Database Users

[TIP] GPS Issues Workaround

Obviously Samsung has no idea how to write proper drivers for Android phones running the QSC6085. I found a workaround that fixes any issues with GPS.
It's completely simple, turn off WiFi and 4G when you're trying to get a lock.
Proof 1: I stood outside in broad daylight with clear skies connected to my home's WiFi network. Using GPS Test, my phone discovered 12 satellites and made 0 connections for 3 minutes. I closed the app, disabled WiFi (used 3G) and I got a lock of 4 satellites within 15 seconds and 6 - 8 after another 15 seconds.
Proof 2: I left my house and went straight from WiFi to 4G. I got in the car and turned on Google Navigation. I set it to my destination and waited for a lock. After a minute I turned off 4G and got a lock within 15 seconds.
THIS PHONE HAS NO MAJOR GPS ISSUES. Obviously these are simple bugs and I have no doubt in my mind that Samsung is aware of these and will fix them in the next update.
Other GPS bugs I've noticed:
No matter how many satellites I have locked on, my accuracy has never gone below 30 meters.
SNR numbers are really low. According to a leaked ROM for the Vibrant, this can be fixed.

K.. I checked your tips..
3g only[Inside Apt] -- floats between 7 and 8 sat and usually 6-7 locks
Wify Only[Inside Apt] -- Solid 9 satalites and 7-8 locks
4G[no wifi] : stopped with 4 sat and 4 locks but I noticed that my 4g likes to sleep

Yes, it seems that when using WiFi, that updated ephemeris data is not being transmitted, however, it's not bulletproof - after a day or so, it'll try to lock, the 3G connection will go dormant, and it'll just sit there...

I have three epics and have been working with *#1472365# settings and testing for about a week.
I am concerned you maybe getting a false positive on repair of the main problem until you confirm, with no resets and further changes to *#1472365# (which reset the cache) that 24 hours later and in a diffident position you do lock most sats Epic sees.
There are a dozen things you can do to flush out the xtra data cache, just none that I have found that persist and to it regularly (ideally with a couple hours at most for ephmeris, and a day o r two for alamanc). Most proper aGPS implementation will also give the device a minute on warm/hot start, and if is seeing and not locking, grab new assistance data from the best source (first choice network, second birds)
I do think sammy is teid itself up in knots with drivers because of the many different agps environments Galaxy S is sold in. It goes way beyond GSM v CDMA, but also even bigger considerations, like agps data source adn methods, and even whether the device is in a unlimited data carier environment (like our epics) or not.
have you done any testing with the xtra settings themselves? seems to me that is where the rubber hits the road?.

aero1 said:
have you done any testing with the xtra settings themselves? seems to me that is where the rubber hits the road?.
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Click to collapse
The only change I've made with my phone's *#1472365# settings is setting it to Cold Start to save battery. I know in testing builds of the Moment aGPS addresses were set to internal testing ones that didn't work.

No problem with GPS here. I use Navigation and CoPilot and both pick me in seconds. Navigated from the mechanics workshop today just to test it out and worked like a charm. Guess some have it and some don't.

yes me too, and further, with speedtest app, the only way i can get it to lock on a server that is near me is to have wifi on when I start the app, then it locks on my server, otherwise, it has me 1500 miles away as closest server.

LordLugard said:
No problem with GPS here. I use Navigation and CoPilot and both pick me in seconds. Navigated from the mechanics workshop today just to test it out and worked like a charm. Guess some have it and some don't.
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Click to collapse
No, we all have the same bug and Sprint Device team is trying to get samsung on it.
You just haven't been in a condition where it occurs, whcih is turning on GPS in a different location say 8 hours later absent flushing the cache.
The Epic doesn't properly check the cache for staleness, so everyone who uses GPS will come up on this problem eventually. It is a bug Samsugn has had before.
arashed31 said:
The only change I've made with my phone's *#1472365# settings is setting it to Cold Start to save battery. I know in testing builds of the Moment aGPS addresses were set to internal testing ones that didn't work.
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Click to collapse
the reason why I am asking is Epic has in that debug menu are setting to set time for attempts as well as flushing the cache manually. It would be interesting if we could get that going.
the reason I say so is cold start is a good workaround but it will murder GPS TTFF (time to first fix) in non network conditions. It will make it worse than standalone. Literally every time you start it will be a cold start and you will have to wait for almanac, which is 5 to 15 minutes if outside of network coverage. That is what I am seeing with cold workaround. I am still playings with forcing warm
Are you seeing that? with cold stat set, enable airplane mode, restart Epic, restart GPS and see what happens.

