GPS software. turn on and off internal GPS at timed intervals - Touch Diamond, MDA Compact IV General

Hi.
Ive recently got a htc touch diamond, and wanted to use its internal GPS for tracking.
Ive downloaded several different free gps tracking software’s, but all seem to keep the internal gps permanently on.
Whilst this is good for real time updates, it really munches battery power !.
All I want to do is periodically track movements every 5 mins.
(and save it to a file that can be uploaded to google maps).
Or use one of the many free tracking websites out there…
Does anyone know of a any wm6 software that actually turns off the gps (or disconnects from the internal com port), whilst it waits for the next update interval ?.
This would save on battery power, and make the device last a lot longer !!.
(some police forces do this on their gps enabled nokia radios!).
Is there anyone out there that could develop one ?. Or is there an app that can actually turn on and off the GPS at selected intervals (whilst another app is using it !).
Stuart.

It is a great idea for GPS tracking when you are on foot.

GPSToday can do it
http://www.geoterrestrial.com/

Excellent !
Nice find !!

Doesn't TrackMe do this? Pretty sure you can set it to upload info at timed intervals and so only use the GPS when it needs to.

Related

Kaiser GPS Problem workaround

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.

Kaiser GPS Enhancement Guide...

I see a lot of people with GPS problems these days & most of them have to do with not getting a fast enough satelite fix. There are several things you can & should do to enhance you Kaiser & it's GPS capabilities.
Firstly, use HTC's QuickGPS. Your device has to locate, communicate with & track numerous navigation satelites to get a fix that can be used by your navigation software of choice. Typically your device will need this information from 3 - 5 satelites, however there can be as many as 14. Each Satelite has Almanac information, this information contains suck as the current location, speed & Orbitital Patterns. This is where QuickGPS comes in. QuickGPS downloads this almanc information from servers & helps to guide your device the most appropriate satelites in your area. downloading the QuickGPS data at least once a week is key to maintaining quick satelite locks with your device.
Second, I see a lot of people using the HCT GPS Tool from the Polaris. WHY? Sure it can help to jump start your GPS, but there are other more functional programs out there that accomplish the same thing & much more.
Enter GPSGate! GPSGate is a light weight GPS utility that can be installed on a storage card & I could not live without. It is easy to use, it configures itself, it WILL jumpstart your GPS & allows you to do some amazing things otherwise impossible. GPSGate is a semi-commercial software developed by Franson. A trial version is free to download & the only difference between the free & the pay version is that the pay version allows you to Connect to GpsGate Server or GpsGate.com for sharing or logging over the Internet. GPSGate will help speed things up for you & also do many other things. Whenever you launch GPSGate, you GPS chip is immediately initialized & goes to work. Starting GPSGate before your navigation software or selecting the auto-start function gets your device working on connecting to the satelites NOW!
Ever tried running TomTom & Live Search at the same time? Usually it won't work & sometimes will freeze your device. Not when you use GPSGate. GPSGate will not only start your GPS faster, but it will also let you share the Kaiser GPS among several applications all at once.
GPSGate will let you use external GPS devices with your Kaiser & it will also allow you to use your Kaiser as a GPS receiver for other devices such as laptops, over A/S or Bluetooth connections. In fact, you can share the Kaiser's GPS over a network, ActiveSync, Bluetooth or HTTP. It will also allow you to Multiplex and split NMEA streams. GPSGate will communicate fast & flawlessly with a simultaneous multitude of programs. It will also allow you to start & stop your GPS Session on the fly.
I use TomTom, but I frequently use Live Search at the same time because POI's are always changing & new ones are added. Live Search is much better @ finding New things like restraunts & allows me to add them into my contacts & then select them thru TomTom all without having to start & stop each program allowing me to keep my focus on the road where it belongs.
Just download & install the cab, launch the program, follow the 2-steps on the screen & you're done.
Most of the important functionality is intact without licensing, (I think everything except the server based tracking & logging)
Overview:
Share your position online using GpsGate.com
Track your friends on a map, see a remote person in Google Earth and more...
Connecting Google Earth to GpsGate!
Display your GPS position in Google Earth.
Connecting Google Maps to GpsGate!
Display your GPS position in Google Maps.
Sharing GPS data over a network and between computers
How to share GPS data using TCP/IP, UDP, Bluetooth or COM ports.
NMEA Multiplexer - combine multiple inputs
How to merge and split several NMEA channels.
Run GpsGate as a Service
How to set up GpsGate to run as a NT service.
