Help Will GPS work in pocket or backpack?

[ad2435]

Does anyone know if the Skyrocket GPS will work (recieve) while in a pants pocket or in a backpack? Let say while using My Tracks or some other GPS tracking app while hiking, biking, walking? Thanks

 

[Mr. Ed]

Many times yes.

Make sure and enable use wireless networks and sensor aiding at
Menu.settings.location and security

 

[ad2435]

Many times yes.

Make sure and enable use wireless networks and sensor aiding at
Menu.settings.location and security

Thanks Ed. I was hoping to "only use GPS" and turn off wireless networks because most of terrain is miles from wireless networks and I'd save some battery but i guess I'll leave it on.

I appreciate the help and will give it a try.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Thanks Ed. I was hoping to "only use GPS" and turn off wireless networks because most of terrain is miles from wireless networks and I'd save some battery but i guess I'll leave it on.

I appreciate the help and will give it a try.

Awesome. Let is know how it goes. Check out the market too. There are some killer tracking apps

I want to say I used trip man on our recent trip

 

[ad2435]

The GPS worked great inside my front jeans pocket for a 1.5 hour hike never taking it out.

I use google mytracks free app. The app gives you the regular GPS stats but will also upload the tracking map to google maps to document hikes. It also uploads the stats into google docs so you can save the distance/time/average speed in a spreadsheet if you are into tracking that type of stuff.

1.5 hours with the GPS on reduced my battery by 15%. Google says to put the phone in airplane mode for better battery life but I haven't tried that.

 

[bikedogrun]

The GPS worked great inside my front jeans pocket for a 1.5 hour hike never taking it out.

Maybe I have a bad one

I have used MyTracks for over a year on at least 10 Android phones (some rooted, most not) with no issues. The two times I've tried it on my Skyrocket (non-rooted, stock) my 8 mile run changed in the middle of it (as I use audio and could hear the change) from being 2 miles in to being 5 miles in. The other time after 1/2 mile or so it said I had gone 2 miles already (at a 3.5 minute pace, right!).

I also tried Runkeeper and it did likewise and then stopped working completely (lost GPS) before the run was finished.

This is important and I was very happy with MyTracks previously but cannot get reasonable results since switching to the SkyRocket???

/BD

 

[Mr. Ed]

Maybe I have a bad one

I have used MyTracks for over a year on at least 10 Android phones (some rooted, most not) with no issues. The two times I've tried it on my Skyrocket (non-rooted, stock) my 8 mile run changed in the middle of it (as I use audio and could hear the change) from being 2 miles in to being 5 miles in. The other time after 1/2 mile or so it said I had gone 2 miles already (at a 3.5 minute pace, right!).

I also tried Runkeeper and it did likewise and then stopped working completely (lost GPS) before the run was finished.

This is important and I was very happy with MyTracks previously but cannot get reasonable results since switching to the SkyRocket???

/BD

There are some key elements needed for this to work right.. mainly that all of the network elements are enabled at menu.settings.location and security

..how is your GPS otherwise.. maps? GPS test PR GPS status?

 

[bikedogrun]

There are some key elements needed for this to work right.. mainly that all of the network elements are enabled at menu.settings.location and security

..how is your GPS otherwise.. maps? GPS test PR GPS status?

Thanks for replying, Ed.

I've done all the settings properly (I think) : All 3 items under My Location are set to "on".

GPS seems fine otherwise. Maps finds my location quickly, GPS Status app finds satellites etc. But using MyTracks or RunKeeper (will try Sports Track this afternoon) generates crazy results.

I've been running this same trail for over two years. My Tracks worked great on an Aria, Atrix and various Verizon Droid phones but on the SkyRocket it provides the correct overall time I've been running, draws the map of my route correctly but part-way through the run (and in different places) it suddenly jumps the distance run from say 1 mile to 3 miles or from 2 1/2 miles run to suddenly 5 miles run! Then it adjusts my pace from my normal 7-8 min per mile on the trail down to 5 min per mile with the new (false) distance covered!!!

I'm waiting for a call from AT&T to see if they'll give me a replacement phone, but as it is 6 weeks old they may say it will be a refurb. Given how new/hot the Skyrocket is, they may not even have any refurbs yet???

/BD

 

[ad2435]

I just walked a 70 minute trail and had no jumping at all in My Tracks or MapMyWalk. Been walking daily with skyrocket in pocket with no problems.

I have wifi off. Under settings/location and security/my location I have "use wireless networks" off, "use gps sats" on, "use sensor aiding" off.

I also use juicedefender free in default balanced mode.

Could you have some other app/power saving feature running that might be effecting this (just a wild guess)?

 

[bikedogrun]

I just walked a 70 minute trail and had no jumping at all in My Tracks or MapMyWalk. Been walking daily with skyrocket in pocket with no problems.

I have wifi off. Under settings/location and security/my location I have "use wireless networks" off, "use gps sats" on, "use sensor aiding" off.

I also use juicedefender free in default balanced mode.

Could you have some other app/power saving feature running that might be effecting this (just a wild guess)?

Nope... no power saving apps or otherwise in use.

Interesting though, that you have "use wireless" off and "sensor aiding" off too when the previous poster Mr. Ed suggests that all 3 options should be turned "on" ???

I guess I can try your method next time... still confused why the Skyrocket is so different???

/BD

 

[ad2435]

The reason I have that stuff turned off is to save battery power. The places I hike have no wireless around it anyway.

I know you have a lot of my tracks experience on a number of platforms but I also recall a my tracks video from google that said running my tracks in airplane mode will get the best battery usage. Maybe try running it with almost everything turned off and see what happens.

I understand your frustration that the skyrocket is acting different than the other androids you have owned. Good luck.

 

[bikedogrun]

I've done all the settings properly (I think) : All 3 items under My Location are set to "on".

GPS seems fine otherwise. Maps finds my location quickly, GPS Status app finds satellites etc. But using MyTracks or RunKeeper (will try Sports Track this afternoon) generates crazy results.

/BD

Well... Sports Tracker worked, no problems at all!

Kept the same settings I'd used (and which then failed with My Tracks & RunKeeper) as mentioned above. Sports Tracker measured my running distance correctly, kept my correct speed & pace per mile and never lost the Skyrocket's GPS signal.

Sports Tracker Mini/Micro Review:
Created by a team from Nokia; originally for Symbian OS. Team then left Nokia and created a company around Sports Tracker.

Has the social network website where you can choose to upload your workouts for friends/everyone/only yourself to see them.

Not without its (small) glitches however. One thing I really like about My Tracks is the verbal feedback that can be set to announce ongoing results by time or by distance with many choices.

Sports Tracker shows its European roots in that even with the settings on Imperial (rather than Metric) ... the only choice to have verbal feedback is every 1/2 mile or 1 mile or 2 miles etc. No choice by time (say every 2 minutes or 5 minutes). BUT - what you really get is metric anyway! If you choose 1/2 mile the announcements come every .62 miles (or the metric 1K) and the voice even says for the last .62 miles your results were "xxxx".

In the same vein; although I checked pace rather than speed, no matter what I tried the verbal feedback (which worked quite well overall) would only give me speed and distance, never pace! Was a good test of my ability to convert say a 6mph (uphill) speed and 2.5 miles distance covered in 25 minutes to a 10 min/mile pace for that segment... duh!!!

Anyway... not bad. At least a now have an app that can provide an accurate measure of my distance covered and time running/

/BD

 

[Midiman]

Technically, GPS requires line of sight to the sky. If it works in your pocket, you're lucky and getting more than you paid for. It's not supposed to... technically.