The Best GPS Settings I have found so far...

ap1618#AC

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***NOTE***

The OTA update failed to install successfully on my phone.
FW version reads JH7 though.
So, I would say it's without the update.

I continued to play with the settings, and found the settings below to be the best so far...

Application settings/Operation Mode/MS Assisted
Application settings/Skyhook/On

SUPL/CP Settings/Server/supl.google.com
SUPL/CP Settings/Port/7276
SUPL/CP Settings/Secure Socket/Off
 

hellosailor

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Damn, those folks at xda are good.

"•Standalone - Use hardware to get almanac, ephemeris and position
•MS Based - Use SUPL to get almanac. Use GPS for ephemeris and position
•MS Assisted - Use SUPL to get almanac, ephemeris and position
•Network Provider - ???"

In theory, if you use "MS Based" and use the supplemental server to load the almanac information into your phone, the phone should be able to keep itself updated afterwards in "Standalone" mode. (Like most GPSes, it will lose track if it is "off" and then moved a large distance.)

But...again in theory, once the GPS has established all that information and sees 4 satellites, it should be providing accurate information. There's something more wrong with these phones, because they show "weak" satellites when other GPSes show strong signals. A commodity-grade SIRFStarIII based GPS is so sensitive that you can stick it in between your car's visor and the metal roof--which blocks everything except weak reflected signals--and it still works just fine!
These phones don't do that. Using the supplemental server may help, but it is not fixing the real problem. These GPS systems are about as sensitive as "generation I" GPS, and that's obsolete.

The supplemental server that is listed in the phone's factory load? Apparently is no longer on the web and a domain parking company has taken over that address, which is why the factory address isn't working.

I'm betting Samsung has a hardware problem, like the bad antenna design in the iPhone4, and don't think that can be fixed. I'd love to be wrong about that.
 

jkois

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how do you know how many satellites are connected? where do you go on the phone to find out. i haven't been able to find this.

thanks
 

Terminator

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Guys,

I had GPS issue with my Captivate as well and I tried the workaround posted on several

websites, it did/does not work, I tried several settings don't even bother messing with it.

I tried OTA "Software Update" in settings literally everyday to get an update but every time

it failed. Finally I found a ROM update at this loc: ponack.net/designgears/index.html and

click "Download JH7 OTA Stock" and wallah it fixed my GPS issue and I have quick office as

well to prove that the update is originally from AT&T. I think you need to root your phone,

mine was rooted. I have driven with GPS out of town on several freeways and local roads and

worked excellently. You have to download ROM Manager from market and choose "Manual ROM

install" and choose the location of the ROM, which should be on the root of the phone SD

Card. I did not run into any issues so far. If you have any questions email me. Believe me

you will be happy with this. Please try it at your won risk though.

BTW: I didn't even enable the "Use Wireless Networks" option for a day and it was as accurate as a standalone GPS devices. I did use several GPS devices so I know how to benchmark the performace. I tried enabling "Use Wireless Networks" option and the accuracy remained the same but I guess the locking is much quicker now, I would say under 5 sec.


One another trick, if you don't want to wait for OTA update for 24 Hrs. forward your date by
a day and come back to software update and try again, you don't have to reboot.

Enjoy.
 
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acer01

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Ok, this is something interesting i have noticed...can anyone comment on it. Inside my condo with the use wireless networks checked and use gps satellites checked, when i am on 3g(with a strong signal), on Google maps it shows my location with the large blue circle around it and has my location off by about 1000 feet. Now, when i enable my wifi, the blue circle disappears and the little blue triangle moves and pinpoints my location perfectly. I am trying to figure out why it would be so accurate at a location while on wifi but off so much with 3g??
 

hellosailor

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" I am trying to figure out why it would be so accurate at a location while on wifi but off so much with 3g?? "
Very easy, Acer. Each radio network uses a different system to provide position information.
The GPS does it directly by calculating the geometry of the satellites and time differences in their signals. That solution is complicated by atmospheric distortions, so it might be within 100 meters for civilian GPS when the signal is intentionally degraded ("SA" was turned off some years ago and probably will stay off unless there's a war), typically is within 15 meters now, and can be better than 3 meters if "WAAS" is turned on.
The "WAAS" augmentation uses an extra radio signal to tell your GPS what the atmospheric distortions are, and IIRC right now there are only two WAAS stations, one on each coast of the US, so you can expect WAAS accuracy on the coasts and something less in the midlands.

