Optimal GPS setting AFTER update - Captivate General

I would like to start a thread to discuss what is the optimal GPS setting for the Captivate after installing the update. From what I can see, the update didn't change my LbsTestMode setting at all. My GPS is now working pretty well, still can't compare to the HTC Aria I had before but acceptable. I wonder if we can further tweak the GPS setting to make it work better.

the only change i seen was if you check auto config it takes you back to server port 7275 and changes the server to a new one.

yesterday there was a thread started about those who got the update successful, and the guy did a test of his gps with screen shot. A) how do you track your route, B) how do you take a screen shot?
it looked like he was using the maps app but i looked all over it for a way to track my route!? thanks..

chasesavestheday said:
yesterday there was a thread started about those who got the update successful, and the guy did a test of his gps with screen shot. A) how do you track your route, B) how do you take a screen shot?
it looked like he was using the maps app but i looked all over it for a way to track my route!? thanks..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats my tracks from the market

smokestack76 said:
Thats my tracks from the market
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you screenshot with it?

saint168 said:
I would like to start a thread to discuss what is the optimal GPS setting for the Captivate after installing the update. From what I can see, the update didn't change my LbsTestMode setting at all. My GPS is now working pretty well, still can't compare to the HTC Aria I had before but acceptable. I wonder if we can further tweak the GPS setting to make it work better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems that most people who had messed with the GPS settings before the update are not getting optimal GPS performance after the update (This is true even if they change the GPS settings to stock original that shipped with the update).

So moral of the story is to change GPS settings to stock before you update....?

JvKintheUSA said:
So moral of the story is to change GPS settings to stock before you update....?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would guess so... unless there are few phones that Samsung shipped with a hardware defect.
Am taking my phone to AT&T today.

Can somebody with successful upgrade and with working GPS to publish their GPS current settings?

joedoe said:
Can somebody with successful upgrade and with working GPS to publish their GPS current settings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far, only one user: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8291779&postcount=419

My GPS doesn't work at all for some reason. I don't know if I have a totally defective phone or the update didn't have anything at all in it that fixed the GPS. I'm ready to just give up on this phone having a working GPS.

galaxyjeff said:
My GPS doesn't work at all for some reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you change your GPS settings prior to the update? If yes, welcome to the "group"

My GPS is definitely working better after the update. It used to take 30 second - 5 minutes to get a fix. So far I have been able to get a GPS fix within 15 seconds.
My settings are:
Tracking
S/W Test
MS Based
Cold Start
GPS Plus On
Dynamic Accuracy On
Accuracy 50
SkyHook On
PC Tool Off
supl.google.com
Port 7276
Secure Socket Off
AGPS Supl
As far as tracking my position with driving, it's not perfect but acceptable. At time the GPS would put me on the local street next to the freeway but not too often. It takes about 30 sec to 1 minute to locate me while indoor so I have no problem doing my FourSquares checkins.

jaimingandhi said:
It seems that most people who had messed with the GPS settings before the update are not getting optimal GPS performance after the update (This is true even if they change the GPS settings to stock original that shipped with the update).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I never touched my GPS settings prior to the update, and I get crappy tracks. I had a Captivate which I changed the settings on, but then I ended up exchanging it for a new one a couple days before the update, and left it exactly as I found it, and GPS is spotty as hell.

First of all, I'd like to thank you for posting this thread, it's exactly what I have been looking for. The other threads keep getting hi-jacked by people who couldn't get the update. Hey you knew when you rooted you wouldn't be able to get OTA updates, get over it and wait till someone figures it out.
Back on topic, my GPS is definitely better. I did change my settings before the update in LbsTestMode to the recommended settings. My gps locked quicker, but it was constantly losing the lock. So i used the shortcut method to go into LbsTestMode and changed back to stock settings. It was like the phone was set to lock at exactly 30 seconds, 30 tests with an average of a little under 30 seconds.
The accuracy was a little worse, 50m compared to 15m. But it was also losing the lock quickly, so I changed the spirent setting to supl.google.com. Now i lock between 10 and 15 seconds and it stays locked. My settings:
s/w test
standalone
hot start
gps plus- on
dynamic acc. - on
accuracy- 50
skyhook- on
use pc tool- off
custom config
7276
secure socket- off
agps- supl

So maybe the answer in the end, sad to say, is to buy an aftermarket gps device with bluetooth integration and bypass the built-in gps altogether.

I've been messing with the gps all day and cannot get a lock at all. Not even for a second. Messed with my gps settings before the update.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Two months in and I've seen hundreds of threads about the GPS on the captivate, The GPS its broken, no good, damage. Lets get over it and move on. We [email protected]$k BTW new update its a lil better but still sucks. My nexus one located me with no problem spot on. Change your phone why u can. I wish I was under the 30 day return policy.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

The only settings I changed were the server before the update. I checked the settings after the update and I had Server as spl.google.com and Standalone in Operation Mode. I switched to autoconfig and those changed to some new server and I changed Operation Mode to MS Based as in jaimingandhi's link. Before I made those changes it took about 3-4 mins to lock on, now it takes about a minute, so not 15 seconds like others have said, but better. Will do more testing later. I count for two as I've got to Captivates at home. But it looks like different settings work for different people.
Edit: Tried again today, lock takes still 3-4 minutes and loses it constantly and there is no accuracy of location whatsoever.

