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Hi,
I am looking for an application that can automatically switch profile depending of your location (using GPS).
Does such application exist for WM6?
Thanks,
Yeah that would be nice.
I have tried CommMgrpro:
http://www.commmgrpro.com/
But I can't find out if it works on GPS too.
It work perfect on GSM.
But it seems to drain the battery way too fast.
The interface is terrible!
Far too complexe, I am not a .NET developer, I'll try to post that as a request.
So may be someone will figure out how to make a simple app...
Thanks,
I can't see the point, do you switch on GPS each time when approaching your office so it can select right profile ? Wouldnt it be easier to press an on-screen button to do that ?
You are right the GPS would have to be always on.
I was just using an application on symbian called miniGPS, it was doing exactly this but by using the GSM network. GPS would be far more accurate.
Are you sure this would be workable in practice given the high power consumption of the GPS?
Mathew
itresa said:
GPS would be far more accurate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As said above it is not gonna work with GPS, it will eat your battery super fast ... not a bad idea with GSM though ... I would definately be interested in such utility
Lets see if I understand this correctly....
on the samsung galaxy s GPS system, there are 2 options:
1)Use wireless networks: Set the device to use the
wireless networking to indicate your location
2)Use GPS satellites : Enable the GPS receiver to indicate your location
For now, we know that using the option 2 gives us crappy results (loosing signals, cannot lock sattelites, jumping around etc)
Now, for option 1: choosing option 1 means that launching the maps application should indicate where your location is currently by using some kind of triangulation method based on the availability of GSM signal, so it should even work when you are indoor or whenever there is a GSM signal......
But apparently on this phone, it only shows your initial location, then after that even if you have moved 1 km from your initial location, the location indicator arrow is stuck at your initial location, meaning that it doesnt track you and your movement, which means both options simply dont work on this phone....
On my wife's iphone, the GPS functionality works wonderfully even when i am inside a building and it keeps updating your location as you move continuosly.
It just shows you how careless and hasty samsung is in launching this product that even the simplest form of GPS functionality, one that is based on GSM triangulation method, also doesnt work..... and they still went ahead with the launch.....
Absolutely no problems with GSM or GPS positioning now that I'm using I9000XWJG5. Locks on satellites within 22 seconds from switch on. Thats at 30m precision. After 10 seconds more gets to 5m precision.
This is from inside my building. (Using GPS Status to check)
Same here. Your wife's phone probably also uses the mobile network to keep location inside buildings, or wireless networks. Try enabling skyhook, that is all i did.
used skyhook, and assited mode, accuracy set to 50, changed supl/cp settings, but compared to my g1 or hd2 or e61 or 10 year old bt/gps mouse the gps quality is just rubbish. (XXJF3)
no problem even without skyhook, but using skyhook gets locking much faster
i'm comparing it to my old HTC Athena, which takes sometimes over 5min to lock to 1 satellite in the great white open sky.... sigh...
sometimes it wont even lock if the weather is poor, takes like 30min or more to lock, under those conditions.
simply insane.
so SGS i9000 is like a dream to use.
g1 / hd2 / e61 only take seconds to get a full lock with accuracy about 3m. in my opinion skyhook and gps plus are needless if you have a working cb a-gps.
From my experience its the rom. As my gps worked fine with default FE3 (optus au) rom even indoors but when i flashed G5 (latest euro) i could only lock onto one sat outdoors even with skyhooks setting. Then i installed Samset 1.2 update.zip the gps works again, thats just my 2cents
widjaja74_us said:
It just shows you how careless and hasty samsung is in launching this product that even the simplest form of GPS functionality, one that is based on GSM triangulation method, also doesnt work..... and they still went ahead with the launch.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the record I haven't had any issues with GPS other than it being fair slower than my Milestone.
Didn't you sell your Galaxy S anyway?
Unimaginative said:
For the record I haven't had any issues with GPS other than it being fair slower than my Milestone.
