Apparent GPS Failure

[Taipanic]

I posted a request for confirmation and status of resolution from Verizon on the Verizon Forum:
Android Devices - Verizon Community

Here is the text:

Official Response about the GPS Problems for former Alltel Customers?



11-24-2009 06:41 PM




Verizon,

We would like an official response regarding the GPS problems affecting former Alltel users, most notably in the Central Florida/Tampa Bay area. The issue appears to be affecting Verizon customer with Alltel sourced phone numbers. The smart phones can see the satellites but cannot connect. GPS service for these customers has worked sporadically, if at all.
As I work in the Telecommunications industry, I understand much of the inner workings of cellular networks and what is involved to join Networks and services when two companies merge. Verizon owes it's 14 million + former Alltel customers (and potential smart phone buyers) an explanation of the problem and a status with a timeframe on what is being done to resolve the issue. Personally, I am set to renew my account for another 2 years, upgrade to the Droid, and add a second Droid to my account as well but I am not going to upgrade (or neeessarily even stay with Verizon) if this issue isn't addressed.
Thank You,

 

[Narsil]

That is awesome! Thank you! Please keep us posted.

 

[dirtleg]

I spoke with a Verizon tech support guy today that says they believe it might be the PRL downloaded to the phones that is causing this. Former Alltel customers are using a hybrid prl in order to utilize both alltel and verizon towers and it's not allowing the phone to use the verizon towers agps system for some reason, hench no gps coverage. I'm trying to get a verizon PRL tomorrow downloaded to my phone to see if this solves the problem. Will keep everyone updated as this seems to make sense (at least for us former Alltel customers).

 

[Erich_F]

What's a "PRL"?

 

[dirtleg]

PRL

(Preferred Roaming List)
The PRL is a list of information that resides in the memory of a digital phone. It lists the frequency bands the phone can use in various parts of the country. (The smaller bands within Cellular or PCS, technically called blocks.)

The part of the list for each area is ordered by the bands the phone should try to use first. Therefore it's a kind of priority list for which towers the phone should use.

For example, say you had a Sprint PCS phone, and were travelling in an area with no Sprint coverage, weak Verizon coverage, and strong Qwest coverage. The PRL would tell the phone to look for towers using Sprint's band for that area. Finding none, it might tell the phone to search for towers in Verizon's band next, perhaps because Sprint's roaming agreement with Qwest was not as favorable, or none existed. The phone would use Verizon's towers, as dictated by the PRL, even though Qwest might provide a better signal.

Since a PRL tells the phone "where" to search for a signal, as carrier networks change over time, an updated PRL may be required for a phone to "see" all of the coverage that it should.
​

 

[Erich_F]

Damn, that was quick! Thanks

 

[crankygypsy]

update for me: former Alltel customer. i drove across the Courtney-Campbell from Tampa this evening around 5:15pm. just before the bridge, i checked Maps and GPS STATUS. as usual, i only got WiFi located and could not detect any satellites at all.

about halfway over the bridge, i checked again. i was contacting 10/10 satellites - the first time i had even seen the GPS STATUS actually working! i hung out in clearwater until about 1am.

as i left, i checked GPS STATUS - nada. after 5 minutes, still nothing. i made a call and DURING the call i decided to initiate GPS STATUS to see what happened. i had about 8/10 satellites the whole way home. i am sitting in my house at my computer 30 mins later and it has 7/8 satellites. the GPS has NEVER worked anywhere near my house ...ever.

OKAY. WITH THAT INFO, LET ME RUN THIS BY YOU GUYS:
i am wondering if this indeed backs up the PRL theory (which i only know what was said above). if my phone is "preferencing" ALLTEL towers near my house, is this then preventing me from linking to the satellites? SOOO, when i made the call at 1am, the PRL went to backup mode and forced attachment to a closer VZW tower to my proximity - allowing me to link to satellites.

 

[crankygypsy]

as carrier networks change over time, an updated PRL may be required for a phone to "see" all of the coverage that it should.

considering what i found out in my last post:

so, an updated PRL could be the solution for us Alltel people?

 

[crankygypsy]

let me add this:

not sure if it was causing the problem or coincidence, but i uninstalled Google Sky Maps yesterday. if i remember correctly, i think my GPS stopped working altogether (it worked over the howard-frankland the first few days) when i installed Sky Maps.

also, i was having a problem with the IR not working when i took my phone away from my head - it would black the screen out before i could touch the buttons. this has also stopped since uninstalling Sky Maps. again, could just be coincidence.

 

[bigpiper223]

How do i see how many satellites I am connected to while using gps?

 

[spalding12]

How do i see how many satellites I am connected to while using gps?

download "GPS STATUS" from the "MARKET"
it'll show you

 

[spalding12]

your PRL thoughts have a great deal of merit and interest to me
makes a lot of sense, quite frankly

my PRL is 30048, for what it's worth
clearwater, florida

this is ridiculous, if it is true, because verizon own all the alltel cell towers.
and....
if it is true
then..... everyone at verizon HAS to have ALREADY figured this out...
so, why has no fix been made internally as of yet?
it's all done by computer
it could be EASILY rectified....
why hasn't it?

 

[Backnblack]

my PRL is 30048

Mine is 51638

 

[Inundated]

All this talk about Florida and former Alltel accounts means nothing to me up here in Ohio, on a full-fledged VZW account

The good news? Since my earlier report in this thread, where my GPS seemed to want to place me in Southern Wisconsin, the GPS on the Droid has been working fine. I'm just worried that it'll reoccur.

 

[flwalt]

Don't know what its worth but I just recalled someing I ran across recently. .when I first got my Storm a month or so ago I was told the visual voicemail would not work for former alltel users.
Not sure of any correlation, but thought it worth mentioning.