Database Users

Which GPS chipset does the HD2 use?

Googling and searching these forums doesn't bring up anything obvious. So does anyone know what chipset it uses? Looking at logged data it is operating at 1Hz.

It's built-in the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, see here

Thanks. I'm just trying to work out if it will do as good a job as my external bluetooth sirf III one I used for racetrack lap timing with my previous phone.
For normal navigation the inbuilt GPS gets fast lock and seems to work okay but the more accuracy the better for the track.
Guess I can just run it and compare times to the electronic timing (which take 1-2 hours to be printed out and released hence the need for an instant solution).

it's the best inbuilt gps ive used gets a lock in under 10 sec my xperia used to take 30s to 1 min.

michaeljf said:
Thanks. I'm just trying to work out if it will do as good a job as my external bluetooth sirf III one I used for racetrack lap timing with my previous phone.
For normal navigation the inbuilt GPS gets fast lock and seems to work okay but the more accuracy the better for the track.
Guess I can just run it and compare times to the electronic timing (which take 1-2 hours to be printed out and released hence the need for an instant solution).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SiRF chip is better than the GpsOne on Qualcomm SOCs.
And to above post, this might be because AGPS is actually working on this phone rather than the antenna being better.

dont think i have agps enabled if im correct it uses data, when i start igo 8 no connection is made, im just using antena.

my device recives signals even if iam in home and recives at least 3 satellites

michaeljf said:
Thanks. I'm just trying to work out if it will do as good a job as my external bluetooth sirf III one I used for racetrack lap timing with my previous phone.
For normal navigation the inbuilt GPS gets fast lock and seems to work okay but the more accuracy the better for the track.
Guess I can just run it and compare times to the electronic timing (which take 1-2 hours to be printed out and released hence the need for an instant solution).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it will be down to how fast/often the app polls the gps surely?
I've been playing with it a fair bit (for the same purpose) and it certainly better than one or two stand alone gps

Getting satellites indoors or getting a fast satallite fix does NOT automatically indicate that the GPS chip is good.
Actually GPS on the HD2 is pretty poor compared to the SIRF III chip, or even compared to other HTC devices, I am talking about accuracy and stuff. This is a fact, so i don't want to hear any more about "how good it is because it gets a fast fix" or other crap
For more info:
GPS going crazy (proven with plot screenshots)
Weird GPS problem. Moving even while my car is motionless.
Recent ROM/Radio for the HD2 upgrades do seem to improve this bad GPS functionality though.

barty22 said:
Actually GPS on the HD2 is pretty poor compared to the SIRF III chip, or even compared to other HTC devices, I am talking about accuracy and stuff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Accurate, scientific data to prove that assumption, please?

kilrah said:
Accurate, scientific data to prove that assumption, please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your viewpoint, actually I had such information (plots of the HD2 and of other devices), but I really can't be bothered to make them again and spend all the effort on it... just believe me when i say it (or don't believe it, i'm just sharing what i know)... or have a read through the topics i linked to (should be enough proof in there)

Well if I have time I'll try both at the same time this weekend at the track (still have my old phone and external GPS).
With the high speeds involved and a racing line that varies no more than 1-2m it becomes pretty easy to tell if the GPS is out when plotted on a track overlay.
Plus values for lat/long g forces and speed are all extrapolated so if these are out it becomes pretty obvious.

GPS

Do these things have a gps issue? I just came from an Evo, and gps reception on these sucks compared to Evo.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

herzzreh said:
Do these things have a gps issue? I just came from an Evo, and gps reception on these sucks compared to Evo.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bwahahahaha!! The answer to your question is that all the Galaxy S variants have GPS issues!

Some people claim they have trouble
On my epic google maps takes a long time to lock
But on google navigator and sprint navteq it locks on no more than 20 seconds it usually locks on in 5 to 10 seconds
What's weird ,is that to use google navigator. You have to use google maps to get to google navigator
Open google maps type place or address then hit drive directions then it switches on to google navigator then instantly gps locks on
If you just open google maps and turn the gps on and hit my location the gps takes a while to lock....but not when u start google nav.
I have no problem since when i use google maps, I never use my location.
I look up address and for driving directions via google navigator.

The problem with the GPS is that the cache doesn't update unless you reboot the phone. The longer the phone has been on the worse it gets. If you follow the instructions below it cause the GPS to update the cache over 3G whenever you fire up a GPS App. It only takes a few seconds to do this and then you get a fast lock after that. The only problem is if you are in an area with no signal and try to use the GPS. If that is going to be the case then follow the instructions again and change it to Warm Boot. Here are the instructions:
Enter GPS debug/settings application by typing *#1472365#
click "Setup" tab
click "position mode"
Click "starting mode
Enable "Cold Start"
Back out.

