BlackStar is up and running for the Storm

[substring]

More update on BlackStar. I have to go outside the building for it to find the satellite. It displayed the latitude and longitude which is nice. But the compass will not rotate when I turned around which is not good at all.

Pardon me but I just cannot see how this app can benefit me on my camping and backpacking trips. Perhaps someone can give me some pointers on this. Or I might just stick with the old-fashioned orienteering instead.

[patroldog]

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Blackstar works on the Storm, I've been using it on mine since March. I use it to geocache and it works without a hitch.
Yes you have to go outside or at least be near a window. Basically it needs a line of sight to the sky (seems to work well under a tree canopy though). Also, on the Storm it take about 30 seconds to obtain a satellite fix.
The compass is not a true magnetic compass so it won't rotate just as you turn around in one spot. It is a GPS compass which means you have to be moving. GPS works by the satellites tracking you. If you stand in one spot, it has no idea which direction you are facing. As you move it tracks relative to where you just were.
Hope this helps.

PD

[substring]

Thanks for the detailed explanation patroldog. I will be going to a week-long Summer Camp in a couple weeks. I will definitely test it out and see how good it is.

Thanks again!

[tcraig72]

I used it the other day on my bike and it worked great. I also added a waypoint at my house and that worked well too....tells you how far away from the waypoint you are and an arrow points you to your waypoint.

The only thing I'm unsure about is geocaching and downloading things to use...a bit confusing to me. Any help?

[cook46933]

Originally Posted by tcraig72

I used it the other day on my bike and it worked great. I also added a waypoint at my house and that worked well too....tells you how far away from the waypoint you are and an arrow points you to your waypoint.

The only thing I'm unsure about is geocaching and downloading things to use...a bit confusing to me. Any help?

Check out the shiny new wiki: BlackStar It contains information on how to import caches.

[serpico]

Great free app from what I have read. I downloaded a loc file from geocaching.com to test out today. My first hunt is actually a couple of minutes away from me on a corner! Going to walk the dog now and try and find it. If the premium membership is worth it then I will use the gpx files for more info. Is there a mobile geocaching.com site that works better on our blackberry storm browsers so we don't need the gpx file?

[cadzilla74]

Thanks for the recommendations. BlackStar works great. I just installed it today. I set up a free Basic Member account on Geocaching.com. I then downloaded a LOC file for a Virtual Cache near my house to my PC. Then I used RDM+ to copy the file to my SD Card, clicked on Add Waypoint in BlackStar and then just opened the file on my SD Card.

There appears to be much more sophisticated apps (as in $$$) for importing/exporting Cache files and in a format that contains more info than an LOC file but I'm going to play with it this way for a while and see if I like GeoCaching.

I did use BlackStar in my car just to see what the GPS said on the speed readout. Pretty accurate I must say. At 40mph indicated on the speedo Blackstar showed 39.73mph. At 45 mph on speedo BlackStar showed 44.76mph.

Sweet.

[iPhoneWannaBe]

Has anyone tried BlackStar when you're out of cell phone range? I'm guessing BlackStar is still supposed to work without a cell phone signal, getting its data from GPS - is this correct?

And here's the other question: Has anyone tried BlackStar on Verizon? It works great on my Storm under Verizon, until I get out of cell phone range. Then it can't get a GPS signal.

I'd appreciate hearing from as many people as possible so I can get an idea under what conditions BlackStar works and does not work. If possible, please mention which BlackBerry and which carrier you use. Thanks!

[cadzilla74]

Your assumption is correct, true GPS programs should work even without a Verizon signal. What will not work will probably be getting a connection to bcache.com or geocache.com because your data transfers won't work without the 1XEV (3G) signal.

I have trouble getting "out of Verizon range" LOL ... but it should not be relying on cell coverage for signal. BlackStar strictly uses satellite triangulation for GPS location. Make sure you have all your GPS settings turned on including "allow GPS Location". Make sure you are outside and have an unrestricted view of the sky to get connected. My first use of this app, I walked out into my yard and it was very overcast, just stopped raining, acquired satellite and my coordinates in less than 15 seconds. I then walked around my yard and it tracked my coordinates, the compass spun as I changed direction and it logged my walking speed. Very nice app IMHO. You have to be moving to get a compass reading, spinning in place will NOT change the compass heading as GPS only knows which direction you are going in when your physical location actually changes.

[cook46933]

Originally Posted by cadzilla74

... but it should not be relying on cell coverage for signal. BlackStar strictly uses satellite triangulation for GPS location...

Technically, BlackStar uses the "least restrictive location provider" for the phone/carrier/gps chipset. So it does not control whether it uses GPS or AGPS.

Some phones/carrier/chipsets will not support standalone GPS so they will not work outside of cell coverage.

[cadzilla74]

Originally Posted by cook46933

Technically, BlackStar uses the "least restrictive location provider" for the phone/carrier/gps chipset. So it does not control whether it uses GPS or AGPS.

Some phones/carrier/chipsets will not support standalone GPS so they will not work outside of cell coverage.

Good info, I stand corrected. The Storm GPS is unlocked on Verizon, very few others are, thanks Verizon. So far I had only seen a clean satellite connect using BlackStar, good to know it supports multi-location providing.

[cook46933]

Originally Posted by cadzilla74

Good info, I stand corrected. The Storm GPS is unlocked on Verizon, very few others are, thanks Verizon. So far I had only seen a clean satellite connect using BlackStar, good to know it supports multi-location providing.

I may be misquoting, but from what I have read the reason Verizon does not lock down the GPS on the Storm and Tour is that the GPS chipset supports both GPS and AGPS. So they cannot lock the standalone GPS functionality. It was not a change of heart by Verizon, just an inability to lock you out

[cadzilla74]

Yep, I'm sure this was not a popular thing to Verizon aka Big Brother when they realized they couldn't control content and functions on the Storm the way they are accustomed to doing.

[DoctorNeutron]

I was so high on BlackStar. I think it was its name, which is way cool. However, on my last visit to the Hill Country with my Son, Son-in-Law, and two grandsons, I found BlackStar was simply not suitable for much of anything. I thought that because there was no VZN. I thought B* worked only off of nearby cell towers. Out in the wild, one needs to look directly at satellites and...

Are you guys saying that when I get to where there is NO VZN, there is still a way to use B* on my Storm to geocache ? Hours, minutes, AND seconds ? True satellite GPS ? Real-world geocaching experiences ?

Doctor Neutron

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Two weeks ago when I was camping at Quachita National Forest in Oklahoma, I tried BlackStar but it seemed to be not much I can do with it. Now, it may be because I did not set up a waypoint or something. First, it took a long time to find the satellite. Then all I got were the latitude and longitude which are nice to know but not extremely helpful in my case. I ended up pulling out my compass and my map to figure out the path and direction.

Now I also want to confess that I am an orienteering person and not a geocaching person. So it might be just me. But I will give it another try at my next campout.