Some people might experience with certain GPS software.
If you look at the log of the NMEA log, you might realize that it burst out every 6-10 seconds. After that you might wait for another 6-10 sec, which is unusable for real-time navigation. If you happen to meet this trouble.
I have a way which could allow normal update intervals.
Install GPSGATE, it create virtual GPS COM PORT and re-route the NMEA data.
Install GPSGATE, just use the default settings, it create the virtual GPS port as COM 1.
Just use GPS software on COM 1 .
software url: http://franson.com/gpsgate/
Can anyone confirm this works? Ive noticed my GPS works the same way. Im using the Kaiser / TyTn II with Mapking and i notice that i also get my signbal ins bursts and NOT a smooth stream. Anyone know if this will resolve the problem?
What is the update intervals with GPSGATE ?
Do you mean GPSGATE must be run concurrently with the other software TomTom 6 for example ?
It would be a good workaround for people who encounter this GPS issue.
could this be some delicious spam?
How exactly does the OP propose that a user space application can make the hardware produce data in a smoother stream?
I call BS.
seems like BS to me too...Probably some spam Can anyone who has tried it out verify if it really works or not?..
THKS
You don't need to use other GPS software concurrently,
just use the GPSGATE and mapking will do.
Remember you have to modify the settings in mapking to use the virtual com port ( com1 default)
Not SPAM
I am not sure, this is BS.
If I am not mistaken the GPSGATE will act like a "router" (middle man) between the GPS hardware (Internal GPS of Kaiser) and the application (TomTom).
If the GPS hardware is faulty (having problem) with bursting data every 10 seconds, then the GPSGATE will also receive bursting data every 10 seconds.
So, that's useless as long as the problem is in the GPS hardware.
Gpsproxy should be able to do the same thing and its free.
GPSGate is a splitter, allowing using more than one application with the same NMEA stream. It creates another virtual GPS COM port, that's it.
GPS on the Kaiser works great and I'm on SatNav business. Aquisition time is fast, reception is great and update ratio is every 1 sec, just like any other civilian GPS receiver. GPS is NOT evaluated by the refresh rate you see on the screen, other software will give you other rate, try OZI Explorer for instance. I used Kaiser with TomTom, Destinator & Ozi, all works really great even comparing to Sirf III GPS chipset embedded devices such as Eten X500, HTC Artemis and Asus 535.
Last, Microsoft has included the same functionality of GPS Gate in WM5 and WM6 under settings. You do not need to install any additional SW, you can send "trueman 12345" (the guy who opened this thread with 2 posts history) your money directly.
Thanks RonenB for this very usefull precision !
Thanks as well RonenB, However, it does not solve the odd occasional pause in the data that we're seeing. Is this hardware or software that needs help in the Kaiser?
Actually I'm not so sure we have defined the problem accurately here.
Examining the signal from the GPS shows some interesting info.
1
A satellite is locked onto for perhaps only one or two seconds at a time.
2
Several satellites can achieve a lock but out of these a few will be lost every few seconds
3
New satellites are also acquired every few seconds.
The Result
If you are in the presence of many satellites then there is a constant dropping of some and locking onto others. This leads to no problems as there are always a few satellites locked on and data flow is smooth.
BUT
If you are in the presence of only say 2 or 3 satellites it is possible to drop these two or three (as indicated above), but no new ones are acquired. In this situation there will be a few seconds before the first 2 or 3 lock in again. Result a gap in data flow to your GPS software.
Meaning
The Internal GPS is not polling data in bursts. In other words you cannot turn up the frequency of data polling (possible baud rate adjustment maybe). The data is continuous but if there are too few satellites then there can be gaps where it drops some satellites and does not lock others.
There are various applications that can show this behaviour graphically but tomtom shows it well on the satellite view screen.
Compared to external GPS satellite locks this works in a strangely different way. You will see the bars jumping around from a lock on this one to that one continuously. Only a problem as I say when there are only a few satellites in sight.
Mike
PS - I cannot see the advantage of GPSGate in this particular situation as it is due to momentary periods when no satellite is detected.
Having said all of the above, I find the GPS perfectly adequate for general use. Perhaps if I need spot on plotting data then it might be weak. However if I need that unusual level of accuracy I would not use my phone to do it. I regularly use mine in place of my car's tomtom and the results are on a par with the full tomtom device.
mikechannon said:
Actually I'm not so sure we have defined the problem accurately here.
Examining the signal from the GPS shows some interesting info.
1
A satellite is locked onto for perhaps only one or two seconds at a time.
2
Several satellites can achieve a lock but out of these a few will be lost every few seconds
3
New satellites are also acquired every few seconds.
The Result
If you are in the presence of many satellites then there is a constant dropping of some and locking onto others. This leads to no problems as there are always a few satellites locked on and data flow is smooth.
BUT
If you are in the presence of only say 2 or 3 satellites it is possible to drop these two or three (as indicated above), but no new ones are acquired. In this situation there will be a few seconds before the first 2 or 3 lock in again. Result a gap in data flow to your GPS software.
