Develop Bugs

Kaiser 110 problems

Greetings all --
I am posting this request for help because I've exhausted just about every other resource. The community support and documentation is great and I have learned quite a bit in a matter of days. You all are great!
Here's my situation. I have the HTC 8900 (KAIS110). Not the 8925 like most seem to have. It is my understanding that 3 versions of the "Kaiser" were made, or at least submitted to FCC for approval, and that the 8900 was to go to AT&T (branded on phone), but was canceled in lieu of the 8925. This is the non-camera version.
For reference, the following information is listed in the battery compartment:
HTC 8900
KAIS110
FCC ID: NM8KS
SKU: 64760
P/N: 99HCY091-00
Made in Taiwan
Currently:
HardSPL 3.56
Radio: 1.71.09.01
Myn's Warm Donut RLS5
kallt_kaffe's kernel 2010-06-06 (kaiser/240x320/donut/panel 2/tilt options used in LoserSkaters NBH Editor)
Problems:
1. Installing OS (Sys+Data on NAND), dmesg output shows "Block 711 is bad". Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be a problem as the OS would remap to a new block. This could also be an issue with yaffs, or a few other things, and not even be bad. But the question remains, is this causing problems?
2. Attempting to run Calibrate Screen results in error with the following message: "The application Calibrate Screen (process org.isageek.dasbrennen.CalibrateScreen) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again. [Force close]". I have not seen a recent post in response to whether this problem persists with all builds, or if I am just lucky like that.
3. GPS does not want to play nice. From the app store, I install GPS by Andrea Baccega. Sometimes I get a single satellite to display, once I saw 3 on screen. Unfortunately, none of the other fields (long/lat) were populated which tells me something is wrong.
Dmesg output:
GPS:env_mask=0
GPS:date=00002000
GPS:time=000000 hlat=0 llat=0 hlng=0 llng=0
GPS:speed=0 bearing=0
GPS: has been tickled!
4. Using the phone on T-Mobile, why can I not get 3G working? It keeps going back to EDGE. I have the Android data plan as well.
5. Voice search is quite flaky. Sometimes it works great once, maybe a few times in a row, and then it just stops working and presents me with the Try Again / Cancel screen, after which, there is no longer audio for phone calls. From what I can tell using Dev Tools, looks like VoiceSearch is hanging due to an issue with Mediaserver. I recall seeing this issue, or a similar one, surface in the forums but there was not much information pertaining to it that I could find.
6. The following errors appear in the dmesg output; I am posting the list just in case one or more messages are beyond the scope of normal operations:
mmc1: host does not support reading read-only switch. assuming ite-enable.
Init: cannot open '/initlogo.rle'
[RR] ERROR no local ept for prog 02000031 replying anyway!!
audio_enable()
audpp: DMA missed
audio timer expired
audio_disable()
audmgr: DISABLED
binder: send failed reply for transaction 5448 to 149:221
7. As stated above, this phone lacks a camera. The slot where the camera goes, just has a cover over it. Looks like I should be able to pop a replacement in the spot. Anyone know the part number of the rear camera, or where I might find one? I can only seem to locate the front-camera on various web sites.
Thanks all!

1. bad blocks are common, yaffs reports them, and marks them as unusable, they have no effect on running Android, ( one of my kais130's has about 10 bad blocks, works fine).
2. Thats normal also, not sure if calibration app has ever worked, although i think there is a console based one that does, never had to use it though.
3. GPS may or may not work properly depending on a number of factors, which build and NBH are used, also which gps software is used also, best combo I have found so far are the Kallt_Kaffe NBH's and Myn's warm Eclair, with GPS test (free or pro). Also note that initial fixes take some time, up to, or over 5 minutes, depending on conditions, etc.
4. Not sure, could be a number of factors again, build, local 3G coverage, APN setup, etc.
5. Never used voice search, but it is known to be pretty flakey, again build plays a large part.
6. I know that there are normally errors on boot, the audio ones are not normal however, could be due to using an older radio, or perhaps some rare kais110 issue, can't actually recall anyone reporting issues with kais110 hardware.
7. Not sure if it's possible to just add a rear camera, it'll depend if the supporting electronics were fitted to allow it to work or not, also unsure where to look for one, although you may be able to get a part number off the service manuals, ( should be in the xda-wiki pages ).

