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Hey guys,
I got in my 3rd "refurbished" Captivate last Friday and I have been collecting some data. For the record, I am using Cognition BETA5.5 FROYO on it without any lagfixes or modified GPS settings.
My first two Captivates -- the GPS sucked. I tried every fix in the book: Jupiter.xml fixes, Epic 4G fixes, LbsTestMode settings, different firmwares etc... some things helped a bit, but the GPS was still unreliable.
My 3rd Captivate's GPS works great from day 1. I've been testing it daily since I got it. I had a long trip to the New York Comic Con, which I used my 3rd Captivate to navigate. In areas that I previously had problems with, my new Captivate handles them with ease. I attached a screen shot of "My Tracks" on a turn that the GPS always overshot previously (now which works fine).
Anyway, I believe JH7 was the software fix for the GPS. The software problem was keeping locks from satellites <20dbHz and using >8 satellites. The rest of the problem is hardware due to poor quality control. This would also explain why so many people have so many different experiences. I say, if you want a reliable GPS in a Captivate, keep warranty swapping it until you get one that works.
/this also explains why some Captivates shutdown randomly, while others don't: poor quality control.
I disagree with this. I bought mine a few days before the JH7 update and didn't have a ton of time to play with the GPS. Using GPS test I was finding 8 satellites and locking onto ~6 of them in a minute or so. With the JH7 update I was finding and locking onto 11 satellites in 15 seconds or less consistently. My accuracy would stand at 16.4 feet (I don't think anyone has achieved better than this with this device). Starting this past Friday (10/8) however my phone won't lock at all. I'm only seeing 4 satellites and no matter how long I leave it, or what settings I touch there is no lock. This is a problem many people have. The GPS works for a while then suddenly stops. This to me suggests a software issue.
I think it is partially hardware related as well. My GPS on stock didn't work so well with the factory settings but worked perfectly with the supl.google.com. Every update since then up to Cognition 2.1.6 has worked perfectly every time for me. If this was a software or firmware issue we would all be having similar problems.
If someone proposed the theory that maybe supple.google.com isn't the best source I must have missed it. So I propose it. Spirent obviously is not, that's a test site.
I wonder if there is supple1.google.com supple2.google.com tzpst.supple.google.com etc.
phr00t said:
/this also explains why some Captivates shutdown randomly, while others don't: poor quality control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that Samsung has poor quality control problem, or lack there of from my past experience with various Samsung products. However, I believe the GPS issue is a bad hardware design in Samsung's part. Based on my own observation, it is the poor GPS antenna design that causes poor GPS signal reception. In compensation for this poor design, Samsung tries to boost the GPS chip amplification power which in turn causes interference from all the difference radio sources and bad S/N ratio. Since this is purely an analog signaling issue, different phones show different results and even the same phone could show different results in different environment. I particularly noticed that whenever I pass by those noise isolating walls around the highways I travel daily, my GPS starts to jump all over the place. This indicates to me that the GPS receiver is very suspectible to signal reflections from those walls, may it be cell tower signals or else.
The problem with warranty replacement is that it is really a crap shot. You typically get a refurbished phones unless AT&T runs out of refurbs. Guess where those refurbished phones come from: (1) returns due to GPS issue. (2) returns due to shutdown issue. Since neither issue can be resolved or easily identified (the later is not even acknowleged as a problem AFAIK by AT&T), Samsuung/AT&T will simply refurbish those phones and send out as warranty replacements.
bwolmarans said:
If someone proposed the theory that maybe supple.google.com isn't the best source I must have missed it. So I propose it. Spirent obviously is not, that's a test site.
I wonder if there is supple1.google.com supple2.google.com tzpst.supple.google.com etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's BS. spirent is not the problem. The original theory has been proved wrong long time ago. Change to supl.google.com does not solve the problem. Period. And getting a lock is only 1/3 of the GPS trouble you get into.
1) I am using spirent (or whatever the stock SUPL server settings are) and my GPS is working great. The problem is not the SUPL server (although changing it might have helped some).
