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[Q] Nexus 4 GPS not working

So i bought 2 nexus 4's a couple of months ago (cracked digitizers) and replaced the front frame/assembly with some i bought on Ebay.
They work fine except for the GPS. Both the phones are not connecting to the satellites. I downloaded GPS Status and GPS status and tool kit (or something lie that), tried resetting A-GPS downloading GPD data and nothing works.
I use co-pilot offline GPS and the phone is set to devices only to only use the GPS and not data. Co-pilot never connects with gps.
And both GPs status apps are stuck in "looking for GPS location" eternally. With Fix/Sats always staying a 0/0. I use to get 0/26 or something along the lines, but after resetting A-GPS a couple of times it stays at 0/0.
Since both phones present the same symptoms I started suspecting the front frame/assembly and found this : http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/general/nexus-4-gps-fixing-screen-replacement-t2895111
I wrapped the digitizer IC in foil like the guy did and it changed nothing. so i want to try and find some copper tape and layer up the contact points on the back cover in case the antennas don't make good contact. Do you think this might be the problem?
Also i flashed CM 10 on one of the phone in case it was an android problem, but i get the same results in CM.
Any ideas? this is the only thing that is not working on the phones and I would really like to get them working.
Thanks!

fullpampers said:
So i bought 2 nexus 4's a couple of months ago (cracked digitizers) and replaced the front frame/assembly with some i bought on Ebay.
They work fine except for the GPS. Both the phones are not connecting to the satellites. I downloaded GPS Status and GPS status and tool kit (or something lie that), tried resetting A-GPS downloading GPD data and nothing works.
I use co-pilot offline GPS and the phone is set to devices only to only use the GPS and not data. Co-pilot never connects with gps.
And both GPs status apps are stuck in "looking for GPS location" eternally. With Fix/Sats always staying a 0/0. I use to get 0/26 or something along the lines, but after resetting A-GPS a couple of times it stays at 0/0.
Since both phones present the same symptoms I started suspecting the front frame/assembly and found this : http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/general/nexus-4-gps-fixing-screen-replacement-t2895111
I wrapped the digitizer IC in foil like the guy did and it changed nothing. so i want to try and find some copper tape and layer up the contact points on the back cover in case the antennas don't make good contact. Do you think this might be the problem?
Also i flashed CM 10 on one of the phone in case it was an android problem, but i get the same results in CM.
Any ideas? this is the only thing that is not working on the phones and I would really like to get them working.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have same problem, it gets same number of saletites like my nexus 7 2013 but with low signal and fix makes long time.

slydew said:
I have same problem, it gets same number of saletites like my nexus 7 2013 but with low signal and fix makes long time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems it is a grounding problem between the frame, the board and the back cover. Mine is still not working but i had a little success with switching the conductive pads from my old frame assembly. But after a while something must have moved because I am not getting any gps lock anymore. I am waiting on some conductive tape to fix this.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/general/nexus-4-gps-fixing-screen-replacement-t2895111/page4
Look in this forum if this seems to be your problem.

Intel Quad Core Android 5.1.1 MTCD - GPS sometimes becomes spotty

So I'm having a fairly odd issue.
Sometimes my GPS will work flawlessly. Other times, it is very glitchy and spotty, for example it will only update my location after 15ish seconds instead of continously updating and showing my drive. This is happening in ALL GPS Naviation Apps. I installed my antenna in the same location my old antenna was installed which worked flawlessly. Im unsure why this is having problems. Also my new antenna is not Magnetic. It does not stick to metal.
Any tips? information?

Does anyone know? This issue is getting progressively worse and I have to completely reboot the unit for it to work again and unfortunately the unit goes on standby instead of rebooting meaning I usually have to wait at least an hour before I have GPS again...

