How does GPS work on vibrant? - Vibrant General

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.

Related

i know were sick of the gps threads but i must ask

Is anybody's working to satisfactory? Or am I the only one?
I never really used GPS till I got this device and only from the complaining here had it really got me interested . Although I use GPS maybe 3 times a year, I've made it a point to use it every drive I take to see if its still working.
I always get a lock within 5 seconds to at most a min. Stationary or moving don't matter. I've never had my phone say location not available.
My phone always sees 11 or more and only locks on to 3 or 4 once it locked 7...
When I hit navigate to then a destination it instantly finds me and routes me. While driving it every now and again has a blue circle but that's usually during lots of overpasses turns on freeways and etc. For the most part it has no circle ...
I will admit every now and again it'll lose route and not reroute so I back out and hit navigate again and back to navigating.
Its even found me in portland Oregon in the city.
So my question is, although GPS could be better I.e. faster lock, more birds to lock on and tracking while moving, it still has served its purpose and found me my way a few times when I'm lost.
On the way home I will use it again and it will find me almost instantly and navigate me all the way home...
Am I lucky? Or do others work good enough to get around, yes could be better, but is yours good enough like mine to where even if they don't fix it, its not that big of a deal cause for the most part for me it works?
Another thing is I'm beggining to think its hardware and software. Reason is messing with the settings does improve or have different results, but on the other hand the gps fixes seem to give everyone different results and why would Samsung release them all with poor GPS just to supposedly fix it in a few weeks/ wouldn't it have been easier to fix then ship em out?
Who knows, no one is for sure, but I just want to know who's is atleast satisfactory like mine? Maybe I just don't have high GPS standards cause I don't use it to get 1 meter off. If I'm atleast 50 meters away I think my eyes and brain can help me find the other 50 meters.
So are you satisfied even though it needs improvements? I am. I don't think it needs fixed, but as Samsung says "optimized".
Please no there are many GPS threads comments this is a little different ...
Is your GPS useless, or does it get the job done, not how you wish, but gets it done?
Edit: this is no gps fixes. Pure stock.
Mine isn't as terrible as some people say on here, but there are definitely problems. Latitude, for instance, often falls back to network location even with a clear view of the sky. Driving, it will randomly drift far enough that the GPS goes to rerouting mode, trying to bring me back on course. And there are times that it just refuses to get a lock for 10-15 minutes, though luckily that doesn't happen too often. Definitely worst GPS performance than my G1.
But, all that being said.. Not so bad that I'm really stressing about it. I'll give Samsung/TMO a few more weeks for an update and hopefully they patch up the issues with Froyo. If not, or if the update gets delayed, I'll start tinkering with the fixes from the forums.
mine works fine too. quick to lock, navigation works perfectly. i was locking on 3-4 satellites last time i tried.
it's not very good indoors, and often has trouble determining location, but outdoors it has been completely satisfactory.
this is all with gps on, and use wireless networks off, btw. completely stock, and the compass works fine too.
Is anybody's working to satisfactory? Or am I the only one?
I never really used GPS till I got this device and only from the complaining here had it really got me interested . Although I use GPS maybe 3 times a year, I've made it a point to use it every drive I take to see if its still working.
I always get a lock within 5 seconds to at most a min. Stationary or moving don't matter. I've never had my phone say location not available.
My phone always sees 11 or more and only locks on to 3 or 4 once it locked 7...
When I hit navigate to then a destination it instantly finds me and routes me. While driving it every now and again has a blue circle but that's usually during lots of overpasses turns on freeways and etc. For the most part it has no circle ...
I will admit every now and again it'll lose route and not reroute so I back out and hit navigate again and back to navigating.
Its even found me in portland Oregon in the city.
So my question is, although GPS could be better I.e. faster lock, more birds to lock on and tracking while moving, it still has served its purpose and found me my way a few times when I'm lost.
On the way home I will use it again and it will find me almost instantly and navigate me all the way home...
Am I lucky? Or do others work good enough to get around, yes could be better, but is yours good enough like mine to where even if they don't fix it, its not that big of a deal cause for the most part for me it works?
Another thing is I'm beggining to think its hardware and software. Reason is messing with the settings does improve or have different results, but on the other hand the gps fixes seem to give everyone different results and why would Samsung release them all with poor GPS just to supposedly fix it in a few weeks/ wouldn't it have been easier to fix then ship em out?
Who knows, no one is for sure, but I just want to know who's is atleast satisfactory like mine? Maybe I just don't have high GPS standards cause I don't use it to get 1 meter off. If I'm atleast 50 meters away I think my eyes and brain can help me find the other 50 meters.
So are you satisfied even though it needs improvements? I am. I don't think it needs fixed, but as Samsung says "optimized".
Please no there are many GPS threads comments this is a little different ...
Is your GPS useless, or does it get the job done, not how you wish, but gets it done?