2) If it were purely a software / firmware issue, we would all be experiencing the same GPS problems, which we are not. In addition, I would see the same problems with my new Captivate (which is running the same software), which I am not.
3) I do not have poor S/N ratios on my phone. I get 25-40 (sometimes better) S/N ratios, which is a bit better than my wife's Aria. I did notice poor S/N ratios on my second phone (15-30), which had the worst GPS performance. If it was poor hardware design, we would all have the same poor S/N ratios (and performance), which we do not.
4) Yes, getting a warranty replacement is a crapshoot. But hey, your current phone sucks and your next refurbished phone might not. So, swap it out -- you might get lucky. Samsung owes you a good phone anyway.
The problem is really chaotic, and people cannot reproduce the same problems (and resolutions) across different devices. This can only explained by people not getting the same devices... some are just more broke than others. Poor quality control.
/personally, I'm sick of digging through the Captivate GPS problem.. now that I have one that works, I want to just enjoy my phone.
phr00t said:
3) I do not have poor S/N ratios on my phone. I get 25-40 (sometimes better) S/N ratios, which is a bit better than my wife's Aria. I did notice poor S/N ratios on my second phone (15-30), which had the worst GPS performance. If it was poor hardware design, we would all have the same poor S/N ratios (and performance), which we do not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are confusing digital circuitary with analog circuitary.
An analog hardware issue hardly will cause uniformly the same results. What you will see the S/N varies a lot between phones that's why some works, some doesn't. The antenna and satellite signal processing are still analog circuitary and prone to variations even with the same design. That's why SOME iPhone4s work just fine but others will drop calls when touched But no one is calling Apple lack of quality control.
Mine is 20 to 35 which is borderline.
The BroadCOM BCM 4751 is supposedly better at dealing with weak signals. I think Samsung is still experimenting different ways to get better locks in those marginal signal levels without causing the noise interference that in turn destroys the stable locks.
What is the general consensus of the % of owners actually having perceived GPS issues?
Someone please make a DIY on how to fix the damn thing myself... (hardware fix that is)
*Deep breath*
I know my 2cents really wont change this debate at all but ill go ahead and post my experiences with this issue K?
Cappy 1: Gps was just ok. it still worked but on navigation would try to "predict" where i was, jump off the roads and i would say on average i would be 20-50m off roof overhead and 10-20m if i put it directly on my dash where i couldnt see it.. This on average also took about 5 minutes to get a lock from standstill. Replaced for brick issue *incorrect flash being a newb*
cappy 2: Gps seemed to get worse everyday with this phone. mind you change the supl and jupiter tweaks seemed to help just a bit but honestly this one was just not usable. I could get a a lock in 5-10 seconds from a standstill and it would always be 10m accuracy.. so ok, it could help me know where i am immediatly but i cant see me standing in the woods going *deeerp where am i??* This was was replaced for random poweroff issue.
cappy 3: i literally just got this thing 2 hours ago picking up my mail so its fresh as can be guys.. jf6 stock right now. pulled my sim and battery into the phone at the mailbox and immediatly out of curiousity descided to test GPS. in no more than 20 seconds it got a lock of 50m..and then just a few seconds later im 5...5!!!!meters off. My eyes pop out of my head its in my hands at this time so i get ballsy and decide to put it in the lower tray in my car and take a drive. Wow...it just works now. It knew where i was and even told me and showed me a streetview of my destination before i got there...i should note this has NEVER happened i didnt even know it could/would do that :eek.
So my verdict is this. there are sofware tweaks to improve the quality and for some i dont doubt flashing firmware or applying changes has helped...BUT... overall this 3rd cappy is ...it just FEELS like the gps hardware is working right WITH the software. Things could always change with froyo and the the great devs here and if im proved wrong then wow count me impressed. Just dont hold your breath guys
EDIT: just to note exchanging your device is like playing the lottery. although these latest devices seem to have a higher success ratio im noticing. Ill also note i have NEVER exchanged instore but have always used mai to get my new cappy.
