I am an airline pilot and noticed a bug with my HD. It seems that after putting the phone in Flight Mode, it is not turning off the "radio" every time. During flight I clip my holster/phone fairly close to where my aviation headset cord is routed so I know immediately if my phone is not turned off as I can hear the GPRS data transfer clicking through the headset.
I have tried "Flight Mode" and "Phone Off" but it only works some of the time. Amazingly, the screen shows an X for the radio and an X for my Edge connection but there is no question that the radio is still on. The radio is only turning off about 30% of the time from what I can tell. On one occasion, after putting it in flight mode and seeing the X's, I was able to place a call (although again, not every time)
Another good indicator that this is happening is when I turn the radio back on (turn flight mode off) the signal indicator pops up almost immediately. Normally after turning the radio on it takes about 10-15 seconds to connect to the system so I believe it never disconnected to begin with.
Thankfully, the new full power-down method of holding the power switch in is coming in handy until I can figure this out. I will experiment a little more on my next trip.
Kind of funny when the Captain is not complying with the Flight Attendants instructions to turn of those damn cell phones!!
Any one else notice this?
Regards,
Gordo
jetjockgordo said:
I am an airline pilot and noticed a bug with my HD. It seems that after putting the phone in Flight Mode, it is not turning off the "radio" every time. During flight I clip my holster/phone fairly close to where my aviation headset cord is routed so I know immediately if my phone is not turned off as I can hear the GPRS data transfer clicking through the headset.
I have tried "Flight Mode" and "Phone Off" but it only works some of the time. Amazingly, the screen shows an X for the radio and an X for my Edge connection but there is no question that the radio is still on. The radio is only turning off about 30% of the time from what I can tell. On one occasion, after putting it in flight mode and seeing the X's, I was able to place a call (although again, not every time)
Another good indicator that this is happening is when I turn the radio back on (turn flight mode off) the signal indicator pops up almost immediately. Normally after turning the radio on it takes about 10-15 seconds to connect to the system so I believe it never disconnected to begin with.
Thankfully, the new full power-down method of holding the power switch in is coming in handy until I can figure this out. I will experiment a little more on my next trip.
Kind of funny when the Captain is not complying with the Flight Attendants instructions to turn of those damn cell phones!!
Any one else notice this?
Regards,
Gordo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it really necessary to turn off mobile phone these days? I might have mistaken, but recall reading somewhere that some airlines are going to permit the use of mobile phone as they don't really affect safety. True or false? Or it is just rumours?
Not in USA
eaglesteve said:
Is it really necessary to turn off mobile phone these days? I might have mistaken, but recall reading somewhere that some airlines are going to permit the use of mobile phone as they don't really affect safety. True or false? Or it is just rumours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The USA has made it clear that it will not approve the use of cell phones in flight because not enough in known about what potential problems may exist if allowed to do so. In Europe, some countries have approved a "Pico Cell" system that places a cell repeater, or effectively a cell tower, on the aircraft so cell phones using the system will throttle to their lowest setting. Since all new cell phones can adjust their power/signal output in response to their proximity to a cell site, airborne phones attempting to communicate with ground towers pose the greatest threat to aircraft systems. There has even been some discussion of putting a Pico Cell on aircraft to throttle back phones that have been left on inadvertently just to lessen the chance of interference.
I will admit that my phone can impede my ability to hear the air traffic controllers if my phone is on and I can also tell if a controller has their phone near their headset jack. It is not uncommon to hear the telltale clicking of a GSM phone receiving a call or pinging a cell tower while talking to someone on the aircraft radio.
As I fly a rather advanced commercial jet, I have seen a noticeable increase in system "anomalies" over the years (most just nuisance stuff, not dangerous!) but the big question begs: Do you REALLY want to take a chance? I am an advanced techno geek and licensed aircraft mechanic and I am the first to make sure my phone is off.
For Flight Attendants it has become a nightmare of electronic gadgets on every flight and they are just complying with regulations when bugging passengers. Their concern is someone from the FAA might be on board and may notice that they are not enforcing the regulation and get violated. My worry is something eventually may happen that can be attributed to the use of PED's (Portable Electronic Devices) causing a ban on carrying PEDs as a shotgun method to make sure it is turned off.
Regards,
Gordo
dang! i had a similar experience today while we were preparing for takeoff. i put the HD in flight mode, put the phone in my shirt pocket, somehow dialed voicemail and i could hear the voice prompts. fortunately, we hadn't taken off yet so i just powered off the phone. i don't know if it was delayed going into airplane mode or not. an hour into the flight i turned the HD on and had no issues with it in flight mode.
Thanks for your very detailed explanation. Appreciate it.
Does it not also pose danger if we just change the setting to flight mode then? Or is it just the GSM portion that is giving the interference?
So, as long as it is in flight mode, we can safely use the "non-phone" features such as game, word procesing, dictionary, etc, right?
I had always wanted to know, because in the past, I had received different information from the flight attendants. Some of them would want me to stop using my PDA all together, while some did not seem to be bothered.
Glad to have two commercial pilots here to give us authoritative information.
Another question that I have is, if an HD with flight mode on does not completely disable the GSM signal as it should, would the interference be significant enough since we're so far from the cockpit?
If the interference of a passenger HD with flight mode on is still emitting significant interference despite the distance from the cockpit, then I think we have an issue that must be brought to HTC's attention. If this is the only handset with this problem, should that require a recall by HTC???!!
Gordo, have you tried getting one of your flight attendence to bring your HD with flight mode on to the passenger cabin and see if the interference is still there?
Whatever is the FAA and JAA tolerance - it looks a real bug. I am a private pilot and constantly kept on the GSM as an additional security in case the aircraft radio or headset would go bad - to call the tower. the tickling of the GSM on the headset is a bit annoying, but since we fly at much lower altitudes than commercial aircrafts we are probably within the field of the GSM cells and switching between them at more reasonable rate.
Indeed, I also noticed that newer TAA (technologically advanced aircrafts), like the diamond da40 with G1000 Garmin glass cockpits, explicitly say in the AFM (aircraft flight manual) to switch off GSM or electronic devices since they COULD interfere with the on-board electronics. Notice that here we are speaking of few GSMs phones, not hundreds like in the case of Gordo which is definitely frightening: in a 747 you could have 1.6 kW of GSM radio emission!!! it could almost heat up the aluminum skin of the fuselage
Let me try to play with the registry and check how to do it. I cannot believe it is hardware related...
eaglesteve said:
Does it not also pose danger if we just change the setting to flight mode then? Or is it just the GSM portion that is giving the interference?
So, as long as it is in flight mode, we can safely use the "non-phone" features such as game, word procesing, dictionary, etc, right?
Another question that I have is, if an HD with flight mode on does not completely disable the GSM signal as it should, would the interference be significant enough since we're so far from the cockpit?
Gordo, have you tried getting one of your flight attendence to bring your HD with flight mode on to the passenger cabin and see if the interference is still there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HD is not unique with regard to possible interference and my earlier description of interference from my phone (or my co-pilots phone) is noticeable only within a few feet of my aviation headset.
