing I've noticed since I odin'd the official JI6 is that my battery seems to drain a bit faster than before, but I might be using it a little more than before as well, so it's hard to tell.

My only complaint is that when I turn on the navigation app it takes several minutes before the gps locks. Once that happens it seems fine.
The same is true of my Garmin standalone gps, so maybe I'm expecting too much.

Hey in case anyone is interested, GPS is working great on the Bionix 1.8 ROMS. I get a constant viewed 11 and locked 9-10 within 3-4 seconds and the tracking is very accurate.
Thought I would share if you are rooted and want to try it out, oh and did I mention it's a great ROM

Jdom58 said:
Hey in case anyone is interested, GPS is working great on the Bionix 1.8 ROMS. I get a constant viewed 11 and locked 9-10 within 3-4 seconds and the tracking is very accurate.
Thought I would share if you are rooted and want to try it out, oh and did I mention it's a great ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Bionix 1.8 and it will take minutes sometimes to lock and then for no apparent reason the lock will drop. Mytracks still has me driving through buildings as well. It's better but not fixed (at least on my vibrant).

mine works flawlessly. All I've done is root with Ryans OCLF and never removed any bloatware. I do have the recent JI6 update.

Working great after the update..
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I don't have any of those issues.
I just tried looking for my location... and it's very accurate.
Before the update, it was off by a block, and constantly moving around.
Never put in a custom ROM or kernel.
I just MOD a few things.

I Concur
Jdom58 said:
Hey in case anyone is interested, GPS is working great on the Bionix 1.8 ROMS. I get a constant viewed 11 and locked 9-10 within 3-4 seconds and the tracking is very accurate.
Thought I would share if you are rooted and want to try it out, oh and did I mention it's a great ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------
I totally agree with you on this, I had stock ROM, flashed to Bionix 1.8, after the initial waiting period to grab a bird, I have since seen consistent locks (within SECONDS) using this ROM with JI2 baseband (to avoid data improvement/battery issues). It is now working in my house where it wasn't before. In particular with Wireless Networks turned off, that little satellite icon locks right quick.
Can endorse the Bionix ROMs highly enough, this thing is truly butter as advertised.
Also, this is with factory GPS settings (not supl.google.com).
Salud, happy vibrant-ing!
Kelly
Samsung VIbrant with Bionix 1.8 JAC/OC/Voodoo Kernel.

GPS & everything works great for me after the update. I did have to calibrate the compass but that was it...

There was an update? My wifes phone did an update yesterday from tmobile but my phone hasn't.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I upgraded yesterday through mini Keis, and locked on to 9 of 11 satellites, indoors. I tested this morning while driving to work, it was accurate, and navigation App works like a charm. Loving the layers and satellite view!
Before, I could rarely even get a GPS lock.

Related

I might be on to something for the GPS issue.

