[Q] Using i717 GPS outside North America - AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note I717

A member of another forum has reported that his Sprint Epic 4G (SGSII) is failing to get a GPS lock whist he is in Germany, and another member has supposed that Samsung has only programmed the phone to look at GPS satellites visible from NA.
Note, I am not looking for support for that issue, but it did get me thinking about something that could affect me.
I make the occasional trip back to the UK every few years, and if all goes as scheduled, my next trip will be before my next upgrade window (I will still have my Note), and like my last trip with my iPhone, I intend to use the Note as a navigation device.
I have previously, installed Flappjaxxx' ROMs, and have noticed that FJtools has a page where I could install various GPS profiles, Are those needed for the GPS to pickup satellites outside of NA?
If the i717 can only look for NA reachable GPS satellites, and I am not running a ROM capable of running FJ Mod, is there another way to tell my Note to look for other satellites?

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All I want for christmas is to be able to use what I paid for

I've been modifiying PDA phones for a while now but this is something I can't get over/should have expected from Sprint. GPS is present yet unusable on my Titan. I just now unlocked my titan and flashed to dcds 1.5.7/1.40.0 and I am hoping to be able to use the GPS with tomtom 6.
The thing that puzzles me is I read a post stating an indiviudal was using tomtom 6 on his mogul! how did he do it?
av0 said:
I've been modifiying PDA phones for a while now but this is something I can't get over/should have expected from Sprint. GPS is present yet unusable on my Titan. I just now unlocked my titan and flashed to dcds 1.5.7/1.40.0 and I am hoping to be able to use the GPS with tomtom 6.
The thing that puzzles me is I read a post stating an indiviudal was using tomtom 6 on his mogul! how did he do it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he must be using a bluetooth gps device
so for now there is no way out? Is there any revision of this phone (Alltell, etc.) that has GPS enabled for application use?
av0, let's set the record straight here for a moment.
The mogul uses new hardware- chips that haven't been seen inside of Windows Mobile devices before. These chips allow services that haven't been available before either, such as EVDO rev. A and possibly assisted GPS.
Now, these chips may be capable, and HTC may be able to write drivers for it, but Microsoft never released the proper modules to control and take advantage of them. So, in the case of Rev A, we're waiting for MS to update some of their code so that HTC can release a new firmware, which will then be distributed to Sprint, Alltel, VZ, etc...
But for now, we have to play the waiting game. It doesn't exist on ANY carrier just yet!
Now, the GPS is the same thing... this particular GPSOne chip is new to the windows mobile scene. It supports some pretty nifty modes, including real stand alone GPS with an assisted mode- IE, uses the tower triangulation to get an even faster fix, then switch over to standalone mode (as opposed to the traditional way which is currently found in some PPCs, in which getting the initial fix can take up to 5-10min). Its in the chip specs to do this, but as far as I know MS's GPS modules only support standalone GPS information (no assisted faster fix), and its only been a rumor that Sprint/HTC would actually take advantage of this capability anyway. Either way, the phone was released before Windows Mobile was ready to use these higher-end features. We're waiting for them to catch up.
In the mean time, they removed GPS from the advertising, and Rev A has always been "coming soon".
Sit back. The rest of the phone finally works great now (thanks to 2.17 ROM, and a lot of great custom roms based on it), so one thing at a time. This great phone is going to get even better soon!
Concerning GPS...
Our Titans have the chipset for it and according to this FCC document, some of us (excluding Sprint Moguls) may have the antenna as well.
Someone in this thread extracted an Italian version of Kaiser's GPS files which I installed one morning and after playing around with it for about an hour, I couldn't get anything going. My Titan is cradled next to a large window all day and by early afternoon, I noticed a GPS icon in my top bar. When I picked up the phone, it went away and I was never able to reproduce it. I have no idea if it means I was receiving a GPS signal, but I'm hoping developments in activating the Touch Dual's GPS could lead to a working solution for Titan.
borealcool said:
Concerning GPS...
Our Titans have the chipset for it and according to this FCC document, some of us (excluding Sprint Moguls) may have the antenna as well.
Someone in this thread extracted an Italian version of Kaiser's GPS files which I installed one morning and after playing around with it for about an hour, I couldn't get anything going. My Titan is cradled next to a large window all day and by early afternoon, I noticed a GPS icon in my top bar. When I picked up the phone, it went away and I was never able to reproduce it. I have no idea if it means I was receiving a GPS signal, but I'm hoping developments in activating the Touch Dual's GPS could lead to a working solution for Titan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Touch Dual have the same chipset as the Kaiser?
The Titan uses a slightly modified Qualcomm chip for CDMA, and as such it should not be any suprise that the drivers from the GSM chipset don't work.
I'm of the opinion that the GPS control part of the chips are not the same because of the way CDMA uses the Assisted part of AGPS. Trying to port drivers from another existing device is a fruitless effort as no one has yet written drivers for our particular chipset.
THEY ARE NOT THE SAME.
Just sit back and wait for Sprint or someone to release it first. Then we can start porting it to all the other devices with this chip.
good bit of info on this thread. thanks guys
Dishe said:
The Titan uses a slightly modified Qualcomm chip for CDMA, and as such it should not be any suprise that the drivers from the GSM chipset don't work.
I'm of the opinion that the GPS control part of the chips are not the same because of the way CDMA uses the Assisted part of AGPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
** Correct.
if this new update from sprint/htc brings rev a and GPS, will that make it possible to enable the GPS on the verizon xv6800 (by flashing the rom or whatever it takes)
OMG the doors to the heavens above have opened.
I'm not even asking for that much! I just want the phone to not lockup and I want to hear my callers on bluetooth! This phone was so rushed out the door is shows bad.

