Hello,
Like some of the other users, I had GPS problems after installing these two ROMs: connecting to the satellites took a very long time, if at all. Below I describe my fix, gathered from searching on the web, including here on XDA, and by using trial-and-error testing. Hope it helps others.
Install GPS Test by Chartcross. This helps monitor the GPS activities. There are other similar apps out there, but I like this one for the purpose of monitoring the GPS.
Install FasterGPS, by Dominik Schürmann. This is to edit the file /system/etc/gps.conf. You could edit it manually, but I like the GUI of this app.
Check if your /system/etc/suplcert/cacert.txt is "MIIDazCC......neEj8Nq/", then under the advanced settings, make sure SUPL_HOST is "supl.sonyericsson.com", SUPL_PORT=7275. Each cacert corresponds to a particular SUPL server. The above cacert is for the Sony server. If the host doesn't correspond to the cert, then you will not benefit from a quick retrieval of GPS info via the internet. Instead your GPS will download the info from the satellites themselves at a very slow rate (50 b/s according to Wikipedia). Your GPS would still work, but it won't acquire a fix quickly. Sorry I don't know what the cert for Google is.
Set NTP server to something close to you. Some people suggest to enter several servers (more can't hurt), some people suggest not to do that (more does hurt, if the previous ones fail.) I imagine that, at the higher level, the ntp pool servers don't usually fail. Thus I choose a single server that is close to me. In addition, I stay at the "country" level instead of going down to the numerical prefix level. (I.e. I don't bother with 0.uk.pool.ntp.org.) I figure going down to the numerical prefix level would more likely expose me to server failures.
Set INTERMEDIATE_POS=1 (enabled), then set ACCURACY_THRES=0 (passing all positions). With this value GPS Test usually reports satellites "in view" very quickly [<= 1 sec]. [Note: "in view" not "fix".] When I set the threshold to something non-zero (even a large value like 5000), it takes several seconds to see them.
Set ENABLE_WIPER=1, which supposedly turns on wifi positioning. Not sure what that does, but sounds like it can help . I assume the GPS system reads info from the wifi to get a rough estimate position. GPS Test probably isn't affected by this, although something like Maps might.
Set REPORT_POSITION_USE_SUPL_...=1. Again this sounds like a useful thing. My trial-and-error testing didn't discover anything conclusive about this. If anyone know more, please let me know.
Set DEFAULT_AGPS_ENABLE=TRUE, DEFAULT_USER_PLANE=TRUE. These are probably already true by default, but I figure it doesn't hurt to be explicit.
Reboot your phone if you had to change the SUPL setting. I had to do this to see the change. Would love to hear your experience on this.
With the above settings, GPS Test usually reports about 10 satellites in view in about 1 sec; satellites signals popping up above 10 db in about 5 sec, and the GPS acquiring a fix with about 4 satellites in less than 30 sec. All this _inside_ my house, which is a timber frame house with tile roof. I get this even with airplane mode on, i.e. no network connection!
If I use GPS Test to download AGPS data first, then the fix could be even faster, at less than 15 sec. And once the GPS has acquired a fix then, within a short time span, it will do so again very quickly (< 5 sec). Thus I have no problem as I switch from app to app and the GPS sensor turns on and off.
If my AGPS data is several days old, I still can get a fix in about 1 min.
Still, sometimes no matter what I do, the GPS would take more than 1 min to acquire a fix. Not sure why this happens, but it usually occurs after I haven't used the GPS in a while. In those cases I might have to wait up to 5 min for a fix.
Notes:
I assume you have root (since you managed to install ROMs )
According to the official ntp pool website,
As pool.ntp.org will assign you timeservers from all over the world, time quality will not be ideal. You get a bit better result if you use the continental zones (For example europe, north-america, oceania or asia.pool.ntp.org), and even better time if you use the country zone (like ch.pool.ntp.org in Switzerland)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More about my choice of accuracy threshold: if a threshold is active, it seems like the GPS would wait for the signal of a satellite to be of a certain strength before reporting it as in view. I figure it is better to just grab all the satellites possible, even if there is no signal yet.
The app GPS Status & Toolbox, by MobiWIA - EclipSim is also a very useful monitoring tool. I like the feature that reports how "stale" the AGPS data is. Wish GPS Test had this as well.
Toggling on the GPS from the settings menu simply allows apps to turn on the GPS. This doesn't use any battery. Only when an app starts using the sensor does it take energy. I recommend having this on. Having said that, do make sure you don't have any rogue app keeping your GPS engaged.
Install NTPSync, by Dominik Schürmann again. This helps set your clock. Not sure if this is necessary, but it gives me a good feeling that my clock is accurate
gps
its still not working
zivalarasa said:
its still not working
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After running GPS Test out in the open for, say, 1 min, does it report any "in view" satellite at all? Any satellite have signal > 10db?
