Using GPS Abroad - Touch HD General

Apologies if this has been asked before, I have used the seach tool and all I can find is people getting extremely high bills while using their phone abroad.
I have CoPilot live on my touch hd and would like to use GPS in france. If I turn off A-GPS and stop using HSPDA/GPRS/WAP will it just connect to GPS satellites and cost nothing?

yep....gps as long as you not let a-gps connect will be free...but even witch a-gps switched on you won't incure high charges as it uses minimal data transfer... you can get a small piece of soft which will block your roaming internet...just search this site.
regards

Many thanks, I saw the app on here that blocks the data connection. This is the best site ever!

Related

GPS Cost

For AT&T does using GPS cost money? From my understanding it only uses data to download maps but retrieving my coordinates is free. Do I understand correctly or have I been misled? (I do not remember where I read that.)
Also if it is true, then is there any GPS program that I can use that I can just download a map of a single city to my phone. That way I can just use Wifi at home to retrieve the map, then I can use it in my city for free.
Thirdly, assuming it true. Apps that tell me how fast I am going and how far I have traveled, would they cost me money. I think not because all they use is my coordinates, right?
GPS is free of charge, because it uses a satellite and no internet service.
There are a bunch of navigation softwares out there, but as far as I know, they all cost money. I, for example, use TomTom Navigator in Germany. You can buy it for around $100 with a detailed map of Germany and major roads of western europe. You can also purchase extra maps, for other countries. Dont know if you can buy a single city or state with at TomTom USA.
TomTom tells you how fast you are going at the moment you are using it. But there are a range of Tracking Apps, that can monitor the distance you do (Like TrackME). There is one program (forgot the name), that tracks your location like every 5 minutes and safes the coordinates in a format "Google Earth" is capable to read. So you can import the date and import it into Google Earth and then see the route you took.
If you have GPS in your phone, coordinates comes from satellites and is free. This is the signal that most of the non-map GPS apps use, so indeed free.
However, Assisted-GPS, which helps your GPS finding a signal faster, downloads a few kilobytes from the network, so costs very little, but is not free.
Maps are different. If you want it for active routing, you either need to buy and preload (TomTom, Garmin, and the likes), or you need an online service (Google) and you will need to pay data traffic for that
If you want the maps just for reference, not for active routing, and preload them at home, than there are a few nice programs, this one is very nice for the non-demanding user
Why does the edge symbol say its connected?
Don-Carlo said:
GPS is free of charge, because it uses a satellite and no internet service.
There are a bunch of navigation softwares out there, but as far as I know, they all cost money. I, for example, use TomTom Navigator in Germany. You can buy it for around $100 with a detailed map of Germany and major roads of western europe. You can also purchase extra maps, for other countries. Dont know if you can buy a single city or state with at TomTom USA.
TomTom tells you how fast you are going at the moment you are using it. But there are a range of Tracking Apps, that can monitor the distance you do (Like TrackME). There is one program (forgot the name), that tracks your location like every 5 minutes and safes the coordinates in a format "Google Earth" is capable to read. So you can import the date and import it into Google Earth and then see the route you took.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The E will pop up while the phone asks the network for the co-ordinates of the local masts your are connected to. This can happen not just to get the original lock and your postition but if you are indoors it will stay on untill it picks up enough sats to navigate on its own.
Can I tell it to use Wifi for that instead of the Edge network? Will it only need to use this once?
anarchyuk said:
The E will pop up while the phone asks the network for the co-ordinates of the local masts your are connected to. This can happen not just to get the original lock and your postition but if you are indoors it will stay on untill it picks up enough sats to navigate on its own.
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Click to collapse
If you are that worried about data connections, just disable AGPS. You can do that with Advanced Config tools 3.3. And/Or disable the data connections themselves, so *no* program can use data, also possible with Adv Cfg 3.3, but easier with Modaco NoData. Search the board for these utilities.
After disabling AGPS, you can still use QuickGPS when connected to WiFi to pre-download satellite positions, otherwise getting a fix takes several minutes. Search the forum for more info, all of your questions have been asked and answered before.
Thank you very much. I did search, however I must not have used the right keywords as I could only find programs that used GPS.
cybermaus said:
If you are that worried about data connections, just disable AGPS. You can do that with Advanced Config tools 3.3. And/Or disable the data connections themselves, so *no* program can use data, also possible with Adv Cfg 3.3, but easier with Modaco NoData. Search the board for these utilities.
After disabling AGPS, you can still use QuickGPS when connected to WiFi to pre-download satellite positions, otherwise getting a fix takes several minutes. Search the forum for more info, all of your questions have been asked and answered before.
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Click to collapse

GPS Roaming Charges?