I updated successfully and still had issues with GPS locks until I powered down my phone, removed the battery, sim card, and external sd card, replaced them, and then rebooted the phone. After that I was getting a GPS lock in 15 seconds or less and not constantly dropping signal as long as I had line of sight to the sky (a.k.a. through the windshield).

Related

GPS files ripped from leaked JI2, flashable zip

This may be old news for many of you, but I just found this last night so I thought I would share. The flashable update .zip from the linked post worked wonders for my Captivates GPS.
Here is the original post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=782242
I flashed the file from clockworkmod recovery and my gps is markedly improved. It's not perfect but it is much better.
Just thought I would share this with those who didnt know about it.
I also attached the file that I used.
Just for references sake so that we are comparing apples to apples, I am using JH7, rooted with unhelpfuls 1.4.1 kernel.
my mistake. i reset the supl to auto config. I also realized that clockwork uses the internal SD as default so i was reinstalling my root update.zip i still had on the internal. I was trying to install without clockwork in the beginning so i just renamed it to update.zip and threw on my external 16gb but it was installing update.zip from my internal. It works great and i have a great lock within 6 seconds when I have never seen a lock on my device. I even rebooted a couple times to get my lock right away.
Thank you again!
Stock AT&T 2.1 rom with root, removed bloatware, clockwork, and sideload mod
Thank you for making this thread. I do not follow the vibrant section too often so I was unaware of this. Thanks for bringing this to my attention OP
Awesome! Glad I could help even a few people. I knew I couldnt be the only one who didnt know about this!
just an update. Overnight, the GPS magically stopped working again. I havent been able to get a lock at all and have a max of 4 sat. connected at once on a sunny clear day. Any ideas?
NFauteux said:
just an update. Overnight, the GPS magically stopped working again. I havent been able to get a lock at all and have a max of 4 sat. connected at once on a sunny clear day. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is wifi on? Wifi on its way hard too lock. Or try the Ms based trick a few pages back or the thread itself .. if wifi was on, exit maps or GPS test completely and turn GPS off, then turn GPS back on and try again......
smashpunks said:
Is wifi on? Wifi on its way hard too lock. Or try the Ms based trick a few pages back or the thread itself .. if wifi was on, exit maps or GPS test completely and turn GPS off, then turn GPS back on and try again......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seriously? that's a freakin hassle and half
pmpntl said:
seriously? that's a freakin hassle and half
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? Turning off wifi from the get go is a hassle ? Just pull down turn it off, done. Just if you do it while its on gotta exit and do again. Semi annoying but not and a half.lol
Im starting to think that my phone is damaged I have never seen a lock, I have used every method and nothings works
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Wow this worked great on my phone. Locked on quickly and gave me the best accuracy I've seen. Gives me hope on an official update for our captivates.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
NFauteux said:
just an update. Overnight, the GPS magically stopped working again. I havent been able to get a lock at all and have a max of 4 sat. connected at once on a sunny clear day. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine stopped working as well as when I first flashed but still works much better.
I used the LbsTestMode hack to change to the supl.google.com settings and it helped it a little more. Like I said in the original post, this isnt perfect, but its still an improvement over stock and it gives me hope that this is correctable via software. I had all but convinced myself that the hardware and/or design was faulty.
-D
I dont remember what i did but the gps is now working again and it works great, even from inside sitting near a window. I know that it is a result from these files posted. I also set all my settings to :
Application Settings
session type: Tracking
Test Mode: S/W Test
Operation Mode: MS Based
Start Mode: Hot start
Gps Plus: On
Dynamic accuracy: on
accuracy : 100
skyhook: on
pc tool: off
SUPL/CP Settings
Server FQDN: auto config
SUPL Secure: On
AGPS Mode: SUPL
I hope these settings can help someone else. I dont know why my gps cut out before but after flashing the OP files and changing settings to these, I can get a lock indoors without WIFI on.
Also i never have wifi on unless I am in the house using youtube or downloading stuff.
Thank you again for the files! I was using my GPS all day with no issues. I owe you big time because my phone never saw a satellite lock before flashing these files.
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EDIT
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I was having issues again today and changed to supl.google.com with 7276 i believe and it works perfect now and has been all day. I lock within 5 seconds of opening google maps. I now dont care if they ever release a GPS fix because mine is perfect and I wouldnt change it.

