Captivate - GPS Issues

Here's the weird thing...when I get home in the evening, I will run a program called GPSTest (no space) and it will lock in after 2-5 minutes and it will work the rest of the night. But that's it...during the day, even in the same location, no lock.

Hope I'm not duplicating someone else's answers. I didn't have time to read them all. Forgive me...

I've only used my GPS twice, but it has worked flawlessly.

I took a page out of my experience wth my HTC Tilt, which also had problems with GPS fixes.

I've been using Google Maps that I installed from the Market, which also installs a "Navigation" app when it installs. That's the tool I use when I need driving directions, etc.

So...Just download Google Maps and GPS TEST by Chartcross from the Market and install them.

1) I usually add my desitnations into my contact list (I create new contacts in my Gmail and wait for it to sync OTA to my Captivate as I can type faster on a computer than on my phone). It's just easier to pick an existing contact to navigate to, than to type it all in. But your mileage may vary. Pun intended 😉

2) Activate the phone's GPS (I installed the Power Manager widget and just click the GPS icon).

3) Start GPS TEST. Once the bars start moving you can click out to the Home screen (this seems to close the app, which is ok). -- You have now just jumpstarted your GPS chip and locked it into your current location.

4) Start NAVIGATE. It typically defaults it's start point at your "current location."

5) Pick your destination from your contacts.

You're ready to go!

No lag. GPS works everytime (N=2) for me this way. (Maybe I'm lucky, not sure).

I only know that GPS Test works because I had to do this every time I used my Tilt's GPS. Lock was almost always instantaneous.

Good luck.

Z

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@Zandora wrote:

No lag. GPS works everytime (N=2) for me this way. (Maybe I'm lucky, not sure).

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You are lucky. For most of us unlucky ones out there, getting a lock is not a big problem (for some even unlockier ones, it is still a problem). But getting Google Navi to not jump all over the place is the biggest problem because of the accuracy problem of the GPS.

From my experience, it seems that the issue is software, and not at all hardware. The WinMo devices used software to update the coords of the GPS satellites, which I assume is why they lock so quick and easy. This way of doing it lets the phone know where to "look." As such, and by default, it seems the Captivate has no such function of software to assist in this manner. The GPS Test app does have a function to update this over the net, and then can lock on the locations far sooner than without. After using this and getting a good lock on 3 or 4 satellites, I can then switch to Google Maps/Nav, or my favorite Waze (which I HIGHLY recommend), and I get a lock in these in 5 to 15 seconds, weather depending I guess. So the GPS assist software seems to make a world of difference. Again, the Windows devices seem to have had this by default, where the Captivate does not. Again though, this is all just my observation and what I have found to work for me. Take it with a spoon full of salt.

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@foxbat121 wrote:

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@Zandora wrote:

No lag. GPS works everytime (N=2) for me this way. (Maybe I'm lucky, not sure).

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You are lucky. For most of us unlucky ones out there, getting a lock is not a big problem (for some even unlockier ones, it is still a problem). But getting Google Navi to not jump all over the place is the biggest problem because of the accuracy problem of the GPS.

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foxbat, Have you tried the GPS after installing GPS Test yet? So you weren't successful in getting a lock even with GPS Test?

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@Zandora wrote:

foxbat, Have you tried the GPS after installing GPS Test yet? So you weren't successful in getting a lock even with GPS Test?

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I have no problem getting the lock even before the update. The real problem is not gettting a lock. You can get an accurate lock while you standing still. The moment you started to move, i.e. in a car, it craps out. As a result, using Google Nav is not possible some times as my Captivate will often put you on a wrong road near by a serverly lags behind your actual position.

I want to repeat it again: getting a lock is not the real issue with this phone. The moving accuracy is. To test your moving accuracy, you can use Google Nav on the road and pay attention to following:

1. Did you ever see a blue circle surround your position? The blue circle indicates the inaccuracy of your current GPS position.

2. Did you ever see your position got jumpped to a road near by?

3. When you pass by some landmarks like intersections, bridges or simply make a turn, did you notice your position on the map lags behind?

4. When you come to a complete stop, did you notice your GPS position continues to move ahead then stop and sometime move back to your current position?

All of these symptons occur to me in various times.

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@foxbat121 wrote:

I have no problem getting the lock even before the update. The real problem is not gettting a lock. You can get an accurate lock while you standing still. The moment you started to move, i.e. in a car, it craps out. As a result, using Google Nav is not possible some times as my Captivate will often put you on a wrong road near by a serverly lags behind your actual position.

 

I want to repeat it again: getting a lock is not the real issue with this phone. The moving accuracy is. To test your moving accuracy, you can use Google Nav on the road and pay attention to following:

1. Did you ever see a blue circle surround your position? The blue circle indicates the inaccuracy of your current GPS position.

2. Did you ever see your position got jumpped to a road near by?

3. When you pass by some landmarks like intersections, bridges or simply make a turn, did you notice your position on the map lags behind?

4. When you come to a complete stop, did you notice your GPS position continues to move ahead then stop and sometime move back to your current position?

 

All of these symptons occur to me in various times.

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I didn't realize these were the probs.

I have to admit then, that I've been extremely lucky.

Google Maps and it's Navigation has been extemely accurate, taking me exactly where I want to go the two times I've used it.

Absolutely 100% accurate, including cross streets. It times me perfectly crossing the streets, making turns, approaching the streets, on- and off-ramps, etc.

I have BOTH the "Use Wireless Networks" and "Use GPS Satellites" checked when I use my GPS.

Frankly that was my last criteria to keep the phone. If GPS didn't work, I would have waited for the WM7 phones to come out and returned this one.

Guys,

I had GPS issue with my Captivate as well and I tried "Software Update" in settings literally everyday to get an update but everytime it failed. Finally I found a ROM update at this loc: ponack.net/designgears/index.html and click "Download JH7 OTA Stock" and walla 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 lcoation 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.

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

Last Thursday, I received a message that there was a software update available for my phone.  I tapped OK and it ran for about 7 minutes and said it had failed.  I had read some Web posts that failure didn't mean failure, so I rebooted my phone.  This time the update started automatically and completed successfully (NewBuild=ECLAIR.UCJH7 instead of UCJF6).  It took a little more than 10 minutes.

Before the update, the GPS had usually locked on within 30 seconds, however, there had been times when it was minutes (especially when I was driving) before it would lock.  Since the update, it locks within 10-15 seconds without any drifting.