How to run multiple instances of GpsGate, close input when no output is used, block writing and reading, and more...
NO, I do NOT work for or endorse Franson! I just really find this program helpful & very useful.
GPSGate: http://rapidshare.com/files/95732296/GPSGate.rar
QuickGPS: http://rapidshare.com/files/69959229/HTC_QuickGPS.CAB
spent this whole time talking about GPSGATE but dont even post a way to find more info or even get it......
ChInEsE ChIcKeN said:
spent this whole time talking about GPSGATE but dont even post a way to find more info or even get it......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL are you serious....thanks I needed this
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=GPSgate&btnG=Google+Search
Not that hard to find.
Google is your friend
I don't understand why this is useful. The GPS is already sharable in the Kaiser. I've run multiple GPS apps at the same time with no problems. The only use for GPS gate that I can see is uploading your position to their server.
tdusen said:
I don't understand why this is useful. The GPS is already sharable in the Kaiser. I've run multiple GPS apps at the same time with no problems. The only use for GPS gate that I can see is uploading your position to their server.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use iGuidance 4 and are using a 6.1 rom, GPSGate is not only useful, it is required in order for your map to update. Others have reported that GPSPROXY will also work, and it is free.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I have been playing with 6.1 ROMS for two weeks and was about to give up because I could not get GPS to work properly (yes I tried everything that was recommended!) I was about to give up and revert back to a 6 ROM... and like a pheonix from the ashes I saw your post. Franson GpsGate did the trick. My GPS is working better than ever, heck my phone is working better than ever, many thanks to Sleuth and to you for fixing that last very frustrating and important glitch.
crispyj said:
If you use iGuidance 4 and are using a 6.1 rom, GPSGate is not only useful, it is required in order for your map to update. Others have reported that GPSPROXY will also work, and it is free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then I'm just lucky I guess. I'm running 6.1 and I have Beeline GPS, TomTom and Live Search all running just fine. No GPS Gate or GPSProxy loaded.
tdusen said:
Then I'm just lucky I guess. I'm running 6.1 and I have Beeline GPS, TomTom and Live Search all running just fine. No GPS Gate or GPSProxy loaded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are lucky. Many Tilt users are, but for the unfortunate, for what ever reason, we have GPS issues and this solved it at least for me. But I am curious... if you GPS is operating so wonderfully... why are you in this thread?
the same reason I am in here probably, to see what everyone is talking about and to see what kinds of GPS issues are out there that people are having. I know mine is working just fine but still checking out what is going on in case I run in to issues or see someone with issues that I might be able to help out or point them to this thread.
I read every GPS thread. I'm always on the look out for some way to disable Static Navigation. So far, no luck.
My original post in this thread was to ask what does this software give me that I don't already have. The stock GPS is intended to be sharable. If it does work like it's supposed then no proxy software should be necessary.
GPS quality varies widely from one Tilt to the next...
I have 2 Tilts and I can tell you one of them gets almost instant GPS lock while the other one struggles to ever get a lock.
I'm awaiting a second warranty replacement from at&t as the first one they sent has crappy GPS also. I've already warned them that they will continue shipping me Tilts under warranty until I get a replacement that works as well as my 2nd Tilt does.
One thing I like about GPS Gate is the Tray Icon. It would be better if the tap & hold menu had an option to toggle the GPS on/off.
It is nice that you can also use it to provide GPS feed to your laptop if you have such a need.
tdusen said:
I read every GPS thread. I'm always on the look out for some way to disable Static Navigation. So far, no luck.
My original post in this thread was to ask what does this software give me that I don't already have. The stock GPS is intended to be sharable. If it does work like it's supposed then no proxy software should be necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More than anything I was bored & wanted to write (Got my replacement & had time to kill while Sec. Unlocking, Flashing, etc.), lol.
Really I'd see a lot of Noobies complaining about not being able to use multiple proggies & having issues giving gps a quick jump. This post was really just kinda intended for the noobie that doesn't have the skill or patience to set up multiple port connections for the GPS. With GPSGate they don't have to. It all wil run thru the same V-port without them having to do any changes manually. I find that using GPSGate there is NO DELAY in the new application receiving the GPS data. Before GPSGate, every time I switched programs my device would hang for a bit. I also noticed a lot of people using or including HTC GPS Tools in roms for a jump start of the GPS device, & I figured why not something more useful.