TMobile and AT&T use different 3G frequencies, so an AT&T phone such as your won't do 3G on TMobile. The EDGE will work fine, but slow of course.

purpleonyx said:
3. GPS does not want to play nice. From the app store, I install GPS by Andrea Baccega. Sometimes I get a single satellite to display, once I saw 3 on screen. Unfortunately, none of the other fields (long/lat) were populated which tells me something is wrong.
Dmesg output:
GPS:env_mask=0
GPS:date=00002000
GPS:time=000000 hlat=0 llat=0 hlng=0 llng=0
GPS:speed=0 bearing=0
GPS: has been tickled!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use GPS Test (chartcross ltd), free version from Market. Configure it to not turn off display (keep it from going to sleep). Plug in a charger (if you wan to) and leave it near a window.
Within 5-10 minutes you should have a fix. After that, getting a fix normally happens within seconds. Depending on how much time has passed since you last used your GPS and also the distance you moved it while having it turned off also affects the time to get a fix.
Also blocking the top of the phone with your hand is not a good idea as it seems to be an effective way of blocking the GPS signals.

kallt_kaffe said:
Use GPS Test (chartcross ltd), free version from Market. Configure it to not turn off display (keep it from going to sleep). Plug in a charger (if you wan to) and leave it near a window.
Within 5-10 minutes you should have a fix. After that, getting a fix normally happens within seconds. Depending on how much time has passed since you last used your GPS and also the distance you moved it while having it turned off also affects the time to get a fix.
Also blocking the top of the phone with your hand is not a good idea as it seems to be an effective way of blocking the GPS signals.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response -- I had tried that over the past 2 nights, but it never took. It just did however, during the day, which is odd. I also switched to a 1.64.08.21 version of the radio today, and it worked. Previous attempts were under 1.71.09.01, 1.70.19.09 and 1.70.18.02 that resulted in failure. Odd.
Is there a way to view all roms installed, for everything? OS, kernel, radio, splash/boot, etc? I am wondering if something got hung up during flashing, or something didnt get wiped out.
Thanks!

purpleonyx said:
Thanks for the response -- I have done this several times (left it going for 10+ hrs at the max time), and it picks up 4-5 satellites, but nothing ever occurs. It sits there with the yellow light, and all of the numbers show in the 20's to very low 30's, which seems like it's a very weak signal, or a high signal/noise ratio. Could this be a radio issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
20-30 actually should be enough. Anything above 40 is excellent and not seen very often. And I'm using the same Radio so that should be the problem. Don't know really. Does it work in WinMo?

kallt_kaffe said:
20-30 actually should be enough. Anything above 40 is excellent and not seen very often. And I'm using the same Radio so that should be the problem. Don't know really. Does it work in WinMo?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had no problem working under winmo before i flashed android to nand. It had no delay in picking it up either. I just rebooted the phone and launched google navigator, and it's taking forever again, searching for gps it says.
If you want to use me as a guinea pig, feel free. I ended up ordering the nokia n900, as i need something working now. I am considering keeping the kaiser 110 to screw around with though. It would make a good backup device anyways. I tried Myn's Warm Eclair on it, but it dragged its legs and had too many problems. Myn's Warm Donut however, functions near perfectly and is quite fast. I've oc'd the processor to 450 MHz which provides a noticeable speed boost. I'm using your latest 2010.06.06 kernel with it. I've been questioning whether or not display 2 and 3 are the same on this model -- sure behaves the same.
-update: Phone comes to a crawl, and then locks up when GPS is used. Both the GPS Test and Google Nav.

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

[GPS Troubleshoot] Sprint ET4G GPS Fix discussion

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.