Didn't you sell your Galaxy S anyway?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey mate, I think I've seen you around the WP forums.
Quick question for you - I have a Milestone and am currently contemplating throwing it on eBay and grabbing the Galaxy S. Is there anything you miss from the Milestone?
ShaggyDragon said:
Absolutely no problems with GSM or GPS positioning now that I'm using I9000XWJG5. Locks on satellites within 22 seconds from switch on. Thats at 30m precision. After 10 seconds more gets to 5m precision.
This is from inside my building. (Using GPS Status to check)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same here. The problems start when I go out and start to drive around in my car. My GPS is absolutely useless when you move around outdoors, but locks in a few seconds indoors.
widjaja74_us said:
Lets see if I understand this correctly....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me see if I understand this correctly. You have sold your SGS and you are still coming back here to crap on about the GPS and other small things which are only occurring on some people's phones and not others?
For the record, everything on my phone has been running silky smooth since day one. Lag only occurs with too many apps open and this is to be expected from an operating system that can multitask.
navmanyeah said:
Let me see if I understand this correctly. You have sold your SGS and you are still coming back here to crap on about the GPS and other small things which are only occurring on some people's phones and not others?
For the record, everything on my phone has been running silky smooth since day one. Lag only occurs with too many apps open and this is to be expected from an operating system that can multitask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sold my phone at a profit because currently i cannot afford to have unreliable phone in doing my job... then i searched for something better and can't find any.... so i'm still following the forum to see of all the problems i experience have been fixed .... if thats the case, i might buy another one....
and for the record, i didnt crap about the GPS, i'm just investigating it deeper, becase GPS is important for me...
Thats crap for you
Has anyone pulled the phone apart and read the serial number off the chip. We are trying to compair it to the US phone. If you have the info thanks Ours is a Broadcomm BCM4751 (Captivate)
Can I ask how you know the Captivate has a BCM4751 chip? Did you disassemble and see it? It appears that the Galaxy S generic being sold everywhere else outside the US has the BCM2075 chip that integrates BT and FM radios; at least that's what's being reported by others here.
If it were true that the Captivate/Fascinate/Vibrant in the US are using the BCM4751 chip, then it would truly mean these phones have no FM capability at all and there is no prospect of rooting the phone to disable a software level crippling.
This pisses me off. I was willing to forgo the front facing camera of the US versions, but the fact that they (apparently) went so far as to have samsung supply a different GPS chip to eliminate the FM radio so you are FORCED to use some ****e, data intensive service like AT&T radio instead is just outrageous. With the GPS/compass/antenna problems seemingly going ignored by samsung, maybe I won't get this phone at all.
http://www.broadcom.com/products/GPS/GPS-Silicon-Solutions/BCM2075
bugmenever said:
Can I ask how you know the Captivate has a BCM4751 chip? Did you disassemble and see it? It appears that the Galaxy S generic being sold everywhere else outside the US has the BCM2075 chip that integrates BT and FM radios; at least that's what's being reported by others here.
If it were true that the Captivate/Fascinate/Vibrant in the US are using the BCM4751 chip, then it would truly mean these phones have no FM capability at all and there is no prospect of rooting the phone to disable a software level crippling.
This pisses me off. I was willing to forgo the front facing camera of the US versions, but the fact that they (apparently) went so far as to have samsung supply a different GPS chip to eliminate the FM radio so you are FORCED to use some ****e, data intensive service like AT&T radio instead is just outrageous. With the GPS/compass/antenna problems seemingly going ignored by samsung, maybe I won't get this phone at all.
http://www.broadcom.com/products/GPS/GPS-Silicon-Solutions/BCM2075
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the Galaxy S might have the BCM20751 but untill someone tears down the phone and checks with their eyes. The US Captivate was torn down and it is a 4751. But the 4751 doesn't have BT on it. So it could be all the phones have a 4751 with a seprate BT and FM. The 4751 is supposed to be a better GPS unit then the BCM20751 though.
ah, I see it on the Captivate general forum now. The only teardown of the generic Galaxy S that I have seen anywhere is the original one done in Korea a month ago. The pictures from that disassembly are too low-res for me to make out chip IDs. I tried going through their video of the teardown frame by frame too, but again, I can't see the numbers clearly and I saw nothing that resembled a broadcom chip. The Captivate board layout is much different than the Galaxy S, I can't really even see where the broadcom chip should be on it either.....