Meaning
The Internal GPS is not polling data in bursts. In other words you cannot turn up the frequency of data polling (possible baud rate adjustment maybe). The data is continuous but if there are too few satellites then there can be gaps where it drops some satellites and does not lock others.
There are various applications that can show this behaviour graphically but tomtom shows it well on the satellite view screen.
Compared to external GPS satellite locks this works in a strangely different way. You will see the bars jumping around from a lock on this one to that one continuously. Only a problem as I say when there are only a few satellites in sight.
Mike
PS - I cannot see the advantage of GPSGate in this particular situation as it is due to momentary periods when no satellite is detected.
Having said all of the above, I find the GPS perfectly adequate for general use. Perhaps if I need spot on plotting data then it might be weak. However if I need that unusual level of accuracy I would not use my phone to do it. I regularly use mine in place of my car's tomtom and the results are on a par with the full tomtom device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I believe that it is time to explain a little bit how GPS works.
The GPS satellites are transmitting their position rapidly. However, due to homeland security issues (US did not want to allow anyone to place a receiver in a jet fighter or a missile) civilian GPS receivers are limited to aquire position every 1 second only. This is not a problem for a normal user even for civilian aviation. Thus, when you look at the NMEA stream, you will see it coming in bursts and not as rapid as normal data. Since GPS strings are quite short, it is good enough for any navigation system.
Number of satellites aquired is not an indicator to anything. Like any RF system, the engineers can tweak the noise level so that it will look to you that you are receiving X amount of satellites, the signal is on the air anyway.
What is important though is the position of the satellites. the closer to the horizon, the less useable that satellite is to calulate the position. Therefore receivers are taking the best located satellites into account and ignoring others even of they are recieved. Valid fix (position) is aquired by at least 3 satellites for 2D (X,Y) and 4 or more for 3D (with elevation).
Result is that as a user, you should not bother too much looking into the stream or number of sattelite in use as long as you can get a valid fix. The important and effective elements are hidden from the user: number of transsistors in the GPS chipset, quality of antenna etc. User can just evaluate the overall preformance.
As I wrote above, the Kaiser integrated GPS surprised me for superb preformance. I just arrived this week from Israel to Germany and could get a fix as soon as I left the underground garage. I did not loose GPS signal even once since I started using the device. That includes forests and dence city centers. Real good job by HTC here.
This is the problem i am facing:
Im using MapKing with Hong Kong 2007 maps. Getting a fix is no problem. I can normally get a fix in about 10-15 secs. When i check the status page I will normally have a connection to 5-7 satelites.
The problem is that the icon does not move smoothly when i travel. In map king your position on the map is represented by a small car icon. It jumps from location to location every 3-5 secs but does not smoothly move along. Can someone please tell me if this is the case with tomtom as well? Maybe it a problem with mapking?
phame said:
This is the problem i am facing:
Im using MapKing with Hong Kong 2007 maps. Getting a fix is no problem. I can normally get a fix in about 10-15 secs. When i check the status page I will normally have a connection to 5-7 satelites.
The problem is that the icon does not move smoothly when i travel. In map king your position on the map is represented by a small car icon. It jumps from location to location every 3-5 secs but does not smoothly move along. Can someone please tell me if this is the case with tomtom as well? Maybe it a problem with mapking?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a Mapking problem and you should contact their support. Does not happen to me with Destinator, TomTOm and Ozi.
Ok, there is no point to argue, if you really find yourself having problem with GPS update lag, then give it a try. No harm indeed...
In HK, there are people the validity of the work around. GPS proxy might also work as well( i think it is the same principal) just i wasn't aware of this good free software before hand..
http://www11.discuss.com.hk/viewthread.php?tid=5329804&extra=page=2
(u need an account and some chinese word knowledge)
trueman12345 said:
Ok, there is no point to argue, if you really find yourself having problem with GPS update lag, then give it a try. No harm indeed...
In HK, there are people the validity of the work around. GPS proxy might also work as well( i think it is the same principal) just i wasn't aware of this good free software before hand..
http://www11.discuss.com.hk/viewthread.php?tid=5329804&extra=page=2
(u need an account and some chinese word knowledge)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite agree it's worth trying, and the application has other uses too.
Mike
FYI: I got GPS to work easily by installing GPSViewer, opening COM4/4800baud and getting located. After that, using Google Maps was a breeze; total "trick" took me about 1 minute to figure out which is way quicker than some other workarounds on the internet.
I was driving with iGuidance for about 1 hour this morning and I'm seeing different behavoir for this bug. iGuidance also has an excellent GPS signal viewer, mine was showing 8 out of 8 sattellites, all green, all the time (they turn red when not receiving signal from a sat). My map was moving about once per second or slightly faster. The program only paused once after about 30 minutes into the trip, for about 20-30 seconds. The iGuidance program's moving arrow's color also changes color based on signal quality of the combined sattelite lock, Green for good 3D mapping, Yellow for 2D when there are minimal sats for navigating, and Red for no signal data. During this pause the arrow went Red to indicate no data.
This seems like a bug to me.