Ah... well, my problem wasn't the lock-on. That was normal. It's the accuracy and ability to hold signal. Again, comparing it to the Evo... this phone had that huge circle of inaccuracy while driving and Evo did not at the same time. Slightest obstruction and this would lose the signal while the other phone would not. Very frustrating.

herzzreh said:
Ah... well, my problem wasn't the lock-on. That was normal. It's the accuracy and ability to hold signal. Again, comparing it to the Evo... this phone had that huge circle of inaccuracy while driving and Evo did not at the same time. Slightest obstruction and this would lose the signal while the other phone would not. Very frustrating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for lockon issues, which due to a bug in the cache system and will affect all users who don't cycle the phones cache, use the cold start as indicated above.
For accuracy issues it is important to remember to make sure to leave "use wireless networking" off.

aero1 said:
for lockon issues, which due to a bug in the cache system and will affect all users who don't cycle the phones cache, use the cold start as indicated above.
For accuracy issues it is important to remember to make sure to leave "use wireless networking" off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought we were supposed to leave that on.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

acegolfer said:
I thought we were supposed to leave that on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That advice is disinformation from Sprint customer service. They are trying to cover up the fact that the GPS has problems, so they advise users to enable the non-GPS location by cell towers, which is not as accurate.

aero1 said:
For accuracy issues it is important to remember to make sure to leave "use wireless networking" off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that, still not too accurate compared to the other phone. What I noticed is that it IS accurate right after a hard reset, but then half an hour later it goes back to showing the circle.

herzzreh said:
I tried that, still not too accurate compared to the other phone. What I noticed is that it IS accurate right after a hard reset, but then half an hour later it goes back to showing the circle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the Galaxy S variants have a problem with SNR. Basically, the antenna has issues getting a strong GPS signal and some are worse then others; some can't even achieve a lock! Low signal = bad accuracy....
As for a fix, I'm not sure if Samsung can really fix it, if it's a design issue. On the Galaxy Forum, there was a guy that said it was possible to fix a low signal hardware flaw with software. Me, I'm highly doubtful it can be done where a Galaxy S GPS will ever be as good as the other Android phones currently on the market. I think they will eventually get it to the point where Nav will work most of the time, but not to where others are using there Android phones for Geo caching.

Didn't they fix it on fascinate?
sent from my epic 4g with no 4g

churro7 said:
Didn't they fix it on fascinate?
sent from my epic 4g with no 4g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope... Just do a search on the Fascinate forum and you'll find it's got GPS problems too.
Rogers in Canada said their version of the Galaxy S (Captivate) will have the GPS fixed, but we'll know when it hits the market in a few days. It might take a couple weeks before we start seeing the reports roll in.... If they truly have a Galaxy S phone with a working GPS, I'd like to see the mainboard. If it's the same as other versions of the Galaxy S, then maybe they were able to fix it with software. If it's a hardware design change .... Well, then the rest of the Galaxy S owners may be SOL.

GPS on Epic = Epic FAIL
Shame on Samsung for releasing the Epic with a half assed implementation of a GPS.
It is just one of those "what were they thinking" situations.

I mean didn t they release a patch
sent from my epic 4g with no 4g

crabjoe said:
Nope... Just do a search on the Fascinate forum and you'll find it's got GPS problems too.
Rogers in Canada said their version of the Galaxy S (Captivate) will have the GPS fixed, but we'll know when it hits the market in a few days. It might take a couple weeks before we start seeing the reports roll in.... If they truly have a Galaxy S phone with a working GPS, I'd like to see the mainboard. If it's the same as other versions of the Galaxy S, then maybe they were able to fix it with software. If it's a hardware design change .... Well, then the rest of the Galaxy S owners may be SOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The GSM versions of the Galaxy S, which includes the Captivate, Vibrant and International I9000, have one GPS chip -- the relatively new Broadcom BCM4751. The CDMA versions, the Epic and the Fascinate , use another -- the multipurpose Qualcomm QSC6085 radio that has been in use for three years. As far as the GPS is concerned, these are really two different devices: Different hardware. Different firmware. Different bugs. Different symptoms. (I have owned Vibrants and an Epic, and have tested the GPS rigorously on both. They behave very differently. The GPS bugs on the Epic are unique to the Epic as far as I know, although it is difficult to tell about the Fascinate from anecdotal reports and Verizon slapped a confusing user interface on the settings for location services and GPS.)
The only thing the two general designs have in common is general incompetence. Samsung managed to foul up two different GPS designs in two different ways.
But it is folly to try to make inferential comparisons between the two types.

