yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Captivate General] halfhp:
Thats a pretty bold statement. My guess would be that its at least at the gps chip firmware level or lower. The fix (if one exists) will probably be software though. The favorite phrase of hardware engineers: "lets fix it in software!".

EDIT: I think I should make a couple qualifications:

First, not to be a stick in the mud, but the information about the "true cause" of the GPS issue on the captivate posted by Mr. GPS in the link provided above doesnt really seem relevant. The basis of his diagnosis seems to be that the almanac information is not handled properly by the phone. While this may or may not be true, having incorrect or no almanac data only makes locking take a long time, it does not reduce the accuracy of a device that manages to obtain a lock on 8+ satellites, which is the more common GPS issue plaguing the Captivate.

Second, there have been posts on this forum and others by somebody who claims to work for Broadcom and claims to be familiar with the issue. He contends that the problem is indeed a Broadcom driver issue, not a Samsung issue as the above article article claims. Supposedly the fix has already been provided to Samsung and they simply need to incorporate that into their build. What exactly he means by "driver" is hard to say, as the term tends to be used rather loosely.
[Captivate General] ph00ny:
Just as a confirmation, i tried to use my phone for GPS usage few more times yesterday. Once from my father's office in fairfax, va to mclean, va and then from mclean, va to manasas, va.

From his office, i just couldn't get a signal for gps at all. Sat there for a minute or more without a signal so i picked up his evo 4g and fired up google maps, and bam within 3 seconds, GPS lock. On the way to manasas, i fired up google map and it was able to get a lock within 20 seconds. Hmm pretty odd. Also when i was back at his office, i fired it up again and there it was locked and ready within 10 seconds.

I guess i need to wait for that fix and hope that it does address it
[Captivate General] gordec:
Ok, finally fixed (for most part) the GPS. I installed the lag fix http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=765822 the ext4 version which has fix for GPS logging issues.

Using supl.google.com recommended settings in the thread by the OP, and rebooted.

It locks within 10-20 sec everytime even in doors. When I checked indoors accuracy was horrible 160 feet but in my car 20-30 feet. This is somewhat usable now. That's with google maps. I need to test it some more with IGo today. The key was to reboot the phone after making gps updates. I didn't do this before.
[Captivate General] hmose:
Hasn't anyone looked at the NMEA sentences coming out of the chip? Does anyone know anything about NMEA? If the sentences are correct, you could bluetooth them to the bridge and navigate the Queen Mary through San Francisco Bay and out under the Golden Gate! Hasn't anyone found an APP to read these sentences on the Captivate?
[Captivate General] foxbat121:
Yes, someone did in i9000 forum and it is not encouraging. However, the chip is programmable and there is still hope that it can be fixed.
[Captivate General] IllegalOpcode:
I have noticed my gps lock on speed varies with my battery charge level. When it is charged it locks on in 5-6 sec but when it starts to drop it takes longer to lock on. And at some point it will not lock on at all. I will test this further. It is looking like it could be a possible power problem. But it is only a guess at this time. I wanted to see if anyone else has seen this behavior.
[Captivate General] neilometer:
Can anyone here comment on whether or not "they" are rolling out the GPS fix in Europe right now? I stopped by the AT&T store the other day and all of the employees there were not only well aware of the situation, one guy even said he thought they had begun the rollout "over there" already.

My 30 days is up tomorrow and I have to make a decision ;)
[Captivate General] foxbat121:
As far as I know, no. Only a few beta firmware leaked (JM6/7) so far.
[Captivate General] neilometer:
Thanks. Just out of curiosity, what's your take on "the fix". Will they really fix it? I am trying to have hope.
[Captivate General] foxbat121:
Sorry, haven't see the real fix, I have no idea. Besides, there is a talk of AT&T doesn't even have OTA update capability. Samsung need to make some special update utility just for AT&T customers while other 3 carriers will do OTA update.
[Captivate General] ewingr:
Neilometer...nobody knows. It would just be speculation. You'll see people who 'are sure' it is hardware and can't be fixed; you'll see people who think it software, and won't be fixed/ and then those who are confident it will

I personally think it will. Such a large rollout, I'd think they must fix it.

As for your decision, assuming you haven't made it yet, and even read this, it depends on how much you plan to rely on the GPS. Of course many of the apps that use location depend on it, but most of those don't need it so accurate that it won't work as is, in my opinion.