Related
Hi everyone,
Have anyone noticed the slow calculation/refresh rate of GPS once it's active and navigating? Hold it in your hand and walk, there will be no refresh rate at all ! Your speed will be at 0 km/hr and the co-ordinates will not change at all. If you are in a car and it's stand still or on a traffic signal, or if there's a traffic jam and you are standstill and very immediately you have to turn right/left, you are sure to lose your way since it takes some time after the vehicle is in motion already to calculate and refresh your actual position and speed. Even when you are driving, there's a constant slow refresh rate of around 4 seconds. i.e. say you are accelerating the speed of your car, notice the speed being shown on the GPS software, it'll show your actual speed at a delay of 4/5 seconds. Same goes when you apply brakes, your speed suddenly goes down but the GPS will take it's time to reflect the correct speed.
I must say I am very disappointed with the GPS performace since my last phone was Trinity, it's GPS chip is just normal/ no agps but it's performance is much better than diamond's GPS. Trinity's GPS is immediate refresh rate with no such delays at all.
Test your diamond GPS observing what I said in this post and please post results here.
Are u sure it`s GPS issue not an software one ? Which software do you use for navigation ?
It's not a software issue since I've used TomTom and Garmin MobileXT with same results.
Same issue here!
Plus, the serial port keeps disconnecting of the internal GPS receiver keeps on disconnecting...
Which radio version have you on your device? This for sure software related (firmware, GPS navigation software or drivers)...
HastaSSSS
Have you enabled the AGPS on tweak? I found with this on the port would consistently connect and disconnect. Plus the refresh rate on TomTom was very very slow either driving or walking.
Today I turned AGPS off as where I travel it's not really needed anyway and bam!
Refresh rate both driving and walking is as good as my TomTom unit.
Today I drove with them both on and they were virtually in sync on the maps and spoken directions all the way. Very pleased.
Oh and ensuring "Receive all beams" is off in connections can help with TomTom too.
My details in case this has anything to do with it...
ROM : 1.37.405.1
Date: 10/06/2008
Radio: 1.00.25.03
Protocol: 52.26a.25.09H
And can you change the gpx settings under WM settings?
Even if I try to change the baud rate, when I go inside the configuration file, it's back to 4800 again...
HastaSSSS
This is a common problem with modern GPS chipsets - the way that they reduce multipath interference (from tall buildings, etc.) means that they often ignore movements below a certain speed (which can be often higher than walking pace).
Assuming that the HTC Touch Diamond uses the SirfStar 3 chipset (does anyone know for sure), this problem could theoretically be reduced by altering the 'static navigation' setting (see point 4 in this post for more details on static navigation and why it results in poor low-speed accuracy). However, how you'd actually tell the chipset to disable this feature, I don't know...
On an unrelated note, I have to say I'm extremely impressed with the sensitivity of the GPS chipset in the Diamond - it's managed to get lock in the middle of the my house, which is an amazing feat, and not one I've seen either my MTK or SirfStar standalone receivers achieve.
I am also pretty satisfied with the GPS performance. Can't complain on that!
snoopstah said:
This is a common problem with modern GPS chipsets - the way that they reduce multipath interference (from tall buildings, etc.) means that they often ignore movements below a certain speed (which can be often higher than walking pace).
Assuming that the HTC Touch Diamond uses the SirfStar 3 chipset (does anyone know for sure), this problem could theoretically be reduced by altering the 'static navigation' setting (see point 4 in this post for more details on static navigation and why it results in poor low-speed accuracy). However, how you'd actually tell the chipset to disable this feature, I don't know...
On an unrelated note, I have to say I'm extremely impressed with the sensitivity of the GPS chipset in the Diamond - it's managed to get lock in the middle of the my house, which is an amazing feat, and not one I've seen either my MTK or SirfStar standalone receivers achieve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a good theory, no doubt about that, but I think it's more a lag in the communication between the receiver and the phone, or a lag on the rendering of the map.
Your explanation doesn't foresee as well the reason why the connection keeps falling...
But I've learned already something with your post. Didn't knew about that "feature" or "characteristic" of the SIRF III receivers.
HastaSSSS
My experience with the Diamonds GPS is 100% better than on my HTC P3600.
I primarly use the GPS with google maps in Canada, and Jamaica and it gives me accurcy to about 15 feet.. where with the 3600 it was accurate to about 30-40 feet. Normally have about 7 to 8 stats connected. Didn't touch any of the default settings on the phone.
I also tested with Live Search and GPS tuner v5 and works perfectly. Fast lock times (5-10seconds)....
Chris
snoopstah said:
This is a common problem with modern GPS chipsets - the way that they reduce multipath interference (from tall buildings, etc.) means that they often ignore movements below a certain speed (which can be often higher than walking pace).
Assuming that the HTC Touch Diamond uses the SirfStar 3 chipset (does anyone know for sure), this problem could theoretically be reduced by altering the 'static navigation' setting (see point 4 in this post for more details on static navigation and why it results in poor low-speed accuracy). However, how you'd actually tell the chipset to disable this feature, I don't know...
