Sprint Navigation unable to find gps

sjomar · 08/04/2009, 11:37 AM

I have only noticed this after the update but maybe it wasn't working before but it seems like my Sprint Navigation can't locate me when trying to give me turn by turn directions but can do a local search and pin point me on the map. Also, Google Maps still works fine. Any ideas?

chuckdddd · 08/04/2009, 12:35 PM

Happened to me once. Rebooted the phone and it works fine again.

fireone23 · 08/04/2009, 01:02 PM

Same here, rebooted and everything was fine.

u235 · 08/04/2009, 01:11 PM

Yeah, this can be a real pain. After a few uses of telenav, it can no longer get a gps lock. Rebooting has always fixed it, but I hope they fix the root cause in an update.

Fisack23 · 08/04/2009, 01:14 PM

I can never predict when my Sprint Navigation is going to work or fail - well, maybe I guess I can. The more pressed I am for time and the more important the appointment, the greater the likelihood for a crash!

JohnnyKat · 08/04/2009, 01:24 PM

Same here, when I really need it- it doesn't work, or I lose the signal!
Happens before and after the update- so frustrating!!

Maximo_ · 08/04/2009, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fisack23

I can never predict when my Sprint Navigation is going to work or fail - well, maybe I guess I can. The more pressed I am for time and the more important the appointment, the greater the likelihood for a crash!

Wow I couldn't have said it better myself. I have used nav occasionally, probably 25-30 time since I got the phone. There were only two times i NEEDED it to work - and it failed both times.

Scott_L · 08/04/2009, 02:35 PM

RichC at Treonauts recommended this fix for this SN issue:

Load the Sprint Navigation app and minimize the ‘card’ so that you can load the phone app. Press ##GPS# or ##477# which brings up the GPS Information Screen. Select “Get Fix” and the phone retrieves the GPS info. Once the phone app is closed, return to Sprint Navigation and it should now work.

Link: Sprint Navigation GPS "glitch" - Treo Forum - Treonauts

arhoolie · 08/04/2009, 10:03 PM

Thanks for posting this. Sprint Nav initially failed for me on my commute home tonight. But by following the instructions in the link you gave, I got it to work.

mike929 · 08/05/2009, 12:43 PM

my gps is doing the same thing. I tried the ##gps# get fix and it finds my location, I go back to the app and it works for a few mins before it shows that it lost connection

friedputty · 08/15/2009, 11:50 PM

I keep having this issue and it is effing infuriating!!! I will try the RichC / Scott L fix above. This needs to be fixed in the next firmware update!

In fairness, one nice thing about Sprint Navigator is that if the phone loses GPS for a minute or two AFTER navigation has begun, it will continue navigating just fine until it gets a signal again.

friedputty · 08/19/2009, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by friedputty

I keep having this issue and it is effing infuriating!!! I will try the RichC / Scott L fix above. This needs to be fixed in the next firmware update!

In fairness, one nice thing about Sprint Navigator is that if the phone loses GPS for a minute or two AFTER navigation has begun, it will continue navigating just fine until it gets a signal again.

OK, tried the secret phone dialer fix suggested above. It gets a GPS fix only in the sense that the Pre displays a window stating my latitude and longitude. But it is apparently UNABLE TO USE THAT INFORMATION TO LOCATE ME IN NAVIGATOR! So it says it can't get a fix, then I force it to go get one through the dialpad method -- so it gets one via dialpad, I'm sitting right there looking at it, yet the nav app still insists it can't get one. Like I said, INFURIATING!

Another thread on here discusses this issue. Some suggest rebooting (by which I assume they mean holding down Power until the phone gives you the pulsing logo and then goes black, and then pressing Power again to restart it -- speaking of which, why does it take our Pre 3 minutes to do the same power cycle the iphone does in 30 seconds?). Others suggest loading Google Maps first, and then Navigator. Neither of these things works every time.

Others say maybe GPS is not turned on, but I have GPS and location services turned on all the time.

Others have suggested it's user error, that the screen means exactly what it says and in fact there isn't a clear view of the sky -- but I have been standing in an open field with the g*damn thing stretched skyward above my head and STILL gotten this error message, so that's not it. Maybe it's that the Pre only gives itself about 30 seconds to find a fix, whereas an iphone will twiddle its thumbs for 2 minutes waiting for one?

