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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,
I clean installed (RAR file) the Blazn build w/ sound a couple of days ago. Now I having a lot more stability issues and Navigation freezes up every time I open it. I have searched through google and on here, and I see people with the same problems with the new build but no solutions or acknowledgement that multiple users are having issues like this. Here is what I did.
I go into google maps to insure I have a GPS fix. It finds me within 2 meters or so. I then go into navigation. It doesn't give me the location error because I have a GPS lock. I then type in the address I want to go to. I have the bar at the bottoms saying "Getting GPS" or something like that. In the middle of the screen it has the "getting directions" or whatever it says, but the little spinning circle animation freezes up. If I click to try to get to the menu. Android tells me it is not responding and I can Force Close or Wait. I force close. Of course Android opens it back up. I then hear the first voice prompt of where to go on my directions. When I click on Navigation to get back into it. It shows me the next turn, but freezes up again. This will go on forever until I force maps and navigation to close manually for good by going into settings and force stopping the processes.
I thought maybe it was the Blazn build, so I renamed the boot directory to something else and clean installed (using the RAR file) the stock build. While it is more stable and I don't get as many random crashes of apps and processes, I still get the same problem with Navigation.
I also have tried to format and attempted to clean install both builds and still have the same problem.
Is there any Sprint customer able to get navigation to work and not crash? I am thinking this is a CDMA/Sprint problem only, and it has something to do with the app accessing the sound, or at least that is my hypothesis, because it was working in all prior builds up to this one.
Any suggestions or thoughts?
slickdaddy96 said:
I clean installed (RAR file) the Blazn build w/ sound a couple of days ago. Now I having a lot more stability issues and Navigation freezes up every time I open it. I have searched through google and on here, and I see people with the same problems with the new build but now solutions or acknowledgement that multiple users are having issues like this. Here is what I do.
I go into google maps to insure I have a GPS fix. It finds me within 2 meters or so. I then go into navigation. It doesn't give me the location error because I have a GPS lock. I then type in the address I want to go to. I have the bar at the bottoms saying "Getting GPS" or something like that. In the middle of the screen it has the "getting directions" or whatever it says, but the little spinning circle animation freezes up. If I click to try to get to the menu. Android tells me it is not responding and I can Force Close or Wait. I force close. Of course Android opens it back up. I then here the first voice prompt of where to go on my directions. When I click on Navigation to get back into it. It shows me the next turn, but freezes up again. This will go on forever until I force maps and navigation to close manually for good by going into settings and force stopping the processes.
I thought maybe it was the Blazn build, so I renamed the boot directory to something else and clean installed (using the RAR file) the stock build. While it is more stable and I don't get as many random crashes of apps and processes, I still get the same problem with Navigation.
I also have tried to format and attempted to clean install both builds and still have the same problem.
Is there any Sprint customer able to get navigation to work and not crash? I am thinking this is a CDMA/Sprint problem only, and it has something to do with the app accessing the sound, or at least that is my hypothesis, because it was working in all prior builds up to this one.
Any suggestions or thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
remember this is a work in progress still. No need to freak out.
[ACL] said:
remember this is a work in progress still. No need to freak out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love you guys... I have lurked here for months and xda-developers for years. I love how you post toward people that don't post all the time. You treat them like idiots, crazy people or whiners.
I am not freaking out. I am not a newb. Is this not the place to post problems with the xandroid project? I am posting a problem that I have not seen posted on here before. I am not complaining about the usual stuff that still isn't working. I understand it is a work in progress. I was just posting a new problem that has come up since the sound started working. I did this so that potential programmers will see it, and to also see and get feedback on whether other Sprint users or other carrier's users are having the same problem, or if theirs is working fine.
slickdaddy96 said:
I love you guys... I have lurked here for months and xda-developers for years. I love how you post toward people that don't post all the time. You treat them like idiots are crazy people.
I am not freaking out. I am not a newb. Is this not the place to post problems with the xandroid project? I am posting a problem that I have not seen posted on here before. I am not complaining about the usual stuff that still isn't working. I understand it is a work in progress. I was just posting a new problem that has come up since the sound started working. I did this so that potential programmers will see it, and to also see and get feedback on whether other Sprint users or other carrier's users are having the same problem, or if theirs is working fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats what we are known for .. but think about this.. where would the dev process be without us ? lol ..So sorry for treating you like one of the crazies ..
My advice is to hit up PPC geeks since most of the cdma community is there. Fyi, im not involved with xdandroid. Just with the kernel development and Those have really nothing to do with one another. However we do cross paths from time to time. Also dont be afraid to joint the irc chat for xdandroid. People there will be able to give you a better idea of whats up.
So I've had this problem as far back as I've been trying the various builds of xdandroid where if my T-mobile TP2 is in full sleep and it receives a call it fails to wake properly causing it to lose the ability to accept or make calls until rebooted. It's been there regardless of build version, ril version, rootfs version, and kernel version. Pretty much the only thing I haven't tried is changing the radio rom since I figure that shouldn't be where the problem lies since I'm using the same radio version as the guy who designed the current ril according to his XDA profile.