Help GPS Settings

I can stand the Gps issue anymore! Can anyone provide me with the best GPS setting Available? Im running the stock room with the JH7 update. Plz help before i shoot myself in the foot.
Sent From My Samsung Captivate.
Get a new phone
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
There are no one set of quick settings that will work in all instances. You have to search and try each one untill you find the one that works the best for your situation.
For what it's worth, since flashing Cognition Roms v2.3b4 has been the best I have seen so far.
Best GPS setting for this phone is to look at a street sign and cross reference a map
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
i really think u need to get a replacement. some guy has already said that the settings are just messing up with AGPS, which is no where real GPS and thus will never help to get a fix with 10m accuracy
I know I was the first to reply and said to get a new phone but I was kidding. I do have a fix that has worked for me on just about every ROM I have used. Feel free to try it out and I am not responsible if you become the proud new owner of a $200 paper weight.
1. Download these GPS files @ http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=831725
2. Flash these to your phone using Rom Manager
3. Access LBS test mode. If on Eclair dial *#*#1472365#*#*. If on Froyo download SGS tools from the market and run the secret code for LBS Test Mode.
4. Once in LBS Test Mode go into SUPL/CP and change it to supl.google.com and the server port to 7276 and change the SUPL Secure Socket to OFF if it already isn't.
5. Click the back button and click delete GPS Data.
6. Go outside and click get position test and wait. Once it locks for the first time let it continue to scan for about 2 mins. After the initial 2 mins click the back button and click the get position test button again. This time you should get a lock within 15-25 seconds with at least 8-11 satellites providing your view of the sky is clear and unobstructed.
If you have any problems with this let me know and I will help you out.
Also, this is not just a fix for getting a lock. It will track you with great accuracy. Download MyTracks from the market if you need real proof.
well... i have no issues with stationary lock ( < 20secs)... but phone realizes i am moving very slowly and laggy... what to do? JH7
Yuna said:
well... i have no issues with stationary lock ( < 20secs)... but phone realizes i am moving very slowly and laggy... what to do? JH7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read my above post and try it on if you need a fix. It works or I would not put my name on it per say. Everything you need is included. All you need to do is put in about 10 mins of work.

