Thanks to thelostsoul,

....

I found that my GPSID settings worked with GPStest set to program port: None and Hardware port: None Baud rate: 38400 Manage Automatically ticked.

If i set anything in GPSID other than that GPStest doesnt seem to respond........

Does GPStest (BJII built in) work without GPSID installed??? I have never tested it alone on a hard reset....
I know when GPStest is working..the text flashes mildy (very faint flash as it searches). If the GPS is not initialised the text doesnt flash (screen a refreshing at half second intervals)
If the text flashing doesnt occur in at least 1 minute your GPS is not starting....Could just be me but I have been watching this closely since I started playing with all this.

I tried the unlock zip package posted earlier but the SDA app doesn't want to install. My phone tells me that it isn't a valid Windows CE application. Any ideas?

The SDA app unlock needs to be run from the PC...secpolicies and the Surreal Networks Application Unlock are run on the device.

Strange things happened to my device... I had it hard reset (reformat) 4-5 times... and I got the GPS working but very slow to pick up (30 mins to 1 hour). It's just not efficient to use BJII with GPS reliably.

So I followed the latest instruction on this post which is unlock the device using Serreal Networks and run GPSTest (BJII build-in)... This got worst... I can't never get my GPS to work at all after unlock the device. I tried to do it twice to unlocked then hard reset and unlock.... now my device won't work with GPS at all.

Any advice?

Strange things happened to my device... I had it hard reset (reformat) 4-5 times... and I got the GPS working but very slow to pick up (30 mins to 1 hour). It's just not efficient to use BJII with GPS reliably.

So I followed the latest instruction on this post which is unlock the device using Serreal Networks and run GPSTest (BJII build-in)... This got worst... I can't never get my GPS to work at all after unlock the device. I tried to do it twice to unlocked then hard reset and unlock.... now my device won't work with GPS at all.

Any advice?

For Sed8ed: what did you do exactly after SDA unlock, secpolicies and the Surreal Networks Application Unlock?
I reboot my device and run GPSTEst.... I can't get it to work. Any special settings in GPSTest you had to do?
There are three options in there, and I tried with different combinations...

My GPStest settings are as follows.

Operating type:
Standalone

Session Type:
Nevigation (yes, thats a spelling mistake)

Start Type:
Cold

This is all I used. The GPStest should work without anything installed. My friend and I bought ours together from ebay U.S (we are in Australia). I had my GPS running before he was even using the device. We met up last weekend. He has nothing else installed. I sent him the GPStest shortcut via bluetooth.....it had a sat lock in 2 minutes..standing outside.

The device was not application unlocked yet and had nothing else installed. No hacks...no unlockers. Stock AT&T BlackjackII....

My Garmin XT software fires up in only 2-3 minutes (thats fully running with GPS lock) Sometimes much quicker..(if I am leaving where I just navigated too the sat lock is very fast)....

I am not sure what to tell you. You appear to be running all the right stuff...

I would do the hard reset. Paste the GPStest shortcut into your start menu folder. Install the unlocks one by one and reboot after each one. Dont install any hacks (I.E the MoDaCo or the GPSID). Stand outside and wait. Give the GPS ten minutes to get a lock (ten is an overkill but some have waited this long). The text of GPStest should flash a little (like a flicker)..sorta like a page refresh. This is when the GPS is ON!!! If there's no flicker from the text NO gps is running. You'll have to wait for it to initialise....give it time to work. I know it's frustrating..hang in there.

*EDIT* After having a quick read of some posts further up make sure you dont have the GPSID installed....If you stuff the settings in there it kills GPStest app for me...I have hard reset twice mucking around with the GPSID settings. If you do have it installed I had mine set to:

Program port: None

Hardware port: None

Baud Rate: Highest (whatever the highest setting is)

Manage Automatically. "ticked"

To be honest I dont use it. (GPSID)...Nor the Modaco hack. It got me familiar with the GPS and how it works etc but the GPStest (BJII) built in "IS" the On and Off switch...There's no need for anything else for me.

Everytime I played with the GPSID settings GPStest failed to respond and I had to Hard Reset to get it all working again...something I got tired of quickly. I do believe this is something "thelostsoul" can also
attribute to...I believe he has his set up the same way as once it's working it's a case of leave it alone

Does anybody know if the GPS Tester requires any data use? I dont have a unlimited internet or anything thats why i was wondering. I was also using it outside to test it out and wow what an amazing application, it showed my exact locations and when i moved while driving it still showed my position. technology is amazing!

