yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
v2.0b BETA 1 UPDATE 3/26/2011

Ok, guys - here's a test version of the port of the new GPS files from the JV1 Gingerbread for I9000 leak. Initial testing has been very positive so far. First-time cold start seems to take about 25sec for some reason so far, but afterward warm start times are often ridiculously fast - like 2sec. SNRs are improved even in poor weather conditions, and mobile tracking seems greatly improved so far, didn't lose lock once on some short trip testing even in my lap.

So far I have only tested it on KB1 bases. Though I expect it will work on all platforms I haven't been able to test and would appreciate feedback.

NOTE: THIS IS A BETA RELEASE. WHILE IT IS STABLE IN INITIAL TESTING ON KB1 PLATFORMS IT HAS NOT BEEN WIDELY TESTED YET. YOU WOULD BE A FOOL TO FLASH THIS IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND DON'T HAVE A ROBUST RECOVERY PLAN IN PLACE.

DON'T BE A FOOL.

There is some risk to this release. In addition to all the usual disclaimers especially with beta software, in the JV1 leak some fairly major under-the-hood changes were made to the GPS handling, and it seems Samsung may have finally gotten serious about improving the GPS. Among other things like changes to the locations of the binaries and configuration files there's now also a provision for using an external LNA (Low Noise Antenna) that presumably works through the USB.

Installation Instructions:

Basically the same as the OP. For this beta release though I haven't built separate regionalized versions though, so if you want to use outside the US just use Faster Fix app from the market to customize NTP settings as needed.

MD5 checksum:

463b98e9d01af89e10b485a2f8d833d4
[Captivate Android Development] reinbeau:
Oooh, that sounds intriguing! Right now my GPS works as well as it ever has, so I don't want to be a guinea pig - I'll be watching, though, to see how others do with it on a Captivate.
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
Changing to Control Plane really only affects the TTFF (Time To First Fix) times and doesn't have anything to do with tracking thereafter. Control Plane is simply another "path" for the device to get the AGPS data over instead of Wifi, 3G etc. As I understand it it really has nothing to do with subsequent position determination.

City driving introduces some severe challenges for GPS known as the "Urban Canyon" effect, especially in devices with not-so-wonderful antennas like these. I expect that what you're seeing owes much more to UC variables than the Control Plane setting.

But if it's working for you then hey, don't let me talk you out of it. :)
[Captivate Android Development] ewingr:
How do we know what the latest/most stable release is, and where it is at? It appears that newer releases are in the middle of the thread, rather than posting in the OP.
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
The most recent stable version is in the OP; test versions are only in their own post until they are proven stable enough, then moved the OP.

Sorry it's so confusing, but it's a necessary evil of trying to troubleshoot when there are so many variables, ROMs, modems etc. I thought this was just a better way rather than creating multiple threads. I'll edit the OP to try to clarify it some and I'm open to suggestions.
[Captivate Android Development] DDNV:
I'm on XXJQ1 and the difference between 1.0 and 2.0 beta was basically none from a cold start. Both were good, less than 6 sec.

Will test my wifes TLJL3 in a bit.

DDNV
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
<6s is tough to improve on. :)

Where I had really noticed a tangible difference though between 1.0 and 2.0 was in warm start and mobile tracking.

EDIT: Good to hear too that 2.0 runs on Serendipity since 1.0 didn't work so well for some Serendipity 6.2 users. That was one that really had me worried enough that I'm developing a parallel version based off JS8 Froyo too.
[Captivate Android Development] wgarrido:
Just flashed, I will try it on the way home.
[Captivate Android Development] Liv33viL:
PB GPS Fix 2.0B

Rrryan2,

It's good to see the continued development for an even more "precise" "reliable" navigation tool.

After implementing the 1.0 Final fix and tailoring some minor tweaks to my GPS, I'm still getting a consistent 9/9 - 10/10 and even 11/11 fixes and locks and typically a 7/8 - 8/8 fix and lock indoors with my Otterbox Defender series case housing my device.

My GPS is working so well (not to jinx it) in fact I just got the Navigon Mobile Navigator US (Pricey!!) but everything is working sweet! - New current toy!