Need4Camaro said:
Does anyone know? This issue is getting progressively worse and I have to completely reboot the unit for it to work again and unfortunately the unit goes on standby instead of rebooting meaning I usually have to wait at least an hour before I have GPS again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried one of these, the GPS had problems, sometimes it's 100 yards off when at home, and sometimes it thinks I'm home when I'm 100 miles away. I tried things like clearing the cache in Google Maps and switching location services off and back on again. I wonder if Location Services has a cache that can be cleared. I thought it might be confused by my mobile hotspot, but when I set the GPS for "device only" it switched itself back to "high accuracy". I don't know if "high accuracy" means AGPS or it thinks it's near the location of the wifi hotspot.

xdamember2 said:
I tried one of these, the GPS had problems, sometimes it's 100 yards off when at home, and sometimes it thinks I'm home when I'm 100 miles away. I tried things like clearing the cache in Google Maps and switching location services off and back on again. I wonder if Location Services has a cache that can be cleared. I thought it might be confused by my mobile hotspot, but when I set the GPS for "device only" it switched itself back to "high accuracy". I don't know if "high accuracy" means AGPS or it thinks it's near the location of the wifi hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I'm not the only one who has experienced this issue... What can be done about it though?

Need4Camaro said:
So I'm not the only one who has experienced this issue... What can be done about it though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I popped the lid and found the shield of the GPS cable was soldered not only to ground, but also to the signal pad for 3G (which I do not have on mine). After reheating the solder and correcting this (by bending the cable away from the 3G signal pad), I am seeing noticeably better results in the GPS Info app. I have not yet reinstalled it in the car.

xdamember2 said:
I popped the lid and found the shield of the GPS cable was soldered not only to ground, but also to the signal pad for 3G (which I do not have on mine). After reheating the solder and correcting this (by bending the cable away from the 3G signal pad), I am seeing noticeably better results in the GPS Info app. I have not yet reinstalled it in the car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I have two questions in this case:
#1 Can we use an External USB GPS Antenna and bypass this issue altogether?
#2 If it was a bad solder, why did my unit start acting right again after I press the reset button?

Need4Camaro said:
So I have two questions in this case:
#1 Can we use an External USB GPS Antenna and bypass this issue altogether?
#2 If it was a bad solder, why did my unit start acting right again after I press the reset button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but I don't have the answers. Another avenue to consider is replace the new GPS jack with one that accepts the magnetic antenna, the specs printed on the antennae look the same and DigiKey sells the jack with a cable. Currently I have an In-Dash Octacore installed in my car, the GPS goes out every couple of days but it recovers if Location Services are turned off for a few seconds.

xdamember2 said:
Sorry but I don't have the answers. Another avenue to consider is replace the new GPS jack with one that accepts the magnetic antenna, the specs printed on the antennae look the same and DigiKey sells the jack with a cable. Currently I have an In-Dash Octacore installed in my car, the GPS goes out every couple of days but it recovers if Location Services are turned off for a few seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this what you're talking about?
http://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/m/molex-connector/mmcx-microminiature-rf-connectors
Also what advantage does a magnetic receiver have over the receiver that comes with the unit?

Need4Camaro said:
Is this what you're talking about?
http://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/m/molex-connector/mmcx-microminiature-rf-connectors
Also what advantage does a magnetic receiver have over the receiver that comes with the unit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried the magnetic variety gps antenna, with the corresponding cable. Sometimes it works well, other times not. I'm out of ideas for this model. A USB GPS antenna may be worth trying.

GPS is weird on the new Intel units.

Need4Camaro said:
So I have two questions in this case:
#1 Can we use an External USB GPS Antenna and bypass this issue altogether?
#2 If it was a bad solder, why did my unit start acting right again after I press the reset button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that this is a bit late, since you have apparently bricked your unit since this, HOWEVER, it probably isn't a bad idea to discuss this here in case somebody else shows up looking for something like this....
Best/easiest option for external GPS is probably going to be a BLUETOOTH GPS receiver. For example, something like a Holux M-1200. Combine that with some software that can feed the data from the bluetooth gps into Android like this; https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.mobilej.btgps and you may end up with working external GPS.
A step beyond that would be to integrate it into the system frameworks, but that would be part of a bigger job to bring up AOSP on these things... although, it may also be possible to add this feature using xposed.