Based on the two comments here it sounds like I should try for a 3rd Captivate. Seems like 3rd times the charm. My 1st one GPS didn't work, I didn't run GPS Test or anything. Just know it never locked on me without the AGPS or whatever on. 2nd one same story. I have ran GPS Test on it and I'm lucky if I can get a view of 3 satellites outside in clear sky. It's usually 0 or 1. I've never had a satellite locked on.
I recently screwed up my captivate fooling around with terminal. I managed to get it to boot to the AT&T screen so I kinda messed them over. My replacement unit seems to have a better gps chip. I know it has been refurbished because the inside stickers are not OEM. Apparently there is a quick hardware fix that is implemented to get the gps to function. I have a feeling its something to do with grounding and the fact that it uses the back cover for grounding is interesting. I think they might be replacing the copper fitting on the right side of the phone that contacts with the back cover when you open the phone. It seemed too new looking. I saw a post where someone said clean the contact patches on the battery cover and slightly pull out the right copper tab for more contact on the battery plate. I did this and tested my gps during a 100 mile trip. The gps worked pretty efficiently. It stayed locked on and it wasn't bouncing all over the place. I found my lock while moving which was impossible with my old cappy. I say its a grounding issue. I also noticed that my phone wasn't burning hot after an hour and a half of constant gps use but my old cappy would be really hot after 30 minutes. I may not be a phone expert but i learned a bad ground can cause intermittent flow in a circuit which causes that circuit to cut off after a short while. In the galaxy s phones I think it is a grounding issue that has been fixed. I advise people to make sure the contacts in your battery cover is clean(use alcohol to clean them). Pull up the right tab slightly so ensure contact with the metal battery cover(the left is rectactable and cant be pulled). I would make sure you use a rubber or plastic case on your cappy so interference with the gps or antenna will occur(the reason why plastic isn't a bad material to make a cell phone out of). My gps settings are basically AT&T's default. You will only get an accurate lock if you use the data network(cell towers) and of course use gps satelites in the location settings. Thats A-GPS at its finest. I just going to probably keep this captivate as a backup phone (unless someone just gives me the right amount of cash) because i just purchased an unlocked dell streak from dell for 400 bucks since they are having a sale on them. And now i know my gps works on my cappy.
I just got a replacement phone less than 6 hours ago and noticed a big improvement in GPS signal strength on the stock firmware. The inside stickers on mine are also different.
It quickly found multiple satellites with snrs in the 40's. The highest hit 47. I honestly didn't think it was possible to get that high unless you were floating in outer space. It started to lock on to multiple sats around the 30 second mark.
After loading up Darky's port 6.0.2 I tried again and in lbstestmode it found and locked onto 9 satellites in 8 seconds. It honestly blew my mind. Now this rom uses Da_G's GPS files. I still have a ton of real world testing to do but that initial result gave me a lot of hope.
Whats the build number of your replacement phone? Mines 1007 which is old build. You can find it below the serial number on the phone behind the battery.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
nybmx said:
I just got a replacement phone less than 6 hours ago and noticed a big improvement in GPS signal strength on the stock firmware. The inside stickers on mine are also different.
It quickly found multiple satellites with snrs in the 40's. The highest hit 47. I honestly didn't think it was possible to get that high unless you were floating in outer space. It started to lock on to multiple sats around the 30 second mark.
After loading up Darky's port 6.0.2 I tried again and in lbstestmode it found and locked onto 9 satellites in 8 seconds. It honestly blew my mind. Now this rom uses Da_G's GPS files. I still have a ton of real world testing to do but that initial result gave me a lot of hope.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am happy with it stock. Let me know how your test comes out on the GPS. I will definately watch this post.
att8525user said:
Whats the build number of your replacement phone? Mines 1007 which is old build. You can find it below the serial number on the phone behind the battery.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1008 is my build. The newer ones are 1009 and 1010. I had the 1007 build myself at first.
gasolara2002 said:
1008 is my build. The newer ones are 1009 and 1010. I had the 1007 build myself at first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious, do you have the 3 button recovery problem that build 1008 is notorious for?