Fix the gps

How to fix the gps on the Samsung captivates GPS.
Insted of MS Based use MS assissted
Lbstestmode -> application settings -> operation mode-> MS Assisted
Let me know how it gose
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
*facepalm*
This does nothing. It makes it marginally better at best (read: not better at all). If you're really having that much trouble, flash to KB1 and use the PlumbBob GPS fix. Those ACTUALLY do something.
For most your suggestion will give them the most lag and least accurate GPS positioning.
I suggest you in stall Adams GPS fix to your phone, that or use ga_D's. (gadnarf_gpstweak_att)
Both are much better than what Samsung has provided...
There is also plumbBob GPS fix, but when I tried his version 2nd Beta 6, my GPS only saw 2 sats with no locks even with 10+ minutes of waiting... I did not try version 1 of his fix.
As for the GPS settings, use either Standalone or MS Based(some drift with this setting, much less than ms assisted) . Set your support server to google, distance to 80 and good luck...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
mwiz123 said:
How to fix the gps on the Samsung captivates GPS.
Insted of MS Based use MS assissted
Lbstestmode -> application settings -> operation mode-> MS Assisted
Let me know how it gose
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MS Assisted = uses cell towers only to determine position. Intended to be used for 'dumb phones' that are not GPS equipped or where only 'coarse' location data is required.
MS Based = uses cell towers to provide approximate location for initial fix, then GPS thereafter.
Thing of it is, Samsung's configuration interface for the GPS is so silly that changes in LbsTestMode don't always really affect anything. If you're getting good results after applying this 'fix' it's just coincidental, or perhaps that you'd finally used GPS long enough to get almanac and ephemerides downloaded over the satellite signal and your GPS was able to function unassisted.
What about this has anything to do with development?
crenshaw1979 said:
For most your suggestion will give them the most lag and least accurate GPS positioning.
I suggest you in stall Adams GPS fix to your phone, that or use ga_D's. (gadnarf_gpstweak_att)
Both are much better than what Samsung has provided...
There is also plumbBob GPS fix, but when I tried his version 2nd Beta 6, my GPS only saw 2 sats with no locks even with 10+ minutes of waiting... I did not try version 1 of his fix.
As for the GPS settings, use either Standalone or MS Based(some drift with this setting, much less than ms assisted) . Set your support server to google, distance to 80 and good luck...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2.0 is in beta. It's still in development and is very much a work in progress and still has some issues. 1.0 is stable.
Thread moved.
Plumbob GPS fix works.
After flashing continuum, my gps works great (for this phone ). If you check the OP on Continuum in development, it says which gps fix cezar used.
Sent from a place my wife doesn't know about (yet)
After flashing Andromeda v3, the gps works great! Gets a lock and STAYS locked for once!
My personal experiences with MS Assisted and supl.google.com etc are that it works great for a few days... Tracking and all. Then you start to only see satellites and never get a lock...
The GPS on my warranty replacement works great out of the box.
Hooligan63 said:
The GPS on my warranty replacement works great out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you please be so kind as to post the info on the phone?
What's under "settings-->about phone:
--> Model Number
--> Firmware Version
--> Baseband version
-->Kernel Version and
--> Build Number?
What's under the battery? (aka 1004, 1008, etc -- mine says "1010 rev. 0.4"
Thanks!!
DD
I decided to make this a separate post...
My original phone had all sorts of trouble - GPS was the worst. I don't know what my original one was, I do recall I'd applied the OTA update that was supposed to fix the GPS issue - it didn't.
So I got a warranty replacement phone - it worked fine out of the box, but the next day it was doing the same old crap.
This one came with the OTA update pre-installed. It's a "1010 rev. 0.4" if I'm reading the sticker under the battery correctly...
I read countless pages of stuff online, tried various "fixes" that were posted, all with similar results.
One discussion I read was posted by a guy who claimed some GPS expertise, and indicated that the problem was in the driver - to paraphrase from memory it was something like the cache was getting corrupted and the HW/driver wasn't cleaning it up.
He basically said that they needed to write a new driver, but until hen you could use a 3rd-party app to clear the cache and re-download clean data from the satellites.
I found a (FREE!) app called "GPS Status & Toolbox" by author "EclipSim" (Disclosure: I have NO CONNECTION to this guy, just like his app!)
It has 2 menu options:
"Tools -->Manage A-GPS State-->Reset" and
"Tools -->Manage A-GPS State-->Download"
After doing those, it will usually grab a fix within 15 seconds at most. Once it's "timestamp" is updating every second (you'll see, in the app) I can then switch to Google Maps and it too will get a fix before too long.
Another nice thing about the GPS Status app is that it shows you how many satellites you "see" vs how many you're connected to. When it only sees one or 2, or when it sees a bunch but isn't connecting, you can be sure you need to reset/download again...
This thing DOES eat battery - so it's a good idea to be plugged in, or to kill the app once you've got Maps working the way you need it to...
Yes - it's a PITA to have to do all this to get a basic function of this high-dollar phone to frigging work - but it beats having it NOT work...
Hope this helps someone!
DD
Dedicated_Dad said:
Would you please be so kind as to post the info on the phone?
What's under "settings-->about phone:
--> Model Number
--> Firmware Version
--> Baseband version
-->Kernel Version and
--> Build Number?
What's under the battery? (aka 1004, 1008, etc -- mine says "1010 rev. 0.4"
Thanks!!
DD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a refurb warranty replacement which came loaded with 2.2 Froyo
SGH I897
I897UCKB1
2.6.32.9
1008.
Tested again last night on two rides. Worked great even sitting in the cupholder. Major improvement over my original Captivate which was returned for speaker problems.
not really much better for me.
Connor1 said:
Plumbob GPS fix works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it dose try it
Plumbob didnt do much for me. I am pretty well convinced that with the utmost optimization, the crappy hardware in the captivate can operate marginally well at best.
Ryans Plumbob fix does work. Its a much better improvement over stock on defected models. I had a 1009 and it worked great but the tracking and navigation were still buggy unless the phone was placed on the dashboard. (Always had a larger blue circle and would skip at times).
Finally gave up and noticed that the local atnt is a device service center. Went in and got a refurbed 1008 with stock 2.2 and the navigation is excellent. Even sitting in my lap...
I mean you all should still have the 1 year warranty. Just find a service center and exchange your phone. Hell the refurbed one I got was in better cosmic condition then my original.
YoungGun821 said:
After flashing Andromeda v3, the gps works great! Gets a lock and STAYS locked for once!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running Andromeda3 and my gps sucks!! Could it be google maps?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
DaWongOne said:
I'm running Andromeda3 and my gps sucks!! Could it be google maps?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know everyone will tell me im wrong but try running the samsung gps restore app once then remove it from your phone. it is free in the market. and i assure you t doesn't revert to stock settings. atleast not in any location that i am aware of. i have checked the jupiter .xml and secgps.conf and lbs test mode before and after running the app and it doesn't revert anything. but it does seem to clear errors that may be caused by messing with settings without haveing a proper jupiter.xml or config file first. for instance on old roms if i chose msbased mode in lbs test mode it would work for 6 minutes and turn off. even after reverting the settings and clearing gps data the gps would turn off after 6 minutes. running gps restore or doing a factory reset were the only two things that would make my gps work again.
also yes google maps and captivates dont agree with each other 100% of the time. it is thought by some that the gps is recieving interference from the cell antenna (that's one theory at least) so the more data you use as you navigate the more issues you might see if that is true. try a gps app that downloads the maps to the phone. it takes up alot of space but if the app agrees with the phone it is worth it. in the past i had trouble with some aftermarket apps as well while others swore the same apps had solved there navigation problems, so try a few and find one that works. navdroyd is great on my phone.
also, though people are raving about plumb bob's fix, i have more blue circles with it. the problem is the msbased mode. it doesn't work on my phone very well. (back to the data/interference theory) i instead use Da_g's fix the control plane version with lbs test mode supl settings set to control plane and i turn off dynamic accuracy. and i use the kc1 modem. there are other modems with good gps but kc1 has the best call quality of them.