SGSII (I9100) available (FOR PURCHASE)in China to use in the US???

Hello wise XDA forum members.
I have 4 questions, and I am trying to make them as concise as possible to ellicit a response.. I know what its like to see posts of drivel.. I'm deperately trying to avoid that, myself.
QUESTION 1: I currently own an SGS and I am leaving for China on the 21st.. I'll be there through the 5th of June and I was wondering if there is anywhere I could look at and pick up an SGS2 in person while there(China)?
QUESTION 2: On the off chance that there is... (and even if there isn't) From what I've read the SGS2 works on the two bands that ATT supports for their 3g/4g service, but there is NO support for TMO "4g"(fake) connections, correct?
Question 3: I would be relegated to only "edge" speeds if I stayed with TMO, I'm assuming (as per question 2 above), but other than that would all functions of the phone work (albeit with slower data)?
Question 4: I am considering a switch to ATT but with the merger coming soon(???) anyway would it be shooting myself in the foot to switch while I have a contract and pay the fee when I will likely have access to ATT towers relatively (again... who knows when) soon?
I've read the FAQ's, etc, so I hope I'm not stepping on any toes or across any lines in asking this.
Thank you for your help.
Ray in Houston, TX
Bump? Anyone? Bueller? please?
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App
#3 - I've had experience with that on a different phone. It would work, but I wouldn't recommend it. EDGE is motherf*cking slow. Google Maps is useless because once the map loads, you've already moved several yards and would need to load a new map. Audio/Video streaming is impossible (buffer, play 5 seconds, buffer). Web pages will take 10-30 seconds to load, longer for sites with a ton of pictures/addons.
#4 - The Tmo/ATT merger will finalize in 1-2 years once the Feds approve it (will probably take several months as well). Once that happens, ATT will still need several months to a year to convert t-mo's AWS for its LTE use. So basically, Tmo AWS phones will be unusable (at that band anyway, will still work on other bands) in 2-3 years. Most likely you would've replaced your SGS2 by then. Plus, ATT will replace your handset with a comparable one (no cheap androids/dumbphones) once you sign over to them.

[Q] Which section should I be in if I'm using this phone with T-Mobile?