Also, give it a few days on the GPS. Most times a factory reset makes the GPS work good and then it goes to heck in a hand basket. YMMV
For those who are not able to get a replacement Captivate, you guys might want to follow this link...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=876179
The last page has some theories on how to make it better it but have not been tested. Will be doing that shortly.
cappysw10 said:
Curious, do you have the 3 button recovery problem that build 1008 is notorious for?
Also, give it a few days on the GPS. Most times a factory reset makes the GPS work good and then it goes to heck in a hand basket. YMMV
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will continue to use it. I have not tweaked anything on the phone just because i don't want to take any chances of may be wrecking my gps through software changes. I have tried it and I get in to recovery mode just fine. Mine is a refurb unit so i think the bugs are worked out.
Just exchanged my Cappy on Monday. My new build is 1012 and the last 4 digits of my IMEI is 6219. This is a very recent build. So far no random shutdowns (I returned my old one for this) and my gps is much improved over my old unit. So far I have had zero issues locking and no longer are my tracks all over both sides of the road. My previous was useless. Leaving it on stock for another week.
Hmmm, what version of the OS is it on the 1012? I guess its jh7 eclair.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
att8525user said:
Hmmm, what version of the OS is it on the 1012? I guess its jh7 eclair.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is still Eclair 2.1 update 1
JH7
2.6.29 [email protected]#2
1012 rev .4
att8525user said:
Whats the build number of your replacement phone? Mines 1007 which is old build. You can find it below the serial number on the phone behind the battery.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Build 1008 (same as my original one). Button combos into recovery and dl mode work fine. My original 1008 phone did not have issues with button combos either.
I've only tested the GPS while driving once but it kept a lock, and rerouted me fine when I decided to take a different way then was suggested.
it looks like i might have to use the random shutdown complaint to get a replacement!!
The fix must've come after 1010 because that's what mine is and I need the LBSTestmode mod to make it even remotely usable.
Similar situation
My situation is the opposite though. When I originally got my Captivate back in August the GPS worked flawlessly. I even remember thinking how quick it got a fix compared to old phones and GPS units. After about a week I had to return the phone due to a sound issue. Now my GPS seems to take forever to get a fix, lags a lot and is not very accurate. Kind of like most users report. It seems like you are playing a slot machine when buying a Captivate. Pull the lever and you might get a great phone but the odds are way against you.
I got a captivate back in september and recently I hard bricked it. So Iwent to the store and they gave me a new one for free under warrenty (they couldn't even turn it on and apparently the power back on was a known issue for the model I had, even for now rooted users). Well long story short, even before I did the kies mini update to froyo I noticed the GPS was spot on, really fast before and after update. I think the older ones suffer from a hardware issue more than a software issue.
off topic: can't believe they actually gave you a new one when you *bricked* it, cause I thought when you root your phone, your warranty is void.
^^^I'm guessing he didn't tell them what actually caused the problem.
What's the manufacture date on the new unit?
I got mine less than a couple of weeks ago and I think mine is 12/10
for what its worth my first captivate purchased on launch day didn't seem to have hardware issue (seemed to be software problem). With the first captivate i had strong consistent stationary lock times and strength. Would usually lock in under 20-30 seconds max and see 8-9 sats with locks on 7-8. The problem was the device could not track when moving with JF6 or JH7. Turn by turn nav was unusable to a ridiculous degree. That being said with a handful of roms my tracking became spot on and lock times/strength even increased.
Just using 1 rom as example (Supernova) locks times were usually 10-12 seconds almost always under 15 seconds seeing 10-12 sats with locks on all or all but 1. Better yet as previously mentioned i could finally use the gps for turn by turn navigation.
--------------------------------------------
Received replacement refurb captivate (shutdown issue) last week and while i was peeved that its imei and manufacture date are still within range of affected devices i was pleasantly surprised by something else (a fully functional GPS on stock).
