BlackBerry Forums Support Community

pakrz · 03-01-2008, 10:30 PM

I'm having some problems with my new 8130. When I attempt to navigate or even find my location with GPS, the screen goes to "Searching for satellites" and stays there forever until I cancel it. Is there some type of setting I need to do in order to get the GPS working properly?

Thanks guys.

Sith_Apprentice · 03-01-2008, 10:31 PM

direct line of sight to the sky with 0 obstructions and preferably clear.

pakrz · 03-01-2008, 10:33 PM

Did that already Sith... stood in my driveway for 20 minutes freezing my butt off in the Wisconsin cold.

Didn't work.

pakrz · 03-02-2008, 01:41 PM

Maybe it has to do with settings? Keeping in mind, this is my first Blackberry. I normally navigate with my Garmin Nuvi. I am cautious not to expect too much out of a phone, but I would expect to be able to pick up satellites at least.

JSanders · 03-02-2008, 02:02 PM

parkz, you are not the first USCC customer here to comment on this phenomenon with the 8130 and USCC...
http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...onsistent.html

See if you learn anything in that thread.

Good luck.

pakrz · 03-02-2008, 02:09 PM

Hey, thanks a lot for the link. Much appreciated.

JSanders · 03-02-2008, 02:14 PM

I wish I had a better answer for you than you will find in that thread... which is not much hope.

pakrz · 03-02-2008, 02:59 PM

Well it sounds to me like it's a US Cellular problem. I don't plan to use the GPS function much but I'd like it to work when I need it. I know one of their regional managers pretty good. I'll get a hold of him and see what he has to tell me.

Again, thanks for the help.

Dodge DeBoulet · 03-02-2008, 05:52 PM

I used to get the same message on my Verizon 8703e when I had the Sprint 4.2 firmware installed. Now that I've switched to the official Verizon version of 4.2, it's gone away . . . and allows me to select only an external BT GPS device :(

pakrz · 03-03-2008, 02:23 PM

I got it to work fine today from lower level of my house! It takes a while to pick up the satellites but what the hell can I expect out of a phone? Very impressed with this little thing (I'm still talking about the Pearl wiseguys)

JSanders · 03-03-2008, 02:25 PM

Very good... congrats.

Joshlarsen · 03-03-2008, 05:22 PM

I have the same issue with an Alltel phone. It will connect sometimes but not always. Heck this morning I drove 40 minutes and had the phone in the front windshield and it never connected to any satellites but last night I had it in my house for about 15 minutes and it connected.

Obviously the GPS's in these things are not perfect but hey it is a phone what should we expect. Is their any way to get a more consistent satellite pickup on the device.

JSanders · 03-03-2008, 05:56 PM

I hear lots of complaints here from Alltel and US Cellular customers who are using the 8130 for GPS.

Stuka · 03-19-2008, 02:56 PM

Hmm, Wisconsonites and Rc pilots here. Me too, both. Glad you got your GPS working. Kind of strange the way it works. I did find out the bbtracker program doesnt not need the bb maps program running to initialize. Go figure. Telnav and Google both need the bb maps prog to start gps and get satellite. Occasionally, the unit needs a restart, but not often.
Is it spring yet? I want to golf and fly my toy airplanes!

snabald · 03-26-2008, 02:34 PM

I have the same problem.

http://www.blackberryforums.com/gene...d-working.html

Quote:

Ok here's the deal, I have two Sprint 8703e's they are both running the same os and are on the same plan but the GPS stopped working on one of them.

I can set them side by side and one will lock onto a gps satellite in less than 30 seconds, the other will say "searching for satellite" until finally saying "can not lock satellite" or something of that nature.

I have tried enabling and disabling location based services, I tried uninstalling and reinstalling bbmaps and updating the bb OS to 4.2 - on both phones, the one with the working gps still works, the one the gps stopped working on still does not work after the upgrade.

The only difference I can think of is the one the gps stopped working on used to have mapquest navigator (BlackBerryForums.com : Your Number One BlackBerry Community) installed on it, but I can't remember if the gps stopped working right after I uninstalled it or not.

Does anyone kow how I can get it working again???