I've tried dealing with the xdandroid guys directly but they refuse to accept it's a problem with their code instead of my phone despite the fact everything else the should work in android works flawless and no such problem exists in Winmo. So I come to you the public of the XDA forums does anyone else have this problem with this model of TP2 so I can point out it's not my phone but in fact an issue with their code. I've also tried contacting highlandsun directly via email and PM with no response.
Oh and before anyone suggests sending them log dumps I did that. I even pointed out to them exactly where the ril fails during the incoming call and how when I attempt to make outgoing calls before a reboot how the oncreate function for the new call never finishes because the ril has gone screwy.
If you know where the issue is occurring, then why not fix it?
You say you've sent logs, yet you don't attach them here.
You say you know where the issue occurs, but don't document it here, for everyone...?
If you honestly feel there's an issue with the code (which we all know there are still many) then please, submit a patch. Improvements are always welcome, there's GIT repo's which you can make merge requests and everything.
This also belongs in the Android section, but it seems you don't have enough posts to post in that section...
arrrghhh said:
If you know where the issue is occurring, then why not fix it?
You say you've sent logs, yet you don't attach them here.
You say you know where the issue occurs, but don't document it here, for everyone...?
If you honestly feel there's an issue with the code (which we all know there are still many) then please, submit a patch. Improvements are always welcome, there's GIT repo's which you can make merge requests and everything.
This also belongs in the Android section, but it seems you don't have enough posts to post in that section...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all I'm not looking for help fixing the problem from the forum at large. I'm looking for additional people with the error in order to prove it's not unique to my phone, something that you personally tried to claim on the bug tracker.
Second I know enough to be able to diagnose where the problem lies but unfortunately cell phones aren't my specialty so I have neither the knowledge of the android source code nor the code for interacting with cell phone hardware necessary to fix it or else I would have long before approaching the team with the problem. I figured giving you guys all the necessary details on the issue including all the dumps would have been enough to get it fixed in a time frame faster then I could have done it myself since you already know the system quite well but instead you blew off the issue claiming that since it doesn't happen to all Rhodium 210's it can't be a problem with the code and it must be my phone.
If you'd like me to resubmit the bug to the bug tracker I can do so with a fresh set of logcats and dmesg with the problem spots highlighted to make them easy to find along with any other details you might need about firmware versions, running software and condition under which android was launched since we both know having certain things on in Winmo will effect how things run in android.
Daemeon6.7 said:
First of all I'm not looking for help fixing the problem from the forum at large. I'm looking for additional people with the error in order to prove it's not unique to my phone, something that you personally tried to claim on the bug tracker.
Second I know enough to be able to diagnose where the problem lies but unfortunately cell phones aren't my specialty so I have neither the knowledge of the android source code nor the code for interacting with cell phone hardware necessary to fix it or else I would have long before approaching the team with the problem. I figured giving you guys all the necessary details on the issue including all the dumps would have been enough to get it fixed in a time frame faster then I could have done it myself since you already know the system quite well but instead you blew off the issue claiming that since it doesn't happen to all Rhodium 210's it can't be a problem with the code and it must be my phone.
If you'd like me to resubmit the bug to the bug tracker I can do so with a fresh set of logcats and dmesg with the problem spots highlighted to make them easy to find along with any other details you might need about firmware versions, running software and condition under which android was launched since we both know having certain things on in Winmo will effect how things run in android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty hard to fix an issue that only you can reproduce.
hyc hasn't had much time at all for XDAndroid lately. C'est la vie. He is the best one to look at it, but PMing him about the problem over and over isn't going to do any good. The bug you already submitted is fine. I don't know what else to tell you other than good luck.
arrrghhh said:
Pretty hard to fix an issue that only you can reproduce.
hyc hasn't had much time at all for XDAndroid lately. C'est la vie. He is the best one to look at it, but PMing him about the problem over and over isn't going to do any good. The bug you already submitted is fine. I don't know what else to tell you other than good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hence why I'm looking for more people with the problem. Once I find them then I can start searching for commonalities to help make it easier to fix by ruling out causes or if lucky find a specific trigger such as how having bluetooth on in Winmo will cause android not to go into full sleep.
Also only tried both once so as not to needless fill up his inbox. I figured he'll read one or the other eventually unless he's prone to deleting things without reading them.
Daemeon6.7 said:
Hence why I'm looking for more people with the problem. Once I find them then I can start searching for commonalities to help make it easier to fix by ruling out causes or if lucky find a specific trigger such as how having bluetooth on in Winmo will cause android not to go into full sleep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish you luck.
i have the same problem too... xdandroid 2.3, thaidai nice, everything works fine, but when i click Call End, the htc sleeps, and it suck for wake again.
htc Diamond
i find this on google, i think solve the problem, but i'm a android newbie ^^
This same thing was happening to me as well, up until a week ago. I had the latest incremental updates on FRX 7.1 , AT&T TILT 2 (Rhodium 300).
In addition, I was also seeing very bad performance lag, freezes, often eventually leading up to a reboot, and other issues which I chalked up to being I/O related whenever more than 3 or 4 large programs were running at once (such as Facebook, Google Maps, Browser, and Market 3.0).
After doing some research, I found out that my PNY 16GB Class10 MicroSD Card may be to blame since Class 10 cards (and maybe Class 6) have built-in hardware read-ahead, and doing any kind of Random Access I/O on them like these Android builds is less than ideal...