+ I know that while a lot of us know about these programs, not many new guys do & when I'm out & about, occasionally I like to use my laptop W/ Streets & trips because all my customer routes are in there. This way I can use it for navigation & construction updates on long drive days. Of course I know not everyone has a nerd mobile like my truck with a PPC & Laptop Mount cradle, lol...but you never know.
Do these proxies keep the GPS receiver running all the time? what does that do to battery life?
It does what you TELL IT to do. You can start or stop the GPS on the fly. OF COURSE if you leave the GPS running it will drain the battery faster. But it only keeps it on for as long as you keep it active. Using the proxy itself will not change the discharge rate of your battery to any noticable degree.
Search for Franson GPSGate. You can read your heart out about it.
What should you put the baud rate to?
I mean I would assume higher means better but since my kaiser takes 10 minutes to get a lock I haven't really bothered doing any proper comparisons.
In any case all I get for the ten-fifteen minutes I've had this running is "GPS data but no position, running ok"
(Pretty much like GPS Tool, it runs and shows a lot of sattelites but never gets a lock. It does once in a while but it seldom and it'll always take ~10 minutes)
I have run quick gps.
This is with a cooked rom and a new radio though.
With my stock rom/radio I got a lock within 2-3 minutes after starting tomtom.
GSLEON3 said:
Really I'd see a lot of Noobies complaining about not being able to use multiple proggies & having issues giving gps a quick jump. This post was really just kinda intended for the noobie that doesn't have the skill or patience to set up multiple port connections for the GPS. With GPSGate they don't have to. It all wil run thru the same V-port without them having to do any changes manually. I find that using GPSGate there is NO DELAY in the new application receiving the GPS data. Before GPSGate, every time I switched programs my device would hang for a bit. I also noticed a lot of people using or including HTC GPS Tools in roms for a jump start of the GPS device, & I figured why not something more useful.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GSLEON3,
Although my GPS works within much problems or 3rd party software so far, I do appreciate your post on this as it clearly is helpful at his point of the ROM development.
I too am having troubles with my GPS. I have only had my tilt for a week or so but I can't seem to get the GPS to work well enough to be truly useful.
I have GPS Gate installed and it sometimes gets a lock and sometimes it doesn't. I have tried both TomTom 6 and iNav v3 and v4 with and without GPS Gate. I can generally get a lock sitting still and sometimes I can get a lock moving but anytime I try to use the navigation to go anywhere it either looses its lock within 10 minutes OR it only is able to track 1-3 satellites and thus HORRIBLY inaccurate showing me tracking between 50 and 500 yards from my actual location (if there are side roads or streets it almost never has me on the correct road). I have tried changing the position of the device to get better reception with no change.
I have also tried several different ROMS with different radios with no change. Are there some settings in GPS gate that I need to change to get better performance or do I have a defective unit? Any help would be appreciated.
GSLEON3 said:
More than anything I was bored & wanted to write (Got my replacement & had time to kill while Sec. Unlocking, Flashing, etc.), lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you were bored to write this. I, for one, thinks its a good source of info and a possible set of solutions for GPS issues. I dont think you can have too much possible solutions, so thanks for posting this up!
thanks much for taking time to post valuable information. i for one am no noob to windows mobile, but am too GPS. so, i definitely am willing to check into anything that could possibly boost performance of any component. thanks again and it does help alot with the new tool. one question i have is about the virtual port driver. the message comes up and ask me to soft reset for the virtual port driver to be installed, so i do. when i run the tool again it does the same thing, to me, indicating the driver didnt install. i go into advanced options and check the status and it says my driver memory is low, please soft reset. any ideas and thanks again.
GPS working Better at higher baud
I have been experimenting with changing the settings for my GPS in GPSGate. I posted earlier that I was having trouble getting it to work reliably and that I would frequently loose lock and not be able to get it back.
Here is what I have found works best so far:
Radio: 1.64.08.21
COM: 4
BAUD: 57600
Emulating: COM 1
TomTom: COM 1 at 57600
I really don't know why this works better but I have been able to consistently HOLD a lock once I get one. I still have trouble with it sometimes taking a VERY long time acquire a lock but once I have one it is working well. I will post if I find anything that works better.
If anyone has insight on this or finds any better settings please post.

