Ok people. By now everybody knows that the gps antenna sucks on touch pro or fuze. We have tried almost everything and I have done all the reading and I am so surprised that no one has really solved this but me.
I can get a gps lock in about 3 to 6 seconds all day long. All you have to do is to either disable the manila and have a regular today screen or get the program called second today from xda site (If you like to have the manila 3d stuff on your phone which I do) and once you are done, then install gps today ( get that from geoterrestrial.com).
Once you install the program (ITS FREE PEOPLE) then just set it to auto by clicking on the red rectangle thing on the left side to turn the gps on. The first time will take about a minute or two to lock and once its done, you will be able to get a lock in about 3 to 6 seconds. It is very fast and accurate. It is a good idea to go to its setting and set up everything the first time to make the lock as fast as possible.
By the way you will need to get the plugin version not the full version ( it means that it will be a little plug in on your today screen about 4 icons).
I use this method to get a quick lock and then i turn google map or tomtom on and they work like a charm. If you do a soft reset, it will take longer to get a lock because it doesn't keep any memory.
I have used xda for a long time and thought that I should give something back to my dudes and dudets. Thank you for all your hard work. Ben
If you have it on manual mode, it will not USE ANY BATTERY AT ALL SO DON'T WORRY.
Here is new information for my people. For faster cold fix before using gps today update your quickgps. that will get gps today working in a cold start really fast. thanks
ben1do1 said:
Ok people. By now everybody knows that the gps antenna sucks on touch pro or fuze. We have tried almost everything and I have done all the reading and I am so surprised that no one has really solved this but me.
I can get a gps lock in about 3 to 6 seconds all day long. All you have to do is to either disable the manila and have a regular today screen or get the program called second today from xda site (If you like to have the manila 3d stuff on your phone which I do) and once you are done, then install gps today ( get that from geoterrestrial.com).
Once you install the program (ITS FREE PEOPLE) then just set it to auto by clicking on the red rectangle thing on the left side to turn the gps on. The first time will take about a minute or two to lock and once its done, you will be able to get a lock in about 3 to 6 seconds. It is very fast and accurate. It is a good idea to go to its setting and set up everything the first time to make the lock as fast as possible.
By the way you will need to get the plugin version not the full version ( it means that it will be a little plug in on your today screen about 4 icons).
I use this method to get a quick lock and then i turn google map or tomtom on and they work like a charm. If you do a soft reset, it will take longer to get a lock because it doesn't keep any memory.
I have used xda for a long time and thought that I should give something back to my dudes and dudets. Thank you for all your hard work. Ben
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should probably start by saying that I've only had my Touch Pro since Christmas, and am still getting to grips with it, but I've not seen the GPS issues that other people have reported.
Your solution to the problem simply keeps the GPS switched on all the time, and I think this may have a negative impact on battery performance. My wife has a Samsung Omnia i900 which has GPS issues in TomTom which can be fixed by installing GPSGate - however, unless you make it idle while nothing is using GPS, then it will keep the GPS active constantly (like your solution) and she noticed an increase in battery drain.
Cheers,
Steve.
I was concerned about that but even if you do automation off and turn it on manually (this way it will not affect your battery) it will still work flawlessly. I have tried it at least a hundred times over the last 2 months and this is the only way to get the lock fast.
All touch pros have this gps issue and if you try to get a lock with google map or tomtom alone it sometimes take over 5 minutes to get a lock. With my method it only takes a few seconds every time. this is important for people who use their gps all the time to find addresses or sales people on the road who don't want to prey for minutes to get a fast lock. thanks
ben1do1 said:
I was concerned about that but even if you do automation off and turn it on manually (this way it will not affect your battery) it will still work flawlessly. I have tried it at least a hundred times over the last 2 months and this is the only way to get the lock fast.
All touch pros have this gps issue and if you try to get a lock with google map or tomtom alone it sometimes take over 5 minutes to get a lock. With my method it only takes a few seconds every time. this is important for people who use their gps all the time to find addresses or sales people on the road who don't want to prey for minutes to get a fast lock. thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok sooooo im not trying to burst your bubble as i would love to have a 3 to 6 sec connect time but if use google maps or tomtom to connect for the first time then close out and open it right back up you will get about the same 3 to 6 second connect time when is what the app does..... sorry
not really, even if you have gotten a lock with google maps or tomtom and you try turning it on a few hours later, sometimes it takes 5 minutes or more to get a lock. There was a time that I had to stand in the street with my phone facing the sky and praying to get a lock and that was embarassing.