So I ditched the Class 10 card (gave it to my wife to use on her BB Torch) went up to Walmart and bought the Class4 Sandisk for only $29, formatted it in the same way with the HP USB FW format Tool using the card's native cluster size (32K), copied all files over as-is and sure enough using, the exact same installation, every last stability and performance issue has completely gone away. Froyo has been running rock-solid for three days now, and the call-answer bug isn't happening anymore either!
Unfortunately, I've become a veteran when it comes to ET4G GPS problems.
This thread is intended to summarize ET4G GPS issues, reported fixes, troubleshooting advice, and GPS related conversation in hopes of determining the root cause. Could be fixable, could be hardware, but I really want to get to the bottom of it. Let’s try.
I have been all around XDA and the rest of the interwebs for solutions. My personal frustration has been that most GPS issue posts result in standard advice to: download GPS Test from the market, re-install your ROM, or get back to stock and start over. That's actually great advice, and I've pursued it - just doesn't make a difference for some of us. Still worth a shot though.
Several members have great threads concerning specific approaches, and I'll reference those members and threads here. I don’t know of a true fix, but some trickery/mods appear to help a bit.
I’ll do my best to keep this up to date – referenced threads will include their own updates. If/when a true GPS fix pops-up…that’d be super! Let me know so we can validate and kill this thread.
My reference of “True Fix” refers to getting a fast, consistent, nav worthy GPS lock as the default operation, meaning no special mods of config file edits or special software. Kinda like if the GPS functionality on the device actually did what it was supposed to do. Alot of these options assume that you have root, if you don't want to root your device, best to talk to your local sprint store instead of XDA. The bright side of this approach: it may be the best one if this is purely hardware.
SO, if you have crap GPS on your ET4G and you want to take ownership of the issue (including whatever hell breaks loose when you start changing stuff) here is a fairly comprehensive list of the hoops that you can jump through at your own risk:
#1 USER ERROR Maybe you messed it up. I’m no expert, so when I root a phone and load unsanctioned software on it…I look in the mirror when I have problems.
Go back to stock and play normal. Thank SFHUB for compiling a great thread with reference to root, revert and more.
Wipe and retry flashing a recent release of your favorite ROM. Thank BARNACLES10 who has compiled damn near everything here.
JUST_S has a thorough reference thread (including a GPS section) here.
QBKING77 provides another awesome resource. If you are like me, pictures help. Moving pictures help even more and Qbking makes scores of great preview and instructional picture shows for the community.
#2 A-GPS tools Try augmenting your A-GPS by downloading apps that help your clear and refresh assisted GPS data and look for sats.
As I mentioned, Just_s has a GPS post on his reference thread listing apps and other goodies to try. I'm not trying replace that list, but will reference some of the same items as we'll refer to these in discussion of test results.
Here are the GPS helper apps that I've know of and have used:
GPS Test (has cool features even if your GPS is working great)
GPS Status & Toolbox
FasterFix
GPS Essentials
These apps are free and provide a myriad of GPS related stuff, including options to clear and update/refresh your A-GPS.
#3 Dialer codes
Some dialer codes may require you to enter your MSL (see Just_s thread for how to get yours).
It may be possible to reset the GPS with a dialer code. A code that we used in the past ##GPSCLRX## worked on the EVO 4g. Some users report it to be working on the ET4G, but I have been unable to confirm. This code requests my MSL, but does not appear to reboot after entry (which is what occurred on the EVO when entered).
I would LOVE to provide a link to the ET4G dialer codes here, but until I find a great source and will hold off. Several of the threads I have seen reference other phones and appear to by copy/paste from prior lists. I can get some of them to work, but not all (including the GPSCLRX). I don't want to keep publishing those - I'll list confirmed as working ET4G dialer codes as I validate. Of course, there is a chance (see #1 above) that I am doing something wrong here and will update this section as soon as someone sets me straight.
update: Here are the dialer codes and tests that I've completed. Don't mess with these for fun, just use if you know what you are doing and you need them.
*#2580# - ServiceMode - Works!
*#RIL# - Sec_RIL_Dump - Has the LogFileList Works!
##RTN# - Real-Time Network (RTN) Works!
*#DATA*SCREEN*# - DataCreate Works!
*#0BAT# - BatteryStatus Works!
##UPST# - PhoneUtil - UART/USB Works!
##GPSCLRX# - Reset the GPS - Requires MSL [does not work on ET4G]
*#1472365# GpsSetup [does not work on ET4G]
*#INFO*1111# Testing [does not work on ET4G]
*#0*# LCD TEST [does not work on ET4G]
##DATA# - Data Programming - Requires MSL [NOT TESTED]
##DEBUG# - Debug Menu - Requires MSL [NOT TESTED]
##AKEY# - Data A key menu - Requires MSL [NOT TESTED]
##<MSL># - Master Subsidy Lock - Requires MSL [NOT TESTED]
*#0VIB# - Device Test - Vibration Test [NOT TESTED]
*#0MP3# - MelodyTest [NOT TESTED]
*#7780# - Factory data reset [NOT TESTED]
*#232331# - BluetoothTest [NOT TESTED]
*#2664# - Touchscreen Accuracy Test [NOT TESTED]
*#0RTC# - RTCTimeRead - Displays Date and [NOT TESTED]
*#9900# - SysDump [NOT TESTED]
Here are some options that are sprinkled throughout XDA, often in forums other than the ET4G.