arashed31 said:
I found a workaround that fixes any issues with GPS.
It's completely simple, turn off WiFi and 4G when you're trying to get a lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This method did not save me today, when after letting my Epic's GPS go unused for > 24 hours I tried to get a lock with WiFi and 4G disabled. Multiple satellites were visible, but only two were used. Gave up and rebooted. After which, almost immediately, I got 8 out of 9.

boomerbubba said:
This method did not save me today, when after letting my Epic's GPS go unused for > 24 hours I tried to get a lock with WiFi and 4G disabled. Multiple satellites were visible, but only two were used. Gave up and rebooted. After which, almost immediately, I got 8 out of 9.
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Click to collapse
Yes I think the OP got hit with what hit us in all testing. That is why i am doing careful controlled tests. Since the main issue has to do with failure to consistently and properly remove expired and invalid assistance data cache lots of things may be removing that cache, for example any changes to that cause a reset.
Right now the only consistent way to remove it without user intervention is to go into the debug and set as cold start. The problem with that is it introduces a new problem affecting standalone TTFF, ie once you get outside of data range you will do worse TTFF than dedicated handlheld GPS units that keep almanac in ephemeris.
This problem is akin to some condition where the phone will freeze and not make calls if you don't use it in 24 hours but most people didn't realize there was a time consideration. 90% of the people would be saying there is no bug or that they have a fix.
to test any fix you have to:
get a gps location.
not use GPS for 12 hours or move location significantly.
do not reset or action that inadvertently fushes cache.
test again.
In every case and attempted workaroudn with this test but cold start hack I cannot get a gps fix on any of our three epics.

@aero1,
The complication in my last case is that I was in Cold Start mode. Maybe I just didn't give it enough time.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

boomerbubba said:
@aero1,
The complication in my last case is that I was in Cold Start mode. Maybe I just didn't give it enough time.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cold start set in *#, data connection on, clear sky and no fix within 30 seconds? Please say it isn't so.

aero1 said:
Cold start set in *#, data connection on, clear sky and no fix within 30 seconds? Please say it isn't so.
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Click to collapse
That's the setting alright. I think at first I had 4G enabled when I started GPS Test. But the first thing I did was disable it, thus defaulting to 3G, with GPS Test still running.
But it's possible I didn't give it enough time to lock. I was in my car and perhaps too impatient. I may have given up and rebooted after less time than that.
Since then I have left Cold Start set, and have not experienced a no-lock error condition again. But I have rebooted a couple of times for other reasons. When I started my commute home this afternoon and started GPS Test, it was slow to lock but it came around to a full lock in a minute or so.

I've been using the GPS quite a bit this past week. I've had no problems getting a fix except for onces. It was due to the typical bug (find satellites but not connect). I went into the GpsTest shortcut and set it to Hot Start then back to Cold Start. Immediately the GPS started working again.
Switching back and forth clears the GPS cache and fixes this issue. To me, that's the only problem this phone has. As far as I know, this can be an INCREDIBLY EASY fix if anyone can go into the source and put in a way to periodically clear the cache.

DL30 and GPS

I still notice the gps still takes long to lock in. any suggestions?

Strange, Mines been locking on in no more that 45 seconds, Usually 10 seconds since DJ05...

DLO9 - using leaked 2.2 Rom
My GPS is taking much longer to lock also - i guess its the trade-off for getting 2.2.
The leak 2.2 rom run better than the other Roms I tried.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

Odd, mine locks on better than any 2.1 rom and almost instantly.

Oddly enough, got worse on superclean 2.2. With DL09 and superclean (with help from gps status) i was locking within 10-15 seconds, now it takes upwards of 45s-1minute, if it locks at all. A little disappointing, but nothing to make me dump 2.2. Crossing my fingers that it'll get better....