The device arrived with JH7 installed....i wasn't surprised by fast, accurate, stable locks because my first captivate accomplished the same (although these were faster and more in line with the improved performance i had achieved with custom roms).
When i took the unit out for a drive and some navigation i expected epic fail on stock...so i was extremely surprised when it tracked me turn by turn without any issues. I am on a custom for obvious reasons but my stock GPS on this new device that was manufactured in July was spot on.
MMAHavok69 said:
I got a captivate back in september and recently I hard bricked it. So Iwent to the store and they gave me a new one for free under warrenty (they couldn't even turn it on and apparently the power back on was a known issue for the model I had, even for now rooted users). Well long story short, even before I did the kies mini update to froyo I noticed the GPS was spot on, really fast before and after update. I think the older ones suffer from a hardware issue more than a software issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think ATT gives a brand new in Box replacement, they give a refurbished phone.
MMAHavok69 said:
I got a captivate back in september and recently I hard bricked it. So Iwent to the store and they gave me a new one for free under warrenty (they couldn't even turn it on and apparently the power back on was a known issue for the model I had, even for now rooted users). Well long story short, even before I did the kies mini update to froyo I noticed the GPS was spot on, really fast before and after update. I think the older ones suffer from a hardware issue more than a software issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long have you had the new phone? Is this the same "great" results we got upon doing a hard reset only to find out a few days later it still sucked?
Does anyone actually know if any of the refurbished phones have have any work beyond clearing and reloading?
just asking....
I purchased 2 last October and 1 at xmas time and all 3 had bad gps. Installing a custom ROM was the only thing that has made my gps tolerable.
Elisha said:
What's the manufacture date on the new unit?
I got mine less than a couple of weeks ago and I think mine is 12/10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you find the date? I got a new one last week that came with 2.2. I guessed it was new? Was not impressed with the gps. Comparing it to a htc desire. Now that I have installed serendipity the gps works a lot better.
mrnifty said:
Where did you find the date? I got a new one last week that came with 2.2. I guessed it was new? Was not impressed with the gps. Comparing it to a htc desire. Now that I have installed serendipity the gps works a lot better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the sticker under the battery, mine is 1007 for 07/10.
I think the older ones suffer from a hardware issue more than a software issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am more inclined to think it is more software related. Otherwise I would still expect to have a bad gps. It now will even show me at my exact address in google maps.
I had to return one of my Captivates under warranty (touch input broke), and the refurb has had amazing GPS...even on stock. The replacement is a 1007.
I agree with the people that think it is a software issue. I got my first Captivate in the middle of August. I only had it for a week before all sound quit and I got a different unit. The replacement they gave me was also a new unit, not a refurb. The original unit had a flawless GPS. I even remember thinking how quickly it got a lock and it was always spot on. My current unit has a GPS that could be out-navigated by a blind man with Captain Jack Sparrows compass! I live in Louisville KY and when I drive down River Road, which follows the Ohio river, it usually shows me driving in the grass on Indiana's side of the river, while telling me it is 16 meter, or better, accuracy!! The river is about 200 - 300 yards wide at that point. Sounds a lot more like 100 meters to me! You know you have a screwed up GPS when it can't even figure out what state you are in. I will give it credit for repeatability though, it ALWAYS shows me in the wrong place.
Hard Bricked Replacement
Bought my first gen in Oct last year, My Phone got Hosed during an Odin Flas,blackscreen,no boot,no download etc. took it to ATT Devices service center,said i woke up and it was blank and wont turn on,she went in back and gave em a new one ,i think, she pelled off some of the plastic off teh sides of phone etc,...What is cool is this HAS FROYO 2.2 stock on ROM and GPS is good,why do the new Cappies have 2.2 and teh old Eclair i had didnt get any update cept for the .1 gps "Fix",odd but i was happy to get a Stock 2.2 Froyo replacement for FREE!
