gps altitude correction - Hero, G2 Touch Android Development

so i am happily skiing in the alps when i notice my gps doesn't give me the correct height. i've been toying with gps since 2006, so i know the gps altitude is not that precise, that is ok.
the problem is that the hero's gps receiver doesn't apply the geoide altitude correction. using sportstracklive to record my ski runs i have an offset of ~+50m all the time. the difference for germany and so probably austria as well is 48m, thus i am pretty sure this is the reason for the error. the geoide correction is a common problem, resulting from the gps's model of the earth not being 100% compatible with the real world[tm].
if anybody knows a way to fix this NOW is the time to raise your voice
i have searched the market without success, i also addressed this issue to sportstracklive.com support, but this will fix it only for the one app (if at all, no reply yet, but just wrote them...) imo it would be interesting to apply a general fix to this.
also is there a way to access the raw gps data, or better yet in nmea format? just out of curiosity, i would like to see the data the gps receiver puts out.

Related

Quick GPS needed to make Tom Tom work each time??

HTC Touch HD Seems to have a problem with the way this device is handling GPS.
I have Tom Tom 7 installed and when I try to use Tom Tom 7 it looks for a valid GPS signal and then shows "No GPS Device" It will then find a valid signal and then again shows "No GPS Device" this changes every 10 or 20 seconds.......
If I use quick GPS first before I start Tom Tom (even though Quick GPS hadn't expired) it works fine!!!
Confused!!!
Please help!
Thank you
bit odd, mines fine, the only thing that is probably different is i turned off A-GPS, try turning that off, im assuming you havent been playing with its settings?
try a different GPS enabled program and see if that has the same issues.
dazza9075 said:
bit odd, mines fine, the only thing that is probably different is i turned off A-GPS, try turning that off, im assuming you havent been playing with its settings?
try a different GPS enabled program and see if that has the same issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have turned A-GPS off and it has locked on almost immediately and seems to be keeping the signal so far - There's a first!
I'll give it a bit of a test drive tomorrow and keep my fingers crossed...
Can you give me a quick understanding of how A-GPS is supposed to work (or not)
Thank you for your help.
Andy-- said:
Can you give me a quick understanding of how A-GPS is supposed to work (or not)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's supposed to logon to a server provided by your ISP, then use celltower co-ordinates to help make GPS more accurate.
It's basically totally broken on the HD.
To get a fix the GPS receiver needs Ephemeris data. This can be acquired in several ways.
1. Direct from the satellites to the GPS receiver.
2. From a data file (QuickGPS).
3. Transmitted from a cell tower (AGPS).
1. The receiver will get a fix without any assistance but will take a while to acquire sufficient data from at least three satellites to do so.
2. The receiver has much of the positioning data stored in a file so will resolve a fix quickly.
3. The data transmitted from the cell tower will take time to be received so will take slightly longer than 2.
If both (2) and (3) are supplying Ephemeris data, then that data may be similar but not identical. At this point the receiver will have a WTF moment while trying to resolve the fix from differing data, and so will rely more on (1).
Throw into the mix a weak cell signal and possibly a weak GPS signal / reflections and the problem is compounded.
Clearly there is no need for all three, and in many cases it is problematic. Keep the QuickGPS data up to date and switch off the AGPS.
Fully understood,, thanks for making it so understandable.
I dont believe A-GPS has anything to do with it, and I have mine always disabled to avoid any potential network charges for using it.
I did have some initial teething problems with getting GPs working but once I got up-to-date s/w and configured everything correctly, things improved dramatically.
Now GPS synchronisation is usually very quick indeed, with lots of satellites visible. Occasionally it wont synchronise but I find a soft reset of the device always puts this right.
gotta love that WTF moment wen it spazzs out.

GPS Lock, anyone with issues?

Has anyone managed to get their GPS Locking in Google Maps?
I've used QuickGPS to download the database and set Google Maps to use GPS but it never gets a fix.
