Autonomous GPS on the Samsung Rant

Culex316 · 02-27-2009, 01:32 AM

Well, after a lot of downloading, testing, and hacking, I finally managed to get Autonomous GPS working on my Samsung Rant. I verified this with the free MGmaps J2ME app available at www.mgmaps.com

There are two versions of MGmaps you can use for Sprint Phones.....the special Sprint version which uses AGPS (I've tried it in offline mode, didn't work...would only work with Sprint network), and the Generic Version....for which I managed to get Autonomous GPS to work (I verified by putting the phone in airplane mode, then starting the program, and it immediately locked onto my position...after power-cycling the phone and locking on from a cold start, it took about 30-40 seconds)

In order to get full GPS on the Samsung Rant, you first have to modify the policy.txt file found in the phone's file system, using Bitpim or QPST...here's a post I made on another forum telling you how to do it

http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/sho...&postcount=806

After you modify the policy.txt file, you should see new options open up, under the Java API permissions menu, such as "GPS Location", "Bluetooth", "File System" etc......now at this point you have the Rant's Java GPS API unlocked.....however you don't really have the full capabilities yet....you'll also need the latest build of QPST (build 301), and your Rant's MSL Code....

Get it from Google, and then open the service programming application.....a quick word of warning though. BACK UP YOUR CONTACTS BECAUSE THEY WILL BE ERASED WHEN YOU "WRITE TO PHONE" LATER.

Anyways, in the Service Programming application, enter your MSL code to gain access to your Rant's settings (If you don't have it, you can either call Sprint to obtain it, or use CDMA Workshop to obtain it...google those guides), go to GPSone and you should see these nice options (see image attachment)....

I'm not sure what they really do, but checking them sped up the Sprint aGPS on Mgmaps considerably, and has not crashed my Rant nor affected normal Sprint Navigation functionality in any way.

Make sure all the options in the menu are checked and then click on "write to phone" (make sure you uncheck exclusive access)....but your contacts will be erased so back them up!

Afterwards, reboot your phone, and your Rant can now use Autonomous GPS ,which means it doesn't have to rely on the Sprint network (or any network for that matter), to help it calculate its position..it can do it on its own now...with MGmaps (Generic version), my Rant took about 30 seconds to get an initial GPS Fix...which works even in Airplane mode, although the refresh rate is a bit slow (30-45 seconds)....but hey, now, with stored maps on your memory card, your Rant is now a portable, full-fledged GPS receiver, which is a great relief for me, since it means I can use it for my next trip to Central America.

Some free mapping apps you can use are:

Mgmaps (the best imo)
8Motions (decent as well)

There's also this premium J2ME app called GPSWatch, which offers real-time, autonomous, GPS tracking..as fast as a commercial system...but it's about $40,

**Frank1960** · 02-27-2009, 03:00 PM

Ok I am still confused lol will copy and paste this and read it a few times and see if I can understand what it is I am doing

Culex316 · 02-27-2009, 03:30 PM

sorry if it's a bit confusing I'll tidy it up when I get home

Culex316 · 03-18-2009, 01:49 PM

So I just came back from a trip to Panama (in Central America), and although my Rant can't get any cell phone service there (since it's all GSM), the autonomous GPS worked fine...for a while.

I used MGmaps to get a fix on my location in the city, and it worked...I kept on using it to mark the GPS coordinates of all the places I've visited and then exported them to a KML file for Google. The stored maps on my memory card worked great...and my phone was a camera/portable GPS receiver over there....but after a while, no matter what program I used (MGmaps, 8motions), it couldn't get a fix anymore, and would just show 0000 for coordinates, and Jan 5 1980 as the date/time....

zothommog42 · 04-01-2009, 03:21 PM

Does this generate any additional charges from Sprint like the default navigation system does?

Culex316 · 04-01-2009, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zothommog42

Does this generate any additional charges from Sprint like the default navigation system does?

Not at all. You get charged for use of the navigation program, not the GPS funcionality itself...which by default is only restricted to the official Sprint Navigation program (as well as a few signed Java apps), but opening it up lets any Java app use it, and without having to access the network as well.

zothommog42 · 04-04-2009, 02:59 PM

Very cool...got this working for the most part. Do you have issues with mobile tracking updating far too infrequently? I get a GPS location as soon as I start MGMaps, but tracking seems very sluggish.