I'm the same, I don't use GPS that much, but when I do it works fairly well. Its not the best I've used but it gets the job done. Only once when I was driving on the freeway could it not lock on.
I remember reading that a GPS fix leaked for the Captivate and it seemed to fix the issue. And the new SGS phones coming out for Verizon and Sprint seem to have better luck with GPS.
For me too GPS locks 95% times. However Navigation is the only application that crashes my phone once in a while....and I dont like that
Mine seems OK, with the light use I've given it. Haven't tested it out with route-tracing software like some have -- but for just getting an accurate lock, it seems on par with other phones I've used. (Maybe a little slower to lock.)
I had tested my GF's Samsung Moment alongside my Vibrant many times and the Moment hooks to GPS quickly and consistently. I cannot think how Samsung could implement an inferior GPS in their flagship phone!
My gps works flawlessly, when I read all these threads its hard to remaster because everyone I use gps it takes a matter of seconds to lock in and route me to my destination. Even in my area of living which is outside of the city it is very vet close to where I actually am and even right on. I would be frustrated if it didn't work as I do use my gps every so often but it is precise in my experience and I'm very happy with the final product.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I now have two GPS's in two of our cars. The primary reason for buying a GPS a while back was so I could meet up with guys that I often 4wheel with in various locations. I would get lost when somebody told me to meet them in a city that I didn't know very well. My wife saw how handy my GPS was and took it. I finally got a G1 and it was used as a backup in case the wife wouldn't let me use "My GPS".
Anyways fast forward a year or so. We bought a second GPS for her car. Why because she got the new one of course.
Now that I have 2 GPS's in my cars my phone has been well a secondary or I should say hardly ever used. However when I'm on foot and I get backwards its always been nice to know I could fire up my GPS and find my way somewhere. Lord knows I've been lost a few times in down town Seattle. Wandering around and firing up maps and then using the by foot option has saved me many times. Sure it didn't have to be accurate since all I needed to know was do I walk 3 blocks north then 1 to the west or is it 3 blocks to the west then 1 block to the north?
The Vibrant GPS works when I need it, but honestly I really wish it was a bit more like the G1. Its nearly useless when I use CardioTrainer and a few more apps.
I have had my Vibrant for about 45 days and the GPS has been awful since day one. I have tried some of the fixes which did help a little bit but I still have problems. The GPS cuts on and off so much that Cardio Trainer is pretty much useless most of the time. It has started to freeze on me while attempting to use Cardio Trainer today, which necessitated pulling the battery. The GPS normally shows me about 2 of 3 miles from where I actually am. The compass is just about totally useless. This is a wonderful phone and would be a fantastic phone if the compass and GPS just worked normally. I am starting to be concerned with the phone starting to freeze up as it has not done that in the past.
Mine worked great for a few weeks. Even though it wouldn't lock more than 3 or 4 satellites the performance was completely satisfactory. Then it got a little quirky with accuracy and my position started jumping around a lot. Then it started positioning me miles from where I actually was sometimes, causing Maps to lock up, causing the entire phone to lock up, and generally being unreliable.
Over the past week or so I've had to reboot the phone half the time I try to use the GPS in order to get it to work. I can usually get it to work at a satisfactory level eventually, but it's far from painless. I haven't tried any of the "fixes"...my GPS settings are stock.
On my first phone the GPS and phone in general was a disaster.
Once returned, my second phone is "ok" for driving assistance use, it takes awhile for a lock but it works. But I otherwise leave GPS turned off or else my phone will randomly shut down/reboot.
With trepidation I applied a no lag fix and it has turned my opinion of the phone from "meh" to wow (even though I was not even sure I had a lag problem, but little did I know).
So if GPS gets fixed and 2.2 deployed, and assuming 2.2 solves lag or a no-lag fix is implemented for 2.2, then I will be very happy. But it sure seems like a bit of grief to get to that point. Anything goes wrong down that path, and I'll focus on HTC or other devices... cause for similar past issues with hardware I never buy HP
mjpacheco said:
So if GPS gets fixed and 2.2 deployed, and assuming 2.2 solves lag or a no-lag fix is implemented for 2.2, then I will be very happy. But it sure seems like a bit of grief to get to that point. Anything goes wrong down that path, and I'll focus on HTC or other devices... cause for similar past issues with hardware I never buy HP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Add a compass fix to that list and I'm there with ya.
After applying the gps fix I haven't had a problem since. I use the gps daily and have only had 1 restart. Had my vibrant since day 1. Maybe I just got lucky.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I completely understand the need to get the GPS fixed, but I have to honestly ask...why do so many people seem so worried about the compass?
Are there that many of you out there that wander around using the compass all the time ? Is it because of apps like Layar ?
Using a smartphone as a compass/gps on a hike is useless if you plan to be out more than a few hours so that can't be it.
Is it just the principle of the thing ... that they provide the feature so it should work properly out of the box?