When in TomTom it knows theres satalites about but doesn't connect to any.
Wondering if I have a duff.... anyone else?
How fast do you connect to satalites?
Have you been out of the house? Some houses really interferre with the connection.
Also, maybe there are some settings in the application you have to change? It should get a fix pretty quick. (first time from 10 sec tot 60, after that, below 10 sec).
So you have updated the quick GPS? Did you (after running tomtom and getting the update for the first time) do a soft reset?
quarintus said:
Have you been out of the house? Some houses really interferre with the connection.
Also, maybe there are some settings in the application you have to change? It should get a fix pretty quick. (first time from 10 sec tot 60, after that, below 10 sec).
So you have updated the quick GPS? Did you (after running tomtom and getting the update for the first time) do a soft reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, did a soft reset after I turned A-GPS on in Advanced Config program. Have tried it in work which usually gets a fix, but will try outdoors, just thought I'd ask the question first
why did you do it on in advanced config? maybe that's where it went wrong. Can't remember me having to put A-GPS on in advanced Config program.
I had the issue in google maps where I could not get a lock. I had to manually configure connectivity to com port 4 in settings.
After that it has worked perfectly. I cannot say if TomTom works or not as I am waiting for my ne SD card to be delivered.
I have however noticed that everytime I sync with active sync QuickGPS always moans it is out of date even thoguh I might have updated it about 1/2 an hour ago.
Its not a major issue as its connected to my PC and just downloads the data again. i'm just ignoring it.
Do not use A-gps.
I have my TP2 fixing with no problem without it: first fix in 55", then always under 10".
Try and use for first fix Quickgps.
ninja.rogue said:
Do not use A-gps.
I have my TP2 fixing with no problem without it: first fix in 55", then always under 10".
Try and use for first fix Quickgps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant, turned off A-GPS and loaded TomTom 7.915/Google Maps, got a lock, even indoors.
Spot on, thanks for that!
Turn off A-GPS?
I keep seeing that to make the GPS work better, while also using QuickGPS, the A-GPS should be turned off?
How do I do this?
I have only had the Touch Pro2 for a few days, but have not been able to get a satellite lock in Google Maps even when standing outside away from many buildings.
If it would work better with A-GPS disabled, please tell me how to do this!
Thanks,
Dazzer
Dazzer said:
I keep seeing that to make the GPS work better, while also using QuickGPS, the A-GPS should be turned off?
How do I do this?
I have only had the Touch Pro2 for a few days, but have not been able to get a satellite lock in Google Maps even when standing outside away from many buildings.
If it would work better with A-GPS disabled, please tell me how to do this!
Thanks,
Dazzer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should be turned off by default, I turned mine on using a program called Advanced Config.
nicelad_uk said:
It should be turned off by default, I turned mine on using a program called Advanced Config.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, thanks, just going to go try Google Maps again to see if I can get a lock. Maybe I just wasn't outside long enough, or far enough away from buildings last time.
Hopefully I can make GPS work soon
Ok, I just sat outside for about 20 minutes, in the middle of a field, away from any buildings, and was unable to get any GPS lock!
What is wrong here?
I have not touched the GPS Port settings in the control panel, but Google Maps only says Seeking Satellites (0) all the time.
If I do change Google Maps to use COM 4 Baud 4800, it gets worse and says Seeking Satellites (48037656) or some other equally stupid number! At least 0 makes sense, as there are not millions of GPS satellites, only about 20!
Please help, surely there is some way to make GPS work?
Thanks,
DW
Hi all,
AGPS is not currently supported by any UK Networks, so should be turned off if in the UK.
Cheers,
Beasty
i think i ended up setting all mine to com0 but i think it wasn't working originally coz i was sitting in the car and it badly needs a wash (yes that bad). Just stuck it up by window for around 2 mins and it had 8 satellites but i've reset it so often since i last used the gps i wouldn't have been surprised with around 5 mins ... 20 on the other hand is a bit daft
Yeah, I'm beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with settings somewhere, as in 20 minutes outside it never indicated a single satellite in Google Maps.
