Because even with A-GPS it takes a long time to get a lock/fix...

That's not the fault of agps (as far as we know), but with the chipset sensitivity/programming.

you are correct 45 seconds to lock is a long time- that is how long it just took in my office.

it does not take longer than 45sec-1min if you use agps properly:

1. open agps while connected to the internet( make sure that in the settings a-gps support is checked off and allow packet data is checked off.

2. locate your position on the map. move the red dot to where you are located.

3. allow the agps to download the satellite info (depending on the speed of your connection - it can be as short as 1 min. when i fly before i leave i set my destination on the map and set agps do it stuff while i am home on my fast wifi connection.

4. CLOSE AGPS

5. open map or maemomapper (your choice) and you WILL have a connection w/i 1 min

How do you know A-GPS is doing anything or when it's done? I don't see any sort of activity indicator or status bar. TX

Fact is, for many people AGPS doesn't make the application much better at all. It remains barely if not at all usable. I can have 10 or 12 satelites in view, it doesn't matter anything. It just doesn't become green. No lock. Whether it knows about them or not doesn't matter.

Screw it. I was in the middle of Amsterdam waiting for several minutes, no lock. With AGPS. Then walking. Heck, for hours I had no lock. And sometimes it had a lock, and then gone again. Here south in mountains it isn't much better either.

With a Sirf-III BlueTooth GPS however... purrfect. Quick lock, stable lock, and more satelites in view as well.

AGPS is of use when you have geographically moved a great distance and the GPS has been off during your move. you will need a net connection in order to use AGPS properly.


the killer for GPS and Time To Fix is the antennae and antennae sensitivity.. stand alone GPS devices have better TTF as they do not have any other electronic features apart form being a GPS device, a mobile device has many high frequency components in it which may affect the receiver....

GPS lock is pretty dodgy in built up areas, I have found.

Also a small delay to get a fix is just bearable IMO..

regards,

Hmm... maybe I was just lucky but on a plane from Helsinki to Paris today I got fix in less than 5 minutes, with A-GPS disabled... (The tablet was on the window, though.)

hmm, I sat for 40min on an airliner with ~9sats showing signals (had used agps earlier, but had 9 sats anyway, so that's immaterial) and no fix. So ymmv

lardman, if you recall I had the same problem and it cured itself immediately after popping battery.

I had sat n810 on the balcony whilst on holiday all afternoon.
It could see many sats but simply would not lock.
After I returned and found this out I popped the battery, put it back in the same place and it had a stable lock in a very short time.

My cargo cult suggestion, if you are expecting to use gps ensure you have given the device a hard reset before.

Yea, but a hard reset kills the battery life....
It has never taken more than 10 mins to lock for me when I am in the car or walking. Obviously, it is faster when standing still. Usually, I start MM, get in the car, and by the time I am at the end of the (short) street, it works. Its still not as fast as say my Dad's built in Car GPS, or a iPhone AGPS, but it is fast enough for directions...