In some cases I didn't get a lock at all even after a few minutes since there were some tall buildings around me (downtown los angeles) trust me I have gone through all that and I was going crazy over this issue. I have tried it all because I need the gps lock all day long for my job. The gps today program uses a different method to get a lock. I don't know what it does but whatever it does, it works. thanks
try it ITS FREE. what have you got to loose? you will thank me.
by the way Steve, it does not keep the gps on all the time. It only turns on for a few seconds, gets a lock and turns off (on the auto). thanks
Fair enough - I'm not sure how it would manage to get a lock indoors. I guess I must be lucky though, as I've never had to wait anything like 5 minutes for a lock. I do use QuickGPS, but not AssistedGPS, and don't seem to have to wait very long for a lock at all (if I'm outside).
do you realize what kind of "solution" you give?
you keep GPS always open (you can do that without second today and a GPS today program - you can use GPSGate or keep any GPS program on at all times)
this is dramatic for the battery
this is not a solution, just a bad trick - sorry
I usually get locked in around 15 seconds without turning off anything- I'm using "Automapa 5"- Polish map for mobile devices, works quite fine and locks 10x faster then my hiking GPS (but it's old.. ;p)
Thanks Ben1do1. I just now installed both SecondToday and GPSToday. Your solution works great on my FUZE. Now I can unsubscribe to AT&T Navigator. The only way I used to be able to get TomTom Navigator 6 to get a fix was to run AT&T Navigator (telenav) first.
GPSToday is very configurable and doesn't drain the battery as badly as StevePritchard fears. You can simply disable auto-fix and only do occasional manual quick-fixes just to keep your gps "primed".
below is from the FAQ. http://geoterrestrial.com/faq/
"What does it do to my device's battery life?
In the default configuration, GPSToday will typically reduce your battery life by 10-15% over the course of a day. This much is usually not an issue for the vast majority of users. To have full control over battery consumption, you can disable the automatic periodic quick-fix functionality via Map>Settings. The more frequently you update your fix or run the GPS in persistent mode, the more it will affect battery life."
There you go guys now we are cooking. just turn off the auto and you will not loose any battery. I had sooooo much fun with my gps today and got locks in some cases in 2 seconds. I could not believe my own eyes. Please keep in mind that you need to be outside or close to a big window so that the gps can lock. Enjoy.
I personally think that this thread should be on the wiki and also for the new fuze or diamond owners with the same gps problem. thanks everyone
There's only one way to get a 6 second lock: GPS Hot start. That means that 80% of the birds from the last lock must still be in the sky.
Shephild said:
Thanks Ben1do1. I just now installed both SecondToday and GPSToday. Your solution works great on my FUZE. Now I can unsubscribe to AT&T Navigator. The only way I used to be able to get TomTom Navigator 6 to get a fix was to run AT&T Navigator (telenav) first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you disable the agps as it would be enabled if you were using at&t navigator... disable it and try tomtom im sure it will work
FYI
FYI - the current version of GPSToday can be installed as *either* a today plugin or standalone app.
i must say that i was sceptic about it but it definitively works for me.
I used to have fixes between 5-10 minuts but with GPStoday i have them nearly instantly, 10-15 sec. Thanks Ben1Do1
Not to cut in but maybe FusionGPSFix can help a little in the same way too.
i cant seem to find the stand alone app... both are today plugs and that's useless in touchflo 3d
I'm beginning to think TouchFlo3D is the problem. I somewhat used what was recommended above. I turned off TF3D and just made a normal today screen in Windows Mobile. I loaded Visual GPS and within less than 10 seconds, I had GPS coordinates. I then turned on TF3D, rebooted (just to make sure everything was cleared out), loaded VisualGPS, it took around 3 1/2 minutes to get a lock. I have repeated these steps several times and every time I do, I almost immediately get VisualGPS to work when TF3D is disable. Someone that knows more about the "internals" of TF3D may can answer this better, but in my testing and troubleshooting that I've done that seems to be the only thing that is making it now work...
erm you are wrong
the first one has a stand alone mode and the second is ONLY in stand alone mode (you don't SEE something happening - it just runs)
After some days trying this the GPSToday Trick i must say it fantastic, really!
before:
first day fix in 5-10 mintutes (AGPS OFF / QGPS ON)
subsequent fixes 3-5 minutes (AGPS OFF / QGPS ON)
with GPS today
first day fix in 20-30 sec (AGPS OFF / QGPS ON)
subsequent fixes 6 seconds (AGPS OFF / QGPS ON)
I don't have the tool always on, i manually turn GPS with this tool whenever i need the GPS.
Try it!
Proven ROM 1.07 + Raphael_Radio_1.08.25.20M1 + GPS Tweaks.cab + GPSTODAY (manual)
Related
I want to use my TouchPro for tracking a long route i will be travelling shortly. When I turn of my device using the button on top when using a gps tracking-tool, the gps will disconnect and need to search for satellites again after turning on the device.
Does anybody know a trick (maybe in the registry) to keep the GPS alive?
I am also curious about this.
Finally I managed to find this thread!!! I am also facing this problem and was wondering if there was anyway to prevent the GPS from closing and losing connection with satellites when the phone goes into sleep mode. Anyone with any ideas PLEASE HELP!!!
Btw I am using TomTom Navigator 7 with Australian maps...
camielkb said:
I want to use my TouchPro for tracking a long route i will be travelling shortly. When I turn of my device using the button on top when using a gps tracking-tool, the gps will disconnect and need to search for satellites again after turning on the device.