GPS Test
HHest said:
After running GPS Test out in the open for, say, 1 min, does it report any "in view" satellite at all? Any satellite have signal > 10db?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS test runs and doesnt find any sattellite. It ran for around 10 minz
zivalarasa said:
GPS test runs and doesnt find any sattellite. It ran for around 10 minz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you had GPS working at some point prior to installing the ROM? If you've done all the steps (particularly steps 3, 5, and very importantly 9), then I'm afraid I'm out of suggestions.
spelling?
On the off chance... perhaps you have a spelling error?
I find it quite easy to spell "sonyericsson" wrong, especially the ericsson part. Now I have a way to memorize it: "Eric" (that's easy), "Eric's" (as in something belonging to Eric), ericsson = "Eric's son"
Related
Have anyone got the GPS on the Titan to work when you don't have network service?
I have even tried this:
http://www.rimweb.in/forums/index.php?showtopic=13024
I can get my Titan to pick like around 10 sats but it's very unlikely that I will get a lock (1 of 20 times I get a lock).
Cliff notes: What do you have to do to get the GPS on the Titan to work in Europe?
Thanks
Without data, as long as you don't enable aGPS it will work in offline mode, however it's very intermittent on sync. The best method is to turn it on, give it a clear view of the sky either outside or in your car and just wait. If you are driving it will almost never sync up.
Get a tool like Bafs GPS Toggle. As it won't "time out" like Google Maps and Live Search will do. If you just wait it should eventually sync up.
As for outside the country, I am not sure if any of the primer tools like QuickGPS will help, not sure if they will download the ephemeris data for those areas. The first satellite your phone can link onto will then transmit ephemeris data to your phone and tell it what other satellites should be visable at the moment and the upcoming schedule for the upcoming time periods. It then attempts to connect to the others. If it can never make that initial connection then you may never get a sync.
Just give it some time. Mine never took more than 15 minutes while standing still, tho while driving I drove for over 30 minutes once with no sync, however I came to a long stop light 2-3 minutes, and bam it synced. So the trick is to just sit still.
I've never been to Europe, so I can't guarantee that my advice will help.
BTC
BillThyCat said:
Without data, as long as you don't enable aGPS it will work in offline mode, however it's very intermittent on sync. The best method is to turn it on, give it a clear view of the sky either outside or in your car and just wait. If you are driving it will almost never sync up.
Get a tool like Bafs GPS Toggle. As it won't "time out" like Google Maps and Live Search will do. If you just wait it should eventually sync up.
As for outside the country, I am not sure if any of the primer tools like QuickGPS will help, not sure if they will download the ephemeris data for those areas. The first satellite your phone can link onto will then transmit ephemeris data to your phone and tell it what other satellites should be visable at the moment and the upcoming schedule for the upcoming time periods. It then attempts to connect to the others. If it can never make that initial connection then you may never get a sync.
Just give it some time. Mine never took more than 15 minutes while standing still, tho while driving I drove for over 30 minutes once with no sync, however I came to a long stop light 2-3 minutes, and bam it synced. So the trick is to just sit still.
I've never been to Europe, so I can't guarantee that my advice will help.
BTC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks but I already tried all that, it doesn't seem to work when you're outside the US, I have left the phone for hours under clear sky, sometimes it will even reboot and I will need to start priming the GPS again.
There must be some special setting that I need to do in the phone.
Daved+ said:
Have anyone got the GPS on the Titan to work when you don't have network service?
I have even tried this:
http://www.rimweb.in/forums/index.php?showtopic=13024
I can get my Titan to pick like around 10 sats but it's very unlikely that I will get a lock (1 of 20 times I get a lock).
Cliff notes: What do you have to do to get the GPS on the Titan to work in Europe?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't know for sure if the following will work outside the US.
open up a registry editor, i use PHM Registry editor
go to this key
HKLM/SOFTWARE/HTC/supl agps
change the following, if they need it, to:
EnableAGPS 1
EnableGPSSmartMode 1
GPSMode 4
click ok, quit the reg editor, do a soft reset and go back to make sure the settings took.
this will allow you to use the stand alone gps without the need of being in cell tower range. google maps will not work, since it uses the data connection to load the maps.
GPS Mode 4?
g2145 said:
i don't know for sure if the following will work outside the US.
open up a registry editor, i use PHM Registry editor
go to this key
HKLM/SOFTWARE/HTC/supl agps
change the following, if they need it, to:
EnableAGPS 1
EnableGPSSmartMode 1
GPSMode 4
click ok, quit the reg editor, do a soft reset and go back to make sure the settings took.
this will allow you to use the stand alone gps without the need of being in cell tower range. google maps will not work, since it uses the data connection to load the maps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isnt GPS Mode 4 only for Sprint users?
i don't know myself if it is carrier specific.
i do know it works on my sprint mogul.
Hi everyone, first I want to apologize for my bad english, I will try to explain my problem. I'm from Venezuela, my cell phone carrier is Movilnet, my Titan setup is ROM DCD 3.3.4, Radio 3.2.50, PRI 2.03. The problem is: when I'm on cell phone service area my GPS never gets a lock, unless I let the phone all night with the GPS software trying to lock.
But, when I travel out of the city to an area whitout cell phone coverage, I can get a lock within 2 minutes, consistently, even after a soft or hard reset.