You're gonna love this. On my Galaxy S, According to jupiter.xml:
<gll
LogPriMask="LOG_DEBUG"
LogFacMask="LOG_GLLAPI | LOG_NMEA"
FrqPlan="FRQ_PLAN_26MHZ_2PPM_26MHZ_300PPB"
RfType="GL_RF_4751_DANUBE"
BrcmRFwildBase="0x1E2D6409"
BrcmRFclkDiv="21"
BrcmRFclkRefHz="26000000"
pps-enable="false" pps-offset-ms="0" pps-width-ns="100"
/>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I changed the RfType to GL_RF_2075_BRCM and it just didn't work.
Well thats good. We've accomplished something. But Broadcomm says this is the best GPS they have ever made some hopfully samsung messed up the code and we get a super good GPS.
TBH - I think we may actually be waiting on the driver from Broadcom. Something about Broadcoms reputation as an open source provider is in question.
sjdean said:
TBH - I think we may actually be waiting on the driver from Broadcom. Something about Broadcoms reputation as an open source provider is in question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it could deff. be broardcoms side. They better fix it.
Is the 4751 used in any other phones just want to see the performance of the gps on this chipset in other devices..
The mere fact that we have Broadcom chip for GPS and not some off brand that I've never heard before like InCrystal really, really points to a serious issue with the drivers/firmware for the GPS. The phone should be operating in MS-Based mode out of the box anyway and I don't know why it isn't. That's not the only problem it has but standalone mode is not what it should be operating in. Nearly all phones GPS' are truly the pits without network assistance.
Lots of phones use Broadcom for GPS, right off of the top of my head, the iPhone is one of them!
Well I really hope it can operate in stand alone mode reasonably well, it should be able to, I dont see why a phone couldn't. agps is mainly just for helping get locks faster at startup and possibly in areas where gps signals are weak but agps is not going to help you out of the city much etc etc.
However yeah I really hope it is a driver issue and if so broadcom and samsung need to get together or its going to drag both their names down.
Kilack said:
Well I really hope it can operate in stand alone mode reasonably well, it should be able to, I dont see why a phone couldn't. agps is mainly just for helping get locks faster at startup and possibly in areas where gps signals are weak but agps is not going to help you out of the city much etc etc.
However yeah I really hope it is a driver issue and if so broadcom and samsung need to get together or its going to drag both their names down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well like I said there appears to be some other issues besides the fact that they ship in standalone mode which is awful for any phone.. aGPS is the first choice for most phones (Galaxy S is an exception I suppose!) before falling back to standalone mode which does take 2-3 minutes for a fix. Standalone GPS will always take a few minutes to get a lock, a phone certainly isn't going to perform better than a Garmin and I have yet to see one of those in standalone mode lock faster than a phone with aGPS. aGPS is for an initial fix regardless of other circumstances and it's why phones get such snappy fixes.
Ok, but I posted elsewhere that there's a whole stack of a lot happening behind the scenes, which Im not even Samsung know what's going on.
First, even in Standalone mode, you see data being streamed in the initial few seconds, so there must be something in there.
But Ok, we have:
Operation Mode under LBSTestMode - MS Based, MS Assisted, Network Provider or standalone
GPS Plus - Uses the OneXtra servers
Skyhook - Another form of AGPS
SUPL Settings
And irrespective of what you set the SUPL settings to:
Jupiter.xml - Points to both www.spirent-lcs.com as an acSuplServer then points to bcmls2.glpals.com as the LbsServer.