Am thinking of using copilot on my phone when I go away to Portugal. What I want to know is will using gps incurr any data charges? Will be using the phone in flight mode and run nodata as well to make sure all connections are cut but don't want to get a nasty surprise when I get back. Anyone used their hd2 abroad for navigation before?
djingonthenet said:
Am thinking of using copilot on my phone when I go away to Portugal. What I want to know is will using gps incurr any data charges? Will be using the phone in flight mode and run nodata as well to make sure all connections are cut but don't want to get a nasty surprise when I get back. Anyone used their hd2 abroad for navigation before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gps is totally independent of your provider, you won't be charged anything for using it. (as long as you do not download any additional maps etc, but as you said you set your phone to flight mode this shouldn't be a problem)
or get the app dialup enabler/disabler which lets you deny access to your mobile data connection with a simple toggle. THen you dont need to use flight mode.
samsamuel said:
or get the app dialup enabler/disabler which lets you deny access to your mobile data connection with a simple toggle. THen you dont need to use flight mode.
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Click to collapse
Already installed along with nodata and htc's data toggle too - am covering all my bases
hehe very wise
djingonthenet said:
Am thinking of using copilot on my phone when I go away to Portugal. What I want to know is will using gps incurr any data charges? Will be using the phone in flight mode and run nodata as well to make sure all connections are cut but don't want to get a nasty surprise when I get back. Anyone used their hd2 abroad for navigation before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How GPS works:
SENDER: Satellites in Earth Orbit send slightly falsified signals (this is why only the fu...... as....... of the military receive data exact on the cm/ft) to Earth surface (24 hrs a day worldwide free of any charge)
RECEIVER: Your HD2 has a GPS-receiver and by the different travel times of the signals from the different GPS-satellites calculates Your position (Lat/Long/Elev) with aberrations of 5-10 m (15-30 ft)
UNTIL NOW EVERYTHING IS FREE !
For quicker lock-in to the satellites the HTC-PDAs use a "Quick-GPS" function (download of GPS-sats-position for a period of 6 days)
THIS You have to switch off in Roaming mode to prevent costs for data-traffic
Have fun in Portugal

TomTom and roaming

I have TomTom and 1 gb of Europmaps installaed and it works just fine.
But now im going on holliday and was thinking about using my HD2 and TomTom navigation. But is TomTom using data when showing you where to go?
I know that e.g. Googlemaps is using data to download maps as you go, but now that TomTom is using the 1 gb maps, is TomTom then also using data to work?
TomTom isn't working if you disable the phone in the Commanager.
So will it cost to use tomtom abroad?
Good question
I use Tomtom and I have used this with no available credit and not received any extra charges or anything
I would be interested to know why it needs the phone connected to a phone signal to actually work this is also the same with Garmin XT
I would think it would work while roaming without causing any additional charges to your phone but that is just a guess
the plot thickens
i just ran Garmin XT on the HD2
I first tried with flight mode and Garmin works fine
Removed the SIM card and Garmin still works
weird as I also have garmin xt on my HD as well and if I have no sim it wont work
Thanks ozmoran, il'l try and use Tomtom on my holliday and se if i get any big bill
Tomtom will not incur charges when roaming, if your worried just make sure your HD2 cant make an internet connection by installing something like nodata.
Iv noticed in flight mode that iGo8 and memory map both work fine however for some reason tomtom never does, iv never incurred charges though using tomtom while roaming.
the HTC has got a A-GPS chipset. That chipset uses the GSM network to get an estimate of the handset’s location down to cell/sector, therefore can predict with great accuracy the GPS signal the handset will receive. With this assistance the size of the search space is greatly reduced and the time-to-first-fix.
there is no charge for this.
petervgijn said:
the HTC has got a A-GPS chipset. That chipset uses the GSM network to get an estimate of the handset’s location down to cell/sector, therefore can predict with great accuracy the GPS signal the handset will receive. With this assistance the size of the search space is greatly reduced and the time-to-first-fix.
there is no charge for this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a thought should Tomtom work if AGPS is turned off?
and thanks for the info
much appreciated
dont worry i tried with location and same result
so if its more detailed Id rather not mess with it LOL
yea just takes a bit longer to get a fix. but apart from that it doesnt need to access anything unless you clicked on an update by mistake
TomTom uses no data for me. I used it when i was driving to Switzerland from Sweden. I just installed a nodata app to make sure it used no data for weather, emails and such.
I got no big bill when i got back home, except that the text messages and the calls was alittle more expensive than usual (duh?)

