Many people seem to be having problems using a Bluetooth GPS with nav software on a Pocket PC. I have had a few issues and trawled the net looking for answers and there seems to be a lack of reference information on this. This forum is probably the best hope of getting a definitive reference document compiled.
My XDA Pro (Universal) did not have the GPS Settings control panel installed in Settings/Connections until I edited the registry to make it visible. Why was it not enabled originally? Does it not work?
What does GPS Settings actually do? (My premise is that it virtualises the GPS Com port is that right?)
I have set up my BT GPS to be on COM8 by adding a new Outgoing Port. Using GPS Settings-
in the Programs Tab set "Program Port:" to be COM1:
in the Hardware tab set "Hardware portP" to be COM8: (why no 38400 baud rate setting??)
Is it safe to assume that any program that wants to use the GPS should connect to the virtual port COM1: or the actual port COM8:?
From a software perspective when trying to configure a program to connect to a GPS invariably the software will offer a list of COM ports to use e.g......
VisualGPSce (a free GPS monitoring tool from www.visualgps.net) offers a set of COM ports and SER01-SER32. If I connect this to SER08: it works fine but when I look at the settings again it has changed them to COM1: - Drivers\BuiltIn\Serial_dbg. (I assume this is the affect of using the GPS Settings above). Interestingly if I choose an invalid port then choose COM1: it fails to connect until I select SER08: again!!
Fugawi offers COM1: - COM8: but only works when I select COM8: Is this 'not playing the game' because it is talking to the real port and not the 'virtual one'?
A friend has Pocket Nav (Memory Map) which only offers a set of COM ports COM1,2,3,6,7,9 (all of which are named with the kind of device except 7) and none of them work. Is this software only offering COM ports that it believes to be active? It also seems to be not playing the virtual port game (If my premise above is correct). Why doesn't it see the GPS on COM8:?
Sorry for the long posts - lots of questions, a few suppositions and not many answers from me. I just hope the gurus who frequent this forum can provide some good technical answers which will benefit many frustrated (both by things not working but also through lack of techincal reference documentation) people.
Thanks
Clive
hi i'm experiencing the same problem, did you solve it ?
I can't find a useful COM port to connect to my java application using a Qtek 9000 with WM 5 and Creme JVM.
thank you.
I will surely spend a lot of time on this question in my forthcoming Bluetooth Bible (still don't know when to publish).
are you serious ..
or it was sarcastic ?
Yes, maybe i was not so clear writing my question, but i didn't want to write the same words clive_j wrote ...
I'm running a java application on a Qtek 9000 running Windows Mobile 5.1.1700 (build 14354.0.1.1) and using a Java Virtual Machine "Creme 4.12 for PocketPC".
While, via bluetooth manager, I'm able to connect my BTGPS (i.e. bluetooth GPS) only on COM0, or COM4, or COM8, my application can open only COM1, or COM2, or COM3, or COM6, or COM7, or COM9.
I configured GPS Settings on WM 5 just like clive_j did, and still i can't receive any data from the GPS, while VisualGPS can connect and receive data from SER08.
Did you have any idea ?
I found how to solve the problem.
don't know if menneisyys is interested.
Hi guys,
I need a simple sw to install on my i-mate Jamin that log in a text file (NMEA) the gps position....
Any idea?
Fransons GPS Gate, that way you can log AND share the GPS port to other software at the same time. Or search the now for the TomTom GPS Driver for version 3 (GPS driver relase version 2,06 or 2,07) - this contains a log facility and doesn't require the main mapping application to work its a stand alone application - Mike
I have a tracking unit in my car. I can send it an SMS message from my XDA and it will return a full GPS NMEA string with a header. Can anyone tell me the feasibility of writing an application that could post this incoming data directly to the TomTom maps program and display the vehicles exact position at street level.
The GPS application supplied with TomTom maps can obviously do this with streaming NMEA strings through the serial port.
If this application is possible I think there is a lot of potential. I am in the telematics business and I know that the majority of tracking devices work the same way.
nicolem798 , this is your last warning, please refrain from posting Questions in the Dev&HAck Forum!
Hello,
I am new to the forum and also the owner of an HTC Fuze. I have been playing around recently with the GPS on the phone and got me thinking. I live in NY and we have a CORS network of gps base stations that are fed by the use of ntrip.
I was wondering if their was any way to use the gps signal on my phone and the connection to this CORS network to give me sub inch accuracy on my phone...then not sure what I would do with it then. But I do live on a farm and I would like to see some type of precision agricultural use.
