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Fuze GPS Data Stream Freezing: Possible Solution

Hi guys,
I thought I would share what I discovered today. If this solution has been found, I apologize. Most users have been trying to get their Fuze GPS to lock on to satellites. Having used several GPS phones and many Bluetooth GPS pucks, I would say I'm somewhat experienced with using GPS on the PPC platform.
I have no issues with getting a lock on my Fuze. My issue is with Fuze's GPS chip randomly stop streaming data to my GPS applications. This usually happens after the initial lock. So for example:
a) Get a lock using any GPS application (GPS Test for example)
b) Exit GPS application
c) Launch GPS application again. Fuze will take several seconds to regain lock.
d) Fuze will take several seconds again to lock in, THEN it just stop streaming data to the GPS application!
I was able to reproduce this consistently. If you're using Garmin or TomTom, they will indicate that GPS lock is lost or something to that effect.
THE SOLUTION: Turn OFF aGPS!
a) Start->Setting->System->AGPS Settings
b) Uncheck BOTH "Enable AGPS" and "Enable AGPS location information..." (under the Privacy tab)
I was able to show that this consistently resolved my GPS data stream stopping problem. I'm using the .28 radio, but try it on the stock radio to see if that works and let the community know. What about QuickGPS? AFAIK, it's not causing any problem at all.
I hope this is helpful.

After standing on my deck for 20mins last Friday waiting on locks, I follow above and get a lock in 10secs(in my living room).
Turned off AGPS was the only change

It looks like without AGPS, the GPS would just stream whatever info it had cached even if it lost signal.
AGPS would clear last state instead and so become highly sensitive to signal-loss on the next poll. It doesn't help that this device is weaker in picking up GPS signals.
Yes, turn off AGPS.

NuShrike said:
It looks like without AGPS, the GPS would just stream whatever info it had cached even if it lost signal.
AGPS would clear last state instead and so become highly sensitive to signal-loss on the next poll. It doesn't help that this device is weaker in picking up GPS signals.
Yes, turn off AGPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, that would be exactly how I like my GPS to behave (use the cached ephemeris data). In fact, that was how all Bluetooth GPS puck works before the advent of AGPS. I guess AGPS is a good concept, but its implementation needs to be further tweaked.
If you have not used your GPS in a week or so, then AGPS is an advantage. Daily use, perhaps not so much.

A GPS Grading System

Well it seems the GPS on our Captivates has been improving over time due to adjusted Jupiter files, ROM updates, improvements in some leaked builds, and now a new GLGPS Daemon port, etc, but still seeing posts by lots of folks who still have trouble achieving good results. So, while the improvement quest continues, was thinking it might be helpful to have a common scoring or grading system for people to use when reporting on their gps results.
Would appreciate any comments on the usefulness of this, or agreement or disagreement with the descriptions. Just seems to me that currently it is often difficult to know what someone means when they say their GPS is good, best its ever been, or terrible.
(Note - to be most helpful to others please post your grade/results and anything you've done that has improved the gps performance.)
It would go something like this:
Captivate GpsGrade
A Common Way to Report GPS Effectiveness
Grade = A. Description – Performance is excellent at all times and very consistent. Applications such as Maps, Copilot, Google Nav, MyTracks always perform perfectly. Tracks as recorded by MyTracks consistently show the route accurately. GPS Locks are quick – under 30 seconds, and accuracy shows 5 to 10 meters or better as measured by lbstest, or GPS Test applications. When used for navigation, there is no drifting off of the road, no lag, and no overshoot of intersections. In short – its how we would want it to be.
Grade = B. Description – GPS function often works as expected, but occasionally does not. Usually no problem seeing several satellites and get locks within 30 seconds but always under a minute. Navigation apps are usable but sometimes there is a small bit of drift and sometimes will lag or show overshooting of intersections. Tracking via MyTracks is often accurate to the route taken, but sometimes off by a bit. Locks are sometimes lost but the system usually locks on again in just a few seconds. Accuracy often around 30 meters. Its not quite what we would like, but can live with it. Might call it pretty good.
Grade = C. Description – system achieves locks but often takes 60 seconds or longer. Locks are sometimes maintained while moving, sometimes not. Erratic performance. Can sometimes get Apps like Maps and Nav to work, but often have trouble with them or the system shows being on the next road or off the road. Routes recorded by MyTracks show inaccurate performance – route shown is close to the one taken but has occasional gaps with loss of lock. Accuracy is between 30 and 50 meters. In other words, performance may be good enough for location based services to be used, but not too useful for map or navigation functions. Mediocre.
Grade = D. Description – system sometimes gets a lock but cannot maintain lock. GPS Apps are not useable do to poor performance. In GPS Test or lbstest can sometimes see a couple satellites, but trouble getting a fix. Basically the GPS Icon is flashing pretty much the entire time. Awful would describe it.
Grade = F. Description – system does not work at all – cannot get locks, and cannot use any GPS Apps such as Maps or Nav, ever. Its just horrible.

good idea.