Stuka · 03-27-2008, 09:32 AM

Thought I had posted this here long time ago. This should help. US cellular is rather different. Try it should work for you.
I had the same problem on us cellular, but found an answer. For some reason the refresh option was left out on the new 4.3. whatever OS for UScell. Units that have multiple applicaiton like bb and Ipaqs tend to share or use ports that in time will block gps usage. The unit needs to be refreshed. How.?
Go to bb maps. Menu/Start GPS. Then go to options in bb menu and then in options, Menu/Clear Cache. This apparently 'refreshes" the unit. You should have lock in 3-5 minutes. Leave bb maps running in the background and open any other gps ap and it will locate you. Bb maps seems to be the only app that has the right stuff to "refresh the unit. I have used successfully BB Maps, Google maps, and NAv4All. Its a pain compred to the refresh menu option, but it works. I think a gps puck is s bit more robust, but am not able to test the built in unit against a puck.
Try it, it should work. If you have trouble try a reset and then the above instructions. Make sure you have a reasonable window on the sky.
Im on three bb forums, and I wish someone would post this as a sticky. My ADDH is kicking in with each post. LOL.
Hang in there.
Oh, am Im informed by others the folks at us cellular support arent wise to this yet.

snabald · 03-27-2008, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuka

Thought I had posted this here long time ago. This should help. US cellular is rather different. Try it should work for you.
I had the same problem on us cellular, but found an answer. For some reason the refresh option was left out on the new 4.3. whatever OS for UScell. Units that have multiple applicaiton like bb and Ipaqs tend to share or use ports that in time will block gps usage. The unit needs to be refreshed. How.?
Go to bb maps. Menu/Start GPS. Then go to options in bb menu and then in options, Menu/Clear Cache. This apparently 'refreshes" the unit. You should have lock in 3-5 minutes. Leave bb maps running in the background and open any other gps ap and it will locate you. Bb maps seems to be the only app that has the right stuff to "refresh the unit. I have used successfully BB Maps, Google maps, and NAv4All. Its a pain compred to the refresh menu option, but it works. I think a gps puck is s bit more robust, but am not able to test the built in unit against a puck.
Try it, it should work. If you have trouble try a reset and then the above instructions. Make sure you have a reasonable window on the sky.
Im on three bb forums, and I wish someone would post this as a sticky. My ADDH is kicking in with each post. LOL.
Hang in there.
Oh, am Im informed by others the folks at us cellular support arent wise to this yet.

I actually came across a post listing these instructions and tried them, but it still didn't work.

Considering I wiped my BB with Javaloader and restored it to factory and it the gps still doesn't work, I'm starting to think it may be hardware related.

pvdiamon · 03-27-2008, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snabald

I actually came across a post listing these instructions and tried them, but it still didn't work.

Considering I wiped my BB with Javaloader and restored it to factory and it the gps still doesn't work, I'm starting to think it may be hardware related.

Your carrier is listed as Sprint. The US Cellular sales person actually had a Sprint BB (not Pearl however) and it had no issues with GPS, quick connection in the store. Some have suggested Sprint actually uses the towers for GPS, not line of sight but others disagreed. Nonetheless, are you having a problem with Sprint or a US Cellular unit?

John

snabald · 03-30-2008, 05:09 PM

Wirelessly posted

Quote:

Originally Posted by pvdiamon

Quote:

Originally Posted by snabald

I actually came across a post listing these instructions and tried them, but it still didn't work.

Considering I wiped my BB with Javaloader and restored it to factory and it the gps still doesn't work, I'm starting to think it may be hardware related.

Your carrier is listed as Sprint. The US Cellular sales person actually had a Sprint BB (not Pearl however) and it had no issues with GPS, quick connection in the store. Some have suggested Sprint actually uses the towers for GPS, not line of sight but others disagreed. Nonetheless, are you having a problem with Sprint or a US Cellular unit?

John

Sprint, I actually have 2 Sprint 8703e's and the GPS stopped working on one of them. They are both on the same plan and have the same OS version.

I can set them side by side and one locks on within seconds, but the other never does. I have tried everything up to wiping and factory re-setting the one that won't lock onto GPS and it still doesn't work.