GPS Breaking News! Certain Applications Break It!

Yes, that's right. Using certain GPS applications on your Blackjack II will cause the GPS to stop functioning properly, or, in some cases, stop functioning at all. Why? I haven't the slightest clue! But I've tested it, and it's true. Certain applications, for whatever reason, once executed, seem to cause the GPS to stop functioning. The ones that do not cause it to stop functioning result in a slowed GPS load time system-wide. Windows Live Search is my prime example. After a hard reset, I had Garmin capable of obtaining a signal in less than 30 seconds! Then I tried WLS, and it started taking as long as 5 minutes. So I hard reset again, and was back to under 30 seconds! I tried this a couple times (with hard reset in each interval) and it turns out it's true. Now, the ones that cause the GPS to fail have also been tested a couple times. These, once installed, will cause, at a maximum, an inability to obtain a signal using any application.

Tested applications which will likely result in a non-functional GPS unit:
Microsoft GPSID Configuration Utility
Nav4All

Tested applications which will likely result in a damaged GPS unit:
Windows Live Search

UNTESTED applications which MAY result in a damaged GPS unit:
Google Maps

How to solve it?
If you have executed the above applications and have noted that it is taking longer than 2 minutes to obtain a signal outside on a clear day, then you likely have a damaged GPS. If your GPS is not working, then you have a damaged GPS.
THE ONLY SOLUTION IS A HARD RESET
Unfortunately, you'll have to backup and of your precious data, turn off the device, press and hold the UP key, then turn the device on. Once the on-screen instructions appear, release both keys and follow them (1 to continue, y to confirm). ALL DATA WILL BE LOST AND YOUR SYSTEM WILL BE RESTORED TO ITS DEFAULT SETTINGS!


Now I have a list of applications which have not resulted in problems:
Garmin Mobile XT
Modaco GPS Hack (not to be confused with the Microsoft one)
Route66 for Smartphones (NOTE: I couldn't get the navigation to calculate a route, but the GPS does work, and it does not cause problems)


I'm still waiting for AmazeGPS...no idea when, or if, they'll ever get that one out, but I'll test it when it's out and post the results.

If you have any other applications you can confirm do or do not cause problems, post!

I'm curious on a couple of points.

1) How are you starting your GPS? Are you simply using the programs to start them, or are you jumpstarting them with another application? For example, I use the builtin GPSTest.exe utility (in the windows folder of your blackjack II) to get a satellite lock, then launch whichever GPS application I want to use, like google maps or Garmin XT. I've never gotten Garmin to lock by itself (although in all fairness, I've never tried more than a minute or two and have only had it loaded and working on my phone since yesterday morning).

2) If it really does damage (or render it non functional) how does a hard reset fix it? My point here is it's got to be a software/driver issue if the reset fixes it, and if so, won't restoring your information via a back up just put the problem right back in place?

No, the requirement of a jump-start is also another result of a 'damaged' GPS (driver). Good point, forgot to mention that. I've previously had to do the same in order to get my GPS working, but now I no longer use anything to start the GPS. Garmin will sometimes launch and take a little bit to find the GPS unit, but once it does, it gets the signal anyway. The whole thing rarely takes longer than 2 minutes.


No, you're right, it doesn't exactly damage the GPS chip itself, but it seems to damage the GPS, possibly the GPSID, driver. You'll have to excuse my laziness, but it's a lot easier to say damaged gps as opposed to rendered non-functional gps.

Whether it modifies something in the registry, reconfigures the dlls, or whatever, I don't know. But restoring everything using a hard reset restores what is necessary. I suppose it would be possible to make a GPS fix... I might investigate that possibility when I don't have much work to do.

I would agree, I have played with the GPSID settings a few times only to find it has stuffed the GPS driver...nothing works as a consequence. Hard reset is the only solution.

My main objective at the moment is to figure out (now that i have no control over the baud rate due to removing the GPSID GUI) how to actually control the rate of data coming in
from 7-8 satellites. Basically I want to know wether or not the baud rate will make any difference to the map update on Garmin XT. The half second delay when the map updates is somewhat annoying....not that bad but still compared to my AT&T 8525 it cant compete in terms of smooth map panning in three dimesional mode..The AT&T 8525 has an ATI graphics chip on board so maybe this is why it's a lot better....maybe the Blackjack II has some physical hurdles that control this issue....

Can anyone shed some light on this?