Well like everyone I had the GPS issue and it was frustrating. I do run an app killer and I always notice many apps (especially the preloaded ones) Keep launching themselves. It got rather irritating. Specifically Telenav.
I noticed with Telenav my GPS would be very flaky. Once I got "killed" it the gps seemed to improve. I thought to myself maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Did a bit of research and found an app called "Start UP Auditor" which completely kills an app and restricts it from every starting up again. My gps seems to be working much better now.
I drove a few miles and on the Verrazano Bridge here in NY and the GPS was super percise. When I was at the end of the block it was at the end of the block as well at the same time. Not like it was before.
Now I can launch google maps and it will find me exactly in front of my house and not 200 feet away.
Takes a solid minute to lock on. Not more but not less unfortunately. So there still is a bit of a problem but for me at least it has exponentially gotten better. Versus it not even locking on previously.
I think I might be on to something. I cannot give all credit to me because I saw on a Tmobile forum someone say that they think the problem might be with the self launching apps so that's where I started to draw conclusions.
EDIT: Scratch that one min thing. It seriously just now took me 10 seconds to lock on and the GPS to start talking to tell me where to turn inside my house. Issue fixed?
I completly removed TeleNav and I still have GPS issues... It is not any software causing this problem. It is a Hardware / Firmware / Driver issue.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
gravis86 said:
I completly removed TeleNav and I still have GPS issues... It is not any software causing this problem. It is a Hardware / Firmware / Driver issue.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, one of the first things I did after rooting was remove all the bloatware, and Telenav was one of them.
gravis86 said:
I completly removed TeleNav and I still have GPS issues... It is not any software causing this problem. It is a Hardware / Firmware / Driver issue.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... Interesting.
My GPS issues seem to have disappeared after killing Telenav.
This just takes me back to the drawing board once more. I just do not understand...
I would like to see others responses. Does there happen to be vibrants with different firmwares?
So what happened to me?
Was it some magical stroke of luck?
Wow.
Initially, disabling TeleNav gave me a significant improvement in GPS performance. Indoors, I went from having 50-60ft. of accuracy (with multiple locks), to 12-15ft. of accuracy with a single lock. Initial accuracy was in the upper 40s, but quickly dropped to the highest accuracy I've seen with the device (the 12-15ft. figure) - indoor or outdoor - within a minute. Crazy.
Outdoor, on a perfectly clear sky, the best I've achieved was previously 25ft. of accuracy.
I rebooted (the phone froze, wheee!), with TeleNav still selected as disabled, and now, I'm only getting 30-52ft. of accuracy with a single lock. This took about two minutes to come down from 170ft. or so.
GPS settings have been switched to 'Automatic', from the stock supl server, for all of these tests.
Maps still shows me in Issaquah, initially (incorrect data), but quickly updates my position my exact location (within a few seconds). Previously, Maps would take at least a half hour to place me in even the correct city! Margin of Error: ~50ft. or so (shows me on the street, rather than on my property), within seconds.
Compass, as expected: still totally ****ing broken and ****ty.
I can confirm that - besides not being able to lock onto more than a single sat - I'm seeing drastic improvements. Thanks for pointing this out.
Still, I'm not sure the improvement will be enough to convince me to hang onto the device while we wait to hear from Samsung. :/
Jon C said:
Wow.
Initially, disabling TeleNav gave me a significant improvement in GPS performance. Indoors, I went from having 50-60ft. of accuracy (with multiple locks), to 12-15ft. of accuracy with a single lock. Initial accuracy was in the upper 40s, but quickly dropped to the highest accuracy I've seen with the device (the 12-15ft. figure) - indoor or outdoor - within a minute. Crazy.
Outdoor, on a perfectly clear sky, the best I've achieved was previously 25ft. of accuracy.
I rebooted (the phone froze, wheee!), with TeleNav still selected as disabled, and now, I'm only getting 30-52ft. of accuracy with a single lock. This took about two minutes to come down from 170ft. or so.
GPS settings have been switched to 'Automatic', from the stock supl server, for all of these tests.