churro7 said:
I mean didn t they release a patch
sent from my epic 4g with no 4g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but it didn't work.

boomerbubba said:
The GSM versions of the Galaxy S, which includes the Captivate, Vibrant and International I9000, have one GPS chip -- the relatively new Broadcom BCM4751. The CDMA versions, the Epic and the Fascinate , use another -- the multipurpose Qualcomm QSC6085 radio that has been in use for three years. As far as the GPS is concerned, these are really two different devices: Different hardware. Different firmware. Different bugs. Different symptoms. (I have owned Vibrants and an Epic, and have tested the GPS rigorously on both. They behave very differently. The GPS bugs on the Epic are unique to the Epic as far as I know, although it is difficult to tell about the Fascinate from anecdotal reports and Verizon slapped a confusing user interface on the settings for location services and GPS.)
The only thing the two general designs have in common is general incompetence. Samsung managed to foul up two different GPS designs in two different ways.
But it is folly to try to make inferential comparisons between the two types.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're correct that the GPS hardware is different and personally, I don't think either GPS chips are the problem. I think the problem is hardware design, as in placement or size of the GPS antenna.
It's like in the old days before cable was popular and everyone had rabbit ears on tops of the TV. Regardless of how good or bad the TV tuner was, the type or placement of the antenna made a huge difference. I remember putting tin foil on the antennas to try and get a better signal. I also remember my dad telling me to stand in a funny position or place, with the antenna in my hand, so he could watch his football. LOL...
I really think Samsung designers goofed, just like Apple did, on the antenna. Bad antenna = bad signal.

crabjoe said:
You're correct that the GPS hardware is different and personally, I don't think either GPS chips are the problem. I think the problem is hardware design, as in placement or size of the GPS antenna.
It's like in the old days before cable was popular and everyone had rabbit ears on tops of the TV. Regardless of how good or bad the TV tuner was, the type or placement of the antenna made a huge difference. I remember putting tin foil on the antennas to try and get a better signal. I also remember my dad telling me to stand in a funny position or place, with the antenna in my hand, so he could watch his football. LOL...
I really think Samsung designers goofed, just like Apple did, on the antenna. Bad antenna = bad signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must say that I have zero accuracy issues whatsoever. I *do* have stale ephemeris data problems like nobody's business - cold-start mode won't help either if I'm connected to WiFi or 4G (though 4G seems to have better luck.) The software-reported accuracy issues are a hard-coded datum, which in the Captivate has now been removed.
If I don't exclusively sit on 3G, then either Hot-start or Cold-start are unreliable. If I *am* on 3G, then Hot-start pinpoints me exactly, and almost instantly. With cold-start, it takes a bit to narrow in, though the *initial* lock is often faster. Other times, I'll see (in GPS Status) that it has found all 10 satellites, but not locked - the ephemeris bug all over again. Disappointing to say the least. BTW, this is not fixed on Captivate - it cannot get a lock while on WiFi. This has got to be a software problem. Neither my Epic nor Captivate have any issues actually sticking to the satellites. If this were software, then the GPS itself would be unreliable *during* operation; not just initial lock.

crabjoe said:
You're correct that the GPS hardware is different and personally, I don't think either GPS chips are the problem. I think the problem is hardware design, as in placement or size of the GPS antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SNR levels on the Epic do seem moderately lower than what other phones report. Theroretically this could be due to antenna design. The SNR level itself is a complex estimate by the GPS chip, not an objective reality being metered. So another possible explanation is that the SNR calculation is buggy. The estimated accuracy calculation is obviously buggy, always reported at 30.0 meters as if it is hard-coded. So there could also be a bug in the calculation of SNR, too. As for antenna design, I don't even assume that the Epic has the same antenna design as other Galaxy S phones, because its form factor is completely different.
In any case, signal sensitivity cannot explain the locking behavior, which has been isolated by user testing to be caused by bad handling of the cache of GPS almanac and ephemeris data. This is a bug.
Poor signal sensitivity could explain problems with actual accuracy. But like APOLAUF, I don't think there is a problem with actual actual accuracy on the Epic. The way to test that empirically is by plotting the recorded tracks in software such as My Tracks. If have done that with my Epic, for both driving and walking tracks, simultaneously with benchmark tracks captured by a known good device. I used my venerable G1, which has excellent GPS performance. The actual accuracy of the Epic is just as good.
The other GSM-based Galaxy S devices have had problems with actual accuracy, verified by many tests with My Tracks. But they are wholly different devices.
It is hard to tell from anecdotal reports in forums how accurate GPS performance is. Some reports of poor accuracy can be explained by poor locking. Some can be explained by pilot error. It takes controlled testing to get at the facts. Unfortunately, most commenters in forums, including this one, haven't a clue how to test the GPS rigorously.

