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I havent had my tilt very long, but I have noticed that with Tom Tom 6 using thr built in GPS it doesnt trak unless im moving faster than 5mph. Has this issue been addressed? (the search tool isnt working for me) I have a bluetooth GPS and it so far is way more acurate than the built in GPS. I would like not to have to carry the bluetooth GPS for Geocaching.
I use my Tilt for geocaching all the time. I use visual GPS Beeline software. it shows me moving at walking speeds. I think Tom Tom being designed for use while driving filters the movement so that the display is stable.
http://visualgps.net/BeeLineGPS/default.htm
I think you'll really want to stick with the bluetooth GPS for geocaching. I use a GlobalSat BT-338, which in itself seems to be more accurate than the built-in GPS on the tilt, which would be better for caching. Also, there is no way (as far as I know) to turn static navigation on and off on the built-in receiver, which is going to contribute to your unit not tracking when going less than a certain speed. Thirdly, when the phone goes into standby, the GPS receiver shuts off, so you would need to keep the phone active, and just turn the screen backlight off to save battery life. There are programs to do this, but the battery is going to drain pretty quickly regardless. With an external receiver this isn't an issue, as it isn't affected by whether the phone is in standby or not, and it has it's own battery so the amount of time you can use both obviously increases.
static navigation
I have tried both a Gtop gps and the built in gps for geocaching on my tilt and neither are really good. Both seem to be affected by static navigation and/or are just very slow to reflect my position. I have tried beeline gps and others and they are afflicted by the same problem. Has anyone found a good way to turn off the static navigation on the tilt or some way to geocache effectively with it?
birdheh said:
I have tried both a Gtop gps and the built in gps for geocaching on my tilt and neither are really good. Both seem to be affected by static navigation and/or are just very slow to reflect my position. I have tried beeline gps and others and they are afflicted by the same problem. Has anyone found a good way to turn off the static navigation on the tilt or some way to geocache effectively with it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As said here, and many threads. Do not use the built-in GPS. There are several reasons:
It's very slow to power up
In some apps it dumps a bunch of data every 3-4 seconds, making things very jumpy
It sometimes doesn't power off and continues to use power
It uses lots of power running (100ma+, combined with the screen, that's just 3-4 hours of power)
It wanders all over the place at walking speeds, or doesn't 'move' at all.
It'll zero out in a huge radius in real use (100 feet away from the cache for me once)
I'm sure there are more, but I was getting bored listing them.... buy a bluetooth GPS. You can get 'em for $60. The built-in GPS is okay for car navigation, and nice to have built-in, but IMO is not usable for geocaching. I've tried several times. When I first got the Tilt I hunted one cache in a huge radius and it kept going 150 feet one direction, then zeroing out, then 100 feet the other direction. Plus the data stream seems to dump every 2-3 seconds, making it very annoying to track with.
A bluetooth GPS uses no phone power, so you'd easily be able to geocache for 10+ hours in a day if you needed to. I carry mine in my pocket, it just disappears into my cargo pants.
If you're curious about software, I've tried several but I thought they all stunk, PARTICULARLY BeeLine. The interface is god awful. I never found one that I liked at all, and wound up buying StyleTap and using GeoNiche like I did on my previous Palm Treo. Works great.
static navigation
for those with static navigation problems try this. I have a PPC with Igo and same issue when you don't walk fast enough it does not register. If you use this it will fix your problem while goecaching as it has for me.
Install MMSirfSetup, available free, direct from Memory Map :
http://www.memory-map.com/MMSirfSetup.exe
Obviously you will need to install it on your PC then whap it over to your PDA.
On your PDA, run MMSirfSetup before you run your mapping software, and turn Static Navigation off.
If you use TomTom, or go above a certain speed, your unit will default to turn Static Navigation back on again.
Sorry, that won't work. the Tilt does not use a SIRF GPS chip.
Well i have a question.
When i use TomTom or IGO the position on the screen is always about 50 meters off to where I actually am.
So since IGO & TomTom Both have the same behaviour i guess i should look at the GPS module.
My old S730 was always spot on... when i looked at the screen and saw a turn on the left, there actually was a turn to the left.
Anybody knows how this can be solved ?
My TD2 does not have this problem, perhaps there is an issue with your particular phone?
I thoght about it before and found out that it was not inaccuracy but the delay GPS chip needs to calculate your position. Do one test. Some time when you stop at a red light and you know you've waited for about 5 secs, check your position then. I believe it will be accurate then.
