GPS was horrible on east coast

[ronopolis]

I live in Colorado. The GPS in my Eris has worked well since I got the phone. Over Christmas I went to Williamsburg VA and DC. When I got off the plane the GPS was all goofed up. It showed me out in the Atlantic. I know it can take GPSs a while to "re-sync" after a big move like this. But it was wrong for hours. Then it was correct. Then the next day it was good for hours, then BOOM I'm back out in the Atlantic for 1/2 a day. Basically, it became unusable the one time I need it -- when I'm traveling and want to use the GPS for maps, directions etc. I understand "clear sky" etc. That wasn't the problem, it worked perfect on day out "on the mall" in DC. Then didn't work at all the same place the next day.

I came back to CO and the GPS has been perfect.

Any idea what gives?

 

[ryan820]

Colorado is awesome and the East stinks?

Ryan, Colorado resident, former east coaster

Sorry that happened to you. Similar happened to me as well when I went back to visit my family in Pennsylvania. I was a brand new user to the phone and my mistake was not making sure the GPS was on. I figured the network would compensate but I was very very wrong!

 

[baycruisers]

Colorado is awesome and the East stinks?

Ryan, Colorado resident, former east coaster

Sorry that happened to you. Similar happened to me as well when I went back to visit my family in Pennsylvania. I was a brand new user to the phone and my mistake was not making sure the GPS was on. I figured the network would compensate but I was very very wrong!

Hey! I live near the area in question and my GPS (cell-based) has always worked fine.

Were you using cell-based or satellite-based GPS? Did you *228 to update your connection in Virginia?

 

[doogald]

I live in MA and the GPS has worked fine for me. I have used it with Sportstracker while running and the only weirdness is that the elevations are sometimes off, but that doesn't really bother me at all.

 

[mc48]

I've never quite gotten it to work for me well here in the Southeast. It has always been a couple of blocks off. I read a review somewhere, PC mag I think, reviewing Google Map on the Droid and basically the conclusion is that it is a start but don't throw your TomTom or Garmin away yet. Several times it had the reviewer showing he was in London instead of Penn.

 

[o2bnclemson]

I'm in SC and have had no problems. I often drive through GA and into FL as well, and into NC, and have had no problems there either. I did have a problem once locally, but I just restarted the phone and it worked fine. Now, I try to reset mine at least once a week for good measure, just to clear the cache or whatever it is that may be causing things to go slow or get fouled. I've used Google Maps and My Tracks (a hiking/biking GPS) and they both work reliably, with the one exception noted above.

 

[Tux#AC]

I wonder if this could be an issue with WGS84 or NAD83 (whichever they use). If the system remembers CO was starting point and did the calculations from there the map will be off the further you get away. If they use an older datum (27) you could be off by 30-40 miles at a range of 2k miles from known start.

This explanation is a long shot and would depend on them using a datum that uses your start point as a known and not a coast line.

Or you could just had crap for luck and didn't get a 3+ sat lock.

 

[ryan820]

I wonder if this could be an issue with WGS84 or NAD83 (whichever they use). If the system remembers CO was starting point and did the calculations from there the map will be off the further you get away. If they use an older datum (27) you could be off by 30-40 miles at a range of 2k miles from known start.

This explanation is a long shot and would depend on them using a datum that uses your start point as a known and not a coast line.

Or you could just had crap for luck and didn't get a 3+ sat lock.

Tux that is a very good point. I work in the navigation industry (aviation only, though) and can say at least from my perspective this is a plausible explanation. I don't know what google earth, or maps or any other ground-focused navigation system uses but at least the highways in the sky are all NAD83 (while the rest of the world is WGS84). With that said, WGS84 is really just NAD83 renamed so that all the other countries of the world are using the same scale and system. So it would be interesting to know, if this is the issue, where the GPS is getting dorked up for some of us.

At least in Colorado, my GPS has been spot on. In Philly, not so much!

Ryan

 

[ronopolis]

Sorry I haven't replied (I'm the OP).

I was always had on "use GPS", not the horrible cell tower triangulation.

When I was in Richmond/DC, it didn't work the first night. It literally put me in the Atlantic ocean. About 1/2 way between the US Coast and Bermuda. The google maps screen was just blue. It wasn't until I zoomed out-out-out-out that I realized what was going on. The "GPS status" app would show that I had a lock one some sats, but my elevation would be 51,000 feet or whatever.

It worked well almost the entire next day (driving to DC, walking around downtown DC). Within 30 feet all day, was terrific for walking around like a gawking tourist. Which I was.

And the following day? Random. Good for a while, then off by 500+ miles. At one point it was locked in fine. Asked google maps for directions to Mt Vernon, and it started me in Ohio, 'cuz the GPS was all goofed up again.

And again, back in CO for a few weeks, flawless every time I've tried it.

I guess my bottom line is, like I think I said earlier, the one time I needed the GPS and google maps, it totally fell apart. I don't know if I can trust it to work in the future when I travel.

 

[baycruisers]

Weird. I live in Richmond and travel all over the state, including NOVA/DC and haven't had a problem.

Maybe someone's trying to tell you to stay in CO! (You have REAL mountains there!)

 

[bloodycape77]

Bit of an old post, but better than starting a new thread. I am seeing a similar issue where in the part of Los Angeles I am at, the GPS is off by a few blocks(maybe .3 miles away). I keep updating my location to get it more accurate, but that seems to do nothing at all. I feel like it using the cell triangulation instead of the GPS. Any ideas why?

 

[patches152]

*228 has nothing to do with GPS. it only impacts your roaming capabilities (PRL = preferred roaming list. it's just a list of which towers to prioritize for use while out of your home area)

GPS could be due to having the sattelite (traditional GPS) disabled and only using network location services, or some other setting that you enabled/disabled. hard to say without you being there and toggling the settings. seems to be like it's a device/software/user issue. not network or location based.

 

[bloodycape77]

So you think it could be the Eris I have has a defective GPS?

 

[patches152]

well now that i think about it and don't just spout off, if it works fine everywhere else, it could be the local network. maybe weather?

 

[bloodycape77]

well in my case the weather is fine but it showing me off by a good few blocks like its using cell triangulation to locate me. Could it be due the fact I am indoors maybe? Or is it maybe because the Eris doesn't have an accurate GPS system?

 

[patches152]

Indoors doesn't help. That would explain the difference.

 

[bloodycape77]

I tired it out doors and it took about a minute and a half before it accurately locked into my position correctly(well said I was in the alley when I was in front of the house but still a great improvement).

 

[blashandroid]

Did a search for GPS problems and I'm glad I found this thread. For a modern device, the GPS acquisition time and accuracy sucks badly in most places. Most of the time my device doesn't know where I am and it doesn't matter if I'm outside walking or in the car. My GPS picked up my location on the highway in NJ during a recent business trip and it was one of the first times I saw the directional arrow and the "dot" actually on the road. I once appeared in upstate Minnesota when I was sitting in my car in Cincinnati. Odd and frustrating considering GPS is one of the more in-demand features for me. By the way, my basis for comparison is an old but bulletproof Sprint Blackberry 8330 which locked the GPS location on both Google Maps and the Telenav application in no time at all. I must be missing a setting or something on this Eris.