I have downloaded the Advanced Configuration tool, and it says that A-GPS is Disabled, which is correct for the UK, so there is nothing to change here.
I have tried changing the Port settings, but I don't know what I should change it too. The Hardware GPS port is blank!
Getting close to giving up for the day, but I really want to get GPS working soon!
Dazzer said:
Yeah, I'm beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with settings somewhere, as in 20 minutes outside it never indicated a single satellite in Google Maps.
I have downloaded the Advanced Configuration tool, and it says that A-GPS is Disabled, which is correct for the UK, so there is nothing to change here.
I have tried changing the Port settings, but I don't know what I should change it too. The Hardware GPS port is blank!
Getting close to giving up for the day, but I really want to get GPS working soon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I had the same problems, have you updated Quick GPS? Are you using Google Maps?
If you go into settings and go to External GPS my GPS Program Port os COM4 next page GPS Hardware Port is none and Baud Rate is 4800.
Make sure settings are same and restart phone.
Have you installed anything since getting phone? Might be worth doing hard reset and trying is "out of the box" so to speak.
I could confirm the GPS is working and flawlessly! Much quicker than my old HTC P3600i and the locking is done in the CBD area!
I used the QuickGPS (download the latest update) and then using my GPS software called TechrificWay for Australian (it's a rebrand of NavNGo iGo MyWay 8)
Very happy ^^
(I need to set the TechrificWay application settings to find the GPS unit on COM4 though)
I actually spoke to HTC today and they think it's actually a fault with the hardware, possibly the internal antenna for the GPS is not connected properly.
Slightly annoying as I now need to send it back to get a replacement, or have it repaired, but good in that it's not a problem with me using it! There definitely is something wrong that I can't fix, I just can't wait to get one that works now!
I can get a lock, but get bad lag, and it wonders off course regularly. I wonder if it could be that the radio is not that great for GPS, as many other HTCs have suffered with GPS performance that has gotten better with certain flashed radios?
HTC gave me a generic response of "check these settings" (which were all as they should be in terms of com port and baud rate etc... So I think I'll have to call them if it keeps crapping out on me
(Fortunately) For me it turned out to be a genuine hardware fault causing the GPS to not work. I spoke to HTC and they believe I was the first in the UK to need to get a replacement due to a genuine hardware fault, which I guess is an honor (just a very annoying one!).
Even with the GPS not working for the week that I used it, I loved the handset, can't fault it, and can't wait until tomorrow when I should be receiving my brand new replacement, hopefully with working GPS and no faults!
Thanks for the suggestions here though, I needed to make sure it was a hardware fault before sending it back for a replacement.
I've tested three over 30km trips with Tom Tom 7 installed on the device.
Haven't lost a signal once. So it works fine here in Finland.
________________________________________
Check out my in-depth review of HTC's Touch Pro2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgTjS...e=channel_page

GPS Fix ... soooo slooowww...

Anyone know why my GPS fix is so slow? It takes at least 10 minutes to get a fix..
I'm running - VaniljEclair RLS6
TW,
It really depends on the weather. If you look up and see clouds, it's going to be a while. If it's raining then it may never connect.
It also helps the have the best tools for the job. Use kallt_kaffe's latest kernel, and download and use "GPS Test" for connecting your GPS.
Dukenukemx said:
It really depends on the weather. If you look up and see clouds, it's going to be a while. If it's raining then it may never connect.
It also helps the have the best tools for the job. Use kallt_kaffe's latest kernel, and download and use "GPS Test" for connecting your GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's clear outside so its not weather related.
I'm curious what the"GPS Test" tool actually does? and just exactly what the phone is doing causing it to take so long.
Thanks,
The way GPS works is as follows.
In order to know your position on a 2 dimensional plane, you need 2 coordinates, X and Y, however in order to know your position on a 3 dimensional object, you need 3 coordinates, X, Y and Z, what we need to know is our position in a 4 dimensional space, which requires not only X, Y Z and V, so that's a lot of data right there, and to further complicate things, the satellites themselves are in motion, also in 4 dimensions.