I noticed that some GPS's try to calculate your current position based on direction and speed you had few seconds ago. I found out about it one time when I waited at the red light in a long tunnel. Obviously there was no signal there, but when I stopped, GPS kept on showing that I was moving about 40MPH for several seconds before it finally showed lost signal message.
Some GPS's do calculate your position ahead of time and some don't.
Maybe it was because i had assisted GPS turned on...
If you do a search on AGPS LAG (ANY HTCPRODUCT WITH AGPS) then you will see enough posts that speciffically deals with this problem...
My old phone is SPOT ON with TT and my new 2 times faster phone is less accurate, and in a street with lots of turns, take a-lefts etc it's quite important to rely on the machine. And when the machine says turn left on the next corner, is that left the one i am currently at or the one 20 meters ahead from where i am now....
It should be just as with my old phone spot on
Well disabeling AGPS definitely works...
I am now about 20 meters behind all the time. This seems acceptable although I keep finding it strange that my older phone was way more accurate.....
you mean disable QuickGPS or disable AGPS in Advanced Config??
It is definitely a lag issue, not a precision issue: my TD2 internal GPS is at least as accurate as my Qstarz bluetooth GPS logger, and this one has a dedicated large antenna and good GPS chipset. TD2 sensitivity is also comparable, maybe even better inside building, and the time before locking a signal from coldstart is also comparable or better...
BUT there is a lag of maybe 30 m around 50 km/h in my car, and it is is indeed quite noticeable for driving directions...No big deal for me, as I do not rely on voice instruction but always have a quick peak at the screen (I was bitten by ambiguous instruction often enough in the past with other GPS system to have developped this quick peak habit ;-) )..but this lag is indeed anoying...
I'd like to try the TD2 using the external GPS through bluetooth, if I find time to do it this WE I will post my conclusions...
well0549 said:
Well i have a question.
When i use TomTom or IGO the position on the screen is always about 50 meters off to where I actually am.
So since IGO & TomTom Both have the same behaviour i guess i should look at the GPS module.
My old S730 was always spot on... when i looked at the screen and saw a turn on the left, there actually was a turn to the left.
Anybody knows how this can be solved ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use to have the same problem as you, so, I've tried the tweak referred in this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=514912 and it did the trick for me.
I use iGo8 and NDrive and the accuracy improved a lot, it's almost spot on, no matter what speed I'm driving.
Regards,
I was in my mates Audi TT the other day. He has the built in GPS in the dash board. I noticed there was as much lag as you see on an HTC device.
Also was in a car a few months asgo with someone who had a stand alone TomTom device and that too had lag.
Unless you're paying thousands of Dollars for millitary grade navigation equipment, i wouldn't spare the lag issue another thought.
Not long now ...
There's a bigger lag comming if the media are to be believed (and based on everything that comes from the tele, radio and newspapers these days - there're probably not - they can't even get the weather right)
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Technology/GPS-Network-Could-Fail-Next-Year-Leaving-Sat-Nav-Useless-US-Government-Accountability-Office-Warns/Article/200905315284843?lpos=Technology_Carousel_Region_4&lid=ARTICLE_15284843_GPS_Network_Could_Fail_Next_Year_Leaving_Sat_Nav_Useless%2C_US_Government_Accountability_Office_Warns
"
Unless you're paying thousands of Dollars for millitary grade navigation equipment, i wouldn't spare the lag issue another thought."
Diamond1 paid £150 was spot on. No Lag. The speed indicator on tomtom was very accurate, not like on the diamond2 where it takes over 2 seconds to show a speed change. I am surprised that not many people have noticed the slow and inaccurate GPS performance of the D2.
im considering buying this phone,but i hear there's problems with the GPS. my current phone has a great GPS receiver and i use it a lot for day to day navigation.How much will i be disappointed if i were to expect the same from the galaxy s?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/search.php?searchid=42858169
Here in holland I have no problems with the GPS reception...
Personally, I found that straight out of the box the gps was dreadful, but an hour later after I did the simple gps fix, it navigated me on a hundred and fifty mile round trip with no problems at all.
The fix is simple and easy and takes literally no skill. When you take your sgs out of the box, see if the gps works for you, then try the fix. If there is still no joy then take it back and say the navigation is busted and you want a different handset.
