[ChainsawDude]

I wonder if anyone at all has managed to get the internal GPS on an 8110 to work?

I have a 8110 bought april 2008 on O2 in UK using BIS.
I cannot get the internal gps to get a location despite having tried all day in a open location with clear blue sky. I took along two other Garmin gps units which locked on easily in about 30 secs (cold start) and showed a strong signal from 8 or 9 satellites. It never gets better than this so the problems are not due to gps availability or view of sky type issues. I knew it would not be a top class performer but I can not get any fix at all.

I tried BB Maps, I select ‘Start GPS Navigation’ and it stays like that ad infinitum.

I find this troubleshooting info on blackberry.com GPS troubleshooting to perform prior to escalating to the BlackBerry Technical Support team
and go to
Options -> Advanced Options -> GPS and click Refresh Satellites and what happens is:
If GPS Services is set to ‘Location OFF’ then the message ‘GPS Location Update Failed’ comes up immediately,
if set to ‘Location ON’ then it takes exactly 3 minutes to give the same message.

Location Aiding can be enabled or disabled, it makes no difference.

I have tried rebooting, removing battery and O2 got me to delete all service book entries (which screwed my google sync) but none of this has helped.

O2 support now say they do not support GPS on blackberries and I should take it to blackberry support themselves, who charge for support.

[Foxglove]

Really if o2 is selling devices with GPS they should offer support for it. Or at lease contact RIM on your behalf especially if other 8110 users are having the same problem.
If the gps was the main reason you purchased the device and it doesn't work then you are paying for something that you are not receiving.
Is it possible that your device is faulty? consider replacing it under warranty.

[ChainsawDude]

O2 (in UK) have now told me that they do not support GPS on Blackberrys (I have the 8110). That is the device does have a built in GPS receiver but you can not use it without some sort of subscription to a 3rd party service.

The advert on their web site has 'Built-in GPS' right at the top together with a load of blurb about how usefull a GPS can be. No where does it say that you as a user will not be able to do any of these things, and in my opinion, it implies that you can.

I am really fed up about this and I will write to them and take it to trading standards.

[ChainsawDude]

I have tried O2 again and this time I got support to send me a replacement phone which should arrive Thursday. So the position is unclear i.e. will the 8110 GPS work without O2s support.

[T.S.]

Try installing Google Maps Mobile.

[ChainsawDude]

Originally Posted by T.S.

Try installing Google Maps Mobile.

Thanks, yes, I have GMM and its good. The My Location feature uses triangulation from the cell phone masts and thats works OK, but of course its not the built-in GPS.

I have heard from other O2 users now who tell me that the GPS should work out of the box without a 3rd party service so I just dont know what the problem is. Anyway I have a replacement phone on the way and I hope that will be better, but everything else on the current phone works fine so I cant help thinking its something else, perhaps in my service books config?

[T.S.]

Originally Posted by ChainsawDude

Thanks, yes, I have GMM and its good. The My Location feature uses triangulation from the cell phone masts and thats works OK, but of course its not the built-in GPS.

Google Maps Mobile won't work with the internal GPS of the 8110? Is works with the internal GPS on the 8800.

[mike_187]

Originally Posted by T.S.

Google Maps Mobile won't work with the internal GPS of the 8110? Is works with the internal GPS on the 8800.

it will work im using it, and definitely something wrong with the device, it never takes me more then 2-3 min to get a lock.

[hazdaz]

Google Maps might be using the internal GPS, but I have yet to get it to work without it downloading maps from the internet... anyone get it to work with maps stored on the memory card (for those of us without a data plan)???

[ChainsawDude]

Sorted : I got my 8110 on O2 (UK) working, it gets a fix in about 10 seconds and is great for when I am out on foot.

The problem I had must have been hardware, the replacement phone I got from O2 booted up and got a fix straight away in BB maps (less than a minute). This talk of waiting for 10 minutes in an open space for the first fix was misleading and had me standing in the middle of a large field for 15 minutes at a time thinking this would help. The back garden next to the house is fine and shows 6 satellites.

Ofcourse, I did not know what to expect never having a working BB GPS, I just thought the BB 8110 had a crap GPS but it doesn't. It is not a replacement for a TomTom in the car but its worth having.

[JSanders]

It is not misleading, considering the issues you were reporting, to ask one to use patience and find a clear view of the sky (even if a field) with no tall buildings in the immediate area. It has helped users here to obtain their initial GPS sat lock dozens of times.

Even users with working GPS will experience the need at times to do similar when traveling long distances from their previous GPS lock, say on a airplace flight cross country. Same happened to me on a couple recent trip upon touching down 1,000 miles away, obtaining a rental car and driving off. It literally took about 10 minutes in the car for the GPS to find the satellites and download the required ephemeris and almanac data required for GPS lock. Subsequent gps locks in the same general area should take only seconds, except after loading a new OS to the device.

Glad it is working for you now--regardless of what O2 told you! Enjoy.

[ChainsawDude]

I understand the need for a GPS to download the almanac and epheremis data before it can get a fix and also that this data relates to a small area and so has to be refreshed when you move more than any great distance.

So I wonder if the 8110 is making use of assisted GPS. In aGPS the 10 minute delay is greatly reduced. The phone uses a cell tower fix to get your approx location and then downloads the relevant part of the almanac over the data network from a server. This will vary between network and may have some config that I can't find.
I have the impression that the quick fix comes from BB maps and not from the Options->advanced options->gps->refresh gps route.

I would love to know the full technical details.