Quick GPS question...

I have just updated my ROM to "Dutty's WM6.1 Hybrid v2 5.2.19716/5.2.19700" and at the same time installed TomTom.
It can take quite a while to pick up a lock the first time the software is booted but if I close and open TomTom without rebooting the phone the second time is much quicker (almost instant). I have just tried rebooting the phone and it goes through the same slow process the first time tomtom is booted and then quick following that. Is this normal behaviour for GPS on the device (not holding GPS info when the phone is rebooted) or is it an issue with the ROM or Radio. If its the radio is their anyone in the UK who can recommend the best radio for battery life and GPS.
Cheers,
Michael
cyberkid2002 said:
I have just updated my ROM to "Dutty's WM6.1 Hybrid v2 5.2.19716/5.2.19700" and at the same time installed TomTom.
It can take quite a while to pick up a lock the first time the software is booted but if I close and open TomTom without rebooting the phone the second time is much quicker (almost instant). I have just tried rebooting the phone and it goes through the same slow process the first time tomtom is booted and then quick following that. Is this normal behaviour for GPS on the device (not holding GPS info when the phone is rebooted) or is it an issue with the ROM or Radio. If its the radio is their anyone in the UK who can recommend the best radio for battery life and GPS.
Cheers,
Michael
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is pretty normal for GPS especially on these devices. It takes a while to get the first fix after a reset, but subsequent ones are quicker.
You may be able to speed up this process by using the QuickGPS tool to download cache data of satellite locations.
Also, try and use GPSTest to get the lock first. Many people use the GPSTest application and keep it running in the background as it tends to keep a good lock on things.
Adjust the baud rate with GPStest.
cheers for the responses... i will try the GPSTest thing...
KDKobes: what change does adjusting the baud rate make? quicker to lock?
I'm running the new, stock 6.1 Rom, and the only criticisim I have of it is the really slow initial GPS lock. The first time I use it after a soft reset or reboot, it can take anything in the region of 10-15 minutes, which I really don't think is right - I'm positive the original Rom was better at this. Subsequent fixes are much quicker, but if you find yourself needing the GPS and you happen to have recently rebooted, chance are you'll be well past your destination by the time it picks up, which is not good.
Quick GPS appears to be behaving as it always has - whenever I check it has recent data showing, downloaded through Activesync as normal - but it's almost as if that data's not being used in this Rom.
I should mention I'm seeing this behaviour in both Tom Tom and Live Search... it always does get a lock eventually, so there doesn't appear to be a problem with the GPS itself. Has anyone got any insight into this?
cyberkid2002 said:
cheers for the responses... i will try the GPSTest thing...
KDKobes: what change does adjusting the baud rate make? quicker to lock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The baud rate is used by the internal COM port to interface with the GPS controller. It is the same deal like the speed of a modem...2400....4800...9600, etc.
Honestly with the amount of data that a GPS passes (which is not that much) I don't know if it makes a difference if it is set low. However, I always set mine high because faster is better, right so, might as well.
bengalih said:
The baud rate is used by the internal COM port to interface with the GPS controller. It is the same deal like the speed of a modem...2400....4800...9600, etc.
Honestly with the amount of data that a GPS passes (which is not that much) I don't know if it makes a difference if it is set low. However, I always set mine high because faster is better, right so, might as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where would you even set that though? I played with GPS Tool for a while, but it appeared to forget whatever port setting I used next time it ran anyway, so presumably it only affects that session of GPS Tool, not the system as a whole. In TomTom there's no speed setting for the internal GPS either; it should all be handled by WM itself.
Boinng said:
Where would you even set that though? I played with GPS Tool for a while, but it appeared to forget whatever port setting I used next time it ran anyway, so presumably it only affects that session of GPS Tool, not the system as a whole. In TomTom there's no speed setting for the internal GPS either; it should all be handled by WM itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I think that's right... you can set it inside GPSTest.
However, like I stated many people find that GPSTest gets the quickest lock and prefer to either open it first and/or leave it running in the background. I haven't used my GPS that much, but I do find that this works.