Use of the PED with the cell phone off (PDA part on) is considered safe during cruise flight. They ask that ALL electronic devices be turned off (including electronic noise canceling headphones eg: Bose) while operating in close proximity to the ground since takeoff and landing is classified as a "critical phase of flight". Heck, we are not even allowed to "chit-chat" on the flight deck until above 10,000 feet because of the importance of being vigilant on the task at hand.
The greatest concern from passenger phones is their proximity to navigational and communication antennas on the top and bottom of the aircraft and the proximity to the Avionics Bay (big room of system computers, navigation radios, communication radios). Each aircraft is configured differently and even though each system/computer is shielded from EMF and even EMP, the big issue is at what point can PED's break through those defenses?
As for my HD, I am just trying to understand why it looks like the radio and GPRS is off but, in fact, it remains on in many instances. I have only had my HD on one 4 day trip and noticed the problem on the last couple of flights so I intend to do more testing to find the best way to reproduce the anomaly. I might just bring my sons TMobile phone with me and place calls to the HD to find out if I can hear the interference in my headset while safely at the gate.
I am passing this on so you won't get an angry tongue lashing from an FA when your phone starts ringing during the takeoff roll after you though it was off!
I have to pass this story on also. In the early 90's (way before PED's and cell phones) I was operating a flight from Atlanta to Cincinnati and at cruise flight a very loud buzzing was heard from our radios. My co-pilot and I tried everything to establish communication with controllers but we could hear nothing through the loud buzz. After several minutes of trying different radios and frequencies, I called the lead Flight Attendant to walk through the cabin and see if anyone was using some kind of electronic device. A minute later the buzzing stopped and the FA called to say the only thing she found was a passenger using a 1960's vintage electric shaver in the aft lavatory. Turns out this old shaver had a brush type motor that emitted so much EMI that it rendered our radios useless! Of course, I submitted a safety report to our union over that.
Gordo
Thanks for your response and posts gentlemen. I find the information fascinating.
I'm also relieved that other than during take off and landing, we can still use our beloved HD, provided we set it to flight mode.
I will be sure to turn off my HD completely until HTC releases a fix.
And thank you for answering the off topic questions! I have always wondered how cell phones could be so critical to the plane's operation. I have especially wondered how it is OK to have PED's turned on during the flight, but not during take off and landing - thank you for clearing this up.
Oh, another question from one who has played some Flight Simulator a few years back. Sorry if it's a stupid one. When do you use VFR, and when do you use IFR? Is it, for instance, the way that you mainly use VFR as the rule of the thumb, and IFR is only used when needed (or vice versa)?
If HD is not unique in this regard, I doubt there will be a fix. After all, HTC could argue that we're supposed to turn them completely off during take off and landing anyway. Not sure if there is a need to completely turn them off mid air, but from I'm hearing, there is no need to go to that extreme. I supposed it would be preferable to do so, but I think airlines would not impose any unnecessary rules on the passenger from marketing viewpoint.
Would the professionals please correct me if I'm wrong, thanks.
pzucchel said:
Whatever is the FAA and JAA tolerance - it looks a real bug. I am a private pilot and constantly kept on the GSM as an additional security in case the aircraft radio or headset would go bad - to call the tower. the tickling of the GSM on the headset is a bit annoying, but since we fly at much lower altitudes than commercial aircrafts we are probably within the field of the GSM cells and switching between them at more reasonable rate.
Indeed, I also noticed that newer TAA (technologically advanced aircrafts), like the diamond da40 with G1000 Garmin glass cockpits, explicitly say in the AFM (aircraft flight manual) to switch off GSM or electronic devices since they COULD interfere with the on-board electronics. Notice that here we are speaking of few GSMs phones, not hundreds like in the case of Gordo which is definitely frightening: in a 747 you could have 1.6 kW of GSM radio emission!!! it could almost heat up the aluminum skin of the fuselage
Let me try to play with the registry and check how to do it. I cannot believe it is hardware related...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm, this is an interesting discovery. I wonder if it will switch off by toggling the "phone" radio button in the Connection Manager?
Peppep said:
Oh, another question from one who has played some Flight Simulator a few years back. Sorry if it's a stupid one. When do you use VFR, and when do you use IFR? Is it, for instance, the way that you mainly use VFR as the rule of the thumb, and IFR is only used when needed (or vice versa)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Visual Flight Rules are used when the weather at an airport has clouds not closer than 1000 feet above the ground and the visibility is not less than 3 miles. Once airborne, VFR rules require (in general) that you stay a minimum of 500 feet below, 1000 above and 2000 feet horizontally from any clouds. If you are IFR rated (Instrument Rated=licensed to fly in weather less than listed above), you file an IFR flight plan and can then play in the clouds! People get confused between what is considered VFR/IFR conditions versus VFR/IFR flight regulations/procedures. John F Kennedy Jr. died while flying in VFR conditions (hazy with 5 miles visibility and no clouds) but over the ocean with no lights at night and no outside visual references, he needed IFR skills that he didn't have and thus lost control and crashed. Another 20 hours of IFR training towards his Instrument Rating would have given him the skills needed to fly solely by reference to his instruments. Non IR Private Pilots only get instrument training needed to get out of a cloud if one is flown into inadvertently, not sustained flight while multi-tasking/navigating.
Matterhorn said:
Hmmm, this is an interesting discovery. I wonder if it will switch off by toggling the "phone" radio button in the Connection Manager?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is what I am noticing, Flight Mode or the Phone button in CM are not turning off the "phone" although it looks as if it is off. My guess is the UI gets the command but the radio does not. I also have PhoneAlarm installed and will try that flight mode also but I really like the "Phone Disconnect" (full right button) long press that brings up the dialog box to turn on flight mode. It is quick and easy but doesn't seem to do the job every time.
Gordo
Hi,
I don't know if anyone from HTC reads this forum, but has anyone reported this problem to them, as it seems a pretty serious bug!
A bug report may have some extra weight coming from a commercial pilot too!
Cheers,
Ben
eaglesteve said:
If HD is not unique in this regard, I doubt there will be a fix. After all, HTC could argue that we're supposed to turn them completely off during take off and landing anyway. Not sure if there is a need to completely turn them off mid air, but from I'm hearing, there is no need to go to that extreme. I supposed it would be preferable to do so, but I think airlines would not impose any unnecessary rules on the passenger from marketing viewpoint.
Would the professionals please correct me if I'm wrong, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most airlines I travel on specifically allow phones and PDAs in 'flight mode' to be used during the flight (even the safety videos say: put your phone in 'flight mode' now before switching it off for take-off).
However it if turned out that 'flight mode' on lots of devices wasn't turning off the radios, then maybe they will withdraw permission for ANY use of your devices during the flight.
From a purely PR perspective, I don't think a company like HTC would dare not fix a bug like this. They presumably wouldn't want their products to be associated with any doubts over causing problems with air safety.