The problem with this, is most people have no idea how to properly test anything. For this to have any meaning, all tests should be conducted as follows:
Using multiple devices - not just a Captivate but another phone as well on another run
Not holding the phone in your hand - we know this can cause signal issues
Repeatable routes (testing on the same route)
Driving - walking does not allow for fast enough position change to reveal problems
No other apps running on phone - try to reduce any type of processor or storage contention issues
1. Mount device in car mount in the front windshield - other windows may have tint that interfere with signal reception
2. Launch Google mytracks - start driving after 10 seconds (fixed time for lock - equal for all)
3. Drive route with local and highway speeds and turns
4. Repeat with another device
5. Compare MyTracks recordings
Turn-by-Turn nav is a nice way to view accuracy BUT it has no way to record measurements. Comparing devices with a tool like Googles MyTracks is the only way to show that the captivate GPS sucks or not - maybe other phones suck too in certain environments.
This same methodology should be used before and after any mods as well - otherwise it is all hearsay.

alphadog00 said:
The problem with this, is most people have no idea how to properly test anything. For this to have any meaning, all tests should be conducted as follows:
Using multiple devices - not just a Captivate but another phone as well on another run
Not holding the phone in your hand - we know this can cause signal issues
Repeatable routes (testing on the same route)
Driving - walking does not allow for fast enough position change to reveal problems
No other apps running on phone - try to reduce any type of processor or storage contention issues
1. Mount device in car mount in the front windshield - other windows may have tint that interfere with signal reception
2. Launch Google mytracks - start driving after 10 seconds (fixed time for lock - equal for all)
3. Drive route with local and highway speeds and turns
4. Repeat with another device
5. Compare MyTracks recordings
Turn-by-Turn nav is a nice way to view accuracy BUT it has no way to record measurements. Comparing devices with a tool like Googles MyTracks is the only way to show that the captivate GPS sucks or not - maybe other phones suck too in certain environments.
This same methodology should be used before and after any mods as well - otherwise it is all hearsay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are there actually people that have GPS that is consistently accurate to 10 meters or less? I can't even get a lock like that standing in one spot on a sunny day. If I don't enable wireless networks, my GPS icon will flash forever.

ChaoticKinesis said:
Are there actually people that have GPS that is consistently accurate to 10 meters or less? I can't even get a lock like that standing in one spot on a sunny day. If I don't enable wireless networks, my GPS icon will flash forever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, many of us has GPS that works fairly well. I have had my phone since launch and running the stock GPS config.... it works OK.

My GPS is an A. I got a replacement and has worked perfectly since.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

ChaoticKinesis said:
Are there actually people that have GPS that is consistently accurate to 10 meters or less? I can't even get a lock like that standing in one spot on a sunny day. If I don't enable wireless networks, my GPS icon will flash forever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Results are extremely variable. Your phone sounds like mine. By trial and error I have gotten mine to an "A", but only by doing these four things 1) flashing new ROM - Assonance (5.0), 2) installing Da_g's GPS fix, 3) Removing the rear cover and just using my Bodyglove cover, and 4) when in the car plugging into car charger.
There are other solutions and reported good results from other ROMs and methods, but these are the things that work for me. I have done extensive testing with each of the four items, including MyTracks recordings, to validate the impact they each have. Good luck with yours - it IS possible to get a working system.

Mines grade b at most.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Where can I get this Da_G fix? I'm using Assonance 5.2 and it works fairly well - about a C+ or B I guess. I tried searching XDA for the Da_G fix and couldnt find anything

PixelPerfect3 said:
Where can I get this Da_G fix? I'm using Assonance 5.2 and it works fairly well - about a C+ or B I guess. I tried searching XDA for the Da_G fix and couldnt find anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get Da_G's fix at the post below. Three options - I have been using the Google version and had good success with it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=881941

Nexus S GPS

Hi guys! New to the forum and the Android OS. I've just purchased the Nexus S a couple of weeks ago and the phone is great except for a couple of minor details, but one thing really bothers me is the GPS. When I'm connected to wi-fi, Google maps is able to tell me my location fairly accurately. However, outdoors with no wi-fi, I try to have the settings to locate me based on satellite, but that always give me a "your current location is temporarily unavailable" message. I'm basically completely outdoors with view of the clear blue sky and it will always give me this message. Is something wrong

I've searched on the forum but nothing that answers my question. Anyone?