I'd certainly say its worth trying at least. Chances are can get it working and everything else that you like about droid is better on the galaxy .
It's worth remembering that the gps is not battery friendly and you'll need a potent (2A output)car charger to keep you running on the move.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Basically, in summary:
1) In late firmware, the lock is quite quick, especially compared to car GPS units. Maybe not as fast as some other phones, but fast enough. Certainly faster than my Garmin Forerunner
2) The accuracy boundaries on this phone are wrong sometimes (at least in XXJM5), but this may be a bug in that specific pre-release.
3) With JM5, the unit seems to only lock onto 8 satellites max, but, some people are saying apparently newer firmware's are locking onto more
4) People are complaining of issues getting locks when moving with the unit. However, I've experienced this on ALL GPS units I've owned. AGPS should help with this though (but I've never tested initial lock whilst moving except in a firmware where GPS was 100% broken for me).
5) In some cases, the GPS goes skitzo, this might be fixed in later firmwares
6) Finally, sometimes the track is a bit off to the side, and doesn't handle cornering well.. This is likely related to (2). But this makes it useless for fitness at the moment
Anyway, the GPS is usable, but there are serious accuracy problems with it still. Samsung has said that they are working on optimising GPS for a September update. My best advice is wait until then, because if it isn't fixed in September, the possibility that it is due to poor hardware design seems to grow significantly..
thank you for your valuable input,this forum really is the best on the internet.I'm gunna be buying it next month anyway,so lets see if the update fixes the GPS or not.To be honest,theres no other phone that can match it,so theres no alternative to this phone even if the GPS IS dodgy
The GPS sucks so hard that I'd rather use a regular map for navigation.
My Galaxy S has no gps problems. The first time i went out from house to check GPS accuracy I got GPS signal after 3 seconds. It's stable in 100% cases.
Acquiring signal is not the issue. I don't understand why people keep comparing signal to accuracy. it's not the same thing.
Exactly, there are people in other topics that are just inflating the whole issue, their claims are way exaggerated, and the original issues has already been fixed on newer firmwares, yet they refuse to accept it.
AllGamer said:
Exactly, there are people in other topics that are just inflating the whole issue, their claims are way exaggerated, and the original issues has already been fixed on newer firmwares, yet they refuse to accept it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for a 20min jog then and show a track of your perfect GPS. I have a lower standard than many of them, but all tracks I saw lost lock excessively at some point or another..
I haven't tried it myself, but can on tuesday.
damn,so many different opinions on this issue.also not being able to track my runs is a BIG minus but still not a deal breaker.day-to-day city navigation is a must though.
It's just as simple as that - you don't check gps functionality just by its fix time. you put it in your car, and start driving - if it's accurate (highly unlikely), gewd. if not - go back here and whine.
kingofkings2603 said:
damn,so many different opinions on this issue.also not being able to track my runs is a BIG minus but still not a deal breaker.day-to-day city navigation is a must though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The big problem is that many of them seem to be testing quickly from their chair.. There is overwhelming evidence that the GPS doesn't work accurately, but barely any showing it does.. In fact, in one case, I saw someone claim the unit was working perfectly, but the track they showed was on a straight highway, and was fluctuating excessively between both sides of the highway. And the most vocal of those who claims it works perfectly don't seem to be posting logs..
There is also some confusion between whether it is "fitness grade" or "car grade". Car navigation GPS can snap to tracks, and has more room for accuracy errors, because it can assume you always exist on the closest road, and if you use directions, it can assume you took the correct turns when it told you to do so (and correct itself a bit later). That's what most car units seem to do, and it helps compensate for most inaccuracies. It can lead to a bit of pain though if you make lots of turns, some of which aren't correct. Some people are possibly happy because they have used dedicated car units before which suck (some navman's take at least 5 mins to get a basic lock, negating any benefits of having them), but, since some phones offer better directions apparently, people are complaining it should be better.
Fitness grade requires MUCH higher resolution to be usable, because the distance is shorter (generally), and if your GPS veers off course, it gives you a false indication of jogging distance. Garmin forerunners feel generally like they are within 1 or 2 meters a of the time (but occasionally veers off 3), but from what I've observed standing still, the flaws may be less visible when moving, but simply appear as slightly off course.
Then there are those people who stare at the SNR/locked satelites for hours at end without checking whether the long/lat is actually correct, or the accuracy boundary (they see 5m accuracy, but don't actually check if it is accurate within 5 meters). I was one of these, until I realised that the accuracy boundary was wrong..
