Can CF GPS on WM5.0 be turned off until required?

[garetho]

I've got a Compact Flash Haicom HI-303S GPS receiver. When I plug it
into my Dell Axim x51v (Windows Mobile 5.0 empowered) and power on, the
GPS automatically turns on.

Is there any way that I can not have the GPS Receiver on until my
application requires it?

Thanks

 

[Graham McKechnie]

Hi Gareth,

I have one of those units. When I insert it into my hp hx4700 the lamp
flickers once or twice, but that is it, until my code starts the GPS. When
my GPS.Start method is called the lamp immediately lights up, but it does
not start flickering until I receive GPS sentences that contain location
information eg RMC,GGA and GLL sentences. GSV, GSA and VTG sentences are all
transmitted as soon as the lamp is on, but the lamp doesn't flicker while
they are being transmitted. If it has been powered down for any length of
time or moved to a new location, it may take as long as 2 minutes before
location information is transmitted. Once its starts transmitting, the
location information can take at least another minute before accurate
information is received and during that time HDOP values will be very high.
When my method GPS.Stop is executed the lamp will go out.

However it's a completely different story when I insert it into my hp 5450.
In the 5450 it behaves as your Dell does. The light immmediately comes on
when the unit is inserted and if its already warmed up it starts
transmitting straight up before my GPS.Start method is called. When the
method is called my program starts displaying information as normal and
ceases again when I call GPS.Stop, but the lamp is still flashing. This lamp
on behaviour doesn't affect the behaviour of my program though.

I concluded that it has to do with the implementation of the hardware when a
CF unit is inserted into a unit. The 5450 uses a sleeve, but I don't know if
that really makes any difference. I haven't seen a Dell x51V but I'm
presuming that because its a new model, it wouldn't be relying on a sleeve.

I can't help you re a WM5 Pocket PC for I don't have one. My GPS stuff is
now running ok on my i-mate SP5 smartphone, but that is working with a BT
GPS device.

I'm sort of curious why you are concerned by this behaviour. In fact until
you mentioned it, I've never really taken much notice of it.

Graham

 

[garetho]

Hi Graham,

I'm sort of curious why you are concerned by this behaviour. In fact until
you mentioned it, I've never really taken much notice of it.

The customer for which I'm developing the application provides the
PDA's to it's blue-collar unionised workers. One of the union's
concerns was the companys "big brother" approach to GPS recording i.e.
they didn't want their members to be tracked all the time. The
application is being upgraded from a WM2003 device, where the GPS
didn't display this behaviour, but now that the WM5.0 device does, I
can foresee some "user" issues as it gets rolled out.

Thanks