On an unrelated note, I have to say I'm extremely impressed with the sensitivity of the GPS chipset in the Diamond - it's managed to get lock in the middle of the my house, which is an amazing feat, and not one I've seen either my MTK or SirfStar standalone receivers achieve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that's true according to the static navigation thing? how can we disable it on our diamond? Can somebody throw a clue?
About AGPS, I haven't enabled it, or it's enabled by default in the new rom? 1.37 one?
It's like this with even AGSP disabled so it's certainly not the AGPS which is causing this delay in reception.
After googling and studying, i've found out that it's indeed the STATIC NAVIGATION which has been enabled by default on the diamond chip. Somone have any idea how to disable it? Please share
nice to see that I m not the only one with that problem, I was asking myself if it was my device who was deffective. On my cruise there was no lag at all.
I took mine out walking today and noticed it was telling me I was stood still for about 30 yds.
So I took it and my standalone out and the Diamond is rubbish but my big tomtom unit is great!
What's the point of GPS in a handheld device if you can't use it walking?
I hope this is easy to remedy.
I'm pretty sure that they don't use SirfStar III which would present much better GPS performance. Most probably they just incorporated the GPS section in the Qualcomm processor. Of course you can buy a SirfStar III Bluetooth receiver, but it doesn't make sense if you already got GPS built-in the device. I can only say that I was using HTC Hermes with SS III BT receiver a lot (more than 8 hours daily) and when I heard that HTC Kaiser had GPS build-in I was very happy untill almost immediately after trying TomTom on my new device I noticed worse performance. With Diamond it's the same story. Unfortunately...
A-GPS.
When I got the phone I installed the advanced config tool to adjust soms settings.
I also noticed A-GPS was off.
So I was thinking that turning it on might be a smart move.
Which it wasn't. TomTom reception was bad, waiting minutes would give maybe 4 sattelites en losing them constantly.
After turning of A-GPS again.. Whitin secconds .. I got 8 sattelites with a steady signal.
TomTom works fine for me now.
Excuses for my bad english...
for "foot" navigation the igo8 has a special setup along with "car", "bicycle"' "public transportation" and so on...why blame the diamond? blame yr navigation software! how many ppl said their navigation is the best? best, my ass the best.
be cool, soon igo8 is going to be avaible for diamond also
as for the diamond's gps...it works inside my house, first floor !!!
I really feel for you guys. GPS is one thing I definitely want to be working perfectly, and I can say with the diamond so far that has been the case. I'm getting a lock in about 15-20 seconds with about 12 satellites. I'm also using QuickGPS with no problems. I have been using the new TomTom 7 and it is absolutely fantastic!!!!!! Best handheld GPS solution I've ever owned, and I don't see why it would not be identical to a TomTom PNA!
My GPS is also not accurate, I'm using Tomtom7 and its telling me my home address is atleast 30 metres away when I'm at my home address. What the hell!!!!
I have tried enabling and disabling the A-GPS option and still its the same result.
Hi there,
It's indeed confirmed now that the gps chipset in diamond is Static navigation enabled, i.e. it won't refresh your location and speed if you are walking, it'll just lock your last gps location instead of updating it continuously while you walk. So it's nearly makes it impossible to walk to your destination i.e. you can't geocache at all.
I hope anybody has some clue about turning it off.
Have you tried something like SirfTech - if you can get it to connect to the internal GPS device (and assuming it is a SirfStar chipset, which I still don't know for sure?) then you should be able to toggle the static navigation setting. There are instructions right at the very bottom of that page on how to adjust the static navigation setting.
The other remaining question is how long this change will persist - hopefully it should persist until the battery is removed, but it depends how the power to the GPS receiver is switched - it's possible that switching off the PDA, or even putting it into standby, could cause the GPS receiver state to reset to default.
Its not a sirf chipset and those tools wont work on it
someone1234 said:
Its not a sirf chipset and those tools wont work on it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second that. I guess we people will have to live with it. There's a HTC GPS utility from HTC which works on this qualcomm chip but I am no expert if there's any setting which can turn static navigation off. For someone wanna give a try to the HTC tool, download the attached file.
i just did a quick test with Diamond running TomTom walking along the street. It works fine in pedestrian mode. My actual postion was accurate at all times during the test. Diamond GPS is suitable for navigation in pedestrian mode.
Probably you have not tryed with some device with really good SirfStar III GPS, like ETEN X500.
@panosha
my point is: walking navigation mode is indeed available with Diamond running TomTom. I am not to compare GPS performance of Diamond directly with Sirf III equipped devices.
That said, if you take a look at my signature, you would certainly notice that I have also few HTC Sirf III equipped phones presently and not to mention TomTom GO 510. I am quite certain that Diamond is quite usable for walking routes..
Is usable for walking routes, but it has mediocre behavior for this use, concerning the good GPS devices.
@panosha.
mediocre behavior indeed.
I was referring to the very first post in this thread:
.. it won't refresh your location and speed if you are walking, it'll just lock your last gps location instead of updating it continuously while you walk. So it's nearly makes it impossible to walk to your destination i.e. you can't geocache at all...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, it will refresh GPS location as you walk.
yes, it will update GPS position fairly constantly.
yes, it is possible to walk to a destination and geocache.