GPS Lock Troubles

I'm sorry if this is addressed somewhere, but I couldn't find anything solid while searching. I use my G2x every day with SportyPal Pro for my bike rides. I am currently running stock 2.2.2 with root and am having some difficulty attaining an initial GPS lock. It seems like when I go to launch any GPS app, it will not get a lock. To get it to work, I have to open GPS Test, select tools, and clear out the A-GPS data. After doing this, it looks almost instantly and will keep a lock forever.
The next day, however, I must do the same thing, and this happens nearly 100% of the time. The funny thing to me is when I open GPS Test, it will show a strong signal from a lot of satellites, around 7-9, but it doesn't use these signals to find the lock. Again, after resetting the A-GPS data, it works every time almost instantly.
I have just dealt with this but it is getting more frustrating. Today, GPS Test wouldn't load, just kept showing a blank screen and force closing eventually, even after fix permissions, clear data, uninstall and reinstall. Only after another reboot, would GPS Test even load. I can't explain because I don't know well how the inner software works, but the GPS seems to have a hard time relocating itself when using the cached A-GPS data. Any fixes that anyone knows of, or things I could try?
Thanks a lot in advance.
jimbo831 said:
I'm sorry if this is addressed somewhere, but I couldn't find anything solid while searching. I use my G2x every day with SportyPal Pro for my bike rides. I am currently running stock 2.2.2 with root and am having some difficulty attaining an initial GPS lock. It seems like when I go to launch any GPS app, it will not get a lock. To get it to work, I have to open GPS Test, select tools, and clear out the A-GPS data. After doing this, it looks almost instantly and will keep a lock forever.
The next day, however, I must do the same thing, and this happens nearly 100% of the time. The funny thing to me is when I open GPS Test, it will show a strong signal from a lot of satellites, around 7-9, but it doesn't use these signals to find the lock. Again, after resetting the A-GPS data, it works every time almost instantly.
I have just dealt with this but it is getting more frustrating. Today, GPS Test wouldn't load, just kept showing a blank screen and force closing eventually, even after fix permissions, clear data, uninstall and reinstall. Only after another reboot, would GPS Test even load. I can't explain because I don't know well how the inner software works, but the GPS seems to have a hard time relocating itself when using the cached A-GPS data. Any fixes that anyone knows of, or things I could try?
Thanks a lot in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know how to help but wheres tools in the gps test app? Ahhhh I see gps status not gps test...
smashpunks said:
I dont know how to help but wheres tools in the gps test app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you launch the app and go to the satellite view screen, press menu, and it is one of the options.
jimbo831 said:
I'm sorry if this is addressed somewhere, but I couldn't find anything solid while searching. I use my G2x every day with SportyPal Pro for my bike rides. I am currently running stock 2.2.2 with root and am having some difficulty attaining an initial GPS lock. It seems like when I go to launch any GPS app, it will not get a lock. To get it to work, I have to open GPS Test, select tools, and clear out the A-GPS data. After doing this, it looks almost instantly and will keep a lock forever.
The next day, however, I must do the same thing, and this happens nearly 100% of the time. The funny thing to me is when I open GPS Test, it will show a strong signal from a lot of satellites, around 7-9, but it doesn't use these signals to find the lock. Again, after resetting the A-GPS data, it works every time almost instantly.
I have just dealt with this but it is getting more frustrating. Today, GPS Test wouldn't load, just kept showing a blank screen and force closing eventually, even after fix permissions, clear data, uninstall and reinstall. Only after another reboot, would GPS Test even load. I can't explain because I don't know well how the inner software works, but the GPS seems to have a hard time relocating itself when using the cached A-GPS data. Any fixes that anyone knows of, or things I could try?
Thanks a lot in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly, I am having the same problem
I think I'm having the same problem too: I can pick up plenty of satellites (more than the 3-4 required for a lock), and they turn green, but I don't actually get positioning data available.
andrewNY said:
I think I'm having the same problem too: I can pick up plenty of satellites (more than the 3-4 required for a lock), and they turn green, but I don't actually get positioning data available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I guess if you are seeing the same problem, it could be a software failure. Why can't Android phone makers release a phone with GPS that works out of box? Do they not test these things? Hopefully the Gingerbread update addresses this issue.
I have GPS issues often as well.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
I don't have this problem but I have heard of others that do. My device locks in literally 3 seconds and is accurate to 5 feet. I have to say it's the best GPS I have ever used.
I think this problem is an android issue not hardware. I have to load gps test on my vibrant before being able to get a lock also. Wont lie the lock time on this phone is considerably longer but when finally does lock its strong and accurate.
via LG G2x
It takes me forever to get a GPS lock too. However, once it finally gets one, it's fairly strong and accurate.
Gps is way crap now.my vibrant beats the crap out of it... I'm getting like 40000 feet accuracy. It eventually works itself out but still crap..
In gps status in tools deleting the a gps stuff it takes a long time (5 seconds) vs my vibrants agps data. Vibrants clears instantly almost like the lg remembers too much causing conflict....
I cant find my location via gps in google maps. In the gps status app, it appeard to be locking as fix/sats shows 3/3. Ive cleared agps data and also tried to download agps data. Does anyone experience a similar issue? Any suggestions as what elsd i can try?
I dont think its the hardware because it did work the last time i tried about 2 weeks ago. Since then I tried to use a location spoofing app (that has since been uninstalled and mock locations disabled).
On the O2X the mongs at LG left out the gps.conf file, adding it manually sped up lock time no end. I guess it's possible they did the same on the G2X?
I actually exchanged a G2x yesterday that was having problems with GPS
Regardless of whether it was on stock or not, rooted or otherwise, my phone would not find any more than 4 satellites, and would never lock. Factory resets did nothing. My fiancee's phone, however, would find 8 or more within 10 seconds when both phones were set right next to each other. Both phones had a 4/05 manufacture date.
Because of that, I was pretty sure my issue was hardware, as I was never able to get the GPS to work properly. The phone they gave me yesterday (4/12 manufacture date) does seem to work ok, though the screen bleeding a bit worse (but that doesn't bother me *that* much)

