GPS devices - Universal Thread

[dominic]

Hi Guys,

Santa got me a Garmin eTrex personal navigator this Christmas. I haven't found a thread giving any info on GPS devices. Being a noobie with this gadget I have no idea how to begin using it beside turning it on and off

I tried GPS in India - Main - Home Page but havent really understood much

Can anyone pass on some tips about how to begin using this device for navigation, using maps etc. It could be really helpful to me as well as lots of other folks around

cheers,
Dominic

[Aryan]

Universal Thread Approved.

@all: Please use only this thread for discussing anything pertaining to GPS devices.

[hitanshu]

etrex or etrex H or the HCX series?

[sam92]

hey i use a nokia N95 8gb gps device .. but i think even that has errors

[awasay]

I too use my nokia n95 8gb as a gps device ,

The main problem with this device is that it only works under a clear sky
ie., it wont work in your house , not either in cloudy conditions not even under a tree.

I have not used it much only for a few times though using combined it with the nokia maps application it gives a clear presentation about the route,destination etc.

i didnt actually find alot of errors it correctly explained the route for me with almost accurate distance for the turns to take and which roads to take.

The only main problem I found was its disability to work in my room

[joe350]

what is the price range of the GPS!!?? i am planning to get one. or going for a gps mobile is worth?

[awasay]

what is the price range of the GPS!!?? i am planning to get one. or going for a gps mobile is worth?

A gps device gives your exact postion interms of lattitude and longitude degrees , when used combined with the maps it also gives you the directions for the destination provided you know the exact location of your destination ..

In case you want to use a mobile with gps enabled say a nokia phone it comes along with a software for maps that can be downloaded for any city you want.

And in other case if you want a dedicated gps device I dont know much about it but I have seen one with out maps that just gives your position in degrees , that wont be useful when touring into new cities..

Hence make sure what exactly you want and then decide...

[hardashh NGP]

Ive got a Nokia N79.Its got a gps but the main problem is it wont work outside my house.I mean wats the use of a gps if u cant use it outside yor house! The Nokia maps software hasnt worked ever..so i use Google maps.It works but it needs a Net connection..which unfortunately is only at my house [WLAN].Any idea wat the prob might be??

[insanebiker]

Ive got a Nokia N79.Its got a gps but the main problem is it wont work outside my house.I mean wats the use of a gps if u cant use it outside yor house! The Nokia maps software hasnt worked ever..so i use Google maps.It works but it needs a Net connection..which unfortunately is only at my house [WLAN].Any idea wat the prob might be??

'Google maps' works even without a GPS. I guess a motion sensor will do.

[satyenpoojary]

Ive got a Nokia N79.Its got a gps but the main problem is it wont work outside my house.I mean wats the use of a gps if u cant use it outside yor house! The Nokia maps software hasnt worked ever..so i use Google maps.It works but it needs a Net connection..which unfortunately is only at my house [WLAN].Any idea wat the prob might be??

Getting a satellite fix is an issue that plagues most GPS devices, however you say that it works well INSIDE a house! thats weird, cause usually the fix issue gets resolved when under open skies!

May be its a firmware issue!

You can also load maps directly into the phone using the Nokia PC Suite.
Google Maps DOES need a active net connection (GPRS would be as fine) for loading the maps...

Some Mobile phones have GPS disabled based on country wise regulations, so if you bought your phone from such a country, then head back to the store or the SVC. Else Google around about flashing your mobile phone and unlocking it.

[hardashh NGP]

ohh sry guyz u got it wrong.Nokia maps And Google maps r not connecting with my gprs connection.I got a WLAN network at my house so it works dere.And also the Positioning wizard dosnt show "My Location" at any time.Is it a problem wid my Phone or the network??

[satyenpoojary]

ohh sry guyz u got it wrong.Nokia maps And Google maps r not connecting with my gprs connection.I got a WLAN network at my house so it works dere.And also the Positioning wizard dosnt show "My Location" at any time.Is it a problem wid my Phone or the network??

Looks like a problem with the Phone.... BTW do you have a working GPRS connection? because I dont see a reason why basic Google Maps wont work on GPRS.

Or maybe I guess what you are wanting to say is that you DONT have any modes to use the net on the phone except for the WLAN @ Home?

[hardashh NGP]

Looks like a problem with the Phone.... BTW do you have a working GPRS connection? because I dont see a reason why basic Google Maps wont work on GPRS.

Or maybe I guess what you are wanting to say is that you DONT have any modes to use the net on the phone except for the WLAN @ Home?

Yea mate i hv a gprs connection..but i dont know wats wid G maps, whenever i try to change connection it shows 3 options:- Internet, Multimedia Msg., WAP services.Tried connecting wid all three[i know gprs connects thru the internet opt, but still] but to no avail.

[diffuser911]

Offline Maps on GPS Phones

Ok, read enough. What I can do here is help out guys using Nokia's GPS enabled phones.

• First of all, of course, get the phone. I am using a Nokia 6210 Navigator.
• Ditch the Nokia Maps software, it's useless outside the 4-5 cities that are provided there.
• Download MGMaps and install it on your phone
• Go to the site Mobile GMaps - Map Tile Caching tools, download and install gMapMaker on your computer.
• Go to www.mapcacher.com and select the area whose map you require, the map type, detail level and zoom levels required. Yahoo India road maps has the best coverage. Sinlge clicks are used to mark the area boundary. Clicking on generate will ask you to save a .map file.
• Run gMapMaker and select the option "MGMaps mode, use a .map file" and click Go. Locate the .map file in your computer and let the apllication download map tiles for a while in the output directory specified.
• Copy the output to your phone card and start MGMaps. In Settings, go to Map Browsing and tick Stored Maps and Offline Mode. Browse to the directory where you copied the maps and save the settings. Restart application.
• Navigate to the area whose map you just copied.

[niks_devil666]

does anyone know Standalone decives for GPS tagging ?

does tomtom rider has this functionality?

Edit : need something which can take gps locations which i can trace back on google earth software , like this -