Sorry but I have to disagree.
While the Diamond keeps up with a standalone device while driving, I took them both out walking today and the Diamond is terrible while walking. In fact I did the route three times and it was always approximately 30 feet out of synch which is no good at all in a city environment.
If anyone has any idea how to improve this I'd certainly be happy to hear it.
I have a P1i and external receiver and at this rate I may have to return the Diamond and go back to it, which is a shame.
Yeah. That's the point. It indeed keeps up while driving but crap while walking.
Folks, I think it would be really important to find a solution for this problem.
It seems that it has definitely to do with static navigation and
is no problem of any kind of application.
Since I have my diamond I used a lot of different gps software,
but the lag is always the same.
This is indeed very bad, thus the reception quality is superb!
My last HTC was a trinity which had also a Qualcom chipset,
but with this device I never noticed such a behavior.
Somehow it must be possible to turn the static navigation of...
Are there any news so far?
I guess nobody could figure it out yet. WE have to keep our fingers crossed
Is there any other news?
Disabling static navigation would be greate!!
Does anyone know the brand/model of the gps chip?
And there's always a lag between your actual position and the position shown in the GPS software....
Sometimes this lag is more than 50m...
HastaSSSS
I am trying to see if the Qualcomm ONEgps - GPS can have its programming changed with QPST, but unfortunately I havent found any information on getting it to run with Diamond. I think that would be the only way to turn off static nav, as the system is not Sifir or what ever its called, so non of the current "static nav" off solutions will work. I have OziExplorer running and I get the issue. I also noticed that there is a lot of unecessary activiting on decent/assend info, its as though it has quite a unstable 3d lock.
Can anyone else using TomTom pedestrian mode could confirm if there is no delay (more then 10-30 seconds) between starting walking and position beginning to update?
Thanks!
D.
does tt has special option for pedestrian? maybe the problem is tt and NOT the hardware (gps-diamond)??
i am using igo and it has special options for pedestrian, for car, bicycle, public transportation and even emergency vehicle. seeing this made me think that the program will react different at different speeds.
i did not tried the pedestrian option but i promise to do it and come back with the results.
Sorry about the dumb question, bust how can I switch to pedestrian mode in TomTom???
It's the same s*ht
The GPS on this receiver, for the time being, really sucks...
I'm hopping that someone will figure out a solution, or with a release of a new radio ROM.
Even when I'm driving, the gps lags so much.... Drives me crazy!
When I stop on a red light, the gps still indicates speed for 15s more or less, until it actually stops on the place where my car actually is...
I wonder if the gou acceleration driver is actually installed...it could happen that this delay is due to the fact that the CPU has to do all the work, and since the resolution is VGA, it means extra work, which the CPU can't handle 100%...
HastaSSSS
I'm a .NET developer and I had a Tilt (Kaiser) before getting a Fuze (Raphael). GPS issues were always ridiculous. Sometimes I'd get it quickly, sometimes it would take 20 minutes. (Very annoying when you need to drive somewhere fast and the GPS doesn't want to work right.)
GPS ID stands for GPS Intermediate Driver
What this is (added in Windows Mobile 5.0) is to use Windows to ask information about the GPS device, not accessing the GPS device itself. Utilizing the COMM port will lock the COMM port for access. This was a problem so Microsoft made the driver for developers to use. Google Maps uses this driver while in TomTom you have to manually select the COMM port.
Having Windows to read the COMM port keeps it open for other applications to use. It's also faster since it's working as a device driver to the GPS hardware. I'm not sure if HTC updates the driver but the driver takes care of calculating speed, altitude, latitude, longitude, etc as well as parsing the NMEA information.
I've seen a lot of different tools all opening the COMM port directly and as a developer, you shouldn't be doing this, not unless you're using PPC2003. I believe (and this could be just wishful thinking) that GPSID is faster at getting a fix than COMM based. I could be wrong, but that's where you guys can help.
So here's a simple GPSID based GPS Tool. Include the Microsoft written DLL (Microsoft.WindowsMobile.Samples.Location.dll) with the executable.
Maybe I can make a simple application to stay keep the GPS open in the background and if you run it again, a message box appears saying "GPS is closed" or something (like S2U2) does.
Suggestions welcome.
(Link soon---bug testing)
Downloads
GPSTool v0.01
--------------
First release
GPSToolPro v.0.02
-----------------
Changed name
Added Satellite info
GPSToolPro v.0.03
-----------------
Changed from VB.NET to C#
Added code to obtain cell tower information from RIL (Radio Information Layer)
Query Google for GPS position of cell tower and report to user
It does run and report correctly. Not sure if it helped with the quick fix though.
It really needs signal strength bars. The direction I'm facing and angle I hold my phone makes a difference, without bars I don't know if I'll be standing there forever or if I just need to wait a bit longer...
I will try this, currently i use GPS Tool. But yes i do need the bars as those are vital informations.
But what are bars?
Bars are simply graphical representation of %.
If you want the percentage, you take the SatelliteCount and divide that by SatellitesInViewCount * 100
SatelliteCount is the number of satellites locked on to.
