GPS problem

deesto

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Hi,

I noticed that Verizon began pushing updates to these phones a few days ago. Mine is rooted, and this may be a coincidence, but last night I noticed HTC Sync checking for updates before I left the phone alone for the night. Battery was at about 60% at that point, which usually lasts me about a day. When I woke up 6 hours later, the phone was off and battery had drained completely. After recharging, I noticed that GPS was really screwed up: it seems Google Maps is fine and knows where I am, but other apps either get little to no GPS signal at all (even after waiting several minutes and moving to different locations), or think I'm 7 timezones away (the HTC clock and weather apps must use the same information). An app I just downloaded, GPS Test (which looks pretty cool), is showing GPS signal rates up to but not exceeding 25%.

First, how can I tell what's really going on, and how can I fix it? All GPS settings have been toggled off and back on, but that didn't help.

Second, since I'm rooted: is it possible some partial or incomplete firmware update was done that hosed my GPS reception? After rooting, About-> Software used to say everything was unknown or blank, but is now showing Android 2.2.1 (which doesn't sound new or updated).
 

bjboucher

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Since i've not messed with rooting not sure what happened in your specific situation. The latest OTA that came out messed with GPS a little but not on accuracy, its just making us lose GPS lock every few seconds. We get quick and accurate locks though.
 
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deesto

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Since i've not messed with rooting not sure what happened in your specific situation. The latest OTA that came out messed with GPS a little but not on accuracy, its just making us lose GPS lock every few seconds. We get quick and accurate locks though.
Thanks; good to know, but I don't know how much of this applies since I was rooted. It also makes sense that you're losing locks: in my case, it doesn't seem like I'm getting a lock at all. But I wonder why Google Maps knows instantly my location while the rest of the phone is certain I'm somewhere that I'm not ... probably aGPS.
 

recDNA

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I'm not rooted but since the update when I check my traffic app and choose "my location" the app jams while trying to.find.my location. It always worked b4. Google maps works fine but other apps that access Google map data do not.
 

GNUsNotUnix

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deesto,

Firstly, my guess is you are running stock, but rooted Froyo and not a custom ROM? Secondly, do you still have root? If the VZW OTA was installed during the night, you would have lost your root.

I'm trying to get an understanding of your situation before I recommend flashing a new radio.
 
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deesto

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deesto,

Firstly, my guess is you are running stock, but rooted Froyo and not a custom ROM? Secondly, do you still have root? If the VZW OTA was installed during the night, you would have lost your root.

I'm trying to get an understanding of your situation before I recommend flashing a new radio.
Thanks for asking, GNUsNotUnix. Your assumption is correct: I used Auto-Root and didn't install a custom ROM (yet). I think I still have root: most things seem normal, and Root Checker says "ok", but it's these little things like GPS, time zone, sudden unexplainable battery drain that have me worried about something having changed.
 

GNUsNotUnix

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Thanks for asking, GNUsNotUnix. Your assumption is correct: I used Auto-Root and didn't install a custom ROM (yet). I think I still have root: most things seem normal, and Root Checker says "ok", but it's these little things like GPS, time zone, sudden unexplainable battery drain that have me worried about something having changed.

Hmm. OK.

Two suggestions. First, if the radio file from the Auto-Root procedure is still on your SD card, I could create a copy of it somewhere on your PC, in case the new radio leads to more problems( like no service whatsoever... ). Here is the link to XDA for the MR2 radio for root users. I would try flashing the radio in HBoot and seeing if this helps.

Secondly, I would maybe ask this question in the Root & ROM TBolt section. I would like for someone else with a little more experience to confirm this is the right radio and procedure. I would hate to tell you to try this, and end up with worse problems. Just paranoid is all:eek:
 
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deesto

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Hmm. OK.

Two suggestions. First, if the radio file from the Auto-Root procedure is still on your SD card, I could create a copy of it somewhere on your PC, in case the new radio leads to more problems( like no service whatsoever... ). Here is the link to XDA for the MR2 radio for root users. I would try flashing the radio in HBoot and seeing if this helps.

Secondly, I would maybe ask this question in the Root & ROM TBolt section. I would like for someone else with a little more experience to confirm this is the right radio and procedure. I would hate to tell you to try this, and end up with worse problems. Just paranoid is all:eek:
Thanks again GNUsNotUnix. I'll give hboot+MR2 a try. I don't know a whole lot about all the different ROM flavors at this point and will have to think about them before moving to one (although an AOSP version seems to make sense).
 

deesto

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Thanks again GNUsNotUnix. I'll give hboot+MR2 a try. I don't know a whole lot about all the different ROM flavors at this point and will have to think about them before moving to one (although an AOSP version seems to make sense).
To follow up: VZW kept pushing the same update to my phone, even though I continuously rejected the update, up to three times per day, every day. This was more than mildly annoying: aside from the ~80 MB download that it didn't cache each time and downloaded fresh, each process drained my battery up to 15% per download, and there was no way to cancel the download. I ended up getting pretty frustrated last night, and picked an alternative ROM (CM7) to flash via ROM Manager. I also had to flash the MR2.5 ROM to get any radio signal with CM7, but that seems to be working now.
 

natehoy

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I don't believe that current LTE devices are using the same spectrum that LightSquared is proposing to use, hence why LightSquared's use of the spectrum is still under review by the FCC. I can't imagine how a current 4G signal could interfere with a current GPS receiver.

Slightly off topic, but forcing everyone else to change their equipment because your new equipment interferes with their use is neither cheap nor easy. Maybe new GPS units can all be forced to use Javad GNSS's technology, but there are hundreds of thousands of GPS receivers out there that won't be compliant and will stop working properly when LightSquared starts turning on access points. This is an order of magnitude more impactful than the analog-to-digital TV conversion.