[HOW TO] Enable stand-alone/antonymous GPS on Epic 4G

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RyleyinSTL

Senior Member
May 31, 2011
175
53
The Red Brick Mama
[HOW TO] Enable stand-alone/antonymous GPS on Epic 4G

I find the Epic GPS to work very well generally, especially in custom ROMs like CM7. That said it all falls apart whn trying to use the GPS in airplane mode or when overseas (or other areas with no CDMA cellular coverage). From what I can determine the Epic 4G was not configured properly to use the GPS chip in these circumstances.

To fix this issue you need to change the GPS settings on the actual gpsOne chip. This will allow the phone to get a GPS signal when in airplane mode and/or not within a CDMA service area. The procedure is time consuming and annoying but in may experience, worth it.

DISCLAMER – the below how-to could completely brick your phone. I have NO IDEA what I’m doing.

You will need to download some software to begin:

1. Qualcomm Product Support Tools (QPST) v.2.7.355 (or newer) – I don’t think I can post that link so Google it.

2. Epic 4G Windows USB drivers - http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/SPH-D700ZKASPR

3. MSL code – there are a number of ways of obtaining this so I will not duplicate here.

Step 1:
Obtain your MSL. If you can’t get this, you can’t complete this fix

Step 2:

Install the Epic 4G Windows USB drivers. Assuming you are rooted and or otherwise used ODIN you may already have these installed. Installing again will hurt nothing.

Step 3:

NOTE: So far as I can figure your phone needs to be in stock form to continue from this point on. I tried the rest of this while running CM7 – Nightly 13 and it would not work (particular issues seem to be dial codes and USB modem connectivity). Once finished with the fix you can then flash back to whatever ROM you would like. So…ODEN back to stock.
Open in the dialer and enter ##8778#. This will bring up the “PhoneUtil” menu. Set both UART and USB to MODEM and hit the home button.

Step 4:

Install Qualcomm Product Support Tools (QPST)

Step 5:

Insure that USB debugging is off. Connect the Epic 4G to your computer. The computer should make the usual USB connection noises and may begin installing drivers. Let that that finish.

Step 6:

Open QPST Configuration (installed when you installed QPST) and go the Ports tab, add a new port and select your port number. If nothing shows up uncheck the “show serial….blah blah” box and it will show your port number, select it and add it. You will now see your COM port with your phone connected. Close that.

Step 7:

Open client QPST Service Programming, select your active phone (might take a moment to come up), click "Read from phone" (enter MSL) and then scroll over to gpsOne and select all the options on the left hand side:

Assistance-Spherical
Assistance-Cartesian
AFLT
GPS Almanac
GPS Ephemeris
GPS Almanac Correction
Autonomous
GPS/AFLT Hybrid

……then click “Write to Phone.” When that’s done click “connection” and “close” and then close the program.

This may cause your phone to reboot…if not, reboot it.

Step 8:

Open in the dialer and enter ##8778#. This will bring up the “PhoneUtil” menu. Set UART to Modem (USB to PDA) and hit the home button….reboot again.

Step 9:

You should no be able to use the GPS while in airplane mode or (especially) after booting up in an area without CDMA coverage.


TIPS: If you should clear you AGPS settings for some reason (or they expire?) and you want to use the GPS anonymously without a CDMA or WiFi connection, you will need to reboot the phone first (and possibly disable “use wireless networks” in Location Settings until some new AGPS data is obtained). One way to obtain some AGPS data in absence of a CDMA network is to use an app like GPS Test to load some AGPS data back into the phone via WiFi. Also it may be possible to improve this by refining the gpsOne settings…but you would need to figure out what the hell they all mean.

This solution works for me.

Good luck

Thanks to these sources for this fix:
http://bbsoftware.weebly.com/uploads/1/7/9/3/1793039/gps_limitations_pdf.pdf
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=891077
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1304225
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1192128
 
Last edited:

xopher.hunter

Senior Member
Mar 21, 2011
1,629
392
Ventura
Wow thank you so much I always hated that I wasn't able to use my epic's gps on a good long hike.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
 

RyleyinSTL

Senior Member
May 31, 2011
175
53
The Red Brick Mama
After a bunch of testing it seems that while this solution works it only seems to work properly for me after a reboot. Which while not as covenant is a big improvement over it not working at all.

