I'm an avid hiker/trail runner and former Blackberry owner. My old 9930 was unable to accurately (or even rough ballpark) determine altitude by utilizing its GPS sensors. But the Note has a built in barometer which measures air pressure. This should allow fairly accurate altitude readings especially when combined with GPS. Are there any programs available that utilize both the barometer and GPS to calculate altitude?
pj737 said:
I'm an avid hiker/trail runner and former Blackberry owner. My old 9930 was unable to accurately (or even rough ballpark) determine altitude by utilizing its GPS sensors. But the Note has a built in barometer which measures air pressure. This should allow fairly accurate altitude readings especially when combined with GPS. Are there any programs available that utilize both the barometer and GPS to calculate altitude?
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If you install Elixer2 from the market you should be able to test the sensors to ensure they're accurate in the first place, then I'd do the hunt for apps to use it. Last thing I'd wanna do is pay money for an app only to find out the barometer is broken to all hell.
Search the market... I'm sure you will find something.
Hi, i'm interested in playing with the Barometer data in this thing too.
If you don't find any decent apps for it, perhaps i'll add it to my to-do
Just installed Elixer2 and checked the pressure sensor relative to a home weather station I have and it's dead on accurate to what I'm getting from the weather station.
To quote someone more famous than me: "You're all clear kid, now let's blow this thing and go home!" to which I mean start hunting on the market.
itsjusttim said:
Search the market... I'm sure you will find something.
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Click to collapse
I've been searching. All the "altimeter" programs out there utilize only the cellphone's GPS sensors to determine (i.e. guess) altitude. The results are, at best, horribly inaccurate. None of the programs utilize a phone's barometer... which makes sense as there aren't many phones out there that have them integrated.
There are a few in the market. Just search barometric pressure, most state only for galaxy nexus and Xoom...as those where some of the first with the sensor but should work on the Note
Edit top four are free apps also
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
This one uses the barometric pressure sensor, it's very simple though.
https://market.android.com/details?id=org.ssandon.altimeter&feature=search_result
pattmyn said:
If you install Elixer2 from the market you should be able to test the sensors to ensure they're accurate in the first place, then I'd do the hunt for apps to use it. Last thing I'd wanna do is pay money for an app only to find out the barometer is broken to all hell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
service menu
*#0*#
u can run sensor test there
Raw data from the built-in barometer will not be all that accurate for determining your altitude. All that you will get is the barometric pressure at your location and, possibly your uncorrected altitude relative to mean sea level. In order to obtain your correct altitude, the app will have to access the AWOS data from the nearest airport, to get the correct altimeter setting. High or low pressure systems moving through your area can cause your altitude to be incorrectly calculated by a couple hundred feet or so. This is why aircraft altimeters have an adjustment on them to dial in the current altimeter setting.
Related
I'm finding the 2D accuracy is usually pretty close, but the altitude is all over the place. It's currently reading -4m despite my being a good 8-10m above sea level (including being on the second floor). The other day at the same position, it started at 22m and gradually went down to -2m even though I hadn't moved.
Anyone else seeing this?
well...i don't have that particular problem...but i do get live search aquiring the gps location somewhere COMPLETELY away from where i'm at..almost 6-10 miles away to be exact. I usually do a soft reset and all is good again....google maps usually gets my location on point at all times...jus not as expansive in options like live search
Vertical Accuracy
Vertical accuracy of a gps is never near as good as horizontal accuracy. Its more a function of the way gps works than any inadequacy of your equipment. You should get within about 5 metres horizontally when you lock on 4 or more satellites. But vertical accuracy is rarely better than 20 metres.
For more information about why this is true check out http://weather.gladstonefamily.net/gps_elevation.html
Yes, that is pretty typical of any GPS. I believe it is improved if you have WAAS enabled, but we don't have that.
the GPS program that I have [VitoNavigation] gives an accuracy in ft. on my mogul. Normally it reads above 35 ft accurate. have not tested it yet to see if it really is that far off or if the program is not right...too cold outside
@D accuracy ?
Soundy106 said:
I'm finding the 2D accuracy is usually pretty close, but the altitude is all over the place. It's currently reading -4m despite my being a good 8-10m above sea level (including being on the second floor). The other day at the same position, it started at 22m and gradually went down to -2m even though I hadn't moved.
Anyone else seeing this?
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Click to collapse
@d fix is just that. If you did not mean 3D fix then not surprised, as 2D is not the Z axis and you need a 3D fix, and it still will not be as accurate in the Z axis but should be better with a 3D than a 2D.
Umm... what?