Bur for navigation, in my case, I want it very accurate. Don't want it throwing me on streets close by. And I do rely on the phone for nav.

So I have returned mine, but am anxiously awaiting a fix. If ultimately ts is not fixed by Christmas season, I'll decide on a different phone. But I do really want to settle on a Captivate.
[Captivate General] asonesh:
I have the same issue. Very low SNR numbers. This indicated to me that the issue is probably with the antenna, i.e. hardware.
[Captivate General] jaysonv:
I am sure everyone is aware of this already, as everyone has discussed it at some point on multiple threads here. I contacted Samsung about the GPS issues because I just picked up a Captivate. Here is their response:

“Samsung Mobile is aware that under certain conditions, the GPS on our U.S. Galaxy S devices may not be meeting performance expectations. We are diligently evaluating the situation and will provide an update as soon as possible.”

No timeline given, but they aware of issues and they plan on addressing the problem. I hope soon, but you just never know.
[Captivate General] larryccf:
in case there are some folks still unaware, samsung released an unofficial rom for the Vibrant that fixed the GPS issue and a number of other bugs - i flashed it this morning and where i could not get 1-2 sats in view inside my house, i got 11-12 and locked on 4-5, outside 12 sats in view, 7-8 lock (partially cloudy)

i drove 9 miles incorporating as many turns (secondary roads) and including a circular 360 degree turn in a gas station and the MyTracks log only showed one corner "clipped" as if i had driven across a neighbor's lawn.

now the real test will be if it continues to perform like this - to date the partial fixes have only proven good for a short time - but if any of you are proficient enough to extract the gps files, here's a link to the thread on the tmobile software development forum

http://forums.t-mobile.com/t5/Opera...Nofficial-T-Mobile-Vibrant-update/td-p/469275

figured this might give some folks encouragement
[Captivate General] Phredeee:
+1 fixed. I really like this phone, you know the pluses. The GPS issue had me very disappointed. Almost to the point of returning the phone.

The changes (including root) really made a big difference. I went from hardly being able to get and maintain a fix with an accuracy of 30-50 M to a solid fix in 10 seconds and a 5-10M accuracy. I even got a fix inside! My HTC Tilt did better with 3-5M accuracies, but I think I can live with this.

Is this a band aid? Yep, and I thing Samsung and AT&T should be ashamed. It could not have been a surprise. Did they think we wouldn't notice? I hope their plans were/are to supply a true correction.

Thanks for this info!
[Captivate General] wpb2:
Whoever came up with this GPS fix is absolutely F**k'n brilliant. Thanks a million.
[Captivate General] LinuxNewb:
My problem is that after I shut down, all my settings disappear when I boot back up... Does anyone have that problem
[Captivate General] rabbivj:
so what is the general consensus on the accuracy? for me the magic # seems to be 40...any thoughts?
[Captivate General] :
Here is something I noticed-it takes very long time to get fix when I am in 2G area with unreliable data connection.Once I get into 3G coverage,it takes 10-20 seconds to get GPS fix with Google maps.Also I remember when I had Omnia I900,it had same issues and solution was to delete old data/XTRA files in Windows folder.Maybe that would help here too.
[Captivate General] derek4484:
I've come to the conclusion that the GPS in this phone is garbage. I can get a quick lock that is pretty accurate (where I really am at) as long as I am stationary. But as soon as I start to move it loses lock and it fails to update again until I am stationary again. While I am driving (even at very low rates of speed, like 10-15 mph) it cannot track me and has me driving through buildings and is usually 1-2 blocks off.

I tried modifying all those GPS settings in the 1472365 menu, but those only are relevant for the test application, they're not global OS settings, rather application specific settings. So you can get the test application very fine tuned but that does you no good for google maps and the like.
[Captivate General] TexUs:
Perhaps it's trying to use SkyHook too long before actually switching the GPS then.

Can you try disabling the SkyHook option in the 2G and see if the lock is any faster?
[Captivate General] :
Funny you mentioned that-I disabled data connection in settings and got fix quickly,maybe quicker than with data on.It was in 2G area.
[Captivate General] TexUs:
Good thing that works. That's an easy software fix, then...

