In this beginners tutorial, I share a little of my sat-nav experience, hopefully of help to anybody suffering from slow GPS locks, especially under S60 and Nokia Maps, and frustrated by the apparent 'unreliability' of mobile navigation software. Here's how to make sure your GPS locks are faster and how to speed around Nokia Maps.

Read on in the full article (http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/7446_How_to_Get_faster_GPS_locks_an.php).

> Find out where the GPS antenna is on your device

How on earth does the ordinary punter discover that exactly!? But perhaps you guys at AAS can fill us in.

Where then are the GPS antennas in the following devices please?

N82, N95 8GB, 6220 Classic, any other Nokia devices (NSeries or not) with GPS.

Aside from the N95, are they all in the top of the handset?

Thanks.

One thing that should really be added to that list, is the positioning server.

I have found that quite often networks replace it with seemingly mumbo jumbo text, that appears to be completely ineffective.

So for the server address, make sure it has supl.nokia.com

I have done this to a number of phones, and it appears to make AGPS work.

How on earth does the ordinary punter discover that exactly!? But perhaps you guys at AAS can fill us in.

It does actually say in the phone's manual where the GPS receiver is located, at least it does in my N95's manual.

I don't have any of the phone's you've listed, but I'd imagine their manuals say where the receiver is too.

For those people like 'unregistered' complaining about:

'How on earth does the ordinary punter discover that exactly!? But perhaps you guys at AAS can fill us in.'

The God of Smart Phones punishes those who don't read the holy smart phone bible. Or in other words: RTFM (Read The 'Flaming' Manual)! Though Nokia should put that 'GPS is under the keypad'-info in the quickstart guide.

Know that there are 24 GPS sattelites around the world. Thus at best there are 12 satelites visible on a clear horizon. You need at least signals of 3 satelites to get a position lock, meaning that when between buildings you need to see a quarter of the clear sky when getting a lock.

For getting an altitude estimate you need at least signals from 4 sattelites. This should give you some idea of the concept 'clear reception'.

Many windowshield of cars have a metal base sun-reflective coating absorbing GPS signals partially. Getting a lock before you get into the car can speed things up. Particular the C5 of Citroen seems very abosorbing.

Maps 2.0 allows to set a driving destination without a GPS lock. Just start driving and when the GPS is locked and Maps plotted you a route it will start advising you. This is particular useful when you are parked in side a parking garage. ;^)

When not relying on AGPS to accellerate a lock, a complete new lock requires at LEAST 60 seconds for all ephemeris data to be received. Often longer, particular if you have relocated more than an few hunderd kilometers between GPS=on locations. I.e. car, train or plane trip.

Steve, do you mind me asking how the hell you get that black screen with the icons, ie the last screenshot you posted? I have tried pressing everything on Nokia Maps and I can't seem to get it, lol, it's freaking me out :p

Steady on snoyt, I don't read phone manuals either, I think most people don't, so I do have some sympathy for unregistered's confusion. ;-)

I only looked it up in the manual just now because I wondered if the receiver position was in there, and indeed it was.

This is one of those rare occasions where it's actually worth consulting the manual. Maybe we should all do it more often?

Strangely the GPS receiver position wasn't mentioned in the "quick start" leaflet though, which is where people would be more likely to see it.

The black screen appears when selecting options during voice navigation. The alternative is to select an icon directly by pressing the corresponding numeric key. The layout matches the numeric keypad.

Steady on snoyt, I don't read phone manuals either, I think most people don't, so I do have some sympathy for unregistered's confusion. ;-)

I rarely read manuals myself. I consider my self a tech-junky an logical reasoning solves most 'configuration riddles'. Still I do browse the manuals after a while for worthwhile tidbits like that. And the first place to look when having troubles is the manual. I'll just shut up now. As I said the info about the GPS should be in the quick start guide. Still it has also been well documented on the Nokia website here (http://europe.nokia.com/A4425308) for quite some time now. Nokia seems to be aware of the forums. The 'slide open' for better reception was quite a topic a year a go.

n95 8gb the receiver is below the keypad. most guides tell you to keep the keypad open when using gps. most of the times i dont have a problem with they keypad closed though

LOL - the guide to getting a quicker lock seems to be basically a number of suggestions of what not to expect, ie:

1. Don't expect a lock in a built up area with tall buildings

2. Make sure there is 3G coverage in the area

3. Use 3G - really expensive.

I thought a guide was something that told you how to do something, not something that told you to lower your expectations!!