IMO
First I have a co-worker who has been working with a developer and can get a GPS lock on his captivate super quick. To aide he is using the cell towers to get him a list of applicable satellites to his approximate location and gets a massive list of responding sats.
The next point is that I think that there is likely an issue with the Antenna . . but I do not think that is exclusively the issue. If this were strictly a HW issue then the issue would not be alleviated after a restart of the phone. There are multiple accounts that this is what is occurring.
Personally (and perhaps because this is my first true GPS phone) it is a minor inconvenience and doesnt bother me too much. . . . but is annoying and something that I would expect Sammy to go after. . . or at least acknowledge

Are there any gps issues?

I already have the galaxy s.... and I would like to pick up the galaxy tab. I quickly wanted to check if there are any gps issues with the galaxy tab...
Thanks!

dreamtheater39 said:
I already have the galaxy s.... and I would like to pick up the galaxy tab. I quickly wanted to check if there are any gps issues with the galaxy tab...
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I use an external Bluetooth Sirf III GPS module, so I can use location features with greater accuracy and without needing to be connected to a mobile network. I had a crash/lockup with the Google Nav application, which is in beta. Otherwise other services seem to work OK.

Works perfectly in GPS and AGPS modes. Have a look at the detailed GSMARENA review here.

thanks guys for your feedback! To make things clearer, i have no issues in getting a lock with my sgs, its almost instantaneous. But, when i'm moving the accuracy is total garbage....it updates really slow, and when i take a turn, it continues to move straight for a while and slowly corrects itself! a whole load of such errors on the galaxy s....just wanted to cross check if the gps on the tab isnt similarly borked!
The tab is barely giving me anything more than the sgs apart from - bigger screen, new gadget high, slightly more ram! So, i really wanted to make sure the gps is not screwed on this!
thanks again!

dreamtheater39 said:
thanks guys for your feedback! To make things clearer, i have no issues in getting a lock with my sgs, its almost instantaneous. But, when i'm moving the accuracy is total garbage....it updates really slow, and when i take a turn, it continues to move straight for a while and slowly corrects itself! a whole load of such errors on the galaxy s....just wanted to cross check if the gps on the tab isnt similarly borked!
The tab is barely giving me anything more than the sgs apart from - bigger screen, new gadget high, slightly more ram! So, i really wanted to make sure the gps is not screwed on this!
thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
guys i do have the same say and doubt.G tab user your opinion plz...

Samsung changed the GPS antenna in vibrant

Hi today I bough a Samsung vibrant from T-Mobile an the date on the box is 10/26/10 and it came already updated software and I truer the GPS and its perfect locked in 8 seconds and while I was driving it kept on the road spot on. I had vibrants before maybe 4 of them and the back cover is smooth I think the ones I had before I fulfilled feel the dots now its smooth. I think they changed the phone internals becouse even the vibrants I had before after update the GPS was crap. Anyone had any experiance?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Mine locks pretty quick too, I never had any GPS problems since I got the phone two weeks ago.

So does that mean the rest of us that got our phone, few months back are screwed?

That's what owning a samsung phone is like always getting screwed. The days are numberd
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

What?! Does this mean we wont get a fix for the other people? I'm always travelling and GPS is one of the most useful things I need... my old blackberry has a perfect GPS isn't this meant to be a smartphone
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

The thing is that all the phones have something wrong or screwed IP there is no phone that is perfect its just us we are beeping to perfectionists.

My wife and I got ours on the buy 1 get 1 free deal. Ours are both dated 09/26/2010. The SIM Serial # on hers ends in 22288F and mine end in 22296F.
It takes me about 45 second to a minute to get a lock running Axura 2.0.4 and I got a lock using 6 of 7 satellites with accuracy of about 70 feet.
My brother-in-law standing right next to me with a HTC Dream G1 locked on 12 of 14 satellites in about 9 -10 seconds and a accuracy of 10 feet running stock.
My wife running stock saw 2 satellites and never got a lock.
EDIT: This thread is now depreciated. Please visit http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=878970 for a fix. I thought I would put the edit here so you don't have to read to page 7 to see the link to the fix.

they didnt change the antenna..give it a few days and i gurantee u it wont work as good

My gps has worked since day one
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

You did not buy a GPS Receiver, you bought a phone with a GPS antenna which is used to track your movement. It just also happens to receive signals from GPS satellites that you are able to use. If you require dead on GPS location then you should go buy a GPS Receiver.
Think of all the things this phone does. It doesn't do any of them better than a device designed to do just that. All-in-one devices are never as good as the devices they are designed to combine.