I'm still doing mods on the NMN with all the POI and integrations with Radardroid. I'm compiling my own data from multiple databases to get the best of the best in location. - Anyway - that's another thread....

For now, although the early stages look promising - I'll be watching from the bleachers for a while on the beta until something pretty significant over what I currently have is implemented.

** I think I'm going to look for a development phone - so I can make mods and tweaks for testing without putting my primary device at risk.

Keep up the great work...

Peace-
[Captivate Android Development] NascarFastcar:
Just flashed beta 2.0 over 1.0. On stock KB1. Flash went fine. First lock took 32 seconds (indoors). Locks after that took 4-6 seconds with 7-9 sats all in use... 16foot accuracy. Average SNR is around 38 indoors!

Once again beautiful job Ryan. Cant wait till you tweak it some more!
[Captivate Android Development] Liv33viL:
Definitely NF,

Those are some pretty impressive numbers, especially right off a fresh flash indoors.

I'm assuming you didn't perform a GPS data flush or GPS cache flush prior to the 2.0 flash...
[Captivate Android Development] NascarFastcar:
As always gps data was deleted via sgstools before hand. First cold start was with gps status app. Then with gps test to see the snr levels better.

Ran this a little bit ago as I moved in my bed room...

http://img141.imageshack.us/i/snap20110327020542.png/
[Captivate Android Development] wgarrido:
On my way home first fix took 27s then it lost lock and wouldn't reaquire. Deleted GPS data again and got a fix in 30s. GPS status kept losing lock but GPS test seemed better. SNR's avg seem higher. Finally used Gmaps and was able to track all the way home. The accuracy kept jumping around though. I will do some more testing and report back.

Thanks again for working on this. This is the last thing for my phone to be perfect.

BTW earlier today I bent the contact a bit and cleaned the connections. IDK if that helped.
[Captivate Android Development] wgarrido:
Forgot to add that I pretty much had to have the phone by the windshield for it to work without loosing lock. Otherwise it would loose lock or jump to catch up.
[Captivate Android Development] TRusselo:
LOL hilarious!~
[Captivate Android Development] BillShepp:
To add another datapoint:

The GPS on my early build (purchased in August) has been at best adequate. Plumb Bob has been the best I've seen, but I could never drive more than a few miles without losing tracking, and satellite signals were rarely above the low 30's.

Today I finally got around to doing a warranty replacement (based on random shutdowns), got a build 1102. On the drive back from the AT&T store with stock phone I got almost instant lock, and didn't lose tracking on Google Navigation once. So for those of you struggling with things, if you have a phone eligible for replacement (primarily November or earlier build) I recommend it.

Bill
[Captivate Android Development] wgarrido:
Really? I have been toying with doing that. The build number has gotten high! I should really do that just don't want a refrub phone but GPS is the last thing from a perfect phone.
[Captivate Android Development] ewingr:
Thanks for the reply. I just wanted to be sure I got the right thing. Appreciate your efforts...which are getting rave reviews, by the way.:D
[Captivate Android Development] retardude48:
Noob question.

How do I go about uninstalling the beta or any version for that matter to revert back to stock or another version.

Thanks
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
You make sure you know what you're doing and have a robust backup plan in place, just like it says. Beta testing is not for the faint of heart or brain.
[Captivate Android Development] Ikonomi:
Hey, thanks for the info. If that's the case I'm really at a loss to explain the difference in performance. Most of my testing was done on the outskirts of the city, away from the glass canyons. In fact, I was getting better tracking in one of the more commercial highrise areas.

At some point during my drive, on the third cycle of enabling control plane, the GPS crapped out and couldn't maintain a lock. I had assumed this was down to the tower in the area, but if this setting only affects the first fix, then who knows. Maybe there's something else I'm doing.

Ah well, going to flash your beta release. If it breaks my GPS, well, no big loss!