#4 DRIVERS Leaving room for more here, but as of now there are reports that flashing an alternate GPS driver may do something. This could be a sasquatch siting, but perhaps the sasquatch knocks something into place when flashed from CWM.
EVO Driver. Tough for me to locate the origin of this one, but daryelv is credited elsewhere and ebuechler3 has this thread. This daryelv post includes the file for DL as well.
colorado_al provides a different file to flash in this thread. Thanks!
#5 GPS Config file edits
At some point during your ET4G GPS woes, you ask yourself "what more can I do?", which is good! Sniffing around, you'll find that there is a config file used by the device GPS. There are some very interesting and quite brilliant mods being made here, with reports of improvement.
This thread by AngelDeath is incredible. AngelDeath bumped up the logic and intelligence of the GPS config. Impressive stuff, complete with fantastic write-up with pre-made files for your flashing consumption.
Xenova also has a great thread, providing instructions on making your own mods.
interloper also has a config file post here
#6 REPLACEMENT
Of course, taking the device back to Sprint and obtaining a replacement is an option. Might be a really good option and many members have reported it to resolve the issue.
If you took this approach, please share the experience. Specifically:
Did it resolve the issue or did you have to seek a 2nd replacement?
If resolved, did you notice anything identifyably different about the replacement like a different hardware version (menu>settings>about phone) or physical change?
How was the Sprint experience? Did they give you hell? Did they admit that they knew of an issue and were obliged to replace? Any information you can provide here could make it easier or faster for others.
If you have no GPS issues at all, congrats! For those of us that do, let's solidify what works and what doesn't. As great as it would be to find a fix, it will be equally rewarding to pin it down to certain devices so we can at least know that our only option is to exchange the device.
If you do jump in and post something along the lines of "my gps is working great ", please share your ROM, Baseband and Kernel in the hope that we'll discover a combo that is devoid of GPS bug.
I've personally clogged up other threads with meandering GPS talk, I hope this thread can help alleviate that issue while providing a place to discuss GPS specifically.
Will incorporate other information sources here.
The below video (by lattisimo) offers some evidence supporting hardware as the issue source. He received a replacement and demos GPS locking on the old and replacement :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpkiJeUQpvQ
Test results:
Re: #1
Here's what I did to mitigate issues that I may have caused:
1. used sfhub's back to stock
2. After allowing everything time to settle down, I turned GPS on and popped into the accuweather on first screen and tried to use my location. Was unable to obtain location.
3. Cleared GPS (##GPSCLRX# from dialer, entered my MSL). Hit OK to clear, but it did not reboot. Since there was no reboot, it is not clear if this did anything at all. I let it sit for 10 min then rebooted manually.
4. Went to GMaps after reboot (GPS on only, no network location) and got the standard "current location is temporarily unavailable" message.
5. Went ahead and cleared VRAM/Sprint login info (##72786# dialer, enter MSL, activation process. Reboot.
6. After reboot, still stock - let her sit for 5-10 mins. Got a notification for update (which is the EK02 2.3.6 official update). DLed and installed. Reboot, let it sit for 5min.
7. Back to maps, hit the location button - waited - after about 60 secs, I was found, accuracy was within 100 meters. Exit maps, back in, was located within 40 meters.
8. Exit maps - turned on sensor aiding, but left wireless network location OFF. Back to maps, "current location is temporarily unavailable", waited and hit it again- "current location is temporarily unavailable".
9. Exit maps, turned sensor aiding off, back to maps. Location found in about 20 secs, within 20 meters. Not too bad - no f'in idea why sensor aiding seemed to screw stuff up for a second. Sats cycled through found and dropped, still flaky.
Finding= GPS issues don't appear to be caused by my meddling
Re: #2
I used fasterfix initially (which BTW does reset your GPS config file back to original state). This is important to know if you are using GPS config file mods as fasterfix will overwrite them. Quick to find sats, but not a big help when it comes to NAV. Still lost signal a couple of times and flowed in and out of proximity (based on the number of sats connected).
Essentially the same result with all of the others.
Finding= AGPS updates help find sats, but doesn't seem to help keep them locked.
Re: #3
##GPSCLRX# doesn't work, don't have any leads to pursue here.
Finding = no dice
Re: #5
The use of custom GPS config files definitely improved my GPS function. AngelDeath's area-customized files are really nice work.
That being said, even while sitting still in my office, I see my location drifting over an area of about 500 meters. When using navigation, I was able to maintain a lock of 5-6 sats, which was useful. Unfortunately, this did cause the NAV to think I was on access roads (when I was on highway) or on the incorrect cross street at an intersection. Impressive work, and a major improvement, but still not solid.
FINDING= Improves lock speed, automates A-GPS refresh, but does not provide enough stability to count on your navigation. You'll get to your location - which is an improvement - but you may have a few missed turns or U turns along the way...
NICE WORK!
Nice work putting this together. Hopefully some positive things will come from it.
Like you, I have tried everything. Coming to this phone I knew that Samsung was known for crappy GPS performance. From day 1 the GPS has been hit or miss. Seems to work best after a reboot. I never get a lock indoors and outside it's hit or miss. So far I've ran stock, ViperRom and currently on Calkulin's 2.7 ROM. I've tried difference drivers, the config files and all the apps. Things seem great at first and go to crap within a day or so.
