Noob Section – Improve GPS Connection

After a longer period of time finally the third part of my “Noob Section” where I am explaining basic things affecting only Symbian newbies.

When the N95 was released, a lot of people complaint about the poor GPS connection. Every time, the GPS fix took some minutes and often the connection was so bad that the signal was lost when one began to navigate.

Contrary to a lot of assumptions, the GPS chip of new Nseries devices like the N95 is not that bad. It can’t compete with an external Bluetooth GPS receiver, but when you consider a few things, your Nseries device can replace a simple navigation system.

Actualize the Almanac:

Information about a GPS satellite is saved in its “almanac” which contains its location, orbit and time. This information must be transferred to a GPS device before the position can be defined.

It’s clear that an actualized almanac which already knows the position of the satellites can define the location faster:

1. Launch the “GPS data” application by choosing “Tools” – > “Connectivity” -> “GPS data”.

2. Select “Navigation”. There you can view external information about the satellites by choosing “Options” -> “Satellite status”.

3. Put your phone into a position where it has a clear view to the sky, e.g. upon a table on your terrace or your garden. In case you are using an N95 or N95 8GB, open the slider to get the best GPS connection as possible (the chip is located under the keyboard).
Depending on the weather, you should leave your phone 1,5 – 2 hours lying outside until all the almanac data are transferred.

Then your GPS fix should be appreciably faster. Satellites are moving and changing its positions, so it is necessary to do the explained steps ahead regularly (3 – 4 days). Actualisation of the almanac is not required if you are using your GPS connection often, because the almanac data are also transferred then.

Furthermore, Nokia added a function called “A-GPS” to Nseries devices which is able to speed up the GPS fix by getting data from the cellular network.
Please note that an “A-GPS” connection spends 4 – 6 KB data what can end up in a pretty high mobile telephony bill. So it’s better to deactivate it and accept a little slower GPS fix in case your data tariffs are very high.

Activate A-GPS:

1. Select “General” and at the following page’s bottom “Positioning”.

2. Choose “Positioning methods” and make sure to have “Assisted GPS” enabled.

3. Then return to the previous screen and select “Positioning server”. Select your mobile Internet access point, a WAP connection does unfortunately not work.
Make also sure to have the correct “Server address” inserted. If not, enter “supl.nokia.com” manually.

Now a GPS fix supported by A-GPS should work. You can control this by launching the “Log” application and have a look, whether a data package is listed after you have tried to get a GPS fix.

With an actualized almanac and activated A-GPS, the GPS fix should take approximately 20 seconds. Impressive, isn’t it?

However, it is good to keep in mind some further points during the navigation.

During the Navigation:

As I said, the GPS chip of Nseries slider phones is located under the keyboard. That’s why you should always navigate with an open slider what should result in no connection abortions.
Additionally, it is advisable to locate your N95 under the windscreen when you are navigating with your car.

If you attend and execute all the mentioned steps, nothing should block navigation fun with your GPS using mobile phone!