[email protected] said:
Bought my first gen in Oct last year, My Phone got Hosed during an Odin Flas,blackscreen,no boot,no download etc. took it to ATT Devices service center,said i woke up and it was blank and wont turn on,she went in back and gave em a new one ,i think, she pelled off some of the plastic off teh sides of phone etc,...What is cool is this HAS FROYO 2.2 stock on ROM and GPS is good,why do the new Cappies have 2.2 and teh old Eclair i had didnt get any update cept for the .1 gps "Fix",odd but i was happy to get a Stock 2.2 Froyo replacement for FREE!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everybody got Froyo update for free. They are probably updating replacement phones to Froyo simply to prevent any issues with users updating via Kies.
NO WAY IN HELL was I going to tell them it was rooted if they couldn't even turn it on either to check. The tech at the warranty place said that not being able to power back on was a known issue for the model I had. I had to update myself to 2.2. But I'm so happy with the GPS now, I get my exact location in under 10 seconds most of the time.
Captivate SGH-i897
Batch no: 1008
Manufacture date: August 28, 2010
Not rooted. Stock, stock, stock.
Updated to Froyo on March 1
Here's an abbreviated version of a long story:
In order to solve another problem (could not send MMS messages), I did a master clear and reset. Before that traumatic event I was very, very, very--this is a family-oriented forum so I will just say--disappointed in the GPS which usually gave me somebody's position at about the same time I arrived at my destination.
After the reset Chartcross's GPSTest showed the GPS locks on four birds usually within a minute. Amazed, I drove about 150 miles (freeway and side roads) yesterday and the little blue triangle in Google Maps was right on top of me the entire way. Turning off the phone, driving ten miles and restarting the GPS got a lock in less than a minute (which test I've repeated several times over the last week). FWIW, I use a Garmin GPS for geocaching so I have some familiarity with GPS's.
Watching the bars in GPSTest, I have learned to keep my hands away from the upper two-thirds of the phone's body because that improves reception. In a car, reception is improved with the sunroof shade open or the phone on the dashboard (in a "sandbag" phone mount).
If you are unhappy with your phone's GPS performance and it has a similar background to this phone, you might try a master clear and reset. Either you will be very happy with the results or just as unhappy as you were before but, in any case, you will have an opportunity to spend several hours with your phone in a symbiotic relationship rebuilding it with settings and apps.
YMMV. Yada-yada-yada...
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I tried a new Gingerbread Modem on a Custom Froyo ROM to see if it would work. Though I couldn't use because I couldn't get any Network Service I did test Wifi Speed and GPS tests. It was super with Wifi and GPS locked in like 10 seconds and within 5 meters. I had never had that kind of GPS service.
I had a similar experience. I returned my 1007 phone (purchased in august) last week for the random shutdown issue and bad gps. They gave me a 1009 phone that shut down 5 times a day. I returned that phone 2 days later and got a new 1007 phone, new simcard, and new battery (the shotgun approach to repair).
This phone has not shut down once, and will lock 7 satellites in a room where normal gps units have issues.
I am very happy now.
@Picsman, I find I get a similar result from "delete GPS data" via Lbstestmode........for a while anyway.
If I want my GPS to perform at it's best (however you want to describe that) I seem to need to do this first....
So I spent 3 hours on the phone with AT&T last week while their warranty department did everything they could to not just honor the warranty (I can go into detail of anyone cares). But after the long grueling battle I was finally able to get my 1008 replaced with a 1009. Now the gps on my 1008 was shotty at best. I received the new phone, fired up Srendipity 6.3 and installed the free TeleNav GPS program and received instant results. Before, I was getting 3-4 sats after 30 seconds and it would barely hold. Now, I instantly get 7 or more sats and was able to lock up to 11 and hold them. My gps works spot on and I couldn't be happier. Morale of the story.. if you have spotty GPS at best, try exchanging the phone.. but be for warned about AT&T honoring the Gps capability for the Captivate with out a lot of legwork.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I was having a GPS problem and the warranty people sent out a replacement with a 15 min phone call. got one that works ok, but with the right modem it gets 10-11 sats in under 5 seconds.
might be who you get and how willing they are to try and figure out your problem without just jumping to it being a hardware problem.