Soundy,
That last post was a bit over my head too. (no offense intended madman, just that we didn't understand the jargon)
All i know is that the vertical accuracy you are experiencing is, unfortunately, about as good as it gets. Did you check out the link I posted before. It explains that the geo-spacial orientation of the satellites is the problem. To get a horizontal fix of your location, the gps receiver needs to see at least three satellites at different angles from your location and work out by triangulation where you are. Obviously if all three are located close to each other, the triangulation is less accurate and liable to slight - but amplified - inaccuracies in the angles that help your gps calculate your location. If the three satellites are right on the horizon relative to your gps location, at 120 degrees away from each other then you will get maximum accuracy because the angles are big and the slight error in reading these angles is proportionally much smaller.
To get a vertical location fix, the satellites that you lock onto in order to get an accurate fix need to be located at equidistant angular locations relative to your location not just in a horizontal plane like when getting a horizontal fix, but vertically as well. The only way to get the satellites in this orientation relative to your location is to have one of the satellites directly overhead and another three located in a tetrahedron format below the far horizon. Unfortunately the satellite signal cannot penetrate through the earth to get to you, so you have to rely on satellites which are above the horizon. Unfortunately these ones are therefore not located as far away (optimal) from the one directly above and so the calculation of the vertical elevation data suffers.
The same effect occurs on your horizontal accuracy when you have a fix on three or four satellites but they are all in the same part of the sky. Your accuracy, even horizontally will be more inaccurate too. Thats why its better to get 7 or 8 satellites in your sights. Its not just that 7 or 8 give more data than just 3 but mainly because they are more likely to be spaced out around the sky more optimally.
As the satellites move throughout the day, the almost random orientation of the satellites as the follow their own paths means that accuracy will go up and down as the pattern of satellites gets "better" or "worse" relative to your location.
Hope this helps
maccaberry said:
Soundy,
That last post was a bit over my head too. (no offense intended madman, just that we didn't understand the jargon)
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Click to collapse
Heh, well, I got the jargon, but I sure didn't understand the flow...
All i know is that the vertical accuracy you are experiencing is, unfortunately, about as good as it gets. Did you check out the link I posted before.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, interesting stuff.
The same effect occurs on your horizontal accuracy when you have a fix on three or four satellites but they are all in the same part of the sky. Your accuracy, even horizontally will be more inaccurate too. Thats why its better to get 7 or 8 satellites in your sights. Its not just that 7 or 8 give more data than just 3 but mainly because they are more likely to be spaced out around the sky more optimally.
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, thanks. I'm typically seeing 6-8 satellites, horizontal (2D) accuracy is usually pretty good... at worst it seems to be 6-10 feet off to the west (ie. it shows my position a little further west than it actually is). It's stranger to me that the altitude seems to "wander" so much - like I say, the one time it started at +22m and slowly went down to -2m... while I was sitting still
I have noticed recently (perhaps related to the .21 update?) that Google sky was not tracking well with my movements... so I tried 2 compass applications to validate the e-compass performance.
The compass behavior is really squirrely and seems to have very little correlation to which direction the tablet is pointed.
It seems that the compass must have worked better in the past as Google Sky used to work great.
Can anyone else report if their compass is working properly? What app did you use to verify it? What orientation did you hold your TFP to get a good result?
Mine has never worked correctly, and I've been trying off and on since I first got it in December, before any official ICS update was even released. I always assumed it was related to the poor GPS performance.
nategodin said:
Mine has never worked correctly, and I've been trying off and on since I first got it in December, before any official ICS update was even released. I always assumed it was related to the poor GPS performance.
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Click to collapse
Exactly the same for me. And I have the (same) prime ever since December as well.
MNDaveC said:
I have noticed recently (perhaps related to the .21 update?) that Google sky was not tracking well with my movements...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No change (for better or worse) with .21 or ... ever
MNDaveC said:
It seems that the compass must have worked better in the past as Google Sky used to work great.
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Click to collapse
It never worked reliably. I'm sorry but I am skeptical about your statement "worked great". Search this forum for my posts mentioning the e-compass as almost unusable.
I once had fun watching the compass readings constantly revolve, making full 360 deg sweeps in just a little over a minute (sic!). A recalibration brought back the unreliable, miserable readings.
Yes this is a problem. But can be fixed by a simple step. Just move, rotate your tab in all directions (up down, left right and on its own AXIS)
This should fix the compass. In my case, thus would fix it but would revert back
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
I also confirm twitchy e-compass... no new news here though, it is all related to our known problems.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Make sure you do not have mock locations enabled in the developer settings....This throws off the compass
google skymap sucks for me too. I'll double check to see if mock locations is on, I don't think it is, I've fiddled with all the skymap settings with no results.