Hi,
Based on your question I am not shure if you are aware of the following:
GPS is only one of several location detection methods used by your phone. Another one is based on WIFI hotspots in range. Basically the phone scans the wifi frequencies to look for ALL hotspots in range and then sends this list of hotspots to google (only if some kind of internet access is available to the phone!). When this combination of hotspots is known to google, your phone gets an estimated location back from the google server. So from what you write, it is possible that you never had a gps fix, even when you got a (fairly good) location based on wifi.
I suggest you install some gps software other than google maps to check the functionality of your device. I use "GPS test", should be on the market. All it does, is scanning for satellites and displaying the list of discovered satelites. When the signal is good enough, you get a "U" in the column "flags" for the locked satellites.
Attention! You must start the scan manually from the apps context menu.
cheers

Yeah you gotta turn on your GPS for a more accurate reading if you're using maps or other navigational app
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

Just an update. I haven't needed to use the GPS lately, but this week I decided to try again, and before, I have gotten a GPS fix with the GPS Test app. But that signal never lasts very long and it also takes a really long time for the app to use the satellite to lock on to my location. The GPS indicator on the top left of the app is usually yellow and only after a long time does it turn green, but sometimes it never turns green even with 7 or 8 satellites in view. Is this just a limitation of mobile GPS in cell phones?
I don't have a data plan so I can't connect to the internet while on the road, hence the need for GPS without having internet access.

As long as you have the SIM inserted, not on airplane mode and gps is turned on, and nothing is wrong with your phone hardware I don't see why it shouldn't get location fix outdoor.
There are some good offline maps like Osmand and MapDroyd.

[Q] Galaxy Nexus GPS PROBLEM - Hardware or software issue?

I've owned a GSM Galaxy Nexus (Samsung i9250) with JB 4.2.1.
The one deficiency that I didn't initially notice is the lack of decent GPS reception.
My friend have a galaxy S3 take 30seconds or less for fix gps without wifi ou 3g. The nexus make maybe 10min GPS lock on its own (no Wi-Fi required) and then would keep the lock the whole time when the phone was in my pocket.
The GPS of nexus is, quite simply, broken. It takes, on average, 5-10 minutes to get a GPS lock when standing outside with a clear view of the sky and the phone in the palm of my hand. Sometimes it takes longer but usually I give up after 10 minutes because, strangely enough, I do have a life. Unfortunately, even after this GPS lock is achieved, it loses it easily. Putting the phone in my pocket will cause the GPS lock to be lost within a few minutes, typically.
Unfortunately, it appears that I'm not the only one with the problem. This is unfortunate because this means if I call Samsung asking for a replacement phone most likely my situation will not improve.
Strangely enough, if I enable Wi-Fi and are within the vicinity of some networks, I can get a GPS lock fairly quickly. In fact, even sitting here in my condo typing this, with Wi-Fi enabled I can get a lock within a few seconds by holding the phone near the window. The phone will only see 4-5 satellites, but that's all that is needed for a 3D lock. This makes a little bit of sense because WPS probably seeds the GPS subsystem with location data so it knows exactly where to start (vs. a cold or warm start).
After searching around a little bit I found a few suggestions. One was to shut off the phone and remove the battery for a few minutes, which seemed silly since this suggestion only temporarily fixes the problem. The second, that seemed to work for a few people, was to force a cold start and redownload A-GPS data, both of which can be done using GPS Status & Toolbox, an application I've used in the past and is pretty darn neat.
Unfortunately, performing the cold start (reset) and redownloading the A-GPS data didn't work out for me. I was still left in the same situation as I was before. However, using the GPS Status & Toolbox provided me with some additional information about the GPS problems. Apparently when the Galaxy Nexus is stuck searching for a GPS lock, usually it actually does see a whole boatload of satellites, but fails to receive any data from them.
GPS lock with Wi-Fi enabled. I don't even have a clear view of the sky since I'm indoors. However, I'm standing at a window:
Why does the GPS on the Galaxy Nexus not quickly receive the second and third parts of the GPS message from any satellites when Wi-Fi is disabled? According to the first screenshot above, it can clearly be seen that a number of satellites are providing adequate signal strength, but most are just stuck in the no info stage or have only processed the first GPS message. I wish I had an answer.
I suspect the problem may be due to inadequate RF shielding of the GPS receiver inside the hardware itself. Perhaps the GPS receiver is getting a strong signal but it's too noisy and the messages are chock full of errors and can't be processed correctly. This is really only speculation, though
I tried so many things, gps.conf etc..maybe is a hardware problem ? isnt the google location server problem..
Anyone have any suggestions or comments?