Ok if that hasn't messed with your head, consider this, your phone only receives GPS data from the satellites, it does not transmit anything, so how does your phone know where the satellites are? simple, the satellites transmit their position, the time, their velocity and heading, ( actually it's slightly more complicated, but I'm not getting into orbital mechanics, lol).
So in order to be able to fix a position, your phone must download this data from each satellite in view, process and compare it with all the other data in order to get an initial fix.
As if this was not complicated enough, you must also realise that the satellite data is continually transmitting in an updating loop, so if the receiver gets bad data from one sat, it must discard that set and start again.
Once the initial fix is made, it's a simple matter to continually update the devices position, but once the gps is turned off, it may take some time to resynchronise, especially if the user has moved to another location before restarting gps.
To operate with reasonable accuracy, (within a few tens of metres), you must have a good signal from at least 4 satellites, more just refines the accuracy.
So why ten minutes? Well there are a number of factors, weather does play a part, but not as much as some think, typically you will lose lock on the weaker satellites, giving less accuracy.
Surrounding buildings and trees are actually great at blocking GPS signals, so in wooded or built up areas, expect slower fixes, less accuracy, and dropped locks.
Movement, this is actually the biggest problem, if you are in motion during the initial fix period, there is a high probability that your own motion will cause problems, since the gps data may be changing too fast for the device to cope with, which will cause it to continually discard data that may be valid.
All in all, the best practice is to find somewhere stationary, away from buildings and trees, turn on GPS, and just wait for it to lock, it will usually take 5 minutes from cold start, perhaps up to 10 minutes in some cases.
Once the initial fix is established, it takes less time to refix after gps is turned off, since the last data is kept in the device for future reference, (which is why it can take more time to fix if you turn off gps and then move 10K or so before turning it on again).
Winmo has a few advantages over Android for gps, since on WM you can download a 'snapshot' of the satellite data in order to 'jump start' the gps to get a faster fix, that plus cell location and agps make it much faster to get up and running compared to Android on our hardware, which lacks cell location and agps.
What GPS Test does is simply show you a lot more data than you would normally see, satellite positions, signal strengths, number of sats visible, number in use by you. Basically it lets you see that some data is actually being received by your device, how strong the signal is, and if the device has locked to a satellite. I highly recommend getting GPS Test from market if you use gps, used it on WM, and the Android port is just as good, ( I got the paid version, but the free one is excellent too).
Any questions?
zenity said:
The way GPS works is as follows.
...
Winmo has a few advantages over Android for gps, since on WM you can download a 'snapshot' of the satellite data in order to 'jump start' the gps to get a faster fix, that plus cell location and agps make it much faster to get up and running compared to Android on our hardware, which lacks cell location and agps.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Terrific write up!
So, GPS Test won't help speed up the positioning so therefore there isn't a need to download it unless your curious about any of the other settings, thanks.
Since the WM version was a bit quicker in getting the position by downloading a file is there something in the works to try and incorporate this process into Droid?
After it finds a fix, if the handset suspends is there a need to re-aquire the sats or wait again for the same process?
Thanks,
Well GPS Test won't speed up the initial or subsequent fixes, but it does give a good indication that gps is actually working, and receiving/processing the data, and once fixed, you just close that and start your preferred gps app, which will fix almost instantly since the data is current.
I don't think we have anything for android that does the same as the WM gps app, could be wrong, but have not seen anything yet.
The slowest is the initial fix, after that it usually fixes faster, suspended or powered down, only reinstall/wipe data will usually require such a long fix time again, however as I said, there are a number of factors, movement being perhaps the biggest cause of delay.