  1. Put the phone in airplane made
  2. Reboot
  3. Open GPS app/turn on GPS (phone is still in airplane mode)
  4. Success - Autonomous GPS!

However if the phone is already on and I just put it in airplane mode (with GPS turned on) I can't get a lock or see any satellites. However the above method fixes it.

Of course as always GPS will work in airplane mode if turned on after a lock has been made. However my interest in autonomous GPS mode is for when traveling outside of CDMA service areas, like Europe.

So there you have it....a partial fix anyway. If anyone has any idea as to why this only works after a reboot I'd love to here it. As an aside I have tested this with CleanGB and CM7 ROMs and get the same result.
 

toadlife

Inactive Recognized Developer
Aug 19, 2008
1,208
1,012
Lemoore, CA
Thanks a lot. I had no idea our phone's GPS was this crappy, nor that you could also program the GPS chip using QPST. I don't go into no service areas that much, but I occasionally go camping in the Sierras. The last time I went, I had my Touch Pro 2, which had GPS that worked fine (albeit a bit slow to lock) without any service. It would be annoying to go there next spring or summer only to find out I had no GPS.
 

jimmyz

Senior Member
Jun 29, 2007
376
26
Thanks, this would have saved my a$$ last time I was in Europe

Sent from my Touchpad using Tapatalk
 

tony_spear

Member
Feb 27, 2011
31
3
Thanks a lot. I had no idea our phone's GPS was this crappy, nor that you could also program the GPS chip using QPST. I don't go into no service areas that much, but I occasionally go camping in the Sierras. The last time I went, I had my Touch Pro 2, which had GPS that worked fine (albeit a bit slow to lock) without any service. It would be annoying to go there next spring or summer only to find out I had no GPS.
Toad- Can we hope for CleanGB MTD 2.0 with autonomous GPS? Sure would be nice on the backpacking trip around Lone Pine/Bridgeport. :)
 

flastnoles11

Senior Member
Nov 16, 2011
8,380
4,690
Palm bay
OnePlus 9 Pro
Thanks for this... went hiking through some trails at my dads in southern florida at a place they call "bad luck"... well if not for this we would prolly still be out there finding our waay back... absolutely no cell Service and if my phone didn't lock we would've really had some bad luck! Now I know why they named it that!

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
 
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BillyBob3

Senior Member
Oct 23, 2011
252
49
Orlando
So other than caching google maps to your sd card, what other mapping or gps apps can you use without a data connection?

Sent by my CleanGB Epic using XDA App
 

zman519

Senior Member
Oct 27, 2010
2,240
255
the Land of Beer & Cheese
Copilot is a pay app. That's kinda like a Garmin it has a few Gigs of map data on the sdcard.

Sent from the Drivers Seat of my Suby txting and Driving doing 100MPH+ in a school zone! Ha.
 

toadlife

Inactive Recognized Developer
Aug 19, 2008
1,208
1,012
Lemoore, CA
Toad- Can we hope for CleanGB MTD 2.0 with autonomous GPS? Sure would be nice on the backpacking trip around Lone Pine/Bridgeport. :)

I don't think this is something that can be (easily) cooked into a ROM. Sans some crazy low level programming, you pretty much have to use QPST to make these changes to the phone.
 

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  • 14
    [HOW TO] Enable stand-alone/antonymous GPS on Epic 4G

    I find the Epic GPS to work very well generally, especially in custom ROMs like CM7. That said it all falls apart whn trying to use the GPS in airplane mode or when overseas (or other areas with no CDMA cellular coverage). From what I can determine the Epic 4G was not configured properly to use the GPS chip in these circumstances.

    To fix this issue you need to change the GPS settings on the actual gpsOne chip. This will allow the phone to get a GPS signal when in airplane mode and/or not within a CDMA service area. The procedure is time consuming and annoying but in may experience, worth it.

    DISCLAMER – the below how-to could completely brick your phone. I have NO IDEA what I’m doing.

