novatel s720 cannot get gps to work

mikebz5 · EVDO Newbie Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 2

Hi,
I recently installed my s720 on my laptop and data works fine but i cannot access the gps at all.
I have 2 of these cards and on one the gps works just fine.

If i go to menu>settings>location services all of the check boxes that need to be checked are checked. But, everything is greyed out(the check boxes) and I can't make any changes.

Numerous calls to sprint tech support(haha) and hours on hold were a complete waste of time.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled scm and the drivers. I downloaded and installed the newest scm(ver 3.10.011) from sprint.

I updated firmware to 145.

Updated my bios for dell inspiron 1100 to the newest version(ver 1.1 A32)
Updated winXP SP2 with all updates. All to no avail.

Reset card using ##rtn

It does not matter whether I am connected or disconnected in SCM .

The location& search services menu item(not the settings tab) does not even apear in the menu as it does with my other laptop with the working s720 card.

I'm out of ideas. Anyone heard of this issue? any ideas?

Thanks,

mike

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

Did I read correctly:

One Laptop
2 U720 cards
One works with GPS and one Doesn't

Why not just use the one that works with GPS and ignore the other one?

Of course you may have a desktop you want to use. Then use the card with no gps in that one.

Second and probably correct question: one card and one connection account. Two cards no good. Sprint may lock your account to the one card and thus the other won't work even if you set it up looking like it should. Incorrect firmware serial number or some such...

Thus if you only have one account you may need to add another to use the second card.

mikebz5 · EVDO Newbie Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 2

I have 2 accounts and 2 cards, 2 computers.

I bought these cards specifically because they had the gps and I plan on using the gps on both cards and both computers if I ever get the one to work..

I tried both cards on 1 computer to verify that the scm software was working properly. it is.

3 more hrs on phone with sprint today. What a waste of time. problem persists.

It appears to me that an internal setting on the card itself is either turned off or the gps portion of the card is not working.

Before I return the card I was hoping someone might be able to enlighten me as to additional ## commands to try to either enable the gps or troubleshoot further.

Here's what the sprint tech said: "huhh?". Brilliant!

luv2chill · EVDO Newbie Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 3

Same issue here with a U720... I searched around here and have found a couple such threads--all with the 720 (S and U) and all since the most recent firmware release (145). Sprint tech support was really no help (they concluded that the "GPS Chip" in the card had gotten fried). It's possible, but I don't really buy it--unless its a direct result of flashing the latest firmware.

I have tried both the most recent Connection Manager (3.10.011) and the version before that (3.09.013). Both versions come with the 145 firmware. This is on my Vista laptop.

I even tried to install the old 3.08.013 on an XP laptop (that had never had any Sprint software on it before) and nothing there either. I was hoping that I would be able to downgrade the firmware to the version that came with 3.08.013 (135) but when I tried to run the updater it failed before even attempting--first with error 17, and then saying that my firmware was already up-to-date. I assume that means that firmware 145 can't be downgraded, which is a shame because I have a hunch that it's the 145 firmware that caused this.

In short, the connection manager software just doesn't acknowledge that my U720 card even has GPS capability--no GPS port is installed, the GPS options in Settings are all greyed out, and no GPS information appears at all. I have done a ##RTN (master reset) on the card and tried setting mode of operation between Automatic and EV-DO only.

Does anyone know a way to "force" a firmware downgrade? Or anyone who has seen this problem and solved it successfully?

Many thanks.

Edit: Just to confirm, data-wise the card works perfectly. It connects right away (I am in a Rev A area) and hums along nicely. The only thing that doesn't work is the GPS.

Browzing1 · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 12

I don't know if this will apply to the problems that "luv2chill" or "mikebz5" are having, but I have a EX720 that when I tried to activate the GPS by going into program files and then clicking on the GPS module it would only bring up a grayed out screen with no means of making any changes.

A phone call to Sprint tech {I don't know if this is the proper way to do this, but I just followed tech support instructions} said to use ##GPS before clicking on the "GO" button. This automatically brought up the GPS Connection screen, {for once it wasn't grayed out}, once there I clicked on establish data connection and start GPS, then Sprint tech had me go to Microsoft Streets and Trips Tools > Configure GPS Receiver and then go to the list of available COM ports at bottom of screen, clicked on last available port and then SCAN, this established a GPS port, once it said gps port found I clicked on OK and every thing has worked perfectly since.

rutro · EVDO Newbie Joined: 04 Apr 2007 Posts: 9

Hope this is not to late, in the settings on the Sprint Connection Manager, Tab for Sprint Mobile Broadband-Novatel Wireless, the check boxs for Mode and Roaming must be set to Automatic for Mode and Sprint for Roaming in order to get GPS services and Location and Search services to work. I found this out the hard way, much hair pulling and speaking in hard words.

rutro · EVDO Newbie Joined: 04 Apr 2007 Posts: 9

To be sure that the setting I refered to above was correct I disconnected and reset mine to pull up the GPS. They are correct. The reason I have not left them set that way is because after resetting the SCM shows that it's connected at 1xRTT for a while, however aftyer I got back online and pulled it back up it now shows EVDOrA as it should.

cbridgers · EVDO Newbie Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 1

Contrary to an earlier post, I don't think that roaming needs to be set to sprint. My GPS works with automatic roaming checked. In fact, in my set up, the roaming option is set and grayed out.

However, to follow-up with another post as to the privacy warning, I couldn't get the GPS system to find any satellites until I reactivated the privacy warning under the settings tab. Once I accepted the privacy policy the next time I used location services, the GPS was able to find the satellites. I haven't tried undoing this to test it, but it might be helpful to someone.

C.

t3-helo · EVDO Newbie Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1

Has anyone figured out the magic string to send the device so the GPS works with Linux? The modem part is supported "right out of the box" with Fedora 9. One click and I am connected.

If I start the laptop in Windows then start the GPS with the Sprint Connection Manager when I reboot into Linux the NMEA data is streaming out of the 4th USB port.
Power cycle the modem or the computer and it stops.

Tnx