GPS on Archos 101G9

anybody can use gps on archos 101g9? can't get no sat fix. app gpstest does not show any satellite. is this a further bug in ics?
running rooted ics 4.05 for sde (surdu_petru).

I have a Archos 80(same hardware though) and my GPS works fine on firmware 4.0.5
And if I may say so wow is it good, I get a GPS lock inside my house after about 20-30 seconds
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S

DarkhShadow said:
I have a Archos 80(same hardware though) and my GPS works fine on firmware 4.0.5
And if I may say so wow is it good, I get a GPS lock inside my house after about 20-30 seconds
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmh, where is my mistake? can't get gps lock with google maps, navigation and so on. car navigation is impossible. gps search is endless inhouse and outdoor
settings location + security:
"use wireless networks = off"
"use gps satellites = on"
"use location for google search = off"
edit:
found this in another forum
http://www.forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=64272
can anybody confirm?

Mine works great. I'm using 80g9. My archos is now my traveling/adventure teblet. I have two and like the screen size for jps etc in my jeep?
Sent from my ARCHOS 80G9 using Tapatalk

It's little bit mystic...
Hey guys,
last week i also thought about open up a thread related to GPS issues on the Gen9 series, because i had some trouble to get a fix as well.
I'm using an Archos 80 G9.
4carlos said:
mmh, where is my mistake? can't get gps lock with google maps, navigation and so on. car navigation is impossible. gps search is endless inhouse and outdoor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same with my device at first.
I used the rooted ICS 4.0.5 and GPS Status from the market and started some experiments.
There'd been no response from the GPS part at all.
After some time i used a serial port api tool to directly connect to ttyO0.
Though the GPS part uses some hex protocol i had been able to get a response from the chip, but it was not human readable.
So this way i made sure there's no hardware damage on my UART interface or GPS chipset.
Afterwards i did some hard resets and checked settings of the UART by typing:
Code:
stty -F /dev/ttyO0
I started to run GPS Status again and also deleted my AGPS data by using the tools menu. Then i changed GPS Status setup to stay active and prevent device from sleep.
I took a while, but then the first satellite came in sight, still no fix.
Next day i did the same after some time more and more satellite where seen, but still no fix.
I restarted my device again to boot stock firmware.
Same again... more and more satellites became visible... but then... suddenly a fix. In fact it took very very long and i'm not very satisfied with the situation.
After i re-booted to rooted firmware again i was able to get a fix here as well.
The signal reception is still far from being nice though.
Try to get a fix with stock firmware first, then reboot and check again with rooted firmware.
4carlos said:
settings location + security:
"use wireless networks = off"
"use gps satellites = on"
"use location for google search = off"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should be no problem with this setup.
AFAIK, these three settings address different services.
GPS should be set of course.
4carlos said:
http://www.forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=64272
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice thread, but people start to mix things up at some point.
Though the GPS and location service on Android OS is quite mystic, i'll try to concentrate on some facts.
Hardware:
- NL5550 chipset used on Archos Gen9 is up to date and not that bad
(merged into WL1283 chipset, see http://www.murata-ws.com/com7.htm)
- Due to hugh shielding areas, GPS reception is not the best with tablets (if compared to handsets).
- GPS antenna and position of the antenna seems to be problematic
Software:
- Firmware setup changed form HC to ICS
- size of the patch file for the chip had grown in ICS
(mabye they wanted to make thinks better, but they got worse)
So what could be done...
Hardware:
- I started searching for a better antenna to be placed in the housing
(e.g. helical/helix antenna)
- Place a HF-connector on the mainboard to use an external antenna
Software:
- Extract the firmware files from HC and try this setup for ICS
- try to find other devices based on the navilink chipset and compare their firmware setup
Basically GPS works on ICS and things in fact are not related to ICS itself.
Some firmware tweaks might be the cause of these issues.
The basic construcion of the hardware could have some side-effects on this as well.
Some people seem to have no trouble at all, so at least GPS reception is of course little bit depended on the weather and the area you live in.
I may post the HC firmware files here, if you like to try the HC setup on your device.
Cheers,
scholbert