However once fixed, Android is comparable to WM, even better in some cases, since I never could get my all time favourite GPS software (trekbuddy), to work in WM, it is great in Android though
I don't think we have anything for android that does the same as the WM gps app, could be wrong, but have not seen anything yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i also looked and found nothing
The slowest is the initial fix, after that it usually fixes faster, suspended or powered down, only reinstall/wipe data will usually require such a long fix time again, however as I said, there are a number of factors, movement being perhaps the biggest cause of delay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine also takes forever every time unless i havnt moved and switch apps within 10 minutes.
However once fixed, Android is comparable to WM, even better in some cases, since I never could get my all time favourite GPS software (trekbuddy), to work in WM, it is great in Android though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i lose gps on the highway, unlike when i had wimo
i still think its odd that i can see 6, 7, 8 sats for 2 or 3 minutes before getting a lock
Thinking about trying this on a friends Eris, but other android devices get a lock very quickly. The other devices have working tower location, so does the android gps system use the tower location to speed up gps lock?
I'm going to take my friends Eris and turn off all radio functions, then run GPS test to see what happens and how long a lock takes...
Ok, tried a few things on the Eris. In airplane mode, launched GPS test in a lock in under 10 seconds. Restarted the phone, still in airplane mode, and immediatly launch gps test and a lock in under 10 seconds.
Do these other phones have GPS chips have almanac caching or does the OS have some way of storing almanac data to assit the GPS.
As far as I am aware, from previous experience of GPS devices, the last ephemeris data is cached in the device chipset, allowing a faster start up, provided the user has not moved too far, or left gps off long enough to make the data too old. However I do not have enough information to make more than guess that it is hardware based rather than OS based caching.
Cell tower location allows GPS to establish a 3 dimensional fix, (remember gps needs more than 3 dimensions to establish a true fix), not enough to be totally accurate, but within 20-50 Metres, which is ideal for 'seeding' the incoming gps data from satellite, allowing even faster start up, since the gps chipset does not have to do nearly as much calculation and correlation on the data, since it already knows roughly where it is.
So the delay we experience in getting a gps fix with Android on our devices has one main cause, lack of cell tower location, and it's possible that the ephemeris data cache may not be getting processed, if this is indeed cached by the hardware, and not by the OS.
Some of you may have noticed a file called gps.conf in /system/etc
It looks like this:
Code:
NTP_SERVER=north-america.pool.ntp.org
XTRA_SERVER_1=http://xtra1.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_2=http://xtra2.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_3=http://xtra3.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
SUPL_HOST=supl.google.com
SUPL_PORT=7276
NTP is a protocol for getting accurate time from servers on the internet.
xtra.bin is asfaik the satellite almanac.
SUPL_HOST is for AGPS.
My guess is that a "real" android libgps uses this information to do a few things to help the GPS out.
1. Give it the current time
2. Prime it with the almanac
3. Use the AGPS data to provide it with correction data etc.
We could do some HaRET magic to monitor what the QuickGPS software send to the GPS chip and make our own QuickGPS tool for android or even build that into libgps.so. It's possible but is it worth the time? I don't know. I would give it a go if I wasn't allready lacking time to do everything I want to do.
kallt_kaffe said:
Some of you may have noticed a file called gps.conf in /system/etc
It looks like this:
Code:
NTP_SERVER=north-america.pool.ntp.org
XTRA_SERVER_1=http://xtra1.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_2=http://xtra2.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
XTRA_SERVER_3=http://xtra3.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin
SUPL_HOST=supl.google.com
SUPL_PORT=7276
NTP is a protocol for getting accurate time from servers on the internet.
xtra.bin is asfaik the satellite almanac.
SUPL_HOST is for AGPS.
My guess is that a "real" android libgps uses this information to do a few things to help the GPS out.
1. Give it the current time
2. Prime it with the almanac
3. Use the AGPS data to provide it with correction data etc.
We could do some HaRET magic to monitor what the QuickGPS software send to the GPS chip and make our own QuickGPS tool for android or even build that into libgps.so. It's possible but is it worth the time? I don't know. I would give it a go if I wasn't allready lacking time to do everything I want to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, that makes sense, since Agps uses an internet server to prime the gps chipset, and if I recall correctly QuickGPS is similar, but provides the weeks Ephemeris data. Ephemeris, Almanac and Time are the three main data components of GPS, ( almanac being the one I tend to forget about....).
