Been using a Samsung Galaxy W for the past few weeks and it seems to be very patchy with GPS signal – some days endomondo (or other tracking app) shows excellent signal then others it can’t locate. I don’t think it’s just down to gps coverage in my area as my old blackberry was pretty reliable for it. I’ve tried those “gps booster” apps and they don’t seem to do anything.

Anyone know if there’s some kind of micro-usb plug in gps receiver or booster I could try out? Can’t seem to find anything on tinternet. I’ve read that having data/roaming on can help but don’t want to incur massive data charges as I’m only on a 100mb a month tarrif. Suppose I would be better off with a proper GPS device but I’d rather just have it all on my phone if possible.

I’ve read that having data/roaming on can help but don’t want to incur massive data charges as I’m only on a 100mb a month tarrif.

I wouldn’t worry – the Assisted GPS (A-GPS) should hardly scratch that 100mb tarrif.

Try it for a bit and monitor it. It should be pretty insignificant.

dont know about micro usb as your phone probably isnt a usb host.
you could maybe get a bluetooth one though?

re your data allowance I’d get on giffgaff asa your contact runs out
I get unlimited internet and texts + 250 mins a month for £10 so no worries re connection ( only battery life !)

A-GPS will only really help when first getting a fix. If you’re relying on that for GPS tracking, you are WAY out.

_tom_ where are you carrying the phone when using it? Ideally, it needs a clear view of the sky, so a back-pack pocket is better than, say, a chest pocket when cycling.

There are Bluetooth GPS receivers available – and assuming you have Bluetooth on the Galaxy, it would be possible to connect to one of those. You might need to check your GPS application supports that though.

If you decide to go down that route, I may have one kicking around that you could borrow to try it out.

I usually keep it in my shorts side pocket which is by the side of my knee. It worked fine in my jacket pocket in Wales last week but at home it just seems to struggle. I’ll have a look at some bluetooth devices then.

I find the same on my HTC Desire – some days Endo locks on rock solid, others it struggles.

Just lately I’ve been running GPS Status while Endo is trying to lock on and it appears to kick it into life (not done enough experimentation yet so it might just be coincidence).

I do the following…
– Enable GPS
– Start Endo
– Get bored of waiting for Endo to lock on
– Load GPS Status (without exiting Endo)
– Signal locks almost immediately

What verses says

Improving Smartphone GPS performance? Motion X on my iPhone 4 works a treat. Rarely struggle to find or indeed lose signal and have used it across the Peak District and even in the Spanish hills near Cordoba.

<retreats to a safe distance after bringing up iPhones/>

Verses – some times with Endomondo I find it takes forever to connect to GPS. Just closing Endomondo and reopening it and it connects straight away….

I used to use one of these beforeI got a Garmin;

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/290686279085?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&cbt=y

seemed to be much better than normal phone gps and small enough to put somewhere it could get a clear view of the sky.

Still got it I think – could sell for say £15 if you;re interested and think it’ll work for you..

Cheers for the tip FunkyDunc. I think I’ve tried doing that before without much success but it’s worth trying again.

It’s prob worth noting that I usually have data disabled when using Endo to save battery life, so I’ll not benefit from A-GPS.

I use on of these to mount my HTC Hero on my handlebars. Surprisingly sturdy, it’s not come off once, even hammering around some big rocks in the Lakes.
Gives the phone a clear view of the sky, so once its locked on, it stays on. I don’t have a sim-card in the phone, so initial signal takes a while, but using mmtracker it works a treat. And costs a lot less than a GPS…

Not using a sim means the phone doesn’t waste battery trying to find network coverage in more remote places, it also means if it did come off in crash and get damaged, my actual phone is safely in my bag so will still work 🙂

Edit – modified the bar-clamp so it now sits on my stem. Much neater.

Improving Smartphone GPS performance? Motion X on my iPhone 4 works a treat.

Brave! Sadly not all smartphones are created equally 😀
(yes, Endomondo on my iPhone 4 gets a fix within a couple of seconds, likewise MotionX)

OP: have you considered mounting the phone on your bars? Clear line of sight to the sky definitely helps.

I use one of these on my commute:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0057FJ41Y

That’s an iPhone mount but I’m sure there are Samsung versions.

Edit: ir_bandito is ahead of me 😀

A-GPS will only really help when first getting a fix. If you’re relying on that for GPS tracking, you are WAY out.

Depends how it is implemented I believe. It massively helps with the initial lock (as local servers provide the Ephemeris and Almanac data rather than waiting for the slow satellite signal).

But it can also help tracking, as it uses knowledge of local conditions from fixed points on the ground.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS

Improving Smartphone GPS performance? Motion X on my iPhone 4 works a treat.

Did I mention it just gets stuffed in my pocket or pack? None of this clear line of sight nonsense

<backs out of the room again/>

Stop baiting the fandroids.

They’re not biting anyway 😉

If we’re fandroids, does that make you fapples? Fap fap.

This:
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/03/the-fanboy-and-the-phone-a-lovehate-story/

Rooted devices can use an application called faster gps that page refers to another ap called faster fix which also requires root access. No idea if it works or not.

What are rooted devices? Is that the android version of jailbreak or something?

Endomondo was fine earlier at Woburn when I used that GPS Status app with it. Will try it on the roads tomorrow.

Not looking to get a bar mount as I never want to look at the screen til after the ride, and they look a bit daft. As for apple vs android, I used to use an iPod Touch with the latest os, but tbh I much prefer Android over iOS.

CHOMP

Endomondonioio works fine on my Google Nexus.

Except for that heart-breaking time I forgot to hit ‘start’ before hammering out what was definitely my best time ever.

Still no improvement on my local road ride with all the data stuff on and gps status running. Utter shite, my blackberry was much better! not sure why its so bad round here, had no problems elsewhere..

Think i may just get a bike mounted computer for the time being, any suggestions? Reliability and accuracy are most important.