I'm not trying to be a wise ass here...I'm honestly curious.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant
Stresa said:
I completely understand the need to get the GPS fixed, but I have to honestly ask...why do so many people seem so worried about the compass?
Are there that many of you out there that wander around using the compass all the time ? Is it because of apps like Layar ?
Using a smartphone as a compass/gps on a hike is useless if you plan to be out more than a few hours so that can't be it.
Is it just the principle of the thing ... that they provide the feature so it should work properly out of the box?
I'm not trying to be a wise ass here...I'm honestly curious.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In a word: yes.
While I don't use Layar much, it would be great if it worked. I've tried to use Google Skymaps several times and gave up due to the compass completely freaking out when I hold the phone up to, you know, look at the sky. It's nice the have a working compass for Google Maps...even if it's just for street view. Yelp taunts me with directional functionality that doesn't work, and I could go on. In general I'd like to know that apps that use the magnetometer to detect orientation (and who knows what will come along that will use that functionality) will work. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Now, I also do a lot of city navigation on foot, and having a compass to figure out which way to walk when I come up from a subway on my way to a meeting is a huge help. Seriously. At that point I don't have a GPS because I've been underground.
I've used Android devices (like the G1) that are old-ish, and I've used Android devices that are not considered high-end devices with working compasses, so yeah, on principle I expect my high-end $500 device to work at least as well as they do. Had I known about the worthless compass before I purchased the phone it would have given me pause...I probably would have at least considered another device. It bugs me that such a simple piece of functionality being broken will prevent me from using apps and features that I'd otherwise find useful on my expensive device.
Now I have a Swiss Army knife with a broken saw blade. Yeah, it's just the saw blade, but I paid for one with a working saw blade, dammit, and it wasn't cheap.
dex1701 said:
In a word: yes.
While I don't use Layar much, it would be great if it worked. I've tried to use Google Skymaps several times and gave up due to the compass completely freaking out when I hold the phone up to, you know, look at the sky. It's nice the have a working compass for Google Maps...even if it's just for street view. In general I'd like to know that apps that use the magnetometer to detect orientation (and who knows what will come along that will use that functionality) will work. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Now, I also do a lot of city navigation on foot, and having a compass to figure out which way to walk when I come up from a subway on my way to a meeting is a huge help. Seriously. At that point I don't have a GPS because I've been underground.
I've used Android devices (like the G1) that are old-ish, and I've used Android devices that are not considered high-end devices with working compasses, so yeah, on principle I expect my high-end $500 device to work at least as well as they do. Had I known about the worthless compass before I purchased the phone it would have given me pause...I probably would have at least considered another device. It bugs me that such a simple piece of functionality being broken will prevent me from using apps and features that I'd otherwise find useful on my expensive device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that sucks dude. i just noticed what you were saying about google sky map, mine was tripping out for a little while but then it finally settled down. can't really tell if it's pointing in the accurate direction because it's daylight
my compass has worked just fine on maps though. it always points me in the right direction, and even the compass on the "gps status" app is correct, birds locked on or not
lolcopter said:
that sucks dude. i just noticed what you were saying about google sky map, mine was tripping out for a little while but then it finally settled down. can't really tell if it's pointing in the accurate direction because it's daylight
my compass has worked just fine on maps though. it always points me in the right direction, and even the compass on the "gps status" app is correct, birds locked on or not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I hold the phone "just right" I can usually get the compass to work ok in things like Maps where accuracy isn't terribly important. It's still painfully slow compared to other Android devices I've used, though. Most I've seen have nearly instantaneous compass updates when you turn...on my Vibrant (both of them) I have to wait a while for it to settle down before I can tell how it's reading. When I hold it in an odd position...like you do for Skymaps...it's all over the place. Sometimes it works, but it's hard to tell unless you're manually keeping track of which way is North, which kinda defeats the purpose, eh?
dex1701 said:
If I hold the phone "just right" I can usually get the compass to work ok in things like Maps where accuracy isn't terribly important. It's still painfully slow compared to other Android devices I've used, though. Most I've seen have nearly instantaneous compass updates when you turn...on my Vibrant (both of them) I have to wait a while for it to settle down before I can tell how it's reading. When I hold it in an odd position...like you do for Skymaps...it's all over the place. Sometimes it works, but it's hard to tell unless you're manually keeping track of which way is North, which kinda defeats the purpose, eh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true
hopefully samsung releases a fix baked into some froyo here soon. they had better do SOMETHING this month anyway