So far most all the problems with this thing have been discovered and they're all simply software issues ;)
[Captivate General] waveznyc1:
Best Setting !

I live in new york and these are the best settings which work in the heart of mid town! hope this helps

1. Navigate to Settings > Location & Security and uncheck the box next to "Use Wireless Networks".

2. Go to the phone's dialer and enter the number *#*#1472365#*#* then press send to access the phones LBSTestMode menu.

3. In the LBSTestMode menu, press “Application Settings” and change “Operation Mode” to “MS Based.”

4. Navigate to the “SUP/LCP Settings” and the SERVER & PORT to supl.google.com and port 7262.

5. Make sure the settings are saved and reboot your phone.

6. Navigate back to Settings > Location & Security and check the box next to “Use Wireless Networks.”
[Captivate General] ewingr:
I'll start with a confession that I have not read any of the replies from to the OP yet, but about to leave, and wanted to get this question here in case it has not been answered yet, and I will get back to all replies.

I was about to edit the file through the text editor you mention, and the text is so small I am concerned about making an error. I have copied the file over to my PC. can I edit it with notepad? then copy it back up?

I find I have all settings as you say,except for the Skyhook, which I just changed and am in fact getting much faster connect to the SAT.

My file is somewhat different.

I'll post back how it goes with turning on Skyhook, and then tomorrow will update the txt file one way or the other and see how that goes.
[Captivate General] foxbat121:
I found that you have to turn off secure socket if you change SUPL to supl.google.com. If you leave secure socket on, you will no getting any lock (although can acquire many satellites).
[Captivate General] abezapata:
i did this fix and it worked like a charm! Thanks guys!
[Captivate General] ewingr:
Well, I'm running on fumes...(a bit late)

The GPS worked great for me all day today. It gets a hook on the SAT in just a few seconds. Once it was almost instant.

Works great while driving.

Some time soon, I'm going to try finding that app some have been using when tracking their walks.

BTW...I brought up the test software tonight, and my # of sats bounced between 7 and 10, with 5-8 having the * (I presume locked to), and accuracy bouncing between 5 and 10 meters.
[Captivate General] :
What I did after having unpredictable locks is turned off network assist.Now I get lock from cold start in 1 minute or less.I think the problem may be with A-GPS hanging to long trying to get info from network instead just look for satellites.

BTW anyone have seen an application called XTRA for Android.It worked great for WinMo-it just downloads sat info and stores it-you can tell it when to get new info.
[Captivate General] hmose:
Of course that's the problem. The chipset is putting out the nmea sentences and the Captivate is ignoring them looking for network "assist" help. Try the application called GPS NMEA monitor to see how accurate and quick the GPS is.
[Captivate General] k2snowboards88:
how do you turn off network assist?
[Captivate General] :
settings-location and security than ucheck "use wireless networks"
[Captivate General] k2snowboards88:
Thanks I was hoping it was something different. I'm not picking up any satellites at all anymore. I was getting perfect fixes before. Now in gpstest. My phone won't even see any satellites. I'm starting to think my phone's gps is completely broken unless there is some cache that can be deleted.
[Captivate General] startngate:
You want RunKeeper ... it's great, and free.
[Captivate General] asonesh:
From a "GPS World: article "Mobile-Phone GPS Antennas" (I cannot post a URL becasue my "junior" status of the forum doesn't let me):

GPS satellite signals are notoriously weak compared to familiar terrestrial signals such as those of broadcast stations or mobile-phone towers....

Consumers demand that their phones not only provide voice communications and GPS but also Bluetooth connectivity to headsets, Wi-Fi, and even an FM transmitter, all in a small form factor at reasonable cost. This requires miniaturizing the GPS antenna and possibly integrating it with the other radio services on the platform. Such compromises can, if the designer is not careful, significantly reduce receiver effectiveness with dramatically reduced antenna gain and distorted antenna patterns.
[Captivate General] dwmoss:
These settings improved my gps performance. Still waiting for a fix, but the gps seems to be at least usable now. Stock rom.