There is also the 'trade description' aspect. If they advertise a working 'flight mode' on their sales materials, then they have to provide it, or will be in breach of consumer laws (at least in some countries).
I do think that anyone who has experienced this problem should report it to HTC, and refer them to this thread too.
Regards,
Ben
ben_gb said:
Most airlines I travel on specifically allow phones and PDAs in 'flight mode' to be used during the flight (even the safety videos say: put your phone in 'flight mode' now before switching it off for take-off).
However it if turned out that 'flight mode' on lots of devices wasn't turning off the radios, then maybe they will withdraw permission for ANY use of your devices during the flight.
From a purely PR perspective, I don't think a company like HTC would dare not fix a bug like this. They presumably wouldn't want their products to be associated with any doubts over causing problems with air safety.
There is also the 'trade description' aspect. If they advertise a working 'flight mode' on their sales materials, then they have to provide it, or will be in breach of consumer laws (at least in some countries).
I do think that anyone who has experienced this problem should report it to HTC, and refer them to this thread too.
Regards,
Ben
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Air Carriers actually have gone a long way to permit as much as possible the use of PED's during the cruise part of the flight, (as a courtesy to Bussiness/first class pax mainly) but "transmitting" devices are fully forbidden, to the point of detailing even Bluetooth (mouse, headsets) devices. So I consider this a serious bug.
Hopefully we will get a fix, but I will check during my next flight, since I too had noticed the "surprisingly fast" signal pick up time.
If HD is not unique is this, should'nt the airline simply forbid the switching on completely rather than allowing the flight mode during take off and landing? Airline can't take the chance that some device are not completely stopping some of signal being transmitted IF it is true that this level of transmission affects take off and landing.
Unless I'm wrong, the impression I'm getting is that once the phone moves a few feet away from the pilot, then at flight mode, they will not be affected. Yes? No?
eaglesteve said:
Unless I'm wrong, the impression I'm getting is that once the phone moves a few feet away from the pilot, then at flight mode, they will not be affected. Yes? No?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From directly affecting the pilots communication headsets, you are probable correct, however the real issue is the cabin has many areas in close proximity to antennas on the top and bottom of the fuselage, cable runs under the cabin floor, and avionics equipment/computers.
Interesting report here:
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/print/3069
and from NASA
http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20010066904_2001108092.pdf
It really seems that most likely a single cell phone left on may not cause trouble but the Airbus A380 holds over 500 passengers....what if one in five leave their cell phone radios on (including Bluetooth and WiFi transmitters) and are using 100 laptops, video games, noise canceling stereo headphones, etc. You get the idea, just read the first link above and you will understand.
Sorry to stray off topic a little here but I would really like to get more info from HD users if they think their phone/data transmitter is not turning off even though it looks like it is. I am trying to reliably reproduce the problem so I can find a remedy and not contend with annoying GSM clicks in my headset after we push from the gate and get scolded from my co-pilot that I forgot to turn off my phone (he/she can also hear the clicking through the intercom we use when that happens).
Regards,
Gordo
have you guys tried to just turn off the radio manually in comm manager instead of using airplane mode? Just wondering if that works instead.
For you that carry a GSM phone in the plane in case of a radio failure, beware that the GSM system was designed to allow communication in terrestrial vehicles, not in planes and it is affected by Doppler effect. If you are running faster than 200Km/h respect to the base station, the frequency tracking loop of the GSM cannot correct the Doppler offset, so you could not place a call to ground. With the airborne picocell it is different because it is not moving with respect to the passengers.
The bug you refer about the flight mode I think It's reallly a software bug. Switching off the radio chipset is very easy form a software point of view, all radio chips have registers that can be adressed by the processor to make them enter in power down or sleep conditions. (this is how the handset saves battery power). However, Windows Mobile is built on the premises that a IP data link is always available. This is a heritage from desktop computers. If your phone is configured to be always connected to the GPRS service (a G or 3G or H letter is present above the signal strength indicator), some applications which require "always on" feature like MSN, may try to connect to the data network "disregarding" the status of flight mode. You can try to open the task manager before setting the phone to flight mode and close all applications, to make sure you kill all processes that try to acces the network, not only the phone application, which is just one of them. In any case, a firmware update could fix this problem, I don't think they need to recall the devices.
Related
Hello,
I'm a bit confused about my next holidays.
I want to use my Ameo in my vacation, but I've heard/read about problems with the Microdrive and the airplane.
Should I use the Ameo or not in the airplane and/or over the whole fly?
should I have anything to prepare?
11 hour's flight is much to long to let the Ameo in the suitcase and yes, I have an aditional batterypack
I have the Dopod U1000 and use it often in flight mode without any problems. As long as the Phone, WiFi and BT are not enabled, the device complies with aviation regulations and should not present any problems. You would probably need to use the wired headset for audio, but other than that you should be good to go.
microdrive
Palmchen said:
Hello,
I'm a bit confused about my next holidays.
I want to use my Ameo in my vacation, but I've heard/read about problems with the Microdrive and the airplane.
Should I use the Ameo or not in the airplane and/or over the whole fly?
should I have anything to prepare?
11 hour's flight is much to long to let the Ameo in the suitcase and yes, I have an aditional batterypack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have heard someone say before that the pressure when ascending and descending can damage the microdrive. Dont quote me on that because I have never experienced that. you should be able to turn it off at takeoff and landing to avoid damage.
thetruth1983 said:
I have heard someone say before that the pressure when ascending and descending can damage the microdrive. Dont quote me on that because I have never experienced that. you should be able to turn it off at takeoff and landing to avoid damage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that's the case, just take the battery out to ensure it's powered off until you're up in the air and leveled off.
I'll use mine on flights and if it gets damaged then will deal with HTC.
I used my U1000 for two flights without problems. I didn't, however, use it during takeoff and landing. I did use BT though to watch a movie. Didn't seem to bother the airplane any. Also, several people kept their phones on all during the flight. One even got a call midway through the landing. Didn't bother the plane any, but she got a stern look from the stewardess when disembarking.
I do have some strange freezing sometimes though.
If I have accessed the Microdrive for some media (movie, music etc), and I do not close the media player I used, then 1 time out of 15 the device freezes. It could be that the Microdrive doesn't go into sleep mode properly and to protect itself it shuts down and a side effect is the device freezing. Maybe....
Thanks at all for this information.
I thing the best wil be for me:
during landing and takeoff I will power off (complete) the Ameo.
During the flight I could use the Ameo to watch Video, listen music and so on. (and don't activate the phone )
Thanks again and I hope i could enjoy the flight on August the 26th.