Now, when an "Assisted GPS" (A-GPS) system reaches out to other networks, each of them works differently. The cell phone systems can use several different approaches, either comparing the timing of a signal to multiple towers (preferably 3) to triangulate where your phone is, or using special hardware which costs more. If you are seeing a cellular AGPS location within 1000 yards, it means your carrier cheaped out and deployed software instead of hardware. That's the most precise position then can give you based on the towers near you, since the towers may be reaching out up to 32 miles to get your signal. (Most US carriers automatically drop signals that are more than 32 miles distant, based on the propogation delay times on the calls, regardless of how clear they are.)

Move again--this time to WiFi--and the typical WiFi site is identified by the IP address, which is registered to a known customer of a known ISP, and recorded by cars that literally drive all over recording locations and network routers. Since WiFi is typically a short-range signal (100 feet?) the system isn't really telling you your position, it is just showing the position of the WiFi router you have connected through. Biased by any other information it has from the other networks.

Too much information? <G>

You'll also find that the Altitude information only comes from the GPS system, none of the "assists" provide that. In order to calculate altitude, a GPS needs a more powerful processor, or more processing time, and more satellites seen. Since most of us aren't flying by GPS, most GPSes intentionally leave the altitude sloppy, it can be off by 50-100 feet even on the best "ground" GPSes. The aviation models are way more expensive, partly for altitude, partly because FAA-certified anything is gonna cost.

Goggle is ahead of many vendors, in that they use different icons (triangle, circles of different size) insteaed of just sticking a tiny dot on the map and pretending "You are here" when you're really "somewhere around here, more or less."

Engineers use special GPS systems to get accuracy down to 2 centimeters or better. They make the aircraft GPSes look cheap.<G>
 

anneoneamouse

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Best GPS settings I've seen so far are:

Installed Froyo Beta.

Under LBSTest mode, change the server to AutoConfig.

Under settings > (wireless, or location?) > Turn on "use networks", "use gps" and "use sensors".

Hope this helps,

AoN.
 

anon(20649)

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LBSTest mode

I installed the new Froyo update for my Captivate and I can't get to the LBSTest mode. I typed in *#*#1472365#*#* and it doesn't do anything. Is there another way in? My GPS is better but, can be definitely improved.
 

anneoneamouse

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Sorry, I wasn't clear-

Under Froyo (beta), lbstest mode isn't directly available, but there's a work-around. I use launcher pro, and set a shortcut (install it, then use a long click on the desktop), assigned an activity, and set that to lbstest.

Hope that helps,

AoN

PS - since doing this, I get a lock in about 10 seconds, every time. Before, it was typically a minute or so, and could be up to 5 minutes. Numbers which do not build confidence for the significant non-technical other when we're "out in the wilderness".
 
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schoolboy

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A lot of posters have complained about GPS performance on the Captivate. Don't expect too much from any GPS. They have tiny antennae (especially phones) and they are getting a signal from space - through clouds, your windshield, etc. They don't work well in a bunker!