Thanks for putting this thread together.

dm
[Captivate General] ScottyNuttz:
Unfortunately, these settings did not seem to improve my GPS performance. I still have not been able to go for a ride and have google maps track me. It still jumps all around and has a big circle around my arrow.
[Captivate General] foxbat121:
As posted repeatly before, these settings change does not actually work. It merely resets your driver and you're good for only a week or so.
[Captivate General] smashpunks:
Rest assured people. I have vibrant since day one, was extremely disappointed in the navigation and was going to get a g2 when its released. Well there was a leaked rom for the vibrant that apparently fixes GPS, so I flashed it and am glad to say, I've been testing for 1 1/2 days and I will say its FIXED. 10 LOCKED SATELLITES OUT OF 13, my tracks good, navigation good and rerouted fast lime 4 seconds.

Its fixed guys, and if not completely almost there and good enough. Its not hardware its software and this is proof.
[Captivate General] chudy:
Could u fire up gps test and see how many satellites get 40db or higher when outside? Also what's the accuracy? Thanks!
[Captivate General] gary_lankford:
I have now read all 39 pages of this thread. Won't claim I understand all of it or remember all, but believe I got the gist; none of these fixes work...

I did think having a working supl server would be worthwhile, so changed to supl.google.com and port 7276 only to find on reboot that I can't lock at all now. Changed back, no joy... no satellites, no lock. Back to look for what I screwed up.... :-)

EDIT: Set the server type to Auto and then back to custom and rebooted and I'm back to where I was currently; finding 6 or 7, locking 5 or 6 in the 20-35 range on gps test, 10-15 secs.

I'm in the country far from any wifi except my own, which isn't connected to the internet. No buildings or other obstructions, and surely less than the normal for other electro-magnetic radiation; think that makes a difference?
[Captivate General] 02CWRX:
This thread does show some encouragement for me, although Im about to return my Captivates and get the Fascinates instead. Unfortunately, the service for AT&T around here just isnt on par with Verizon and I lose signal far too often. T-Mobile actually works better in a few places, and when I ran my T-Mobile SIM in my Captivate is when I actually get the best performance out of it even without the 3G, haha.

~T.J.
[Captivate General] heygrl:
Well actually, there is an update to fix the zero bar readout bundled in JI2 on the Vibrant. Lots of people are giving T-Mobile/Vibrant a bad rep for reception when in reality it's not that bad at all. It just dips below 0 bars so often because the scale is off by about -12dBm.
[Captivate General] CLShortFuse:
I played around with some settings and my GPS turns off by itself after 3 minutes or so. I don't know how to fix it! I put it back to stock settings. Help?
[Captivate General] bigdaddy4u:
Turn Dynamic Accuracy back on....
[Captivate General] CLShortFuse:
I have, let me try with a reboot after changing it.
[Captivate General] jhego:
I would like to know if this *#*#1472365#*#* still works with JH7 firmware. It stopped working on my phone.
[Captivate General] foxbat121:
It doesn't. It seems a new set of numbers needed for newer firmware.
[Captivate General] CLShortFuse:
Use LauncherPro and map the LBSTestMode activity
[Captivate General] ethered2:
Has anyone thought of bringing a class action lawsuit against Samsung for knowingly selling a defective product? Or how about filing a claim with the FCC against Samsung for selling a product that does not function under the licence they have?
[Captivate General] heygrl:
Yes, we've got a huge thread on it in the class action subforum for us sue happy SOB's. Did you miss it?

My GPS works fine. What's faulty? They didn't sell us a GPS. They sold us a phone. you'll lose.
[Captivate General] gary_lankford:
On this GPS issue so many are so upset about; is this a case of if I can't see them, they can't see me? If so, I might be satisfied to leave mine non-working... :-)

I usually know where I am; it's hard to get lost in Utopia, Texas.And, I sorta feel sorry for people who think they really need GPS; hell, I almost don't need a phone. Reality Check: what did you people do 10 years ago?

Aside: as an advertised feature, GPS really should work. I'm just willing to wait a little longer than some before I start ranting... :-)
[Captivate General] bigdaddy4u:
Samsung Lawsuit

I've given it much thought and I'm just waiting for this month to pass to see if they are going to fix it - it's disturbing that a company as BIG as Samsung can't get GPS right. Yet everyday they advertise Media Hub and MANY other products for us to spend even more money on - When they won't even fix the VERY device that they KNOW is defective It HAS to be against the law. If they can't fix it then it's time to suck it up and start the Recall or a Program with At&t for replace the GPS receivers in these phones.

