Abnormalities in GPS operation and tracking

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1/3/2017 11:54 AM
 

Don, not sure what model of Samsung you're looking at purchasing, but FWIW I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another Samsung S2 to use with iFly.

Our current S2 (the 8.4) version is two years old and it's not only my EDC, but has served us quite well during this time. The screen is vibrant and easy to see even in pretty strong sunlight and frankly we haven't found anything else to beat it for performance. I don't think that the problem we're having is one that is particular to Samsung or the S2 series, I suspect that the issue is more to do with the wear/tear of being used constantly for iFly and a bunch of other apps on a daily basis. Yes it's hit the floor a couple of times which can't be good for it although it lives in a protective case.

Samsung is reportedly on the verge of releasing their new S3 tab with the same format at the S2 8.4. I'll be one of the first in line to purchase same.

I had thought about using a standalone GPS unit as a solution to the occasional lockup, but I'm still pursuing other fixes. As we use a Stratux for ADSB, I'd probably just add the GPS option to it if we choose to go that route. I'll keep the forum posted with what we discover along the way.

 
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1/3/2017 12:38 PM
 

howudodat - Our Samsung S2 is running stock 6.0.1. I've installed the GPS app you suggested and it appears that the GPS is working pretty well. It will be a few days before we can fly as the wx is way below minimums.

Here's a breakdown of the issues we've had with the Samsung and iFly.

I also realize that if the issues are more specific to the tab and not the app that this might not be the place to address them, but we certainly would like to figure out what's going on and input such as yours is truly valuable to us. We use the tab for lots of different applications, but none are as mission critical to us as iFly and really haven't noticed any other app mis-behaving in a similar manner.

Here's the list:

iFly freezes, the tab cannot change screens, can't go to home screen. A hard boot will restart the tab. Usually one round of this will "solve" the issue, but occasionally the tab will freeze up immediately upon reboot and restarting iFly. This doesn't happen all the time and frankly the only time that it's locked up is when running iFly.

iFly freezes and we reboot tab. iFly cannot get GPS lock unless I connect to the internet first. Has happened a couple of times, but like all issues, doesn't happen consistently.

On final approach, GPS from iFly reports inaccurate altitudes. This is manifested by the audible terrain and altitude warnings we receive. Either the warning says "too low" when I'm turning final or it might decide to say "500" when I'm crossing the threshold. It acts like the GPS is being sluggish in reporting the altitude. And yes I fully realize that I tend to come in high on approach, but not that high and so far the safe landings = takeoffs....

Updating iFly data (charts etc). Have had the tab freeze up while downloading iFly data requiring hard boot. I'm curious what the behavior of iFly is supposed to be when the data stream is lost during data updates.

I apologize for the long winded post, but hopefully someone might post some ideas about what's behind the abnormal behavior.

 
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1/3/2017 12:48 PM
 

@Don, are you by chance using the apple as the wifi source (hotspot) when you're attempting to share flight plans?


Jeff Nokomis Clark, Mooney M20G, iFly app on ASUS ZenPad Z8s, ASUS ZenFone AR, ASUS Windows 10 tablet, Stratux ADS-B w AHRS
 
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1/3/2017 4:18 PM
 
FWIW, I am currently using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0, SM-T713 (I'm not familiar with an S2 8.4), and it is not exhibiting any issues with GPS. That said, I generally have it connected to a Stratus ADSB device, which provides its own a GPS location, so that may result in different behavior.

One thing I would suggest is that for annyone who has an anomalous event occur inside the iFly app (lockups, spontaneous goofy alititudes, etc.), please submit a bug report from within the app itself via Menu>About>Send Bug Report. It will ask you to select the log file you want to attach to the report, with the default being the log file generated the last time iFly was used (so if the app crashes, and the next time you launch the app you send a bug report, you can choose "Use Default" and it will use the log from the time iFly crashed. If you have any question about which log file to send, choose "Select Log" and pick the file with the appropriate timestamp (the log timestamp is when the iFly session started).

Choosing the "Send Bug Report" option will draft an email to the Adventure Pilot developers with technical details from your device and the app's actions while it was running. You will also be prompted to describe the anomalous behavior you observed, and to provide any other relevant information that might be helpful in diagnosing the problem.

For Android issues, Brian will probably be the one who investigates. He's a really good guy to work with.
 
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1/3/2017 4:43 PM
 

Thanks for the reminder about how to send the reports. I've been able to go back in the history, find the recent flights that have had issues and am working on sending in the bug reports.

 
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