Considering that it always seems to be better after a reboot, I've wondered if there could be script or something to reset the GPS automatically. Much like Viper's LOS script and more recently the LOS Repair Daemon by Trifthen.
I'll be watching this closely.
every phone reacts differently to different solutions. the ultimate solution is to just have sprint replace it with a new one that doesn't have gps problems.
This is a pretty major issue so I'm glad you took the initiative to start a GPS specific thread. IMO, this is the last major issue on this phone (LoS and sound/ games bug having been resolved in the latest leaks.)
I'm going to link this thread in the Toolkit because I think it is going to get some good movement. I'm also going to list any new methods that may arise. Don't think you can have too much information on this type of issue. And every phone reacts differently so many options is a good thing. Thanks for doing this.
All that said, as mentioned in the post above mine, based on everything I've learned, I really believe this is a hardware issue. A return may be the only real fix.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Just_s said:
This is a pretty major issue so I'm glad you took the initiative to start a GPS specific thread. IMO, this is the last major issue on this phone (LoS and sound/ games bug having been resolved in the latest leaks.)
I'm going to link this thread in the Toolkit because I think it is going to get some good movement. I'm also going to list any new methods that may arise. Don't think you can have too much information on this type of issue. And every phone reacts differently so many options is a good thing. Thanks for doing this.
All that said, as mentioned in the post above mine, based on everything I've learned, I really believe this is a hardware issue. A return may be the only real fix.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - agree as to it being the final issue, a shame as I really love the phone. I'm certainly leaning the way of hardware as well. I hope to prove it...somehow...
**** trying to fix it just return yours and get a new one. i did and my gps works absolutely perfect.
paniro187 said:
**** trying to fix it just return yours and get a new one. i did and my gps works absolutely perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya, will be taking mine in soon enough, just want to get to the bottom of the issue (if possible). When you exchanged yours, how did that go? Curious to see if they admitted that it was a known hardware issue - what information did they offer?
I've really let Sprint have it mad more times than I can remember, but it expends alot of time and energy. Since there are many people with the issue, if we can collect enough info from experiences like yours, perhaps we can provide some ammo for them to expedite the replacement when they commence the "confrontation".
It seems like GPS craps out after the phone goes to sleep for me. Looking in GPS Status, it's finding satellites but not locking onto any of them. I've tried to disable and re-enable GPS but that doesn't help, only a restart does.
Edit: Found a fix for my issue! Opened Terminal Emulator, typed gpsd, hit enter and the GPS service came back. Not sure what's causing it to die in the first place but I imagine it can be fixed in an update.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
paniro187 said:
**** trying to fix it just return yours and get a new one. i did and my gps works absolutely perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to do that except for the fact that I don't want to pay the deductible because of the ****ty GPS. Sigh.
Undervolting really messes up my GPS and Data Speeds. You might want to add this to the list of things to check.
I'M NOT YELLING said:
I'd love to do that except for the fact that I don't want to pay the deductible because of the ****ty GPS. Sigh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do what I did go to Odin then Odin a kernel in the phone slot. This creates a soft brick. If you want to unbrick Odin a modem in the phone phone slot. Take it to sprint say say I don't know wat happened. (When it tries to boot it will just say you have to update drivers. They sent me a new one to the store with no paying a deductible.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
The CM7/EVO driver was the only fix I tried, but currently works for me. May be a placebo effect, but it only takes a few seconds to lock on now. (used to take up to a minute if at all) This is on EK02 rooted stock btw. I'm gonna test it some more once I move back to my college town.
EL29 locks very quickly for me
Korey_Nicholson said:
EL29 locks very quickly for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had you experienced issues prior to EL29? I am on Calk's 2.8, EL29 all the way. No change for me.
EVO driver was the only fix that reliably works for me. Tried it with all radio/modem updates and first fix is now within 10-20 seconds and GPS position is also more accurate. This is the one I used with my EVO and have been using with the E4GT.
Edit - different driver than posted by OP but is what I used for my CM7.1 EVO and works for my E4GT - this is qualcomm 1.1 driver
I normally don't use any scripts or other GPS setup programs but if a fix is not found within 30 seconds I do try GPS Status. Fix is fastest in GMaps, but also good in GNavigation and TeleNav
PS- must flash after flashing ROM or ROM updates
Curently on Calk's 2.7 and modem EL29
Currently running CM7/EVO driver + a gps script and it's been running way better. Prior to installing driver I just had the script. With the driver, it seems to lock even faster with stronger locks. I'll keep testing it out the rest of the week.
Knock on wood that this is a fix for me. Like others have said, getting a new phone is the only real consistent option.
I've never had GPS issues, running EL29 modem and kernel and Blazer ROM. I guess I got lucky. I used to have so many issues with my old EVO, especially on AOSP. Glad I dodged the bullet on this one
colorado_al said:
EVO driver was the only fix that reliably works for me. Tried it with all radio/modem updates and first fix is now within 10-20 seconds and GPS position is also more accurate. This is the one I used with my EVO and have been using with the E4GT.
