Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5

location based services

Ever have trouble setting up a GPS device on Windows Mobile 5? Ever wonder what that GPS control panel really does? Well, wonder no more...
Windows Mobile 5 introduced a new feature called the GPS Intermediate Driver which allows multiple apps to share one GPS device. In the past, if one app had the GPS COM port open, no other app could use it. But the Intermediate Driver creates a virtual COM port that multiplexes the real GPS port, and can handle multiple client apps simultaneously.
Windows Mobile 5 also introduced a GPS control panel to allow you to configure the Intermediate Driver. The control panel lets you set the Hardware Port, which is the real port the GPS device is actually on, and the Program Port, which is the virtual COM port the Intermediate Driver exposes. It is called the Program Port because it is the COM port that GPS programs talk to. (They no longer talk directly to the Hardware Port, so it can be shared.)
Unfortunately, there are two complications. First, only Pocket PC has this control panel. Smartphone does not, which makes the GPS Intermediate Driver unusable on Smartphone. We hope to announce a solution to this very soon. Second, some Pocket PC OEMs hid the GPS control panel. However, it can be unhidden by going into the registry and deleting any "Redirect" or "Hide" keys under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ControlPanel\GPS Settings.
The Program Port can be any unused COM port. But you may be wondering how you know what the Hardware Port is. Well, if your device has a built-in GPS, then it is on a fixed port, and you need to figure out what that port number is. There are any number of ways to do this; I usually just do a web search on live.com for the model name, "port", and "GPS".
If you have a Bluetooth GPS, you need to set up the Hardware Port yourself (regardless of whether you are using the Intermediate Driver or not). Since this process can be a bit confusing, here are the step-by-step instructions:
For Smartphone:
Start/Settings/Connections/Bluetooth.Make sure Bluetooth is set to "On".Menu/DevicesMenu/NewSelect your GPS device from the list and press Next.Enter the passkey for the Bluetooth GPS. For example, 12345678.NextYou should get a message box saying "Your Smartphone has connected".OKNextCheck the "Serial port" checkbox.DoneDoneMenu/COM PortsSelect your GPS.Menu/New Outgoing Port.Select your device and press Select.You will see a COM port that has been chosen for your GPS. For example, COM6.DoneDoneDoneNow your GPS is set up on COM6. Start your GPS app and configure it to use COM6.
For Pocket PC:
Start/Settings/Connnections/BluetoothCheck the "Turn on Bluetooth" checkbox.Press the Device tab.Press "Add new device..."select your GPS device and press Next.Check the "Serial Port" checkbox and press Finish.Press the COM Ports tab.Press "New outgoing port..."Select your device and press Next.You will see a COM port that has been chosen for your GPS. For example, COM0.Press Finish.Now your GPS is set up on COM0. If you do not want to use the Intermediate Driver to share the GPS port, just start your GPS app and configure it to use COM0. If you do want to use the Intermediate Driver:
Start/Settings/System/GPS. (If you do not see GPS listed, see the registry hack above.)Set the "GPS Program Port" to any unused COM port, for example, COM9.Press the Hardware tab.Set the Hardware Port to COM0.Set the baud rate to the baud rate of your Bluetooth GPS (usually 4800, or 9600).Press OK.Start your GPS app and configure it to use COM9.

- Jason Fuller
Published Wednesday, June 07, 2006 12:20 AM by windowsmobile
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# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Wednesday, June 07, 2006 7:54 AM by Bukovansky Richard
GPS Driver is great, but one issue is when you are using it. It's not possible to use it with one GPS software, you need to always run 2 GPS apps or change the settings of the GPS software you want use. That's useless... :-(
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Wednesday, June 07, 2006 9:47 AM by Philippe Majerus
It works perfectly fine with a single application. It opens the hardware port when the first application opens the program port, broadcast the GPS data to all applications connected to the program port - even if that is a single application, and closes the hardware port when the last application closed the software port.
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Wednesday, June 07, 2006 11:23 PM by Sven Johannsen
I've used it just fine with a single app or multiple apps. Actually just two at a time. However, I have found some apps that just don't seem to like to work with it, regardless if they are the only app or sharing.
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Thursday, June 08, 2006 3:26 AM by Duke Box
The idea of a layer between hardware and the applications ( NT kernel rings a bell ;P ) is ok, but for a non technical person the whole in/out com port story is not easy to understand. Since you're not required to use it it's a great feature though.
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Thursday, June 08, 2006 3:54 AM by John McNamara
I have an issue with this applet, I would like to use it but can't. The problem is that my bluetooth GPS uses a weird COM port speed setting of 38400 and is not changable, the applet will only allow 33600 or 57600 and as yet I have not been able to connect a program through it. Is there any way to specify a different speed?
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:44 PM by Bukovansky Richard
Phillippe, then you are lucky, but my GPS apps (to be specific: TomTom Navigator, GPS Tuner) refuse to connect on software COM port when they are alone, I have to always reconfigure them to use hardware port... Am I doing anything wrong?
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Thursday, June 08, 2006 2:20 PM by Ken Lewis
I am using 4.21 and I can't get the IPAQ 3715 to recognize the Arkon GPS docking cradle. Is there a 4.21 procedure?
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Thursday, June 08, 2006 3:58 PM by Philippe Majerus
Bukovansky Richard: I don't use TomTom, but by the number of people having problems with TomTom replacing built-in drivers by their "betterest" drivers that works only with TomTom, I wouldn't be suprised if they tried to be too smart and "help" you find the GPS device even though you selected another one.
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Thursday, June 08, 2006 8:27 PM by David Griffiths
I have found that unticking the Serial Port box in BT Set Up and then setting a new Outgoing Port to Comm 6 works everytime. Before I had Serial Port ticked and I had to re-pair the PPC and GPS before the GPS would start in TomTom. I didn't have to get involved with any reg hacks at all for TomTom Nav 5 to work on my Qtek9100 running WM5 with AKU2.
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Thursday, June 08, 2006 9:08 PM by weatheryoko
I've tried this NUMEROUS times on my HTC Universal (with AKU2.0) and had ZERO luck getting TT v5.21 to work. @ David Griffiths, I will try your recommendation, but I think I can use COM0, COM4, and COM8. Anyone have success getting this to work on a Universal and with TomTom? Thanks in advance.
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Friday, June 09, 2006 8:42 AM by Jerry Spohn
I discovered this yesterday, when I was trying to configure WiFiFoFum to use my I-Blue bluetooth GPS. I enabled the COM port and I was up and running without issue. I have Pocket Streets also working, both together at the same time, and with just one running and not the other. No issues what so ever.
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# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Saturday, June 10, 2006 2:41 PM by Joe User
GPS in 100 steps. Would your grandmother be able to setup GPS on her WM5 device?
# re: Setting up GPS on Windows Mobile 5
Saturday, June 10, 2006 3:22 PM by sheureka
Wow - I really want to be able to use this - I'm so tired of GPS Gate being so touchy - but I suspect this is some variant of that - and just as touchy. Sometimes it seems to work perfectly - other times it doesn't work at all! And as far as I can see there are no particular variables that allow it to work or not. I'd love to hear from someone for whom it works consistently with exactly the steps you're using each time you want to use it. TIA - sheureka