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

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.

gps fixed without hardware changing. located in 10s

make sure your wifi/apn work well.
it works great on NERO V3 and V4.1
method:
dial *#3214789650# into lbs
first choose:app setting
1:Sessing Type
(Tracking)
2:test mode
(H/W Test)
3p mode
(H/W Sensitivity Test)
4:start mode
(Cold start)
5:GPS Plus
(ON)
6:
(ON)
7:
(50)
8:
(OFF)
second choose supl/cp setting
1: FQDN type
(Custom Config)
2:
supl.nokia.com
3ort
7275
4:SUPL security
ON
5:AGPS mode
(SUPL)
then back to home and reboot your device.
after it, get into lbs again
1.choose delete gps data
2.get position test
3.after located, change 1st "cold start" into "hot start".
completed.
get more detail from
bbs.gfan.com/android-503202-1-1.html
I had 3 and now running 4.1. GPS picked up within 3 - 4 seconds with v3. With 4.1 my GPS picked up in 2 seconds. I did not have to modify any files.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Here's the best fix:
1.) Install Nero 4.1
2.) Leave it alone.
The end.
If that doesnt work:
1.) Install Nero 4.1
2.) Do the hardware fix
3.) Leave it alone.
The end.
my solution: get a new phone once a suitable 4" replacement comes out on t-mobile.
it works!
this by far is the best solution!
I get 10m accuracy now whereas i used to get 1200m before...
Let me try it a bit more, but it seems it works!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
HOLY ****?
i got 10 satellites in 5 seconds, then they all started connecting and now my accuracy is 12 meters???
I think your all connected to wifi, maybe thats why your getting good locks. Disable it and try again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
I was out walking my dog this morning (no wifi) and while yes I was in a clearing, I turned on GPS Status for the first time since installing the new rom so it came up with the default html page explaining GPS Status, but I read it before so I closed it immediately and was already locked onto 8/11 birds. 2 seconds maybe. 7m accuracy.
On the flip side when I first got my phone I tried to use it as a GPS to navigate and drove around for 30 minutes without ever locking onto a single bird.
I understand and do believe there is a hardware problem with many Vibrants however I also believe that there has been a HUGE software problem as well.
iwillkillyou said:
I think your all connected to wifi, maybe thats why your getting good locks. Disable it and try again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using OP's "fix" for 3 days and so far it's working very well. I typically get locks in 10s or less, and accuracy 15-30 ft, inside. I nearly always disable wi-fi when I test GPS, but I've tried it both ways with this setup and it's working virtually the same either way.
At this point my only reservation is I've seen so many similar suggestions to tweak some setting that don't really pan out over time. This one may do the same, but so far so good.
I have done nothing but installed axura rom.ine locks in couple of seconds and works flawllesly. Even the accuracy is fantastic.
My gps went from bad to worst, 600 metter accuracy, maybe its the rom, ill try teamwhiskey. i been crying for a working gps lately.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
I do see a improvement will check it out for a few days to see if it holds
Not perfect but now I actually can get a GPS signal, which is a plus
adiprince1 said:
I have done nothing but installed axura rom.ine locks in couple of seconds and works flawllesly. Even the accuracy is fantastic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had applied both the hardware and software fixes while using many versions of Nero and my GPS would never get quick locks, usually it wouldn't lock at all.
Flashing Axura fixed my GPS too. Locks within seconds and has 7-9 meter accuracy.