Culex316 · 04-04-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zothommog42

Very cool...got this working for the most part. Do you have issues with mobile tracking updating far too infrequently? I get a GPS location as soon as I start MGMaps, but tracking seems very sluggish.

MGMaps is like that....other GPS programs like AmazeGPS, and GPSWatcherplus do real-time tracking but have no options for keeping the backlight on while MGMaps does.....

I recommend having all of them by the way....since MGMaps is the only GPS Midlet that can get a location fix from a cold start...once it does...you can close it and use the other programs (which are unable to get a cold start fix).

What I mean by Cold start is when the phone has to ""listen"" to satellite info to get the almanac and ephemeris data....something which can take up to 30 seconds...this tells the phone where the satellites are in the sky and their trajectory (path)....and when you don't use the GPS for a few hours or go across a great distance, you need to get new Almanac/ephemeris data..which is called a ""cold start'"

sajmonides · 04-04-2009, 07:52 PM

so wait. if I have unlimited internet access on my phone, but I don't have the GPS, will I have to pay additional charge to use this?

Culex316 · 04-04-2009, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajmonides

so wait. if I have unlimited internet access on my phone, but I don't have the GPS, will I have to pay additional charge to use this?

Not at all dude....Sprint charges for use of their Navigation Program, NOT use of the GPS functionality itself.....and normally, you have no choice BUT to use their Navigation program (since the GPS API is normally locked).

Also, unlimited internet access is perfect....would let you use third-party GPS programs easily.

sajmonides · 04-04-2009, 08:34 PM

so how can you do a backup of your contacts?

Culex316 · 04-04-2009, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajmonides

so how can you do a backup of your contacts?

Easiest way is to get another phone with Bluetooth capability, and transfer them to that phone...or to your computer...if it has Bluetooth.

sajmonides · 04-04-2009, 09:20 PM

i tried to do that with bluesoleil. but in the phones list there was no sph-m540 (rant) supported. and whichever one i was putting, it just wouldn't work. even when i wanted to use it as modem. i could delete stuff off of the phone with it, send and receive files but i couldnt do anything else. couldn't even send a text message from the computer using bluesoleil.

Culex316 · 04-04-2009, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajmonides

i tried to do that with bluesoleil. but in the phones list there was no sph-m540 (rant) supported. and whichever one i was putting, it just wouldn't work. even when i wanted to use it as modem. i could delete stuff off of the phone with it, send and receive files but i couldnt do anything else. couldn't even send a text message from the computer using bluesoleil.

Get another Bluetooth program or even simpler, ask someone to lend you their bluetooth phone and send your contacts to it.

js5752 · 04-04-2009, 09:47 PM

my policy.txt looks different from the one in the instruction post. I only had like 3 things under the untrusted domain. I tried a few different things, including setting everything in every domain to allow and then no programs would work.

Cluex316,
at the end of your instructions you say to "reset" the phone which will then be followed by a restart. what method of reset am I supposed to do?

-Jeff

02-27-2009, 01:32 AM	#1
Culex316 Telephone User Join Date: Jan 12, '09 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 100 Phone: Samsung Rant Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 876	Autonomous GPS on the Samsung Rant Well, after a lot of downloading, testing, and hacking, I finally managed to get Autonomous GPS working on my Samsung Rant. I verified this with the free MGmaps J2ME app available at www.mgmaps.com There are two versions of MGmaps you can use for Sprint Phones.....the special Sprint version which uses AGPS (I've tried it in offline mode, didn't work...would only work with Sprint network), and the Generic Version....for which I managed to get Autonomous GPS to work (I verified by putting the phone in airplane mode, then starting the program, and it immediately locked onto my position...after power-cycling the phone and locking on from a cold start, it took about 30-40 seconds) In order to get full GPS on the Samsung Rant, you first have to modify the policy.txt file found in the phone's file system, using Bitpim or QPST...here's a post I made on another forum telling you how to do it http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/sho...&postcount=806 After you modify the policy.txt file, you should see new options open up, under the Java API permissions menu, such as "GPS Location", "Bluetooth", "File System" etc......now at this point you have the Rant's Java GPS API unlocked.....however you don't really have the full capabilities yet....you'll also need the latest build of QPST (build 301), and your Rant's MSL Code.... Get it from Google, and then open the service programming application.....a quick word of warning though. BACK UP YOUR CONTACTS BECAUSE THEY WILL BE ERASED WHEN YOU "WRITE TO PHONE" LATER. Anyways, in the Service Programming application, enter your MSL code to gain access to your Rant's settings (If you don't have it, you can either call Sprint to obtain it, or use CDMA Workshop to obtain it...google those guides), go to GPSone and you should see these nice options (see image attachment).... I'm not sure what they really do, but checking them sped up the Sprint aGPS on Mgmaps considerably, and has not crashed my Rant nor affected normal Sprint Navigation functionality in any way. Make sure all the options in the menu are checked and then click on "write to phone" (make sure you uncheck exclusive access)....but your contacts will be erased so back them up! Afterwards, reboot your phone, and your Rant can now use Autonomous GPS ,which means it doesn't have to rely on the Sprint network (or any network for that matter), to help it calculate its position..it can do it on its own now...with MGmaps (Generic version), my Rant took about 30 seconds to get an initial GPS Fix...which works even in Airplane mode, although the refresh rate is a bit slow (30-45 seconds)....but hey, now, with stored maps on your memory card, your Rant is now a portable, full-fledged GPS receiver, which is a great relief for me, since it means I can use it for my next trip to Central America. Some free mapping apps you can use are: Mgmaps (the best imo) 8Motions (decent as well) There's also this premium J2ME app called GPSWatch, which offers real-time, autonomous, GPS tracking..as fast as a commercial system...but it's about $40, Attached Thumbnails