Perhaps changing a few server addresses in gps.conf may provide us with some aggps functionality, but I am now wondering if perhaps agps is 'broken' in our builds, or perhaps I have never noticed any data activity.
Just had a look at the website address http://xtra1.gpsonextra.net/xtra.bin, which allows me to download what I assume is the data file, so what we need to complete the puzzle is, what uses gps.conf, and where does it put the data file?, Also does anything use that data file if present?
GPS is currently pretty much useless in that it just never gets a fix, today I waited 10 minutes and still nothing - I went back to WM to use GPS, so any development in this area would be sweet!
TW,
Not sure exactly what is going on there, last night I installed the latest nbh from kallt, plus his RLS7b eclair build, this morning I started gps for the first time, using gpstest I got a first fix in under 3 minutes, which is faster than average.
Sent from my HTC Kaiser using Tapatalk
zenity said:
Not sure exactly what is going on there, last night I installed the latest nbh from kallt, plus his RLS7b eclair build, this morning I started gps for the first time, using gpstest I got a first fix in under 3 minutes, which is faster than average.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using the same setup at the minute, tried GPS this morning and it got a fix on the move in about 5mins which isn't bad, my girlfriends HTC Hero got a fix in under a minute though and it's the first time it has connected and it's true that WM is much faster when quickGPS is updated. Any improvements here are very welcome, maybe i'll have a look into it too.
you could edit gps.conf according to your own pool server
a list of these servers can be found here. May make a small difference for some people.
Please post if this helped getting a quicker fix
http://www.pool.ntp.org/en/
Update:
i used the appropriate time server for my country (netherlands),
i used a fresh device (android had never ran on it, though the android on sdcard has been used on other devices)
i went to the toilet very quick, when i came back there was a fix.
So please go see if this makes a difference for you, and post your experiences in here
I seriously don't think it will matter what you put in gps.conf at the moment. What we need to know is how this is used on a "real" android phone.
I've tried to find some GPS code in the Hero kernel source in the past but found almost nothing and the libgps for HTC devices are asfaik closed source so I guess it's in libgps all the "magic" takes place. (I fact, for Kaisers the it would be more "right" to do our NMEA parsing in libgps instead of doing it in the kernel but since libgps evolved around the Vogue it was made in the kernel to make it appear just like the vogue gps data to libgps.so.)
So I'm guessing that a "real" libgps.so reads gps.conf, get's some data and feeds it to the GPS. Likely with AT-commands. It is possible though that it is the ril interface that does it. We have the source for our ril lib and our gpslib and I know for sure we don't do any prime:ing in the our libgps. (The sources are here: http://androidhtc.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb-index.cgi?p=gitroot/androidhtc/bootenv/)
It is possible to do dump stuff with HaRET when you for example enable the GPS (I've done it in the past following instructions from dzo) and also when you run QuickGPS and try to match the information sent with the information in xtra.bin. I also expect we should find it sending the current UTC time which by it self propably could speed up fix times.
Once we know what to do we either build it into libgps or we make an Android app similar to QuickGPS.
In fact, I found some dumps laying around....
At boot WinMo sends the system time to the Radio with this command:
[email protected]=2,21,43,2010,5,12
I would say the format is H,M,S,YYYY,M,D even though values are a bit strange because the files are dated 2010-05-11 but it's possible that the WinMo clock was a bit f*cked up at the moment.
Perhaps our rild is allready sending this (someone should check the source)
Otherwise you could try this and se if it helps:
echo -e "[email protected]=x\r" > /dev/smd0
(replaceing the x with the current time and date of course)
Just tried and it was going on 10 minutes with no fix...
TW,
Have you tried gpstest to see if it's actually receiving a signal at all? It is possible that you have a hardware issue, perhaps a broken antenna connection?