Hi,
I am new to GSM networks and sim cards as I am coming from Sprint. Crappy 3G and our LTE in Las Vegas won't go live anytime soon so I am trying TMobile. I scored a good deal on an LG Optimus G, and I have it unlocked for TMobile.
I want to unlock, root, and flash roms. Should I be in the ATT section or the International Optimus G section for downloads/instructions?
Thank you,
Kevin
Las Vegas was actually the first city in the US where T-Mobile "flipped the switch" and turned on their 4G LTE service last November, a few weeks after the iPhone 5 came out (that was part of the reason, actually). I live in the downtown area and get somewhat "ok" coverage; T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ is fine with me as I pull typical speeds well in excess of 10Mbps so it's a non-issue with me.
My LGOG can do the T-Mobile LTE without breaking a sweat, just requires me to add the fast.t-mobile.com APN (epc.t-mobile.com is fine for HSPA+ stuff, that might change in the future but I doubt it). I use their $30/month plan like so many others without any issues worth even mentioning.
If I misunderstood what you said and you were meaning that Sprint doesn't have 4G LTE here in Vegas, you'd be wrong on that count too (up to a point) but it depends on your area - they are currently testing it and I have a neighbor who noticed it last week on his Sprint device (think it's an S4, can't remember at the moment). We have a Sprint "switch" here in downtown about a half block from where we live and there's a cell site just off it so Sprint has the downtown area pretty saturated but it's not on 24/7, pretty sporadic as they're in the last testing stages before turning it on full time.
Anyway, as for the right sub-forum, it depends on which LGOG you have: the International version is the E975; the Sprint model is the LS975, and of course the AT&T model is the E970 which this specific sub-forum is about.
Choose where you want to participate by the model number/designation, or just participate in all of them I suppose. I'm going to guess you have the AT&T version since a) it's a GSM device (Sprint's is CDMA but uses the SIM card for LTE iirc), and b) the International version is factory unlocked from the gitgo anyway so...
You're in the right place, I'd say.
The process is fairly simple:
- use the ZV9-ZVB-Universal-Root (search for it) and it'll root the phone in a few seconds then reboot it ready to go (make sure to upgrade the SuperSU if you stick with the stock ROM or intend to keep it around in a backup)
- use FreeGee (get it on Google Play Market) to unlock the bootloader and install the recovery (two versions of TWRP or a touch-based CWM 6.0.2.7 are the choices), make sure you back up the EFS info before and even after you do the unlocking, it can't hurt
- copy ROMs to the externalSD card (or internal, I suppose) and have at it
Very nice device overall, my personal recommendation would be to avoid that Nexus 4 conversion since a) you lose the microSD slot totally, and b) your storage gets cut in half from 16GB to 8GB (not sure if that's ever been resolved at this point). Realistically while it's a neat idea in practice, doing it gets you basically nothing of any real use. The ROMs available nowadays as compared to long ago when that conversion thing was first discovered make the necessity of "pure AOSP as a Nexus 4" pretty much useless at this point in time. The LGOG is one damned fine device, seriously, and doing some tweaking with a custom ROM and some kernel stuff will net you an even better device.
Last edit, I swear:
Pick a radio as well. The stock JB AT&T modem works just fine for me, there is a hybrid one (33_84 meaning it's the core of the older .33 radio (like the LTE support) merged with stuff from the newer .84 radio (which doesn't support LTE) - the hybrid of both gets you LTE support and the other newer goodies too. Note: the JB AT&T radio does support LTE just fine, obviously, and it works with T-Mobile's LTE support here in Vegas and elsewhere too so there's no logical reason to go swapping out with radios unless you just feel like testing things for yourself. The danger with the radio swapping is a potential brick if the flashing process corrupts something; you may not recover from it in terms of phone usage but then you'd have a nice clone of an iPod touch with quad cores and everything!
I tested the .33, .33-.84 hybrid, .48, and finally I just said the hell with it and put the stock AT&T JB radio back on it and haven't had any reason to change it again, it works just fine on 4G HSPA+ and LTE combined.
Thanks a ton for the help. I literally just got this phone. I'm at work and like the posts above I'm having trouble getting lte....have to go
Well the info I posted above is tempered with the fact that it was my experience of using the GOG in that manner; you, like I have, posted in that other thread iirc where discussion is going on about the LGOG working with T-Mobile LTE then suddenly just not working and nobody seems to know why. In the short period of time where I did have it working it was great, had good speeds, very low ping times (one of those things about LTE that makes it faster), and somewhat solid connection/throughput for data transfers.
But, once that LTE disappeared from the status bar, it hasn't come back except the one time I swapped in another T-Mobile SIM and then it only worked till I rebooted (like 45 minutes tops) and when it came back up, no LTE yet again.
Kinda weird how/why this is happening, it could just be one of those things we'll never get a proper answer to or even a fix.
Regardless, the HSPA+ speeds are more than adequate to still be a very useful device. Personally I've never cared about LTE overall, and I know T-Mobile is getting there but they spent years building that HSPA+ backhaul network so that's good enough for me.

Which Gear S for travel between EU and USA?