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02-27-2009, 03:00 PM	#2
Frank1960 Telegraph User Join Date: Feb 11, '09 Posts: 90 Phone: Samsung Rant Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 526	Ok I am still confused lol will copy and paste this and read it a few times and see if I can understand what it is I am doing

02-27-2009, 03:30 PM	#3
Culex316 Telephone User Join Date: Jan 12, '09 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 100 Phone: Samsung Rant Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 876	sorry if it's a bit confusing I'll tidy it up when I get home

03-18-2009, 01:49 PM	#4
Culex316 Telephone User Join Date: Jan 12, '09 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 100 Phone: Samsung Rant Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 876	So I just came back from a trip to Panama (in Central America), and although my Rant can't get any cell phone service there (since it's all GSM), the autonomous GPS worked fine...for a while. I used MGmaps to get a fix on my location in the city, and it worked...I kept on using it to mark the GPS coordinates of all the places I've visited and then exported them to a KML file for Google. The stored maps on my memory card worked great...and my phone was a camera/portable GPS receiver over there....but after a while, no matter what program I used (MGmaps, 8motions), it couldn't get a fix anymore, and would just show 0000 for coordinates, and Jan 5 1980 as the date/time....

04-01-2009, 03:21 PM	#5
zothommog42 Two Cans & String User Join Date: Feb 22, '09 Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 12	Does this generate any additional charges from Sprint like the default navigation system does?

04-04-2009, 02:59 PM	#7
zothommog42 Two Cans & String User Join Date: Feb 22, '09 Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 12	Very cool...got this working for the most part. Do you have issues with mobile tracking updating far too infrequently? I get a GPS location as soon as I start MGMaps, but tracking seems very sluggish.

04-04-2009, 07:52 PM	#9
sajmonides Telegraph User Join Date: Jan 19, '09 Posts: 38 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 277	so wait. if I have unlimited internet access on my phone, but I don't have the GPS, will I have to pay additional charge to use this?

04-04-2009, 08:34 PM	#11
sajmonides Telegraph User Join Date: Jan 19, '09 Posts: 38 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 277	so how can you do a backup of your contacts?

04-04-2009, 09:20 PM	#13
sajmonides Telegraph User Join Date: Jan 19, '09 Posts: 38 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 277	i tried to do that with bluesoleil. but in the phones list there was no sph-m540 (rant) supported. and whichever one i was putting, it just wouldn't work. even when i wanted to use it as modem. i could delete stuff off of the phone with it, send and receive files but i couldnt do anything else. couldn't even send a text message from the computer using bluesoleil.

04-04-2009, 09:47 PM	#15
js5752 Telephone User Join Date: May 20, '03 Location: Chicago Posts: 120 Phone: Samsung Rant Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post SU$: 798	my policy.txt looks different from the one in the instruction post. I only had like 3 things under the untrusted domain. I tried a few different things, including setting everything in every domain to allow and then no programs would work. Cluex316, at the end of your instructions you say to "reset" the phone which will then be followed by a restart. what method of reset am I supposed to do? -Jeff