GPS lock and E911

qbunnie · #1 (**permalink**) 03-16-2009, 03:38 AM

Okay, so this whole GPS thing is rather confusing, between the different modes of aGPS and if aGPS is better than standalone GPS or not, etc., etc.

I really just have 1 question, and hopefully there is a good answer with a reasonable explanation (I really am asking for too much....)

My phone sometimes takes a loooong time locking onto a GPS signal when in Live maps or Google maps. Like, 5-10 minutes. It does lock on, just not very quickly. Most of the time (80% or so) it locks within 30 seconds, though, so that's pretty good.

The question is if I dial 911, does the above phenomenon make a difference? Or does E911 use a separate process entirely?

I don't have a landline so I do count on E911 knowing where I am in case I am alone and choking or some other crazy random happenstance.

QuickGPS does update regularly, fyi.

OK, thanks in advance.

qbunnie · #2 (**permalink**) 03-16-2009, 03:43 AM

Ahhh crap, i posted this in the wrong forum. Can a mod please move it to the HTC Touch Pro forum (not CDMA upgrades)?

Sorry. That's what I get for posting at 3:30 AM....

kvaughan · #3 (**permalink**) 03-16-2009, 04:26 AM

When you call 911 you will have priority access on many different systems. Working in a 911 center I can tell you that we get GPS information (give or take) 1 to 2 seconds after answering the phone.

**CozBoogie** · #4 (**permalink**) 03-16-2009, 01:21 PM

Moved to the general Touch Pro Forum.

late,
Coz

Yankees368 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-16-2009, 01:27 PM

The only time I have called 911 on my TP, the operator was not able to grab ANY GPS data from my phone. Granted, I was in a hilly area, but I was outside, so I should have been fine. The icing on the cake is that the idiot 911 operator got my info wrong, so did not come until a passing officer happened to see me.

qbunnie · #6 (**permalink**) 03-16-2009, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yankees368

The only time I have called 911 on my TP, the operator was not able to grab ANY GPS data from my phone. Granted, I was in a hilly area, but I was outside, so I should have been fine. The icing on the cake is that the idiot 911 operator got my info wrong, so did not come until a passing officer happened to see me.

Yeah, this is the kind of thing I'm a bit worried about, lol. Does anybody else have experience with GPS and 911 calling, in particular with their Touch Pro's?
Hopefully, this was one time gone wrong incidient, but I have this sneaking suspicion that it may not be.

Thanks.

Oh, thanks for moving the thread Coz.

Yankees368 · #7 (**permalink**) 03-16-2009, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qbunnie

Yeah, this is the kind of thing I'm a bit worried about, lol. Does anybody else have experience with GPS and 911 calling, in particular with their Touch Pro's?
Hopefully, this was one time gone wrong incidient, but I have this sneaking suspicion that it may not be.

Thanks.

Oh, thanks for moving the thread Coz.

If it makes you feel better, contact your local PD and ask if they will let you run a 911 test. I have been considering the same thing.

kvaughan · #8 (**permalink**) 03-17-2009, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yankees368

If it makes you feel better, contact your local PD and ask if they will let you run a 911 test. I have been considering the same thing.

I don't know how it is in other centers but in ours we only get ANI/ALI on 911 lines. You could always just call 911 and ask if they are getting "phase 2" information (would show your latitude and longitude and plot it on a map), or "phase 1" information (would only show the address of the site transmitting the call). It might be a pain in someone's **** but it's not like we don't do it for wireless provider's field testing all the time.

qbunnie · #9 (**permalink**) 03-18-2009, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yankees368

If it makes you feel better, contact your local PD and ask if they will let you run a 911 test. I have been considering the same thing.

How do I know which 911 call center will get my cell's call? Will the local police department know? My cell's area code is also from a different city than the one I'm in now, so does that make a difference?

Thanks for the advice, it's a good idea.

Alternatively, I don't know how the normal landline system works, but if its a database with home phone numbers and addresses, isn't it possible to "register" my cell phone number with my home address? I suppose this may not be all that practical since landlines can't leave the house, but cell phones can, but it's still a thought.

**Mylt1** · #10 (**permalink**) 03-18-2009, 09:41 PM

which 911 center is decided by the tower your phone is pinging off of at the time of the phone call. the GF is a supervisor at the local 911 center. they have phase II which means it plots your location on a map and gives them the closest 911 address. the aGOS works off the towers and really has very little if anything to do with the actual GPS chip in the phone. if your that worried about it find the NON emergency number for your local dispatch center and call and ask. they will help you best they can.