Blackberry - GPS

Discussion in 'Technical' started by DarkLight, Aug 11, 2014.


  1. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    Ok, I have a blackberry for work (because they don't permit ANY BYOD) and I like to use mapquest even though I know how to get home from work (promise) for the traffic and re-routing features.

    Question, is there a decent blackberry GPS/Navigation app? I ask because I would love to use my companies data on a phone I loathe and don't want rather than my own data plan...but the built-in navigation program is for suck.

    Suggestions?
     
  2. sec_monkey

    sec_monkey SM Security Administrator

    What kind of crackberry is it? (OPSEC first)
     
  3. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    Z10
     
  4. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    Am "thunking" that GPSs will be shut down to civilian users if/when anything major cranks up.
     
  5. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    It would be easier and simpler to just add in an offset. .mil would know the offset civilians would not. All Equipment remains in full working order, and active. ( just wrong)
     
    Brokor likes this.
  6. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Kell, that is easily defeated, by having a surveyed Known Point and then taking the GPS reading, at that point, and then subtracting out the Offset, and applying that to all other local GPS Readings in the area. This is known as Differential GPS, and was used extensively before GPS SA was shut down, a decade ago. I use this method to get cm Accuracy around here. I have a GPS Receiver at the Cabin, that was Surveyed In, by a Surveyor Friend, to a cm Accuracy. When I want to get Good Readings, I log GPS Readings from this KNOWN GPS Site to a Log file on the Home Computer. then drive out and take my GPS Readings, out in the bush. When I get back to the Cabin, I download the Readings from the GPS I took with me, and then open the Log file of the KNOWN GPS, and subtract out the difference, between the KNOWN Position, and the Position in the Log File. for each Second of the Log File and get the Differential Offset for each Second. I then take the Differential File and Apply that to each entry in the downloaded file from the Work GPS, for the Positions that I took Settings for. The results are then within 30 cm of the True Position, in Lat/Long. This is called Post Processing via Differential GPS, to Gain Accuracy.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2014
    AmericanRedoubt1776 likes this.
  7. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    I use that offset business while geocacheing. Just didn't figure most modern users would know how.

    And of course it helps to know there IS an offset.
     
  8. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    If you bother to keep proper charts and maps to cross check, you WILL know. (One is none, two is one.) Anyone that has done any survey, no matter how limited, will know how to use offsets. That included basement diggers.
     
  9. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Yet most folks believe if it doesn't say "use the Left lane to turn left in 1000', "the GPS is broken....
     
    oldawg likes this.
  10. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    And none of this is helpful in the least on a grid-up, wednesday afternoon when I'm trying to use my company provided data plan to route around normal, everyday, regular traffic.

    Not everything has to do with the looming apocalypse. Sometimes you just want a decent app to navigate day to day. C'mon guys...
     
  11. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

  12. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    I am s service tech and drive 2-5 he's each and every day. I use google maps app. It works well.
     
  13. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    @Brokor - I'll look at that but I'm reluctant to spend $30 on the US map on a device I don't own. If it's available for Android and I can use the map on both devices I would consider it.

    @kellory, I agree and use that on my Samsung Galaxy S4 and used it on my iPhone (old job). Unfortunately there is no such beast for the BlackBerry. That or MapQuest... :(

    Thanks to both of you.
     
  14. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Sounds like your choices are limited by your hardware.

    Other option (will likely get you mapping for free in self defense...)
    Set company phone up as a WiFi hotspot, then use your mapping (google maps on your phone, but though WiFi and on THEIR data. Lol.
    [ROFL]
     
    DarkLight likes this.
  15. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    If I could turn on tethering, I would. It's not available on the phone (believe me, I've tried).
     
  16. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    There is a free app for it on android. I don't have a clue on a blackberry. I have the free app on mine. If you want detail on it, I will get them.
     
  17. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I have not had a crackberry in years.... happily...
    I currently use an Iphone for work, that covers all work related items such as maps and so on..... I am all over the Tacoma, Seattle, Bellevue and Everett Metro areas and could not function well without a mobile map system such as Google Maps, which I use a lot to find where I need to be. As a side note, I do not use it for anything personal... as companies come and go, like the night per se in my industry.... ;)

    That being said, I have always had a personal phone with the capabilities that I prefer, regardless of what the company has issued me. The sad truth is, you may need to pursue your own options if you can not achieve the goal with the RIM product, cost be damned.
     
  18. -06

    -06 Monkey+++

    and keep in mind that if you know where you are so do "they".
     
  19. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    To recap...this is not for opsec or tactical or any other such. Here is what's going on and why I'm asking:
    • I own a Samsung Galaxy S4
    • I have a total of 4 people on my 2GB/Month plan
    • I try hard not to have to increase that to 3GB/Month
    • I am not above paying for something that is really worth while
    • I have been issued a Blackberry Z10 from work
    • Work has a corporate negotiated "unlimited data" plan across all the phones
    • I use Mapquest (better than google in my opinion) to ROUTE AROUND TRAFFIC on the way to and from work (if I use my Galaxy S4)
    • The native Blackberry map/navigation app SUCKS swamp water...through a sweaty tube sock...in Dolby 5.1
    • Was looking for suggestions and/or reviews of a replacement on the Blackberry so that I could leverage the work data plan instead of my own
    I have seen the "GPS Maps for Google" a number of times as it seems everyone and their dog has put one out. Haven't tried it yet but may.

    The sole purpose of this is to not use my own data plan if not required.

    @kellory - Thank you for the PM.
    @Yard Dart - You are right, I may just have to suck it up or take a few extra minutes on the drive
    @Brokor - I tried your suggestion this morning and it was so-so. Didn't really seem to do much for traffic avoidance

    I will not be using this when the SHTF. I won't be using it to navigate my way to the secret meetings of the Young Revolutionaries for a Constitutional Republic. I wouldn't have it with me if I were to geo-tag something, somewhere, for some reason.

    I just want to leverage/use/exploit/whatever the data on my employers plan, which is paid for whether used or not, rather than my own and get SOME value out of this electronic PIECE OF CRAP that they force me to carry.

    No, they have tethering blocked unless specifically enabled so I can't go that route.

    :D
     
    kellory and Yard Dart like this.
  20. sec_monkey

    sec_monkey SM Security Administrator

    Unless someone can come up with a really brilliant idea you may be stuck with a Z10 boat anchor. Most of the software developers have fled crackberry. There are apparently no good apps for the crackberry Z10 in this category. If you have unlimited web browsing and a working browser on the Z10 you could use google maps or other online tools for directions.

    An automotive GPS with a large screen and lifetime map updates would probably work better. Some even have traffic functions but that might cost you.
     
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