I'm using VisualGPSce to monitoring and priming the GPS, but I also had tried GPS Test, GPS Viewer, GPS toogle, etc. I had noticed that, when I'm trying to lock with VisualGPSce, the software give me a initial position that is 180º wrong, i.e. If the right coordinated is N8º 20,91 W62º 39,14, the software shows N8º 20,91 E62º 39,14. I had tried in flight mode with no success, also disabling aGPS in the registry, may be I will try a QPST config, but I don't know what config can I change.
My thery is that the cell phone towers create some kind of "conflict" and messed up all the GPS syncronization, may be the time syncronization, I don't know.
Thanks for your help.
g2145 said:
i don't know for sure if the following will work outside the US.
open up a registry editor, i use PHM Registry editor
go to this key
HKLM/SOFTWARE/HTC/supl agps
change the following, if they need it, to:
EnableAGPS 1
EnableGPSSmartMode 1
GPSMode 4
click ok, quit the reg editor, do a soft reset and go back to make sure the settings took.
this will allow you to use the stand alone gps without the need of being in cell tower range. google maps will not work, since it uses the data connection to load the maps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Won't get a lock with those settings... I will pick a lot of sats but will never get a lock.
Seems the GPS on the Mogul won't work in Europe or anywhere outside NA.
anddy78 said:
Hi everyone, first I want to apologize for my bad english, I will try to explain my problem. I'm from Venezuela, my cell phone carrier is Movilnet, my Titan setup is ROM DCD 3.3.4, Radio 3.2.50, PRI 2.03. The problem is: when I'm on cell phone service area my GPS never gets a lock, unless I let the phone all night with the GPS software trying to lock.
But, when I travel out of the city to an area whitout cell phone coverage, I can get a lock within 2 minutes, consistently, even after a soft or hard reset.
I'm using VisualGPSce to monitoring and priming the GPS, but I also had tried GPS Test, GPS Viewer, GPS toogle, etc. I had noticed that, when I'm trying to lock with VisualGPSce, the software give me a initial position that is 180º wrong, i.e. If the right coordinated is N8º 20,91 W62º 39,14, the software shows N8º 20,91 E62º 39,14. I had tried in flight mode with no success, also disabling aGPS in the registry, may be I will try a QPST config, but I don't know what config can I change.
My thery is that the cell phone towers create some kind of "conflict" and messed up all the GPS syncronization, may be the time syncronization, I don't know.
Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What GPS settings do you have in your registry?
daved+
what rom are you using?
g2145 said:
daved+
what rom are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using a rom made by myself with BuildOS but I also tried DCD and other ROMs with the same result.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
i had an idea of you trying to get a gps lock without installing the carrier cab..just to see for the heck of it.
g2145 said:
i had an idea of you trying to get a gps lock without installing the carrier cab..just to see for the heck of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that's exactly the point, getting a gps lock when you don't have a carrier (no network service at all).
GPSMode
Daved+ said:
Won't get a lock with those settings... I will pick a lot of sats but will never get a lock.
Seems the GPS on the Mogul won't work in Europe or anywhere outside NA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try GPSMode 2. That is what I use.
oneders65 said:
Try GPSMode 2. That is what I use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me, I've tried all modes.
I supposed mode 2 would work because that's the factory mode on the GSM models that works on networks with no aGPS, yeah, I have even copied the settings from a GSM TyTN II and a Touch Cruise, they won't do the trick on the Titan.
Daved+ said:
What GPS settings do you have in your registry?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After the hard reset, the default registry settings was:
EnableAGPS 1
EnableGPSSmartMode 1
GPSMode 2
That works in the no cell phone service area, but in the city, doesn't work.
you can use standalone gps with some of the radio versions:
3.35.04: gps mode 2: no lock, no reboot
3.39.10: gps mode 2: one lock, 1x reboot effect
3.41.00: gps mode 2: 3x constant locks, good navigation, no proven reboots
3.41.00: gps mode 1/disabled smart, disabled agps 0x constant locks, 2x proven reboots
3.42.02: gps mode 2: 1x reboot effect
3.42.30: gps mode 2: no lock, no reboot
3.42.40: running: 3x lock, 0x reboot (disabled smart, disabled agps, gps mode 1)
3.42.50: gps mode 2:1x reboot effect
i used own cooked rom with ppckitchen 20931, a gps software to initialize it (Sirftech, free) reprogrammed the phone with qpst (all gps checkboxes on like recommended somewhere in the forum) and much patience... a lock need sometimes up to 2 hours from window (had to connect the phone on the glass in 2nd floor), outdoor it locks while remaining in the car and myself going shopping for some time.
Sometimes with working configuration it never locks, sometimes it does, no matter how much sattelites in view (mostly 5 to 10)
The reboot occurs in my opinion in the moment the phone gets a lock - some user assumed it only happends if you stay outside usa.
I am in germany (no network available) and have disabled phone, wlan, bluetooth.