Part of the issue also comes down to firmware though. People are using pre-release/leaked firmware (which might not even be complete) and are judging the GPS quality based on that. No comment needed except, don't assume that Samsung aren't working on fixes because there is no fix in pre-release firmware.
I haven't properly tested either though personally because I use a forerunner for jogging (waterproof), and since I fly, I prefer to use maps to understand locations better. I did notice though that leaving my phone on my desk for a long period of time sometimes allowed the signal accuracy boundary to not include me (ie, allow a position of 20m away from me, but show 5m accuracy) intermittently. And this might explain the fluctuations in position many others have gotten..
Either way, it is debatable. The biggest issue is that the assumption so far is that everyone got exactly the same hardware, and exactly the same revisions. But the other problem, is that GPS quality is open to opinion, because in some areas, roads are so far spread out that even inaccurate GPS works fine for driving. It really depends on your needs. But the facts are, the accuracy of the GPS isn't worth debating anyway currently, because Samsung have already told us they are "optimising" the GPS in Sept, which may make this unit as good as a garmin forerunner anyway. All any of us can tell you as that we'll know the TRUE potential of the unit after the september patch.
But for me anyway, I think the GPS is fine (I don't need perfect accuracy, even if I needed this as a fallback in a plane)
The GPS is bad to the point of being unusable for car navigation or fitness tracking. Yes you may get a lock in GGps test but when moving the reported location is all ov
er the place.
andrewluecke said:
Then there are those people who stare at the SNR/locked satelites for hours at end without checking whether the long/lat is actually correct, or the accuracy boundary (they see 5m accuracy, but don't actually check if it is accurate within 5 meters). I was one of these, until I realised that the accuracy boundary was wrong..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Case in point to illustrate what andrewluecke is trying to explain here about the accuracy not being exactly...well, accurate. Take a look at the attached screenshot. My GPS had a great fix with accuracy of 5m (the best it's able to report), stable for a few minutes, everything was working perfectly. Or so it seems. Except for the slight problem that I was actually standing where the red dot is... There's no scale on the screenshot, but it's a good 30-40 meters off. And that's quite common for me.
Case_ said:
Case in point to illustrate what andrewluecke is trying to explain here about the accuracy not being exactly...well, accurate. Take a look at the attached screenshot. My GPS had a great fix with accuracy of 5m (the best it's able to report), stable for a few minutes, everything was working perfectly. Or so it seems. Except for the slight problem that I was actually standing where the red dot is... There's no scale on the screenshot, but it's a good 30-40 meters off. And that's quite common for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly Case_. The point of the accuracy measurement is to say "you are somewhere within this range". But, with the Galaxy S, it isn't, and that shouldn't happen, at least not as often as it does (except maybe at the beginning whilst obtaining a lock"). Professional systems have something known as RAIM and FDE which detect when the accuracy may be incorrect due to external factors (such as shonky satelite, or serious atmospheric interference). But this happens a LOT, and I would have thought it affects GPS units equally (unless the Garmin forerunners in fact DO ship with fault detection, which could explain it, in which case, Samsung should implement fault detection and exclusion too, to make it usable).
Anyway.. What I am trying to say is summed up easiest with Case's post.
Fatherboard said:
Acquiring signal is not the issue. I don't understand why people keep comparing signal to accuracy. it's not the same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It most certainly is an issue. It takes a minute or longer to acquire a lock in some cases despite stationary and clear line of sight.
The people who stomp their feet with "The GPS is fine" are no different than the iPhone4 users who claim there is no attenuation in their phones.
In my case with the DDJG4 update, I see some minor issues.
Once in a while when I am at home (indoors with no visible satelites) my location shifts from bangalore to toronto. All my stuff changes to that. It looks like AGPS is not turned on or buggy becuase 80% of the times it works well. Does anybody else face the same problem ?
So when my phone takes me to toronto, i restart the phone and everythng is back to normal
SOmetimes, the location service fails to find where I am and shows Toronto in Google website. Is there anyway to avoid this.
It's just like what most people say, you can get a fix, and GPS seems fine. Try to use it, and it's a whole different story.
Somebody on the forum posted a link of a run, where the SGS GPS went everywere but on the straight line, it even made a hilarious loop. Too bad i can't find it.
People need to stop saying "Firmware updates fixed it already" as that's just not true.