Then under Location and Security, we have the ability to Use Wireless Networks (using WiFi and Cellular Networks). Even if this is switched off, the phone still wants to enable Wireless and see what's out there.
So that's what, 6, perhaps 7 or even 8 seemingly different settings, different methods, of A-GPS.
No wonder the phone is getting confused.
Cya
Simon
sjdean said:
Ok, but I posted elsewhere that there's a whole stack of a lot happening behind the scenes, which Im not even Samsung know what's going on.
First, even in Standalone mode, you see data being streamed in the initial few seconds, so there must be something in there.
But Ok, we have:
Operation Mode under LBSTestMode - MS Based, MS Assisted, Network Provider or standalone
GPS Plus - Uses the OneXtra servers
Skyhook - Another form of AGPS
SUPL Settings
And irrespective of what you set the SUPL settings to:
Jupiter.xml - Points to both www.spirent-lcs.com as an acSuplServer then points to bcmls2.glpals.com as the LbsServer.
Then under Location and Security, we have the ability to Use Wireless Networks (using WiFi and Cellular Networks). Even if this is switched off, the phone still wants to enable Wireless and see what's out there.
So that's what, 6, perhaps 7 or even 8 seemingly different settings, different methods, of A-GPS.
No wonder the phone is getting confused.
Cya
Simon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, so standalone isn't really standalone at all
I wonder if any of the problems are actually being caused by agps especially as a lot of the "fixes" by users were basically changes to the agps.
Curious....., if you google skyhook and you see how samsung and I think even apple used skyhook etc and all the big fanfare etc over it but it seems to be disabled in this phone.
and some of the fixes were to use the google location server right?
(weren't google roasted around the world for wardriving and recording wifi sites and also the data? hehe), now i know why they did it.. for location services I guess... a bit off topic but just now seeing why there were even interested in wifi sites etc.
So.. this broadcom chip... its supposed to be good? can we eliminate the hardware as being a bad gps chipset?
Other things to keep in mind when determining the chip are BT and wifi. The 2075, for example, provides bt 2.1, which rules out its presence on the SGS, unless samsung decided to install multiple bluetooth chips. So, the chip we are looking for provides either bt, version 3.0 and wifi N and GPS, or one or 2 of those 3, which makes the 4751 way more likely indeed. I also don't see a reason to change the internals of the phone.
Gps is a Qualcomm RTR6285 like desire, nexus, some blackberry.
careace.net/2010/06/09/disassembly-of-the-samsung-galaxy-s/
news.danawa.com/News_List_View.php?nModeC=4&nSeq=1742568
sesamee said:
Gps is a Qualcomm RTR6285 like desire, nexus, some blackberry.
careace.net/2010/06/09/disassembly-of-the-samsung-galaxy-s/
news.danawa.com/News_List_View.php?nModeC=4&nSeq=1742568
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This:
news.danawa.com/News_List_View.php?nModeC=4&nSeq=1742568
must be the korean version (hardware is diferent)
for example :
http://www.careace.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/galaxy-s-disassembly-29.jpg
http://www.danawa.com/cms/popup_image.php?url=http://img.danawa.com/cms/img/2010/07/06/14.jpg
Audio codec is the same (wolfson)
Configuration files show tha GPS chip is bcm4751 in european galaxy s (not GPS BT FM BCM20751 or BCM2075) in captive there are photos also.
it REALLY seems like a driver issue. I can get a lock within seconds in MS based mode like all other Android phones with 6 meter accuracy tracking in my car but the performance diminishes after that and the phone requires a reboot for another fix -- IF GPS doesnt cause a lock up trying to get a lock.
Anyone else notice the same behavior in MS based mode?