Zylograth said:
You did not buy a GPS Receiver, you bought a phone with a GPS antenna which is used to track your movement. It just also happens to receive signals from GPS satellites that you are able to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct, BUT when pretty much EVERY other Android phone on the market out performs it in this aspect, there is a flaw in the system. As stated, the G1 locks on faster & stays locked on much better than this phone.
With that said, I tell the GPS where I want to go, and by the time I've left my neighborhood, it's working great. The fact that it takes 10 times longer to lock on doesn't really matter to me.
Using all of the Bionix ROMs and now using the Axura 2.0.5 ROMs, I've been happy with my GPS. When I was using complete stock, it was crap. IIRC, JI6 wasn't bad though.
I'm currently playing with a friends Galaxy Tab and inside nowhere near a window, it locked on and showed my location without the wireless network assist or verizon location assist being turned on (but that could just be because the phone is bigger and would therefore use a larger antenna).

It's just sad what has happened to businesses, they really just don't care about consumers. I really doubt we'll ever see a fix and if we do, i doubt it'll work for more than 50% of people. I've never been so disappointed with a company. The only thing we can do is just never buy samsung again. Just so disappointing all around.

Microwave frequencies antenna design is fraught with both peril and magic
tjhart85 said:
I'm currently playing with a friends Galaxy Tab and inside nowhere near a window, it locked on and showed my location without the wireless network assist or verizon location assist being turned on (but that could just be because the phone is bigger and would therefore use a larger antenna).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NOPE! All antennas must be designed with a physical length that matches the frequency they are designed to operate at. For GPS this is 1575.42 Mhz and therefore due to the physics of radio frequency ALL GPS antennas are about 7.5 inches long, they have to be to work. Antennas typically work better if they are designed with some type of coil (wrapped around something) so by the time you take 7.5 inches of wire and coil it the resulting antenna is quite small. You can also make a panel antenna by creating a trace of conductive line on a flat surface, but the length still has to be the same to work. Regardless of the size of the device it is going into, if you want the antenna to work at a specific frequency it must be a specific length - end of discussion.
So if the GPS issue varies from phone to phone so much, assuming the antenna is the problem, but it can be affected by software, what is likely the problem? Logic would say that it might be either poor quality control in manufacturing causing slight variances in length (at 1575.42 Mhz a small difference in length can make a big difference) or a design that partially obstructs the antenna. Software can not fix the physical antenna issue, but it can compensate by attempting to filter noise better thus increasing the receiver sensitivity, boosting transmit power, or by shifting phase of the signal to make minor adjustments to the effective conductive length of the antenna.
Another possible issue (but less likely because I see no way for software to effect this) is that Samsung did not get a good impedance match between their antenna and their radio. If this was the case you would lose a great deal of signal to and create a lot of noise because of reflective power. Transmitting at a lower power would reduce over all signal, and boosting power would just create a greater reflective power problem.

lolcopter said:
My gps has worked since day one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I too am a replacement Vibrant GPS lover now. Both phones were stock. It has been a week with the new phone and I have not seen any decrease in the GPS performance yet. The old phone had mic issues
I have read many of the GPS posts, but will admit I have not read them all so I don't know if this was talked about yet. While outside tonight as I was doing my daily test I turned the phone upside down so screen is facing the ground and my signal improved from the mid 30's of the "in use" sats to the low to mid 40's. It was nice to see a lot of green for a change. Accuracy improved too. Not sure how the GPS gear is mounted in the phone, but it sure looks like there is a lot stronger signal coming in the the back side then the screen side.
My "use wireless networks" is off
I did this test a number of times while keeping the phone the same distance from the ground. Same results. If there is any other questions or other tests I would be happy to do what I can.
So there you go, the GPS works great, we all just need to hold the phone above our heads..