Some off topic posts removed. Thanks!

CadillacMike said:
GPS is weird on the new Intel units.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you explain this a little more?

dcman008 said:
Can you explain this a little more?
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Click to collapse
When the unit first starts, it takes a bit to find the GPS. It will find it eventually and then work fine.
Not sure why it takes it some time

CadillacMike said:
GPS is weird on the new Intel units.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've taken another look at this. I think the magnetic antenna works better than the variety supplied with the MTCD x86 units. With the one supplied I'm seeing GPS accuracy of 50-60 feet, with the magnetic about 20 after a few minutes. The thing about the Intel HUs is once it acquires GPS lock, it looks like it remembers the parameters and is much quicker next time. My unit has basically two modes, on and sleep. In sleep mode it takes about 4 milliamps. Yours may be different if it has a standby mode. Mine comes out of sleep instantly, but takes several seconds for apps to restart. As for the GPS cable, I'm using one with a pigtail termination that solders to the board:
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/rf-solutions/CBA-SMAF-OP/CBA-SMAF-OP-ND/5845760
If your board is like mine, it looks like it's designed for a board edge connector, but I haven't figured out which one that would be.
I like the app "GPS Test" from Chartcross. When I'm doing well it sees 10 satellites and uses at least half of them, with an accuracy under 30 feet.

GPS Ant location and performance

I installed my GPS antenna just sitting on top of the PX5 HU , hidden in dash. I have had intermittent performance and I'm trying to figure out the issue. Historically until today I have been using the HAL9 k Android 8 ROM. I have upgraded to the HAL9k Android 9 ROM but not tested enough to comment on performance.
Historically it would work one day, then struggle to keep a lock the next.
I am wondering if I should change the GPS antenna location? Perhaps move it behind rear view mirror. The GPS test shows 20+ satellites with a 15-20 meter accuracy when checked.
Does anyone suggest anything to improve reliability ?

I put my GPS antenna under the roof liner on passenger side.
Modern cars have laminated, coated windscreens that attenuate radio signals.
Having pretty steady reception.
Sent from my Nokia 7 plus using Tapatalk

90Ninety9 said:
I installed my GPS antenna just sitting on top of the PX5 HU , hidden in dash. I have had intermittent performance and I'm trying to figure out the issue. Historically until today I have been using the HAL9 k Android 8 ROM. I have upgraded to the HAL9k Android 9 ROM but not tested enough to comment on performance.
Historically it would work one day, then struggle to keep a lock the next.
I am wondering if I should change the GPS antenna location? Perhaps move it behind rear view mirror. The GPS test shows 20+ satellites with a 15-20 meter accuracy when checked.
Does anyone suggest anything to improve reliability ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have mine inside one of the clearance lights on my truck. Not sure what you drive but maybe there is a creative option. I would think in the dash, up against the HU, would be about the worst reception so anything will be an improvement.

I have mine behind the cover for the a pillar to the left of the windscreen, I just popped the pillar cover off and stuck some double sided tape on the antenna and then job done when I popped the pillar cover back on. Gets full signal all the time.
If you’ve got it on the headunit there will be too many obstructions/Interference.
Behind the rear view mirror would be ideal to be fair.
You should just put it on top of your dash for a day or two to try it and if it works fine then you know the problem is because of where you’ve currently got it.