SatellitesInViewCount is the number of the satellites that the device is seeing.
I'll make it prettier. Hopefully I can find something that can get a power usage rating and see how much mW are being sucked up by GPS
Edit: Oh wait, I see what you mean. You mean signal strength per satellite. There's something in the API about that. I'll work on that.
Edit2: Okay, got it. Per satellite I have Azimuth, Elevation and Signal Strength
Glad you understand about bars & signal strength. This does launch faster than GPSTest and VisualGPSce, so that's nice.
Okay, i put v0.02
I also renamed the application to GPSToolPro.
The satellite info is Azimuth, Elevation, Signal %
I also added Heading and cleaned up the format slightly. Remember, this is really beta. After we get it working decently I'll pretty it up.
I think it's broken, i'm fixing that.
Edit: It's working now.
What's interesting is that i have A-GPS off and I'm getting 3 satellites in view from sitting in my kitchen and there are no windows nearby.
I'm guessing that means AGPS isn't off as we thought it was.
Edit2: I'm getting a GPS lock from inside my kitchen. I'm looking at the elevation values. I'm not sure what measurement it is but I have 46 and 11
Edit3: Okay, I understand Azimuth and Elevation now. It's strange but why am I getting signal inside if I have AGPS off. I'm turning it on and registry and trying it out.
I don't think it's AGPS, I think you're getting GPS signal. I'm pretty sure AGPS is completely disabled in NATF 4.1, requiring a CAB to re-enable it, and I get signal inside buildings... Signal strength GREATLY varies depending on which radio I'm using though.
RE .02 - it doesn't work on my device. Extracted on the PC, copied over via Mobile Device Center, it launches & runs for a couple seconds, then errors out. NullReferenceException
Hmm, I changed the refresh to 3 seconds and it hasn't quit yet. Maybe it doesn't like 1 second? - Update, I did a SR to see how quick it would lock, 1 second did not error, but the data values flicked on/off so fast I couldn't see them until they populated the upper right. Oh and the lock was pretty quick >30 seconds.
What do the three boxes represent? Is Left the current refresh, Upper Right the locked satellites?
On v.01 the elevation was not accurate, reporting 130' but really where I'm at is closer to 500'.
This seems pretty good so far.
I got a fix within seconds inside my living room on 5 sats. I also loaded VisualGPSCe to verify and it showed the same thing. I loaded up iGo and it showed a strong GPS signal and an accurate position.
Of course I also use GPS about 4 hours ago, so I'm not sure if that helped it any or not.
The real test is when you're nowhere near you were on the last lock. Otherwise (from what a senior member wrote), if it sees all the same satellites from the previous time it was on, the lock is pretty quick.
I think this leads to some people reporting constant 20 second locks vs several minute locks. If you never wander more than 20 miles, I'm guessing it still has the proper data stored.
pkley said:
The real test is when you're nowhere near you were on the last lock. Otherwise (from what a senior member wrote), if it sees all the same satellites from the previous time it was on, the lock is pretty quick.
I think this leads to some people reporting constant 20 second locks vs several minute locks. If you never wander more than 20 miles, I'm guessing it still has the proper data stored.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is called the GPS Almanac. The GPS information is stored in the "GPS Almanac" so when you start up the GPS again, it reads what's on the GPS Almanac and gets a fix faster. This is called a hot fix. When the GPS Almanac is out of date or the location is moved then it takes longer to get a fix. This is called a cold fix.
I've managed to use Google's servers as well as the cell phone's towerID to find the approximate longitude and latitude. I'm working on putting this information into the GPS Almanac and then turning on the GPS device. It might avoid ever having to do a cold fix.
It's not a cab, it's a zip. how do I install this, please?
paulyluca said:
It's not a cab, it's a zip. how do I install this, please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just copy both files somewhere and run the exe.
I just stuck them in the same folder on my SD card and ran it from there.
Great work CLShortFuse,
So I tested it out outside on my deck (30 degrees out, so it warmed up!) and this is the info i got...
Running JUST google maps after a soft reset:
1 minute 22 secs and 9 satellite lock
GPSTest after a soft reset
29sec, 1.2HDOP, 3D, 8 Sat
GPSTool after a soft reset
31 sec, 10 sat and a lot of info that is beyond me
Looks like a good tool and i'm positive with time and work it'll be great!
-SCDavis
CLShortFuse said:
This is called the GPS Almanac. The GPS information is stored in the "GPS Almanac" so when you start up the GPS again, it reads what's on the GPS Almanac and gets a fix faster. This is called a hot fix. When the GPS Almanac is out of date or the location is moved then it takes longer to get a fix. This is called a cold fix.
I've managed to use Google's servers as well as the cell phone's towerID to find the approximate longitude and latitude. I'm working on putting this information into the GPS Almanac and then turning on the GPS device. It might avoid ever having to do a cold fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that would be the bomb!
Your software did not seem to get a lock quicker once I drove 30 miles away. Course neither did GPSTest...
So I installed GPSToolPro. It seems to be working.
A few questions.