Try 3.42.40, use gps mode 1, disable agps, and use sirftech - if that doesnt help, post again...
cyclon1978 said:
you can use standalone gps with some of the radio versions:
3.35.04: gps mode 2: no lock, no reboot
3.39.10: gps mode 2: one lock, 1x reboot effect
3.41.00: gps mode 2: 3x constant locks, good navigation, no proven reboots
3.41.00: gps mode 1/disabled smart, disabled agps 0x constant locks, 2x proven reboots
3.42.02: gps mode 2: 1x reboot effect
3.42.30: gps mode 2: no lock, no reboot
3.42.40: running: 3x lock, 0x reboot (disabled smart, disabled agps, gps mode 1)
3.42.50: gps mode 2:1x reboot effect
i used own cooked rom with ppckitchen 20931, a gps software to initialize it (Sirftech, free) reprogrammed the phone with qpst (all gps checkboxes on like recommended somewhere in the forum) and much patience... a lock need sometimes up to 2 hours from window (had to connect the phone on the glass in 2nd floor), outdoor it locks while remaining in the car and myself going shopping for some time.
Sometimes with working configuration it never locks, sometimes it does, no matter how much sattelites in view (mostly 5 to 10)
The reboot occurs in my opinion in the moment the phone gets a lock - some user assumed it only happends if you stay outside usa.
I am in germany (no network available) and have disabled phone, wlan, bluetooth.
Try 3.42.40, use gps mode 1, disable agps, and use sirftech - if that doesnt help, post again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANKSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's exactly what I needed to know!!!!
I'm using 3.42.50, now I know why I can't get a lock.
I will flash the 3.42.40 radio, I hope I can do the same on the Vogue.
Thanks again!!!!!
cyclon1978 said:
Try 3.42.40, use gps mode 1, disable agps, and use sirftech - if that doesnt help, post again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Posting again... After around 40 min, the phone rebooted, no lock at that moment but it was seeing 4 sats.
Do I try with a different radio or different settings?
Thanks
I now have 100% gps reception after letting the device ~20 minutes in the car. So i will post my configuration and hope it helps:
ROM Version: 3.08.666.1 (ppckitchen selfmade, nothing special included)
Radio Version: 3.42.40
Hardware Version 3
PRL 60613
PRI 2.03_003 (these doesnt really matter in airplane mode)
I use the "10 items" communication manager with all disabled except of flight mode.
Registry: Default from rom plus the following changes:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\SUPL AGPS:EnableAGPS = 0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\SUPL AGPS:EnableGPSSmartMode = 0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\SUPL AGPS:GPSMode = 1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\SUPL AGPS:QoSAccuracy = 25
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\SUPL AGPS:QosPerformance = 89
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\HTC\SUPL AGPS:TimeBetweenFixes = 1000
All values are decimal, not hex!
i think that changing QoSAccuracy from 50 to 25 and TimeBetweenFixes from 1 to 1000 had absolutely no effect. So you should try to change only the first 3 values...
in QPST service programming i have disabled "Allowed" because i read it will not disable the gps but the agps - thats true. I have checked and unchecked all boxes, checked only Autonomous and GPS/AFLT Hybrid.
... in all times i got a lock i started the device from power off mode (pressing power button long time)!
Download. Simply decompress it and copy it on your Windows Mobile 6 device and run it. (Works on my Polaris.)
Details
Source code
Description
Use your PDA to acquire your GPS position and send it through an SMS.
The GPS position is update every 5 seconds (in order to conserve energy).
SMSs can be sent automatically at regular time intervals.
Do you like hiking?
What if you go out in the wilderness and have an accident? How do you direct a rescue team to your location?
You can use Astrolabe on your PDA to acquire your GPS position and send it through an SMS to your friends / parents / children / rescue team.
Privacy
SMSs are not encrypted, so anyone who tracks your phone number can tell your precise position by reading the SMSs with your GPS position.
However, it's debatable whether this is relevant because if someone tracks your phone number, they may already know the position of your phone in the communication grid.
Power saving modes explained
The following power saving modes are available: none, manual, auto.
None
In this mode there is no power saving. The application and the GPS are running even if the PDA is in standby.
GPS positions are retrieved as soon as they are available and are automatically sent through SMSs as soon as it is mandated.
Warning: In this mode, the battery is drained quickly (because keeping the GPS active requires a lot of power). Therefore, the "Auto" power saving mode is active by default.
Use this mode only when GPS position availability is critical.
Manual
In this mode the power consumption is the same as if the application (including the GPS) is not running.
However, you must keep your PDA on in order for GPS positions to be retrieved and automatically sent through SMSs.
Use this mode only when power consumption must be at minimum.
Auto
In this mode the application is running all the time, but the GPS is sleeping most of the time.
Once every 30 minutes, the GPS is awoken for maximum 5 minutes in order to get a GPS position and automatically send it through SMS. When a GPS position is available, this timer is reset.
In this mode, since the PDA sleeps most of the time, it may miss the narrowest chance it may have to get a GPS signal. In order to be sure that GPS positions are retrieved and automatically sent through SMSs, you must keep your PDA on.
