GPS help!

[mountainwampus]

[quote=gstide;178708]thanks for your response.
I DO want to try SERO. BUT, my gf doesn't allow me to do anything on this. "just do nothing, ok?" sigh~~

Your response answered one of my question. This "built-in GPS" feature does need Sprint network support. The GPS signal received by Q9c is not from GPS satellites. They are from GPS satellites originally, but relayed by Sprint towers. That's why it can't locate you when you are out of the network coverage. It's not real GPS anyway.

Wha? Tell yr gf this technical stuff and it needs to be taken care of. "Doing nothing" is never a solution. You have 30 days to evaluate the service and equipment. You can still cancel.

[gstide]

Thanks Paco.
But this doesn't make sense. How do you explain my Q9c cannot find even one satellite in google map/wls/sprint nav? ( I did this experiment many times, in my room, a large parking space and downtown). And, How do you explain this:

Originally Posted by mountainwampus

Whenever I'm out of cell service, both programs fail to locate me."

I think there are two possible reasons that my gps doesn't work:
1. my phone is broken.
2. if Q9c can receive satellite signal directly, at least the initial step depends on the sprint tower. data plan is used as a validatoin way.

To prove this, just look around whether there is anyone who can use built-in GPS and meanwhile he/she doesn't have a data plan.
Or, would you mind go to an open space out of sprint coverage? then check your google map (use GPS), or sprint nav (current location). gm may report error, but sprint nav will try to find satellites definately, even without data plan. if they can find satellites, Q9c can receive satellite signal directly. otherwise, I am right.

[PacoJr67]

Yes, for our phones, one of the first steps does come from the assist servers. The phone has to develop ephemeris data (the tracks of the sattelites) In the Q9h this takes some time (sometimes a few minutes), but the assist servers download the current ephemeris data to the phone (which most likely does use data)
As I said before, if the GPS unit were solely Tower based it wouldn't stop working indoors. The Sprint Nav in my RAZR2 V9m (used for a whole 3 weeks) did function indoors, but it was much less accurate.
Since you have found the other forum I participate on, try to make contact with oKeos. He is our expert (no pun intended) in the GPS field. He even has an app that can tell you which satellites you are tracking.

[gstide]

[quote=mountainwampus;178795]

Originally Posted by gstide

thanks for your response.
I DO want to try SERO. BUT, my gf doesn't allow me to do anything on this. "just do nothing, ok?" sigh~~

Your response answered one of my question. This "built-in GPS" feature does need Sprint network support. The GPS signal received by Q9c is not from GPS satellites. They are from GPS satellites originally, but relayed by Sprint towers. That's why it can't locate you when you are out of the network coverage. It's not real GPS anyway.

Wha? Tell yr gf this technical stuff and it needs to be taken care of. "Doing nothing" is never a solution. You have 30 days to evaluate the service and equipment. You can still cancel.

we are in a family plan. if i am gonna doing anything, she will be involved. her service may be interrupted which is not acceptable for her. i'm sure this won't work. I just hope ,two yrs later, sero still exists.

[PacoJr67]

If your main interest is GPS, Garmin mobile XT is still an option (I haven't looked but there probably are others as well) available to you if you want GPS, without using a data plan. Even though it's a little pricey, it would still be cheaper than adding a data plan if you were only using it for GPS.

[gstide]

ok. I see. carriers do protect their investments very well.
Thank you Paco and all other guys. You are really helpful and nice.

[PacoJr67]

I think that may have something to do with how hard it is to find information on how aGPS works. I spend a good deal of time looking to find out what I know.
also the fact that the carriers called the E911 capable phones "GPS enabled" when [that service] had nothing to do with sattelite GPS. I do remember hearing of a hack to enable your phone to use the assist servers. But I can't remember which forum it was on (not the motorola one...) and I don't know if it would work without a data connection. However, it may be worth a try for you. I'll look for it when I get home from work and if I find it I'll let you know.