Perception 10.2 | SpeedMod K13D | I9000XXJQ1
[Captivate Android Development] iXNyNe:
im currently running serendipity with plumbob 1.0 and getting retardedly fast <10s locks

there is an area near where i live (a whole city actually) that is like the bramuda triangle for GPS and i've never been able to get reliable locks there (always just relative locations based on cell towers)

note: this area is a problem for real GPS units like garmin and tomtom as well

im going to try 2.0 and see what happens - i'll report back, if i still get locks in my apartment like i have been then i will assume the performance hasnt degraded (and is compatible with my selection of rom/kernel/modem)

my sig shows my current rig (im about to flash a new modem and pb 2.0 so i'll update after posting this)
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
[JVK] v2.0b BETA 2 UPDATE 3/27/2011

Beta 2 includes one update, an updated driver from the new JVK (Gingerbread 2.3.3) release. All the other GPS files are the same between JV1 and JVK.

Initial testing this afternoon was very positive. SNRs are improved even in unfavorable weather conditions here and although I can't guarantee everyone will have the same results I was even getting 1 second indoor warm start times. Mobile tracking was still excellent.

Instalaltion instructions are the same as the OP. Again, Beta versions are configured for the USA be default. If you'd like to customize NTP setting for other regions just use the Faster Fix app from the market.

NOTE: THIS IS STILL IN BETA Just like the previous version and all Beta versions, I would caution that this fix makes some drastic changes in attempting to forcefeed the Gingerbread GPS setup to Froyo that might not be able to be undone without wiping and reflashing. Don't be foolish and flash this without a robust backup plan in place. But with nearly 130 downloads of 2.0B1 and zero problem reports so far, I must be doing something right. :)

Note: 2.0b2 pulled due to a minor bug, use v2.0b3 at http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=12444902#post12444902
[Captivate Android Development] iXNyNe:
tried beta1 and got some very interesting results

gps status refused to show locks on any sats, or even detect any and show them as grey, however google maps showed a 20 meter lock almost instantly

i tried playing around with the settings in lbstest to see if changing things around would make any difference, didnt seem to help

flashed 1.0 on top of it and im now getting locks in gps status again

i'll try beta 2 and report back
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
I've noticed things like that a few times. It seems like if you forcibly delete the GPS data, the new drivers aren't always aware that AGPS needs to be refreshed. If you wait 10 min (beyond the time specified for SUPL re-aiding time in gps.xml) and try again it usually works great.
[Captivate Android Development] iXNyNe:
i flashed up to beta 2 and gps fixes came in great but i stopped getting cell signal (looks like my modem is camping on 1900 and theres no 1900 coverage around here)

i flashed the jvk modem right before beta1 and it seemed to be working fine with 850 and all and continued to work while i had beta1 but after flashing beta2 the modem seemed to decide to camp on 1900 and not allow me to switch back to 850 so im trying different modems now - znkp1 always seemed to work nicely for me so i'll switch back to that and then maybe worry about modems after you release 2.0 final
[Captivate Android Development] NascarFastcar:
Ryan I noticed there are a bunch of extra files in the 2.0 flash that are not in the 1.0 flash. Was wondering which ones are safe to remove if I want to go back to 1.0.
[Captivate Android Development] iXNyNe:
ok fresh flash of serendipity 6.3 with no modifications other than plumbob 2.0 beta 2 and i am not getting a lock - 0/2 sats show up

maybe there is an issue with serendipity, but 1.0 seemed to work well for me

gonna flash back serendipity again (to get rid of whatever may have changed in 2.0b2) and continue using 1.0

i'll keep track here to see if anything new comes up
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
There are some extra files, and some of them are necessarily redundant. It's an artifact of porting the new daemon over from Gingerbread to Froyo, which it was never really meant to do.

If you flash 1.0 over 2.0b, you should basically only need to delete the /system/etc/init.d/launch_gps.sh file. The rest of the 2.0b files will still continue to exist but they simply become inert dead weight.

If people start having widespread problems I'll make a revert .zip but I don't think it's necessary for now. Anyone who's really inclined to rip out all of 2.0b need only look at the the file structure in the the update, it's not like there's tons of files even if deleting them all manually.
[Captivate Android Development] Liv33viL:
Config Differences

Rrryan2,

Quick question when you get a chance.

I noticed in the secgps.config there are two differences between the 1.0Final and the 2.0B2 release.

*One is in the Dynamic accuracy value setting from 40 in 1.0 to 50 in 2.0B2.