No problem
There is no problem with using the HTC Advantage on a flight. I always turn off bluetooth, WIFI and GSM/UMTS, but keep the device in standby. I average 1.5 flights per week, and have had the Advantage since it came out. Absolutely no problems so far. Enjoy!
used mine all the way to the maldives and back
10.5 hour flights no probs, i was in flight mode.
aircrew dont seem to know its a phone as they asked other people to put their phones away, they prob thought it was a mini laptop
spacecat said:
used mine all the way to the maldives and back
10.5 hour flights no probs, i was in flight mode.
aircrew dont seem to know its a phone as they asked other people to put their phones away, they prob thought it was a mini laptop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i so bad want to go to the Maldives
I found on my HP rx3715 that the screen would die and it would hard reset!! But no problems since, but I don't have a Athena, I have a Hermes which has no problems on international or national flights (melbourne to london; a 22 or so hour flight, melbourne to HK; a 11 or so hour flight etc with no problems)
Never ever Never pack electronics in checked luggage. Always carry it on with you.
yea dude...my athena's hardrive got kinda damaged when the plane ascended and descended...i lost all my data around 4 GIGS of em...and i suggest u keep ur phone off during the hole flight...or store data on an sd card!
In the US we have a system available in some cars called OnStar. The system, among many other things, is able to detect a crash and automatically contact emergency services. I guess cell phones are cutting into their profit margin because they've started running radio advertisements saying "What if you're in an accident and you can't reach your phone?"
Well that got me thinking... what if you can't reach your phone? And that gave me an idea... we can make a "clone" of OnStar.
Details
Many of our phones have G-Sensors. There is already an app out there to measure acceleration and G-Force.
We can create an app that you run in the car (perhaps hooked up with a car kit, windshield mount, etc). The app monitors acceleration/deceleration and G-Forces. When it detects a crash (instant deceleration and/or huge spike in G-Force), it plays a loud warning tone and displays a large "Cancel" button. If the cancel button is not pressed within a certain time period (15, 20, 30 seconds), it automatically calls 911 (or equivalent emergency number) and turns on speakerphone.
I can start the development of this myself, but certain things (e.g. the deceleration/G-Force measurement) I will need help with.
Before I start development I would like to gauge how much interest there would be in something like this.
I think it's a wornderful idea!
I can contribuite with the development if you need some help, but for the mathematics I suggest to contact some developer who already worked with such stuffs.
Marshall
The idea is good, but should be activated by user (i know, if he forgets...) : Imagine the problem if the device in in a suitcase or attache case, and the bag fall down (or is striked... )... The emergencies will be called just for a falling of bag... and the cancel button won't be seen...
I think this should be enabled (maybe by a profiler like G-profile or SBSH PhoneWeaver ???)
Anyway ,the idea is good !
that's definitely an excellent idea guys !!!!
I'm looking forward to this And if you need any help on the graphics, I can help you maybe
Surely a nice Idea.
To prevent false alarms a few other things could be taken into account, like sound level - If there is a sudden increase in sound level (crash whatever) or if it detected a "crash" it requires you shouting / using some voice command like features or whatever.
This is an phenomenal idea! Please do it. You guys could actually save lives with something like this. How many software ideas can actually save your life. Not sure if Onstar does this, but maybe have feature where, after it calls emergency assistance, it then calls your emergency contacts with message stating you have been in an accident and gives them your location if you have GPS enabled device.
can i just turn the "phone" radio off so my phone can't be tracked by the phone company as to where i am?
yes, totally random question but "Snapped" is on (gf is watching it) and they brought up how cell phone companies will give police where your phone is which basically tracks where you are at all times. it got me thinking.... if i turn the phone radio off then does that terminate total tracking of where i am via phone company? sounds logical no?
chivas228 said:
can i just turn the "phone" radio off so my phone can't be tracked by the phone company as to where i am?
yes, totally random question but "Snapped" is on (gf is watching it) and they brought up how cell phone companies will give police where your phone is which basically tracks where you are at all times. it got me thinking.... if i turn the phone radio off then does that terminate total tracking of where i am via phone company? sounds logical no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmmmm a wierd post
anyhow, this actually seems logical but i guess the guys in snaped don't use windows mobile i think you should be transfered in csi or smth
It is not a weird post at all , imo.
If the government can control you, it will ......
I would guess that switching the radio off will stop tracking?
The Phone is "tracked" by the one Base you are connected to (even if not on a call) and the 2 nearest Base Stations in order to be ready to hand over the call to one of them if the signal of the 1st ones is to weak.
Based on these 3 readings they are able to calculate your position.
Activate Airplane Mode and the Radio will be off and nobody can track the location of the phone.
pt-1 said:
The Phone is "tracked" by the one Base you are connected to (even if not on a call) and the 2 nearest Base Stations in order to be ready to hand over the call to one of them if the signal of the 1st ones is to weak.
Based on these 3 readings they are able to calculate your position.
Activate Airplane Mode and the Radio will be off and nobody can track the location of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks! that's what I'm saying. you're registered to one tower and as you move, you go from tower to tower. they can track where you are at almost all times.
just wondering... not like i'm going to commit a crime or anything, just something everyone w.WinMo should know. well, that's another one up on iphones!
SpiggyTopes said:
It is not a weird post at all , imo.
If the government can control you, it will ......
I would guess that switching the radio off will stop tracking?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and why do you think goverment will want to track YOU?! even if they did, do you think a cell phone is the only way?
Even if the radio is off the phone can be monitored, it will be possible to hear and use you microphone, so the only option is take the battery off.
nicandris said:
and why do you think goverment will want to track YOU?! even if they did, do you think a cell phone is the only way?
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Click to collapse
right now, yes without physically having someone follow you. even with sats, you can enter a parking deck, switch cars and they'll never know.
sagytb said:
Even if the radio is off the phone can be monitored, it will be possible to hear and use you microphone, so the only option is take the battery off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i heard about this but i don't know how true it is though it's still different then what i was asking. monitor and tracking where you're going is two different things.
chivas228 said:
thanks! that's what I'm saying. you're registered to one tower and as you move, you go from tower to tower. they can track where you are at almost all times.
just wondering... not like i'm going to commit a crime or anything, just something everyone w.WinMo should know. well, that's another one up on iphones!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every phone which is connected to the network is of course tracked, otherwise it wouldn't be possible to make and receive a phone call. It has nothing to do with Winmobile. And if I say every phone I mean every phone - Symbian, Winmobile, Iphone - even the ten years old phone.
Concerning iphone: I'm using cellphones and palm devices since at about 12 years but I never saw an overrated device like this. There is really not only one one up for an iphone.
Concerning the other posts: If the radio is in flight mode it is of course NOT possible to track or monitor it, this is technically impossible. And it is also not possible to use the microphone or the speaker because NO RADIO NO TRANSMISSION.
Of course it is possible to install a software (again regardless the operating system) which is able to switch on the radio without showing any signal. But theres no need to panic, intelligence services and police forces are having much better ways to monitor suspicious people
- turn off 3G
phone screen > ##778 > "000000" > modem settings >
preferred mode- should be on auto as default, switch it to cdma only
menu > commit settings > (auto reboots)
poof 1x only mode!!!