Edit - different driver than posted by OP but is what I used for my CM7.1 EVO and works for my E4GT - this is qualcomm 1.1 driver
I normally don't use any scripts or other GPS setup programs but if a fix is not found within 30 seconds I do try GPS Status. Fix is fastest in GMaps, but also good in GNavigation and TeleNav
PS- must flash after flashing ROM or ROM updates
Curently on Calk's 2.7 and modem EL29
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, driver testing is next for me. I've updated the postings and actually had some improvement with AngelDeath's config file for my area. Not perfect, but certainly better than before. I kinda hate the config file approach though - I travel for work and need GPS to avoid getting lost (which is a talent of mine). Just want GPS to work. When I was overseas with my good 'ol EVO, the geotagged pictures worked flawlessly - was not connected to any network or wifi the whole time.
I started investigating this in sbrissen's AOSP JB thread when I was running Alpha 5 (Awesome ROM btw). In the interest of not hijacking/derailing this thread, I think it is time we finally figure out why in the world our phone's GPS is so flaky. The solution is almost assuredly in software.
Items of note:
Modem - Our devices GPS is housed within the Qualcomm QSC6085 silicon. Within there, according to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1343072 indicates that we have a pretty powerful SiRFStarIV chip. Thus, flashing new modems can affect our interaction with the GPS chip.
Additionally, the aforementioned thread indicates the AGPS is not used on our phone.
I've confirmed that AGPS is not used on our phone via the following logcat:
Code:
D/GPSD ( 1767): load_xtra_bin: buf_len 50000
E/GPSD ( 1767): load_xtra_bin: open /data/gps/xtra.bin failed. Permission denied.
E/GPSD ( 1767): No cached xtra.bin. request to download new binary.
Perhaps with enough digging, we can find where our GPS gets stuck.
-GP
(FYI: Getting a fix on a GB ROM and then immediately flashing is not the solution. At best, the ARM Cortex M3 that operates our baseband, must store data in its own cache since it was recently accessed.)
Update: We have evidence that, in order to save costs on the SPH-D710, the SurfStarIV was removed and our AP (Exynos 4210) handles all GPS duties.
----------------------------------------------
Update 01/23/2013:
First off, I'm sorry for the lack of communication. Second off, I wish I had better news. To respond to a lot of the posts in the thread... this development is all but dead for a couple reasons:
1. IDA Pro is >$1000. IDA Free is free, but doesn't support ARM. I've been using IDA Pro Evaluation, but it only allows a certain amount of use before exiting and does not allow me to save my IDB files (Files that contain refactoring, comments, and changes). I dealt with it for a while, but it is extremely cumbersome to try and deal with while reversing an application of this size.
2. Despite the fact that it would be neat for us to completely understand the modem, it is unlikely that the modem image is directly related to our problem. Our phone has the Qualcomm QSC8085 CDMA Baseband processor. The modem.bin contains, in essence, a completely separate OS that runs in real time all the time (Commonly referred to as an RTOS or Real Time Operating System).
This OS has a lot of responsibilities such as tower negotiations and handoffs, maintaining account information with Sprint, among other things. It likely interfaces with a data buffer that is handled, in part, by the RIL (Radio Interface Layer) which is part of the Android Kernel. Aside from that, it is unknown everything else that the radio has access/control over.
With all of this in mind, it is *possible* that it has some manner of control over the GPS; however, the extent is unclear. Given that we can wipe the EFS partition, flash new Radio Images, and reprovision our phone with virtually no effect on GPS, we can conclude that the problem is unlikely to reside in this image.
--------------------
There are a couple things to consider:
1. Based on all of the above data, it is possible/likely that a small portion of flash memory (Perhaps SRAM (Synchronous RAM) - very small, very fast, very expensive, used for processor cache) is located on the die of the Qualcomm chip that stores data. Because this storage is not accessible to us (Though perhaps the radio OS has access in some way) it persists across data wipes. This would explain why a lock achieved on a TW based ROM will persist across flashes.
2. If we assume the above conclusion has any merit, it is possible/likely that the GPS Daemon or a similar closed source driver packaged with the kernel is not working entirely as expected. It would be very prudent to look into some of these closed source binaries and see what information could be extracted from them; however, they are, ARM binaries and would run into the same obstacles as I outlined above.
3. The tweaks and applications (ie: GPS Status, AngryGPS) that are so widely spread around our forums, while they are useful in optimizing a currently operational GPS, they will NOT/NOT suddenly make a GPS begin to work (This is not meant as a slight to those developers publishing the tweaks. They are, I'm sure, excellent developers who have found fantastic ways to optimize/tweak the functionality of various functions).
When flashing these tweaks, it is important to remember that you are dealing with an extremely complex piece of electronics with many shifting variables. In other words, coincidences happen. A bug fix is only truly a bug fix if it works consistently over a wide set of cases.
--------------
If there is enough developer interest (ie: ONLY those who have significant assembly language or RE experience) and if someone can come up with another way of disassembling ARM binaries, PM me and we can entertain a group effort over a few files that may yield some results.
-Gamingphreek
Edit: Just thought of this... objdump is not a viable disassembler for a binary of this size/complexity. Refactoring and Cross Referencing is all but a necessity.
I wiped and flashed the latest CM9 Nightly. While the first lock took a few minutes, all subsequent locks have been nearly instantaneous.