GPS doesn't lock..

Good evening guys-
After updating from ICS to JellyBean, my gps cannot find or lock onto any satellites.
If I enable wifi, its accurate to 20meters.. If not, it won't lock even after 15 minutes.
Any help is greatly appreciated-
mine has been similar in PA2.00 and CM10.
It actually will lock after a long time. Sometimes up to 30 minutes.
Interested in any answers... I noticed in the gps.conf file agps appears to be off. I don't know if that is the issue.
Unfortunately searching for a fix just reveals too much information with a lot of supposed fixes, but no consensus so far as i can tell.
brian Marshall said:
mine has been similar in PA2.00 and CM10.
It actually will lock after a long time. Sometimes up to 30 minutes.
Interested in any answers... I noticed in the gps.conf file agps appears to be off. I don't know if that is the issue.
Unfortunately searching for a fix just reveals too much information with a lot of supposed fixes, but no consensus so far as i can tell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually agps was turned off to improve lock times...some people noticed no difference with it off, others noticed huge improvements with half the lock time
You can change it to true, then wipe cache and dalvic cache in recovery and see if it makes a difference
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2
mg2195 said:
Actually agps was turned off to improve lock times...some people noticed no difference with it off, others noticed huge improvements with half the lock time
You can change it to true, then wipe cache and dalvic cache in recovery and see if it makes a difference
Sent from my SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is that a 'go ahead and try it, it wont work, but go ahead and try it anyway' ?
It seems like a lot of people are having problems with GPS in jellybean, and some aren't. There's so many 'this worked for me' solutions, but I'm starting to think it's coincidence.
Someone mentioned installing and running copilot once. Did that. it didn't work. Without root permissions what could it really change to improve anything?
I ran Faster Fix. It edited my gps.conf file (which it doesn't tell you that it does) It didn't help. it might have made it slightly worse.
I found a few other gps.conf files for jellybean ROMs, but haven't tried those yet.
This is how we learn and share our info, by trying. Just make a back up of anything that you want to change or replace.
GPS works perfect on my PA Jelly Beaned Infuse. First I ran GPS Test, it took a good twenty minutes if not more for it's first lock.
But now, I get a lock in a few seconds.
GPS Test, is free in the market.
Planning my escape!
GPS Test has kicked my GPS in the butt and got it working with almost every ROM I've flashed. Once you get over that first delay (downloading satellite data?) the first time you run it, it locks on fairly well afterward. At least, that's been my experience
Truckerglenn said:
This is how we learn and share our info, by trying. Just make a back up of anything that you want to change or replace.
GPS works perfect on my PA Jelly Beaned Infuse. First I ran GPS Test, it took a good twenty minutes if not more for it's first lock.
But now, I get a lock in a few seconds.
GPS Test, is free in the market.
Planning my escape!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already done that. It helped the next time I ran maps. When i left work yesterday I had maps give me turn by turn directions home. It took a couple minutes to lock, but after that it was working.
Then this morning I tried again. It wouldn't lock at all on the way in to work this morning. (only a 15 minute drive)
I also tried editing my GPS conf file this morning. I tried using ES file explorer, root explorer, and flashing. All three resulted in an empty file. ES says it was successful. Root explorer gives an error message 'there was not enough free disk space to complete the paste operation'
Flashing says it was successful, but again, it ends with an empty file. 0 bytes.
The file i used for the flash attempt is here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1817558
With the gps.conf file I'm going to go leave the phone out in my car with gps on and see if it locks.
I understand that developers do a lot of work on this. I'm not trying to be a jerk. I just see a lot of people having the same issue and no agreement on a solution or even what the actual problem is.
brian Marshall said:
...
I understand that developers do a lot of work on this. I'm not trying to be a jerk. I just see a lot of people having the same issue and no agreement on a solution or even what the actual problem is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe this is because there is no solution. If you want to try to help solve the problem, "adb shell" in and start tinkering.
You'll quickly find that GPS is anything but an easy thing to fix. A good SUPL provider for you may be completely different for others.
I can't find the Answer that fixed it for me,
but what I did:
Plug phone in, disable wifi, leave phone near window, and let
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...251bGwsMSwyLDYsImNvbS5hbmRyb2lkLmdwc3Rlc3QiXQ..
that app run... :45 minutes later it locked (GPS icon on Status Bar stopped blinking and showed locked, solid) with 7 satellites.
waited, rebooted the phone, and it locked in about 3 minutes.
-hope this helps.
other than that, love this ROM!
choffman said:
I believe this is because there is no solution. If you want to try to help solve the problem, "adb shell" in and start tinkering.