Axura also fixed my fiance's GPS (with no hardware fix). She had the same issues with every other rom, slow/no locks. So I know it wasn't only my device.
I don't know what method Devs4Android used to fix the GPS, but it works perfectly. They need to sell the fix to Samsung so customers can get functioning GPS out of the box.
never had a problem with the gps locking on to sats and getting 20-40 foot accuracy. the problem is the drifting and staying locked once you start moving or just standing there. that is the problem i have. driving down the highway and bam your on the other side going the wrong way, or in the middle of the field a mile away. that is problem i have
fioricet said:
never had a problem with the gps locking on to sats and getting 20-40 foot accuracy. the problem is the drifting and staying locked once you start moving or just standing there. that is the problem i have. driving down the highway and bam your on the other side going the wrong way, or in the middle of the field a mile away. that is problem i have
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankfully, Axura fixed that for me as well. Not only does it lock fast, but its accurate too.
After 2 days.
Last 2 days, I've tested my GPS in some different scenarios. In every one it has been quick and accurate enough.
I got 8 satellites in average, and the accuracy was of around 7-8 meters, something that has never happened before. I did the hardware fix, and it helped with the SNR values, but this is the definite best solution yet!
I'm still testing, but I've got a very good feeling about this method.
The only difference I see between this "fix" and other "fixes" is changing the SUPL server to supl.nokia.com. Since the original thread came from a Chinese forum, I'm guessing the SUPL server might work well in China. Not sure how effective this would be in the US or other countries.
That said, this isn't really a fix. All it does is change the SUPL server, which for most of us (using supl.google.com) works just fine. The Cold Start -> Delete GPS Data -> Lock -> Hot Start method will work just once because it clears bad cached GPS data if you've moved, but it's old news (dozens of other threads on this one) and it's not really a "fix."
The hardware fix is still one of the few real fixes out there.
jamesyl said:
The only difference I see between this "fix" and other "fixes" is changing the SUPL server to supl.nokia.com. Since the original thread came from a Chinese forum, I'm guessing the SUPL server might work well in China. Not sure how effective this would be in the US or other countries.
That said, this isn't really a fix. All it does is change the SUPL server, which for most of us (using supl.google.com) works just fine. The Cold Start -> Delete GPS Data -> Lock -> Hot Start method will work just once because it clears bad cached GPS data if you've moved, but it's old news (dozens of other threads on this one) and it's not really a "fix."
The hardware fix is still one of the few real fixes out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I take it you haven't tried this. I agree with what you say, however, I've been using OP's suggested settings for 4 days and see a significant improvement in lock times (only exception is I leave it set to Coldstart). I've been turning my phone off at night and after booting yesterday morning it locked in 14s first time, this morning in 7s. I know lock times can vary depending on where the sats happen to be at that moment, but this performance is much better than I was getting previously, which was in the 1-4 min range on first lock of the day. It's so simple to try there's no real reason not to see if it helps, unless you're already getting lock times like this. Only time will tell if it lasts, but so far so good.
(Running pure stock JI6, and I've also done the HW fix posted in the sticky, which definitely improved my SNRs.)