While JB vs ICS may make this weird, I'm going to look at the diffs over the relevant files. I'd be particularly interest to see the results of a bdiff (Binary Diff) of the GPS Driver across different ROMs.
I used qualcomms qpst program and checked an extra setting under the gps tab and i get almost instant locks. You go through the steps like you are going to manually update a prl but stop at the click roam tab and scroll over to the gps tab. I will have to look in the morning at exactly what the box was that i checked. I did this about a month ago and i have faster locks than ive ever had with any phone.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Bump
dohchp said:
I used qualcomms qpst program and checked an extra setting under the gps tab and i get almost instant locks. You go through the steps like you are going to manually update a prl but stop at the click roam tab and scroll over to the gps tab. I will have to look in the morning at exactly what the box was that i checked. I did this about a month ago and i have faster locks than ive ever had with any phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please keep us updated with that program.
Another quick question for discussion. Are quick alterations to the gps.conf likely to make any significant changes, or is it all placebo?
After reading through the thread referenced in the OP I found the app mentioned on page 4. Even after i changed my build prop to GT-9100 the app GPS control SiRF refused to work. I emailed the developer to see what tweaks he is using underneath to enable the sleep mode on our SiRF IV gps chip. I'm awaiting feedback and will share any info the we might be able to apply into the Gps lib or through direct ways
dohchp said:
I used qualcomms qpst program and checked an extra setting under the gps tab and i get almost instant locks. You go through the steps like you are going to manually update a prl but stop at the click roam tab and scroll over to the gps tab. I will have to look in the morning at exactly what the box was that i checked. I did this about a month ago and i have faster locks than ive ever had with any phone.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you get this software from? I'm desperate to improve my GPS in anyway possible.
I'M NOT YELLING said:
Where did you get this software from? I'm desperate to improve my GPS in anyway possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Refer to this thread.
dohchp said:
I used qualcomms qpst program and checked an extra setting under the gps tab and i get almost instant locks. You go through the steps like you are going to manually update a prl but stop at the click roam tab and scroll over to the gps tab. I will have to look in the morning at exactly what the box was that i checked. I did this about a month ago and i have faster locks than ive ever had with any phone.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok the information that Dohchp posted got me thinking so I started following what he did. However once to the GPS screen only the top box was selected and I had no clue what the rest meant so I searched and besides finding out what each thing means I found this site with a guide for blackberries. I decided what the heck I'll try before the hack it took 82 seconds to lock here in northern Idaho with mountains all around after the hack it took 17 seconds.
http://bbsoftware.weebly.com/uploads/1/7/9/3/1793039/gps_limitations_pdf.pdf
I take no credit for this since all I did was a little research. I have only had this on my phone for about 5 minutes now and will continue to test it out. if you screw up your phone that is your fault for not reading enough before doing stuff to it. If you are afraid to screw up your phone then don't mess with it.
Update: disabled GPS waited a few minutes turned it back on locked in 16s got 9 sats was only getting 4 sats before the modification
Not sure that is matters but I am using Calk's 3.0 GB rom and like Bigt2003's post below me I have been using Faster Fix from the market. However even with that I was getting the times I posted here in the valley.
update: 45 minutes after the mod. While standing in the yard I enabled the gps and had a lock in 24s. I then walked into my apartment to it's closest to center location and ,not surprising, Imidiately lost all satilites gaining them back with in 16s of moving back outside. Probably to much info but better to have too much than not enough.
Update: after just a few hours with the GPS left on but not mapping software running my lock is taking just as long as it did before 81s to lock all locks after that are sub 20s but that is after it's initial lock. So this method is a bust unless a slight variation of the settings changes something. There were no ill effects to doing this that I noticed.
Don't know if it will help but I'm just reporting what worked for me. I'm using phantom's alpha 4.3 (jb) and I couldn't get a lock for over an hour. I had no satellites showing in GPS Status. I used Faster Fix from the market and set the location North America. I rebooted and locked on to 7/8 in 12 seconds. It may not be a technical repair, but it worked for me.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
All you did was enable all the gps features?
dohchp said:
I used qualcomms qpst program and checked an extra setting under the gps tab and i get almost instant locks. You go through the steps like you are going to manually update a prl but stop at the click roam tab and scroll over to the gps tab. I will have to look in the morning at exactly what the box was that i checked. I did this about a month ago and i have faster locks than ive ever had with any phone.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
calisro said:
All you did was enable all the gps features?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Enabled and the info to the right as well the Ip address and such. I made it so that when I read from the phone It matched the screen from the guide exactly.
I must point out that once written to the phone, the phone will reboot. As is generally the case the GPS locks very fast right after a reboot, at least for me, so all this could just be that and not actually doing a thing to resolve the issue of getting a lock hours or days later.
I had read the sirf gps chip was removed in the sph-D710 to save money and only uses the built in exynos chip for gps.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
rocket321 said:
I had read the sirf gps chip was removed in the sph-D710 to save money and only uses the built in exynos chip for gps.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are possibly correct about the chip since we don't have the sirfgps.conf in /etc that is in the international S2. Guess I'll start looking for a link showing it was in fact removed or not.
Update: It appears that Rocket321 may be correct after just a few hours my locks are taking just as long as before to get the initial lock. 81s so this possible solution is in fact not a solution.
