Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

Going to Europe in a month. Has anyone been since they got GPS on their Mogul? Thanks.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

Just make sure you have maps of the area on your phone and you'll be good to go. I wouldn't count on having WiFi access anywhere.

If you're just looking for stories/experiences I can't help you though. Haven't been to Europe for a couple years. Last time I went I did make a couple Skype VOIP calls on my Apache though. That was nice. Might want to put 10 bucks on a Skype account before you go. Or just pick up a really cheap phone and a prepaid SIM.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

I have the TomTom maps already ready to go on a data card. Was just wondering if I can use the GPS with the phone turned off so that it helps reduce the battery drain. I have read different points on this forum as to if it will work or not.

Anyone?

Thanks

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

There is a reg tweak in another thread that is supposed to enable standalone mode for the gps. This would let your gps work when there is no cell coverage (in Europe) or your in flight mode.

Sorry, I don't have the direct link. It is in one of the GPS threads on this forum.

Good Luck...Brad

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

You don't need a reg hack to run your GPS stand alone it will already. I use Garmin Mobile xt and it rocks.I load the maps on my card and yes it works while in a call or with the radio off (flight mode). I would say you'd have to DL the map of the area your going to.
Sorry this is not needed. GPS has worked stand alone since the leaked rom. The difference now is you don't have to use Google maps or Live search to launch your GPS Garmin/tomtom will do it for you ,But I must say I also do the A-GPS edit but its not necessary for GPS.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

Ya, there is no need to do the registry edit. It will work fine in stand alone mode without it. All the reg edit does is (supposedly) allow varying modes of assisted gps to be used as well. The stand alone satellite based GPS is never disabled.

No need to take our word for it though. Just put your phone in flight mode and walk outside;)

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

I had a heck of a time getting a GPS lock in Europe. Sometimes 5 minutes, but other times taking a day or more or even never making it rather useless. As soon as I returned back to the states, my GPS lock was extremely quick. I also tried to get a lock on an airplane flying over the pacific this past week, with no luck after 45 minutes. I'm using the no2chem rom, which has a registry tweak included for GPS, but it does appear that the GPS relies on AGPS to get a lock...maybe there is a registry setting to prevent it from relying on AGPS.

Please post your experience.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

If this was the case GPS would not work in flight mode because A-GPS works off of cell phone towers but it will. Undo the reg edit and your GPS will still lock on a sat. On your GPS app can you switch from WGS 84 to Zanderij? Maybe that will make a difference. Look HERE for the difference between the two. GPS App is "Garmin Mobile XT"
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i236/lsme420/GPS.jpg

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

dogpack, which mode were you using?
Did you try editing your registry to standalone mode to see if it improved your GPS lock?

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

My GPSmode=2. APGS set to enabled.

I had similar issues with the default settings of the leaked ROM. I have another transpack flight on Sat night and I can do some testing by tweaking some of the GPS settings to see if I can get a consistent lock.

I currently use BeelineGPS, by VisualGPS. I do notice that it periodically can't connect with the GPS. I had to turn on the option "Enable Auto Reconnect", to force it to acquire a lock in most cases or it would lose the GPS connection during acquiring and time out, even when CDMA was available in the US. I don't know losing GPS connection is a software bug or a hardware bug as I believe most navigation software automatically reconnects by default, so I would have never noticed this using Tomtom or iGuidance. This is my second mogul (as I left one on a plane) and I've had the GPS issues with both, so I don't think the results are specific to my phone.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

i would try it in standalone mode to see if it makes a diff.

go to HKLM > SOFTWARE > HTC > SUPL AGPS >

change EnableAGPS to 0
change EnableGPSSmartMode to 0
change GPSMode to 1


please report back since i'm heading to europe also in the summer.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

'm currently in Germany and so far no luck. I'm having difficulty setting up a controlled environment, but the above settings for 30 minutes revealed no lock. I know a standalone GPS can take a while to get an initial lock in a new area, but 30 minutes should be sufficient. At times, it was communicating with 11 sats, but never able to lock. I'll continue attempts and report back if I learn more.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

Seems strange. I do remember another thread about someone who had a similar issue in the Caribbean. He was able to get a fix on a lot of satellites, but never a lock on his location. I can understand it taking longer when moving to a significantly different geographical location than the last fix, but I don't understand why it won't eventually lock on.