Obviously I was wrong!!

I could've written that article and a few more suggestions besides.

Jamie: you're being totally unfair. And the guide was aimed at a friend of mine. With a v11 firmware N95 on O2, she said that she basically never used the GPS 'because it never worked'. Getting the likes of her over the firmware/assisted-GPS/positioningserver/antenna location/lock-while-moving' hurdles was my aim. There must be lots of people in that boat.

If you think you can do better, feel free to submit articles to Rafe or myself.

On the locking time, it certainly put me off using GPS at all.

However, with the latest N95 firmware and latest version of Nokia Maps, it works so smoothly that I do actually use this feature now.

If there was just one bit of GPS-related advice that was most important, it would be: update your phone and map software!

I'd say that about the N95 in general actually, this is a totally different device to what I had last year even though the hardware hasn't changed, because the firmware is so much better.

I could've written that article and a few more suggestions besides.

Please do mention these, its always good to get new suggestions / tips etc. As Steve noted this is more aimed at the novice user. We discussed including other stuff (e.g. creating your own .lmx files), but we'll probably do a more advanced user version at some point in the future.

In front of my living room windows (from the inside) I had a cold start lock in 17 seconds with AGPS. Wich shows how useful the new firmware and a cheap internet connection is.

However with all these little tidbits of usefull information for the N95 and its bretheren why is there no S60 Wikipedia with how-to's? Ehhh, I mean AAS-pedia ;^)

I have found that the way to get a very quick position fix even when moving along in a car with a metal roof in a street with tall buildings either side is to use an external bluetooth GPS receiver.

The built-in one in the N95 is poor, but OK in emergencies if you are not in a hurry and not in car in a busy city centre.

Better still use 3rd party software and maps without ongoing charges.

Better still, buy a dedicated sat nav. They are dirt cheap these days.

But would you have a dedicated satnav unit in your bag/pocket? Probably not. Thats the beauty of satnavon mobiles.

And my 6110 easily rivals any sirf 3 reciever when using AGPS. The N95 was flawed in the location of its reciever, but nokia wont make that mistake again.

Oddly enough, ebuyer advertised their cheap satnav unit today, only about £50. I do wonder if a comparision could be done...

Hi,

On my N95 I have the following set in "positioning methods":

Bluetooth GPS - OFF
Assisted GPS - ON
Integrated GPS - OFF <==== NOTE!
Network Based - ON

Turning off integrated GPS helped me (and a few other people) get much faster fixes.

Thanks,

Sam

Turning off integrated GPS helped me (and a few other people) get much faster fixes.

Are you sure you're not just seeing the AGPS fix (which isn't really GPS)? If that's good enough for your needs then you wouldn't really need a GPS phone at all, you might as well go for a cheaper model.

Indeed, it's an interesting idea that GPS might not be needed any more if our phone can locate us from phone masts alone.


However with all these little tidbits of usefull information for the N95 and its bretheren why is there no S60 Wikipedia with how-to's? Ehhh, I mean AAS-pedia ;^)

There's the AAS support section, it's full of bits of info, try clicking on it at the top of the screen.

I did try to do an S60 tutorial site full of step-by-step tutorials, but the problem is that every S60 phone seems to have a different menu structure, so it's very difficult to give exact instructions to cover many models.

On the locking time, it certainly put me off using GPS at all.

However, with the latest N95 firmware and latest version of Nokia Maps, it works so smoothly that I do actually use this feature now.

If there was just one bit of GPS-related advice that was most important, it would be: update your phone and map software!

I'd say that about the N95 in general actually, this is a totally different device to what I had last year even though the hardware hasn't changed, because the firmware is so much better.

Very very true.

Plus - I've only just realised that the "show restaurants/bars/etc" feature is really handy too as it has a link to call the place directly, meaning I've been able to impress the family by booking ahead and by letting the restaurant know we've been delayed but to hold the table. Their TomTom can't do that!!!

I know this can also been done via the browser, but searching a map and a couple of clicks is a damn sight easier than searching online, finding the correct site (if it exists) or a site that's readable on a mobile and then cutting and pasting the number to call.