Does anybody know a trick (maybe in the registry) to keep the GPS alive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seem to recall that TrackyPro has a function which will turn the screen off whilst still tracking the route. Is that the type of thing you're looking for?
Well basically I just want the GPS to still have the lock on the satellites EVEN when the device goes into standby. It's frustrating when after 3 minutes (my settings for power management) the device goes into standby and you realise that the GPS is closed when you turn it back on. So yup, as you said correctly, I want the GPS to still function even when the screen is off. Please guide me to wherever I can get the solution as I use alot of GPS!!!
All good GPS software should have option to keep device on all the time while GPS fixed.
I dont think it's possible to keep GPS on while device is on standby mode. Anyway, GPS should stay on even if screen light is turned off for power save.
Well I am using TomTom Navigator 7 with Australian maps, and I have tried looking at the options in TomTom and I couldn't find any setting to keep the screen turned on while GPS is working. And you are correct in that applications such as GPS and Bluetooth are impossible to stay running when the device goes into standby, as this feature is an OEM feature in all Windows Mobile devices to save power. The only way out I see, is to go to Settings>System>Power>Advanced and untick 'Turn off device if not used for...' This way the backlight can be turned off (which saves power) but the device itself is not totally off. This method will still consume power since the device is technically not in standby, but it's probably the best we can get since there is just no way to have GPS to function with the screen totally off ie in standby.
avantgarde84 said:
Well I am using TomTom Navigator 7 with Australian maps, and I have tried looking at the options in TomTom and I couldn't find any setting to keep the screen turned on while GPS is working. And you are correct in that applications such as GPS and Bluetooth are impossible to stay running when the device goes into standby, as this feature is an OEM feature in all Windows Mobile devices to save power. The only way out I see, is to go to Settings>System>Power>Advanced and untick 'Turn off device if not used for...' This way the backlight can be turned off (which saves power) but the device itself is not totally off. This method will still consume power since the device is technically not in standby, but it's probably the best we can get since there is just no way to have GPS to function with the screen totally off ie in standby.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that TT has the option you need - it takes its power options from the device (including screen brightness). That is probably because TT probably thought most people would have their device plugged in whilst navigating given the power required for navigating with the screen on.
I find that another side effect of this is that if I am driving on a bright day, I need to turn off the auto light level feature of the Raph to make sure the screen is as bright as possible.
avantgarde84 said:
Well basically I just want the GPS to still have the lock on the satellites EVEN when the device goes into standby. It's frustrating when after 3 minutes (my settings for power management) the device goes into standby and you realise that the GPS is closed when you turn it back on. So yup, as you said correctly, I want the GPS to still function even when the screen is off. Please guide me to wherever I can get the solution as I use alot of GPS!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's a matter of semantics, but it may help you find a solution faster:
What you need is a tool / solution / procedure that turns only the screen off WITHOUT putting the phone in standby mode. Try searching for that; if you include the whole GPS tracking wish then you might not find what you're looking for so quickly.
Good luck and let us know if you found something that works for you!
Just curious as to what tracking software is used?
Our free PocketReperion tool does keep the device from entering standby mode.
It's free software.
We just lauched a special version for the Raphael, v.1.53
Coolest thing is that you canupload audio / video / photo's and people who are trascking you (live) will see all the content you upload, on the spot that you uploaded it.
get the free client here :
http://www.reperion.com/newclient
be sure to register for a free account first, read the readme in the directory above
EDIT : SUPPOERTED MAPS :
Google Earth
Google Maps
Google Maps Mobile
Virtual Earth
Virtual Earth Mobile
Mappoint 2009
Yahoo! Maps
MapQuest
checkout the example at http://tracker3.reperion.com/wrldmap.aspx?name=d-8498
BETA : http://www.reperion.com/beta
Coromoto said:
I think it's a matter of semantics, but it may help you find a solution faster:
What you need is a tool / solution / procedure that turns only the screen off WITHOUT putting the phone in standby mode. Try searching for that; if you include the whole GPS tracking wish then you might not find what you're looking for so quickly.
Good luck and let us know if you found something that works for you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I always remembered, the only time the screen can be turned off is when the phone goes into standby. In other words screen off=standby and vice versa and no other way to breakup this association. The option I have considered is what I have mentioned above, ie just letting the backlight turn off, but NOT turning the device off. But this will be a problem if you need to look at the screen constantly for navigation and cannot survive with just voice navigation. If you really do need the backlight to be turned on all the time, then go to Settings as well and untick the TUrn off backlight option too. Power will be gone in no time, then you probably will need to consider a in-car charger then...
lucid said:
Just curious as to what tracking software is used?
Our free PocketReperion tool does keep the device from entering standby mode.
It's free software.