I have to calibrate my compass using GPS Status every time I want to use it. After that, it seems to work fine.
There seems to be a problem with keeping calibration settings for the compass after each reboot...
These e-compasses do not use the magnetic field to give direction. They totally rely on GPS. GPS accuracy requires movement. The compass gets 2 (or more) readings, and then caculates the location and direction from them.
Even a good GPS device like Garmin, will have difficulty. If you are stationary, the gps reading will vary. The best accuracy for consumers is about 10 ft. If you had a test app, and were stationary....you would see that the individual gps readings are grouped in about a 10 ft radius from your position, with a few being outside that.
robertg9 said:
These e-compasses do not use the magnetic field to give direction. They totally rely on GPS. GPS accuracy requires movement. The compass gets 2 (or more) readings, and then caculates the location and direction from them.
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Click to collapse
Please stop diffusing inaccurate information.
Prime is equipped with a physical magnetometer. PERIOD.
You can try to recalibrate the compass by moving the device in a large figure of eight in a horizontal plane, outside and away from any ferrous metal.
Also, beware of any magnetic devices, fastenings or closures in protective cases you might buy. Don't park your Prime on a convenient HiFi loudspeaker top!
FG
ForeignGadger said:
You can try to recalibrate the compass by moving the device in a large figure of eight in a horizontal plane, outside and away from any ferrous metal.
Also, beware of any magnetic devices, fastenings or closures in protective cases you might buy. Don't park your Prime on a convenient HiFi loudspeaker top!
FG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Prime's keyboard itself has a magnet in it, and I'd imagine the Prime does as well to register that field so that the screen shuts off when you close it.
But yes! Keep your Primes off of awesome speakers lol, as well as all your other precious electronics
I haven't actually played with the compass all that much as I've fretted over WiFi/BT and GPS. I know that my accelerometer consistently feels off: until I actually run tests on it. I think many of our issues (outside of the aluminum body and bad choice in wireless module) really are drivers and apps' implementations of h/w as opposed to the h/w itself.
robertg9 said:
These e-compasses do not use the magnetic field to give direction. They totally rely on GPS. GPS accuracy requires movement. The compass gets 2 (or more) readings, and then caculates the location and direction from them.
Even a good GPS device like Garmin, will have difficulty. If you are stationary, the gps reading will vary. The best accuracy for consumers is about 10 ft. If you had a test app, and were stationary....you would see that the individual gps readings are grouped in about a 10 ft radius from your position, with a few being outside that.
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Click to collapse
I do not know why the hell you would post this. The meter does detect magnetic fields. Why do you think they call it an ecompass. Put a magnet close to it and open a compass app. Even your GPS explanation is horrible and incorrect.
sorry I just hate when people give out stupid info
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda premium
ForeignGadger said:
You can try to recalibrate the compass by moving the device in a large figure of eight in a horizontal plane, outside and away from any ferrous metal.
Also, beware of any magnetic devices, fastenings or closures in protective cases you might buy. Don't park your Prime on a convenient HiFi loudspeaker top!
FG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay I have read this and tried on an android phone with no success. Just to clear things up, do I keep the prime oriented the same way through the figure eights or point it through, kinda like a kid playing with a toy car driving in a figure eight. Also do I keep the prime horizontal as well? sorry to sound like a dolt, but I can see many ways to do a figure eight with the prime. Your Horizontal plane was a help.
As far as I know, just keep the device pointing the same way and horizontal.
If your compass does not respond to this, I suggest it might be stuffed.
FG
I want to see in my desire x the current atmospheric pressure and the altitude of my position (I do not want GPS altimeter). What I have to do? Is there external barometric pressure sensor?
energeiakos said:
I want to see in my desire x the current atmospheric pressure and the altitude of my position (I do not want GPS altimeter). What I have to do? Is there external barometric pressure sensor?
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Click to collapse
I don't think the desire x has an external pressure sensor and probably to my short knowledge only the recent galaxy s 4 has one
djranbhir said:
I don't think the desire x has an external pressure sensor and probably to my short knowledge only the recent galaxy s 4 has one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand. So, if I want to see my recent altitude and barometric pressure, the only way is to find a good app which will show me them with gps and 3G connection?
energeiakos said:
I understand. So, if I want to see my recent altitude and barometric pressure, the only way is to find a good app which will show me them with gps and 3G connection?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes my friend even the htc one doesn't have that sensor u can try barometer prime I have heard it's a good app its free on play store
Hit thanks if it helped
I just got a Stratos with latest international stock firmware 2.3.2.8. Unfortunately the floors counted is just 1-4 a day which should be at least 12-15. My floor height is exactly 10 feet or 3 meters as mentioned in the manual. My former Garmin Vivoactive 3 did count it correct. Is it a firmware issue of release 2.3.2.8 or is the barometer on my Stratos broken or is the watch in general not able to count the floors correctly? How is your experience?
