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Help GPS issues?

Well Just tried out the GPS while driving and tracking it at the same time... I'ts NOT looking good, it is rather grim I'm afraid :(

GPS test It actually found and locked on to some sats quite fast... but then it just kept loosing fix and stuff :-(

Im running the Android 2.2 (available from KIES for a very short time in scandinavia) on the SGS I9000
Froyo.XWJP6
Base XXJPM

I suspect that IF Samsung have included a GPS "fix" all they have done is Improve how navigation hugs to the streets.

The whole user experience of the Phone is better... its smoother and they fixed alot of things (just not the GPS) it still lags and hangs sometimes and it isn't really much for some combinations of multitasking. f.ex Installing an app and doing other stuff at the same time can sometimes cause it to stutter and lag but not as much as before 2.2
I really hope that the reason 2.2 was pulled again was for 2 things... To really FIX the GPS (still hoping) AND the to FIX the "file system" (cause of the lag)
 
I think we are all going to have to accept that the galaxy s is just a weak gps unit.
I recently moved my phone much further forward in the car to give it a clearer view of the sky.
Things looked better fof a short time but then i suddenly jumped to a road some 100 mtrs away whilst driving.
The road usually gives good gps reception.

I dont see how software upgrade will fix this but i would love to be proved wrong.
Co pilot live. And froyo
 
spock said:
I think we are all going to have to accept that the galaxy s is just a weak gps unit.
I recently moved my phone much further forward in the car to give it a clearer view of the sky.
Things looked better fof a short time but then i suddenly jumped to a road some 100 mtrs away whilst driving.
The road usually gives good gps reception.

I dont see how software upgrade will fix this but i would love to be proved wrong.
Co pilot live. And froyo
Click to expand...

Have you tried setting the accuracy in the hidden gps menu down to 20? It removed any weird large jumps i used to have. Also standalone mode seems to work best afterall. I get fast fixes and adequate road performance. I wouldnt use it to measure the exact length of a run on foot but its perfectly reactive and accurate in igo nav. Gps test can also be set to filter the signal more. Hope it helps.
 
AlexanderA said:
Have you tried setting the accuracy in the hidden gps menu down to 20? It removed any weird large jumps i used to have. Also standalone mode seems to work best afterall. I get fast fixes and adequate road performance. I wouldnt use it to measure the exact length of a run on foot but its perfectly reactive and accurate in igo nav. Gps test can also be set to filter the signal more. Hope it helps.
Click to expand...
What is the 'hidden GPS menu'?
 
t1mman said:
Hit this on the phone (GPS Menu):
#*#*1472365*#*#
Click to expand...
Oh, for Pete's sake, why do they hide such functionality? This is what is driving me crazy about this phone, the obscure settings you have to glean by chance from internet forums. Where is the official documentation on this?

Just 'dialed' it and got 'USDD Code Running' then a message that said 'Rejected' with an OK button. Next???
 
Well, I assume it's hidden so that people in Tech support can keep their jobs :S

it's probably not advisable to let all"end-users" play around with theses settings, we could probably considered "Power-users" or some of the likes.
 
t1mman said:
Well, I assume it's hidden so that people in Tech support can keep their jobs :S

it's probably not advisable to let all"end-users" play around with theses settings, we could probably considered "Power-users" or some of the likes.
Click to expand...
It's not just hidden, that key combo doesn't work on my Captivate. I've always been a 'power user', I guess, I knew my way around the Palm world no problem, which is why I'm probably more frustrated than I should be here on the Android platform, I want to know it all NOW :D

Did you type that key combo correctly?
 
The utility "SGS Tools" (available in the market) has shortcuts to most of the secret codes that lead to service/info/diagnostic menus. Another proggy that gets you there is "SGS Toolbox". I'm not sure if all codes work on all SGS models, probably not in all cases.
The GPS menu is called "LBSTestMode" and this one shouldve been documented and easier available to endusers imo, as it contains useful settings that have a pretty dramatic influence on how the GPS performs.
 
reinbeau said:
Oh, I've got a shortcut to that LBST program, if it's that same thing. Thanks for the SGS program tips :)
Click to expand...

Should be the same thing. Best results are with the accuracy setting reduced to 20 (=accurate to within 20m) and assisted gps off, standalone mode, not using wireless networks. With hotstart on this gives a much faster and more accurate fix than a-gps (usually instantaneously and 5m). Also the app gps-test has a few settings to filter out large jumps and increase signal filtering.I hope it helps you as it did for me.
 
I've been playing around with GPS (I use it to keep track of my jogs, so it needs to be pretty much on the spot) and a user on XDA made me discover the application "TrackerBooster" (available on the market)

I've tested this bad boy out last night and it was totally on the spot. Franckly, I can easely conclude that, with the settings and the apps, I don't have any GPS issue at all.
 