I'm going to Germany myself later this year. Keep us posted.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

I was in Paris 2 months ago and i could not get it to work with Tomtom or Google Maps

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

Did you try the settings 1,1,4?
according to this forum, this is the correct way of getting a lock without a cell tower.
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=159224

also, for those of you who are testing to see if your gps works in flight mode, did you do a soft-reboot after putting it in flight mode? apparently, it is not a valid test until you do a soft reboot.
I tried this and had difficulty getting a lock with flight mode on in nyc.
maybe due to tall buildings?

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

I've tried almost every configuration I can think of with no luck. The only setting I notice that might make a difference, while not connected to a cell towers is:

EnableGPSSmartMode


Setting this to 1, the GPS appears to look for sats based on the last last known location. Even a hard reset does not erase the GPS last known location. Setting this value to 1, the GPS tries to acquire sats base on no previous location.

For a change from the states to europe, one would think this should be zero as it would be inefficient to look for a lock, by first assuming you were still in the states.

I wonder, if somehow the GPS is crippled to prevent location locks outside certain regions.

Has anyone had this GPS work outside of North America?

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

since this is still an unsettled issue and your a perfect test case. I'll breif ya'll on some of what i've found out.. (i gave up as my data is free)

aGPS has 2 modes, reg and smart. (at least in usa)
reg- receives a generic (blind coordinates) from the cell tower (for the mogul=CDMA)
smartmode - the phone requests location by sending tower strength, ect info to the server. the server processes the data and reply's.

so that leads to the other settings in the reg..
server ip... anybody have another to try??? (wifi possible??)
and
number fixes - not sure where this factors in excatly
QosAccuracy - try up or down
Qos Performance - try up or down
the qos settings will tweak the algorithms in the gps "lock" process, which has to be limited by ram, proc, driver, chipset... take your pick.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

Server IP and port from a Kaiser forum on another board. This obviously won't help with true standalone mode. I'm not even sure what it does. Maybe it updates the satellite location information to make it easier to find them, similar to quickgps.

Kaiser Post:

ServerIP=193.253.42.109
ServerPort=7275

My HTC values:

ServerIP=195.207.101.126
ServerPort=7788

If I get time, I'll play with the QoS parameters later today or tomorrow.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

the server is for smart mode, uses signal info from the phone and processes into a "lock"'d location, with it forwards on to the requesting entity (your phone or for example family locator)

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

I have to keep a eye on this thread because I am going to Italy in a few weeks...

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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...

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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.....

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

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.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

What makes you say that? Do you have some support for this? You could be right, but I'd like to see some evidence before believing something that illogical.

Isn't flight mode intended to disable all radios on the device in order to avoid any potential interference with other electronic doodads? That would be my assumption. Along the same lines, I think it is possible that Flight Mode could disable the GPS chip even though it is a passive signal. Perhaps there is a bug that allows it to keep running after turning on flight mode, but not after a soft reset while still in flight mode.

Unless a lot more people start coming forward with similar experiences/evidence, I'm going to have to test on my own later this year in order to make up my mind.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

The GPS chip has nothing to do with the radio. I can switch to flight mode and turn on GPS with Holux gps, run iGuidance and get a fix in seconds. The GPS receiver is a passive reciever and does not require the radio to be on. aGPS would require the radio to be on, but the Mogul is capable of regular GPS (like a TOM TOM, Garmin standalone unit) as well as aGPS.

As a test I just performed the above while typing this post.