We just lauched a special version for the Raphael, v.1.53
Coolest thing is that you canupload audio / video / photo's and people who are trascking you (live) will see all the content you upload, on the spot that you uploaded it.
get the free client here :
http://www.reperion.com/newclient
be sure to register for a free account first, read the readme in the directory above
EDIT : SUPPOERTED MAPS :
Google Earth
Google Maps
Google Maps Mobile
Virtual Earth
Virtual Earth Mobile
Mappoint 2009
Yahoo! Maps
MapQuest
checkout the example at http://tracker3.reperion.com/wrldmap.aspx?name=d-8498
BETA : http://www.reperion.com/beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate, will give it a test and see how it goes...
Hi, first post for me
I have wanted to do exactly the same thing, that is, keep the GPS tracking on my HTC Touch Diamond with the phone in "off" mode. The only way I have found to do it, is this; play music via a Bluetooth headset (you can pull out the jack-plug too, so no actual sound is heard). Now when you turn the phone "off" the GPS will continue to track.
There probably is some simple software out there that would work better, but this is my solution
Cheers
Perhaps this helps...
Go to HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\State\Suspend
and create a DWord value named NAV1: with value decimal 0 (0 means power on and here is a complet list of values)
This allos HTC GPS driver to stay on on suspend mode. I think this allows any application accesing GPS to get data while the PDA is off.
Can someone test it and report back?
If this works, i can create a CAB to easily deployment.
Cheers
Cheers
jcespi2005 said:
Perhaps this helps...
Go to HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\State\Suspend
and create a DWord value named NAV1: with value decimal 0 (0 means power on and here is a complet list of values)
This allos HTC GPS driver to stay on on suspend mode. I think this allows any application accesing GPS to get data while the PDA is off.
Can someone test it and report back?
If this works, i can create a CAB to easily deployment.
Cheers
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there, thanks alot for your discovery, will surely test it out later. With TomTom Navigator that I am using, once you have planned a route and it starts to navigate, the screen stays on forever. What I said earlier in my previous posts are irrelevant since TomTom just keeps the screen on and never dims the backlight nor turns off the device. So unchecking the Turn Off Device after XX mins is useless. Anyway we need some fix which can 1) Allow us to turn off the screen to save power but still have TomTom running and giving us navigation instructions and 2) Does not disconnect from satellite fixes when device is put into standby.
Your reg edit sounds like it will work, but will have to confirm it first. A cab file will be really appreciated. Cheers!
EDIT: preliminary testing: Turned on GPS outdoors, managed to get a satellite fix. Did not plan any route. Turned off screen (ie standby), turned back on, GPS signal was lost. Had to wait few seconds to reconnect to the satellites. Unsure about voice navigation while screen is off but since when I turned the screen back on the signal was lost already I don't think there will be any navigation when screen off. In short --> DOESNT WORK.
I didn't read through everyone's response, but what about just using a car charger, and setting the power settings to never turn off when turned on? You can turn down screen brightness if you're worried about the screen itself, but that should keep you connected at all times, and the battery should remain charged as well.
This also avoids registry tweaks that may have side effects. Simple, and painless in my mind.
avantgarde84 said:
EDIT: preliminary testing: Turned on GPS outdoors, managed to get a satellite fix. Did not plan any route. Turned off screen (ie standby), turned back on, GPS signal was lost. Had to wait few seconds to reconnect to the satellites. Unsure about voice navigation while screen is off but since when I turned the screen back on the signal was lost already I don't think there will be any navigation when screen off. In short --> DOESNT WORK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The change of NAV1: only affect to GPS device, so perhaps the nav software need more devices to stay on to work (or really the soft changes the power state of devices itself). I tested the changes above with HTC GPS Tool and seems to work, but seems navigation software are not the same... sorry.
Cheers
I'am using the IGO8 Navi Software on my Touch Pro.
I ride by mountain bike often and today I wanted to save the track I normally ride.
I turned on IGO 8 and get a satellite fix and started riding, when I came to my first check point I realised that on stand by mode, the IGO8 wasn't getting satellites.
So I minimised the IGO8 and I had the today screen on. I unticked turn-off device and turned the keylock on.
This was my only solution, it would be great to have the GPS running when switched off.
doublecheese said:
I'am using the IGO8 Navi Software on my Touch Pro.
I ride by mountain bike often and today I wanted to save the track I normally ride.
I turned on IGO 8 and get a satellite fix and started riding, when I came to my first check point I realised that on stand by mode, the IGO8 wasn't getting satellites.
So I minimised the IGO8 and I had the today screen on. I unticked turn-off device and turned the keylock on.
This was my only solution, it would be great to have the GPS running when switched off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trackme has a GPS powersave mode which allows the screen to be turned off but will still record your track. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=340667
Thanks
Let me check it out.
Hello, you can get the GPS to work with the phone in standby?
There 'a registry key to change?
I have a ROM-based T-Mobile 2.10.
Thanks
Your battery would be dead in about 2 hours. Why do you need that?