My experience with all 2.2 ROMs so far has been that GPS either locks near-instantly (<15s) or absolutely will not lock at all. It seems to be about a 50/50 crapshoot. If it doesn't work, turning GPS off, waiting a few moments, and then turning it back on and trying again *usually* gets it working.
Granted I haven't tried since jt released the updated recovery, so I'll have to check a few more times and report back.

Try flashing the DJ05 GPS fix that was tested on people with Dl01?

I've long given up on the GPS, I just use my Iphone 3GS that without data connection still locks on really fast.

I tried DL09 when first going to Superclean 1.0. The GPS would lose the signal then regain it. This happened about three times during a hour long route.
Flashed DJ05 last night and tried the GPS again this morning and not once did it lose the signal driving into work.

My gps doesn't WORK AT ALL with DL30 superclean 1.0.

Mine locks in 10 seconds or less running DL30 SuperClean 1.0 with DJ05 radio.

I have been having a problem with GPS on DL30/DL09 also. Here is how I got it to lock today in less than 10 seconds.
1. Download GPS Status from the market.
2. Run GPS Status and let it download the AGPS data.
3. Go into settings>GPS & Sensors>Auto-download AGPS data and set it to never.
4. Close GPS Status and reboot phone with GPS turned on.
5. Once booted, run GPS Status and hopefully you will get almost insta-lock.
6. Open Maps or Navigation and you should be good to go.
Next time you try GPS and it doesnt lock, go back into GPS Status>options>tools>download and manually download the AGPS data then reboot.
Its a pain but its the only way I know of thus far to get "insta-lock" after going Froyo on my phone. I dont use my GPS all that often so this method isnt a big deal for me, but if I relied on GPS daily, I would seriously consider buying a different phone at this point. That or try and get a refurb that has a working GPS like some people here seem to have.

mastamoon said:
I have been having a problem with GPS on DL30/DL09 also. Here is how I got it to lock today in less than 10 seconds.
1. Download GPS Status from the market.
2. Run GPS Status and let it download the AGPS data.
3. Go into settings>GPS & Sensors>Auto-download AGPS data and set it to never.
4. Close GPS Status and reboot phone with GPS turned on.
5. Once booted, run GPS Status and hopefully you will get almost insta-lock.
6. Open Maps or Navigation and you should be good to go.
Next time you try GPS and it doesnt lock, go back into GPS Status>options>tools>download and manually download the AGPS data then reboot.
Its a pain but its the only way I know of thus far to get "insta-lock" after going Froyo on my phone. I dont use my GPS all that often so this method isnt a big deal for me, but if I relied on GPS daily, I would seriously consider buying a different phone at this point. That or try and get a refurb that has a working GPS like some people here seem to have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't work for me. installed DJ05 and still nothing :[

Ive had some weird experience with GPS. DI01 My gps was garbage. like 2 mile blue sphere. DJ05 my gps was pretty good... locked accurately but took about 2 minutes. Borked my phone trying to edit some stuff... redid DJ05... GPS didnt work again... did DL09... GPS still didnt work... redid DL09... GPS worked pretty well again... DID DL30... GPS locks nearly instantly and almost perfectly.
It seems like every time I flash I have different results...even when sometimes I'm flashing the same roms from the same sources. I don't really get it... I'm almost in the same areas so it should be consistant.
I always clear all the caches and everything :\

Ive done many different gps tests and here is whats happening...if you try to turn gps on through the notification pulldown...it takes a while. If you turn gps on through settings...location and security...standalone gps...its instant. After turning gps on through settings, it will work from the pulldown every time instantly. Basically it needs to be turned on from settings for the 1st time after a reboot...then the pulldown will be instant. To test this, reboot phone with gps off, when it boots turn gps on from the pulldown...it wont lock...go to settings and turn it off then on...it will lock instantly. Like i said, it seems to need to be turned on through settings initially, then it works instantly any way you use it...hope i helped.

That's strange. I haven't had an issue locking on since DI01. I also love how fantastically loud the Nav directions are now. I agree that gps status can greatly accelerate the locking on process.