In that menu I also notice GPS Plus and Skyhook. Anyone know what these are and the best setting for them?
 
t1mman said:
I've been playing around with GPS (I use it to keep track of my jogs, so it needs to be pretty much on the spot) and a user on XDA made me discover the application "TrackerBooster" (available on the market)

I've tested this bad boy out last night and it was totally on the spot. Franckly, I can easely conclude that, with the settings and the apps, I don't have any GPS issue at all.
Click to expand...

Good to hear. I use Trackerbooster aswell, combined with GPS Booster. It definately helps. It requires a bit of experimenting with gps settings and utilities but the end result is quite good. Here's a track I made today while biking through the city.

Track 31 - Google Maps

(The small weird curl at the northern top of the path is where I went inside a building.)

Conditions on the bike lane in the city aren't the easiest, with plenty buildings closeby and being under tree foliage for a good part of the trip. Also its a very cloudy day though Im not sure if that matters much. The phone is in my pocket.

Anyway the results are pretty much spot on. The fact that the recorded path is next to the main yellow road instead of on it is correct since I was on the bikelane which is next to the road, with parking spaces in between, as can be seen with sattelite view enabled. Same goes for some of the other roads. It's off by a couple meters here and there but its never off much more than 5m, nothing that will confuse a navigation program.

The good thing about all this (besides me getting perfectly acceptable GPS now) is that all that's different from when I used to get terrible tracking, are software/setting changes. So it looks like maybe its a software problem afterall, or atleast fixable by software.
 
AlexanderA said:
Should be the same thing. Best results are with the accuracy setting reduced to 20 (=accurate to within 20m) and assisted gps off, standalone mode, not using wireless networks. With hotstart on this gives a much faster and more accurate fix than a-gps (usually instantaneously and 5m). Also the app gps-test has a few settings to filter out large jumps and increase signal filtering.I hope it helps you as it did for me.
Click to expand...


Well I tried your settings and I still cant get a fix.
I guess you had jumpy GPS , which you've improved. I had none and it's no better.
I am in UK and on a network branded (Orange) handset so this all alters the game, I imagine.
 
hello guys

i'm also having problems with the gps in my sgs. When I go to the hidden menu and test my location , the GPS finds 7-9 satellites ! But when I go to google maps it only appears the blue arrow and no map. it just stays blank on squares. not to mention that when i go to Navigation i wait 10 min " waiting for location" and nothing ...

so it detects satellites in test but i cant use anything :(
 
Prescott_Core said:
hello guys

i'm also having problems with the gps in my sgs. When I go to the hidden menu and test my location , the GPS finds 7-9 satellites ! But when I go to google maps it only appears the blue arrow and no map. it just stays blank on squares. not to mention that when i go to Navigation i wait 10 min " waiting for location" and nothing ...

so it detects satellites in test but i cant use anything :(
Click to expand...
If your not getting any map data that is down to your download not updating... nothing to do with the bad GPS which is a separate issue.

Do you have an App termination tool installed such as SystemPanel which can kill the App.
If you can kill/terminate the App then restart it may refresh and download the map data.
 
i have task manager and i can kill apps from there , but which one should i kill ?
 
Prescott_Core said:
hello guys

i'm also having problems with the gps in my sgs. When I go to the hidden menu and test my location , the GPS finds 7-9 satellites ! But when I go to google maps it only appears the blue arrow and no map. it just stays blank on squares. not to mention that when i go to Navigation i wait 10 min " waiting for location" and nothing ...

so it detects satellites in test but i cant use anything :(
Click to expand...


You with Orange UK by any chance? my internet has been running slow/ non existent for the past 2 days now and this is currently what is happening with me on google maps. if you turn on Wifi and test it near a wifi point you wont get the problem your experiencing.
 
dhaos , I'm not from UK

beards
my connections is not slow.When I use maps through WiFi i have no problems. map loads , also satellite view and terrain view , it's fine
i killed maps and start it again but still seeing just the blue arrow of my position and no map :(
 
unknownuser said:
Been a lurker here for a while.

I'm just wondering if you have any updates Beards for the GPS issue?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
It's been very quiet on the updates but I'm expecting this to come alive this week.
There's a lot of activity at Samsung at the moment what with the Nexus 2 which Samsung won over HTC and a new phone scheduled for release at the CES show Jan 2011.
It would not be difficult to presume the engineers time has been pre-occupied elsewhere.... which although they did not confirm they neither denied it either.
 
Prescott_Core said:
dhaos , I'm not from UK

beards
my connections is not slow.When I use maps through WiFi i have no problems. map loads , also satellite view and terrain view , it's fine
i killed maps and start it again but still seeing just the blue arrow of my position and no map :(
Click to expand...
Well that could only point to 3G being the culprit.
Maps can use a considerable amount of data especially if you are updating quite a lot.
 
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