If Mapquest's send-to-phone feature worked for the Pre, we could at least have a backup of sending a route to ourselves in advance, but I tried it tonight and apparently it does not work on the Pre (but apparently is available as an app for iphone).

One reason I got Pre and not iphone this time is that the iphone's GPS is notoriously weak and inaccurate. Great -- but at least it freaking TURNS ON every blasted time. I had assumed that the Pre's would reliably do the same. FWIW, I used Navigator CONSTANTLY on my Verizon LG enV, and it NEVER FAILED to get a GPS fix almost immediately.

Those tempted to accuse me of whining about something that's free -- truth is, Navigator isn't free. Sprint's basic 450-min plan is $10 per month more than AT&T's, and $10 is the price AT&T charges for Navigator -- so essentially Sprint has decided that we all will subscribe whether we want to or not. Which I would be totally cool with if it worked, or if we had a downloadable maps-onboard alternative like Navigon if it didn't. Unfortunately, that'd be no and no.

Again, ironically, the one big thing that drove me to Pre over iphone is now driving me to iphone. Aargh!

alpinejag · 08/19/2009, 08:00 AM

I had this happen to me the other day. The ##GPS# fix didn't work. Rebooting the Pre did, but after I had been trying to get it to get a fix for 10 minutes. I wasn't the one driving though so I was just reading directions off of Google Maps to the driver while Sprint Nav didn't work. Every other program that's location enabled could find where I was just fine.

Jaer57 · 08/19/2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike929

my gps is doing the same thing. I tried the ##gps# get fix and it finds my location, I go back to the app and it works for a few mins before it shows that it lost connection

I have found that I can't use my Pre as a navigation device in my car simply due to where I mount my phone. I can occasionally get sattelites, but depending on what direction my car is facing, what happens to you happens to me all the time. I have a similar problem with my Garmin Nuvi 350 when mounted in the same location, however, I bought a roof antenna for my Garmin which completely solved that problem. Unfortunately, we can't use an external antenna with the Pre. But maybe you should consider changing the location of your Pre. I'm saying this assuming that your problems occur in a car, of course. If this happens to you while walking, then please excuse this advice.

Tmac923 · 08/19/2009, 08:37 AM

I can also attest to the poor GPS signals that the pre gets. My past Sprint GPS phones were never a problem. Maybe in a heavy rural area you could expect this kind of a problem, but not traveling down a major highway through a downtown city. Come on palm, lets get this fixed!

Hyperian · 08/19/2009, 03:53 PM

i'm so glad i found this thread, i have the exact same problem as people are describing.

i was camping on the weekend and the whole time the GPS didnt work, even my friend's iphone GPS worked in the middle of the f**king forest, and we were using the compass app.

if ##477# shows data while sprint nav doesn't work, then palm needs to fix the app.

i also found out that if you dont have internet connection it means you cant use the nav or google map AT ALL. even if you have GPS. that's stupid. we need an app with a built-in map that doesn't require an internet connection. maybe tomtom should have an app on the pre.

jchboy · 08/19/2009, 10:55 PM

i hate when this happens!!

jchboy · 08/19/2009, 10:56 PM

the ##gps#isnt working on my phone.. do you do it at universal search?

geewhiz · 08/20/2009, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fisack23

I can never predict when my Sprint Navigation is going to work or fail - well, maybe I guess I can. The more pressed I am for time and the more important the appointment, the greater the likelihood for a crash!

Amen on that!

maddball · 08/20/2009, 01:45 AM

My GPS has worked 0-10 times trying. Tells me to find direct sky.. Thought it may have been just me...

08/04/2009, 11:37 AM	#1 (permalink)
sjomar Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 8 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Sprint Navigation unable to find gps I have only noticed this after the update but maybe it wasn't working before but it seems like my Sprint Navigation can't locate me when trying to give me turn by turn directions but can do a local search and pin point me on the map. Also, Google Maps still works fine. Any ideas?
	Liked by

08/04/2009, 12:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
chuckdddd Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 4 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Happened to me once. Rebooted the phone and it works fine again.
	Liked by

08/04/2009, 01:02 PM	#3 (permalink)
fireone23 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 22 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Same here, rebooted and everything was fine.
	Liked by

08/04/2009, 01:11 PM	#4 (permalink)
u235 Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 13 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Yeah, this can be a real pain. After a few uses of telenav, it can no longer get a gps lock. Rebooting has always fixed it, but I hope they fix the root cause in an update.
	Liked by