Kamar234 said:
That's strange. I haven't had an issue locking on since DI01. I also love how fantastically loud the Nav directions are now. I agree that gps status can greatly accelerate the locking on process.
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Click to collapse
daym you!! lol. maybe it's time to go get a replacement?

Why does my GPS STILL not work?

Loving the phone and the community here, but I'm starting to get frustrated with this thing. Before DL09, I could never get a lock. After updating to it (manually, before it was an ota), my gps worked for the first time ever. However after switching to DL30 and subsequently EB01, I can no longer achieve a lock. I thought this fix was already taken care of? How come the newer radios aren't working on my phone?
I'm currently using the EB01 radio on Superclean 2.4

You turned on all of the GPS settings (Google, verizon, standalone) and cannot get a lock?
Im getting a lock on EB01 way faster than DL09.

I'm on super clean 2.2 and I have no issues with GPS. Have you considered that your phone's GPS may be faulty? I'd exchange it.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

I leave the GPS on all the time. In most buildings it keeps the lock. I really hope that leaving it on makes it easier to live with.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

In my foray into EB01, GPS was flawless... for a day. After that I couldn't get a lock to save my life, rebooting clearing stats etc.
The difference was four friends came in from out of town with GSM android phones. We all were having issues. It is like they were kryptonite.
Of course it is ridiculous to think that one GPS would mess up another since they are passive devices. I would advise taking this as weak entertainment or with a grain of salt. DL09 is back yup normal, usually 10 seconds sometimes two minutes for a lock.
In my opinion, getting stable froyo on these units won't be so easy, and I hope we get a few timely releases until they get it right. If EB01 does go OTA, I am screaming bloody murder the moment my clock goes out of synch.
Swyped w/ XDA App. When in doubt, mumble.

try turning on your wifi network (even if your not on a wifi network) this gives you a pretty good position.

xtrimsky said:
try turning on your wifi network (even if your not on a wifi network) this gives you a pretty good position.
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Click to collapse
For positioning, I just use the cell towers. That's fine. Its for turn-by-turn directions where I really want the GPS lock.

After 48 hours or so of uptime my GPS is definitely not as quick to fix as it was under DL09. I'm sitting in my favorite armchair looking at a fix with three satellites whereas I used to get a fix with 7 or 8 and an accuracy of 8 feet. After a reboot my fix time drops to about 15 seconds and I get a lock on 8 satellites.

these have been my experiences with Super Clean 2.x (voodoo and nonvoodoo):
- sometimes turning the GPS off from notification window and back on again will do the trick
- sometimes when the above doesn't work, turning it off and then back on again from within settings (where you need to click "agree") will be more effective. In this case I've even noticed a difference between doing this by going directly into settings vs. letting Google Nav tell me that GPS is disabled, and agreeing to let it take me to the location settings.
- bizarrely, sometimes opening "GPS Test" app (market, free) identifies satellites more immediately than Google Navigation. Then after GPS Test can see them, I go back into Google Nav and it will see the satellites right away.
- if all else fails rebooting the phone has always done it (and then doing the same dance described above)
Don't get me wrong I wish it were more stable/reliable but the above seems to do the trick. When it locks at all - it locks right away. I have just forced myself to make sure that the GPS is working before leaving the driveway, or else I run the risk of being frustrated when I need to make a snap decision to go somewhere that requires navigational aid. For me it's almost as if the Android OS isn't properly wrapping its arms around the GPS hardware than an issue of the apps locking a fix.
Last night I almost missed a flight and even went as far as to say "I really need to start bringing my old GPS around with me again". I really hope to avoid this.

gps is not working

I received my phone yesterday and gps did just fine. I drained the battery and left it off while charging.
Today my gps won't work, I can't seem to get a single fix anymore (google maps, gps test, mytracks, nothing). I don't know what to do to fix it.
Also my battery drains extremely fast (5 hours and it's dead). Screen acounts for 63%.

I am having similar problems.
mainly with the GPS. it won't get a lock onto the satellites.
very dissappointing.
other than that it's a great phone.
hope it gets fixed with a firmware update soon!