GPS lib loops
Hi,
I can ONLY get my GPS to lock on if the wifi and location services are enabled and working.
This is because, the gpslib tries to speed up the lock and position information by going out on the internet and firstly fetch the time from the main European ntp server.
Looking at the system logs, it appears to get into an infinite loop waiting for a time update.
Therefore my gps WILL NEVER WORK if actuated with NO wifi.
However..... If I start the GPS application, (I am using mmaps) with the wifi on and the locaation services on I get a good lock, with 10-12 satellites with the Archos INSIDE my house, within a few minutes. (There is nothing wrong with the sensitivity of the GPS engine!)
If I then stop the app and turn off the Wifi and location serves and restart the app it will get a lock in a few seconds and stay working until I power down the Archos.
This is OK apart from the problem that I want to use the Archos in my car with no wifi.
cheers
Patrick

Hey superpat999!
superpat999 said:
I can ONLY get my GPS to lock on if the wifi and location services are enabled and working.
This is because, the gpslib tries to speed up the lock and position information by going out on the internet and firstly fetch the time from the main European ntp server.
Looking at the system logs, it appears to get into an infinite loop waiting for a time update.
Therefore my gps WILL NEVER WORK if actuated with NO wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, thanks for pointing at this.
Try to disable automatic time sync in time & date settings menu and check again.
You should definitely get a fix without setting the other location services or having wifi enabled all the time.
superpat999 said:
However..... If I start the GPS application, (I am using mmaps) with the wifi on and the locaation services on I get a good lock, with 10-12 satellites with the Archos INSIDE my house, within a few minutes. (There is nothing wrong with the sensitivity of the GPS engine!)
If I then stop the app and turn off the Wifi and location serves and restart the app it will get a lock in a few seconds and stay working until I power down the Archos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
O.k. this is also very helpful information. I must admit that sensitivity is not that bad, but could be further improved... that's why i also talked about hardware in my last post.
superpat999 said:
This is OK apart from the problem that I want to use the Archos in my car with no wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As stated above... getting a fix without wifi should work, i'm pretty sure.
Thanks again for this detailed descriptions!
Regards,
scholbert

big thanks for descriptions!
seems like a complicated science for a simple functionality
my older external sirf 3 receiver need only 5 minutes for sat fix after cold start (very cloudy!) and 10 up to 15 seconds in warm state. i wonder why the archos is much slower.
ok, i will give a new chance an try it again and again and again...and report later.
regards,
4carlos

Assisted GPS !!!!!
Hi,
Unfortunately The Archos uses assisted GPS
I am not allowed to post links yet so see:- the wikipedia entry for assisted GPS
The Archos "might" use the Qualcomm chipset "GPSONE" , I am not sure but a lot of phone makers use it:-
see the wikipedia entry for GPSONE
Like I said in a previous post in the other place, I wish Android tablets were not still so mobile phone centric.
cheers
P

superpat999 said:
The Archos "might" use the Qualcomm chipset "GPSONE" , I am not sure but a lot of phone makers use it:-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please refer to my post above:
Hardware:
- NL5550 chipset used on Archos Gen9 is up to date and not that bad
(merged into WL1283 chipset, see http://www.murata-ws.com/com7.htm)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Archos uses TI NaviLink chipset. GPSONE is Qualcomm only and there's no Qualcomm chip inside our units.
TI NaviLink supports AGPS as well but it does not rely on that.
In other words even without assisted data you'll get a fix... sooner or later
Assisted GPS is always an option to get faster fix.
Did you try again with disabled automatic network time setting?
Regards,
scholbert

libgps loops!
Hi Scholbert
Thanks for correction re type of gps chip. Why I thought there was a GPSONE chip in the Archos was because the /etc/gps.conf uses the Qualcomm extra server site , see below.
However I still maintain there is an infinite loop in the ICS (or Archos modded) libgps. I have left the machine on for 8 hours and never got a lock without wifi.
I cannot post the /etc/gps.conf and the log here because I am too noob yet.
Instead have a look at my post here:-
forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=64272#p396064
regards
Patrick