Should I give up on i9000? GPS will NEVER work! Can't we sue them or get a recall?

I actually need gps quite a bit in my line of work. I bought this phone because of it. But, it just does not work. Some claim it works fine, but at the same time they are saying they get 5-10m lock! (thats off by 30ft!) With a borrowed motorola atrix i was getting 4.9 feet accuracy (thats like accurate by 2 steps!). I think I have come to the conslusion that it will never work, and samsuck doesn't even care! Why else would they keep releasing newer phones with the exact same problems? I'm gonna jump ship...everything else about this phone is awesome. Any ideas if HTC has good gps/reception? I am thinking about the incredible S. (and i'm not a troll, I have lived with this phone's gps issues for almost 1 year now).
Get a real GPS receiver, and don't expect it will be cheap if you want a real 4.9ft accuracy.
and for i9000 is about 15ft~30ft accuracy, quite good when compare to my garmin unit.
Samsung should get sued for that piece of hardware ****... but the i9000 is still the best phone
You should try Darkys 10.1 with Darky Core and JVO Modem. GPS works okay but no perfectly !
i do like this:
android market : gps toolbox , in settings has 2 options - download agps satelites and reset gps
1st i download the satelites data
2nd i reset gps
and after closing this app , i open my gps soft and it works , i use iGO
Why do i always hear people with problems my gps works fine since day one. even on the old roms. only with these newer ones i get real fast lock.
never had any problem with navigation software and driving my car
i a using sygic mobile maps because i dont wanna waste data with google maps.
And if your unit performs worse than everyone else's SGS, then you might consider bending the contacts that connect the GPS antenna inside. Seems they don't make good contact on many units.
There is a thread about it somewhere.
Mike
Garbled meaning induced by swype when posting from XDA app on SGS I9000.
at the beginning gps was not very good but after android 2.2 and newer fw gps is totally fine for me. outside and in car it works very good. btw data network is activated for me and it helps for faster fix...
I gave up on the Internal GPS after a few Months.
Purchased an External Bluetooth GPS Receiver and now have accuracy to around 5 meters at times.
Also easier as the GPS Receiver can be turned on the get Satellite lock then connected to the Phone.
GPS on JVO ROM is all you can get. It's not enough to lead you driving on a city. GPS antenna is too small, does not update position often enough, keeps using guessing instead of real GPS position (your previous speed is used to calculate the supposed position, something very bad when you're turning around many times).
It's good enough to use it walking outside the city (main reason for me), or in highways (smooth curves and slow change of direction), but the GPS on the Galaxy S is real ****. Worst than the one in my previous two phones, and worst than the one in many current phones.
I really don't understand why having a phone that big we keep having to deal with so much unuseful plastic. 1.5 cm above an below the screen. Just make the phone the same size as the screen. The speaker can go in the top, like in many Motorola models. The battery could be bigger. If they have to make an GPS antenna that's 5 cm long, make it, running along one side.
It's like the phone hanging after a call. I would not advise this device for anyone depending of his phone to receive critical calls at any time. This **** just hangs radomly and you have to force a reboot.
Just to let people know that I've spent all afternoon trying 3 different ROMS, 2 times each, and the GPS sensivity is better on XXJVO.
I flashed the deodexed versions from Ramad, and used GPS status app to test. Just flash the ROM, install GPS status, see how many satellites it detects.
JVJV9 and XXJVP detect 1 or less while on my desk
XXJVO detects 4 and gets a fix, and sometimes it mantains the fix
Next to a window, JVJV9 and XXJVP detect 5 or 6 satellites, get a fix but lose it, most of the time 0 satellites in green.
XXJVO detects 8 satellites, 7 in green all the time
Accounting for the fact that satellite positions change between one test and another, I repeated tests twice.
I tried XXJVP on the field last weekend and was unable to get a fix while on the car.
Phone is sitting now on my desk, and has 4 satellites in green and intermitent fix. Much better than the other ROMs that see 0 or 1 satellites sitting on the same spot.
SKeijmel said:
Why do i always hear people with problems my gps works fine since day one. even on the old roms. only with these newer ones i get real fast lock.
never had any problem with navigation software and driving my car
i a using sygic mobile maps because i dont wanna waste data with google maps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gmaps 5.x and above has cache option...I'm finding very useful. Plus offline navigation should be coming this summer
Personally, I've given up on the GPS.. Samsung should honestly be sued, but it is too expensive to do so.
It has gotten better with newer ROM's, but, the sensitivity still appears to be a joke compared to my years old garmin forerunner. It may be good enough for some people who use it for navigation (because, I'd imagine there are plenty of algorithms which can probably be employed). However, the track quality produced seems semi-laughable, and the GPS appears to be nowhere near the quality of a dedicated unit.
People also need to stop checking programs like "gps status". They don't tell you if the location is correct (because it wont show you on the maps). So the accuracy value means nothing (the accuracy value means nothing without RAIM/FDE anyway regardless of unit).
GPS doesn't work at all on my SGS.
I tried that 'push the upper part of the rubberplastic thingy' trick, no result.
Whenever I try to find my location in Google maps, it can only find the WIFI center about 1km away from here. I think that's thanks to the Use Wireless Networks setting. but the GPS in my own SGS has never ever succeeded in locking any satelites.
Must be a hardware fauly I guess?
I bought it in October IIRC.
I don't mind though, never had the need to use GPS.
But it just bothers me that I got a somewhat malfunctioning device.
No big deal though!
Its been working fine on mine.. The only time i had issues was with 2.2/2.2.1
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
Some data points:
The signal to noise levels reported by the test tools seem reasonable.
All GPS systems use averaging to get a lock.
All GPS systems use Kalman filtering, which filters and connects location and speed, to make the system work at all. The stronger the filter, the more stable the position. But this gives bigger problems in turns.
Dedicated receivers have a much bigger antenna and thus need less averaging to get a stable position.
Receiver software has 'modes' - for example walking and driving mode. In driving mode, movements at low speeds are suppressed.
GPS is still a work in progress; there must be a reason Samsung renamed LBStestMode into AngryGPS!