It at least allows me to see what is going on with the lock. If I start Google Maps it will either work or not with GPS, but not really show me what's going on. GPSTest will allow me to see if I have a lock or not and then open up my other apps for use.
I just realised, I'm talking about the HTC GPS Tool, while you're talking about GPS Test - which is that, the Chartcross one?
You should try IGO8
cyberkid2002 said:
I have just updated my ROM to "Dutty's WM6.1 Hybrid v2 5.2.19716/5.2.19700" and at the same time installed TomTom.
It can take quite a while to pick up a lock the first time the software is booted but if I close and open TomTom without rebooting the phone the second time is much quicker (almost instant). I have just tried rebooting the phone and it goes through the same slow process the first time tomtom is booted and then quick following that. Is this normal behaviour for GPS on the device (not holding GPS info when the phone is rebooted) or is it an issue with the ROM or Radio. If its the radio is their anyone in the UK who can recommend the best radio for battery life and GPS.
Cheers,
Michael
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello!
I have experienced exactly the same problem as you have with TomTom.
I have both a "Tytn II" and a HTC Advantage (X7500).
When using TomTom on the X7500 the GPS takes time to fix a position, 15-20 min or more is not unusual after a soft reset.
Then when it has fixed the position it is EXTREMLY slow when it comes to calculating the route!
I live in Sweden and I often drive to Germany, and when calculating the route from Sweden to Germany it takes over 3 min to finish!
Then we have the issue with the struggling graphics, (Of course I have been told that TomTom has trouble with VGA displays, and I find that to be very true.) the map is very slow and sometimes it stops completly for a few secounds!
On my Tytn II however the map is not struggling the same way, and it calculates much faster then on the X7500, Why? I dont know!
X7500 is a much faster device so it beats me!
The GPS lock is however almost as slow on the Tytn II as it is on the X7500, no matter if I have used quick GPS to download data or not!
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a navigation program called IGO8, I decided to try it, and believe me when I say that I will never go back to TomTom again!
First of all the GPS lock is almost instant with IGO8, from a soft reset it finds a lock within maybe 2 min at most! And then it seems that it somehow remembers the position and the next time you start the program it will have a fix in secounds!
Then it calculates much faster, I tryed to calculate the route from Sweden to Germany on my X7500 and it was finishes under 20 secounds! (Compare that to over 3 minutes with TomTom on the same device!)
It supports VGA screens, so the map floats much better on my X7500.
Next thing is that there is more maps for IGO 8 so it covers much more of "mother earth" if you want to navigate in a foreign country!
It also has 3D terrain, and can even show buildings in 3D! (Only works in some places!)
It has a very simple and logical interface that is much easyer to understand then TomTom, and it is skinnable and very customizable!
So if you are serious about having a great navi I would strongly recommend you to try IGO 8! I can promise you will not be dissapointed!
Oh and buy the way, I dont work for IGO either!
More GPS Woes
KDKobes said:
Adjust the baud rate with GPStest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have problems getting software on my O2 Stellar to recognise the internal gps. I've tried a couple of different programs (TomTom & GPSTuner) and also fiddled around with the com ports in both the software and on the Stellar (using the External gps app in settings) but still no recognition of the internal gps.
I caleed O2 and no one could help, in fact they didn't even know it had internal gps!
I've seen GPSTest mentioned a few times. It's not on my Stellar - where can I get it?
Am I missing something?
Help please!
Thanks
Dave
davespearce said:
I have problems getting software on my O2 Stellar to recognise the internal gps. I've tried a couple of different programs (TomTom & GPSTuner) and also fiddled around with the com ports in both the software and on the Stellar (using the External gps app in settings) but still no recognition of the internal gps.
I caleed O2 and no one could help, in fact they didn't even know it had internal gps!
I've seen GPSTest mentioned a few times. It's not on my Stellar - where can I get it?
Am I missing something?
Help please!
Thanks
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get GPSTest here
You can either manually set it to a COM port or have it autoscan. I believe some ROMs identify it as COM3 and others COM4, so probably best to do an autoscan. It might take a few minutes to find it, and then another few to get a lock. But after that it generally starts up and locks within a minute or two (in my experience).