The captivate gps is way to random to guarantee a replacement will fix anything as no one knows all the details of the problem. Part of it is obviously software as several tweaks work wonders for most people. No one knows what the combination is for sure.
A standing lock shows nothing for actual driving navigation performance.
Your results will vary but do we really need a new thread from everyone who warranty replaces their phone for bad gps performance
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Remember too, almost all "new" Captivates' GPS work great for a few weeks. Post back in about a month and let us know how your new Captivate is working. Also, it seems as though the GPS will work great for a few weeks after loading a new ROM, then it goes bad again. Tells me there is s file the GPS must process avery time you turn it on. As the file grows in size, the GPS program can't process the file in a timely manner resulting in the interpretation of the GPS data being slow and off-course.
I'll do that. I like using my GPS for looking things up (don't use navigation that much since I don't do much traveling) but I'll definitely keep an eye on it and see how it handles aftera week or so and then after that.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
just got a 1007 replacement for the 1007 i have. The GPS works out of the box for stock froyo. it actually trasks every single turn and is able to catch up when i am driving 75-80 on the freeway. So ya... if anyone fail to get their gps working by software tweaks, you should go ahead and use the random shut down execuse to get a replacement phone. the 1007/8/9/... thing doesnt really matter i guess. The one I got works like a charm beside the sticker behind the battery look crappy without a SN number and the samsung logo.( oh well probably a refurb , but at least it works~)
It's like a gamble, but hey at least exchange it while u still can with warranty is better than hoping for a software fix that we are still not sure about if it's the real issue. Honestly it could be software for some people, but after u tried couple Roms and fixes, a bad gps is a bad gps.
The "batch number" on my phone is 1008. The phone came with Eclair, of course. The GPS was poor at best. I updated the phone to Froyo. The GPS was not perceptibly different; still darn poor. I remember one miserable night where I was forced to find my destination using the Biblical System. The GPS never did lock during my one-hour ordeal.
For a totally unrelated reason, I ending up doing a master clear and reset. After I got everything reloaded I "tested" the GPS. Wow! It locked, well, instantly, or so it seemed.
An app available in the Market called GPS Status has two nice features. You can set it to automatically download the A-GPS file at start up. And, it reports on screen how long it takes to get it's first lock. With GPS Test (and others) you can see when the phone locks but GPS Status reports the time-to-lock information in seconds, no stopwatch or counting required.
Fascinated at the new-found capability of my Captivate, I have repeatedly checked how long it takes to get a lock. I would say, under widely varying conditions, the lock time is almost always less than 20 - 25 seconds.
YMMV but you might try a master clear and reset if you have a phone you undated from 2.1 to 2.2. Except for the time it takes to rebuild your phone, you have little to loose and you might find, as I did, the Captivate's GPS is excellent. Had I not "discovered" this "solution" I would have abandoned my Captivate--even though I think it's great phone overall--as I routinely depend upon my PDA's GPS capability.
FWIW, I do a lot of Geocaching so I have an understanding of how a GPS should perform. I had an AT&T Tilt which I'd made usable with a Sakajati HyperDragon IV ROM. The GPS in that phone was excellent. The first few days with the Captivate was a real downer. But, the now-functioning GPS makes the Capitvate a keeper.
For those not wanting to try getting a replacement. Plumbobs gps fix worked great for me. Check it out.
Sent from my SGH-I897 Captivate cog 4.3 using Xda app
My Xoom locks on in 4 seconds, indoors, straight out of the box. This whole thing is stupid.
So I've been using my gps for a few days now and it's still working just as well when I got the replacement. IMO there may be 3 types of phones out there which is why we all get different results..
Captivate with working GPS right out of the box
Captivate with 'meh' GPS that is fixable with software tweaks
Captivate with GPS so bad that it doesn't work at all.