Using GPS without CDMA signal

Hello:
I try use the GPS of Sprint Hero in Argentina (there are no operators that use CDMA)
and I can not find the satellite signals, what I can do?
Thanks in advance
Gps will not work without a network location first. You may be able to connect to a wifi and it work, maybe.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Try to use the GPS while connected to wi fi and have not had luck. There fix something?
danaff37 said:
Gps will not work without a network location first. You may be able to connect to a wifi and it work, maybe.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pablo2m said:
Try to use the GPS while connected to wi fi and have not had luck. There fix something?
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Click to collapse
Are you using a custom ROM, or just stock 2.1?
Probably nothing you can do. The gps hardware is not powerful enough to work without a network location.
Sent from my Android for Telechips TCC8900 Evaluation Board (US) using XDA App
Today i'm using CM6 but try with the original sprint rom
stayclean said:
Are you using a custom ROM, or just stock 2.1?
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Click to collapse
my thoughts are...
GPS works.. but without data it has no reference.
Maps must be downloaded via some internet connection. Maybe a wifi can help u.
or
you can download a stand alone GPS map app. CoPilot is a good one, but cost $30.
Yeah, but the gps can't even find a lock without a recent network signal to tell it where to start looking. It's not a full on gps antenna.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
I have been traveling around the world recently with my EVO and using the GPS to do so. It's GPS chip is no better than the Hero's I believe.
Things to keep in mind, without aGPS help, it can take these things up to 30 minutes to find your correct location. Usually it takes 4 strong signals to pinpoint it. Download GPS Status from the market and it will show you all of the satellites it is picking up as well as the strengths and you will know when you have a lock. It will also allow you to keep the phone awake and the gps active until it gets a fix. This is probably your main problem. If the phone is not actively using the gps, it turns off the chip and never gets a chance to get a fix.
You need to run GPS status preferably when you are connected to a wifi signal and outside with a clear shot of the sky. It can take anywhere from 10 seconds to 30 minutes depending on if you are on a wifi connection, how far away you are from the last known lock stored in the chip (GPS Status will display this for you) and also how far from the equator you are, etc. If you are very far south in argentina it can be a LOT more difficult GPS to work... I noticed my GPS had waaay more trouble up in sweden than it did down in central europe.
Also, Download mapdroyd and get the maps for the area you are in. It works pretty well for a free locally stored map app. GPS Status also allows you to add pins/labels to gps coordinates and then do a radar type guidance back to them. Between these two tools and now knowing how to connect your phone, you should never get lost again, providing your battery does not die. Luckily I brought 4 extra batteries with me!

[Q] what gps google ?

Hi guys I have just attempted to use the satnav installed on the MDJ 1.7 rom which I believe is google ? anyway I can get a gps lock by using gps-status then in the application it hangs on getting directions and will only work using the data connection any ideas ? or is there a better one ?
Just wondering fi tis fault with google or the GPS ? I can get lock so must be with the app ?
Oh it does work using data connection but no good in europe or USA.
I guess I could use WM just for SAtNav and copilot or tomtom but would be nice to have it all working.
AFAIK, it gets your location with GPS and then attempts to calculate the route, which requires a data connection. I'm not sure whether it needs the data connection after that or not, but I've driven 100's of miles using it and have never had the map stop moving or lose any information, so I don't believe it uses data during the journey. Maybe just a touch every now and then.
If it gets your location and then fails calculating your route then it suggests that there is an issue with your data connection.
johncmolyneux said:
AFAIK, it gets your location with GPS and then attempts to calculate the route, which requires a data connection. I'm not sure whether it needs the data connection after that or not, but I've driven 100's of miles using it and have never had the map stop moving or lose any information, so I don't believe it uses data during the journey. Maybe just a touch every now and then.
If it gets your location and then fails calculating your route then it suggests that there is an issue with your data connection.
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Ahh that makes sense now so it needs data connection to download the route data then you can switch it off.
Still bit crap when you are abroad because data charges are like £1 per mb or so.
So guess I may get co-pilot from the "market" which seams quite reasonable ?
Thanks.

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