Sent from my SGH-T959
as i have said in the gps issue thread my settings are as they were from the factory, and at least for now my gps works, in test mode it sees 9-11 satalites, and locks 5-7 of then in about 9 secs, it even suprised me today when i was stood on my staires surrounded by brick walls it managed to get a fix.
this was however not the case with the first one i had, no matter what i tried i could not get a reasonable fix, so it seems to me like some phones are better then others, even thought they are the same phones, this is why i suggested it could be a faulty batch but that is not the case, so i have no idea why this one works and the other never.
if you want the settings: gps is set to oo
application setting
session type: tracking
test mode: s/w test
opperation mode: standalone
start mode: hot start
gps plus: on
dynamic accuracy: on
accuracy: 50
skyhook: off
use pc tool: off
supl/cp setting
sever fqdn: custom
server: www.sprint-lcs.com
server port: 7275
supl secure socket: on
agps mode: supl
hope these can be of use for someone, please note im in the uk.
edit: just tested out my window and got 8 found / 8 locked satalites in 12 secs
Things are getting even more weird...
I was browsing around in the jupiter.xml file shipped in the JP2 firmware and found what I suspect must be a a typo:
arp-supl-reaiding-time-sec = "1200"
Shouldn't that be: arp-supl-reading-time-sec = "1200" ?
With all that mucking about with wads of configuration files and a bazillion places where (conflicting) settings can be made, this doesn't exactly make me feel better about the reliability of AGPS on this device.
edit: nah, probably not a typo (read as 're-aiding', duh) but an unfortunate name choice anyway. At least it appears consistent with what the app is expecting.
My Streak 7 wifi, stock ROM- gps unable to lock. Other than that, device is great. Wifi connected. In settings, Wireless networks and GPS satellites in use. GPS Status & Toolbox app downloaded aGPS data but not helping, GpsFix app not helping to lock also. Any other suggestions? thanks in advance.
dang1970 said:
My Streak 7 wifi, stock ROM- gps unable to lock. Other than that, device is great. Wifi connected. In settings, Wireless networks and GPS satellites in use. GPS Status & Toolbox app downloaded aGPS data but not helping, GpsFix app not helping to lock also. Any other suggestions? thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to be too mundane, but have you tried a simple reboot, or going outside where you'd be more likely to get a GPS fix? My T-Mobile S7 has had trouble getting a GPS fix several times, but other times it locks right in.
How long have you left in in clear line of sight of the sky to get a lock? I use mine as my primary in-car multimedia center/GPS and at first, to save battery, would turn it completely off when not in use. I found that when I'd get in my car to go home from work it could take up to 10 minutes to get a lock. Then I started just letting it sleep, have had no battery issues and GPS lock is nearly instant.
Long story short: Give it a good while to lock after a full shut down.And maybe you have, I just thought I'd share my experience.
Jeff
I have absolutely the same issue. After turning it off completely, the GPS does not lock for ages in any sky conditions, etc. Moreover, I put another two Android devices (Galaxy S and Optimus One) also after complete shut off juyst nearby and they are getting locked almest immediately. No doubts, there is a bug in the S7 GPS. But what is it ? Is it a hardware problem ? Can it be fixed ? Keeping it in a sleep mode for a long time is not a good solution for me, though it works indeed.
Does anybody know how to fix it ? At the moment I am using an external GPS. It works perfect, but it is also not that elegant solution.
Same thing here too. I downloaded "GPS test", and found that it will lock on pretty quick, then fire up GPS, and all is well.
margol1 said:
I have absolutely the same issue. After turning it off completely, the GPS does not lock for ages in any sky conditions, etc. Moreover, I put another two Android devices (Galaxy S and Optimus One) also after complete shut off juyst nearby and they are getting locked almest immediately. No doubts, there is a bug in the S7 GPS. But what is it ? Is it a hardware problem ? Can it be fixed ? Keeping it in a sleep mode for a long time is not a good solution for me, though it works indeed.