Hey superpat999!
superpat999 said:
Thanks for correction re type of gps chip. Why I thought there was a GPSONE chip in the Archos was because the /etc/gps.conf uses the Qualcomm extra server site , see below.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah no problem, i'm a hardware addict... so if you need some info about the chips of G9 ask me
superpat999 said:
However I still maintain there is an infinite loop in the ICS (or Archos modded) libgps. I have left the machine on for 8 hours and never got a lock without wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you're right... I made some further tests and must confirm, that i observed the same behaviour. This in fact is really annoying...
The GPS receiver receives satellite information (satellites can be "seen"), but there's no fix without beeing connected to the networks.
This is acceptable. We should contact the Archos developer's, especially user courville who has joined this forum for bug fixing.
He's an employee of Archos and one of the chief developer's, very friendly and helpful as well!
superpat999 said:
forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=64272#p396064
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a view at this thread and read your posting.
If the described behaviour is compiled in the lib, we can't fix it ourselfs.
Archos needs to fix this problem by tweaking the library.
If it is related to a setup option, we might easily fix it at least on a rooted device using a customized image.
Had anyone tried the 4.0.6. firmware test release yet... maybe GPS got fixed as well.
Regards,
scholbert

scholbert said:
If the described behaviour is compiled in the lib, we can't fix it ourselfs.
Archos needs to fix this problem by tweaking the library.
If it is related to a setup option, we might easily fix it at least on a rooted device using a customized image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since GPS is integrated into wlan chip it may be necessary to power on wifi to power on also GPS part.
scholbert said:
Had anyone tried the 4.0.6. firmware test release yet... maybe GPS got fixed as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On 4.0.6 GPS works exactly the same.
Some observations (GPS Test)
-it takes quite a while to aquire lock even with "fresh" aGPS data
-lock is not stable- it likes to dissapear even if I don't move tablet
-catching new sattelites "unlocks" the lock
-accuracy seems poor- GPS Test didn't report anything less than 80 meters (Xperia Arc S in the same spot has <20m)

I get a lock within 10 seconds with my G9 inside my house. The accuracy has gotten down to under 4 meters. On my particular tablet, it works fantastic. I never had to clear AGPS data. I think this is luck of the draw. Some work great, some not.
My ASUS TF101 has all the issues you guys describe. Unreliable and slow. Most people with the TF101 do not have my issue.
My wife's LG Optimus One GPS works great, locks in under 20 seconds and never unlocks. My Samsung Galaxy Ace struggles to get a lock but can maintain it once lock is achieved.
All these devices are running different Android versions so I agree that it is not a software issue. I tend to believe it is the fact some get better build quality antennas than others making some of the same devices work better than their twins.

i have tested copilot on 3 different archos G9 80s. All have gotten a lock in my house. I have tested one while driving to work and it maintains the lock.

anybody want an archos 101g9 ?????
hi,
i'm back here after testing my 101 and i'm not really lucky
thanks to all here first. i pursued the discussion with interest.
my archos did not work with gps at all!. i checked with gpstest and gps status apps indoor and outdoor several hours/days. no satellites found! nothing, zeroooooooooooo. clear sky, no clouds and NO satellites. i'm alone in the universe
what i did:
- device cold start (many times)
- switching on/off date and time from ntp server
- wifi on/off
- google location service on/off
no idea what happen. this is not my first archos. my older g8 had broken usb ports and was changed 2 times. the g9 freezes very often in cpu state "hotplug", run stable only with half speed and gps don't work. why gps need an internet connection?? i have no 3g stick in my tablet and no wifi in my car. yes, i can connect my phone with wifi tethering but sorry, that's not what i have planned. puuh archos, what do you think what customers tolerate. i love android, but the next tablet should be better an ipad
seems, there is a defect. how can i check my hardware before i put it in the trash?
thanks,
4carlos
by the way, my htc legend with froyo works great. it beams my to every point i wish!