I guess I need a way to have the GPS on the phone talk with the GNSS internet radio and then give me spot on guidance and such.
Please let me know your thoughts or if I need to explain better.
Thanks,
Clayton
bump
bump. Any ideas? Anyone
Great idea cwrisrey !
That will save the cost of a geodetic device, which is many times the cost of a Fuze. Further, it will lead the accuracy of the buildin GPS into millimum class.
Not dig into this further, would you go further to tell these:
Is that CORS data encrypted?
Is that accessible through public internet or VPN?
Is there copy right or intellectuall property right issue involved? (I don't think so, but better make it clear first)
Once again, great idea. Please do remember to update this thread once you got any progress. Thanks.
More info
Hello wg5566,
This site would probably answer alot of your questions clearer than I could:
http://www6.nysdot.gov/spiderweb/frmIndex.aspx
* Is that CORS data encrypted?
-I don't believe so, I think that it is just a form of compression, to distribute across the internet.
* Is that accessible through public internet or VPN?
Yes, the NYS CORS anyway. It accessible from the public internet (although they require you to register with them) But I believe there are other free streams. I also believe it was modeled after being able to be sent threw GPRS.
* Is there copy right or intellectuall property right issue involved? (I don't think so, but better make it clear first)
-I believe the ntrip is based on a GNU, I think the source code is available. http://igs.bkg.bund.de/index_ntrip_down.htm
Windows CE version:
http://www.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/crgb/gsr/downloads/installGNSS.CAB
Please, let me know your thoughts...
Thanks,
Clayton
My fast thoughts:
First make sure there is no satisfied freeware currently available for WM.
If so please ask a moderator to move this to the development & hackings section. And Add tyis sentence on the title: Call for developers for revolutionary GPS app!
I'm sure somebody here can develop this. You know the geodetic device was invented many years ago with very weak profiles comparing to current WM devices. The hardware on our phone should be capable to deal with these calculations, and the WM Pro platform should be capable to support such an app. Anyway it should not be a biggy for many masters here. But it is a biggy for gps users with high accuracy demand for any reason.
Edit: Did you try install that wince cab on your phone? I think some of WINCE apps can just run on WM. Please backup your data first.
Edit2: I tried to install it on my device, at first it did not show up in start menu, then I found the cab just put files and shortcut in the folder names in French. But there is no registry involved in the cab. Only three files. And then program UI itself is in English. Just run the executable from the folder will go right out of the box. So please try it. I did not try to connect & loggin yet, due to not registered account.
Edit3: Looks like the cab is only access the data from internet, convert the data format and export the data, but we still need a geodetic/gps software to process/use the data.
Disclaimer: I attatched these three files for the only purppose of exchanging software developement infomation. Anybody if download it please do not use it for any purppose other than this. Thanx.
Some thoughts on the subject
Hi All,
The idea of using NTRIP to make a Windows Mobile GPS device sub-meter accurate crossed my mind. After some research I found this thread.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any software capable of doing this. My idea is that it should be possible to accomplish this goal, using a combination of existing tools (which would be really cool!).
As wg5566 notes, there is a (WM) tool called GNSS Internet Radio, which is capable of downloading NTRIP corrections. It turns out this software works, but does have some flaws. Someone wrote another open source tool which is better (?), but unfortunately it isn't built for Windows Mobile (see: http://lefebure.com/software/).
More searching revealed a (dead?) project on codeplex: SharpGPS. It's an unfinished demo. It does however seem to be designed to do exactly what we're suggesting in this thread.
My idea: Completing the WM version of SharpGPS with parts of GNSS Internet radio / lefebure NTRIP client should result in a tool that's capable of upgrading a WM devices' gps signal to sub-meter accuracy through RTK/DGPS corrections over NTRIP.
Any ideas / suggestions about this?
It's already been done for the commercial market
Land surveyors, construction companies, and farmers use RTK GPS and RTK GNSS correction services on a regular basis. Some are free and some are paid subscription. They can be either NTRIP protocol with casters or individual TCP or UDP connections. Examples of software available are Carlson SurvCE and MicroSurvey. Read Carlson's support site for how they deal with the data flow using such networks on SurvCE (Windows Mobile and CE).
I have worked in land surveying using such equipment, and it generally requires dual frequency receivers, RTK corrections, and high quality antennas to achieve 1-2cm 95% CI horizontal precision. The current GPS chips in cell phones are only single frequency and so the best you could expect under ideal conditions is 2'-3' precision using some form of differential correction like WAAS or beacon or DGPS via NTRIP. Under average conditions, the precision will likely be in the 10-20' range. The dual frequency receivers take care of the large errors caused by radio waves traveling through the ionosphere.