Does anybody know how to fix it ? At the moment I am using an external GPS. It works perfect, but it is also not that elegant solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS on android devices need the assistance of the cell tower or ISP location to get a quick lock. When you first boot up the ds7 and turn on GPS, make sure you are connected to wifi in order to get a quick lock. If you search this forum you will see a thread that give a fix for this, but I think its too much of a hassle. Just be on wifi for your first lock will do the trick. This is not bug on the ds7, its android.
otnos said:
GPS on android devices need the assistance of the cell tower or ISP location to get a quick lock. When you first boot up the ds7 and turn on GPS, make sure you are connected to wifi in order to get a quick lock. If you search this forum you will see a thread that give a fix for this, but I think its too much of a hassle. Just be on wifi for your first lock will do the trick. This is not bug on the ds7, its android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? More misinformation on this subject? No, Android devices do not need aGPS, in this case you're confusing aGPS (ie: download of ephemeris data) with Network location, which are quite different.
And it really doesn't matter if it's the first or the Nth time, if the DS7 is always offline for some reason, it would likely make that first fix take 5+ minutes but subsequent fixes (for 7 or so days) would be fine. However, as soon as he goes online, it's going to download the ephemeris data.
My guess is that his GPS conf is set to the wrong part of the world, so the ephemeris data is basically invalid. FasterFix in the market can help correct this mistake if you're rooted, or you can replace it manually.
khaytsus said:
Really? More misinformation on this subject? No, Android devices do not need aGPS, in this case you're confusing aGPS (ie: download of ephemeris data) with Network location, which are quite different.
And it really doesn't matter if it's the first or the Nth time, if the DS7 is always offline for some reason, it would likely make that first fix take 5+ minutes but subsequent fixes (for 7 or so days) would be fine. However, as soon as he goes online, it's going to download the ephemeris data.
My guess is that his GPS conf is set to the wrong part of the world, so the ephemeris data is basically invalid. FasterFix in the market can help correct this mistake if you're rooted, or you can replace it manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I beg to differ with you. When I was on stock froyo, I had the same GPS lock problem on one of my trip. So I pulled into a McDonald and connected to their free wifi and got an instant lock. This morning I tested it again. I have been running honeycomb sine Oct 5th and have never turn on the GPS. I connected to my wifi, turned on GPS, and opened Google map and got an instant lock. I didn't have to wait 5+ min..
otnos said:
I beg to differ with you. When I was on stock froyo, I had the same GPS lock problem on one of my trip. So I pulled into a McDonald and connected to their free wifi and got an instant lock. This morning I tested it again. I have been running honeycomb sine Oct 5th and have never turn on the GPS. I connected to my wifi, turned on GPS, and opened Google map and got an instant lock. I didn't have to wait 5+ min..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And none of that has anything to do with what I said.......
This is a little FAQ I wrote up on how to fix this problem. Just a matter of replacing the file that runs the GPS, based off the area you live in.
http://tabletroms.com/forums/showwiki.php?title=DellStreakFAQ:GPS-FIX
giveen said:
This is a little FAQ I wrote up on how to fix this problem. Just a matter of replacing the file that runs the GPS, based off the area you live in.
http://tabletroms.com/forums/showwiki.php?title=DellStreakFAQ:GPS-FIX
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good list, although not sure why you're specifying dozens of NTP servers vs the pool server, but I assume t-mobile lets anyone connect to its server to download the ephemeris data? Otherwise, probably better to use supl.google.com
Here's mine, for North America, with other regions commented out for NTP. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/334233/gps.conf
It'd be interesting to know if all of the other dozen or so configuration options are actually used, I've heard they aren't, just part of a spec.
I bought my DS7 in the US and I live in Israel. The above explanations perfectly fit my case. Unfortunately, the given link does not include my region (Israel or Middle East, etc). Can somebody help me ? My DS7 runs a stock HC 3.2. The device is unrooted, but I will root it just for solving the GPS problem. BTW, why my Galaxy S bought in Europe does not have such problem ? Is this gps.conf specific in tablets only or in the US devices ?
