[ammateur]

Hi All

I recently bought a used BB 9900 in good condition

I am with Giffgaff in UK which runs over o2 network and BIS is still working.

By the grace of God - and thanks to many other Crackberry posters like @Shuswap and @Cixert - I was able to load the latest OS which seems to work fine.

9900AllLang_PBr7.1.0_rel2807 ... _Vodafone_DE

I was also able to download the latest BBM which supports "protected" (8.5.3.x) - and it works fine, i can have a BBM conversation with an android phone using BBMe - although it is slightly slower than WhatsApp

BB built in email works as well - and the web browser.
(although not certain webpages which presumably the security protocols are too strict. I understand Opera mini might solve this - i will look into this later.)

So far so good



I am having trouble with any sort of Maps / navigator. I have downloaded several, including WisePilot.

It seems like the issue is more with my GPS itself.

If i go to

Options > Device > Location Services "Location" is "ON" and "GPS source" is "my Device" (the only option)

But if I press the Blackberry key, there is an option to "Refresh Location" - and nothing happens - it's like no GPS signal has been received at all.

I have tried

- with BIS on over the mobile network
- with regular mobile internet (BIS not on, just regular internet)
- Wifi only

and combinations of these - and no sign of any GPS working at all.



Would changing the o/s to an older one likely help?
Or might it be because i installed the Vodafone _DE version of the o/s and not the O2 UK one?
Or is it anything else that anyone can think of?

Thanks

Michael

[conite]

Hi All

I recently bought a used BB 9900 in good condition

I am with Giffgaff in UK which runs over o2 network and BIS is still working.

By the grace of God - and thanks to many other Crackberry posters like @Shuswap and @Cixert - I was able to load the latest OS which seems to work fine.

9900AllLang_PBr7.1.0_rel2807 ... _Vodafone_DE

I was also able to download the latest BBM which supports "protected" (8.5.3.x) - and it works fine, i can have a BBM conversation with an android phone using BBMe - although it is slightly slower than WhatsApp

BB built in email works as well - and the web browser.
(although not certain webpages which presumably the security protocols are too strict. I understand Opera mini might solve this - i will look into this later.)

So far so good



I am having trouble with any sort of Maps / navigator. I have downloaded several, including WisePilot.

It seems like the issue is more with my GPS itself.

If i go to

Options > Device > Location Services "Location" is "ON" and "GPS source" is "my Device" (the only option)

But if I press the Blackberry key, there is an option to "Refresh Location" - and nothing happens - it's like no GPS signal has been received at all.

I have tried

- with BIS on over the mobile network
- with regular mobile internet (BIS not on, just regular internet)
- Wifi only

and combinations of these - and no sign of any GPS working at all.



Would changing the o/s to an older one likely help?
Or might it be because i installed the Vodafone _DE version of the o/s and not the O2 UK one?
Or is it anything else that anyone can think of?

Thanks

Michael

http://darkstar.x10host.com/nibble/workinganddead.html

[ammateur]

Thanks conite

that site is by @Shuswap who i quoted above

It is mainly aimed at running a 99xx WITHOUT Bis - as many ppl have to, as most carriers don't offer a BIS option any more

I am in lucky position of having a working Bis, the stuff on his site is not really aimed at "with Bis" so much.

Also, i saw nothing on his site about GPS not really at all - the GOS itself, rather than the Mapping software ...

[anon(10512033)]

I don't know if this will be helpful, but I have Google maps installed. It can pinpoint my location, but it crashes within about 15 seconds of launching. Given the crashes, it's unusable.

In location settings, the device reports my correct latitude and longitude (without BIS, of course).

Sent from my Mi A1 using Forums v1.3.3.

[ammateur]

I don't know if this will be helpful, but I have Google maps installed. It can pinpoint my location, but it crashes within about 15 seconds of launching. Given the crashes, it's unusable.

In location settings, the device reports my correct latitude and longitude (without BIS, of course).

Sent from my Mi A1 using Forums v1.3.3.

Thank you for your reply - and all your other work

My issue is more basic, i think - the GPS is not working even before i try to start an actual program like Google Maps

"if I press the Blackberry key, there is an option to "Refresh Location" - and nothing happens - it's like no GPS signal has been received at all." - it basically says scan has failed and no location seems to be being picked up at all.

[ammateur]

Well this is weird (in a good way)


All that I described above happened on Monday night.

Installing the new o/s, loading BBM with protected mode, all of that working etc

The GPS was not working Mon night, or several hours later, on Tues morning. A couple of battery pulls did not help.

I left the phone all day Tue and Wed – the battery ran down by Thurs am, I recharged it and turned on again

Suddenly GPS is working beautifully – it shows my location, recent time checked, etc

One of the programs I downloaded from BBW, “Blackberry Navigator” seems to be working perfectly though I haven’t tested it outside the house yet.
@Shuswap, you have the Blackberry equivalent of “green fingers”!

Perhaps loading the New (updated) o/s and BBM etc harmed something in the service books or some other “behind the screen” setting, and over time, the server of the service provider (carrier) sent updated service books etc?
To anyone reading, it seems with BB 99xx in 2020 – don’t give up if something isn’t working for a few hours – leave it a day or 2 and see if issue works out?

[Cixert]

I'm glad you solved the problem.
You should be aware that older devices may take 30 minutes to capture the first GPS coverage, and this first coverage should be done in open spaces, without buildings.

[Ben xfg]

I was also able to download the latest BBM which supports "protected" (8.5.3.x) - and it works fine, i can have a BBM conversation with an android phone using BBMe - although it is slightly slower than WhatsApp

Do you mean to say that you have WhatsApp running on your Bold?
Another thing, do you find that BBM drains your battery at all?
I had a relative who ended up deleting his BBM as it was just insane on his battery - battery would last only ¾ of a day or so, now it lasts him two full days. This is on a Curve 9360.

[mushroom_daddy]

One of the programs I downloaded from BBW, “Blackberry Navigator” seems to be working perfectly though I haven’t tested it outside the house yet.

You can still get BlackBerry Navigator!? That used to be a really robust sat-nav voice-guided navigation app on the UK 9900, and I used for several years until (at least for me) it stopped working, and if I recall correctly the maps were no longer updated.
Similarly Google maps v4 used to work really well on my 9900, but eventually that became corrupted and then I could never get past v3 on reinstalling.

I used to use the 9900 a lot (had three of them), before I finally threw in the towel and went to the dark side. Like you, I was also on UK giffgaff, who seem to keep BIS going for the BlackBerry faithful - good on them. Personally, I had most success using the -O2 version software that is widely referenced in these forums and in Shuswap’s Bold site.

Keep us posted on your Bold adventures, and Good luck!

[anon(10512033)]

Do you mean to say that you have WhatsApp running on your Bold?
Another thing, do you find that BBM drains your battery at all?
I had a relative who ended up deleting his BBM as it was just insane on his battery - battery would last only ¾ of a day or so, now it lasts him two full days. This is on a Curve 9360.

Maybe that's why my battery life has always been phenomenal compared to that reported by other users. If I'm just texting and calling, I could likely go three days on a charge fairly easily.