@jite I have now rebooted android on the device and I can confirm that gps works flawlessly so it is not a problem with the device hardware. This is really disappointing as it shows that really gps is only ‘partially working’ for UT for the pixel 3a xl. I really did try to use the gps and give it every chance to pick up a satellite (I would consider beyond what most people would be willing to do).
I think I will wait until focal fossa is developed a little bit more before retrying UT in the future. I use a linux desktop and enjoy the freedom it gives me. I know that droidian is a possibility but my ideal would be to use sxmo on the device and currently the pmos port is not advanced enough for it to be a daily driver. For my taste (and yes this is an opinion) UT is a bit too locked down and the best bit of linux for me is the ability to do whatever you want with the phone so the script writing nature of sxmo really does appeal to me. Different tricks for different folks I suppose.
One of the things I look forward to with fossa is the use of libertine as with 20.04 some of the desktop apps will be more up to date and useful, which is the sort of thing that will take me back to using UT as running it in desktop mode would potentially be more useful. Still love the fact that UT still exists and it is still a great distro!