[mauromontanarirsm]

I am trying to use the GPS of my Bold.
I understand that GPS is integrated, so I assume there is no need of external antenna.
However I cannot find satellites.
Is there any special settingh to be done ?

Kindly help.
Regards
Mauro

[SprintBBtechy]

I always have people reset their connections. I.e. Turn the radio off, turn data off, turn GPS off ,hard reset(pull out battery), turn radio, data on, turn GPS on, reprovision, run GPS. It works %80-90 of the time.

[Dubdub]

Make sure you are outside, with a clear view of the sky. Can take 10-20 minutes if this is the first time it has been used. It helps to use one of the map apps and locate yourself as close as possible.

[Roxor77]

You need to be outside of building, in the clear sky....as the above poster says, first link to satellite may take a while, you cant use it inside a building...

[kjaslow]

Originally Posted by SprintBBtechy

I always have people reset their connections. I.e. Turn the radio off, turn data off, turn GPS off ,hard reset(pull out battery), turn radio, data on, turn GPS on, reprovision, run GPS. It works %80-90 of the time.

I'm finding that I need to go to Options|Advanced Options|GPS and do "Refresh" every time I want to use it.

I use mine primarily with Google Maps, but also with the camera. Has anyone else looked at the Street View in Google Maps?! Fantastic!!!!

[Manaz101]

Stupid question, but i'm sure you have to use the internet to connect? I don't have the BB Browser service book (stupid USA) and my GPS never has worked, inside or outside.

[kjaslow]

GPS is independent from internet. It's an on-device bit of hardware with drivers built into the O/S. But all the GPS does by itself is recognize your coordinates. So, if you go to Options|Advanced|GPS|Refresh, you should eventually see it locate satellites and come up with your coordinates.

If you don't get this far, make sure you're outdoors, have a clear view of the sky...the Bold seems to take quite a while to track down the satellites. And in some locations (such as big cities with tall buildings) satellites are easily blocked. So, if you're not getting the coordinates, then you may have a defective device.

Now, in order to make good use of this location information, you need to use some software that is gps-enabled. That means Google Maps, Telenav, or even the camera with the location information enabled. Then, you'll see some GPS information.

Most software (with the exception of the camera) that leverages the GPS uses data. Google Maps is very data intensive. It's a native application, but it communicates using http in the background, so it will chew up data and if you have no plan, you're in for a big phone bill...

[Dubdub]

Most of the map applications only download the map data as you need it - or as you move. Nothing is stored on the device or SD card.

You should check the GPS section for more info. There is a sticky in the intro part of the section which does a good job of discussing the various GPS apps.

[mauromontanarirsm]

Thanks to all.
Finally I got GPS signal.
I waited 20 minutes outside......slow but now it works.

I will see tomorrow if it is so slow again.

Telenav seems to be much better than Google Map.....at least as the first impression.

Thanks again
Mauro

[JSanders]

TeleNav is a great product, much better for navigation than GoogleMaps, with voice directions turn by turn, etc.

@mauraomantanarism... update your profile here with the Bold!

[wibbly]

Now it's worked once, it should lock on the sats faster in future. BUT whenever it's in 'searching for satellites' mode it will always be quicker if the BB isn't physically moving during that cycle, and has a reasonably clear view of the sky (not obsured by buildings and other dense things). The aquistion cycle needs to collect data from the satellites uniterrupted. The data rate is really slow, and it has to keep restarting if it gets interrupted (when you're moving there's likely a brief interruption as you lose the signal for a very short while, and there a "doppler" effect wich might get in the way too).

Once it has most of the data, it has to get less in future so aquistion is shorter, all being well. The data ages over time. After a week or two of non-use it takes longer again. Also if you move (100's? or) 1000's miles it can take a very long time again the first time you use it in the new location. It's all about the reveiver working out where the satellites are in the sky/their status and how to 'find' them again. Remember, relative to us, the satellites are moving.

This is a general GPS thing. I have a TomTom SatNav in my car. It can take 10mins or more to get a satellite lock if I switch it on whilst driving or even walking with it. It takes seconds if I do it before I set off...

The article below is very old and GPS tech has improved a lot since - but read this to get some idea what the receiver has to accomplish - it's a wonder anyone really believed it would work at all, and it's all going on in a chipset that costs a few dollars in your BB!!

How a GPS Receiver Locks