Signal-Location Utilities for BlackBerry Readme

Introduction:

SignalLocBB is a FREE utility that captures and displays details about your network connection and location.

This is the first Beta release so feedback is appreciated.

Links:

Signal-Location Utilities for BlackBerry: SourceForge.net: Signal-Location Utility for BlackBerry
OTA Download: http://f5bbutil.sourceforge.net/sign.../signalloc.jad



Exported data in Google Earth...


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Features:

* Displays network information such as signal level, services supported,
cell site identification, channel and, if supported by your device and
network, the latitude and longitude of the current cell site, if available.

Service Indicators:
V Voice
D Data
R Roaming
MDS MDS Connectivity through BES
WAP WAP Connectivity through carrier WAP
1XEV
EVDO
GPRS
EDGE
UMTS
SOS
DOP Data Service Opetational
DSUSP Data Service Suspended

Cell Site Id:
CDMA: SystemID-NetworkID-BaseStationID
GSM: RoutingAreaCode-LocationAreaCode-CellID-BaseStationId

Network Details screen provides all available information for the network
and cell site.

* Displays GPS information such as latitude, longitude, altitude, course and
speed. If cell site location is also available, the course and distance
from your current location to the cell site is also displayed.

* Both internal and BlueTooth GPS units are supported. Basically, if Google
Maps and BlackBerry Maps can use a device, so can SignalLoc.

* Can display locations in BlackBerry Maps or Google Maps.

* Can save cell site and location info as they change. Each change of cell
site can be automatically saved and the user can configure how often to
take a current location snapshot nased on distance travelled.

* Exports cell site and location info in KML or CSV format that can be easily
imported to Google Earth and other mapping programs, spreadsheets, etc.
The data can be exported to the clipboard or a media card.

* Displays device information such as battery strength, voltage, temperature,
flash and ram statistics.

* User selectable Imperial or Metric units.



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Installation:

Your device MUST be running BlackBerry OS 4.2.1 or greater.

For OTA installation, visit the OTA download link above.

For desktop installation, download the .zip file and extract it. Open the
Desktop Manager and use the Application Loader wizard to load the program to
the handheld.

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OTA link doesn't work.

Typo.
Fixed.

Desktop Manager install version has no .cod included and .alx file doesn't point to a valid .cod anyway.

Seems this is not quite ready yet.


Edit: It was a blonde moment! Found the right download.

Edit....trying again.

This looks sweet (and geeky). Downloading to try it now.


OTA failed. Trying desktop....

Thanks,
SMF

Are you sure? I can see the cod and alx just fine and DM finds it ok.

Did you happen to catch it before I fixed the OTA link?

Ok, got it working. It would be nice to be able to see the locations on Google Maps as well as BBMaps. But on GSM I don't get location anyway so moot point for me, I guess.

There doesn't appear to be an invokation api for Google Maps but I'm still looking.

The 8320 doesn't have a GPS?

In the zip file I dowloaded from sourceforge it contains a bunch of .java files but no .cod. The .alx references a generic .cod which doesn't show in the list of files.

I did get the ota to work after you edited it.

No GPS on 8320. I have a BT GPS but don't have it on right now. I was interested in the cell tower info and device info.

Thats because you downloaded the source zip file instead of the one in the big green box that says "Download"

Must have. Downloading now onto my 8820 and report back.

OK - it's working. I'll have to play with it more when I can stay outside. I got a cell tower and gps lock but the map didn't come up correctly (blank screen).

SMF

Well, um....I was just testing you! Yeah, testing you. You passed.




...not buying it are you? Found the big green download button!

This is a neat app. Good work!

Thanks! Let me know if there's anything else I can add.

Very informative app. It would be nice to name/rename "Cell Sites".

Good suggestion. I'll work on it.

Kind of a fun little app.

I get an error when I try to see location on map. Any ideas?
java.lang.lllegalargument.exeption

Does BlackBerry Maps operate normally?
Which device and OS version?
Can you open the log (<alt>LGLG) and paste the contents of the exception here?

ahhhh...I know why, I removed bbmaps because I had google maps and liked it better. How do I get bbmaps back on....DM??

Ah. Yep, desktop manager should allow you to re-add it. I'm trying to figure out how to launch Google Maps with location data.

If you can figure that out that would be nice. I like google maps waay better.

I also deleted BB Maps a long time ago...

I have a blackberry 8830 and did the ota install. It works I can see the tower that I am using but not the map info. I am with VZW also. I guess I would have to have navigator to see locations? It would be great to find exactly where to point my yagi antenna. Any suggestions? thanks in advance.

I do not have the option for the location.

This app will work with Verizon, if you have VZ Nav running in the background. Works great so far!!!

Without VZNav you have no gps functions. This is stated in the OP.

sorry I missed that. Maybe I will have to add VZ navigator for a month to test this out. Thanks to you both. zzzzzzzzz

Sorry JC, must have missed that. There always seems to be some controversy with VZ Nav and allowing 3rd party apps to use the GPS, so I just figured I would post that I personally have had success.

I found one bug... if network connection is off, it will crash with java null pointer error.

It then keep trying to get information, so it's not a "hard" crash like bbweather does when profile doesn't exist.

Otherwise it's a nice utility app.

Hmmm. I may have to add it for testing as well.

Got it. It'll be fixed later today.

Wow, this is awesome!! Being free makes it nothing short of amazing

I installed it this morning, very nice and informative app.

However, I noticed that even though the GPS info screen showed me as not moving, my coordinates kept changing and my elevation kept getting higher and higher and higher (no, I was not going up an elevator). I'll play with it more and see if that was a one-time thing.

Any chance it will eventually work with Google Maps? I really don't want to have BB Maps on my phone unless I need it.

It's an artifact of the GPS error. Even when you're stopped, you'll appear to be moving around inside the sphere defined by the vertical and horizontal error. The GPS Details page displays exactly what the GPS is reporting. On the main page, I suppress the speed and course when the speed is < 1m/s.

I was working on it last night but it's not looking good. The only documentation I can find on how to start Google Maps with landmarks requires me to upload the list to a server, then start Google Maps with the network URL. I'm still investigating though.

I just uploaded a new version...

Signal Location Utilities for BlackBerry Change Log

--- SignalLocBB - Build 0.1.710 - Released July 30 2008

* Added: [ 2032956 ] Allow export to KML
* Fixed: [ 2032917 ] NPE cancelling from file save
* Fixed: [ 2032914 ] NPE if Radio is off
* Minor UI tweaks and typo corrections.

--- SignalLocBB - Build 0.1.704 - Released July 29 2008

* Initial BETA release.