Android help

[+Yetidave and Elyz]

My Samsung Galaxy Apollo is about a two weeks old and the first thing I did was download the Geocaching application! Everytime I ask it to find my location it gives me the message "Couldn't get a fix on your location." I've tried putting a location in, it finds the caches but the navigation tells me I'm 5943km away.

 

I've tried looking through the settings, I've tried it with and without my GPS switched on. I've no idea what I'm doing wrong.

 

Please help!

 

Please forgive a new user if this is in the wrong place. I tried looking in the Android forum area, just seems to be full of suggestions, not help for newbies like me.

[+mickyz]

I have an App called Gps status maybe get that and with Gps ON , wait for

a signal then goto your Geocaching app

I hope this helps

[+Just Roger]

Are you trying it indoors? If so you won't get a fix on the GPS. Go outside where there is a good view of the sky (no urban canyons or in the middle of a forest) and also remember, if it thinks it is 5900*5/8 miles away it will take it some time to download the almanac before it gets its first fix - possibly 30 minutes or so.

[+The Real Boudica.]

Went out with a friend new to this game yesterday, unfortunately she had a similar problem so just wondered if you found a solution yet, Yetidave?

She had a play at home and it worked fine, but when we set off it thought she was about 2.2km away (and not at her home which i thought might be the case originally), so not such an error as yours. It was correctly directing her to caches, if she had been where it thought she was? Using c:geo and gps status which work fine on my GalaxyS. We were out for over 3 hrs and it never got a correct fix.

Edited September 26, 2011 by THE REAL BOUDICA

[+drdick&vick]

My simple suggestion is to invenst in a Bluetooth GPS unit similar to THIS ONE

I have one and it gives a GPS fix of +/- 8 to 12 ft 90% of the time.

you also need to get an App from the Android store called BluetoothGPS as this uses Mock GPS to make your apps see the Bluetooth GPS.

Worth the investmant as it also stops the inbuilt GPS from draining the battery.

[+The Real Boudica.]

Thanks for that, just seems as though there is something out with the phone though, it worked ok at her house, we tried it back in town later on and it got a better fix but was still about 500m out which for geocaching is pretty pointless, if she had any sense of direction or ability to read maps she might cope, lol, but we are all hoping her new hobby might improve these skills. I think they were going to try reloading apps but if that doesn't work I will let her know about the bluetooth gadget. Does it really stop the battery drain. Its not been an issue so far for me as the battery lasts plenty long enough for the trips I have made so far but if we were to go away for a few days it might be useful.

[+Cornell Finch]

I regularly have a similar problem with my HTC Wildfire. I have tried the Geocaching app, Geobeagle, GDAK (which is awesome for paperless BTW) and the unmentionable.

 

Most of the time it's fine and gives me 12 - 15 feet accuracy. While I was in Scotland last week I couldn't get any closer than about 4km on any app. Thank god I had my GPS with me!

 

Tried it just now and it's back to the usual 15 feet.

 

The only thing I can think is, when I first start any of the apps the satellite symbol at the top of the screen flashes for a bit and then goes steady. This seems to be the GPS settling and locking on. It didn't do that at all last week.

 

Try starting the app and then waiting for a minute or two before trying to search. It's possible the device still thinks it's at its old location.

[+The Real Boudica.]

Ok, I will get her to try that. Regarding thinking its still at a previous location - thats what I thought to start with, my phone does exactly the same and it seems to depend on how far away the last location was how quickly it catches up. But when I looked on the map view it was showing her as being on the other side of the village we were in, somewhere her new phone has never been, if she had been there it would have been correct though it looked like it was correct in compass direction and distance. Guess we should have tried going where it thought she was and see what happened then!

[+duncanhoyle]

I too have a Samsung Galaxy Apollo and gave up trying to use the internal GPS as it was too slow and often inaccurate. Instead I bought this external bluetooth GPS receiver

It's much faster to get a lock (especially if you use the software to keep it up to date with satellite positions) and usually pretty accurate even under lots of tree cover. It has great battery life and saves the phone battery.

You'll need the app mentioned by DrDick&Vick or a similar one (I think there are others).

[+FuzzyBears]

Ok, I will get her to try that. Regarding thinking its still at a previous location - thats what I thought to start with, my phone does exactly the same and it seems to depend on how far away the last location was how quickly it catches up. But when I looked on the map view it was showing her as being on the other side of the village we were in, somewhere her new phone has never been, if she had been there it would have been correct though it looked like it was correct in compass direction and distance. Guess we should have tried going where it thought she was and see what happened then!

 

My Desire S droid tries to lock the GPS but in the mean time it tries to locate me from the nearest telephone mast(s) it has a connection with.. If there is only one mast in range it locks on to that.. At home the mast is about 1 1/2 miles away and it always gives that as my location until the GPS locks in... And so your lock can be a bit from where you are..... And if you move it any distance the GPS can take ages to find it's self

Edited September 28, 2011 by fuzzybears

[+Bear and Ragged]

First off, I don't have an Android...

 

But, on my Nokia, it's told me I'm over a mile away from where I know I am.

On checking the settings, it was using the 'assisted' phone signal rather than satellite signal.

Once the settings were changed to satellite, bingo! Shows where I am!

 

May be worth checking.

[+The Real Boudica.]

Duncan Hoyle - Thats good to know, sort of - her phone might just be a bit rubbish, I'll pass on the good news , if we can't sort it out I reckon she will try the blue tooth device. Don't think she will be a mega keen cacher (not as obsessive as I seem to be becoming ) but has just retired, is a keen photographer and has a few trips coming up, fuerta ventura, cornwall and barcelona, and loves the idea of using caching to take her to places she wouldn't have normally gone.

 

Fuzzybears - yeah it can be a pain, I think you are fairly local to me so perhaps its an 'out in the sticks' thing. I try to make sure I have the GPS on before I get to my destination which normally speeds things up even if it takes a couple of minutes once parked, by the time I get out the car and sorted, pen check, phone check, keys check etc, its there. We did keep her phone on all afternoon but it just didn't budge, even if we had gone to where it said she was I don't think it would have changed, so think something more is going on there.

 

Bear & Ragged - Do you know thats the one thing I didn't think to check, when youre out in the field and trying to think of all the things you did to set up your phone its hard to remember. Could that have been why it worked at home with access to a wireless network (sorry if thats dumb, I know how to use things just not how they work, this particular friends husband is an IT fixer which is helpful but he is still learing about smart phones, its amazing how many times he gets asked to fix them as well as pc and laptops now), I just had a look on my galaxys and I see where the setting option is, will try that out for her.

 

Many thanks everyone

[+drdick&vick]

Good news (in a way) for all you iPhone users out there who would like a better GPS, and of course longer phone battery life, there is a bluetooth GPS unit that will work with the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch units.

LOOK HERE

Edited September 29, 2011 by DrDick&Vick

[+weston wanderer]

I have an HTC Desire and am very impressed with the gps accuracy when using MM Tracker. I can turn on the gps then the app and get a fix on the map invariably within 30 seconds.

[+Louis Lovers]

I use an HTC Desire also and have never had any of the above problems!? I can also highly recommend Neongeo as your app, it's flippin' amazing.