Another thoughts. Now it seems to me extremely unreasonable to run specific GPS files in different regions. GPS, by definition is supposed to be used in different regions. Should I replace the GPS file in my every trip? Sounds more than unreasonable. I used a Windows CE based PDA with GPS all around the globe without that issue. It does took me a while to fix satellites in a new region for the first time. But then it was getting fixed fast even after complete shut off.
I can't beleive Android is that imperfect. If this option would be included in the menu (e.g. in Regional settings), I would like it. But performing such complicated actions in each trip ???
margol1 said:
Another thoughts. Now it seems to me extremely unreasonable to run specific GPS files in different regions. GPS, by definition is supposed to be used in different regions. Should I replace the GPS file in my every trip? Sounds more than unreasonable. I used a Windows CE based PDA with GPS all around the globe without that issue. It does took me a while to fix satellites in a new region for the first time. But then it was getting fixed fast even after complete shut off.
I can't beleive Android is that imperfect. If this option would be included in the menu (e.g. in Regional settings), I would like it. But performing such complicated actions in each trip ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stop your trolling, ephemeris data, ie: what's set up in gps.conf, is to speed up cold starts. it does nothing else, it's not Android specific, in fact all it's doing is downloaded a set of the data that your GPS would otherwise have to slowly acquire from the satellites, which takes 2-10 minutes, depending on conditions and how many sats are seen.
All GPS units do this, but GPS units that have a network available will potentially download ephemeris data to speed up satellite acquisition. Otherwise they just download it. Only time you'll really notice it going slow is if it's been more than 4-5 days (I believe 7 is the official data expiration, but the older it is, the less accurate it is) or you've changed areas since you last turned on the GPS.
Keep in mind that phone-based GPS's suck. They're inaccurate, they're not sensitive, their antennas are not optimal. This is true for nearly all PDA's or Phones, Tablets, etc.. Some may be better than others. They're optimized for space, price, and somewhat for battery life. Not accuracy, precision, or cold starts (beyond A-GPS data downloads, which is an OS function that makes the data available to the GPS)
This means my unit is faulty (apparently it is a common problem for DS7). Otherwise I would have similar cold starts for all three devices I have tested (DS7, Galaxy S and Optimus One). On the other hand, in the light of your explanataion, my tests are, probably, wrong. DS7 is WiFi only, while another two are GSM (no data plans though). In other forums, I read that changing gps.conf file in WiFi only devices dramatically improves cold starts. Apparently they all have been connected to WiFi while starting. I have prepared the appropriate file for my region, but don't know how to root my DS7 with stock HC 3.2. The thread I found here is not sufficiently detail for noobs like me. So, in the mean time I will continue using the external GPS. It is indeed much better than the internal one besides the cold start problem (though much less convinient). If you know a link to the step-by-step instructions for rooting DS7 running stock HC 3.2, I will greatly appreciate it.
margol1 said:
The thread I found here is not sufficiently detail for noobs like me. So, in the mean time I will continue using the external GPS. It is indeed much better than the internal one besides the cold start problem (though much less convinient). If you know a link to the step-by-step instructions for rooting DS7 running stock HC 3.2, I will greatly appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Always possible there's a problem with the GPS, maybe the antenna is defective or connected badly. Hope you figure it out.
I have two bluetooth GPS, one Holux 236 I've had about 6 years, another Columbus V900 I was going to replace the Holux with, as it's newer, should have better sensitivity, and has built-in track logging. Except that its accuracy is off, it's precise.... precisely wrong. It's always about 9 meters off. And my primarily use for it is Geocaching, and my Holux 236 is always dead on.. So my new BT GPS is basically used as a track logger. Ah well All that said, I primarily use the BT GPS with my phone while geocaching or hiking or such, but I have used it on the tablet a few times, but most often I just use the built-in GPS on my DS7 because I don't need high precision with it the way I use it.
khaytsus said:
Stop your trolling, ephemeris data, ie: what's set up in gps.conf, is to speed up cold starts. it does nothing else, it's not Android specific, in fact all it's doing is downloaded a set of the data that your GPS would otherwise have to slowly acquire from the satellites, which takes 2-10 minutes, depending on conditions and how many sats are seen.