Warning: Do not rely on the ability of a PDA in standby mode to automatically acquire a GPS position in (maximum) 5 minutes. Check this yourself!
Use this mode in most cases.
Tests showed that in this mode the battery (of a HTC Polaris, 1350 mAh) would be depleted in about 16 hours, if no GPS signal is available; if there is a GPS signal, the autonomy should be greatly increased (an informal test indicates more than twice the autonomy). Without power saving, the battery would be depleted in about 6 hours.
Do you like hiking?
What if you go out in the wilderness and have an accident? How do you direct a rescue team to your location?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what if there isent any signal?
(joking..)
Nice app btw
If there is no signal, the program waits until it acquires a new GPS position. Then, a new SMS is sent within (generally) 5 seconds.
(Of course, if the repeat time is X, the SMS is sent only if more time than X has passed since the last sent SMS.)
Note: Keeping the GPS active drains the battery quickly.
6ITdtvFQqY said:
If there is no signal, the program waits until it acquires a new GPS position. Then, a new SMS is sent within (generally) 5 seconds.
(Of course, if the repeat time is X, the SMS is sent only if more time than X has passed since the last sent SMS.)
Note: Keeping the GPS active drains the battery quickly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hace seen many programs like yours, almost all drains battery when there is no GPS signal (inside buildings). Only one programs deals it better, but that has many other issues. One way to stop draining the battery is to read 'N' (say 50) number of NMEA messages from GPS and then turn off GPS for about 'M' (5 - 15) minutes. Then try again. This will save lot of battery. May be you can try implementing it.
You can download a new version which has 2 new features.
You can see the trail of GPS locations where you were. The trail is updated once per minute.
A power save mode is available. If this mode is active, the PDA's power consumption is the same as if the application is not running; however, you must have your PDA on in order for GPS locations to be retrieved and automatically sent through SMSs.
Warning: Keeping the GPS active drains the battery quickly. Therefore, the power save mode is active by default.
Download
Details.
tahdor said:
I hace seen many programs like yours, almost all drains battery when there is no GPS signal (inside buildings). Only one programs deals it better, but that has many other issues. One way to stop draining the battery is to read 'N' (say 50) number of NMEA messages from GPS and then turn off GPS for about 'M' (5 - 15) minutes. Then try again. This will save lot of battery. May be you can try implementing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you can see, I've implemented a manual power save mode.
In theory, an automated power save mode can be implemented, where the GPS is woke up every 30 minutes to get a location and then sent back to sleep. However, I have no idea what that would do to the device, that is, waking it up every half hour and then shutting it down.
But most importantly, if a GPS location can't be retrieved, what would the device do? The user could be sleeping in a motel for the night (or move through caves or canyons) and the walls could block the GPS signal. Should the device keep trying and thusly consume energy (for how long?), or go back to sleep and miss even the smallest chance of getting a GPS location in those 30 minutes?
An automated power save mode is in conflict with the criticality of having a GPS location any time it is available. Of course, if the device has no power this becomes irrelevant, so a power save mode is necessary. But it's important for the user to understand what's going on.
The current manual mode allows the user to understand that and allows the settings (especially the trail) to remain active all the time. For the moment I consider this to be the best solution.
Accelerometer
Hi,
Your program i very interesting, it will be great to manage the accelerometer
and send a SMS when the phone do not move or when it goes from vertical to
horizontal position.
What do you think of that?
Regards
doco76 said:
send a SMS when the phone do not move or when it goes from vertical to horizontal position.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In what context would someone use such a feature? I mean, what does an accelerometer provide that the GPS's altitude does not?
I guess an SMS could be sent as soon as a significant change in altitude occurs (because this could indicate a fall).
Very good idea, thank you
I know you're still developing this program,
Can you add customizable SMS feature? I might need to send an sms in my native language.
And
The program will send SMS automaticaly to Predefined Numbers feature would be great
May it be easy
I know you're still developing this program
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The development is actually frozen. I am just implementing critical stuff, like power saving, and doing bug fixing.
Can you add customizable SMS feature? I might need to send an sms in my native language.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can simply send a normal SMS. I'll add a "copy GPS position to clipboard" feature to go with that.
The program will send SMS automaticaly to Predefined Numbers feature would be great
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SMSs are sent to a predefined agenda contact. Someone who wants to send SMSs with his GPS location should normally do so to a regular agenda contact, so he'll already have an agenda contact or can setup one anytime. What particular usage would there be for an SMS sent to a phone number instead of an agenda contact?
I'll have a new version by tomorrow (if tests are okay) with multiple power saving modes: none, manual (as is now), automatic (where the GPS is automatically woken up to get a location - 5 every 30 minutes). I'll include the "copy GPS position to clipboard" in there.
In automatic power saving mode, tests showed that the battery (of my Polaris, 1350 mAh) would be depleted in about 16 hours (if no GPS signal is available; if it is and reception is good, the autonomy should be greatly increased). Without power saving, the battery would be depleted in about 6 hours.
Although the new version is already up, I'll make a small change later today.
Version 1.3.1 is up. See the first post.