Hah, there it is, posted by sjdean.
Desire, and SGS GPS.
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...52.48542,-1.742063&spn=0.014138,0.045319&z=15
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...=52.48082,-1.761761&spn=0.01414,0.045319&z=15
Hi, I purchased S3 mini around december 2012, one of the main reasons why I bought it was the gps/glonass-feature, since I figured it would provide me with more accurate tracking while running. Previously I had used a Samsung Galaxy Gio phone for running, and with rooting and a gpsfix (changed the server) it provided accurate gps in long half-marathon runs and so forth. The issue with that phone was that the battery life was terrible.
Now, the S3 mini is brilliant in battery consumption, but the gps accuracy has been horrid. It locks a satellite within seconds, several satellites are in use immediately. So, nothing to complain there. However, it is almost one street off, throughout my run. It tracks usually 1-2 kilometers less distance than the Gio, which manages to stay on the road I'm running on perfectly. If I'm to believe the S3 mini, I frequently run in water and through people's backyards...
Now, I have attempted the usual tricks, cleared agps, updated it before runs, calibrated the compass with GPS status indoors and outdoors. But nothing seems to work. Many times the gps will track perfectly when I'm headed, let's say northwards for several kilometers, but then when I turn to go west-east or southwards (for example) the gps accuracy goes off. I'm hoping this is an issue that could be easily fixed, since it's a shame that such a fabulous phone like the s3 mini fails to be a good running partner.
My S3 mini is not rooted, most of the gps fixes only fix satellite locking. My issue is inaccuracy, and yes, many people think it's normal, but having had perfect tracking with an entry-level smart phone like Samsung Galaxy Gio, I fail to understand why my S3 Mini does not excel in this area.
What else should/could I try? or just use my gio while running and hope it doesn't run out of battery in 1,5 hours.
I have also noticed the inaccurate gps of the s3 mini. After some positional testing I have decided that the gps is just not V good on this phone including being mounted on shoulder.
I also have an issue where gps locks up and freezes when the phone sleeps. I have yet to overcome this. I'm hoping it's a kernel issue brought about by flashing.
After years of smartphone soul searching, I now use a Garmin 405cx for sports, etrex10 for work and hiking, and a tomtom for sat navigation. I only now rely on the shoddy gps for View ranger Os mapping on the phone. Based on its performance I've started purchasing paper maps and now use those to navigate while walking and hiking.
This makes me very sad. I love android and like the s3mini. However yesterday I contemplated throwing it across lane 3 of the M20.
Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk 2
Hi, I have a same problem with my new Samsung Galaxy S3 mini and Sports Tracker. And many other reporting this problem. Sports Tracker works fine with my ZTE Blade. The first I thought that the fault is in bad GPS module in my phone. But the GPS work fine with Navi software. I realized that in Navi software the phone screen is always on and with Sport Tracker go in stanby. And when the screen go in standby the gps stop working. And when the signal is repeatedly interrupted then for a long time does not want to connect. Solution is that you in Sport Tracker settigs set Screen backlight to Always on. Now the problem is that the random clicking Stop suspended yor current workout. I do not know if fault is with Jelly Bean ROM or with Samsung Galaxy phones. Later I again tested navi app IGO Primo and if I turned off the screen GPS also go on off.
Phone screen always ON is also not an ideal solution. Because the signal is still losing, but every once for a second.
I tried various apps: GPS Status (settings: Background behavior/The app will keep the GPS running even the device screen is turned off.
But it does not work).Tracker Booster, Keep My GPS Alive, but without success
Is there any solution for this?
I've got the same problem while using GPS in a running application (like runkeeper, runtastic or endomondo).
I know this is an old thread, but I want to ask if anyone has found a solution for this problem.
I would be very thankful!
I have the exact same problem. After two months of GPS hell with my SII I got a new SIII mini. Initial GPS lock and detection goes really quick (22 satellites). If I do a quick turn in running it seems that it tracks a bit of until the end. It may be 100 meter or 200 meter on a 10 kilometer (and people indeed say it's normal, but with my SII it was perfect)
Could it be processor related? I run with a bluetooth heart rate sensor, google music, running app, etc. I tend to believe if I switch of 3G that it goes better.
Any other suggestions on this?
I have basically come to the conclusion that the GPS on this phone is ****, primarily due to the OS sleeping it. Which is a battery saving strategy. We do have very good battery life on these devices.