Zylograth said:
You did not buy a GPS Receiver, you bought a phone with a GPS antenna which is used to track your movement. It just also happens to receive signals from GPS satellites that you are able to use. If you require dead on GPS location then you should go buy a GPS Receiver.
Think of all the things this phone does. It doesn't do any of them better than a device designed to do just that. All-in-one devices are never as good as the devices they are designed to combine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My g1 and mytouch 3g and nexus all had great GPS. The sgs is advertised as the premier device. We have every reason to expect GPS to work and we have absolutely no reason to think one of the advertised features will be broken. GPS is a huge part of smartphones, and since its proven to work on thousands of handsets for years it should work on our vibrants. Maybe new technology gets flexibility but this is GPS we are talking about, its been done and been done perfectly a thousand times over. The phone has plenty of small bugs which is acceptable. Its not acceptable for GPS to be f****d. I think even Samsung would say its unacceptable that I have to carry around my nexus one for its GPS. My vibrant works until I'm about 2/3 of the way to my destination. So basically my screen starts spinning when I'm about as lost as possible. Thank God for my nexus one

GPS on the Vibrant is not a hardware issue. If they have change the hardware, which I doubt, it wouldn't have fixed anything unless they also changed the software. And if they've fixed the software -- which they did in JI2 and JI6 for most people -- then we'll get that fix with the official 2.2 release. OR you could just flash a custom wrong and get good GPS now.

Hi this is the software I have on the phone.
Firmware version. 2.1-update1
Baseband version. T959UVJI6
Karnel version. 2.6.29
Build number. ECLAIR.UVJI6
I don't know if anything diferrent.
Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA App

I don't understand the comparison to other devices and talk of "I'll never buy another Samsung device."
Since the Galaxy's screen demolishes the competition, I guess the rest of the manufacturers out the are just junk. They are supposed to be top of the line devices so their screen should be as good as this subpar samsung.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

My GPS has worked since day one.
raverj said:
Ditto
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
But certainly Samsung should be better at fixes and T-mobile couldn't be any slower.
Still by far the best device I've ever had, and I had a lot. Axura
And Froyo pull it all together.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

[Q]Anyone else having GPS concerns vs. Note 2 & Note 1?

I am having GPS/GLONASS accuracy issues. Especially when compared to my stellar Note 1 and Note 2. Whether using Google Maps or GPS Test app it seems much weaker and tends to wander/waiver especially when stationary. I have always kept network assistance turned off for better accuracy at the expense of initial lock speed.
I use Navionics app for boating and a couple of athletic training apps that depend on best accuracy.
GPS radio/antenna appears to go to sleep in less than two minutes while screen still awake. Power saving mode is turned off. Indoors Google Maps was comparable with TMo display. Will compare with Best Buy's and a couple of AT&T COR store displays before returning. Just disappointed with my new flagship : (
Reminiscent of Captivate and Infuse days!
$.01 via NOTE 3

Just what I didn't want to read. My new Note 3 has the same issues. I actually had to ship it off for repairs because the GPS was so terribly bad. Comparing with my S4 it is just broken. Lets just hope it is not a design flaw but a problem with some devices only.
/ j

I cannot agree.
I were hunting for 10 hours yesterday, logging 20km with barometric altitude using Oruxmaps.
The GPS worked fine and I spent about half the battery the entire trip (>12hrs)
Ingress appears also to be very precise and nice, I do not see any difference fomr Note2 - except that barometric sensor had a slow refresh-rate with display off on GN2, now it's fast.

Got a new replacement which is much better.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I tested with GPS test and an got accuracy of 3 meters which is damn fine if you ask me. Never seen it below 5 meters before...

Hendrickson said:
I tested with GPS test and an got accuracy of 3 meters which is damn fine if you ask me. Never seen it below 5 meters before...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nevermind

Same problem with my Tmobile note 3. Using GPS test app I show far less signal strength then the note 2 which had the best GPS reception I've seen on a phone. Having much difficulty locking on to a fix in the Learjet. The note 2 had no problem! Kind of sucks. New technology shouldn't be a step back.
Going to go ahead and exchange at the store.

xero187 said:
Same problem with my Tmobile note 3. Using GPS test app I show far less signal strength then the note 2 which had the best GPS reception I've seen on a phone. Having much difficulty locking on to a fix in the Learjet. The note 2 had no problem! Kind of sucks. New technology shouldn't be a step back.
Going to go ahead and exchange at the store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am finding it very hard to get GPS lock with this device

The T-Mobile store had me compare mine to the unit in store. Same deal. I think it's a design flaw. The note 2 was so much better at receiving gps signals. Oh well, I guess they want to leave a reason to justify the note 4.