Nannuq said:
ok the information that Dohchp posted got me thinking so I started following what he did. However once to the GPS screen only the top box was selected and I had no clue what the rest meant so I searched and besides finding out what each thing means I found this site with a guide for blackberries. I decided what the heck I'll try before the hack it took 82 seconds to lock here in northern Idaho with mountains all around after the hack it took 17 seconds.
http://bbsoftware.weebly.com/uploads/1/7/9/3/1793039/gps_limitations_pdf.pdf
I take no credit for this since all I did was a little research. I have only had this on my phone for about 5 minutes now and will continue to test it out. if you screw up your phone that is your fault for not reading enough before doing stuff to it. If you are afraid to screw up your phone then don't mess with it.
Update: disabled GPS waited a few minutes turned it back on locked in 16s got 9 sats was only getting 4 sats before the modification
Not sure that is matters but I am using Calk's 3.0 GB rom and like Bigt2003's post below me I have been using Faster Fix from the market. However even with that I was getting the times I posted here in the valley.
update: 45 minutes after the mod. While standing in the yard I enabled the gps and had a lock in 24s. I then walked into my apartment to it's closest to center location and ,not surprising, Imidiately lost all satilites gaining them back with in 16s of moving back outside. Probably to much info but better to have too much than not enough.
Update: after just a few hours with the GPS left on but not mapping software running my lock is taking just as long as it did before 81s to lock all locks after that are sub 20s but that is after it's initial lock. So this method is a bust unless a slight variation of the settings changes something. There were no ill effects to doing this that I noticed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good news on my end. I wasn't even getting a lock in CM10, at all, before this method. Mobile Odin'd back to EL29 and with that Blackberry guide I checked all the boxes in the gpsOne box, but I didn't enter in the IP or PDE port number. Flashed back to CM10 and had a lock in what I believe was the fastest I've had with this phone, ever (under 30 seconds). Accuracy was only up to 30-100 meters, though. I'll update this post again tomorrow with how goes the next lock.
I think we need to distinguish between the "GPS problems"we have.
Problem A is a GPS that doesn't lock at all.
Problem B is GPS that locks after a reboot but after idling for a long time, GPS becomes non functional. A reboot however typically fixes this.
I have problem B for example. However, after lashing Dark_Knight's_GPS_Fix, I've had really good luck with GPS. I even get locks after extended periods and even indoors at time. Accuracy is typically around 4-6M with 8+ satellites.
Link: http://forums.androidcentral.com/ep.../183562-mod-fix-gps-dark_knights_gps_fix.html
Anyone else run that fix? Thoughts?
puch0021 said:
I think we need to distinguish between the "GPS problems"we have.
Problem A is a GPS that doesn't lock at all.
Problem B is GPS that locks after a reboot but after idling for a long time, GPS becomes non functional. A reboot however typically fixes this.
I have problem B for example. However, after lashing Dark_Knight's_GPS_Fix, I've had really good luck with GPS. I even get locks after extended periods and even indoors at time. Accuracy is typically around 4-6M with 8+ satellites.
Link: http://forums.androidcentral.com/ep.../183562-mod-fix-gps-dark_knights_gps_fix.html
Anyone else run that fix? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd take caution flashing anything he made as he was found out to be a hack and a thief. He was banned and all his threads locked.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
puch0021 said:
I think we need to distinguish between the "GPS problems"we have.
Problem A is a GPS that doesn't lock at all.
Problem B is GPS that locks after a reboot but after idling for a long time, GPS becomes non functional. A reboot however typically fixes this.
I have problem B for example. However, after lashing Dark_Knight's_GPS_Fix, I've had really good luck with GPS. I even get locks after extended periods and even indoors at time. Accuracy is typically around 4-6M with 8+ satellites.
Link: http://forums.androidcentral.com/ep.../183562-mod-fix-gps-dark_knights_gps_fix.html
Anyone else run that fix? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seems PLACEBO to me.
---------- Post added at 02:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 PM ----------
WhiteWidows said:
I'd take caution flashing anything he made as he was found out to be a hack and a thief. He was banned and all his threads locked.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what he hack and steal? LOL
I'M NOT YELLING said:
Good news on my end. I wasn't even getting a lock in CM10, at all, before this method. Mobile Odin'd back to EL29 and with that Blackberry guide I checked all the boxes in the gpsOne box, but I didn't enter in the IP or PDE port number. Flashed back to CM10 and had a lock in what I believe was the fastest I've had with this phone, ever (under 30 seconds). Accuracy was only up to 30-100 meters, though. I'll update this post again tomorrow with how goes the next lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh, woke up, went outside for a lock and didn't get anything at all. Just like it was before. Sigh.
I'M NOT YELLING said:
Eh, woke up, went outside for a lock and didn't get anything at all. Just like it was before. Sigh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the exact same issues. I've tried fasterfix and both gps fixes that have been posted on these boards. Have not had any success. I can get a GPS fix after maybe 5 minutes OUSTIDE with NO trees or buildings nearby. Once it locks in, if I move, I lose the signal again.
If I stand still the sats will slowly drop off and I'll be lost again. I took it to sprint and then wouldn't look at it until it's back to unrooted stock. That's my next move.