Just one example ... you're using google maps and want to put away your phone for a minute (inside your pocket or whatever, in order to use both of your hands) ...
you could just turn the screen off and safe battery instead of having to lock it and touch it every once in a while to keep the display from turning off (you may put it in your pocket for more than one minute at times )
if gps is turned off, google maps often needs an awful amount of time to find the satelites ... you could just save precius navigation time by doing this small change.
For my part, I use google maps quite often for maybe ... 20 minutes a day, but having to keep the phone in my hand and touch the display just to stop it from losing all gps connection is quite a bummer ... this small battery drain would definitely be worth the time saving feature of this change - if it is possible.
I used a method found on the samsung vibrant forum that works perfectly for me. Directions:
call *#*#1472365#*#*
choose "delete gps data"
go outside to maximize gps lock potential
choose "get position test"
Now let it do its thing for a few minutes. For about 5-6 minutes it was not getting a lock, but it was detecting between 1-4 gps satellites. Then it all of a sudden the phone got a lock and detected 8 satellites, at which point the phone recorded the gps data. The other forum post said wait until the phone sees 10-12 sats before backing out; my phone only saw up to 9 and locked on 8. Nevertheless, I backed out after the gps data was recorded, and now the GPS works wonderfully in Google maps, places, and navigation. Previous to this, I never got a lock with this phone, now I get a lock in about 5-10 secs. I didn't want to activate using wireless networks because that is not real gps. This is the real deal and easy to do. Try it and report back.
will do. In the meantime, take ur phone on a run with you and see if the gps still jumps within a small radius. I noticed that when i was driving this worked really well but when i try to use it to to record my run route (so i can see distance and speed) it doesnt follow me very smoothly.
I just tried this and my Captivate got a lock on 8 satellites within 4 seconds! Hopefully this will keep working til Sammy gets their update out.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
this fix works for me too! However, after a few days you may need to delete the gps data again. Good news is that it gets things working again.
Also, I have had great luck setting accuracy to 150 in lbstestmode. I think this is because the software wont drop satellites too aggressively. As a result, once the satellites are locked, they stay locked - which helps reliability alot.
phr00t said:
this fix works for me too! However, after a few days you may need to delete the gps data again. Good news is that it gets things working again.
Also, I have had great luck setting accuracy to 150 in lbstestmode. I think this is because the software wont drop satellites too aggressively. As a result, once the satellites are locked, they stay locked - which helps reliability alot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only locks into 1 Sat for me. Every once in a while it locks into 2. I think I got a lemon.
I posted a potential fix in the stickey, key value to change is accuracy and using the GPS Test Application....
The OP worked for me as well. I was getting so so GPS locks and would only get a "true" lock if I enabled the phone to use cell towers as well. After the above I get a lock almost immediately and per the test I had accuracey down to 5 meters. Untill a true fix comes out (def seems software related) this is a quick fix that works.
Hoooooooly ****.
I went from getting a lock in about 2-3 minutes to getting a lock in less than 20 seconds. I even rebooted the phone and it still worked that fast. I was able to confirm my lock with GPS Test(app) and using Google Maps to find my position.
trying it now.
looks like its thinking.
will update in a few.
Update
it has 9 and has an accuracy of 10 meters and it jumps to 30 and back to ten.
how often does the * drop on your sats, or do they stay on once locked on?
WeAreVenom said:
Hoooooooly ****.
I went from getting a lock in about 2-3 minutes to getting a lock in less than 20 seconds. I even rebooted the phone and it still worked that fast. I was able to confirm my lock with GPS Test(app) and using Google Maps to find my position.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update: I get a lock in my house in less than 10 seconds! Bwahaha! Bow before me puny mortals!
I wonder how long this fix will last?
time to lock is not the primary problem with the GPS, I can get a lock within 5 seconds if I opened up GPS test app before I open up navigation. Especially in the house or standing stationary, where it uses skyhook.
the REAL gps problem is maintaining a lock with GOOD (<5 meters) accuracy WHILE moving. Which, I have not seen any fix remedy.
andy2na said:
time to lock is not the primary problem with the GPS, I can get a lock within 5 seconds if I opened up GPS test app before I open up navigation. Especially in the house or standing stationary, where it uses skyhook.
the REAL gps problem is maintaining a lock with GOOD (<5 meters) accuracy WHILE moving. Which, I have not seen any fix remedy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would you want it to be less than 5 meters? How wide is the average highway? That's all I need.
Regardless, I'll test it out tonight on the way in to work.
The problem is it can't maintain 5 meters or even 10 meters lock for long. If Captivate can stay locked at 10 meters accuracy, I'll be happy.
