Help GPS won't locate

[sushifor5]

My GPS won't work. I have a 3g connection, I've turned my GPS on thru location access setting. This is the first time I've turned gps on, to use maps while traveling, and it says "searching" constantly, won't find location. Please help? TIA!

 

[John Bean]

Could be any number of issues. A good way to try to pin down the problem is to install a GPS test app which shows the sort of information you get with a dedicated handheld GPS - satellite maps, signal strength, etc along with positional information.

There are a few available, I suggest this one: GPS Status & Toolbox

 

[sushifor5]

Thanks. I tried three of them. Here's what I've found. We are driving, which is why I want to use gps with maps... When I turn on gps and put my tablet on the dash of the car, it finds a signal. When I pick up the nexus to look at the map, it quickly loses the GPS signal. The test apps work similarly... only when unit is in window. That just seems wrong to me. Is my hardware broken? This unit is 6 months old, I've never tried to use GPS before.

 

[sushifor5]

Also, related question... When I was looking at GPS test app and map on my tablet, when gps finally found signal from unit sitting in window, I clicked over to use a different app on my tablet (like Chrome or book reader), but when I clicked back on the map or GPS test app, the signal had been lost and I had to put tablet in window again to get it back. Should this happen?

 

[John Bean]

"Finds a signal": please refine this statement (how may satellites, signal strengths, etc). The point of using the test app is to determine the problem and for GPS to work in any useful way requires a good, consistent signal from at least three satellites. Signal strength is generally more important than number of satellites, the latter improving accuracy but not effecting the ability to acquire a fix. If you see lots of low-grade satellite signals coming and going without any strong signals it will take a long time (sometimes never) to fix your location.

Test apps can show a plethora of information but start with the obvious: check the signal strength and number of satellites visible (and in use) first. My Nexus 7 is reasonably sensitive (more so than my Nexus 4) and works in places that have surprised me but I don't expect it to work everywhere. Obviously I can't predict what you should expect from it in your location and the best test is to check it against another GPS-capable device to determine whether your N7 has a fault or you're simply using it in an area with borderline GPS signal.