I am going for a hike up the cobbler and Ben Ime in the Arrochar Alps on friday so i will take my polaris and see how things go.
Well that hike went well and i have taken my polaris on a few other hikes.
To be honest you have almost developed a GPS application for your phone. The sms ability is great, but what i really liked was the trail plotting ability.
A standalone GPS will provide you with a line route against gradient maps. I don't expect there to be gradient maps but just a route line sampled at regular intervals would be great. It would be a good aid to plotting your route with a paper map.
Can i ask if the trail samples can be increased?
The current default power saving mode is "Auto", which means that Astrolabe can only take a GPS location once every 30 minutes. As such, the trail can't be updated more often. Moreover, if the 5 minutes window when Astrolabe attempts to get a GPS location is missed (because the GPS reception is poor), the next one is 30 minutes later, which mean that the trail accuracy is getting worse.
You can change the power saving mode is "None", in which case the trail is updated once per minute... but the battery dies out fast.
Instead of changing the power saving mode, you could manually start your PDA every time you think it's necessary to get a GPS location (and trail location). (Just look in Astrolabe to make sure that the time of the last GPS location is the current time.)
(As I said, the power saving modes will cause confusion.)
I added the trail feature after a bunch of us got lost in the woods. After some 2 hours of being off course we were debating whether to return or go further. Fortunately someone went 200 meters further and saw the road (from where we started). With this feature I could have seen that we were going in the right direction.
Is there a navigation app that will work while "not" connected to a mobile network?
The built in one will work for a little bit and then stop with "Data connection lost"
It's just because it is streaming the data constantly. If google could pre-cache the data then it might work. I ran into this issue on a long trip where I went through an "Emergency calls only" zone.
You just need a GPS app which uses offline maps.
Search for them on https://market.android.com
You should expect to pay something for them - basically, you are buying the map content.
I haven't used any of them, so I can't give a good recommendation; they are available, though.
Note that the Eris uses QualComm's "gpsOne" series of GPS chips, which uses A-GPS (Assisted GPS). The assistance data comes from the mobile network, and pre-seeds the GPS unit with an approximate location, which helps in finding a "first fix" rapidly.
What that means in use is that if you start up the phone from a cold start in a location which is outside of cell coverage - and also a fair distance from the last location where the GPS unit got a fix, it might take as much as 60-120 seconds to achieve a first fix. Thereafter, it should be able to update fixes rapidly.
I have used the Eris while driving distances of 40-50 miles in mountainous regions without cell service (using the "My Tracks" application), and it had no problems figuring out where it was (Lat/Lon) at all times, but of course it did not have any "map" data for me to view - I was operating the phone in Airplane Mode to preserve battery. I have also used it to "mark" locations of interest after camping overnight and fishing in areas that were completely void of cell service. In those cases, I was literally powering up the phone, gettting a GPS fix (might take 1-2 minutes), recording the Lat/Lot to a notepad app, and then shutting off the phone. Worked perfectly for that, but I was only getting Lat/Lon in that case.
Make sure you operate the phone in Airplane Mode - the battery will drain quite quickly if you don't do that, as the phone is constantly scanning (at full power) to try and connect to a voice (1x RTT) network.
What I have not done, though, is spent many consecutive days in the wild with no service... so I am not entirely sure what would happen if the A-GPS data got too "old" and expired. The QualComm docs suggest that the gpsOne chips should be able to operate fully autonomously, but whether that happens depends on the software. There were reports way back when the Eris was still on Cupcake (1.5) that folks that traveled outside the US could not get their GPS to work correctly.
cheers
droidnew said:
Is there a navigation app that will work while "not" connected to a mobile network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bftb0 said:
You just need a GPS app which uses offline maps.
Search for them on https://market.android.com
You should expect to pay something for them - basically, you are buying the map content.
I haven't used any of them, so I can't give a good recommendation; they are available, though.
Note that the Eris uses QualComm's "gpsOne" series of GPS chips, which uses A-GPS (Assisted GPS). The assistance data comes from the mobile network, and pre-seeds the GPS unit with an approximate location, which helps in finding a "first fix" rapidly.
What that means in use is that if you start up the phone from a cold start in a location which is outside of cell coverage - and also a fair distance from the last location where the GPS unit got a fix, it might take as much as 60-120 seconds to achieve a first fix. Thereafter, it should be able to update fixes rapidly.
I have used the Eris while driving distances of 40-50 miles in mountainous regions without cell service (using the "My Tracks" application), and it had no problems figuring out where it was (Lat/Lon) at all times, but of course it did not have any "map" data for me to view - I was operating the phone in Airplane Mode to preserve battery. I have also used it to "mark" locations of interest after camping overnight and fishing in areas that were completely void of cell service. In those cases, I was literally powering up the phone, gettting a GPS fix (might take 1-2 minutes), recording the Lat/Lot to a notepad app, and then shutting off the phone. Worked perfectly for that, but I was only getting Lat/Lon in that case.
Make sure you operate the phone in Airplane Mode - the battery will drain quite quickly if you don't do that, as the phone is constantly scanning (at full power) to try and connect to a voice (1x RTT) network.