Tried in and locked onto 8-9 sats with an accuracy of 10m. Went into GM and got a lock in under 30 seconds.
andy2na said:
time to lock is not the primary problem with the GPS, I can get a lock within 5 seconds if I opened up GPS test app before I open up navigation. Especially in the house or standing stationary, where it uses skyhook.
the REAL gps problem is maintaining a lock with GOOD (<5 meters) accuracy WHILE moving. Which, I have not seen any fix remedy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the problem with maintaining an accurate lock is because the Captivate defaults to having a very high threshold of satellite accuracy. Using the default setting of "Accuracy: 50", it takes a long time to get that level of accuracy. In addition, when you do have a lock, if the satellite drops below this accuracy (even for a short moment) -- the satellite is dropped. This is why you see many satellites being picked up and dropped all the time, and this is why the accuracy ranges so much after a lock is gained. The fix is simply setting the accuracy to 150 (in addition to the other recommended settings) -- which gives the satellites more "room", and keeps them in use.
My theory anyway... seems to work so far
2 minutes after selecting test:
11 sats found
8 locked
Located within 10m, 7 seconds after Google Maps launch.
Okay, this is my first post. I've been reading these forums for a couple weeks now. This is the first and only thing that made mt GPS work correctly. I tried almost every other gps fix I read about but none seemed to do anything. Thanks.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
So is this with the stock settings or with other tweaks?
This does seem to help somewhat. I was able to get view 9 sats and get 6-7 to lock. GPS Test app was working and could calculate my speed as I walked across a parking lot. I could even see myself move on maps (never seen it move without bouncing around and such).
I will test later this evening on my drive home and see if I can get google navigation and actual turn by turn to work.
frankencat said:
So is this with the stock settings or with other tweaks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested mine using the stock settings bud I had changed the server and port to the google recommendation in previous "fixes".
TL;DR version:
1)Start Google Navigation, pick destination, start driving. Result: Sporatic or no lock and definitely no turn by turn working.
2)Start Google Navigation, pick destination, start GPSTest, start driving. Result: Almost constant lock and turn by turn works astonishingly well.
What gives?
Alright, please read this whole post, try it out, then comment on whether there is something to this or maybe I'm just crazy (a very definitely possibility). I was playing around with the GPS today and tried the Vibrant GPS hardware fix (pulling up the contact so that the GPS antenna is making better contact with the metal back). There wasn't much of a difference, so I decided to take the back off and run the GPS without the metal backing. I found that interestingly enough I was getting a better SNR with the back off than with the back on it was 8/8 at about 25-30 with the back on (using GPSTest) while with the back off it was 8/8 with 30-35.
Now comes the really interesting bit. On my drive home today I decided to see how well I could hold a moving lock. I turned on Google Navigation, pointed to my house, and started driving. Needless to say I was not able to hold a lock for very long. However, if I left the navigation app running and started GPSTest, all of a sudden I was getting the turn by turn voice pretty accurately. I then exited GPSTest and probably 10 seconds later lost my lock again. Open GPSTest, BOOM lock back on and turn by turn working again. Am I just hitting a really lucky coincidence or is GPSTest doing something we're not aware of? Please post here if you can either a) replicate what I'm seeing or b)think I'm blowing smoke cuz you aren't seeing a lick of difference.
smoking blow/10
anyways I'll try it out
comdei said:
smoking blow/10
anyways I'll try it out
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Click to collapse
BTW... this is GPS Test by Chartcross Limited, NOT the one by Mike Lockwood. You're welcome to try both however.
Previous GPS threads have repeatedly documented the positive effect of moving your nav app to the background. Theories on it center around backlight, temperature, or CPU/GPU. My own myTracks tests seem to point towards CPU/GPU. Or, at least, they seemed to rule out temperature or backlight as a factor.
So did you have GPS Test in the foreground during this test? This will pretty consistently give you improved performance over having Navigation up. If you turn the screen OFF altogether, it almost works as well as a real GPS! Check out the difference by recording a few drives in MyTracks -- it's night and day, on my phone at least.
My personal, uninformed theory (guess) is that the CPU/GPU and screen during Navigation are starving the GPS subsystem of power, causing either reception issues or causing the clock to desync and lose the position of the satellites it's tracking.
Ah well, such is life.
Perception 10.2 | SpeedMod K13D | I9000XXJQ1
I noticed this as well with my old setup (phone bought in August 2010 running Cognition & JK4 radio firmware). I got one of the refurbs from the random power off fiasco and GPS seemed to be just as unreliable. I've recently flashed the JL2 radio firmware, and GPS locks on within seconds and stays locked around town - as it should. I think a lot of people's issue would be completely resolved if they played around with radio firmwares...
Ikonomi said:
So did you have GPS Test in the foreground during this test? This will pretty consistently give you improved performance over having Navigation up. If you turn the screen OFF altogether, it almost works as well as a real GPS! Check out the difference by recording a few drives in MyTracks -- it's night and day, on my phone at least.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, GPS Test was in the foreground, navigation in the background. I get the feeling however its more to do with the application than the hardware. I say this because having other apps in the foreground doesn't quite have the same effect for me. Is that the case for everyone else as well?
knyghtryda said:
TL;DR version:
1)Start Google Navigation, pick destination, start driving. Result: Sporatic or no lock and definitely no turn by turn working.