GPS not working on 2.3 ROMs

hi.
It seems now that every 2.3 based ROM supports GPS, and people say they get a very fast lock.
But I was never able to get a lock with any ROM, I have tried several versions of MIUI and several versions of CM7.
The only ROMs I am able to use GPS in, are Froyo based.
Even there, it takes around 5 minuted to get a lock.
I did the hardware fix half a year ago, it helped very much because I was using Froyo then (it took only 5 minutes vs 15 minutes to lock) but now it doesn't lock at all.
Any solution?
Thanks.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1370910
i applied that fix and noticed no improvement, unfortunately. i had great hopes for it from reading the comments others had left about success using it.
the gps on my vibrant (running CM7) is quite odd.. it seems to 'know' where i am, but won't ever get off of the 'searching for gps' message, and of course, won't switch gears to the point where it actually tells me where to go. but if i want to look at my location on my phone and follow the 'map' it displays, or read the directions, it sort of works, in a hinky sort of way.
Try a program called GPS Aids from the market - Ive had mixed results with it.
the gps on my vibrant (running CM7) is quite odd.. it seems to 'know' where i am, but won't ever get off of the 'searching for gps' message, and of course, won't switch gears to the point where it actually tells me where to go. but if i want to look at my location on my phone and follow the 'map' it displays, or read the directions, it sort of works, in a hinky sort of way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that you are using the AGPS function, which uses the WiFi and mobile network to determine your location. It is much less accurate than GPS, which doesn't work.
About the GPS fix and GPS AIDS, I will try later and post the results, thanks!
romitkin said:
I think that you are using the AGPS function, which uses the WiFi and mobile network to determine your location. It is much less accurate than GPS, which doesn't work.
About the GPS fix and GPS AIDS, I will try later and post the results, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that makes sense.. its just getting rough position with the mobile network.. (i usually have wifi antennae off)
last night i downloaded a gps test tool from the market... ZERO satellites... and mine worked perfectly when i was running Axura. i'll probably be going back there very soon.

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