1. How is this app different than GPSTest?
2. How do the two columns differ in the information they offer?
3. What is the practical value of the data for each satellite?
4. What is a reasonable Update interval?
5. When should this app be used?
Thanks.
It's still a work in progress. As of right now, no benefit. I've already managed to get an AGPS signal (something HTC didn't do for the device) but I'm still trying to send those coordinates to the GPS device. If I can do that, the GPS device won't have to cold fix anymore. Basically, if you have an internet connection you'll never have to cold fix anymore. Hot fixes in 30seconds or less. I have an idea of how to do it, but I haven't got around to playing with that.
I'll also try to add as many advanced functions as I can with the device including to completely power off the GPS device and not keep it on standby (shutting off GPS to any other applications in the background).
It's to be a truly complete diagnostic tool.
I know it's ugly right now I can work on the UI after I get the technical stuff working.
drjim said:
1. How is this app different than GPSTest?
2. How do the two columns differ in the information they offer?
3. What is the practical value of the data for each satellite?
4. What is a reasonable Update interval?
5. When should this app be used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I haven't looked into GPSTest, so I don't know.
2) The top right is satellites in view and the bottom right is satellites locked onto.
3) The values are Azimuth, Elevation, Signal Strength
4) I keep it at 1 second but how often you want to refresh the GPSID information. Any value lower than the GPSID Poll frequency in the registry is pointless
5) Right now, just for seeing what's going on with the GPS. Hopefully in the future it'll have a more practical use (faster GPS fixes)
Thanks, CLSF. It sounds like it will develop into a useful tool.
While I have you, does the FUZE GPS use data from a data plan, i.e., does it get its info through the mobile provider's cellular system?
ps-uninstall
If I wanted to uninstall and wait for final product, how would I do that? I don't see it in my Programs or Remove Programs lists?
Thanks.
drjim said:
Thanks, CLSF. It sounds like it will develop into a useful tool.
While I have you, does the FUZE GPS use data from a data plan, i.e., does it get its info through the mobile provider's cellular system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you disable AGPS from Start -> Settings -> System -> AGPS Settings, then the Fuze will not start a data connection to assist with navigating.
drjim said:
If I wanted to uninstall and wait for final product, how would I do that? I don't see it in my Programs or Remove Programs lists?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It did not install. Just delete the files.
GPS Questions that I haven’t seen in other threads.
Along with many of you I'm trying to get my GPS to obtain a fix faster.
I have a Tilt (8925 / TYTNII) / WM6.1 with Garmin Mobile XT (no data plan just wifi). I’ve had an issue for the past year with the GPS not locking on for up to fifteen minutes even though it appears to see up to nine good satellites. HTC replaced the mother board which includes the Qualcomm GPSone chip. This corrected most of the problems but at times it still takes a long time to lock on even though it shows satellites with good signal strength. QuickGPS comes loaded on the phone yet has no effect on how long it takes to lock on. It’s my understanding that the satellite locations are loaded in an almanac on the phone. Since this data changes it must be refreshed on a regular basis for the chip to lock on quickly. I have several questions.
1) Is the almanac / ephemeris data stored on the GPSone chip’s memory (if it has any) or does it reside in the phones memory? If it’s on the phone can it be read?
2) Does each satellite transmit at a different frequency and does the GPSone chip scan these frequencies looking for a satellite that can download the latest almanac and ephemeris data?
3) QuickGPS doesn’t seem to make any difference on my phone. Is this program what’s called “assisted GPS”? If so does QuickGPS update the GPSone’s ship data or the GPS software’s data you are using such as Google maps or Garmin? I assume it’s the GPSone’s data because the chip must send a “sentence” to your GPS software telling it that the chip has locked on to enough satellites to provide navigation. Until this happens the GPS software just waits or times out. When I look in the registry I see that enableAGPS dword is set to 00000000. Wouldn’t this have to be a one for assisted GPS to work? I tried setting it to a 1 but it didn’t make any difference.
4) I download data using QuickGPS (via wifi). How can I tell that the data is for my area or if it is being used by the GPSone chip? It’s using 193.253.42.109 which is a site in California called Geo Information. Is the almanac information global? In other words does QuickGPS provide information on all GPS satellites in every download? If I do a soft reset and then run QuickGPS and then start Garmin I don’t see any satellites for about two minutes. It then appears to load almanac data from the first satellite it sees and then a bunch of satellites pop up all at once. That’s why I don’t think QuickGPS is helping.
5) This seems to be a huge problem with our phones. Could someone write a script to poll the GPSone chip say every two hours which would in turn refresh the GPS data so that whenever we need to use the GPS it would be doing a warm start rather than a cold?
Thanks for any insight. I’m lost in more ways than one.
Frank
Im not sure whats causing ur issue! but i never thought quickgps helps. its always the usual slow gps connectivity in my phone. just thought i will add my 2 cents...
Get this http://www.visualgps.net/VisualGPSce/default.htm program. Go outdoors (not between tall building) in an open area. Run VisualGPSce, see if it locks within 2-3 minutes. Once it locks, you can try other programs.