Maps still shows me in Issaquah, initially (incorrect data), but quickly updates my position my exact location (within a few seconds). Previously, Maps would take at least a half hour to place me in even the correct city! Margin of Error: ~50ft. or so (shows me on the street, rather than on my property), within seconds.
Compass, as expected: still totally ****ing broken and ****ty.
I can confirm that - besides not being able to lock onto more than a single sat - I'm seeing drastic improvements. Thanks for pointing this out.
Still, I'm not sure the improvement will be enough to convince me to hang onto the device while we wait to hear from Samsung. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea like I said in the OP the fix is better but there definitely is a problem that needs to be addressed. That might be either hardware or firmware, All thats left is to wait for sammy to fix it up. However my GPS performance for my needs is more than exceptional.
I have noticed that while running GPStest, Google Maps starts to work. Something is wrong with the API.
If anyone is getting black screen freeze ups, disabling GPS will clear that right up.
And, we're back to square one. So much for that.
Location services can no longer locate me, and show that I'm in a neighboring city. Nothing I adjust fixes this for more than a short period of time.
Oh, Samsung...
dattaway said:
I have noticed that while running GPStest, Google Maps starts to work. Something is wrong with the API.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to me that it is definitely a software problem. I don't think the hardware is bad. (The gps chip?)
heygrl said:
If anyone is getting black screen freeze ups, disabling GPS will clear that right up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I drove for miles and had nothing. Though if I am not using GPS I always turn it off to conserve battery.
Jon C said:
And, we're back to square one. So much for that.
Location services can no longer locate me, and show that I'm in a neighboring city. Nothing I adjust fixes this for more than a short period of time.
Oh, Samsung...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder if they can't even find the issue yet. It will probably be fix in the 2.2 update.
I removed TelNav within 4days of owning my phone and it really for me hasn't changed a thing.
What helped me was turning off the wireless location feature. From what I noticed it looks for your location based off the cell towers first then it looks for your location via GPS. If its slow to find you via wireless then well its slow to find you via GPS too.
I didn't really tried the GPS when I saw the threads saying there was a problem with it and I read somewhere about "how to fix it" so I applied the fix before even using the GPS before, so I have no clue if I had problems or not, but after the fix, the GPS locks in about 10 to 15 seconds and gest my location on the spot, even indoors.
just change the GPS settings to google servers
Directly after rebooting my gps/navigation seems to work much better.
To make it more clear... I'll be using my phone throughout the day and then i'll try to use navigation. Usually it will just keep trying to find the route but it never actually finds it. I'll reboot the phone and it'll find my location and the route in <10 seconds.
kizer said:
I removed TelNav within 4days of owning my phone and it really for me hasn't changed a thing.
What helped me was turning off the wireless location feature. From what I noticed it looks for your location based off the cell towers first then it looks for your location via GPS. If its slow to find you via wireless then well its slow to find you via GPS too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the wifi and GPS share the same antenna. Anyone know which antennas do what for sure?
Our cellular antenna is at the bottom under the bump. The one at the top next to the antenna port does the rest.
heygrl said:
If anyone is getting black screen freeze ups, disabling GPS will clear that right up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this tip, I hadn't caught this in the other GPS threads.
I ran and used My Tracks but forgot to turn on GPS. When I tried nav it could not get a fix until I restarted. Next time I'll try killing conflicting apps.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I just deleted the Tel-Nav app and now my GPS locks on in about 10 seconds and is dead on accurate. I even drove 165 miles today and never dropped a GPS signal. I could never do that before.
Does anyone know why the times are off one the gps sensors? My local time is 10:51, but gps test has it as 18:51 that is about 8 hours off.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