hoobinho said:
I've owned a GSM Galaxy Nexus (Samsung i9250) with JB 4.2.1.
The one deficiency that I didn't initially notice is the lack of decent GPS reception.
My friend have a galaxy S3 take 30seconds or less for fix gps without wifi ou 3g. The nexus make maybe 10min GPS lock on its own (no Wi-Fi required) and then would keep the lock the whole time when the phone was in my pocket.
The GPS of nexus is, quite simply, broken. It takes, on average, 5-10 minutes to get a GPS lock when standing outside with a clear view of the sky and the phone in the palm of my hand. Sometimes it takes longer but usually I give up after 10 minutes because, strangely enough, I do have a life. Unfortunately, even after this GPS lock is achieved, it loses it easily. Putting the phone in my pocket will cause the GPS lock to be lost within a few minutes, typically.
.
Unfortunately, it appears that I'm not the only one with the problem. This is unfortunate because this means if I call Samsung asking for a replacement phone most likely my situation will not improve.
Strangely enough, if I enable Wi-Fi and are within the vicinity of some networks, I can get a GPS lock fairly quickly. In fact, even sitting here in my condo typing this, with Wi-Fi enabled I can get a lock within a few seconds by holding the phone near the window. The phone will only see 4-5 satellites, but that's all that is needed for a 3D lock. This makes a little bit of sense because WPS probably seeds the GPS subsystem with location data so it knows exactly where to start (vs. a cold or warm start).
After searching around a little bit I found a few suggestions. One was to shut off the phone and remove the battery for a few minutes, which seemed silly since this suggestion only temporarily fixes the problem. The second, that seemed to work for a few people, was to force a cold start and redownload A-GPS data, both of which can be done using GPS Status & Toolbox, an application I've used in the past and is pretty darn neat.
Unfortunately, performing the cold start (reset) and redownloading the A-GPS data didn't work out for me. I was still left in the same situation as I was before. However, using the GPS Status & Toolbox provided me with some additional information about the GPS problems. Apparently when the Galaxy Nexus is stuck searching for a GPS lock, usually it actually does see a whole boatload of satellites, but fails to receive any data from them.
GPS lock with Wi-Fi enabled. I don't even have a clear view of the sky since I'm indoors. However, I'm standing at a window:
Why does the GPS on the Galaxy Nexus not quickly receive the second and third parts of the GPS message from any satellites when Wi-Fi is disabled? According to the first screenshot above, it can clearly be seen that a number of satellites are providing adequate signal strength, but most are just stuck in the no info stage or have only processed the first GPS message. I wish I had an answer.
I suspect the problem may be due to inadequate RF shielding of the GPS receiver inside the hardware itself. Perhaps the GPS receiver is getting a strong signal but it's too noisy and the messages are chock full of errors and can't be processed correctly. This is really only speculation, though
I tried so many things, gps.conf etc..maybe is a hardware problem ? isnt the google location server problem..
Anyone have any suggestions or comments?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hoobinho,
I'm having the same problem.
I'm pretty sure it's software related, because 4.1.2 worked very nice with GPS. This issue started after 4.2, and continues with 4.2.1. I will roll back to 4.1.2 as soon as I have time to do it, and stay there until Google fixes it.

Best *satellite* GPS Device (no AGPS)

Hello,
Which android device has the best satellite GPS? Note: I am asking purely about the satellite-gps, not AGPS or anything else that doesn't depend purely on satellites in the sky.
Also, is there a website that lists which phones use which hardware GPS chips? Excluding software AGPS, this is entirely a hardware question. So if I can eliminate ****ty phones with known pure-gps problems, I can check the chip and eliminate a slew of other devices that won't serve as a useful alternative.
To clarify "best":
[a] high-availability (ie: always able to get a lock, even if it takes an hour)
fast lock time
[c] accuracy
In my case, I absolutely require [a], and I am far more interested in having than [c]. Inaccuracy within ~200m is fine.
Background: I'm looking for an old, small, used android device that I can pickup on ebay for bicycle touring. This phone will be rooted without gapps, running osmand with downloaded maps.
When traveling down a deserted road in, say, Cambodia, and I come to an unmarked fork in the road, I'd like to be able to [a] pedal ~200m down my best-guess of the fork boot this android device in airplane mode [c] quickly get my gps coordinates [d] see where I am on the map [e] determine if I took the correct fork.
Currently, I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S4 (again, no AGPS). If I'm on a roof-top or in a field, I can sit, wait, and *never* get a GPS lock. Not only does it not get a lock, but the GPS Test and/or SatStat apps show that I can't see a single satellite. My guess is it's a hardware issue.
My searching online suggests that the S4 has *great* GPS lock-time, but it's hard to search & find reports from S4 users (or any phone for that matter) that don't use AGPS.
I'm thinking any phone that can run at least Android v3.0 = Honeycomb is fine. An older & lighter phone with a smaller screen is best. Of course, as long as it has a solid GPS chip
TIA!