*Two is the SUPL port setting as it is 7576 in 1.0 and 7575 in 2.0B2.

As stated in the OP in reference tho the SUPL Value that no real difference was reported or seen while switching the 7575 to 7576 - my setting is currently 7576 (Still on 1.0 Final Fix) - so not really a major deal here...

But wouldn't the difference in the dynamic accuracy from 40 to 50 show a noticeable significant change in your current location from the satellites that are fixing and locking to your devices' current location to your current location?

Just trying to gain more of an understanding on how this variable relates to the overall GPS signal.

Thanx bud...

Peace-
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
This was an attempt to improve mobile tracking in 1.0 by forcing the unit to discard computed position data outside a tighter 40m range instead of 50m. I decided it didn't really make that much of a difference though and I reverted to 50m in 2.0b, especially when mobile tracking was already greatly improved with the new drivers. Just continuing trying to play with the tweaks.

Think you're mistaken, check again. I just downloaded the 2.0b2 posted to XDA to verify and 7276 was listed correctly in secgps.conf.

I don't understand what you're asking here. If my above didn't answer it, if you can state the question more clearly maybe I or someone else can take a crack at it.
[Captivate Android Development] ThisWasATriumph:
Same thing happened to me but i messed around with stuff like deleting data and all of a sudden it started working amazing. Best signal and accuracy yet.
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
"Urban Canyon" as an electromagentic phenomenon refers as much to problems dealing with interference and multipath (read: "reflected") signals as it does to actual obscuration of the line of sight to satellites. See http://waas.stanford.edu/~wwu/papers/gps/PDF/engion01.pdf for more than you'd ever want to know about it. Don't fire too much brainpower at it though, as the fact remains that when you're done reading there's still very little we can do about the design and antenna compromises. ;)
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
v2.0b BETA 3

Changelog:

Beta 2

- updated driver from the new JVK (Gingerbread 2.3.3) release. All the other GPS files are the same between JV1 and JVK.

Beta 3

- typo bugfix to launch script. Thanks to kodos96 for the spot.

Initial testing this afternoon was very positive. SNRs are improved even in unfavorable weather conditions here and although I can't guarantee everyone will have the same results I was even getting 1 second indoor warm start times. Mobile tracking was still excellent.

Instalaltion instructions are the same as the OP. Again, Beta versions are configured for the USA be default. If you'd like to customize NTP setting for other regions just use the Faster Fix app from the market after installing the .zip.

NOTE: THIS IS STILL IN BETA Just like the previous version and all Beta versions, I would caution that this fix makes some drastic changes in attempting to forcefeed the Gingerbread GPS setup to Froyo that might not be able to be undone without wiping and reflashing. Don't be foolish and flash this without a robust backup plan in place. But with nearly 130 downloads of 2.0B1 and zero problem reports so far, I must be doing something right.

NOTE: v2.0b3 has been pulled pending testing of a bugfix, use http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=12475121&posted=1#post12475121 instead
[Captivate Android Development] Liv33viL:
All Good

Nope, no need to clarify. You answered my question(s).

In response to the SUPL configuration. I had multiple secgps.config files open (prior to flash) simultaneously, cross referencing each of the configuration files and could have sworn my notes reflected the 7275. I actually pulled the SUPL from the secgps.config in v1.0 Final - I set all the config settings manually prior and after the flash - all is good.

Thanx for the prompt response and Beta 3.0

Peace-
[Captivate Android Development] iXNyNe:
you should setup an irc channel on freenode or something

i'd be more than happy to devote some of my free time to testing stuff and reporting and i've noticed IRC still seems to be the best way to get quick back and forth out of the way while keeping the general public (idiots) out of the discussion (stereotyping i know but it seems like n00bs dont understand how to use IRC so they are less common on IRC than on forums)

edit-

btw are you testing these beta builds on continuum? i know one of the posts mentioned you were trying them on KB1 base - if you are using continuum isnt it JS8 base? so im not sure why serendipity JS7 base is having so many reported issues - do you think it could be interference from the GPS fix included in serendipity? ie if you were to flash pb 1.0 over pb 2.0 without removing any of the new files i would assume it might cause some issues - maybe the GPS fix in serendipity has some conflicting files or something that dont play nice with pb 2