What I have not done, though, is spent many consecutive days in the wild with no service... so I am not entirely sure what would happen if the A-GPS data got too "old" and expired. The QualComm docs suggest that the gpsOne chips should be able to operate fully autonomously, but whether that happens depends on the software. There were reports way back when the Eris was still on Cupcake (1.5) that folks that traveled outside the US could not get their GPS to work correctly.
cheers
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Click to collapse
I have a lot of experience with trying a few of the commercial (pay) Android GPS apps. Firstly, due to research, I found that there was, at the time at least, only a very small handful of commercial GPS apps which supported MDPI (the Eris' screen resolution). Shame because otherwise some of the ones which I can't remember by name sounded very promising.
There were definitely two which did work on the Eris. Like anything else, each one had it's own advantages and disadvantages. I thoroughly tested CoPilot Live for Android v8. It wasn't bad, and I see now on their main page advertising $5 for U.S. and $19.99 for all of North America (U.S. and Canada), which seems almost too good to be true, but I verified it on the Android Market. I don't remember having any particular problems with CoPilot, I just preferred iGo My Way 2009, but their website no longer even mentions the Android except for here and I don't see it on the Market.
That's too bad but I guess that helps you to make a decision on buying one if you do so.
Maybe it has something to do with how much iGo got pirated, as alluded to in this thread.
I did buy and am currently using iGo My Way, except when it's just a shorter trip, since especially on the Eris, there is a definite slow initial load time for the app (under a minute but slow in our impatient world). Once the app's loaded, however, it's lightning fast. Definitely recognizes wrong turns a lot quicker than Google Maps.
Another vote for iGo MyWay. Starts up in about 45 seconds, but it works perfect in landscape and portrait. Once its loaded its the fastest turn by turn I've ever used. (I've only used older model "JUST" gps devices though. FWIW)
apparently there is a modified version of google maps that allows cache of data. I have nothing to do with this program and have not personally used it. i am just reposting here:
*edit: removed old link see other forum link*
apparently you can load it in addition to regular google maps and have both of them on your phone.
"You can enable map caching (Menu -> More -> Brut Mod -> Read map from cache, Save map to cache). This will force GMaps to save map tiles to the SD card and read from the SD card first, before attempting to download from the net. You can connect via WiFi (or any other net source) and preload the tiles before you start your trip, thus making the maps available for offline use.
The preloading can be done by simply browsing the the route you will be travelling - just make sure you do it at the zoom level(s) you desire. I believe you can even use programs like GMapMaker to download the map tiles from a regular computer, but I haven't tested this method."
edit: found the post on xda http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=630887
edit 2: also enables use of google maps in other countries
starting p235, there is a discussion of some ownhere version that uses gmaps5.1. i believe it still allows downloading of maps to cache.
Case: If I download maps for my city.
Then turn off WIFI and data connection. Just Keep ON GPS.
NOW what things can I do with downloaded maps???
Q1. Can I search for places in my city? (Offline)
Q2. Can I search for directions to a destination from my Location (using GPS) without any data or WIFI.???
I mean the downloaded maps contains streets and places and landmarks also. So Can I get directions WITHOUT any data / WIFI connection??
Q3. Say I search a location and also get direction to that location in OFFLINE mode, (((((assuming answer to above 2 questions as YES)))
So can Nokia maps guide me with NAVIGATION to that location WITHOUT any data / WIFI connection??? Just by using GPS...
Yes, yes and yes. Just tested it now.
Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Board Express
Wow, I tried searching it on YouTube, but there aren't any videos for this.
Maybe I’m just being impatient, but I’ve never managed to get a GPS fix without any sort of data connection. Can anyone confirm this is possible, if so how long did it take to get the fix?
Ooije said:
Maybe I’m just being impatient, but I’ve never managed to get a GPS fix without any sort of data connection. Can anyone confirm this is possible, if so how long did it take to get the fix?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, with a data connection, you can dramatically shorten the GPS fix time. Without it, it may take many minutes from a cold start and still a minute or two from a warm start (means you had a fix before on the same location short time ago). With data connection to assit, you can get a fix as short as less than 10 seconds.
AGPS is a quick way to get a GPS lock by downloading ephemeris data.
Without a data connection the GPS chipset will manually discover the positions of the satellites which can take up to 5 minutes. The longer the time between each use of GPS the longer it takes to get a lock. So the first lock may take a few minutes but another lock on attempt on the same day may take 10 seconds.
I have used so far the GPS without Data(phone is locked no sim) in a few countries now. Mexico, USA, Canada and China. So far I had only one issue in Canada as I never had a wifi before going to car rental at airport. The GPS didn't link up for a long time. If you can hook up to wifi before leaving airport and turning Nokia Maps or navigation on to learn GPS positon may help out the time. There is sometimes a small lag in China for position but normally working ok and acuracy seems to be within reason. Funny issue though it sometime always takes me back to Mexico, like it is stuck in memory even after weeks abroad until GPS position is located.
