Earlier today I installed Herg’s latest ROM on my Fuze and with all ROMs the first thing I do is put it through its paces and one of the tests is the dreaded GPS test. I’ve always noticed that some ROMs can get a fix in seconds and on others it just sits even though I’m using the same radio regardless of the ROM. So after loading his ROM I manually turned off aGPS and even though I was indoors I was hoping to get one or two satellites but it couldn’t connect. The rest of the guys said they were getting a fix in seconds and asked if I had disabled aGPS. Once I turned it back on I had an immediate fix. So, the error was mine for doubting Herg’s settings…if I just stuck with them I wouldn’t have had any problems.
So, why did I turn off aGPS? Well aGPS works by getting GPS data from local cell towers to help to get a quicker fix (if you want more detail take a look at WMExperts’ tutorial on it) but I had read an article a while back stating that because some areas do not have enough cell tower density and in some locations the towers won’t provide aGPS data the end result is a slower GPS fix because you lose time trying to communicate blindly with cell towers that are essentially GPS zombies. Well after my earlier experience it was time to put it to the test.