2)Start Google Navigation, pick destination, start GPSTest, start driving. Result: Almost constant lock and turn by turn works astonishingly well.
What gives?
Alright, please read this whole post, try it out, then comment on whether there is something to this or maybe I'm just crazy (a very definitely possibility). I was playing around with the GPS today and tried the Vibrant GPS hardware fix (pulling up the contact so that the GPS antenna is making better contact with the metal back). There wasn't much of a difference, so I decided to take the back off and run the GPS without the metal backing. I found that interestingly enough I was getting a better SNR with the back off than with the back on it was 8/8 at about 25-30 with the back on (using GPSTest) while with the back off it was 8/8 with 30-35.
Now comes the really interesting bit. On my drive home today I decided to see how well I could hold a moving lock. I turned on Google Navigation, pointed to my house, and started driving. Needless to say I was not able to hold a lock for very long. However, if I left the navigation app running and started GPSTest, all of a sudden I was getting the turn by turn voice pretty accurately. I then exited GPSTest and probably 10 seconds later lost my lock again. Open GPSTest, BOOM lock back on and turn by turn working again. Am I just hitting a really lucky coincidence or is GPSTest doing something we're not aware of? Please post here if you can either a) replicate what I'm seeing or b)think I'm blowing smoke cuz you aren't seeing a lick of difference.
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Click to collapse
this worked really well for me. am on andromeda 3. but was getting on locks without staying on continuously. with the approach. gps was spot on.!! a BIG Thanks
I've noticed this for some time when running the GPS Application Test in lbstestmode. Run the GPS test first and then move it to the background and launch your normal GPS program and you'll usually be better off. Needless to say, I'm doing another warranty exchange in hopes of getting one with better GPS hardware soon.
Try this:
Get a mobile hotspot (or someone who has wifi tethering enabled on their phone). Put your phone into flight mode, then turn WIFI on and connect to that mobile hotspot. Fire up navigation, and go for a drive. You'll be amazed at how accurate your GPS is.
That leads me to believe that there is an interference issue in the GSM/GPS antennas. Part of the reason why putting navigation in the background helps improve the GPS performance is because it stops refreshing the map, which means it's not trying to use the GSM radio. But if you fire up Pandora, even with Navigation in the background, the GPS will start going nuts again.
I'm pretty sure AT&T is aware of this, and I even think they have a... well, not a fix, but a way to mitigate the problem.
A friend of mine did a warranty exchange on his Captivate last Monday for a problem with his USB port. The Captivate he got in exchange has been getting much better performance with it's GPS. And since his worked just fine all week, I exchanged mine yesterday. Now, quite often after flashing a new ROM, the GPS will work fine for a day or three. So I'm not going to be convinced mine is working as well just yet. But there are some notable differences from what I've seen before... When I'm tracking my position on Google Maps, my actual position now stays within what the GPS reports as it's error, even when I'm driving around. Previously, my phone might report a 10m error, but my actual position might be 200m or more from where it thought I was. In addition to that, I'm seeing that my phone is locking into more satellites, and holding that lock even as the SNRs drop due to obstructions. And finally, my GPS works just as good while it's in the car dock, whereas before it would only intermittently get enough signal to fix a position. Overall, while my GPS still isn't as good as other phones I've had in the past, it is now actually good enough to use and trust.
I think that AT&T isn't advertising this because it's not something that they can push out over the air or through a Kies update. I'm guessing that either they modified the antennas slightly, or that they installed a new firmware to the GPS chip (at a lower level than the driver)... or maybe both.
Either way, my friend's GPS has been working great all week long, and mine appears to be doing so as well. I'll not say that it's permanently fixed yet, but I'm cautiously optimistic. We'll see how it's doing after another few days go by.
UPDATE 3/28:
Two more days of testing have passed. So far, the GPS is holding up nicely. The only issues are with the car dock. When the phone is in the car dock, the GPS will occasionally drift 5~10 meters off of my position. This doesn't really surprise me, as the electronics in the car dock are right up against the GPS antenna, and simply putting the phone in the dock will drop the reported SNRs by more than 25% - usually a lot more.
Still, even with the car dock, the GPS is perfectly usable. And without the car dock, the GPS is now exactly what it should have been from the get-go.
I've also found that if I run either gps status or gps test to get the fix, then start whatever app I need to use, the performance is much better. Recently I just use lbs test to get the fix, then proceed with whatever app i need to use. Seems to work better, as lbs test continues to work in the background
i have seen this in the past but trying to prove that it is not random has been a problem as i cant repeat the results.
also i dont thing i have ever observed the phenomenon while using control plane mode.
maybe another coincidence, i cant tell but i have been using the control plane version of da_g's fix for a couple months now in combination with the jl3 modem and have gps that many smart phones would envy. i find jl3 to have the most stable positioning and tracking, less blue circles ect. i also find agps settings to hinder tracking. i only set agps mode to standalone. not sure how supl works or if controlplane supl setting is actually doing anything because i was under the impression that supl was part of agps but it is a combination that started working for me and i am sticking to it.