(much slower data speed but much smaller data authentaction overhead - hence less power usage, good for low signal or good signal with fringe 3g coverage)
also be careful what you change in the settings, one of the modes will give you data only and no voice call(+sms) ability
- also "rev A." enable/disable has no reason to be off unless your network engineer so leave it on, turning it off will just limit you to evdo(3g) rev.0 vs allow both rev.A and rev.0
- dont clear your MRU, if you do you will need to hit a native verizon tower to get data to work
- preferred serving system - home/auto A/auto B
B is default and works best in roughly 90% areas, auto A looks at same preferred list but starts in reverse order before goign to none preferred towers, sometimes phones gets confused between two preferred towers and grabs one with lower signal or just switched to much, occasional it might help to tell the phone to start searching for ID's in reverse order, this is little over simplified and prl's contain signal frequencies as well which is more of what a/b switch will look to, but thats the way i like to explain it so tough cookie
also if your ambitious and your phone keeps jumping between good 3g signal and tower with poor coverage or data, you could grab the sID's of the tower with good connection and put phone in home only mode and alter the nam settings home sid to match that, also your allowed to enter more than one sid in the settings if you wanted to build a mini prl list of sorts
warning:-altering home sid will give roam indicator false info and roaming will still be network side regardless of what miss programed phone shows
also if you put prl files on root of sd card you can also update prl from a file
Prove the lower power usage.
Lino. said:
Prove the lower power usage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll skip how signal strength effects radios power output and B band penetrates buildings better in general and alot of boring electromagnetic theory
i'm guessing your referring to the 1x mode vs 3g/1x mode(3g/2g), if its not let me know
it was my assumption that it is general knowledge and accepted that evdo has alot higher power usage just maintaining network authentication with no data transfered for user purposes, it takes longer to acquire a 3g aka EV signal signal when booting phone or when its recovering from lost signal, the network packet overhead is larger between the phone and the cell tower, just like analog or cable modem has MTU that is basically the available space - used for network = info space, now imagine you had OCD and had to call your VM once ever min to make sure it didn't get deleted or someone change your password to check your messages, now say 1x would be listening just to make sure the greeting starts for maybe 10 seconds and your 3g would listen to say 30 seconds of the greeting before being satisfied the vm hasn't been lost or hacked, obviously the person broadcasting an open cell channel for less time will be able to use phone longer without charging, now these are made up numbers for illustration purposes and the authentication process takes fraction of a second, but it is done continuously over and over as long as the 3G icon is showing on the top of the phone
now actions speak louder than words and i would be more than happy to make some real world test to give you hard evidence and if this is what you want then you will have to wait because i'm changing alot of the apps on my phone and my usages is not consistent enough for test atm but i'll happily make one if you wait for my usage to settle down, now if someone wants to send me second htc incredible i'd happily make time dilated web video and post it to youtube so everyone can see first hand evidence of power difference
now if you are impatient and want proof right this second without a propper test conducted i can refer you to google but on more serious note the EVDO effect on moto razor is well know and modes have been done to edit, also the battery life of the v3a and v3m are very different, the largest difference in these two razors is one is evdo capable and the other is not, also cases have been documented of v3m users having less than half the battery life they had before after the EV icon starts showing up on the screen related directly to cell tower upgrade in the area they use the phone
now i know this is alot of nothing about the razor but it was very common phone, i have altered the data on lg wave, glimmer, htc touch diamond and few blackberrys and noticed power differences on all of them, its just the way modern cdma phones work and its effect is magnifed by lower signal levels, people that live few feet from cell towers will notice least difference while thous with 1 bar of coverage or around the -90 dbm or lower range will notice greatly magnified effects of this inefficient with data authentication process
seriously thou, anyone want to send me a second phone! lol
-----
couple googled links for you
http://www.hacktherazr.com/guides/verizon.disable.evdo.php
http://www.wikihow.com/Extend-the-Battery-Life-of-Your-Verizon-Wireless-RAZR
runkittyrun said:
seriously thou, anyone want to send me a second phone! lol
-----
couple googled links for you
http://www.hacktherazr.com/guides/verizon.disable.evdo.php
http://www.wikihow.com/Extend-the-Battery-Life-of-Your-Verizon-Wireless-RAZR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats pretty good, but good luck with this one.
Coming from a G1 I was not expecting anything better on the battery for this phone, we get a phone like this because of it's features and everyone should know that features like this phone has are going to consume more power.
If battery is a persons problem and they will always complain about it, then they should not have a smartphone.
Also chargers are cheap.
I wander with the same amount of use, 2 identical phones one running 3G the other running slower, what would be the difference and how could this be done, the phone with 3G would be waiting on the other to load a webpage 90% of the time.
Sorry I left T-Mobile because of their lack of 3G service, I'll be dammed if I put my phone back to Edge speeds.
Lino. said:
If battery is a persons problem and they will always complain about it, then they should not have a smartphone.
Also chargers are cheap.
I wander with the same amount of use, 2 identical phones one running 3G the other running slower, what would be the difference and how could this be done, the phone with 3G would be waiting on the other to load a webpage 90% of the time.
Sorry I left T-Mobile because of their lack of 3G service, I'll be dammed if I put my phone back to Edge speeds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this definitely is not targeted for normal use
this is more for the person that cant make it threw 5 hours with the phone idle the whole time, if you want to start larger amount of data then switch it back and wait 40 seconds?? for reboot
2g will load web pages and email and all other data, except view vcast videos and thats blocked on network side, also voice chat programs like skype would take quality hit do to smaller bandwidth, if you used two phones in active data sessions the 3G would quickly become more efficient as session size and length increased, like you said it would finish loading larger websites and videos while 2g is still broadcasting an active session working on transferring the info, but if you set two phones with same apps on them in same place with one in 1x and other evdo and watched them in standby mode the 1x will have longer battery, now ideally if your going somewhere with low signal it is much easier to turn off all data threw normal menu and will give you even better battery but no emails updates or other data
I live in a poor Verizon signal area. Every phone I have ever had gets easy better batt life when set to 1x only so thanks for this tip.
Any easy to automate this with a macro or widget somehow?
lexluthor said:
I live in a poor Verizon signal area. Every phone I have ever had gets easy better batt life when set to 1x only so thanks for this tip.
Any easy to automate this with a macro or widget somehow?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, makes my post all worth while
would be a sweet widget if you could change the phone mode on the fly dont know enough about the android system to know if its possible, but maybe someone can look at the phone settings and make customized epst program and make widget just for this setting without the programing forcing a reboot, have seen some phone that can change nam programing without reboot but most phone do it automatically so be interesting to see if changed without a reset if it takes effect or not, hmm or even epst mod at commmit to bring up reboot yes/no instead force reboot on commit would work then we know widget should be possible
What it the point in having a top of the line media phone if you are going to cramp it's style by limiting it's functions. If you "need" this top of the line phone you should be able to pony up for an extra batt. The Incredible is a COMPUTER you talk on. Can your laptop last all day with heavy use unplugged ? ? NO.
I plug my phone in at work and in the car. I also keep an extra batt in my briefcase for out of the office emergencies. These are not flip phones that last all day. I have been using media phones since they came out and they have yet to make one that will last all day using all the features like you want to.