If that were the case then it shouldn't work in Windows and it does... ???
Strange...
Does Android require a data connection when getting a GPS fix?
TW,

GPS receiver chip is not the cause of the problem

Guys,
According to this site, the problem with the GPS is the software Google Maps
Read this:
http://samsungi9000galaxys.com/galaxy-s-gps-review-sygic-gps-signal-and-gps-lock-times/
So it seems that using other Navigation software gives very good GPS performance.....
But how come using the GPS TEST software also shows that the GPS is loosing sattelites lock and erratic performance? I mean if the cause of the problem is the Google Map, testing the GPS receiver using GPS TEST should show good signal lock and stable reception isnt it?
widjaja74_us said:
Guys,
According to this site, the problem with the GPS is the software Google Maps
Read this:
http://samsungi9000galaxys.com/galaxy-s-gps-review-sygic-gps-signal-and-gps-lock-times/
So it seems that using other Navigation software gives very good GPS performance.....
But how come using the GPS TEST software also shows that the GPS is loosing sattelites lock and erratic performance? I mean if the cause of the problem is the Google Map, testing the GPS receiver using GPS TEST should show good signal lock and stable reception isnt it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a software setting: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=7281059
Other android devices have the same problem with a wrong setting.
Its not true, I tried google maps, co-pilot and NDrive and all gave really, really crappy gps performance. Upgrading to JG5 firmware has improved things a lot but its still pretty unusable for me.
You know I was just about to post that I think the issue is with google maps and not the phone. If I apply the ntp europe fix my gps locks very quickly and stays locked to within 16 feet in gps test when driving about.within google maps navigation the performance remains as shocking. Arrrggghhh!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I wish i could help testing the phone with different GPS/navigation software to validate the analysis, but I already sold my phone last week out of desperation due to the the GPS problem and lag problem and phone freeze problem and signal drop problem when you hold it a certain way....
but i love the design, size of the screen, the thinness of the phone and the super amoled display.....
Ouch...
Why did you not return your phone instead? I have never had my SGS freeze and I have never been able to drop a call by cupping the antenna, altough the signal strength does go down, wich it will on ALL phones with built in antennas since you are shilding the antenna... ( NOT SAME AS IPHONE4 design flaw where you shortcircuit 2 different antennas and that part seems particulary hard to grasp for some on this forum....)
But, to get on subject again, the GPS has been bad, that is for sure and I hope this is a step in the right direction.
Its clear that testing the gps is waaay too subjective and subject to too many factors. Applications have no effect on the gps performance.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
My gps has been working perfectly with 3 firmwares.. it's much faster then the one on my old iphone 3G
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
My GPS seems to be very hit and miss, but it has worked on the several occasions that I have really needed it (getting lost).
And widjaja why are you still shambling about this forum when you sold your phone? get back under your bridge.
Once again, another thread started because someone made one change, tested it and it worked, then posted how great it was. Trouble is since the GPS can work fine for days on end, and then not work for days on end, these supposed cures are pretty much all wrong.
The GPS doesnt work, and so far there hasnt been a public explaination as to why, just lots of guesswork, and no fix has been released (in any of the firmwares available today). It's coming, but its not here yet.
TravUK said:
Once again, another thread started because someone made one change, tested it and it worked, then posted how great it was. Trouble is since the GPS can work fine for days on end, and then not work for days on end, these supposed cures are pretty much all wrong.
The GPS doesnt work, and so far there hasnt been a public explaination as to why, just lots of guesswork, and no fix has been released (in any of the firmwares available today). It's coming, but its not here yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems some phones work some dont.On jf3 my gps was shocking but on jg5 it has always been spot on with google navigation and co pilot and ive tested it a lot in all weathers.It has never lost lock and is always bang on with position.I even tested google maps satalite view in the car parked next to a tree and it had me right next to the tree-within 10 feet accuracy.I dont change any settings just leave it on whatever settings jg5 uses.Im in england if that makes any difference
Found a fix on another forum and its been working pretty well for me.