The altitude during bicycle trips looks OK. But it looks more as derived from GPS instead of a smooth curve as I would expect from a barometer/altimeter.
I can confirm, counting climbed floors is very poor. Highest count was 6.
Normaly (with garmin devices) I get around 15-24 floors.
Thanks for the answer. However I want to make sure if it is a general problem or just some devices have a faulty barometer. Is there an app displaying the barometric pressure?
Same here, floors climbed not showing correctly. I read at reddit a plausible reason for it: It seems like the readings have some lag. That means, if you climb a floor and stay there for awhile it will be counted. Climbing up and down quickly won't be counted. That's what it seems the reason and what I experienced, too.
You can read the barometric pressure by opening the compass app and click on it once to get to the GPS data. There you will see the pressure on the right bottom corner. My barometric pressure freeze once. I had to factory reset to get it working again. But if your cycling readings seem OK and not stuck at a certain height you likely have a working barometer.
Edit: I'm on PACEficator with WOS 2.6.1.0.
Thanks you! I checked the compass widget and the barometer seems to work correctly, it shows the correct pressure for my area. Also when I walk up a floor the pressure changes by 0.3 hPa. This is correct as well. So it seems to be a calculation problem. I think the used floor height is more than 10 feet / 3 meters. In China buildings usually have higher ceilings because of the heat. I also have that my altitude diagrams look more like block diagrams. The altitude in GPX tracks is only updated quite rarely. Hence the altitude jumps up and down but overall is correct. Just not a smooth curve like it should be and is at Garmin.
Today we had falling barometric pressure because of bad weather coming. Floors counted were almost correct. This proves that the floor height is not as mentioned the 10 feet/ 3 meters but higher. Hopefully it will fixed soon.
Can someone explain why the compass of EVERY android phone I have ever owned has sucked? From a cheap HTC Aria to an uber-expensive S23U? Specifically, the compass seems to require re-calibration very frequently. For example, if you ask for walking directions in gmaps on an iPhone, the blue cone indicating the direction of motion is always correct and pointing in the appropriate direction. On every android phone I have owned it is frequently grossly off without calibration, sometimes by as much as 180 degrees. This affects the usability of the phone in augmented reality apps, whether it is hiking, figuring out where the sun is going to rise or set, where the milky way is going to be, etc. And even after the compass is calibrated it tends to drift for a few minutes after calibration, and cannot be trusted for critical use, for example "is the sun going to set between these two spires over there".
There may be regional magnetic anomalies.
blackhawk said:
There may be regional magnetic anomalies.
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Click to collapse
Why has my wife's iphone never suffered then?
GroovyGeek said:
Why has my wife's iphone never suffered then?
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Click to collapse
You probably shouldn't have swallowed those magnetic balls as a kid?
Borrow your wife's iPhone?
GroovyGeek said:
Why has my wife's iphone never suffered then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because different phones different problems? Report it on samsung members app with some proof
blackhawk said:
You probably shouldn't have swallowed those magnetic balls as a kid?
Borrow your wife's iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That could have been somewhat funny if it even peripherally addressed the question.
blackhawk said:
There may be regional magnetic anomalies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG, do you mean Tycho Magnetic Anomaly 1?
My experience also. Have owned almost every iPhone model and the compass has always been flawless. Recently spent a week in Gran Canaria and used Google Maps on my S23 ultra for hours everyday. The compass was almost way off all the time. Calibration could help a minute and the it was off again.
The wife's and kids iPhones of course worked perfectly. I had to swallow my pride and ask them for direction a lot of times Love the phone but the compass is really a disaster most of the times
GroovyGeek said:
That could have been somewhat funny if it even peripherally addressed the question.
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Click to collapse
Couldn't resist
Using the phone is poor plan anyway if your navigation depends on it in remote areas.
Get a military compass; KISS.
blackhawk said:
Couldn't resist
Using the phone is poor plan anyway if your navigation depends on it in remote areas.
Get a military compass; KISS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair. But what about walking in the city? Surely I should not have to carry a military compass in order to decide which way gmaps directions are sending me.