Factory reset first step .
jje

Same problem here.
GPS sees like 10 satellites but just won't lock.
Factory reset does NOT solve the problem. rooted - not rooted does not fix the problem.

Me too, see like 10 satlellites but cant get it lock TT

Just curious, are you guys rooted now? Have been rooted before?
What firmware are you all running? i am on XWKDD. today i upgraded to XWKE1 but didn't have to a chance to see if it fixes the GPS issue just yet.

Same problem here, sometimes I have 10 satellites but it just won't get a fix, no root here.

I get a fix within a few seconds of firing up the GPS, every time.
Even in my rucksack the GPS tracked me for an hour and a half, within a few metres accuracy, whilst cycling a few days ago, no problem.

Shocky2 said:
Same problem here, sometimes I have 10 satellites but it just won't get a fix, no root here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you're trying this outside without major obstructions around.
I would turn off: wifi, "Use wireless networks", and "Use sensor aiding". Run GPS Status. Under Settings > Tools > Manage A-GPS state, press Reset, then Download.
See if that helps.

Sensor aiding
samnada said:
I assume you're trying this outside without major obstructions around.
I would turn off: wifi, "Use wireless networks", and "Use sensor aiding". Run GPS Status. Under Settings > Tools > Manage A-GPS state, press Reset, then Download.
See if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you explain to me what 'sensor aiding' actually does, as it's not really clear on the settings menu?

robot1000 said:
Can you explain to me what 'sensor aiding' actually does, as it's not really clear on the settings menu?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know anything more than the description it shows under Settings. I've seen theories that it uses the accelerometer, say for instance if you're driving through a tunnel. My experience is it makes my GPS accuracy worse rather than better, so I don't use it. But I'd suggest trying it both ways on the S2 to see if it makes a difference.
I went here:
http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/
did a search on "sensor aiding" and got zero hits, so it seems Google doesn't want us to know what it is either.

usually over 50% of what people reporting that it isn't working is down to user error.
Have a look at this vid and do what this guy does on his SGS II. And see if it works for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZzJyKtPkHw&feature=player_embedded

samnada said:
I assume you're trying this outside without major obstructions around.
I would turn off: wifi, "Use wireless networks", and "Use sensor aiding". Run GPS Status. Under Settings > Tools > Manage A-GPS state, press Reset, then Download.
See if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I've done all that and yes I'm trying this outside, 10/11 sats in view but no fix.

Today i upgraded to XWKE1 and giv it another try. I have to wait around 4 minute and it get gps fix !!

himarmy said:
Today i upgraded to XWKE1 and giv it another try. I have to wait around 4 minute and it get gps fix !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, is that the new normal with your phone? Are locks working faster now, or do they typically take minutes? Is the accuracy ok?
It is odd that there are such differences between individual phones. If problems continue I would get it replaced if possible.

dk206 said:
usually over 50% of what people reporting that it isn't working is down to user error.[/url]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? How did you calculate that number?

Still same problem here. It takes full minutes to get a lock. Not sure what else we can try to fix this.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Having problems here too. tested today on the way to the supermarket, got a lock within a couple of minutes and worked fine for the duration of the journey. Didn't get a lock all the way back, GPS was definitely turned on, even stopped halfway home to reboot the phone and try again.
Just taken my wife's iPhone 4 outside which locked within 30 seconds, still can't get a lock at all with my GS2.
I've installed that GPS status application, but doesn't lock on to any satellites (at least not within two or three minutes anyway)
Not impressed

siksik6 said:
Having problems here too. tested today on the way to the supermarket, got a lock within a couple of minutes and worked fine for the duration of the journey. Didn't get a lock all the way back, GPS was definitely turned on, even stopped halfway home to reboot the phone and try again.
Just taken my wife's iPhone 4 outside which locked within 30 seconds, still can't get a lock at all with my GS2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forget Apple, if you want "real results" grab a Nokia E-Series like the e71 or e72.
You get like 2 second instant lock, and that's indoors!...