90Ninety9 said:
I installed my GPS antenna just sitting on top of the PX5 HU , hidden in dash. I have had intermittent performance and I'm trying to figure out the issue. Historically until today I have been using the HAL9 k Android 8 ROM. I have upgraded to the HAL9k Android 9 ROM but not tested enough to comment on performance.
Historically it would work one day, then struggle to keep a lock the next.
I am wondering if I should change the GPS antenna location? Perhaps move it behind rear view mirror. The GPS test shows 20+ satellites with a 15-20 meter accuracy when checked.
Does anyone suggest anything to improve reliability ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The gps signal is quite a complicated one which is subject to among other things; multipathing (signals bouncing off other things and confusing the situation) For that reason your antenna should be mounted as high as possible with as few obstructions as possible with the widest angle towards the sky. In other words outside and center on the roof would be the best place. Now understandably people don't want to drill holes through their roofs or even have the antennas visible.... but the closer you get to that point, the less error you will have.
Inside the dash on top of the radio has to be about the WORST place you can think of.

mines just jammed behind my head unit and works fine.

I have mine also behind the HU hidden in the dash. Work's great. The only issue i have is, when i didn't use the GPS for some hour's. It is like the GPS Antenna would be in deep sleep mode. It takes some minutes until i have a 3D Fix, it shows satellites, but won't connect. After 2-5 minutes it works fine.
Do you have also this kind of issue at cold start?

tomygunner said:
I have mine also behind the HU hidden in the dash. Work's great. The only issue i have is, when i didn't use the GPS for some hour's. It is like the GPS Antenna would be in deep sleep mode. It takes some minutes until i have a 3D Fix, it shows satellites, but won't connect. After 2-5 minutes it works fine.
Do you have also this kind of issue at cold start?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds similar to the issue historically . Would work when I was testing , though the unit would be on for several minuites ( updates patches ect)
Cant believe that some are suggesting its the worse place , considering this is where many installer pros will put it . Makes sense its has direct line of sight under window .
Cant see how A pillar or Rear view mirror would make much difference , since its doing the same ( going though a window)

90Ninety9 said:
Cant believe that some are suggesting its the worse place , considering this is where many installer pros will put it . Makes sense its has direct line of sight under window .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but just because that's where installers put it doesn't mean it isn't the worst* place. It is the easiest place that requires no fishing and is invisible to the user. I don't believe anyone is saying it won't work there - just that it will work better in a less obstructed location and that if you are having signal issues the first thing to test is moving it to an open location and comparing. It's an easy and informative test. When hidden inside the dash, the performance can vary by make/model.
*"Worst" being within reason. Arguably inside the oil pan could be considered the worst or possibly at home on your desk...

90Ninety9 said:
It sounds similar to the issue historically . Would work when I was testing , though the unit would be on for several minuites ( updates patches ect)
Cant believe that some are suggesting its the worse place , considering this is where many installer pros will put it . Makes sense its has direct line of sight under window .
Cant see how A pillar or Rear view mirror would make much difference , since its doing the same ( going though a window)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Direct line of sight from the front, not the back.
8 times out of 10 there are lots of satellites in the (clear) sky in your area to get a good lock, all works fine and the installers get away with being lazy. That however doesn't mean the install was proper. Look at it this way... there is a reason why they supply these antennas with long cords, and I assure you that reason has little to do with bundling up the cord so the antenna sits a foot away from the radio.

I put mine on top of the A/C vent tube above the head unit. I also added a flat piece of sheet metal under the antenna and on top of the vent tube for a ground plane. So the antenna is directly under the center of the dash and there is no metal in the dash above it. The sheet metal under the antenna makes a big difference. Try just setting your antenna on top of your dash and test the signal strength. Then put a metal plate under it and try again. For me I saw a difference with the metal plate.