Enter *#*#1472365#*#* in the dialer to enter GPS settings and change the following:
Application Settings:
Operation Mode - MS Based
Use SkyHook - ON
Accuracy - 30
SUPL/CP Settings :
Server - supl.google.com
Server Port - 7276
SUPL Secure Socket - OFF
I was having problems with 3G and WIFI with these settings at first, so I left Operation Mode on Standalone and Skyhook OFF. Works great now. Just tested it and got 9 satellite locks and 5 in use.
source: http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=568&t=1661500&r=2&last=21080924
I'm in Hong Kong btw running local JF7 firmware. Hope this helps.
I'm almost convinced that most of the problems people are having is down to google maps. I'm not saying that tweaking the settings as people have, inc me, doesn't improve maters, but I believe there is an underlying compatibility issue between google maps and the galaxy which is making the issue seem worse than it is.
If I leave gps test running while driving I get at worst a lock down to 32 feet, speed is accurate and never lose lock even when on roads totally covered with big wet trees. It looks spot on.
Google maps navigation can't even get me in an accurate position when stationary, start driving and its bloody awful jumps all over the place and sometimes doesn't even move for 30 seconds after I've pulled away from a junction.
I've updated my supl settings to use google (manually edited the conf file, I don't use the hidden menu screen because even if you change nothing it makes changes to the conf file on exit, delete the file and reboot to refresh it) and updated my ntp settings to use europe.
In the jg5 rom google maps is built in, so I can't reinstall it or seem to be able to clear the cache to see if that helps in anyway.
It wouldn't surprise me if any gps fixed rom released by samsung contains a tweaked version of google maps that works.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

[Q] Moto Defy (Froyo) GPS / EXIF (auto location tags in photos)

I have looked around the threads, and have not found a similar posting. Please no flames if this is a dupe!
I am having a bizarre conundrum on Froyo with the Moto Defy and the stock camera app.
I have not used the phone with 2.1 and so do not know if this is an issue on 2.1
THE ISSUE: Latitude is being recorded into the EXIF data as a negative number. This means 3rd party apps interpret the location as being off the coast of Chile.
So why is this an issue? I AM IN NEW YORK CITY.
Additionally, despite my best efforts to fix this, when the Auto Location Tag function starts up it says "Retrieving City Name" and always returns with "null, New York" as my location.
This occurs with or without GPS enabled, and with or without a satellite lock. It even happens with A-GPS enabled.
Google Maps, and other apps, are able to correctly figure out my position -- even with just WiFi enabled.
Has anyone else encountered this issue?
Update
I'm curious to know the interplay between gps.conf and gpsconfig.xml
I tinkered with both, and now I have a faster lock on GPS satellites.
However, the BlurCamera.apk app still inverts the latitude to a negative number in the EXIF data it writes.
Anyone have any ideas?
luxdesigns said:
I have looked around the threads, and have not found a similar posting. Please no flames if this is a dupe!
I am having a bizarre conundrum on Froyo with the Moto Defy and the stock camera app.
I have not used the phone with 2.1 and so do not know if this is an issue on 2.1
THE ISSUE: Latitude is being recorded into the EXIF data as a negative number. This means 3rd party apps interpret the location as being off the coast of Chile.
So why is this an issue? I AM IN NEW YORK CITY.
Additionally, despite my best efforts to fix this, when the Auto Location Tag function starts up it says "Retrieving City Name" and always returns with "null, New York" as my location.
This occurs with or without GPS enabled, and with or without a satellite lock. It even happens with A-GPS enabled.
Google Maps, and other apps, are able to correctly figure out my position -- even with just WiFi enabled.
Has anyone else encountered this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, I'm not the only one with this problem. I made a similar thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11769279#post11769279) because i found this one just today, but what i want to know: did you fix this problem?
edit: lol. nevermind, didn't notice that it was you answering in my thread. but still no fix, damn
See other thread. (short answer: no.)

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