Why restrict what the phone can do , when all you need is an extra batt.
jbh00jh said:
What it the point in having a top of the line media phone if you are going to cramp it's style by limiting it's functions. If you "need" this top of the line phone you should be able to pony up for an extra batt. The Incredible is a COMPUTER you talk on. Can your laptop last all day with heavy use unplugged ? ? NO.
I plug my phone in at work and in the car. I also keep an extra batt in my briefcase for out of the office emergencies. These are not flip phones that last all day. I have been using media phones since they came out and they have yet to make one that will last all day using all the features like you want to.
Why restrict what the phone can do , when all you need is an extra batt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your right, why dont we all carry around backpacks or napsacks with batterys and portable charges and spare parts for our smartphone, batterys are cheap
and people should not be allowed to buy tv screens over 32" if they can't show proof of owning blu-ray player, i mean come on, no top line device unless your gonna use it to best potienal, and in reality they are just making large screens more expensive for thou that do have blu-ray, yep, no big screens for people with dvd's and stander cable
OMFG!
why are people so quick to force their frame of reality on to everyone, is their a Hitler award i dont know about?
i get that smartphones are computers first and phones second, but that doesn't mean everyone using one has the same needs, some people need the phone part of the smartphone to, well actually work, i know what a strang concept why dont they just get an old bag phone, better signal, better battery life, and you can get them with shoulder straps!
android is about ability to customize our phones, why? because we all use them differently so you can change your home screens, pick the apps you download, the experience is aimed at being user driven
your example laptop is way off base, what you should be saying is if your laptop is full charged and its completely off or in a hibernate mode for 2-5 hours can you even at that point turn it on? that is what this post is about, not the time your using the smartphone but the time that its self-destructing between uses
look, i admit this is not for everyone, infact for 90+% i would recommend not even trying this, but the point is some people are effected by this and shouldn't they at least have the option or ability for this? there was post requesting this before i even brought it up
do you know how many people i've talked to over 80 that have smartphones these days, now i'm not saying these should have them or that it wasn't incredibly frustrating talking to them and i didn't want to bang my head on wall saying why did someone sell this person a smartphone we should have test to who can buy smartphones, if you cant figure out how to turn it on by yourself you cant' buy one! but the reality is smartphones are becoming mainstream
- why would anyone need top line media phone and then cramp it?
> because they dont use their smartphone the same way you use smartphone
i.e. my father runs poker tournament for a large company and bigger events are normal held at casinos, i dont know if you been to poker tournament lately but they are long events, also most casinos are bad on cell signal, partly cause of the building and partly cause they have areas with signal equipment that interferes, he also needs to have his email on the device because he's general contractor and works with larger companies that demand a quick response, now one could suggest blackberry in this case as of smartphones they in most cases do better with battery life, but honestly at the rate android apps are growing and how much for fun and enjoyment i get from it i cant dream of not recommending a android phone to him, now their is one degree of separation that shows an example where this is useful, and i could go on all day long with completely different examples where this is helpful
can we all agree to disagree about how people are stupid people are to modify how their phone functions? and try to keep to subject of re-enforcing this works or providing examples that contradict this, or question to how it works or expands on its helpfulness
jbh00jh said:
What it the point in having a top of the line media phone if you are going to cramp it's style by limiting it's functions. If you "need" this top of the line phone you should be able to pony up for an extra batt. The Incredible is a COMPUTER you talk on. Can your laptop last all day with heavy use unplugged ? ? NO.
Why restrict what the phone can do , when all you need is an extra batt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you on all of that and I fully understand what I have. I just came from a Touch Pro and, I'll tell you, battery was probably good for 14-16 hours if set to 1x and 10 hours on 3G. That a huge difference.
I'm on Wifi both at home and work and use Opera Mini, which works very well on 1x, plus I had a pretty quick way to go from 3G to 1x and back. It didn't limit me *that* much, but sure, there were plenty of times I needed to check something fast, wasn't near wifi and didn't want to use my macro to change to 3G and back. Yes, it's a bit of a pain.
Plus, I barely get a 3G signal in my house anyhow. It's 1x 75% of the time.
Now that I have my incredible, which does even so much more than the Touch Pro, yes, I'd like to keep it to 3G and I have chargers everywhere and an extra battery and might get an external battery charger too.
Still, I'd love to see an app or widget that can quickly set the phone to 1x mode and back.
runkittyrun said:
your right, why dont we all carry around backpacks or napsacks with batterys and portable charges and spare parts for our smartphone, batterys are cheap
and people should not be allowed to buy tv screens over 32" if they can't show proof of owning blu-ray player, i mean come on, no top line device unless your gonna use it to best potienal, and in reality they are just making large screens more expensive for thou that do have blu-ray, yep, no big screens for people with dvd's and stander cable
OMFG!
why are people so quick to force their frame of reality on to everyone, is their a Hitler award i dont know about?
i get that smartphones are computers first and phones second, but that doesn't mean everyone using one has the same needs, some people need the phone part of the smartphone to, well actually work, i know what a strang concept why dont they just get an old bag phone, better signal, better battery life, and you can get them with shoulder straps!
android is about ability to customize our phones, why? because we all use them differently so you can change your home screens, pick the apps you download, the experience is aimed at being user driven
your example laptop is way off base, what you should be saying is if your laptop is full charged and its completely off or in a hibernate mode for 2-5 hours can you even at that point turn it on? that is what this post is about, not the time your using the smartphone but the time that its self-destructing between uses
look, i admit this is not for everyone, infact for 90+% i would recommend not even trying this, but the point is some people are effected by this and shouldn't they at least have the option or ability for this? there was post requesting this before i even brought it up
do you know how many people i've talked to over 80 that have smartphones these days, now i'm not saying these should have them or that it wasn't incredibly frustrating talking to them and i didn't want to bang my head on wall saying why did someone sell this person a smartphone we should have test to who can buy smartphones, if you cant figure out how to turn it on by yourself you cant' buy one! but the reality is smartphones are becoming mainstream
- why would anyone need top line media phone and then cramp it?
> because they dont use their smartphone the same way you use smartphone
i.e. my father runs poker tournament for a large company and bigger events are normal held at casinos, i dont know if you been to poker tournament lately but they are long events, also most casinos are bad on cell signal, partly cause of the building and partly cause they have areas with signal equipment that interferes, he also needs to have his email on the device because he's general contractor and works with larger companies that demand a quick response, now one could suggest blackberry in this case as of smartphones they in most cases do better with battery life, but honestly at the rate android apps are growing and how much for fun and enjoyment i get from it i cant dream of not recommending a android phone to him, now their is one degree of separation that shows an example where this is useful, and i could go on all day long with completely different examples where this is helpful
can we all agree to disagree about how people are stupid people are to modify how their phone functions? and try to keep to subject of re-enforcing this works or providing examples that contradict this, or question to how it works or expands on its helpfulness
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would someone need a backpack to carry a 2oz, battery ?