GroovyGeek said:
Fair. But what about walking in the city? Surely I should not have to carry a military compass in order to decide which way gmaps directions are sending me.
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Click to collapse
You can gauge NS/EW direction by streets, landmarks or the rising/setting sun. After a time it becomes second nature. Use anything at hand that works including distant sounds.
Or simply use gps plus maps. I navigated for decades using only maps and cross highways, roads, streets etc to determine my location and direction. Didn't use a compass; formed a rough idea of north using the map and/or visual clues. Today it's so simple to do many don't have basic map or navigation skills anymore. Getting lost means you get by the seat of your pants navigational training... try that in Boston
easycure197401 said:
My experience also. Have owned almost every iPhone model and the compass has always been flawless. Recently spent a week in Gran Canaria and used Google Maps on my S23 ultra for hours everyday. The compass was almost way off all the time. Calibration could help a minute and the it was off again.
The wife's and kids iPhones of course worked perfectly. I had to swallow my pride and ask them for direction a lot of times Love the phone but the compass is really a disaster most of the times
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am guessin it's not the S23U's fault since ALL Android phones do it. Suggests that the screwup is at the OS level
GroovyGeek said:
I am guessin it's not the S23U's fault since ALL Android phones do it. Suggests that the screwup is at the OS level
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The compass works smooth and true on my N10+ except in the present of magnetic anomalies. Maybe iPhone is using GPS
GroovyGeek said:
Can someone explain why the compass of EVERY android phone I have ever owned has sucked? From a cheap HTC Aria to an uber-expensive S23U? Specifically, the compass seems to require re-calibration very frequently. For example, if you ask for walking directions in gmaps on an iPhone, the blue cone indicating the direction of motion is always correct and pointing in the appropriate direction. On every android phone I have owned it is frequently grossly off without calibration, sometimes by as much as 180 degrees. This affects the usability of the phone in augmented reality apps, whether it is hiking, figuring out where the sun is going to rise or set, where the milky way is going to be, etc. And even after the compass is calibrated it tends to drift for a few minutes after calibration, and cannot be trusted for critical use, for example "is the sun going to set between these two spires over there".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iPhones use a different sensor and calibration method that does not require the user to draw a figure-eight. Instead, the iPhone's calibration process is automatic and continuously adjusts the sensor's readings based on the phone's movement and orientation. Don't ask me why, in 2023, Samsung's flagship still requires drawing a figure-eight to recalibrate its sensor almost every single time, while my iPhone does it automatically. It's just ridiculous.
Wad12355 said:
iPhones use a different sensor and calibration method that does not require the user to draw a figure-eight. Instead, the iPhone's calibration process is automatic and continuously adjusts the sensor's readings based on the phone's movement and orientation. Don't ask me why, in 2023, Samsung's flagship still requires drawing a figure-eight to recalibrate its sensor almost every single time, while my iPhone does it automatically. It's just ridiculous.
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Click to collapse
That's not the magnetic compass. I normally don't need to calibrate that but I only have one game that uses those sensors (might be the orientation sensor, there are several). My Samsung is very well behaved and predictable... likely a 3rd party app that's mucking yours up.
DevChek is handy for seeing and checking sensors.
blackhawk said:
That's not the magnetic compass. I normally don't need to calibrate that but I only have one game that uses those sensors (might be the orientation sensor, there are several). My Samsung is very well behaved and predictable... likely a 3rd party app that's mucking yours up.
DevChek is handy for seeing and checking sensors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Certainly not my experience. I have seen the compass on Android off by as much as 180 degrees, and without calibration is almost.alaays off by around 45 degrees. Calibrating it makes it true... till next. Time you shut off the screen after which the figure 8 song and dance needs to be repeated.
GroovyGeek said:
Certainly not my experience. I have seen the compass on Android off by as much as 180 degrees, and without calibration is almost.alaays off by around 45 degrees. Calibrating it makes it true... till next. Time you shut off the screen after which the figure 8 song and dance needs to be repeated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't see that but I rarely use it. Not sure what the calibration suppose to do unless there's nearby ferrous metal.
I have to add... in a city with lots of tall metal buildings, I often have trouble getting the figure 8 to do anything anyway.
cjkimmel said:
I have to add... in a city with lots of tall metal buildings, I often have trouble getting the figure 8 to do anything anyway.
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Click to collapse
Yeah if bracketed by dense ferrous metal it will screw it up. It's pointless to calibrate in that case.
I can get pretty near to heavy trucks, in a large metal building and it's still fairly accurate.
However if I put in between two upright thick 8 inch C channels about 2 feet apart it goes way off by 45°.