Ever since i did the update, the GPS takes several minutes to get a lock. Even if I exit Google Maps after it gets a lock and then re-start GMaps again within seconds, it takes again several minutes to get a lock. As if it is doing cold start every time GMaps gets active.
Before OTA update it would take a second to get a lock after just exiting GMaps and re-starting it. A couple of hours later, and dozen miles away, it was still locking within 10 seconds.
Now everything takes many minutes.
GPS Status is showing strong signal from 4-5 satellites, but GMaps is not locking.
Does anyone else have similar problem?
Are you actually getting a lock from gps status or just 4-5 satellites?
I had a similar problem before the update, first lock took about half an hour in gps status, after that it was quicker but still not great.
Sorry to report the update fixed the issues in my case. It could be due to the old radio being better suited to your geographic location than the new one. Unfortunately its hard to really test this unless you are willing to s-off and test some radio/ril combinations.
Sent from my Cyanogenmod hungry Htc Sensation.
My experience is pretty much the opposite of the OP. I've noticed GPS locks are much faster after the OTA. Using GPS Test they were fast before, typically less 15 sec and nearly always under 30 sec, and after the update closer to 5 sec. However, over time I've seen a good bit of variation day-to-day so I can't say with any certainty that my observation is directly related to the OTA. And based on the reports in this thread it seems likely the OTA didn't fix or break GPS.
I have seen Google Nav take much longer than GPS Test to get a lock. I've also had it completely hang my phone where a battery pull was the only option. This when GPS Test would work fine. So I'm quite certain that Google Nav is buggy. Mostly it works, but sometimes not. If it's taking too long to get a lock I will exit, use GPS Test to get a lock, then go back to Nav and it typically locks quickly.
Regarding GPS Test taking minutes to lock that's most likely due to either not having a data connection or a corrupted ephemeris. If you do have a data connection then use the options to clear and update the AGPS data. The next lock may take 20-30 sec but after that it should be back to normal.
samnada said:
My experience is pretty much the opposite of the OP. I've noticed GPS locks are much faster after the OTA. Using GPS Test they were fast before, typically less 15 sec and nearly always under 30 sec, and after the update closer to 5 sec. However, over time I've seen a good bit of variation day-to-day so I can't say with any certainty that my observation is directly related to the OTA. And based on the reports in this thread it seems likely the OTA didn't fix or break GPS.
.
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EXACTLY the same as that.. 6+ satellites in less than 10 seconds (usually about 5) and the same is true when using google maps.
same thing here instant lock few seconds
less then 30 sec inside
The thing with the GPS Status is that it is showing many satellites with strong signal (i.e. 11 with green bars) but it is not locking either for minutes.
alexsql said:
The thing with the GPS Status is that it is showing many satellites with strong signal (i.e. 11 with green bars) but it is not locking either for minutes.
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Click to collapse
Are you running stock or a ROM?
I'm on stock and have seen this a couple of times. I've been able to fix it by clearing and reloading the AGPS data. This can be done under Settings in GPS Test (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.chartcross.gpstest&hl=en).
OK, i fixed it.
I am on stock and I've tried reloading AGPS but that did not fix it.
I used GPS Status ->Settings ->GPS&Sensors ->Sensor Filtering
After I changed the filtering from Weak to None the GPS locks within seconds.
The weird thing is that now, if I change the filtering back to Weak or even Strong, it still locks in seconds
alexsql said:
OK, i fixed it.
I am on stock and I've tried reloading AGPS but that did not fix it.
I used GPS Status ->Settings ->GPS&Sensors ->Sensor Filtering
After I changed the filtering from Weak to None the GPS locks within seconds.
The weird thing is that now, if I change the filtering back to Weak or even Strong, it still locks in seconds
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Click to collapse
When you say reloading AGPS didn't fix it, how long did you wait for a lock? It can take longer for the first lock after reloading than normal. From your description it may have been the AGPS reload that actually fixed it, then once it got the first lock it was back to the normal fast locks regardless of the filter setting. Just a guess. I haven't played with the filter setting since far as I can tell it's only available in GPS Status, which I normally don't use.
Regardless, glad it's resolved. Also glad to know about that filter setting for future reference.
I did AGPS reload 2-3 hours ago and it did not work until I did the filter thing.
alexsql said:
I did AGPS reload 2-3 hours ago and it did not work until I did the filter thing.
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Click to collapse
Ok. That does seem odd. Also odd that changing the filter back didn't break it. Hard to diagnose that without knowing a lot more about how it works underneath. Still a useful trick to know about. Thanks.
samnada said:
Ok. That does seem odd. Also odd that changing the filter back didn't break it. Hard to diagnose that without knowing a lot more about how it works underneath. Still a useful trick to know about. Thanks.
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Click to collapse
That filtering is for the sensors for your gyroscope on the device not the GPS. It smoothes out the display in the program so your "bubble" in your compass isn't jittery.