ccrows said:
Forget Apple, if you want "real results" grab a Nokia E-Series like the e71 or e72.
You get like 2 second instant lock, and that's indoors!...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread, and posts like this, are what make me so frustrated with Samsung over the GPS issue. They never fixed the SGS, and now with their flagship top-of-the-heap phone they still can't get it consistently right. Even the best reports I've seen on the S2 don't match what some other phones are clearly capable of. It's hard to imagine Samsung is truly technically incapable of making GPS work, so I have to conclude it's just not worth the cost to them. They sold 14 million SGS's, with abysmal GPS, so they've apparently decided most don't care if it works well or not. They may be right, but for some of us it's one of the absolute key features. Very disappointing. Maybe HTC will get it right on the Sensation...

GPS finally working again!

I couldn't reply in the developers area because I haven't posted enough, but wanted to say thanks to Raptorseye for the following:
"download gps status in market, run it, wait till it locks, then you can use your gps/maps..."
Ever since I moved to Gingerbread I've tried everything to get my GPS to work again with no luck. I've tried the ACS GPS fix, I tried remounting the file system and modifying the permissions, I've tried going back to an ec05 rom, and also swapped out the ec05 modem and ee03 modem.
But by running the gps status application from the market as recommended and letting it sit there for about 8 minutes, it finally locked on to over 5 satellites indoors. I was able to then run other gps apps and they worked.
Unfortunately, you have to repeat the connection to the satellites every once in a while using the gps status app.

There's a setting for gps status to download a gps data every hour if u want it to. In gps status click menu tools manage a gps state. Clear the do it again and click download. But as I said in the settings you can have It download assistance data every day or even every hour. Open gps status push menu settings. Gps and sensors. Then auto- download agps data and set it too what u want.

I too use GPS status, but it does take a long time. For me, the quickest solution is to power down, pull the battery and reboot. Takes less than 8 mins (which might be important if you're trying to get somewhere!) and you'll get a virtually instant lock when you go back to your favorite nav app.
Here's to hoping this gets fixed in GB!

spammedagain said:
But by running the gps status application from the market as recommended and letting it sit there for about 8 minutes, it finally locked on to over 5 satellites indoors. I was able to then run other gps apps and they worked.
Unfortunately, you have to repeat the connection to the satellites every once in a while using the gps status app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This means you're not getting the ephemeris (Xtra) assistance data on boot, or at least it's not being used.
Are you able to get fixes faster using the Settings -> Update AGPS option in GPS Test? GPS Status has a similar option, but that may crash the GPS if the crash bug hasn't been addressed in EE03.
sleebus.jones said:
I too use GPS status, but it does take a long time. For me, the quickest solution is to power down, pull the battery and reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does an assistance update from GPS Test help here? Or does only a reboot fix it?

It does not take a reboot to work for me. I just reset a gps then download agps assistance. And close gps status and I lock fast every time. Of course as I said I have it set too download assistance data every hour

silver03wrx said:
Of course as I said I have it set too download assistance data every hour
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Click to collapse
The assistance data is supposed to be valid for a whole week, so it shouldn't have to be done more often than that. Although it wouldn't surprise me if it needs to be.
I am curious as to how often folks find themselves needing to update assitance data. Once a day? Once every few hours? Last time we looked into this there wasn't a clear answer.

mkasick said:
Does an assistance update from GPS Test help here? Or does only a reboot fix it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm, never have used GPS Test, but I have it installed now and will give it a shot the next time it gets hung trying to get a lock.
The cold boot wasn't my idea, but I heard it mentioned on here months back. I was getting late for an appointment, so I figured, what the heck, i'd give it a shot. The OP mentioned that the battery-pull method is the only way to really clear the GPS, and I'll be darned if it didn't work. It's solved the problem every time I've run into it. I'll be sure to give GPS Test a run and see what happens.
Thanks!

I have been plagued by the no lock/10 minute lock. GPS status didn't help. None of the patches have helped, in the long run...so I just down loaded GPStest Plus, the newest one, and it seems to do the trick. Instant lock the first time out. Tried again a few hours later and nothing after a few minutes so I reset and redownloaded agps and bam, locked within seconds. Will try again in an hour when I usually would not get a lock or a very, very slow lock and see how it goes.