Sorry to hear all you guys are having such problems with gps lock.
I have an original 8gb 9g classic. I have taken it through Honeycomb and up to the last ICS update. I have rooted it, over-clocked it and it has taken everything that I have thrown at it!
In every case, the gps has been first class. Using gpsstatus from the market, it locks on to 9 sats from inside my house within 30 seconds.
It was originally set to europe.pool in the gps.cfg file and I got a good lock with that. When I changed to rooted custom fw, I downloaded fasterfix from the market and used it to change the gps.cfg to uk.pool. This speeded up the lock and increased the number of sats to 11.
One thing that may help, has anyone tried toggling airplane mode on then off again. Whenever I install a new rom, on phone or tablet, I reboot the system at
least twice after setup and then toggle airplane on/off. This was an instruction in some roms that had wifi issues and I now do it as a matter of course.
It may be worth a try.
I use Co pilot live as satnav and it has never failed to lock on within seconds of being set up.

GPS on G9 still behaves strange...
First of all, thanks for posting your observations.
The GPS issue remains little mystic though
uphall said:
In every case, the gps has been first class. Using gpsstatus from the market, it locks on to 9 sats from inside my house within 30 seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got a fix within a minute, yesterday it was a no go!
The device actually needed a reboot before. What is responsible for this locking???
I got the fix by...
- deleting the AGPS data in the settings menu of GPStool
- setting the data update interval to never
- unchecked set system time from server in the device settings
- Wifi and 3G were disabled as well
So it's possible to get satelite fix without network connection.
But something may lock the interface. Afterwards it seems to be impossible to get a fix again... at least things get worse.
BTW, GPStool and the AGPS "framework" of the G9 use definitely different data bases for the assisted data. Maybe this causes locks as well...
So from what i can tell... disabling the AGPS function in GPStool definitely helped to get a fix.
uphall said:
It was originally set to europe.pool in the gps.cfg file and I got a good lock with that. When I changed to rooted custom fw, I downloaded fasterfix from the market and used it to change the gps.cfg to uk.pool. This speeded up the lock and increased the number of sats to 11.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
O.k. might try fasterfix... though it seems to set the timeserver to another domain... What else does it do?
We need more understanding of the mechanism in general.
Did anyone try the Gingerbread setup on ICS yet?
I may post the files here...
uphall said:
One thing that may help, has anyone tried toggling airplane mode on then off again. Whenever I install a new rom, on phone or tablet, I reboot the system at
least twice after setup and then toggle airplane on/off. This was an instruction in some roms that had wifi issues and I now do it as a matter of course.
It may be worth a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe it's worth a try but maybe it won't help anything.
As far as i can tell, a reboot certainly fixes some kind of lock on the interface.
But as long as we always guess there will be no improvement, nor we'll find the real reason for the missbehaviour.
uphall said:
I use Co pilot live as satnav and it has never failed to lock on within seconds of being set up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You lucky guy
Cheers,
scholbert

Scholbert
I can't find GPStool in the market - is that the correct name?
I would like to try your procedure to find out if my GPS is working at all.
Thx.
Don.

bufflehead said:
Scholbert
I can't find GPStool in the market - is that the correct name?
I would like to try your procedure to find out if my GPS is working at all.
Thx.
Don.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess :
GPS Status & Toolbox (author EclipSim, can delete agps data)
also nice
GPS Test (author Chartcross Limited)
GPS Status (author espresso3389, nice graphical tool but only portrait mode)
btw.
upgrade to firmware 4.06 (fix for increasing gps stability) did not help in my case. only my problem has more stability now. still no satellites in sight. my htc legend shows a minimum of 5 satellites with the tools from above at my location (indoor) but still nothing with my archos. disappointing.
the better way is to check the gps functionality before rooting the tablet (loosing guarantee!). seems a weak point of tablet.
i'm searching for an external bt mouse. any recommendation? the mouse should be bought in germany.