You'll quickly find that GPS is anything but an easy thing to fix. A good SUPL provider for you may be completely different for others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that is an actual answer.
I suppose part of the problem for us noobs sorting through 300 page threads is all the filler with people saying "great rom omgz so awesome" even when they are posting on the first page and the ROM hasn't even been up long enough to do much more than flash it and swipe through the home screen.
All through out the CM10 and PA threads there are people saying GPS is working flawlessly... and then other people saying they have some fix. I guess people aren't supposed to post frivolous stuff in the dev threads, but they do.
Anyway, I ended up going back to GB as GPS is something I really need.
Hey guy's, i've also been having allot of issues with GPS just not being what it used to be, and it's pretty obvioius that this is an issue across the board for all JellyBean roms. I think those who mention that "GPS works flawlessly" don't quite understand the issue with AGPS (Assisted GPS), or they are not quite testing it thoroughly enough to see the problem.
To get an understanding of what AGPS is, and how it helps improve initial lock times, have a read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
Also, to gain a better understanding of what I mean by "cold start" as you read below, and how it differs from a warm or hot start please read the following: http://m.gsmarena.com/glossary.php3?term=gps
That being said, i have been doing allot of digging in the hopes that someone out there has a solution to the problem with AGPS on the CM10 based ROMs on our phone.
To clarify the problem: AGPS does not seem to work and Initial lock times from a cold start can take several minutes, (this is not normal if AGPS is doing it's job). To clarify further, no one is saying that GPS does not work, it does in fact work, it just takes it's sweet time to lock and it seems to rely on pure GPS to download ephemeris data from the actual GPS birds for satelite lock acquisition, rather then downloading AGPS data over the network to speed things up. After the initial lock though, GPS functions as it should. After this point, if you do not use the phone again for several day's, it seems that upon first firing it up again you will experience the long delay in first lock. This is especially true if you keep GPS services turned off ussually to conserve battery. Those who report GPS is fine are probably keeping GPS services on all the time, and your GPS is probably working in the background at times and obviously will start up allot faster then it would from a cold start. (This is where i believe all the conflicting info comes from!)
The only info i have been able to find that did actually have an impact on my lock times was the thread below.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1881655
I just started testing this out yesterday and i have seen some positive results. But i would caution those of you out there, and say that this is probably not a "fix" per se, but it did help cut down lock times in my case and at the very least it is a very inoformative thread that everyone should read.
What i have realisticly been able to achieve from a cold start is about 75 seconds to lock at the fastest. i.e. GPS services were off, i turned them all on, and now i started up GPS Status or GPS Test to get a lock. After that, as long as I haven't rebooted my phone it takes only a few seconds to lock.
How i tested, i started GPS Status, I then went to Tools --> MANAGE A-GPS STATE -> RESET (This is important to ensure you are clearing previously cached data. We want to make sure your previous cached info does not skew the effects of your changes.
I then replaced the gps.conf with the one contained in that thread, and i also made the change that was suggested in the Notes section that suggested modifying or adding a line in your build.prop file to "ro.ril.def.agps.mode = 1". This change set's your gps to use AGPS in Mobile Station Based (MSB) mode. For reference, setting it to "2" would set your AGPS to function to Mobile Station Assisted (MSA) mode. (Mode 1 - gave me more accurate initial locks at the expense of a bit longer lock times, Mode 2 gave me slightly quicker initial lock times, but was rather flaky and my position drifted quite a bit until GPS was running for quite some time.)
If your curious what is the difference between the two modes, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS#Modes_of_operation
After making the changes to gps.conf and build.prop i rebooted my phone. When phone reboots, i then go back into GPS Status app, select settings, Tools --> MANAGE A-GPS STATE -> RESET, and then back to settings, Tools --> MANAGE A-GPS STATE -> DOWNLOAD (This should force the phone to attempt an AGPS download, if it hasn't already done so upon launching the app).
I have seen this same gps.conf being used in the newer RemICS-JB build. However based on the lack of feedback in that thread, i don't know if this is the golden fix we have all been looking for.
Even though this may not fix all your issues, i hope at the very least it helps clear up what the actual problem is, and how AGPS is supposed to work.
** Important Notes: **
- The version of the config that i was using was the Download the Google Specific No-SSL v3.1
- If you use the SSL version, then it will also require that you download the certifcate file. It's best to just stick with NO SSL as is explained in the thread.