GPS on the Today Screen

HI There
Trying to find a program that displays GPS signal and connection on the Today screen, I've done a bit of searching like, and came back with [<b>GPSToday0.9.9.1</b>] but it seems to act erratically, when you switch it on it doesn't do anything, I used GPSTest to ensure I was recieving GPS, and I got 3D lock in under a minute, however GPS on GPSToday still claimed no lock, it eventually showed a couple of satellites in use but only a few minutes after actual lock, plus the mapping bit is only US enabled, which although a bonus is still a bummer. (im in the UK)
Then I found [<b>GPS Sentry</b>] which cost me a little to purchase, is supposed to be a good solution but again it doesn't seem to work with Kaiser/TytnII any other solutions?
In an Ideal world a little program like GPSToday is perfect, logs on every hour or so, grabs the GPS location of the phone and logs out. Compliments other GPS programs with NMEA data in a similar fashion as QuickGPS. But essentially needs to actually work.
Anyone know of anything else I can try?
Hi Sideburnt,
GPSToday should work perfectly on the Kaiser/tytnII. That is the "reference" device on which GPSToday was most tested. In fact GPSToday is also used as a "GPS primer" by many folks because it significantly speeds up GPS locking for other programs.
When started up for the very first time, it does a bunch of initial setup things like processing your address book contacts etc which can take up time.
After the first few locks, you will notice that it locks must faster, and any other GPS programs will also get a signal quickly.
Also, there are only two features that are US only: the street address display, and the weather display. Everything else like the geotagger, the geologger, the mapping of contacts on the map, the wake-up device for fix feature, the co-ordinate display, the maps, that is all available.
Also, you must make sure that your WM GPS port settings in StartMenu->Settings->ExternalGPS are correct.
We urge you to give it one more try.
Thanks.
Sideburnt said:
HI There
Trying to find a program that displays GPS signal and connection on the Today screen, I've done a bit of searching like, and came back with [<b>GPSToday0.9.9.1</b>] but it seems to act erratically, when you switch it on it doesn't do anything, I used GPSTest to ensure I was recieving GPS, and I got 3D lock in under a minute, however GPS on GPSToday still claimed no lock, it eventually showed a couple of satellites in use but only a few minutes after actual lock, plus the mapping bit is only US enabled, which although a bonus is still a bummer. (im in the UK)
Then I found [<b>GPS Sentry</b>] which cost me a little to purchase, is supposed to be a good solution but again it doesn't seem to work with Kaiser/TytnII any other solutions?
In an Ideal world a little program like GPSToday is perfect, logs on every hour or so, grabs the GPS location of the phone and logs out. Compliments other GPS programs with NMEA data in a similar fashion as QuickGPS. But essentially needs to actually work.
Anyone know of anything else I can try?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might also try baf GPSToggle very small footprint and works perfect on my tilt