Assistance with identifying head unit and troubleshooting issues

Hello
I purchased a second hand car that has an android head unit. When it turns on the splash screen says "erisin" but I've search and I found 1 very similar just the bottom right cover for the sd card has symbols on not words.
Best I can find is model number of "8227l" which seems to be across all the units. I will provide a photo of the head unit along with photos of the info screens showing the firmware etc.
Onto the issues.
1. Dab+ just says "connecting" and nothing else. The guy I bought the car off said the dab worked but they rarely used it (it was installed by the owner previous to them) and I can see the aerial stuck to my windscreen (looks exactly the same as the product listing for the dab box on erisin website)
The top portion of the touch screen is unresponsive, the notification bar and the back arrow are unusable. I can't for the life of me find where I calibrate the touchscreen. Saw somewhere to press and hold the menu or navi buttons for a few seconds should start the process it does nothing. Nothing in the display settings or anywhere in car infotainment settings.
Whilst using Google maps for sat nav the app force closesive cleared data etc but still does it.
I have 2 usb cables dangling 1 for me to plug in a wifi/3g/4g dongle and another just USB. Neither of these cables do anything when plugging in my note 10+.
The missus doesn't want me to "mess with it" as in start stripping bits so I can't check if anything has come loose unless it's a good possibility. Also I have nothing to take the radio out with.
I'm hoping someone can give insight and says to upgrade to new firmware which will fix issues.

Does the GPS on your head unit run all the time?

I don't have a head unit, I have an 8" Walmart tablet.
I put in a system with an external GPS (u-blox) that runs 24/7 and feeds a mock location to the tablet.
I've been pleased that I can switch apps on the tablet and Google Maps instantly pans from the old position to the new position.
This also gives me greater accuracy as the tablet's GPS would place me on parallel roads instead of the highway sometimes.
Do head units generally have the GPS running all the time (in contrast to most portable Androids)?
Do most head units have a "hockey puck" GPS antenna for the top of the dashboard?
Are you happy with GPS performance?
Are you happy with the map in the center of the console vs nearer to you?
I'm intrigued by head units but not sure if they have any benefits for me.

I don´t understand your initial question.
A good unit is able to get the GPS signal directly after starting up from deep sleep, if you don´t keep the unit off longer than 2 weeks. This is because of the stored almanach data, which have always a n expiration of 2 weeks.
Even if these data are expired you are able to get the current 3-D-fix within some seconds as long your antenna "sees" 3 satellites. If you have a good antenna, yoou should be able to have an accuracy of less than 2 meter.
Surely is your external u-blox ( I also have 2 of them laying in a drawer, used for some other things) not really beatable in the accuracy, but has the same issues as the head units have.
Waiting in front of a red light for a minute can make the map turning around shortly. This is related to the missing compass and missing wheel-sensor data in correlation to the GPS data stream. It switches back as soon your car moves again, so no big issue, because it can happen but not always. At least missing the full integration into modern car infrastructure... but this, one can not expect when buying any aftermarket radio. Had the same with Pioneer and Kenwood for way over 1k Euros, even with my external GPS antenna.
Yes, most of the aftermarket radios are delivered with a "hockey puck"GPS antenna but you don´t need to place it on top of the dash. You also can mount it under the dash, just no metal needs to be on top. Nevertheless... To spend some money for an external antenna does make sense.
Happy... More or less I am happy with the GPS. No driving beside the street, if the map data are correct.
Let me say it like that: I use 12.2" and 12.8" units and the screen is movable to not get dazzled by sunlight. So the screen is more or less in one line with the dash, but this depends on the car you use.
In some cars the 2-DIN slot is far too low in some cars, so if you need to have a look at the screen, you need to look down and not on the road. So a common meaning is quite difficult, it´s really dependent on the car it is mounted.

No, I'm not saying that my u-blox is intrinsically better than the GPS in your head unit.
I'm asking if your GPS is tracking if you have the music app in foreground for half an hour and how long it takes to "snap to".
Yes, of course a "hot start" should be fast, but not as fast as if you've been tracking.

No it stays connected and tracking even if the unit is doing other stuff in foreground... even if you don´t use any navigation solution in background.
Reason: The GPS is connected to the main board and this just provides the GPS information to Android.