Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?

[jpeepers]

I have always wondered if these so called GPS enabled phone are truly stand alone GPS receivers and from the data I've seen here I'm guessing they are not? The fact that no one has been able to get a signal lock while away from there phone network just proves that case.
If it was true GPS it would lock up no matter where you where?

I believe they have to rely on the cell towers GPS position to triangulate you current position. Without them it doesn't seem to work.
Guess that explains why I can get a GPS lock on my phone while inside a building when my $500 dedicated Garmin GPS cannot.

[bedoig]

Well, the GPS will function with the phone in flight mode, so we do know that it is fully capable of tracking your location without assistance from the cell towers.

I haven't tested wether it will work in flight mode after a reboot as suggested earlier. If it does not work after a reboot (while still in flight mode), it would suggest that the phone may need some assistance in obtaining it's initial lock. After the reboot, I'm guessing that data is wiped from memory, hence the difficulty in obtaining a fresh lock. It seems this would also apply when moving to a significantly different location, because regardless of wether or not you reset your phone, any previously saved location data would now be innacurate.

Bottom line is that the GPS does function without assistance from the cell towers. It may, however, need help in attaining its initial lock. So, paradoxically, it may not work without assistance from the cell towers. Now my head hurts...

[jerryyyyy]

I was over there for 4 days earlier this month and tried every trick in the book with three different applications and not one worked. A pleasant surprise was it did not work either when I got home and I am still troubleshooting that.....

I reconnected via BT my old reliable Holux 1200, put it on Com2, set GoogleMaps to manual on Com2, and I was back in business.

However, when I went back to trying to use the internal GPS, no go. I reinstalled Google Maps, and still no go with the internal GPS..... but it returned! after reboot..... wish we knew what was up here. I do not have the energy to check registry settings.....

[g2145cal]

i have done my own test by going to the comm manager and tapping the phone icon to turn it off (not the flight mode icon).

google maps did not work, but i expected that. i used the holux mini gps viewer to prime the gps receiver and i started tomtom navigator 6 and it worked just fine. i am over here on the west coast.

[timewaster]

Originally Posted by g2145cal

i have done my own test by going to the comm manager and tapping the phone icon to turn it off (not the flight mode icon).

google maps did not work, but i expected that. i used the holux mini gps viewer to prime the gps receiver and i started tomtom navigator 6 and it worked just fine. i am over here on the west coast.

you need to do a soft reboot after you switch your phone icon to off in the comm manager for it to be a valid test.
i was able to get a signal also when turning on flight mode till i did a soft reboot.

[Success100]

Originally Posted by g2145cal

i have done my own test by going to the comm manager and tapping the phone icon to turn it off (not the flight mode icon).

google maps did not work, but i expected that. i used the holux mini gps viewer to prime the gps receiver and i started tomtom navigator 6 and it worked just fine. i am over here on the west coast.

because google maps requires a data connection to d/l maps

[g2145cal]

i know google maps used the data connection, but i didn't know about doing a soft reset after disabling the phone....it's been about 5 minutes and no gps fix....that is a little disappointing.

so, if you're out in the middle of the california desert and there are no cell towers, you're screwed.

[shaggylive]

do you people really think that flight mode disables aGPS!! I believe your mistaken... I think all it effectively does is block smartmode... in this country if your phone has power, it has aGPS.

[robinsondm]

Originally Posted by g2145cal

i know google maps used the data connection, but i didn't know about doing a soft reset after disabling the phone....it's been about 5 minutes and no gps fix....that is a little disappointing.

so, if you're out in the middle of the california desert and there are no cell towers, you're screwed.

I've been able to get a GPS fix with the phone off, after a soft reset, IF I use the "Cold Start" option in GPSViewer and 1 or 2 other GPS tools. My GPS registry values are the default 1,1,2.

Under these conditions, GPSViewer won't show a fix in the "GPS Status" tab, unless I switch to the "Setup" tab, and then back to "GPS Status". I can also see evidence of a fix by looking at the raw GPS data (e.g., in GPSViewer "Setup") and noting when most of the missing values (indicated by strings of commas) go away.

So, can someone outside the U.S. try a "Cold Start" in one of the GPS tools and let us know if that works? Thanks.

[g2145cal]

mine are set to 1,1,4....4 being the one i actually changed.
turned the phone off, did a soft reset. confirmed it by trying to start up internet explorer and making a phone call.
gps works, but it takes a tad bit longer to lock on.

now i am not disappointed anymore.