All GPS units do this, but GPS units that have a network available will potentially download ephemeris data to speed up satellite acquisition. Otherwise they just download it. Only time you'll really notice it going slow is if it's been more than 4-5 days (I believe 7 is the official data expiration, but the older it is, the less accurate it is) or you've changed areas since you last turned on the GPS.
Keep in mind that phone-based GPS's suck. They're inaccurate, they're not sensitive, their antennas are not optimal. This is true for nearly all PDA's or Phones, Tablets, etc.. Some may be better than others. They're optimized for space, price, and somewhat for battery life. Not accuracy, precision, or cold starts (beyond A-GPS data downloads, which is an OS function that makes the data available to the GPS)
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Thank you, khaytsus.
All this fix does is speed up the initial contact to the GPS satellites for your region. You don't have to use this, you can wait till the GPS in the DS7 makes contact if you want.
khaytsus said:
Always possible there's a problem with the GPS, maybe the antenna is defective or connected badly. Hope you figure it out.
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The most strange is that the GPS is fine after getting fixed . At least, no difference with Galaxy S, i.e. roughly the same number of satellites, SNR, accuracy. So, the only problem is unreasonably long cold start. I am not sure how it could be caused by a defective antenna. Anyway, in the mean time I decided to use an external GPS. I have three units, two BT and one mouse, which I used to use with my nettop in the pre-tablet era. Yesterday I connected my Hollux 236 to 12 V using a concealed cable and switch. So, now the procedure is reasonably simple: switch on 236, a few clicks on BluetoothGPS and, when the connection is established, I am clicking iGO8. It works like a charm, besides several additional actions I have to perform. When I will sicceed to root my DS7, I will try to play with the gps.conf file anyway.
P.S. I got an idea to connect my mouse GPS using the DS7 docking unit. I have a simple one with two microUSB I/O. Not sure it will work, but, if yes, it can simplify everything dramatically. I will try it on the weekend and let you know about the results.
Thanks.
OK, after two weeks of testing I still don't have a reasonable solution:
1. The USB mouse GPS connected the cradle does not work at all.
2. My greatest disapointment is with the external GPS. It works perfect... when it works. I am using the Bluetooth GPS application to get connected. After several successful connections, without any visible reason, the GPS is not getting connected to DS7, although the application shows many satellites with large SNR (>30-35). However accuracy = 0 and no GPS signal message in iGO8. This happens only from time to time and as I have already mentioned without any visible reason.
Will try another applications and GPS devices.
Hey all,
I'm using Zeus 6.22 and I've run into the same problem on every rom i've tried so far. GPS works, but the moment i get in the car/bus/whatever, GPS reception gets very, very poor and usually cuts out completely. Is there anything i can do to improve it or is this a hardware limitation? I've tried using google maps, copilot navigator, igo and sygic, all software seem to be having the same problem...
Use Zeus tweaker and CM7 config gps
Tap to Black Hell... 2
It's a hardware limitation which unfortunately happens on portable devices like our Optimus Black.
Since the hardware on the OB is pretty weak (in comparison to larger devices), the GPS on our phone MUST have line of sight with the sky, ultimatly meaning it has line of sight with the orbiting satellite.
That would be why it cuts out on the bus or whatever.
I'm not sure that there is a work around for this like there is with 3G data speeds but if you or somebody has an answer, I too would greatly appreciate the feedback as i suffer from the same problems as well.
EDIT: I don't think GPS config settings will change the strength of the signal between the phone or alter the interference as a result of dynamic environments.