Two problems with the XDA Ignito - Please Help

I have two problems at the moment with the XDA Ignito. It is a great handset otherwise.
The first problem is not one that concerns me too much. It is when I add recipient to a SMS and click to send, it shows an error message saying the format of the number to send to isn't correct or something similar but asks if I want to send anyway. I know that sending texts works fine though apart from that error which is just a little annoying if it is going to pop up every time I want to send a message.
The second problem is one that annoys me quite a bit more. It is to do with the GPS. I believe at the moment, it is getting the location from mobile phone masts and not the GPS satellites.
In GoogleMaps, it is saying My Location is within 1800m of a greyish/blue pale circle and there is a brighter circle in the centre of the big circle.
I've seen a video on YouTube of one using the HTC Touch Diamond and they have managed to track the satellites fairly quickly and my friend who also has the same handset as me says his GPS works fine. Takes a few minutes to connect to several satellites he said.
If anyone wants to know my GPS settings, I have program port on COM4, the hardware port is None and baud rate (or whatever it is is set at 4800) and mangement of GPS by software is set to be managed automatically.
I can admit that I have not tried this outdoors yet but have sat at a window with this so it should be working.
I think I've read somewhere about incoming beams being set on receive all incoming beams can affect this working? Is this correct? Oh, and all the other settings are defaults. Using the standard O2 ROM that came on the device. Think its dated the 8th Aug if that is any help.
Thanks in advance to anyone that can help.
I must also add, there does not appear to be any QuickGPS listed under programs. Where could it be?
Can anyone confirm whether this is normal? I understand those with a HTC Official ROM will have it but not sure why with my O2 ROM it is not listed. Could it still be installed yet not listed under programs for some unknown reason?
i can't help you with the sms problem, however with the gps - you will likely not get enough reception on your gps receiver indoors, since the satellites must be in sight, at least three of them to be able to determine your position by triangulation. so go outdoors and try it again, then it should work.
For some reason, o2 appear to have decided to remove QuickGPS. Whilst using the o2 rom I never got a gps fix even leaving the device for around an hour sat on the window sill.
I got fed up, flashed a new HardSPL and Dutty's ROM onto the device and then updated the QuickGPS data. This worked perfectly and within a minute or two I had full gps lock and tomtom was able to pin point my position accurately.
On a seperate note, line of sight isn't particularly important I found as I can sit in my living room around 4 metres from any window and it picks up satellites from cold as quick as standing outside. This is the same with my old phone as well (artemis) which managed to pick up a fix very promptly even tho it uses a different gps chip.
O2 haven't included QuickGPS as this functionality is supposedly included on the chipset and downloads the data from the carrier signal.
I found that with Assisted GPS enabled, my phone was tracking location using mobile phone masts, as soon as i turned it off the GPS performance was fine. (You can use Advanced Config to do this)
Captain Jean Luc Picard said:
O2 haven't included QuickGPS as this functionality is supposedly included on the chipset and downloads the data from the carrier signal.
I found that with Assisted GPS enabled, my phone was tracking location using mobile phone masts, as soon as i turned it off the GPS performance was fine. (You can use Advanced Config to do this)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Advanced Config?
I think Advanced Config is a program that you install on your device. Gives you all sorts of options to make modifications to settings and tweak the device to improve on performance. I'm not sure I want to try this at the moment. Would rather have the device working as I think it should be using the current O2 ROM that came on the device.
I'm going to check out the GPS again when I go out later on and see if it works.
I still have a problem with the Text messaging where an error pops up before sending the message. Says something like format is not right for the phone number even though I have added the person from the contacts list. For some reason it just doesn't like the format the number is in.
Everything else with the device is fine though.
Oh one more thing, just out of interest, is it possible to obtain QuickGPS (CAB file) without having to change ROM? I once got the HTC Streaming Media application for my XDA Orbit from somewhere on this site.
Thanks.
I'd also be interested in Quick GPS as the GPS lock on my Ignito is terrible compared to my Orbit 2....
I've had a dig around and all I can find are failry incomprehensible registry hacks etc etc.
I've desabled AGPS via Diamond Tweak and I'll see if it's any quicker to get a lock now....
I'm a bit confused to bbe honest!
I've been outside with the GPS. It is amazing just how accurate it is now.
One thing I've noticed though is when I had a play around with the device this evening. It was asking me to enter my system and sim pins one after the other as though I had switched the device off. The device must have some how reset itself while in my pocket or maybe due to a period of inactivity.
I have pretty much the same power settings as what I had on my XDA Orbit.
I have the screen and phone power to standby or whatever it is called after 1min when running on battery and 10mins when connected to mains, could that trigger this in the XDA Ignito?
Thanks.
Still got to look into the SMS issue. Might be O2 settings related but got a feeling it is software.
glad you got your GPS working mate!
Still got the problem with the SMS error dialog box popping up before allowing me to send the message. Anyone have any ideas on how I'd get rid of that?
Thanks.

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