The GPS doesn't have any issues if an app is using it, like (Viewranger recording a track). This prevents the OS sleeping it. However accuracy of the GPS on SGS3M is poor. But really if you after doing serious tasks that require even a hint of accuracy then purchasing a dedicated device is the way forward. If you run try the Garmin range of fitness devices. If it's work try a hiking GPS I use a etrex 20 for assisting in surveying trees. Recording my movements across a site and the locations of any trees with works associated.
I think the phone manufacturer decided that the accuracy issue was not a concern as many navigation apps would snap the users location to roads and such.
Don't hold out for any solution. I can say the only thing to ensure is the latest firmware. I have the latest which isn't available on the "BTU" location code. However the German firmware works fine with my UK device. Check the Dev thread for latest stock rom, (pretty rooted).
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
gaze eademno
ninjalandpirate said:
I have basically come to the conclusion that the GPS on this phone is ****, primarily due to the OS sleeping it. Which is a battery saving strategy. We do have very good battery life on these devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what to think from it. If I track a car drive with it (using Endomondo), it uses a perfect track to road tracking.
Also initial running tracking using Endomondo is fine. It seems that a sudden change in direction (eg a sudden change from south to nord) let's down the accuracy. It's strange because the device has a very good satelite detection and fast lock.
NicolasBE said:
I don't know what to think from it. If I track a car drive with it (using Endomondo), it uses a perfect track to road tracking.
Also initial running tracking using Endomondo is fine. It seems that a sudden change in direction (eg a sudden change from south to nord) let's down the accuracy. It's strange because the device has a very good satelite detection and fast lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This morning I had a spectacular improvement.
What has changed:
I installed the latest 4.1.2 official build from sammobile.com
I ran without 3G location services. (pure on GPS)
I also switched the device from being upside down on my left arm, to being straight on my right arm.
Possible something that has nothing to do with it: my work e-mail policy was not yet enabled on the device.
I also ran a slightly other route (but there was still a sharp turn halfway involved), and the signal corrected itself perfectly.
My bluetooth heart rate was enabled, 3G was enabled and google play music was enabled.
So the thing I'm eager to try is: enabling location services again, and doing the route that caused trouble again.
But to be honest ... I think it's the new 4.1.2 build that solved it.
My gf's phone has XXAMG1 build and it has exactly this same issue. GPS shuts down a couple of minutes from start.
Recently I found out that my GPS becomes inaccurate when I enter into the forest. I use it mostly for navigation while mountain biking. The position defers after 10 to 20 minutes for 200 to 400 metres. The position error direction is almost every time in the direction of departure point that means that GPS position stays behind me. When I check GPS reception with GPS test, there are always 5 to 12 satellites in use with estimated error up to 5 metres. The interest thing is that if I switch GPS off and then again ON, the new first fix is very accurate. After that, if I continue cycling, the position becomes inaccurate again. I have tried different programs (sports tracker, view ranger, orux maps, Google maps) with same results.
Any suggestions very welcome.
Same issue here (example included)
Same issue here. S3 Mini and Endomondo. Tracks start to differ after a certain amount of time (refer to attached JPG)
Chatted with Samsung about this issue and they told me that this is caused by the fact that all Galaxy phones have AGPS, where an internet connection is neccessary for the GPS to work. But I am not sure that this is the problem...
Samsung told me that I am the only person indicating this is a problem so it's probably my phone. Perhaps good to file an official support request at Samsung?
My few thoughts on this...
On stock rom everything was working well. except for the rom itself.
On maclaw cm 10.1. gps worked well until after an hour or so of use for tracking. then gps decided that I'm cca 100 meters away from spot where I was standing. it just translated my position and stayed translated the whole time until I turned gps on/off.
On Stock i8190XXAMJ3 gps was amazing, it was locking onto satelittes even inside the house, but it had the same issue like cm10.1 rom.
Now I'm on S5style_i8190XXANA2_v1 and for now gps look good, didn't have any issue, hope it will stay like this.
just to say, I've played with gps.conf, with various apps like gps status, gps test, resetting agps data, trying different apps for tracking and nothing worked. after a while, gps simply translates my position and stays like that.
to reply to myself...
for some reason every stock rom I flashed with cwm apparently didn't flash baseband with it (or something went wrong), so phone was showing original baseband version. then I flashed baseband ANA2 separately and now gps shows no problems stated in previous post.