OFFICIAL: Samsung Posts GPS Fix Guide for Captivate and Vibrant

Samsung Vibrant guide
http://ars.samsung.com/customer/usa...ID=2&PROD_SUB_ID=557&PROD_ID=560&AT_ID=310254
Samsung Captivate guide
http://ars.samsung.com/customer/usa...ID=2&PROD_SUB_ID=557&PROD_ID=558&AT_ID=310271
...and I can say with 100% certainty that the GpsRestoreSamsung app DOES make a difference with JI6, as I've had JI6 and was locking just fine outside but I would never lock inside the house. And now after running the GpsRestoreSamsung app I can lock both inside and outside almost instantaneously.
larryvand said:
...and I can say with 100% certainty that the GpsRestoreSamsung app DOES make a difference with JI6, as I've had JI6 and was locking just fine outside but I would never lock inside the house. And now after running the GpsRestoreSamsung app I can lock both inside and outside almost instantaneously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
larryvand- Are you running rooted or stock?
No difference. Epic Fail!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I'm running stock JI6 that is rooted with Rom manager. There is no question anymore that the GPSRestoreSamsung app is making a huge difference on GPS performance. I now I'm getting maximum number of satellites and locks both inside and outside, and accuracy in the 15feet range. And the lock happens almost instantaneously. It is very clear that the GPSRestore app is doing something that is benefiting the Vibrant's GPS big time. And that is well and beyond what the stock JI6 improvements already did with the GPS.
Are you navigating with it? Mine locked outside too, but at some point while driving, would become confused and jump over a few streets. Also kept moving while stopped at stoplights. Would have to shut down Google maps and restart. The kids did like it when the phone would tell you to turn every two seconds. Download gps test and look at the compass, mine would move all over the place. Sometimes would flip 180 and then back.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Downloaded GPS test and compass and both were rock solid (just a very slight few pixels movement back and forth). Stayed in the same place for about 5min and no change on the compass. I then moved around and the compass would just correctly every time. So far so good. I plan on using it tomorrow on a trip that I'm going.
Can anyone confirm what the settings that the GPS Restore App reverted to in LBSTestMode? I'm curious whether it selects Standalone or MS Based (GPS or aGPS) and which SUPL server it uses.
Can anyone confirm what the settings that the GPS Restore App reverted to in LBSTestMode? I'm curious whether it selects Standalone or MS Based (GPS or aGPS) and which SUPL server it uses.
jamesyl said:
Can anyone confirm what the settings that the GPS Restore App reverted to in LBSTestMode? I'm curious whether it selects Standalone or MS Based (GPS or aGPS) and which SUPL server it uses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The LBSTestMode settings do not change, on my phone, after running GPSRestore.
damn doesnt want to run on Macnut R12 w/ stock kernel, says I'm on I9000
GPS Restore App...
At least with my Vibrant, it does appear that it significantly improves the acquiring a GPS link...
mastewman said:
At least with my Vibrant, it does appear that it significantly improves the acquiring a GPS link...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does nothing for accuracy. Zoom in on this MyTracks run from this morning.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201142930973527917117.0004965a1c506459779a6
I promise I was driving on the road.
zoid_99 said:
It does nothing for accuracy. Zoom in on this MyTracks run from this morning.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201142930973527917117.0004965a1c506459779a6
I promise I was driving on the road.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow.... Looks like you were driving like a maniac, driving offside of the road! J/k only!
Yeah, thats why I didn't want to load that on my vibrant. I'm happy of what I have....
Sent from the helm of darkness called, the "Vibrant Galaxy"... Using the XDA App!
Just tried GPS Restore. Please correct me if I'm mistaken but I thought "Hotstart" was the default setting in LBSTest. I've been leaving mine set to "Coldstart" because it seems to give me a faster lock. After running GPS Restore it's still set to Coldstart (all other settings default). Not complaining really, since my locks are still within seconds, but just noting it doesn't look like the app restores all the default settings. So far at least the app doesn't seem to have broken anything, which is always nice.
I'm on pure stock JI6, only non-default setting is as noted above re: Coldstart, and I always turn off wifi when testing GPS. I virtually always get an initial lock in less than 30 seconds. My accuracy after a few minutes settles to 10m or less. My GPS Tracks are acceptably close to my actual path, not exact, but definitely not wildly jumping around.
I think some people do have HW issues, perhaps a bad antenna connection, but the stock JI6 is working well on my phone.

How does GPS work on vibrant?