1.0 rocking solid btw

i reflashed everything from scratch (and updated my sig to match so its current) and pb 1.0 works just fine with serendipity 6.3
[Captivate Android Development] NascarFastcar:
Thanks Ryan for clearing that up about the extra files. Just flashed beta3 and everything is working fine.
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
Yea, been thinking of doing it for a while too and now and finally got it set up:

plumbBob IRC

Yes, switched from Fusion to Continuum this afternoon for a couple reasons. I wanted to test on something besides KB1 base to see firsthand how it did on other platforms, I like the theming, the KB1 kernels were getting slightly stale relative to developments in the I9000 arena, and I thought JS8 was a good test bed. Miss my audience chip though. :/

I don't know what's up with Serendipity, don't know if it's the JS7 base or some Serendipity-specific customizations. 1.0 completely borks GPS for some users, 2.0 is sluggish at first for some and then works phenomenally. C'est la vie. If problem reports continue I'll flash Serendipity 6.3 so I can troubleshoot, I just don't have the appetite for multiple flashes a day.
[Captivate Android Development] 1randomtask:
On Serendipity 6.2 I flashed 1.0. It was ****ed. Then i did the control plane fix, and it was as good as its ever been.

I'm 6.3 now, I'll flash 2.0b3 now that you've mentioned it.

I have a friend with an i9000, should i flash this, or is stuff somewhat different?
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
Stuff is somewhat different and I don't know what this might do to . Until I get an I9000 to test on I can't really dev for it.
[Captivate Android Development] acdbx:
I think you should consider making edify scripts instead of amend scripts. That way people can CWM-flash from CM7 or other ROMs with CWM3. I believe edify scripts are backward compatible w/ CWM2 anyway.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=903598
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
Thanks, I'll look into it for the next release.
[Captivate Android Development] CuriousTech:
Beta 3 went bad on me.

I flashed beta 1. First fix was 30s, then 20s, then 12s.

Flashed beta 3. First fix was 58s, then nothing. Couldn't get a fix after that. Flashed beta 1 back, still nothing. 1 sat, usually showing invalid data. All the settings were right.

Went back to 1.0 and it's back to running again. Fast fixes every time. Really strange.
[Captivate Android Development] Rrryan2:
Damn. Sorry 'bout that.

Beta 4 is now out for testing. I think I *might* have found the problem. Namely that forcing gps.xml (formerly known as jupiter.xml under previous Froyo implementations) to write AGPS data to the previously Captivate-standard lto.dat vs. the newly specified lto2.dat might have been interfering with things in ways that weren't previously clear to me when trying to troubleshoot a closed-source product. Regrettably it seemed like the intelligent thing to do at the time when i was initially porting I-9000 Gingerbread gps files over to Captivate but after adjusting my config to fall in line with the newly-stock-specified lto2.dat setting instead things seem to update swimmingly now. Perhaps it's one of those things that's part-and-parcel of living on the bleeding edge. <bleed...>

Testing of the updated Beta 4 version is in progress on IRC. Wait out.

It's also good to hear that rolling back to 1.0 fixes problems for you. I was not all sure how the Captivate might handle such as there was some modestly heavy lifting going on under the hood and I was not altogether sure that on overlay install of 1.0 might really un-bork everything, but if you can roll back to 1.0 and get results again that's very, very good news. :)

I'm also a wee bit embarassed to report that this may well be evidence that I might not have been following my own advice and taking my own medicine. Allegedly. Since I may (or, allegedly) may not have actually deleted the GPS data in LbsTestMode prior to installation as described in the OP I may have (allegedly) been able to temporarily fall back on previously stored AGPS data. While said AGPS data was aging and approaching expiration it was still just relevant enough to assist in locating and obscure the results, temporarily leading me to (allegedly) think that a mis-configured beta might be working properly. This might have thus masked a problematic implementation in 2.0b1-3, and might also explain some of the weird issues other users (who actually followed directions like dilligent users) were having. *Allegedly.*

Sorry 'bout that, urrbody.

I regret the misstep and promise to refund the entirety of your purchase price. ;)