Due to the limitations of batteries, antennas, and space for more chips in cellphones, the future of location accuracy will likely include some combination of GPS/GLONASS and cellular radio signal frequency timing calculations from cell towers. True Position, with its U-TDOA technology, is one example of measuring the time differences of cell phone radio waves using cell towers with known coordinates. Rumors (from surveying journals) have it that there are current patents in place that can allow for sub foot precision using such methods when sufficient cell towers are present for multilateration.
Has anyone found success on this topic? WM or Android...
Would be very interested, since there is a free NTRIP feed available in Switzerland... anyone?
*bump* it up
Been there still trying. Problem is no carrier phase off internal gps.
Grimli said:
Hi All,
The idea of using NTRIP to make a Windows Mobile GPS device sub-meter accurate crossed my mind. After some research I found this thread.
As wg5566 notes, there is a (WM) tool called GNSS Internet Radio, which is capable of downloading NTRIP corrections. It turns out this software works, but does have some flaws. Someone wrote another open source tool which is better (?), but unfortunately it isn't built for Windows Mobile (see: /lefebure.com/software/).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lance lefebure is a really cool guy I'm sure he wouldn't have any problem building a wm version but it is going to takea lot more than that to get rtk to a cell phone.
Very good ,thanks.
Ed hardy bikini said:
Very good ,thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are confused just ask questions and I will do my best to answer them. I am in the ag industry and deal with RTK networks and different ways of connecting them and tons of different gps units on a daily basis.
Look at this:
http://stakemill.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/ashtech-mobile-mapper-100-supports-esri-arcpad-10-0/
and this:
http://www.ashtech.com/-2359.kjsp?RH=1272644205746&RF=1270806507068
Is that still a phone !?
wg5566 said:
Look at this:
Is that still a phone !?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope PDA with support for external GPS with a builtin reciever that even sees glonass satellites (russian constelation). That was made specifically to do RTK mapping. It does have a GSM radio for data to connect to the cors.
Phone positioning using CORS
To perform a CORS (Network Reference correction we need a GGA stream from the GPS in your device. This allows us to remove the anomalies and provde the correction stream. As phones use a sirf II chip or similar they do not have input capability to output the NMEA stream to achieve this.
This one works great! it will connect to an Rtk receiver and get the nmea string from it or will use the internal GPS to be able to register on the CORS network. It will then stream the corrections over Bluetooth to a receiver or even a repeater radio. It won't however correct the internal GPS. http://antrip.dyndns.biz/Home/DownloadTrial
My Samsung Focus only gets GPS position updates once per second (1Hz). At 100kmph (~62mph), you've already moved ~28meters or 91 feet. Thats pretty inaccurate.
Are there any WP7 phones with built-in GPS that update more frequently than 1Hz?
$40 external Bluetooth GPS units update at 10Hz and some wired usb units update even faster than that. But Microsoft isn't supporting the SPP Bluetooth profile even with Mango update and I see no way to communicate with a generic USB device through the micro-usb port cause you don't get native access to write a driver. So no luck getting external GPS working with the current framework
I'd like to build a list of the GPS update frequency of the various phones out there. Hopefully they are not all using the same crappy GPS chip...
10 Hz GPS update will drain your battery much faster... Also, GPS software have some interpolation algorithms. From my own experience with Navigon 3.0: I very like WP7's default GPS accuracy.
Thanks.
I don't care about battery life though; my scenario has power cable available (non-hand-held scenario).
The compass and accelerometer sensors are available on my device but unfortunately the Samsung Focus does not have a gyroscope.
Accelerometer and compass samples at 50Hz, but they are fairly noisy. The new Mango/7.1 Motion API should help filter some of that noise and maybe I could get a reasonably accurate equivalent of a 2Hz GPS with some tricky math.
Double the accuracy is double the accuracy!
BTW, for what kind of tasks you need this accuracy? As I said before, Navigon 3.0 (see corresponding forum) works very fine and precisely, as a standalone Garmin, for example (what is internally also WinCe device ).
I'm not doing GPS maps. Everybody's done that Mine is more of a real-time motion analysis and visualization. I don't want to give away too many details cause I don't want someone to beat me to the punch. I do know that nobody has an app that does what I want on the marketplace yet.
OK, it's up to you. Take a look to my advice : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=15982827&postcount=574
Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA Premium App
Oh cool. I wonder if mine is set to 1000 impliying 1Hz updates. 500 would be 2Hz updates.
But I reckon when submitting an app to the marketplace you're not allowed to edit the registry