Sprint EVDO Rev A Hidden GPS Features

Michael · Last edited by Michael on Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:30 pm; edited 1 time in total

We decided to play around with the Merlin S720 Rev A Card from Sprint and we noticed a pretty cool built-in (but hidden GPS feature). We are wondering what cool features Sprint has coming down the road for us.

To see the hidden GPS dialog, do the following:

- Make sure you are disconnected

- Put your mouse over the plus (+) sign on the upper left of the Sprint Connection Manager Windows (don't click).

- Type in ##GPS

- Now you should see the following dialog box:

We have found, you can now Establish Data Connection and Activate or Start GPS. It looks like there are some tie-ins with Google Earth and other mapping sites.

So, what exactly does Sprint have coming for us? Either way, it looks like it will be fun Smile

Please share what else you find out about this hidden feature.

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xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2003

It's also located as a program in the home directory of Connection Manager (mentioned in the S720 CM update thread). I've been tinkering with it and get connection but no GPS location info. I guess it has to be 'turned on' too. Hopefully it's not a pay service and operates like any external GPS device.

rickster · EVDO Junkie Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Posts: 216

It's already on.. the NSA now knows exactly where those bytes originated... instaneously! LOL Laughing

Andrew Revering · Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:05 pm Post subject:

I don't have this card. Does anyone know if this data can be fed into something like Delorme StreetAtlas? I think the sprint software would need to be acting like a virtual port with the NMEA out data stream. That would allow you to go into mapping software and connect it to the comm port (virtual) that sprint is streaming the data to. Doable?

jackrodgers · EVDO Addict Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 1131

Schmoozer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Posts: 12

Is it really a hidden feature?, Novatel and most sites that sell this card advertise that it has GPS capabilities. On that note has anyone been able to get the GPS to work on the S720?

Once I get the hidden GPS window I go to my Network Connections and manually connect the card. Then when I click "Activate" I am directed to www.dodge.com/viper . This seems odd...

And if I click "go" I am directed to a map site showing the cooridinates 0,0 whic h is apparently west of south africa and the closests hotel is in California, go figure.

Then I opend up Google Earth and I got a message saying I was doing something illegal I don't remember it specifically.

Anyone else get this or am I doing something wrong?

How did you get google earth under the applications? Do you have plus?

Navyboy · EVDO Newbie Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Posts: 6

Well leave it to SPRINT release something and not support it yet.
I called Sprint about this and they have no software nor can they direct me to a 3rd party app that makes use of the #1 feature of this card.

So I called Novatel and spoke with Wayne Hotchkiss (Director of Sales for North America) and he said Sprint was going to roll out the GPS feature in 5 business days.... That was 2 1/2 weeks ago.

It also claims that "GPS Capability allows you to retrieve location data from GPS satellites and utilize GPS navigation and location-based applications." Which to me means they pull data from Satellites (not towers) and provide that data to many applications and not Proprietary ones that are sold to us to spend more money (i.e. I should be able to use whatever program I want and point to a COM port for my GPS device).

Whomever is the manager of Sprint over this "migration" should be fired. This is unorganized, improperly marketed to "key customers", and just plain dumb.

Fix it Sprint! or another company will for you.

rickster · EVDO Junkie Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Posts: 216

Schmoozer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Posts: 12

Yeah, unfortunately that’s true. But if the Novatel card can really talk to GPS satellites (which as I understand it is free) then eventually someone will come out with a hack, a plug-in, or some kind of app that will do it.

Heck I’d be happy with just a display of the latitude and longitude….

Schmoozer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Posts: 12

So I just got off the phone with Sprint's Advanced Technical Support. (I strongly disagree with the word "advanced" but oh well, the number is 1-866-818-1944, fell free to call, over and over again.) Apparently the new word on GPS activation is end the first quarter in 2007 (late March).

I also asked the question I've been trying to get an answer to for a while: If the Novatel card has GPS capabilty, and GPS is provided by satallites (not owned by Sprint), why does sprint have to activate it? This particular "Advanced" Sprint Technicion said that it is becuase the GPS on the novatel card recives its position information from tower triangulation not satallites.

So then its not really global, you can't get your position if you don't get a cell phone signal from at least 3 towers.... Now I'm actually kind of pissed.

rickster · EVDO Junkie Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Posts: 216

I looked into this a while a back on my cellphone and pushed why I couldn't get a service that told me my location. The short of it is congress mandated that cellphones had GPS ability. The cell phone manufactures balked at the cost and battery usage of 3 gps receivers. They came back with a counter proposal on a system that used a single tower with a single GPS receiver on the phone making 3 towers not necessary. The added GPS helps locate your distance to the tower by the very accurate clock and because the difference in time the different receivers on the tower get the single they can triangulate your position. But, to make all this happen the tower receivers need GPS capability too. And wouldn't know it, there was no law mandating the towers have it! So, and this is going back quite some time many towers didn't so it was pretty useless. Things may be better now. What's even more amusing, or sad is that there was no 'standard' for how the location information would be sent to 911 centers and every provider wanted something different. The result was each 911 center would need to invest in several systems. Like I said this is going back a while and things may have resolved now. I'm also not 100% sure if the card you have is using the same system as cell phones.

Andrew Revering · Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 6:29 am Post subject:

I'm not sure I believe that any cellular device uses true GPS technology since you need a clear line of sight to receive GPS signals. Most of the time you're indoors, in solid buildings and you'll never get a GPS signal inside. Cell signal yes, and that's why triangulation from cell towers is the only way they can do it.

rickster · EVDO Junkie Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Posts: 216

One technical argument for cellular assisted GPS for cell phones is that it was only necessary to get a lock on a single satellite, not 4 (seems 4 is provides more accuracy/reliability than minimum 3 in true GPS systems). The cellphone would only need enough processing power to take the minimum part of the stream that helped to augment any cellular positioning and retransmit it. Most cellphones by themselves do not have true GPS.

jackrodgers · EVDO Addict Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 1131

TV last night said Cellular GPS has an accuracy of one or two football fields. My littel EMTAC unit has an accuracy of 5-10 feet.

Cellular GPS uses a timed signal like Satellite GPS but between the cell phone towers which means accuracy is never going to be as good as the satellites since the lag time will be much much shorter and the angles between towers too narrow for accurate measurements. Simple 3D geometry.

Single tower gps will never be accurate since you won't have a second directional vector and will have to search within a circle which gets larger the further you are away. A circle with a radius of two miles covers a lot of territory, about 12 square miles.

Schmoozer · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Posts: 12