That said, the Captivate stuff works a lot better in Froyo - as good as my old iPhone 3G. With 2.1 Eclair it was very slow, as if it were not interpreting the clues the cell phone was giving it. Now that all seems to work well, but if you really want a fix to satellites it takes a little time. My Tom Tom isn't any better.
 

anon(20649)

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GPS Fix Froyo

Ok Thanks anneoneamouse ! Besides changing the Server to Auto, did you change anything else? In the previous GPS Fix, the SUPL / Server port was changed. I get a good fix now, even without the Server changed to Auto but, it doesn't do a great job while driving. Just trying to tweak it as much as possible. : )
 

acer01

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"A lot of posters have complained about GPS performance on the Captivate. Don't expect too much from any GPS. They have tiny antennae (especially phones) and they are getting a signal from space - through clouds, your windshield, etc. They don't work well in a bunker! "

I am not one that has a lot of experience with using a gps on a phone but i will say this. Before i got the captivate i had the epic which i returned for other reasons but at least on my epic, the gps worked 5x better than the captivate. I know many people have complained about all these new galaxy phones for the most part but the captivate could not hold a candle to the epic, at least the one i had. With the epic I could even have the compass going, with the gps on obviously, and drive down the street at 50mph and just about at every major intersection or side address, it would tell me almost exactly (listing the address or intersection at the top of the app) when i was right across from that address or going thru that intersection. When i first got the captivate the gps seemed to work intermediately, but now, it is truly almost useless most of the time. I dont expect it to perform like a stand alone gps but when comparing to other phones side by side that do use gps, whether in a car or in a building or standing in an open field, mine at least is much much much further off than the other phones. Besides the gps issue, i love the captivate. I think any phone will have issues and many of the times it is user error, however, with so many apps, especially the navigation ones that use gps, i personally think this should be considered a major problem and both ATT and samsung should escalate it to top priority. Google obviously has incorporated so many of their navigation programs into their search engine and their Google Places platform and are continuing to do so and with Android powering these phones it only makes sense the GPS should be 2nd to none, at least to other phones in my opinion.
 

shinji

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I just took a run at these settings. Now I don't have a signal lock (I'm testing this through a window with the blinds closed right now) it does indicate (through the lbstestmode) that it "sees" 9 satellites with a decent signal. No wifi at all (it's disabled). The MS Assisted was the trick because before I had maybe one on the window test. I'll do a test drive tomorrow and see if it helps there at all and if I can finally get a lock while moving (I couldn't before).

Update before edit: It just grabbed 5 sats lock on the window test. Accuracy is 10 m. Google maps got a lock within a few minutes.

EDIT: If you have Froyo or the OTA the sequence to get to lbstestmode is *#3214789650# and that should get you there.
 
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prosise

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Guys,

I had GPS issue with my Captivate as well and I tried the workaround posted on several

websites, it did/does not work, I tried several settings don't even bother messing with it.

I tried OTA "Software Update" in settings literally everyday to get an update but every time

it failed. Finally I found a ROM update at this loc: ponack.net/designgears/index.html and

click "Download JH7 OTA Stock" and wallah it fixed my GPS issue and I have quick office as

well to prove that the update is originally from AT&T. I think you need to root your phone,

mine was rooted. I have driven with GPS out of town on several freeways and local roads and

worked excellently. You have to download ROM Manager from market and choose "Manual ROM

install" and choose the location of the ROM, which should be on the root of the phone SD

Card. I did not run into any issues so far. If you have any questions email me. Believe me

you will be happy with this. Please try it at your won risk though.

BTW: I didn't even enable the "Use Wireless Networks" option for a day and it was as accurate as a standalone GPS devices. I did use several GPS devices so I know how to benchmark the performace. I tried enabling "Use Wireless Networks" option and the accuracy remained the same but I guess the locking is much quicker now, I would say under 5 sec.


One another trick, if you don't want to wait for OTA update for 24 Hrs. forward your date by
a day and come back to software update and try again, you don't have to reboot.

Enjoy.
Excellent September post.
I'm a long-time Garmin user, most recently via its Palm devices, so I took the WAAS-level accuracy for granted.
I have a Droid Incredible, and it can't place me any closer than half a city block (at best), or more often, one block, when I'm outside.
May I trouble you to offer some do's and don't's, to get up and running with the HTC gps?
It's not rooted, but I'm not averse to doing that, if it's wise.
Thanks.
John.
 

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