Location works fine, but the compass is way off. When walking it points about 100 degrees to the wrong site. The map does not show the road ahead but the road sideways.
This is true even in a train. Moving at 100km/h should give you a good clue of what North is, but it's still pointing wrong.
Hoping this will get fixed in an antenna firmware upgrade... !

andomar said:
Location works fine, but the compass is way off. When walking it points about 100 degrees to the wrong site. The map does not show the road ahead but the road sideways.
This is true even in a train. Moving at 100km/h should give you a good clue of what North is, but it's still pointing wrong.
Hoping this will get fixed in an antenna firmware upgrade... !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed that too! Note 2 was way better! I think you're right about the compass calibration. Is there a way to calibrate it?

Luycks said:
I noticed that too! Note 2 was way better! I think you're right about the compass calibration. Is there a way to calibrate it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I lean the phone forward, and then back up, I could rotate the compass 180 degrees.
Found a solution now! I downloaded the "GPS Status & Toolbox" from "MobiWIA - EclipSim", and ran Tools -> Calibrate Compass. The compass is much more stable now!

it seems its an issue with some phones
It seems that gps issue affects only some phones.
other have reported here that the gps reception on their Note 3's is good.
On my SM-N900T the reception is stellar!
(about the same as on my note II)

koyanishi said:
It seems that gps issue affects only some phones.
other have reported here that the gps reception on their Note 3's is good.
On my SM-N900T the reception is stellar!
(about the same as on my note II)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested the gps reception on my Note 3 and Note 2 in my back yard to give the report that I did in the above post
but since then I have traveled by airplane and can now report that neither my Note 2 or Note 3 could get a fix while the plane was at altitude but my Galaxy S4 did get a fix without too much difficulty.
On the ground all three of these instruments will get a fix about the same time and have generally the same accuracy - except that the Galaxy S4 according to the app GPS Test will have maybe one or more satellites in view and also have one or more satellites in use - but to reiterate - according to my quick tests the accuracy on the ground is about the same in all 3 devices.

koyanishi said:
I tested the gps reception on my Note 3 and Note 2 in my back yard to give the report that I did in the above post
but since then I have traveled by airplane and can now report that neither my Note 2 or Note 3 could get a fix while the plane was at altitude but my Galaxy S4 did get a fix without too much difficulty.
On the ground all three of these instruments will get a fix about the same time and have generally the same accuracy - except that the Galaxy S4 according to the app GPS Test will have maybe one or more satellites in view and also have one or more satellites in use - but to reiterate - according to my quick tests the accuracy on the ground is about the same in all 3 devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can almost confirm that the issue is related to the Compass.
Today I was in tram, and I suddenly lost lock. In GPS test it was showing only 1 satellite "in sight" and could not lock, which was wrong. The compass was also pointing the wrong way. After I shaked a bit the phone, it suddenly switched back to a normal position, 21 satellites in sight and quickly locked.
I will try to take a screenshot next time it happens
Is this worth a send-in for repair?

Mine is also having problems. Fix is 0, in view over 10. Not sure what's going on...
Did a compass calibration and it seems stable but still no fix. N900W8.
EDIT: I am starting to think its a hardware problem. Outdoors it does work but takes a long time for a fix, and the SNR is low compared to my S II or Note II.

@Class said:
Mine is also having problems. Fix is 0, in view over 10. Not sure what's going on...
Did a compass calibration and it seems stable but still no fix. N900W8.
EDIT: I am starting to think its a hardware problem. Outdoors it does work but takes a long time for a fix, and the SNR is low compared to my S II or Note II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not enough to do compass calibration "once" with a program.
Whenever you are in the app that must achieve a lock, while it is trying, take the phone and rotate it a couple of times with the wrist. The compass should snap back to the appropriate value and you should quickly get a lock.
I reckon that the SNR maybe lower. I know for a fact that it's lower than the Tab2 7" which, in turn, has the best signal of any phone I've compared with, including Note2 and S2.
Nontheless since I do the compass trick I get reasonable lock speed and accuracy in most conditions. On the open the lock is almost instantaneous.
Hope it helps.