Ooije said:
Maybe I’m just being impatient, but I’ve never managed to get a GPS fix without any sort of data connection. Can anyone confirm this is possible, if so how long did it take to get the fix?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With data - fix in seconds, even indoors - that's because the system will get an idea of where you are based on the location of the cell tower or failing that using wifi to get a location. This inaccurate location is good enough to narrow down the possible locations of two or more GPS satellites, so the system can more quickly triangulate your position on the earth.
Without data - standard "search sky for fix" cold start time for GPS - with a clear view of wide area of sky, 5 minutes to find three sats, figure out which hemisphere you are in, and then fix your position. If you are standing still. With obscured sky or you moving reasonably fast, 2-3x longer. Indoors (or in a car), forget it.
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/howgpsworks.php
Real world - on a cruise ship in the pacific making 20 knots or so, I was not able to get a fix from the balcony of my room, ever (not enough sky) but on top with clear 360 degree view of sky it did fix after 10 minutes. When in port in Mexico (not moving) on deck, 5 minutes, or instant fix when roaming on one of the Mexican cell towers.
5 minutes? that is very long, probably has to do with the location. with deactivated data/wifi cold start gps fix takes me 10s, accurate location (<5m) after 30s (cloudy, indoor but next to a window)
Question ...
Are you satisfies with the number of locations Nokia Maps knows in your country??
In India, in my city, it does not know names of places not even 60% of Google maps.
I'm talking about places and NOT about names of streets and squares . It knows names of many streets & squares(still less than Google maps)..
I'm asking about places and bussiness places. New places.
Also, for any restaurant, the number of reviews Are. FAR FAR less than the number of reviews of that same restaurant available on GOOGLE maps.
This is about Nokia Maps in my city (very famous) in India.
Please tell about your city/country so It'll help me and all whether they'll need Google maps ( gMaps )app to Download or not.
recommend have gmaps as well. It has more detail. No app is perfect, Nokia doesn't have as much details for locations.
Vangink said:
recommend have gmaps as well. It has more detail. No app is perfect, Nokia doesn't have as much details for locations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to Nokia Map Maker and there I located my college and some other places in my city and then I added them to Nokia Maps.
But then after a month also, when I search for my college using Nokia Here maps, it doesn't show it,even though I added them 1 month ago.
Hi!
I am creating a Tasker profile that automatically logs my location when I turn off my car so that I can find where it's parked in case I forget. In general, the task works correctly if a strong GPS lock can be obtained, but in situations where a precise location is not possible, it seems that %LOC is not set, and a %LOC value is used.
My task has two main actions.
1. Get Location (Source: Any, Timeout: 15sec)
2. Variable Set (%LOC to %LocCar)
When a strong location can be obtained (in less than 15 seconds), everything is great. But in situations where a strong lock cannot be obtained (covered/underground parking), the Get Location action will timeout and I get a %LOC value that is no where near my car. Seemingly the last %LOC set. I could potentially make the GPS timeout much longer in order to give it more time to get a good lock, but by the time it does, I will have walked quite far from my car, making the task pretty useless.
The interesting thing is that if I open Google Maps, it has a pretty good idea of where I am, even in bad situations. There is a faint blue circle around my position (implying the possible inaccuracy), but it still has the blue circle centered very close to my actual location. So it seems that Android will not update %LOC unless it is very certain of its accuracy, but even an "inaccurate" location is good enough (and better than nothing). Is there a way to get Android to set %LOC even if it's unsure of its accuracy? Or can I get this information some other way? (Google Maps seems to know where to put it.)
Thanks!
You're Welcome, Me!
So you know how you ask a question out loud, and then you come up with the answer yourself? Well, I managed to do just that, which is great! I'll post my findings so others with the same issue can have a solution option that should work for them as well.
So I've been aware for a while that finding your phone's location is just as much a WiFi +cellular task as it is GPS. Google even had a snafu a few years ago where they were tracking people's WiFi network names and accidentally got some extra info out of them... Anyway, your phone looks at the nearby WiFi hotspots and cell towers to help figure out where it is. That's what the "inaccurate" location boils down to (as far as I know). And that's why you can specify during Get Loction to look at GPS, Net (WiFi+cellular), or Any. So if you choose Any, it will try both options. But %LOC is just for the GPS result. %LOCN shows the Net (WiFi+cellular) result. So if you don't get a GPS lock in time, you will likely still have a decent Net location.
So how do you know which is more accurate? There are accuracy variables, but we are actually interested in which is more recent. (If GPS was very accurate on its last lock 5 minutes ago, it still isn't as relevant as an "inaccurate" but very recent Net lock.) The time of each lock is stored in Unix Time, which is a variation of the Julian Date (a way to track time without confusion of time zones or leap years). Unix Time is basically how many seconds have passed since 00:00 Jan 1, 1970. So to figure out which is more recent, simply compare the two values. The larger is more recent, and therefore a better value. The time values are stored in %LOCTMS (GPS time) and %LOCNTMS (Net time).
My next step will be to incorporate a check to see how old each is compared to right now (%TIMES). If they are too old, then there is no point to storing them.
Hope this helps someone out!