Full marks to Nokia for making this work and for FREE.

But nil points that to get it working seamlessly involves a firmware update - my non-techy friends will probably NEVER do this which is a real shame, especially as not a single one has a non-branded handset.

"But would you have a dedicated satnav unit in your bag/pocket? Probably not. Thats the beauty of satnavon mobiles."

That's why I said 'OK in emergencies'.

But even then, in a city centre whilst driving, junctions and turns come up too quick and often the GPS has lost its fix. It's just not in the same class as a dedicated satnav, just not up to the job.

you know how when u use ur radio, u need headphones plugged in to get better reception?
why dont they make a gps tool which u connect throught the 3.5mm/microSD port which increases the range of the gps?
say ur in a car. u connect it and hook it up to the antenna, or just keep the other end outside ur car?
wont that help a LOT??

"But would you have a dedicated satnav unit in your bag/pocket? Probably not. Thats the beauty of satnavon mobiles."

That's why I said 'OK in emergencies'.

But even then, in a city centre whilst driving, junctions and turns come up too quick and often the GPS has lost its fix. It's just not in the same class as a dedicated satnav, just not up to the job.


As I said, the N95 was a mistake in where they placed the reciever. I have no such trouble with my 6110, and from what I have heard, neither do N82 users.

Mine outperforms a sirf3, unless Im inside somewhere, in which case its pointless anyway.

GPS needs satellite positional and satelite time data. These tables are encode in the GPS signal and repeated every 60 seconds. AGPS can support these location data as well as computing power. With AGPS enabled en internal GPS disabled only the AGPS datatables are used for positioning. When GPS is also enabled the phone might check for local GPS datatables first saving on internet data. Cellbased location has a separate toggle in the firmware.

So I'd suggest when on a cheap internet connection set GPS off and AGPS on, when roaming set AGPS off? Hmmm, damn why is there no AGPS roaming switch?

Hey Nokia here is another for my firmware update;-)

The support section is nice, but I was hoping for a user contributed wikipedia with some administrating ;-) This would allow for accellerated growth.

@aatifsumar

A length of wire works well as an FM antenna - if fact it's hard to fold one up into the size of the handset, which is why you need the headset connected. But a GPS antenna is a small helical coil, an either must be very noise free (i.e. no audio signals in the linking cable, so you can't use earphones on the same wire) or needs a bias voltage for the LNA, which would mean running power out on the cable, requiring more pins. I think the external antenna is best satisfied by using a bluetooth one with a separate battery - I believe Steve once mentioned a tiny one which fits on a keyfob. This might be a nice way to get better performance and also save your phone battery! This option will obviously become more attractive when the next generation GPS chipsets become available late next year - if I still have my E90, that is...

@bartmanekul,

I have a Garmin Colorado 300 which is probably one of the best if not the best handheld GPS on the market and I have a Nokia N82. The Colorado easily ourperforms the N82. I have gotten a 3m lock with the Garmin. The best the N82 can get is about 8. It does not have the sensativity or the processing power. In short, you are simply wrong. The N82 is great but the SIRFstar III is the king of the hill currently.

Are you sure you're not just seeing the AGPS fix (which isn't really GPS)? If that's good enough for your needs then you wouldn't really need a GPS phone at all, you might as well go for a cheaper model.

Indeed, it's an interesting idea that GPS might not be needed any more if our phone can locate us from phone masts alone.



I think this is pretty confusing. Assisted GPS still uses the GPS receiver, I can still see the number of satellites visible. It just downloads ephemeris data (positions of GPS satellites in the constellation) to allow the phone to get a much faster fix, whereas "integrated GPS" doesn't do this. At least, that's my understanding.

So, how can you have A-GPS turned on at the same but "integrated GPS" turned off. Surely the labelling needs to be improved?

BTW I'm using our own GyPSii (http://www.gypsii.com) app to upload and share photos/videos with location. Mobile download here (http://gypsii.com/m). Apologies for the plug. ;-)

GPS needs satellite positional and satelite time data. These tables are encode in the GPS signal and repeated every 60 seconds. AGPS can support these location data as well as computing power. With AGPS enabled en internal GPS disabled only the AGPS datatables are used for positioning. When GPS is also enabled the phone might check for local GPS datatables first saving on internet data. Cellbased location has a separate toggle in the firmware.