The more I read on this tread the more I understand.
That was an option on my G1 to turn off 3G, I never did, I hardly had 3G with T-mobile.
Anyway you can turn off Mobile network on the fly, you can also put the phone in airplane mode, but both of these you will have to internet, also you could turn off Auto Sync, or turn the phone OFF for best battery life.
that doesn't make any sense at all, the phones screens are super strong and anti scratch out of the box from factory without any add-on.
if you cracked yours like you described, you must to have put it over a very hot surface, or with saline/acidic solution.
i've seen the video where the guy repeatedly intentionally drop the screen with no problem, until he tried to smash it over 1.5m high, anything less than 1.0 drop is safe for the screen.
i can see why samsung doesn't believe you, as it's physically imposible for it to break in the way you described it.
all that aside, if you can find a replacement screen, usually it is a plug and play piece.
i've done many of those on my old Treo and Blackberry phones, the SGS will be no different.
Replying to AllGamer's post. I had just taken my galaxy off my battery charger. So the phone was pretty hot. I believe that there was some defect or tension on the screen. The cracking started from the corner of home button.
AllGamer said:
that doesn't make any sense at all, the phones screens are super strong and anti scratch out of the box from factory without any add-on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im not sure about this.
My 2 weeks old phone dropped from the sofa and down at the floor today. About 50 cm and landed flat on the floor with the front first. Screen cracked all over, phone still usable though.
I´m ordering a replacement package. To much hassle trying to arguing against samsung or the shop i bought the phone in, stating the same as a bow.
But the lesson is, be careful people. The screen cracks surprisingly easy.
dangrayorg said:
Having studied the effects seen with the MS options over measured trials and based on my assertions in my previous post I believe that MS stands for ‘Multiple Sensors’ or ‘Motion Sensors’.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And here did I stop reading.
You don't even know what MS-Based and MS-Assisted stands for, and you think you can work out what the problem is?
Really. Thank you for trying, but changing the settings is no solution.
maesebit: Care to help then?
BS...
maesebit said:
And here did I stop reading.
You don't even know what MS-Based and MS-Assisted stands for, and you think you can work out what the problem is?
Really. Thank you for trying, but changing the settings is no solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I can't find any decent quotable source. That said I may be slightly embarrassed as I come up with this:
What is MS-Assisted mode of operation?
In MS-Assisted mode, the network elements calculate the location of the device. This mode is suitable for one-shot fixes, wherein the location does not need to be updated frequently.
Back To Top
What is MS-Based mode of operation?
In MS-Based mode, the network provides the satellite information to the device, based on a rough estimate of where the device is located, and the device acquires the GPS signals from the satellites and calculates its location. After the initial fix, the device operates like an autonomous GPS receiver, until the satellite information must be refreshed, at which time the device goes back to the network to update the satellite information. MS-Based mode is appropriate for applications that require the device location to be updated rapidly, such as a navigation application.
Back to the OP again.....
Peer review, ain't it a *****.
Brownstone said:
maesebit: Care to help then?
BS...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish I could. But I can't provide you with a better antenna.
I'm just pointing out that this thread is not offering any solutions to the problem, and never will, unless it adds some sort of hardware modding tutorial.
maesebit said:
And here did I stop reading.
You don't even know what MS-Based and MS-Assisted stands for, and you think you can work out what the problem is?
Really. Thank you for trying, but changing the settings is no solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't have corrective information, just P*SS OFF...
You've trolled every GPS related thread out there, with no information what so ever and only whinning about how your life sucks without GPS... I guess you must be hitting the walls in your place without a descent GPS eh?
It is specified by the OP that he "assumes" it stands for X and Y. This is speculative but still, this is at least someone trying to DO SOMETHING else than whine pointlessly and troll everything...
What did you do to make it right? Did you concact your reseller, did you contact samsung, did you tip any news site with the information?
As for the informations, this is what MS stands for:
MS = Mobile Station = your cell phone or handheld
MS-based = it gets GPS information assistance to find the satellites, then continues calculations on its own. Used for example with VZ Navigator.
MS-assisted = gets GPS assistance, and then sends raw GPS readings to another server to do the location calculations. Used a lot for E911 locating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yesterday my GPS started going totally berserk on me... I usually have a good track, better than I used to have with my HTC Vogue to track my workout but wierd thing appened yesterday, got me this track:
http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/776945?key=121d6fcdae3e1f2a69d349083a6f18affae9cd0a&ms=0
So I've disabled WiFi, rebooted the thing and it was still inacurate...
http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/776280?key=f7ae25b101afde4752bfd15d940e289ef8c4b8c4&ms=0
Better still, but unusable to track jogs
So I went ahead and strted GPS Status to clear and redownload A-GPS data and did a small test
http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT....436748,-71.004682&spn=0.005479,0.013894&z=17
I've played around in here and crossed the street a couples of times... I would say it's within 2 meter accurate of my real position and no weird jumps...
Still, this was a small 5 min. test. I'll check it out when I get another jog but it seems like the fix was more stable.
I know AGps is only used for the first fix, and shouldn't affect the accuracy once fixed, but what if (this is speculation, it should need further investigation) the GPS status accuracy issue was more likely caused by a lost and retreival of a fix? In this case, the fact that the fix was lost/regain would mean that the aGPS would affect the accuracy as it is constatly regained.
Any way to force disable the AGps overall?
It wouldn't be folish to belive that Samsungs engineers used MS for another meaning, they're often not very good in English.
I'm curious of the possible effects of moving the internal GPS antenna. Aka opening the phone, moving the antenna far away from other components and testing the GPS with default settings. Sometimes does wonder.
maesebit said:
And here did I stop reading.
You don't even know what MS-Based and MS-Assisted stands for, and you think you can work out what the problem is?
Really. Thank you for trying, but changing the settings is no solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That doesn't mean that the OP settings don't work best on our phones in real world testing. Has anyone proved which setting is best?
MS-Based = Mobile Station Based.
MS-Assisted = Mobile Station Assisted.
Standalone = no A-GPS used at all?
From this page, we can see that "Mobile Station" (MS), refers to the GPS receiver, ie the phone itself in this case. Therefore MS-Based means the phone itself computes the location with a combination of data from the GPS signals and the A-GPS server. MS-Assisted, means the phone sends it's GPS data to the server for the server to calculate the location for it. Standalone presumably means that the phone doesn't ask the servers opinion (is that correct?)
The point is that the OP was running a series of guesses based upon their experience of testing the device in the real world and trying to make sense of the data they saw. Therefore unencumbered by ideas of which should be "better" they have gone purely on test data. This might go against knowledgeable instincts, but doesn't mean it is wrong... even if the explanations of "why" are miles off!
If you have something to offer, then please DO carry on reading past the bit that was wrong, and see the bigger picture. Do the settings mentioned help or not?
I seem to remember that my phone was set to standalone when I got it, and someone trying to help suggested I switch to MS-Based, which I did, but I've had problems since then. I'll try it back on Standalone for a while and see if it helps! Maybe the A-GPS stuff is still part of the problem on this unit, and it performs better in standard GPS mode? Or maybe we can find a better server to use for the assistance?