My assumption is that the Comm Manager software interface that turns on Airplane mode predates the GPS activation software and either HTC/Sprint were to lazy to rewrite it, were not required to (as GPS is a passive reciver and not a transmitter), or just plain did not think about it (the most probable reason). If the FAA gives a hoot I am sure we will see changes in a later firmware release.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

I realize GPS is a passive signal. That's why I said this in the post you quoted:

:)

Part of the debate centered around wether the GPS chip could still obtain a lock after a soft reset while still in flight mode. I recently tested this as well, and didn't have any problems getting a fix on my position. It seemed to take slightly longer, but that is understandable. So I think it is still safe to say that the chip is capable of getting a lock without assistance from the cell towers (ie true standalone mode). Wether this holds true when traveling to a vastly different location remains to be seen. Several people have reported having trouble when trying to get a lock after traveling to different countries. Perhaps a program like WiFiFofum could help in getting a lock by establishing a rough estimate of your location based on surrounding wifi networks. I think we still need more data to really put this issue to bed.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

no I havn't forgot about my bold claim, but I read alot over the winter, but kinda gave up, cuz I don't even have a passport. when i get some time I will find my ref's and post links.
in the meantime, anybody have access to a RF detector? (a real one not a hotspot one)
http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/sh-055dv.html
also
http://www.cellbusters.com/product_i...products_id=28

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

I have access to all kinds of RF test equipment and analyzers.

What were you trying to do, see if the phone is still transmitting while in Flight mode?
Give me an example of what you wanted to do and I'll test it out.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

Unless you have some real proof, I'm going to stick with the assumption that the GPSOne chip is capable of full standalone mode. Per one of Qualcomm's releases on the GPSOne chip:

The aGPS functions of the GPSOne chip are there purely as an enhancement to the standalone GPS. Using aGPS the phone can get a lock indoors and in other locations where location based services wouldn't normally be available.

I suppose it is possible that flight mode does not disable aGPS, but I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't. Either way, the chip should still function without assistance from the cell networks.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

yes. the ideal test would be inline with an external antenna, to make sure ANY activity over the cell radio is detected.

"why blindly believe, when we can walk to the moon and see the flag..."

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

the frequencies being used would be helpful too... I think gps is around 1500mhz

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

Well I've given up with the GPS in Germany...never once received a lock. As a backup, I used a BT GPS. With the NO2CHeM 6.1 ROM 5060, I was unable to set the GPS hardware port in the native redirector to anything but (none), so I was forced to use GPSGate, which worked like a charm. I've been quite busy with work, but I wish I had more time to test the GPS lock issue with the stock ROM.

For the internal GPS issue, the GPS is returning sat data, it just won't lock.

The behaviour of the external GPS and internal GPS using the native redirector for internal and GPS gate for external is different.

With the internal GPS, sats are read and data is recieved, but after a while it appears the GPS resets and starts reacquiring GPS data, while the external GPS seems to build on the signal of sats it is currently communicating with. In addition, the phone itself will periodically soft reset while acquiring data through the internal GPS.

I used the GPSviewier trying cold reset to completely reset the internal GPS and there seemed to be no improvement.

Re: Anyone used the GPS in Europe yet?
 

Another observation:

Posted throughout these forums, it is recommend setting EnableGPSSmartMode to 0 for standalone mode and 1 for aGPS. Enabling this setting tells the GPS to start acquiring a fix based on the last known location. In aGPS mode, the GPS is getting assistance in acquiring a fix via methods other than the last known location, so I assume this registry setting is essentially not applicable or at least insignificant when using aGPS. I'll test when back in the states to see if the speed to lock is any different when this value is changed.

The value in this registry setting would be useful in standalone mode (assuming the GPS truly functions in standalone mode). In standalone mode, setting a value of 1 should cause the GPS to start searching based on the last known location. This should significantly improve the time to lock, assuming your current location has not changed significantly since the last lock. The only time it might be beneficial to set to 0, is when running in stand alone mode and starting in a location significantly different from the previously known location. Even in this scenario, there may not be much, if any, noticeable difference as the entire sky still must be searched. Having an incorrect starting location may not be any worse than starting with no known location (I'll leave GPS gurus to this one until I have a chance to research the GPS algorithm used for finding sats in the sky).