Hey.
I got vibrant not too long ago, and never really got to use the GPS. I installed custom roms but I never got more than 1-2 satellites when using gpstest app, so I thought the gps might be messed up on this phone.
Well as I got data plan, I want to use gps on data and not on satellite, so I went into the maps app, and selected the location and set go, but the pointer did not move as i was moving.......or if it did move it would move after a very long time....or might have to restart app to get it working
Someone know how to make gps work perfectly with data?
Thanks.
LOL...Went for the New Thread button before actually looking at the forum didnt you?
CORRECT Hardware GPS Fix
not sure I understand the question but the data plan doesn't change the GPS per se, unless you are going to use it for step by step navigation. I have always had a data plan......
Here is the gist of how it works.
THe Vibrant and other galaxy phones do not have true GPS but rather, GPS assist. That means it use a combination of the Sats in the air, cell tower pings and in some cases data transfer over the air. The last being for step by step instructions.
There a bunch of info in the stickies and Kwkslvr posted a mechanical fix as well
Since the KB1 modem, the GPS works very well my normal is 4-7 locks and in under 40secs so that is plenty for me. Mostly the one real issue that was not software related is the fix Kwkslvr posted. Basically, the little "u"-shaped metal tab that is supposed to push against the GPS antenna (mounted on the inner side of the plastic interior cover) does not touch or does not get good contact.
So, you open the phone bend it up to make good contact and "Voila" GPS works better. Alos, get GPS test or Ulysses Gizmo to aid checking the GPS
To make it work the Best (to answer you basic question) check all 3 boxes in the location and security, then if you need or want you can download some of the added map apps if that is your desire
Hoped that help you better understand
Hey Op, was in the same boat your in. Try out the new 2.2 Bionix-V custom rom by teamwhiskey and your gps problem will be solved. Solid, fast and stable rom that really fixes your gps problems. I too was getting maybe 2 or 3 satellites locked when I'd do the gps test, now I get about 8-10..... Bionix-V... you'll love it.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
very good with bionix-v-1.2 rom
ps. I had very bad result with stock rom, only 0/3 everytime.
Flashing bionix 1.2 let me lock to 6-8/13 in less than a min everytime
I complained to tmobile constantly about my gps(among other things). After my last replacement, I wanted to call and complain again, gps was still trash. After bionix v, my gps is locking on quicker and more accurately than ever. It kind of wierds me out sometimes.
Before, on older bionix roms, gps could be great but wasn't consistent at all. I'd post here that it was great and next day it would prove me wrong. Since bionix v, I've expected the gps icon to flash forever and never lock, but every time I've used it in the past two weeks it's locked on within 15 second, and within 35 meters. I hope this doesn't jinx me.
Sent from my <tw> powered vibrant.

Has anyone tried this GPS fix from i9000?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=955395
Has anyone tried this on the Vibrant?
I tried it ......... it works on the Vibrant, did not really improve my GPS all that much but then, my GPS works pretty well anyway so hard to tell for me. before it showed across the street from my house .... now I am in the driveway of my house 24 ft closer
wow, it works. considerably faster lock.
Only ever used the samsung gps fix...though my gps has always been pretty decent, not a quick lock but accurate within 20ft. which is accurate enough for me. I'll try it just cause the author sounds like a funny guy.
Sent from my Vibrant using XDA App, Bionix-v 1.21
Tried it this morning in MN. With default settings and even going in and focing aids (hehe) it broke my gps. Before after 35 seconds it would see all 11 sats at the very least and eventually fix on 3-6 of them. After using it saw maybe 3 sats in a minute and never locked on. Had to go in and delete its data, uninstall and restart phone before I could get a lock again. All this tried out doors.