It's even more depressing that At&t would not push Samsung to fix this because Verizon seems the Best company to press hardware and software vendors to update their devices - especially if there are issues or problems. I think if We ALL signed up for a free month of ATT Navigator and called like crazy about the GPS MAYBE At&t might get angry enough to press Samsung to do something about it.

For the people that say it's a phone and not a GPS - I say i bought the phone for ALL the features - To have FREE turn by turn (compliments of the Android platform) is a tremendous plus and one of the MAJOR advantages of Android (and a TREMENDOUS Slap in the face of Apple :-)) Not to mention i want the VERY BEST phone with ALL working functions for my 2 year commitment.
[Captivate General] ewingr:
Yeah, if I wanted 'just a phone', I'd save some money and put my SIM back in my Razer.:p

Also to those who say 'its just a phone', what feature did you purchase it for? If it didn't work, what would be your thoughts?

In my case, I'm trying to combine my phone, PDA and GPS into one device instead of 3. Have been very successful for over 3 years, albeit on a device that is slow compared to today's technology.

I want to use it for all that I can :) And GPS is a major option for me. If I was stuck in my home town all the time and never traveled, it would be different.
[Captivate General] mrschwarz:
When I bring upo operation mode in the applications menu, my choices are:

H/W Sensitity Test

H/W CNo Test

H/W CW Test

H/W TIS Test

I must have done something to change the settings. I cannot figure out what that was. Can someone tell me how to get back to the other settings on this menu option?
[Captivate General] mrschwarz:
Never mind. I found it. For those of you who encounter the same problem, change test mode to 'S/W/ Test'.

the way, when I apply these changes, I c get a AGPS fix in seconds. This is a change from never getting one. The one additional change that I made was set 'SUPL/CP Settings menu>SUPL Secure Socket' to off. This last step was the key.
[Captivate General] 02CWRX:
FWIW, I flashed a new ROM to my phone just for fun tonight to see if I could, and the GPS works WAY better than it ever did. Locks quickly, and accuracy lower than Ive seen it.

Sitting inside GPS test sees SNRs in the mid 20s to mid 30s on average, some even in the 40s, accuracy down to 16.4 feet. Google Maps actually locks and shows "within 10 meters" but has no shaded blue circle at all, and is correct as to my location.

I followed the instructions here: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=780935

But used this firmware at samfirmware.com: I897UCJH7##

Definitely works WAY better. Not to mention some new apps and features in there too (like the ability to exit out of the USB screen when Kies is enabled).

~T.J.
[Captivate General] foxbat121:
JH7 is slightly better than stock. But the GPS is still broken. Just wait a few days and you will see.
[Captivate General] JvKintheUSA:
Any updates regarding the GPS fix?

Has anyone heard anything about the GPS fix that Samsung says will be rolled out this month? I'm getting a little nervous - I have until the end of the month to return my phone.
[Captivate General] ewingr:
I don't think anyone has heard anything. I think you'd see a very noticable post about it if so. ;)

I'm watching the forums closely. Absolutely no info from Samsung that I've seen, other than what everyone heard earlier in the month.

Getting close to the end of the month. We'll know before long if they meet their earlier statments on timing of a fix.
[Captivate General] newend:
I installed the update about 2 hours ago and didn't see any improvement to GPS performance while driving to work. I had hacked about with the settings before so I'm not sure if there is some sort of conflict. I also can't get back into the GPS setting menu.
[Captivate General] JvKintheUSA:
:mad: Great! I might wait then when I do get the prompt to update...
[Captivate General] foxbat121:
We knew that for couple weeks now. It's the same firmware (JH7) that was leaked a while back. It's a shame that Samsung claims it fixed the GPS in JH7.

I guess by the time most ppl get the update and start testing, Samsung will have Froyo at hand and say sorry, we screwed up. Here is the *real* fix in Froyo.
[Captivate General] vintagephone:
Just posted my first test of the official JH7 release here:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=789661

Please consider adding your test results of JH7 there so we can compare.

Carl
[Captivate General] zeddock:
Just updated. No better.... maybe worse!

I had messed with settings previous to make it better too, so I could have created a problem for myself that way. I will see to setting those back soon, but I think the update would have re-configured if that was a concern.

zeddock