08/04/2009, 01:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
Fisack23 Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: On my computer Posts: 612 Likes Received: 53 Thanks: 94 Thanked 128 Times in 85 Posts	GPS crash in Navigation I can never predict when my Sprint Navigation is going to work or fail - well, maybe I guess I can. The more pressed I am for time and the more important the appointment, the greater the likelihood for a crash!
	Liked by

08/04/2009, 01:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
JohnnyKat Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 111 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 55 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	Same here, when I really need it- it doesn't work, or I lose the signal! Happens before and after the update- so frustrating!!
	Liked by

08/04/2009, 02:35 PM	#8 (permalink)
Scott_L Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Lost in CT, USA Device: Sprint Treo 755p Posts: 325 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 29 Thanked 11 Times in 7 Posts	RichC at Treonauts recommended this fix for this SN issue: Load the Sprint Navigation app and minimize the ‘card’ so that you can load the phone app. Press ##GPS# or ##477# which brings up the GPS Information Screen. Select “Get Fix” and the phone retrieves the GPS info. Once the phone app is closed, return to Sprint Navigation and it should now work. Link: Sprint Navigation GPS "glitch" - Treo Forum - Treonauts
	Liked by Thanked by arhoolie, clockw0rk, friedputty, Jaer57, JohnnyKat

08/04/2009, 10:03 PM	#9 (permalink)
arhoolie Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 51 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 14 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Thanks for posting this. Sprint Nav initially failed for me on my commute home tonight. But by following the instructions in the link you gave, I got it to work.
	Liked by

08/05/2009, 12:43 PM	#10 (permalink)
mike929 Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 33 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	I have the same GPS issue my gps is doing the same thing. I tried the ##gps# get fix and it finds my location, I go back to the app and it works for a few mins before it shows that it lost connection
	Liked by

08/15/2009, 11:50 PM	#11 (permalink)
friedputty Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 22 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 1 Thanked 5 Times in 3 Posts	I keep having this issue and it is effing infuriating!!! I will try the RichC / Scott L fix above. This needs to be fixed in the next firmware update! In fairness, one nice thing about Sprint Navigator is that if the phone loses GPS for a minute or two AFTER navigation has begun, it will continue navigating just fine until it gets a signal again.
	Liked by

08/19/2009, 08:00 AM	#13 (permalink)
alpinejag Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 121 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 27 Thanked 12 Times in 10 Posts	I had this happen to me the other day. The ##GPS# fix didn't work. Rebooting the Pre did, but after I had been trying to get it to get a fix for 10 minutes. I wasn't the one driving though so I was just reading directions off of Google Maps to the driver while Sprint Nav didn't work. Every other program that's location enabled could find where I was just fine.
	Liked by

08/19/2009, 08:37 AM	#15 (permalink)
Tmac923 Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 100 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 3 Thanked 19 Times in 5 Posts	I can also attest to the poor GPS signals that the pre gets. My past Sprint GPS phones were never a problem. Maybe in a heavy rural area you could expect this kind of a problem, but not traveling down a major highway through a downtown city. Come on palm, lets get this fixed!
	Liked by

08/19/2009, 03:53 PM	#16 (permalink)
Hyperian Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 60 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	i'm so glad i found this thread, i have the exact same problem as people are describing. i was camping on the weekend and the whole time the GPS didnt work, even my friend's iphone GPS worked in the middle of the f**king forest, and we were using the compass app. if ##477# shows data while sprint nav doesn't work, then palm needs to fix the app. i also found out that if you dont have internet connection it means you cant use the nav or google map AT ALL. even if you have GPS. that's stupid. we need an app with a built-in map that doesn't require an internet connection. maybe tomtom should have an app on the pre.
	Liked by

08/19/2009, 10:55 PM	#17 (permalink)
jchboy Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 19 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	i hate when this happens!!
	Liked by

08/19/2009, 10:56 PM	#18 (permalink)
jchboy Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 19 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	the ##gps#isnt working on my phone.. do you do it at universal search?
	Liked by

08/20/2009, 01:45 AM	#20 (permalink)
maddball Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 239 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 114 Thanked 23 Times in 15 Posts	My GPS has worked 0-10 times trying. Tells me to find direct sky.. Thought it may have been just me... __________________ How many times have you seen the Dr.?..lol
	Liked by

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