- You should also note that i have cleaned out all the live wall papers, face unlock, and allot of other crap that i don't use to free up space in the /SYSTEM partition. I now have aproximately 21MB free in this partition. I think at least part of the problem with certain ROM's is that they have the /SYSTEM partition filled to the max with virtually no free space at all. I'm no expert on the subject, but i'm guessing that the AGPS data get's downloaded to this partition some where. Obviously if there is no space, then that would cause issues. Several others have reported shortened initial lock times after making room in the /SYSTEM partition.
- Another mistake people are making when testing AGPS and reporting false info, is having their WIFI on when testing GPS. To isolate the issue guy's you need have wifi off and you need to use a tool like GPS Status or GPS Test that shows that actual lock to satelites. You cannot properly test this and see the issue by using WIFI and turning on Google maps. Google maps will look at your reported wifi position and to you it looks like bamm.. i just got a lock in 2 seconds to withing 50 meters, wow these guy's are nut's, my GPS is awesome. Guess what.. your wifi and google maps is awesome.. not your GPS.. lol
- If anyone is familiar with running log's, it would be great if you could do a comparison of before and after. Showing the log of a completely fresh JB build, that shows that the AGPS data is not being downloaded, and then another log after all the changes above (including freeing up space in /SYSTEM) and hopefully it will show that AGPS data is now being downloaded and utilized. I myself am not familiar with logging data on the infuse, so i cannot and will not call this a fix until someone can actually show with real log's that AGPS data is now being utilized after these mods.
Thankfully, I'm one of the lucky ones who have always had a working GPS. It worked great when I was running AT&T stock Froyo, really good while I was on XDA GB roms, and fair > good after I went to PA JB. By far Scott's latest release of PA JB has been the best in this respect, but I can't help but tinker now that I've turned into a Droid zombie Strictly speaking the stock GPS configuration included on Scott's PA JB ROM worked charmingly, but I still had an issue whenever the phone went into deep sleep (say overnight without using it) the GPS lock the next morning took almost as much time coming from a sleep state as a cold boot. So, Like DaMeatMan I decided to give http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1881655 a go. I chose the flashable option, and like DMM also edited the prop file. I picked the Google "no SSL" version 3.1 instead of the AT&T specific version. I figured I would give that one a try.
I'll keep everyone posted, buy my first impression (could be placebo effect) is that this configuration file and modification actually does improve over the original PA JB configuration by a small margin. Reported accuracy is better (by 10ft on average). Satellites in view and actually locking are 1-2 better than before. My main hope is that I can actually fire up Navigation in the morning and get working directions without having to fire up GPS Test first and relock all the NA satellites. I travel a lot, both for business and outdoor sports (hunting and fishing), and I have come to rely pretty heavily on GPS. I got spoiled when I got my first GPS capable phone because that meant I could leave my handheld GPS at home most of the time and that was one less thing I had to carry.
wevsspot said:
Thankfully, I'm one of the lucky ones who have always had a working GPS. It worked great when I was running AT&T stock Froyo, really good while I was on XDA GB roms, and fair > good after I went to PA JB. By far Scott's latest release of PA JB has been the best in this respect, but I can't help but tinker now that I've turned into a Droid zombie Strictly speaking the stock GPS configuration included on Scott's PA JB ROM worked charmingly, but I still had an issue whenever the phone went into deep sleep (say overnight without using it) the GPS lock the next morning took almost as much time coming from a sleep state as a cold boot. So, Like DaMeatMan I decided to give http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1881655 a go. I chose the flashable option, and like DMM also edited the prop file. I picked the Google "no SSL" version 3.1 instead of the AT&T specific version. I figured I would give that one a try.
I'll keep everyone posted, buy my first impression (could be placebo effect) is that this configuration file and modification actually does improve over the original PA JB configuration by a small margin. Reported accuracy is better (by 10ft on average). Satellites in view and actually locking are 1-2 better than before. My main hope is that I can actually fire up Navigation in the morning and get working directions without having to fire up GPS Test first and relock all the NA satellites. I travel a lot, both for business and outdoor sports (hunting and fishing), and I have come to rely pretty heavily on GPS. I got spoiled when I got my first GPS capable phone because that meant I could leave my handheld GPS at home most of the time and that was one less thing I had to carry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been have many of the same problems as others in this thread but I tried the fix in the S3 thread quoted above and it seems to have helped for right now. The first time I ran GPS Test after rebooting it did take a while (5-8min), but after that I get a lock in few seconds. I used the Google "no SSL" package also. I will do some more testing tomorrow and see if its reliable.

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