I live in Germany, but travel and work in the USA quite often. I have a US spec T-Mobile Note 4 and I'm thinking of grabbing the Gear S.
My Note 4 handles the networks in the USA and here well (vodafone), so I wouldn't be using the Gear S as much for data, but I don't want to be stuck if I need to use it and I don't have my phone. I will use it for day to day use and while traveling, as well as for music and fitness tracking while running. With all of that said, would I get enough functionality out of the watch if I purchased a US spec? Does the aGPS need a data connection, or will it be fine functioning as a distance tracker/mp3 player/heart-rate monitor without a 3G connection?
I guess that's the gist of the question. Calling and texting should work regardless, but will the aGPS work without data in Europe? Should I just get an EU model? I should eventually (2 years?) move back to the USA or to Asia, but by then I fully expect to move on to the next smartwatch.
I live in the UK and travel to the US. My watch was imported from Russia and I re flashed it with UK firmware.!
I suggest you purchase your Gear S in the EU. The mobile set up here is better for SIM use only purposes, and then use a US sim in it when you're back home. The Gear S is not locked to any network so should take any SIM.
Or simply use Bluetooth and run the GearS via the Note for notifications and calls, plus the health app etc. That's how I run it here.
Thanks for the suggestion. I think you're right. I'm going to see how my Note 4 performs for the next couple of weeks and then pull the trigger unless something new is announced imminent. I've got an OLD Motoactiv currently filling the role of smartwatch and it's great for fitness, but huge and the battery life and functionality are limited.
Gear S is dual band device. Regardless where you purchased, it won't work on both EU and US because the bands don't match. You will need a quad-band device to work. So forget about it being working any way other than tether to your phone via BT.
foxbat121 said:
Gear S is dual band device. Regardless where you purchased, it won't work on both EU and US because the bands don't match. You will need a quad-band device to work. So forget about it being working any way other than tether to your phone via BT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already know it's dual band. I already know it won't work in both.
I was asking if at least the aGPS would work in both since I would have my Galaxy Note 4 which works in both for most use cases besides my fitness use which would need the aGPS.
Depends on which app you use. Without the network connection, S Health and Here maps are hopeless (takes very long time and Here map typically will give up before that). Nike+ will work as it does not try to resolve location on the watch.
Of course, if you have the phone with you, it doesn't matter. The watch will use phone's GPS all the time if it is available.
foxbat121 said:
Depends on which app you use. Without the network connection, S Health and Here maps are hopeless (takes very long time and Here map typically will give up before that). Nike+ will work as it does not try to resolve location on the watch.
Of course, if you have the phone with you, it doesn't matter. The watch will use phone's GPS all the time if it is available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. What WILL use the aGPS without a data connection to track running? If there is something, I think I'll get a US spec for use in the EU since I'll have my phone in every other instance besides running with the watch.
If there isn't a way to use the aGPS without the data connection, I'll have to get the EU spec and just use my Motoactv on the rare occasions I want to track my running in the US while I'm on a trip.
Common mis-conception about aGPS. It is no difference than other GPS. The 'a' part means it can speed up the initial acquisition if there is a network connection to off load the calculation elsewhere. It still fully capable of receiving its own GPS signal. It doesn't mean the GPS won't work without the network connection. All modern cell phone GPS is like this.
Without a network connection, the initial acquisition takes a real long time (5 to 10 minutes depending on many variables) on the Gear S. With the network connection, it is about 20 seconds. Nike+ opt to record raw satellite data and let the server to do the calculation of exact location. It is extremely fast for Nike+ app to get lock and start recording (about 5 seconds or less).

Network Signal İssues

I checked many forums on web and see a lot of people complaining about bad reception,call drops etc. on Galaxy s6 Edge
Also here there is 2 topic opened by members .I wrote one of them but no one gave me even a clue
My network signal really sucks, especially while on wcdma/3g mod. So one of post on web says Samsung had changed their anttenna system thats why.Some of says its about modem part.
Most of post wroten about in May and June so whats happened to this issue.How did you solve? Or what is the problem is it software or hardware related.
Thanks
I have a new 925F on T-Mobile in the US and I have also noticed this issue. Signal strength is much worse than on my prior device (HTC One M7). I have been toying with flashing the T-Mobile modem on my device and seeing what happens, but am afraid of what might happen...don't need a shiny new brick. I have tried several different ROMs, including the one from the T-Mobile sub-forum that is no longer being supported with the same results.
Anyone have any ideas, or know what would happen if I flashed the 925T modem on my 925F device?
like i said there is to possiblty causing this issue. Samsungs new antenna system or hardware problem.People were complaining about it a few months ago and ı am curious what happened their device or they used to live with it?
Have to say have the same experience... I actually carry an iphone 6 (for business reasons) as well - same network (AT&T), and without exception:
- the iphone has better reception in the same location (more bars, faster internet, more reliable internet)
- the iphone connects faster when the plane lands (and I fly alot)
- the iphone keeps reception in places where the S6 loses it
Frustrating, as I'm the opposite of an iphone fanboy, and using the phones next to each other shows me Samsung needs to do more work in this area!
The only reliable solution to SLIGHTLY improve things is to restart the phone a LOT
I have had to switch to 2g/3g only because my S6 edge has little or no signal on 4g and it uses about 3% per hour of battery on standby. I also have an iPhone 6 and both are on the same network(EE in the UK) and I never see anything under half bars on 4g but most of the time it is full bars. I have had the phone replaced and had two sim swaps but it is still no better.
The camera on the S6 is fantastic but the rest of the phone is a lagging stuttering piece of sh!t. I sold my Note 4 and Moto X 2014 a few weeks ago in preparation for the Note 5 but it is not sold in Europe. On the bright side the S6 is better than the G4 I tried for a few weeks.
today i went to service to ask replace the device, explained my issues after one hour they told me the problem solved by flashing new firmware i am sure the problem persist because i had newest firmware and flashed it before.So we have to live with it i guess its not a problem for them .
i have noticed that only Edge users complaining about it and not sure but i guess i read antenna is short on Edge.

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