Interesting GPS find

So my GPS works pretty well when I am outside, but when I am inside it can be pretty bad, I live in the first floor of a 3 story condo complex and its pretty rare that I get a lock inside, without using GPS Status or any AGPS download tool, which I personally find is not needed when it comes to getting your GPS working.
Well I installed the MapQuest app, please don't flame me for not using google, but that app has been getting pretty fast GPS locks now.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mapquest.android.ace&feature=search_result
So just from my observances it seems like a mismatch in coding with the GPS and Google maps, and Mapquest can atleast turn on and good a good/decent lock with it.
People don't need gps indoors.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
Avelnan said:
People don't need gps indoors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ever been to the Smithsonian Museum or Library of Congress?
For the OP, the app has nothing to do with the fix time, the GPS is run via Android API, not direct hardware access. You just happened to get lucky or had recently run the GPS and the satellite positioning cache was still recent.
I always thought it was just a bug in Google Maps. Whenever I have trouble getting a fix, I switch to something else, like Bing Maps, and it locks instantly.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Domush said:
Ever been to the Smithsonian Museum or Library of Congress?
For the OP, the app has nothing to do with the fix time, the GPS is run via Android API, not direct hardware access. You just happened to get lucky or had recently run the GPS and the satellite positioning cache was still recent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would agree with you, but I rebooted a bunch and tested it, and it had been about 3 days since I used the GPS, I used Mapquest and it it locked pretty quick.
And this morning, which normally after not using not using it for about 8+ hours it doesn't work. It wasn't locking this morning, I opened map quest and it started working again.
+1
Hate to admit this, but this works for me. I've had issues with locks as well as accuracy (always zeroes in to a not-so-nearby spot). I've done the ntp pool edits (which helped a tad). But Mapquest somehow "unblocks" and gets a more accurate location. Then when you open Google Maps it somehow works okay now that Mapquest paved the way. On the other hand, Mapquest forces your WiFi on without asking.
EF 3.3.2 + ED03
Sounds like maybe mapquest us downloading agps data everytime. Seems that google maps expects a functional gps and waits for your phone to handle the data retrieval and fixing. Shame.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
prehistorical said:
On the other hand, Mapquest forces your WiFi on without asking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there are any wifi networks visible (doesn't matter if you connect to them or not), Google's Location Services might be the one that's actually finding your location, not the GPS.
mastamoon said:
Sounds like maybe mapquest us downloading agps data everytime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this how agps works for sure? aGPS just appeared one day years ago and I've never really learned how it worked. So it downloads a sat position map based on tower connection or something similar?
Domush said:
Is this how agps works for sure? aGPS just appeared one day years ago and I've never really learned how it worked. So it downloads a sat position map based on tower connection or something similar?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A-GPS Wiki
Lots of good info there. So basically yes.
jazzyjames said:
So my GPS works pretty well when I am outside, but when I am inside it can be pretty bad, I live in the first floor of a 3 story condo complex and its pretty rare that I get a lock inside, without using GPS Status or any AGPS download tool, which I personally find is not needed when it comes to getting your GPS working.
Well I installed the MapQuest app, please don't flame me for not using google, but that app has been getting pretty fast GPS locks now.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mapquest.android.ace&feature=search_result
So just from my observances it seems like a mismatch in coding with the GPS and Google maps, and Mapquest can atleast turn on and good a good/decent lock with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this great post. I thought my gps function was going to be lost for good. I can now use some of my favorite apps again.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
That could definitely be useful. I typically use the gps every two weeks
After months of gps issues I just leave it on all the time and always get a lock now.
Battery impact is noticeable but minimal.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
Remember, the Galaxy S phones were built with SkyHook's aGPS system in mind. Google forced Samsung to rip it out really late in the day after the Moto/SkyHook deal was discussed in the press.
I turn my wifi on when turning on the gps and now I get lock in google maps every time within seconds.
prehistorical said:
Hate to admit this, but this works for me. I've had issues with locks as well as accuracy (always zeroes in to a not-so-nearby spot). I've done the ntp pool edits (which helped a tad). But Mapquest somehow "unblocks" and gets a more accurate location. Then when you open Google Maps it somehow works okay now that Mapquest paved the way. On the other hand, Mapquest forces your WiFi on without asking.
EF 3.3.2 + ED03
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a follow-up observation, probably obvious to most of you... but doh! not to me.
GPS and aGPS performance has many variables, location and radio being two significant ones. I've recently downloaded GPS Status from Market that some of you recommended (thanks again!) to help figure out what are GPS vs. aGPS locks on both Google Maps and Mapquest, as well as assist with diagnosis.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/gps-status-toolbox/com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2
Using a sample of 1, it turns out that not only am I located in a poor signal area (1x if lucky), but my GPS availablity here is terrible, too. (This also supports the theory that I will always have relatively terrible battery life, as the phone is always struggling for signal.)
ED03
My earlier post shows my enthusiasm for Mapquest, except that it uses aGPS and turns the Wifi on without asking, and also runs hot. I use Mapquest to get things moving, then use Google Maps as I prefer its interface and functionality.
ED03 --> EA28
Recently switched to EA28 (still under Froyo EF 3.3.2) in an attempt to minimize missing calls as well as get better data performance. Got terrible GPS and aGPS. Even Mapquest has started getting "lost". Call signal / performance is marginally better than ED03, but at the expense of GPS accuracy.
However, when I travel to an excellent 3G coverage area, somehow the tables are turned and Google Maps pops us quicker and accurately, while Mapquest is still busy trying to catch up and draw the map.
ED03 --> ED04
As the effort to switch modems around have become trivial, I decided to get the ED04 modem in case there are any improvements to either call performance or GPS. So far GPS/aGPS is still terrible in my normally terrible coverage area. Too soon to tell if call performance improved, or if missed calls problem is fixed.
Play around with modems! Link to Comradesven's thread:
"[MODEM][ODIN][CWM]DL09, EA28, ED01, ED03, ED04 modems without ridiculous 100MB OTAs"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1097355
I was wondering if anyone has had a chance to evaluate the new GB leak's modem, either with a GB ROM or a Froyo ROM? Might be the next modem to test if ED04 is still terrible.
Link to JPTech7's thread:
"[EC09][MODEM][ODIN] EC09 Radio/Modem for Odin"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1132236
Thanks to all the devs for giving us all these options to play with!
EF 3.3.2 + ED04
thanks for the tip
prehistorical said:
[...]
ED03 --> ED04
As the effort to switch modems around have become trivial, I decided to get the ED04 modem in case there are any improvements to either call performance or GPS. So far GPS/aGPS is still terrible in my normally terrible coverage area. Too soon to tell if call performance improved, or if missed calls problem is fixed.
Play around with modems! Link to Comradesven's thread:
"[MODEM][ODIN][CWM]DL09, EA28, ED01, ED03, ED04 modems without ridiculous 100MB OTAs"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1097355
I was wondering if anyone has had a chance to evaluate the new GB leak's modem, either with a GB ROM or a Froyo ROM? Might be the next modem to test if ED04 is still terrible.
Link to JPTech7's thread:
"[EC09][MODEM][ODIN] EC09 Radio/Modem for Odin"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1132236
Thanks to all the devs for giving us all these options to play with!
[...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ED04 was such a bad modem with missed calls galore, I quickly ODIN'ed the EC09 modem and was pleasantly surprised with better performance -- calls and GPS/aGPS.
A road trip to the "countryside" then revealed that the countryside had better VZW signal and GPS than my normal location! 3G and GPS accuracy and quick locks... so this is how the phone should work!
Finally got back to the land of poor VZW reception, and had to focus on minimizing missed calls. Between the EC09 and EA28 modems -- EA28 had less missed calls so that's where I ended up. But both have excellent GPS performance in both great and marginal reception areas, specially compared to the EDxx series. ED04 was quite a flop for me.
EF 3.3.2 + EA28
Anybody here know if it is possible to get a replacement for their phone because of the Fascinate GPS problems? By replacement, I mean a different phone and not a refurb with the same problem.
I've been able to live with the phone not locking and being almost right most of the time, but this last week I really needed the GPS to lock and work and it wouldn't. Driving around with broken AC in 105 degree weather was the last straw.
Does mapquest initially turn on Wifi? I tried this by getting mapquest from the market and tried to see if it could find my location. I accidentally clicked the home button and when I saw my power control widget, I saw wifi on and then it suddenly turned off. (I have wifi off almost always).

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