McBain_666 said:
It's not enough to do compass calibration "once" with a program.
Whenever you are in the app that must achieve a lock, while it is trying, take the phone and rotate it a couple of times with the wrist. The compass should snap back to the appropriate value and you should quickly get a lock.
I reckon that the SNR maybe lower. I know for a fact that it's lower than the Tab2 7" which, in turn, has the best signal of any phone I've compared with, including Note2 and S2.
Nontheless since I do the compass trick I get reasonable lock speed and accuracy in most conditions. On the open the lock is almost instantaneous.
Hope it helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is definitely a problem both with the GPS AND the data connection on the Note 3 vs. the Note 2!
I drive a tractor-trailer for a living and use Google Navigation constantly to find my destinations (I know it's routed for automobiles and not trucks; I'm intelligent enough to NOT drive my tractor-trailer down a road it's telling me to go down that I shouldn't!) - the Note 3 is CONSTANTLY losing it's GPS lock, and displays "Searching for GPS" on the screen. The only way I can get it back is to turn off GPS and then turn it back on. Then it'll sometimes work for just a couple of minutes, or a couple of hours before it happens again. Most of the time it's just 5-10 minutes before it loses GPS lock again. My Note 2 NEVER, not even once, did this!
I live in Phoenix, AZ and drive to Las Vegas several times a week to make deliveries. There are large areas where there's no data connection at all, and in some areas where my Note 2 had a 4G connection, the Note 3 has NO data connection whatsoever! And, I'm not talking a couple of miles here; I'm talking at least a 30 or 40 mile stretch of US 93.
Yesterday, I was driving across I-40 west in New Mexico, on my way back from Wichita, KS, and Google Navigation, when it was working, looked terrible on the screen - the roads were all fuzzy and "bloated" because, apparently, it wasn't downloading all the map data.
My Note 3 experience so far has been terrible (I'm experiencing a myriad of other problems, too - TERRIBLE Bluetooth call audio; sounds on the phone, except for my music being played through PowerAmp, just stopped working, even though ALL volumes were at maximum, had to reboot to get them working; screen is "jittery" when typing, it'll sometimes type multiple characters as if I'm rapidly pressing the keys, etc, etc!); I'm returning it today to AT&T for another one. If I have problems with that one, though, I'm returning it for another Note 2!
This makes me VERY sorry I sold my Note 2 on Craigslist!
Dennis

dmw_4814 said:
There is definitely a problem both with the GPS AND the data connection on the Note 3 vs. the Note 2!
I drive a tractor-trailer for a living and use Google Navigation constantly to find my destinations (I know it's routed for automobiles and not trucks; I'm intelligent enough to NOT drive my tractor-trailer down a road it's telling me to go down that I shouldn't!) - the Note 3 is CONSTANTLY losing it's GPS lock, and displays "Searching for GPS" on the screen. The only way I can get it back is to turn off GPS and then turn it back on. Then it'll sometimes work for just a couple of minutes, or a couple of hours before it happens again. Most of the time it's just 5-10 minutes before it loses GPS lock again. My Note 2 NEVER, not even once, did this!
I live in Phoenix, AZ and drive to Las Vegas several times a week to make deliveries. There are large areas where there's no data connection at all, and in some areas where my Note 2 had a 4G connection, the Note 3 has NO data connection whatsoever! And, I'm not talking a couple of miles here; I'm talking at least a 30 or 40 mile stretch of US 93.
Yesterday, I was driving across I-40 west in New Mexico, on my way back from Wichita, KS, and Google Navigation, when it was working, looked terrible on the screen - the roads were all fuzzy and "bloated" because, apparently, it wasn't downloading all the map data.
My Note 3 experience so far has been terrible (I'm experiencing a myriad of other problems, too - TERRIBLE Bluetooth call audio; sounds on the phone, except for my music being played through PowerAmp, just stopped working, even though ALL volumes were at maximum, had to reboot to get them working; screen is "jittery" when typing, it'll sometimes type multiple characters as if I'm rapidly pressing the keys, etc, etc!); I'm returning it today to AT&T for another one. If I have problems with that one, though, I'm returning it for another Note 2!
This makes me VERY sorry I sold my Note 2 on Craigslist!
Dennis
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is essentially what's happening with my ATT Note3.
GPS just drops in the middle of navigating; the notification-bar icon just goes away. I have to toggle GPS off and back on for it to work again. While it's working, it never works well; there's at least a 15sec 'lag' time from when I move to when the screen actually updates my position - but it never truly gets a precise location. I can go to a specific location 5 different times and I'll be 15 yards away in different directions each time.
This is in any of the various mapping/navigation/gps apps, but is most notable infuriating while Ingressing.

Weird that has never happened to me. Perhaps there is a background app that makes some confusion. I have extensively tested the GPS in the last days and I confirm that the only problem that I have is with the compass, rotating the phone a couple of times makes the GPS works fine. The navigation is very good so far. However this was always in the city where the reception is good and the 4G connection is always present.
Good luck
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app