So I'd suggest when on a cheap internet connection set GPS off and AGPS on, when roaming set AGPS off? Hmmm, damn why is there no AGPS roaming switch?

Hey Nokia here is another for my firmware update;-)

The support section is nice, but I was hoping for a user contributed wikipedia with some administrating ;-) This would allow for accellerated growth.

Thanks for this, I think that's the clearest explanation I've heard of how it works....

Sam

@bartmanekul,

I have a Garmin Colorado 300 which is probably one of the best if not the best handheld GPS on the market and I have a Nokia N82. The Colorado easily ourperforms the N82. I have gotten a 3m lock with the Garmin. The best the N82 can get is about 8. It does not have the sensativity or the processing power. In short, you are simply wrong. The N82 is great but the SIRFstar III is the king of the hill currently.

3 and 8 minutes?

Perhaps you mean seconds?

If Im in the same place I switched it off, its instant lock.

If Im somewhere new, lock is generally under 30 seconds.

thanks a lot. greatly speeded up my gps lock. and thanks to the comment on positioning server too.

I use my 6110 for lots of navigation and getting aGPS working was really annoying me.

You can get a cheap GPS bluetooth receiver for £20.

Which do you recommend I use for the positioning server?:

O2 MMS O2 Mobile Web O2 WAP GPRS O2 WAP GPRS Streaming
Cheers guys.

@bartmanekul,

I meant performance in terms of tracking, i.e. 3 meters with my Colorado verses 8 meters with my N82 while standing in the same spot. There is simply no way your 6110 can out perform a SIRFstar III equiped receiver. The military uses SIRFstar III receivers. I also have a Garmin GPSMap60CSx, and too out performs my N82. In terms of tracking, maintaining a lock, TTFF, a dedicated unit is simply better than a GPS equipted phone. Can you verify where you got the impression that your 6110 is better than a dedicated unit? With either Garmin device I can routinely get 4 to 5 satellite while indoors.

While I will admit that having my N82 is sometimes a bit more handy than having my Garmins with me, I would not trust my N82 for any serious navigation (off road or geocaching), but it is adequate for simple tasks such as traveling in the city.

Your probably right about accuracy, but in all the satnav apps Ive used (over 6), its not had any accuracy issues.

When I say outperforms, I mean get a faster lock (which it does, with AGPS). It beats my mates tomtom with a sirf 3.

Of course, Id rather have sirf 3, but you must make concessions with mobiles, and for my purposes, its always been better than a sirf 3. And probably better for most the population, unless they need to the meter accuracy, and satnav indoors.

Your probably right about accuracy, but in all the satnav apps Ive used (over 6), its not had any accuracy issues.

When I say outperforms, I mean get a faster lock (which it does, with AGPS). It beats my mates tomtom with a sirf 3.

Of course, Id rather have sirf 3, but you must make concessions with mobiles, and for my purposes, its always been better than a sirf 3. And probably better for most the population, unless they need to the meter accuracy, and satnav indoors.


Cheers mate,

I agree with you there. Concessions had to be made and the SIRFstar III is no sweetheart when it comes to power usage. It can be a bit hungry but that is the price you pay for sensativity. I have a Tom Tom for the car and I can agree with you here. For some reason the Tom Tom has a very long TTFF (about a min or more), but once locked on it stays locked. The idea of A-GPS would not be a bad idea for Tom Tom as many to most units have the ability to connect to a cell phone. Hey, let's propose this. We can split the royalites on the idea. :)

Satellites whizzing around at thousands of miles an hour?... I think not!... these satellites are in geo-stationary orbit for a reason...They do not move relative to the surface.

My N82 gets a lock in less than 20sec every single time. Sometimes almost instantaneously. It's really good for me so far.

Use O2 Mobile Web

> meaning that when between buildings you need to see a quarter of the clear sky when getting a lock.

Um, not necessarily. The satellites move around constantly so are not evenly spaced. Sometimes very close together*, sometimes far apart, mostly somewhere in between. Receivers are increasingly tolerant of multi-path reception, so you can get /some/ signal off bounce, from hard surfaces like cliffs and buildings.


*Although this causes another issue, called geometric dilution of position