Make sure you GPS is set to com4 and preferably 38400 bps.
GPS coverage is not so good inside the buldings. Wood buildings are fine. Buildings and cars with UV protection and tinted glass are trouble. Also concrete walls/roof are another trouble.
Also to add, QuickGPS never helped me.
FrankCB said:
GPS Questions that I haven’t seen in other threads.
Along with many of you I'm trying to get my GPS to obtain a fix faster.
I have a Tilt (8925 / TYTNII) / WM6.1 with Garmin Mobile XT (no data plan just wifi). I’ve had an issue for the past year with the GPS not locking on for up to fifteen minutes even though it appears to see up to nine good satellites. HTC replaced the mother board which includes the Qualcomm GPSone chip. This corrected most of the problems but at times it still takes a long time to lock on even though it shows satellites with good signal strength. QuickGPS comes loaded on the phone yet has no effect on how long it takes to lock on. It’s my understanding that the satellite locations are loaded in an almanac on the phone. Since this data changes it must be refreshed on a regular basis for the chip to lock on quickly. I have several questions.
1) Is the almanac / ephemeris data stored on the GPSone chip’s memory (if it has any) or does it reside in the phones memory? If it’s on the phone can it be read?
2) Does each satellite transmit at a different frequency and does the GPSone chip scan these frequencies looking for a satellite that can download the latest almanac and ephemeris data?
3) QuickGPS doesn’t seem to make any difference on my phone. Is this program what’s called “assisted GPS”? If so does QuickGPS update the GPSone’s ship data or the GPS software’s data you are using such as Google maps or Garmin? I assume it’s the GPSone’s data because the chip must send a “sentence” to your GPS software telling it that the chip has locked on to enough satellites to provide navigation. Until this happens the GPS software just waits or times out. When I look in the registry I see that enableAGPS dword is set to 00000000. Wouldn’t this have to be a one for assisted GPS to work? I tried setting it to a 1 but it didn’t make any difference.
4) I download data using QuickGPS (via wifi). How can I tell that the data is for my area or if it is being used by the GPSone chip? It’s using 193.253.42.109 which is a site in California called Geo Information. Is the almanac information global? In other words does QuickGPS provide information on all GPS satellites in every download? If I do a soft reset and then run QuickGPS and then start Garmin I don’t see any satellites for about two minutes. It then appears to load almanac data from the first satellite it sees and then a bunch of satellites pop up all at once. That’s why I don’t think QuickGPS is helping.
5) This seems to be a huge problem with our phones. Could someone write a script to poll the GPSone chip say every two hours which would in turn refresh the GPS data so that whenever we need to use the GPS it would be doing a warm start rather than a cold?
Thanks for any insight. I’m lost in more ways than one.
Frank
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Stored in phone memory, and yes it can be read.
2. A GPS receiver calculates its position by precisely timing the signals sent by the GPS satellites high above the Earth. Each satellite continually transmits messages containing the time the message was sent, precise orbital information (the ephemeris), and the general system health and rough orbits of all GPS satellites (the almanac). The receiver measures the transit time of each message and computes the distance to each satellite. Geometric trilateration is used to combine these distances with the location of the satellites to determine the receiver's location. The position is displayed, perhaps with a moving map display or latitude and longitude; elevation information may be included.
3. QuickGPS is not Assisted GPS. QuickGPS downloads the latest satellite positions to help with a faster initial GPS fix. Assisted GPS uses your cell-phone location through cell-tower triangulation to provide a location just like a GPS receiver would. Usually not as accurate.
4. QuickGPS downloads a global catelog. The amount of satellites used for GPS aren't so numerous that it needs to download just the ones in your area. It basically downloads a text listing of all the available GPS satellites.
5. Have you tried flashing a new radio to your device? This can make a world of difference in GPS fix acquisition, especially in different areas.
Also, have you read this?
Thank you for all the info. I just found this article
I'm still not sure why QuickGPS isn't helping. While on my quest for GPS information I found this article. It answers a lot of questions. Thanks also for the link to the GPS thread. I had read it before but it didn't answer the questions I posted.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/01/assisted-gps.ars
my Tilt locks onto 4 or 5 satellites within 10-20 seconds, usually faster. I've never had a problem. It even locks onto 2 satellites when I'm in my apartment. I use quick GPS, updated via WiFi, but I haven't updated it for a couple weeks.
I'm running wm6.5, 1.7x radio.
My gps is connection is too slow. I am in the middle of copenhagen but it takes minutes to find my location in IGO also i lost connection frequently
my port is and baud rate is57600.
Any idea would help me.
thanks
I guess there are three things you can do:
1. Input your port and baud rate in the GPS parameters setting,
2. Reset your GPS to see whether it is quicker.
3. Sometimes too much information displayed in the map makes your GPS slow. So you could hide some unnecessary items.
If it still doesn't work well, you can contact the customer service for help.
GPS is actually very fast once it has acquired its satellites — it can update your position several times each second. The other problem in urban environments is that tall buildings make it difficult for the GPS to see enough satellites.
It has nothing to do with IGO. Replace your radio for newer version. like one of 1.15