Mike
t1mman said:
You've trolled every GPS related thread out there, with no information what so ever and only whinning about how your life sucks without GPS... I guess you must be hitting the walls in your place without a descent GPS eh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I actually published a track showing how the GPS performs well when used in open spaces, and awfully when it's sorrounded by stuff like buildings.
I guess that's more helpful for investigation pourposes than blaming the world for not being alligned with the Galaxy S' GPS, as others do. XD
No offence, but all this thing about recording tracks and looking for miracolous configs is starting to be ridiculous. You might notice slight improvement by doing so. But it won't be enough.
So, sorry for bringing people's hopes down, but if the GPS could be fixed by simply changing some settings Samsung would have already done that. You know, even their useless engineers could be able to do that in 6 months time.
I'm going to come to maesebit's defence. I was talking arse about MS nav and he called me on it. The wandering behaviour which I had put down to INS could easily be caused by having a base-station try to DF you and pass that position back (doppler shift maybe? That would explain why it keeps you moving for a while until it decides that you have stopped.)
Actually it doesn't make any difference. The loudest cry in this forum seems to be for 'MS-Assisted' which is precisely the wrong mode.
They're not well named modes, given that MS-Based is actually assistive while MS-Assisted is actually based - quite counter intuitive!
I know it's cheeky but I'm going to keep ammending the OP because I think it's important that that paints a picture of what can be done. Simply put I'm under no illusions that Samsung will do anything about this because it needs a hardware fix so it's for us to look at the 'art of the possible'.
bilboa1 said:
It wouldn't be folish to belive that Samsungs engineers used MS for another meaning, they're often not very good in English.
I'm curious of the possible effects of moving the internal GPS antenna. Aka opening the phone, moving the antenna far away from other components and testing the GPS with default settings. Sometimes does wonder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MS- Based and MS-Assisted is standard tech slang. But who know. They could be changing the achronyms meanings. Maybe they could be using "GPS" as "Great Piece of ****" instead of "Global Positioning System" too.
As of changing the antenna placement. That'd be interesting. Anyone dares to give it a try? We could also try to attach an external GPS antenna to the phone and see what happens.
maesebit said:
Hey, I actually published a track showing how the GPS performs well when used in open spaces, and awfully when it's sorrounded by stuff like buildings.
I guess that's more helpful for investigation pourposes than blaming the world for not being alligned with the Galaxy S' GPS, as others do. XD
No offence, but all this thing about recording tracks and looking for miracolous configs is starting to be ridiculous. You might notice slight improvement by doing so. But it won't be enough.
So, sorry for bringing people's hopes down, but if the GPS could be fixed by simply changing some settings Samsung would have already done that. You know, even their useless engineers could be able to do that in 6 months time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would agree with you, but considering some have good tracks, some have bad tracks; there must be something that affects the GPS usability.
And, as I replied, A-Gps will have an effect if the signal is constantly lost and regain, as it is most likely the case in urban area, where the signal is known to bounce off of buildings or be disrupted by radio signals in the surroundings. I don't know how much you've tested any settings at all, but considering most of your answers consist in discrediting the whole A-Gps theories, I would assume “none”. So, your “theory” that it doesn’t affect anything at all is still a theory, just as OP’s or any of us.
maesebit said:
So, sorry for bringing people's hopes down, but if the GPS could be fixed by simply changing some settings Samsung would have already done that. You know, even their useless engineers could be able to do that in 6 months time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think so. We all would like to believe that the Samsung engineers are as involved as the XDA crowd is. Forget it. Why did it took months for Samsung to come up with their Froyo version? Look at it, what's are the extras that Samsung puts in Froyo that legitimate months of delay?
Samsung just sees this as a calculated risk:
- only 25% of the customers will use the GPS
- 25% of those will have used a GPS phone before and are able to compare
- 25% of those will bother
- 25% of those will look at forums like XDA
- 25% of those will rant on forums like XDA
So, 0,098 % of customers will have a problem, big deal. Samsung just doesn't bother. Maybe a few engineers do, but they are already working on the Galaxy S2, and we are blessed with people like the OP to help us out.
I have a Samsung Blue Ray Player also. The thing has a RJ-45 network socket. To this day, it's unable to find Windows Network shares in the network (you know those shares invented in the Windows For Workgroups era). So you can type in the IP adress, username and password manually (painstakingly with the remote) so it finds your shared media. But.., the engineers didn't bother to make the player SAVE that IP, username, passwords when you power off the Blue Ray Player.... That's the level of engineering at Samsung.
PS: my GPS works fine from the start. Fix in a few seconds, and just an occasional hop on a nearby road.
FadeFx said:
Sorry for proving you wrong, but i can tell you one thing
our GPS actually works well
The problem we do have is not really GPS, the root of the problem actually is the shaky compass sensor. With not knowing where exactly north is, the best navigator can't tell you where exactly you are. .
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Click to collapse
Are you serious? North and South, East and West have never been relevant in determining your GPS position....
Direction is based on the followed track between two or more determined GPS locations, not the poles.
Only a Compass can indicate North when stationary, a GPS device has to be moving (been moving) to indicate North, which it doesn't do based on poles but on the GPS locations it determined in the previous seconds.
pwhooftman said:
Are you serious? North and South, East and West have never been relevant in determining your GPS position....
Direction is based on the followed track between two or more determined GPS locations, not the poles.
Only a Compass can indicate North when stationary, a GPS device has to be moving (been moving) to indicate North, which it doesn't do based on poles but on the GPS locations it determined in the previous seconds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A compass isn't involved in traditional plain GPS. Correct.
However, is it definitively proved that the compass doesn't interfere with GPS tracking on our phones, by adding another sensor feed in to the mix?
It probably doesn't have an affect, but are we absolutely sure?
Have people tried re-calibrating their compass and accelerometer, even just so we can dismiss them completely as being not part of the problem?
Mike
xpcomputers said:
A compass isn't involved in traditional plain GPS. Correct.
However, is it definitively proved that the compass doesn't interfere with GPS tracking on our phones, by adding another sensor feed in to the mix?
It probably doesn't have an affect, but are we absolutely sure?
Have people tried re-calibrating their compass and accelerometer, even just so we can dismiss them completely as being not part of the problem?
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if by recalibrating you mean running the sensorcalibutil_yamaha, then yes, i recalibrate it all the time, since the bloody thing gets screwed up so often.
I just wondering why people keep asking question here rather than using discussion thread... Also people keep reporting bug here rather than using issue tracker...
@codeworkx: I think you should ignore any question here and push them to discuss there... at the link that you have post... BTW... thanks for your great works...
+100000000000
People, if you have questions, need any kind of help or need to discuss something not relevant for the devs: use the f*cking user thread!!! And do not report any bug here, do it through the issues list!!!
I wonder how can exist so many people that know how to write but not to understand what they read!!!
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