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Eris and GPS

H

hendrickson.dj

Lurker
Maybe it's just me, but....
Has anyone else found that the GPS is useless on the Eris?
And that that makes maps and any other app that relies on the phone knowing your location worthless?
Those turn-by-turn directions don't help much if your phone thinks your a half mile away from your actual location.
And those apps that help you find your car? Or your distances on a golf course?

And other than buying a new phone, has anyone found a solution?

Thanks.
 
Mine works fine. You do have GPS enabled right? If you are only using the network location, then you'll be off by easily a half mile as it only uses cell towers to figure out your location.
 
hendrickson.dj said:
Maybe it's just me, but....
Has anyone else found that the GPS is useless on the Eris?
And that that makes maps and any other app that relies on the phone knowing your location worthless?
Those turn-by-turn directions don't help much if your phone thinks your a half mile away from your actual location.
And those apps that help you find your car? Or your distances on a golf course?

And other than buying a new phone, has anyone found a solution?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Wow, mine has been fairly/very accurate in the couple of months I have been using it. Make sure your GPS is enabled. Tower triangulation is not nearly as accurate.
 
I disagree - I find mine quite reliable. When tracking a walk (using Cardio Trainer) it even could "see" that I looped around our driveway - about a 40' diameter circle. I've used it to get "unlost" on several occasions in unfamiliar territory. My husband's Moto Droid was having gps issues last weekend, but it is normally very reliable as well. Maybe your phone was not finding satellites, or maybe the gps isn't working well on your phone; I don't think it's an issue with all Erises. Please post as you learn more!
 
The only place I've gone with mine and its been off more than 3 meters is where I work. There isn't a gps around that can pin point me when I'm there. The navigation on 2.1 has worked flawlessly for me so far.
 
I guess I'm like everyone else and haven't had any issues. I use lookout and just for the fun of it I will look up my phone and it usually finds it with in 3 yards of where it really is. Make sure your location is on as well as having you GPS enabled.
 
Wow. Thanks, all, for the quick replies.
Although I'm not sure that I'm happy to learn that it IS just me! ;-)
I do have GPS and my location both on, I've tried indoors and outdoors and in different locations miles apart -- and the best it can do is within a half mile. I spent about an hour on the phone with Verizon on this and their response was that Google Maps must be inaccurate in my region (southeastern Virginia) and that I should report that to Google.
I guess it's time to take it back to the Verizon store.
 
Try going into maps and into Latitude (layer). You should see your location on the map with a blue shaded circle around you representing your locations accuracy. With GPS on and if you are outside you should see the circle as a tiny dot, otherwise if the shaded circle is large you are only defining your location via cell towers.

Also keep in mind your location will not be determined instantly with GPS. Depending on your view of the sky it may take a monute or 2 to find your exact location.
 
hendrickson.dj said:
I've tried indoors and outdoors and in different locations miles apart
Click to expand...

No GPS that I'm aware of works well indoors, they have to be able to 'see' the sky to get a fix on the satellites. So make sure you've got a good clear view where you are. Thick trees overhead and skyscraper type buildings can sometimes even cause a problem.
 
Are you on a leak? Though my GPS location is still fairly accurate, it takes a helluvalot longer to get a fix on the satellites. Hopefully this is fixed in the OTA -_-
 
i go to menu>setting>location and then i uncheck everything besides the last one which is "gps." that makes it pretty accurate. you should try it and see if it helps.
 
Does anyone using Cardio Trainer with the GPS find it to be accurate? I have had Cardio Trainer record a run 1/2 mile longer than it actually was.

Does anyone have similar experiences?
 
The one time I really tried using mine last week, it got me lost. It made me take a right off a main street when I was supposed to take a left!!!! I was PISSED! I ended up calling my wife to ask where I was supposed to go and she informed me I had put in the wrong freakin address!! I blame the GPS still.
 
I've had an occasional problem with location, too. (Usually solved by toggling GPS, rebooting, or just waiting.) But it got much better with 2.1 installed. I can only recall once where it required more than a few second wait.

In Chesapeake, VA.
 
OfTheDamned said:
I have run into problems with mine on occasion. If I restart the phone, it typically works just fine.
Click to expand...
On the first 2 leaks I noticed occasional problems getting GPS fixes. I used the gps for a few thousand miles of trips. On the third leak I have not had any problem yet, and I've run a couple thousand miles and a multistate trip too.
 
have you tried the app gps status? it will show you the signal strength of the various satellites and the rest of the raw gps data. if its not locking in the gps satellites, then it'll never be accurate.

chart


qrcode for gps status.
 
It might not be your phones problem at all. Depending are where you are at geographically, solar flares have been wreaking havoc with GPS satellites as of late. Making some completely useless.

BTW, I use my Eris for geocaching, and it gets me to within 15 of feet of it every single time. I dont even use my standalone GPSr anymore.
 
I am on my second Eris and the GPS on this phone is much more accurate than the previous Eris I had. The old phone (among its many issues) would not stay locked on, and would take for ever to get an accurate signal. New phone, only takes seconds. Could be your particular phone is having GPS problems?
 
Hello again, and thanks everybody!

I tried several of your suggestions ... and lo and behold it started working. (Or I finally inadvertently did something right.)

You all were a tremendous help -- thanks for the time and information.

And of course ... no sooner did I get the thing up and running when I got prompt to upgrade to 2.1.

Navigator works great, though, eh?

Peace.
 
hendrickson.dj said:
Maybe it's just me, but....
Has anyone else found that the GPS is useless on the Eris?
And that that makes maps and any other app that relies on the phone knowing your location worthless?
Those turn-by-turn directions don't help much if your phone thinks your a half mile away from your actual location.
And those apps that help you find your car? Or your distances on a golf course?

And other than buying a new phone, has anyone found a solution?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I suspect that you've got your GPS turned off, and are using cell towers to estimate your location.
 
The problems I have with GPS are funny. I live on a one-way street, the map SHOWS it as one way, but yet the GPS tells me to drive down the wrong way.
 
Works good for me. I'm pursuing my private pilots license and recently I used "My Tracks" app on a flight. Stuck the phone on the floor behind my seat, hit record and I was able to see my entire flight from wheels up to parking it.
It was pretty cool to see my maneuvers on google maps.
 
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