    You will need to download some software to begin:

    1. Qualcomm Product Support Tools (QPST) v.2.7.355 (or newer) – I don’t think I can post that link so Google it.

    2. Epic 4G Windows USB drivers - http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/SPH-D700ZKASPR

    3. MSL code – there are a number of ways of obtaining this so I will not duplicate here.

    Step 1:
    Obtain your MSL. If you can’t get this, you can’t complete this fix

    Step 2:

    Install the Epic 4G Windows USB drivers. Assuming you are rooted and or otherwise used ODIN you may already have these installed. Installing again will hurt nothing.

    Step 3:

    NOTE: So far as I can figure your phone needs to be in stock form to continue from this point on. I tried the rest of this while running CM7 – Nightly 13 and it would not work (particular issues seem to be dial codes and USB modem connectivity). Once finished with the fix you can then flash back to whatever ROM you would like. So…ODEN back to stock.
    Open in the dialer and enter ##8778#. This will bring up the “PhoneUtil” menu. Set both UART and USB to MODEM and hit the home button.

    Step 4:

    Install Qualcomm Product Support Tools (QPST)

    Step 5:

    Insure that USB debugging is off. Connect the Epic 4G to your computer. The computer should make the usual USB connection noises and may begin installing drivers. Let that that finish.

    Step 6:

    Open QPST Configuration (installed when you installed QPST) and go the Ports tab, add a new port and select your port number. If nothing shows up uncheck the “show serial….blah blah” box and it will show your port number, select it and add it. You will now see your COM port with your phone connected. Close that.

    Step 7:

    Open client QPST Service Programming, select your active phone (might take a moment to come up), click "Read from phone" (enter MSL) and then scroll over to gpsOne and select all the options on the left hand side:

    Assistance-Spherical
    Assistance-Cartesian
    AFLT
    GPS Almanac
    GPS Ephemeris
    GPS Almanac Correction
    Autonomous
    GPS/AFLT Hybrid

    ……then click “Write to Phone.” When that’s done click “connection” and “close” and then close the program.

    This may cause your phone to reboot…if not, reboot it.

    Step 8:

    Open in the dialer and enter ##8778#. This will bring up the “PhoneUtil” menu. Set UART to Modem (USB to PDA) and hit the home button….reboot again.

    Step 9:

    You should no be able to use the GPS while in airplane mode or (especially) after booting up in an area without CDMA coverage.


    TIPS: If you should clear you AGPS settings for some reason (or they expire?) and you want to use the GPS anonymously without a CDMA or WiFi connection, you will need to reboot the phone first (and possibly disable “use wireless networks” in Location Settings until some new AGPS data is obtained). One way to obtain some AGPS data in absence of a CDMA network is to use an app like GPS Test to load some AGPS data back into the phone via WiFi. Also it may be possible to improve this by refining the gpsOne settings…but you would need to figure out what the hell they all mean.

    This solution works for me.

    Good luck

    Thanks to these sources for this fix:
    http://bbsoftware.weebly.com/uploads/1/7/9/3/1793039/gps_limitations_pdf.pdf
    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=891077
    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1304225
    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1192128
    6
    Oh... and you should have done it while you saw it before?

    "Troll begone!" Looneyrat
    "Overclock!" Looneyrat
    "Developers suck!" Looneyrat
    "My phone is better!" Looneyrat
    "Get off your horse" Looneyrat
    "Nazi! " Looneyrat
    "Stock is awesome" Looneyrat
    "Cyanogenmod sucks" Looneyrat
    "Earthbound!!!" Looneyrat


    Can the moderators notice this yet?


    Can someone just ban this racist, religioist, offensive, troll?

    BTW, do you have any remote form of a life?

    Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

    Don't forget about mcdaddie. We are working on it. Just ignore him till i can work a little more on it.

    Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
    4
    Moderator Warning!

    Thread cleaned!! I see the troll is gone now.. so can we get back on topic?

    More OT will only result in official warnings/infractions and thread closure..
    4
    Well.. Someone needs to make a cab file.

    Just buggin out, me an my eye balls.

    Stop trolling... seriously. If you think you wont get banned again...

    Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
    2
    Okay, the thread title has bugged me long enough. It's "autonymous".