This could all be hardware related in just how the manufacturing process worked. Some could have just been bad apples.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
10 meter lock inless than 20 seconds. Running JVE modem on Continuum v4, and I have a 1008 build number.
Sent from a place my wife doesn't know about
So my problem is whenever I try to use GPS to lock onto my position, the most accurate my phone gives me is to 1200 meters - like it gives me that blue circle around where it thinks I am in the maps/navigation apps. I've tried inside, outside, wherever, and it's always exactly 1200 meters. I've also tried different ROMs, froyo, gingerbread, and ICS and it's the same problem. I've updated to the latest baseband (V21y) and it's the exact same problem. I've tried GPS status & Toolbox to clear and download agps data and still no dice. I've dialed 1809#*999# and ran the GPS test, played around with the settings there, and still no improvement.
I've had my G2x since September 2011, and this problem only started about two weeks ago, out of nowhere. My GPS has always been really accurate, and consistently too, until all of a sudden it wasn't, so I'm sure this isn't another, "ohh that's the G2x for yah, buddy."
The part that confuses me is that it's ALWAYS accurate to 1200 meters in the Maps app. It's never more or less accurate. Also the compass functionality still works fine, and every other part of my phone is exactly the same.
I'm starting to think part of my hardware got messed up, and the only way to fix it is to get it replaced, but that would be annoying.
I got this phone the day it came out. I have never had any luck with the gps on this thing. Every ROM I have tried has been the same. I just updated to v21y mainly because some were saying they were having better gps signals, however, it still sucks balls for me. I'm really just tired of all the little bs issues with the phone. Can't wait until next April to get my full upgrade... lol
Bladedwings said:
So my problem is whenever I try to use GPS to lock onto my position, the most accurate my phone gives me is to 1200 meters - like it gives me that blue circle around where it thinks I am in the maps/navigation apps. I've tried inside, outside, wherever, and it's always exactly 1200 meters. I've also tried different ROMs, froyo, gingerbread, and ICS and it's the same problem. I've updated to the latest baseband (V21y) and it's the exact same problem. I've tried GPS status & Toolbox to clear and download agps data and still no dice. I've dialed 1809#*999# and ran the GPS test, played around with the settings there, and still no improvement.
I've had my G2x since September 2011, and this problem only started about two weeks ago, out of nowhere. My GPS has always been really accurate, and consistently too, until all of a sudden it wasn't, so I'm sure this isn't another, "ohh that's the G2x for yah, buddy."
The part that confuses me is that it's ALWAYS accurate to 1200 meters in the Maps app. It's never more or less accurate. Also the compass functionality still works fine, and every other part of my phone is exactly the same.
I'm starting to think part of my hardware got messed up, and the only way to fix it is to get it replaced, but that would be annoying.
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I had the same issues until the march bb update. I lock on under 10 seconds. Accuracy as good aa 5 meters. I dont know guys, the update seems to have fixed this for a lot of people. Could be hardware, ive had 4 g2x's only 1 can oc 1.6ghz stable.
jnralp00 said:
I got this phone the day it came out. I have never had any luck with the gps on this thing. Every ROM I have tried has been the same. I just updated to v21y mainly because some were saying they were having better gps signals, however, it still sucks balls for me. I'm really just tired of all the little bs issues with the phone. Can't wait until next April to get my full upgrade... lol
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Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
jnralp00 said:
I got this phone the day it came out. I have never had any luck with the gps on this thing. Every ROM I have tried has been the same. I just updated to v21y mainly because some were saying they were having better gps signals, however, it still sucks balls for me. I'm really just tired of all the little bs issues with the phone. Can't wait until next April to get my full upgrade... lol
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Click to collapse
Yeah I'm in pretty much the same boat. I got this phone shortly after it came out, and I've had GPS issues since I got it. I've done every baseband update hoping it would fix my issues, and it hasn't. The only way I've been able to "make things work better" is by heavily modding the gps.conf file. Even then, the TTL varies greatly - sometimes it's 30 seconds, sometimes it's 3 minutes.