I've had the same problem on my S3 mini. I'd tried a few apps to track my sport activities before I've found working one - Navime Sport Tracker. Since then I've been using it and faced no problems with GPS and tracking. Unfortunately app only works in Poland. So you may ask why I'm writing about this. I do so because I reckon that problem sometimes lies in a tracking app itself. E.g. in the same place where Navime was detecting 7-13 satellites Endomondo (with identical GPS settings) managed to find 1 or 2. That's how I solved my problem. And one more thing - I use stock-Samsung Android 4.1.2 (newest).
My usual GPS config:
- GPS is ON (obviously)
- using wireless network to fix GPS is OFF (option on the top)
- GPS data available for Google services is ON (option on the bottom)
- data connection is ON
Proof:
navime.pl/trasa/348283/Katowice-Pszczyna+17.04.2014
Hi pcm266
I know this is a reply to a post a year old, but this is the closest description of the problem I continue to experience. Perhaps you and others are still looking for a solution.
This is NOT simply a matter of poor connections due to loose screws. I tried a month ago tightening screws, checked every setting but the problem persists. Loosened then tightened screws again yesterday. Today I ran with both my S3mini and my old Samsung GIO. The GIO recorded perfectly!
Your sentence "Many times the gps will track perfectly when I'm headed, let's say northwards for several kilometers, but then when I turn to go west-east or southwards (for example) the gps accuracy goes off. " is pretty well what I see happening.
What is puzzling is that S3mini worked perfectly in a race on 29 March. ??? Have not been able to repeat that.
Tightening screws is certainly not helping me. I am sure that this is a software error. There is a consistency in the type of error that is not is the type of error I would expect from intermittent connections.
Another strange thing is that the S3mini tracking is pretty good when travelling in a car. It is when I ran - which is of course much slower than a car - that the tracking is worse. Something to do with collecting too much data and doing some sort of averaging????
My son runs with an S3. Never had a single tracking problem.
A tip re the GIO battery: The Lithium-hydride batteries in laptop battery packs have the same charging characteristics as the batteries in the Samsung phones. I simply soldered wires from the contact points in the phone to a battery taken from an old laptop pack. (Usually when these battery packs fail, most of the individual cells are still good. I use them in all sorts of applications. ) The battery is fastened to the back of the Gio with duct tape. The phone no longer has a simcard in it, so I keep it on airplane mode. The battery stays charged for days!
Guys, I've never experienced this GPS problem. My S3 Mini has completely accurate readings both in car and while walking. You can try and update your phone to a newer firmware version if it's still on a firmware from a year ago. Don't know what else to suggest, God bless my S3 Mini for not having this problem, 'cause I use GPS frequently
Hello, I have the same problem with inaccurate gps after some time. Is there any solution. I use this phone only for running, so for me it is not a problem to flash another rom. I hope someone can give me a solution or a rom that works while running.
I have a strange problem with my Z3C's GPS (note: running CM12.1 nightlies). The problem did not occur when I used the phone for navigation last year, I first noticed it some time in January. So either my hardware has broken since last year or some upgrade broke my GPS.
Symptom: GPS does not work reliably when stationary or moving at slow speed (i.e. hiking or running). It takes forever to get a fix. Literally, many times I can put the device down outside with completely free view to the sky and after 15 minutes and more there is still no fix. The number of satellites picked up according to GPS Status&Monitor varies, most of the time 0 to 2, sometimes up to 8, then dropping again to 0 for no obvious reason, but even with 8 satellites no location?!? If I get a fix and record a track with OruxMaps, the quality is bad, many dropouts, very often the fix is lost. The GPS location and heading is drifting around when I'm standing stationary.
However, when I drive in car and use Here Maps or OruxMaps, the GPS is perfectly usable: Fix after about 30 secs in motion, good positioning quality, good tracks. Even when the car is standing, the position is not drifting. As soon as I leave the car and walk around, the positioning is soon degrading.
An issue with might be connected is that I cannot calibrate my compass: Every compass app claims that it has to be calibrated (even if the compass bearing itself seems to be pretty OK - every direction is where it is supposed to be). All the methods given on the net - waving 8, turning in all three axes - never got me the compass calibrated. I also refreshed AGPS, cleared caches and dalvik, regularly flash an upgraded CM nightly, no change.
As I'm using CM12.1, I cannot get into services menus, it seams.
Has anybody an idea what could be the reason for this strange behaviour?