[black12rr]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

black, this is how you do it
1. Open maps.google.co.in and get driving directions. For example Bangalore to Mumbai
2. When the route is plotted, around top right of the map you will see "Link". right click and say "Copy link location". For example
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India to Mumbai, Maharashtra, India - Google Maps
3. Paste this link to browser bar, and add &Output=kml at the end
So your link will become
Mumbai,+Maharashtra,+India&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&s ll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=47.972233,78.310547&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=7 &output=kml

This will give you the kml for your route which you can convert to any format as you like using gpsbabel or similar software.

Thanks ,I was able to get KML file from the steps above.

But this cannot be opened from either Mytracks(there is export option ,but no import tracks in this ) or Google Maps android app :( .

Also I think I did not explain clearly .

Suppose you get link from gmail ,you can open the link in Android Google maps , but there is no link in MENU options of Google maps Android App to save the route .That should have been easier right ?. So you can have a list of routes inside android google maps itself , instead each time you need get to your gmail to get the link of the routes .

[Neilguy]

Originally Posted by black12rr

So you can have a list of routes inside android google maps itself , instead each time you need get to your gmail to get the link of the routes .

Can't you just save the route (with a name) in "My Maps" of Google Maps on the computer and access them on your phone through "My Maps" of Google Maps for the phone? I can do this on my BlackBerry, so i guess this sould be easier on the Android phone!

[black12rr]

Originally Posted by Neilguy

Can't you just save the route (with a name) in "My Maps" of Google Maps on the computer and access them on your phone through "My Maps" of Google Maps for the phone? I can do this on my BlackBerry, so i guess this sould be easier on the Android phone!

Atleast I dont see it . No ,It does not have any option in the menu to save the route . .

[Neilguy]

Originally Posted by black12rr

Atleast I dont see it . No ,It does not have any option in the menu to save the route . .

1. On the computer, below the driving directions in Google Maps, there is a 'Save to My Maps' link on the bottom of the page. If you are logged into Google, this will save the route to your 'My Maps' section.

2. In Android, assuming that you are logged into Google services in Maps, go to 'Layers' and select 'My Maps'. You should be able to select your saved locations and routes here.

P.S: This should also work on the HTML5 version of Google Maps (via safari) on the iPhone too.

[vnabhi]

Folks, it looks like there are only 2 options now ----MMI or Garmin. Satnav has not been able to resolve its issues with Garmin for the past 2 weeks, and every week they are postponing the date they expect to resolve the issues.

Methinks Garmin is not allowing Satnav to sell maps for their devices as they have launched their own version of India maps.

Any idea of the cost of Garmin maps vis-a-vis MMI? And how much do the upgrades cost? As far as Garmin goes, it costs around 4600 INR for the maps in SD card, and an equal amount for upgrade, as their website says an upgrade involves getting a new SD card (I infer it will cost as much as an initial map load).

[Ragul]

MMI users please advice on how I can copy the GPS logs to SD Card ? I heard kml format strips time data? How can I get everything copied and view my path on google maps on MMI Online? I use RoadPilot. I dont want to run to S.P road 12kms away to buy a usb data cable.

Thanks

[Ram]

A Rs. 1350 GPS jammer made in China can spoil our fun.


Car Navigation, ATM machines, Cell phone towers, Vehicle tracking systems, Aircraft, Boat, Train navigation systems all depend upon GPS signals that are easily blocked. These devices fail badly with no solution!!!


The next wave of anti-GPS devices include GPS spoofers to trick or confuse nearby devices.

Naturally, the first response of clueless administrations will be to

ban the rascal devices -- make them illegal. And the Chinese claim they're for protecting privacy!
These are popular with truck drivers who don't want their owners to spy on their movements.
Thieves use them to beat trackers inside stolen cargo.

One available jammer can choke off GPS from several obstructionless kilometres away.
The problem is that the GPS signal is very weak. It's like a car headlight being seen from 20,000 kilometres away.
Why can't the satellite boost its transmitted signal strength?
Because battery power supply out in space is seriously limited!


In future, devices called "spoofers" – which send out wrong GPS signals can make your GPS receiver give false readings !!!
Wait. That's not all !

Cellphones are a key user of GPS (and I don't mean cellphones with navigation). All of them!

Cell Towers must synchronize with each other to transfer calls to other towers as you move. A GPS time signal offers a cheap and accurate way to do this.
So next time you lose your cellphone signal, blame a cheap Chinese black box being used by a scoundrel a few km away.

[NetfreakBombay]

Thankfully, these systems are not that easy to disrupt.

ATMs/Cell towers/etc do get time from GPS but not directly. Each network has time servers (NTP serer) across multiple geography. legally mandated to be in different seismic zones. E.g. if one server is in Mumbai, next one has to be in Delhi.

So, to disrupt timing these devices would have to spoof servers in multiple cities simultaneously.

Even then any change of more than 1 sec is alerted to support teams and not applied directly.

[tsk1979]

Actually the slashdot linked article has a lot of FUD. Most of these GPS jammers have a range of 10-15 feet. So its best for disabling tracking devices put in your car. If you need to jam a city, you need more than a KW of power.
Where will you find that? I guess in your microwave

Regarding your kms long death ray, it was an experiment by US NAvy where they had an entire warship powering their Jammer. If you have played the game Crysis, some missions involve destroying GPS jammers, which are as large as a tank.

Finally regarding time, GPS time is delayed by a few seconds, and variance depends on a lot of factors. So most mission critical systems use it only as a crude reference, and do not regularly keep syncing time unless they lose it completely.

Its a lot more easier to rig a 1KW magnetron and create an EMP to take out WIFI and mobile towers, than bother with a 10 foot range jammer.

Speaking of 1350Rs, I think you got the quote by doing a conversion of 30$ to 1350INR, however, if you start looking, most jammers start from 70$, and the ones which actually work cost 100-120$.

Slashdot discussion : http://science.slashdot.org/story/11...Havok#comments
The uber sensationlist article : http://www.newscientist.com/article/...fe.html?page=1

Members are requested to link to original article source before making posts
Original quote From the original article.

"The problem is that the GPS signal is very weak. It's like a car headlight 20,000 kilometres away," says consultant David Last, former president of the UK's Royal Institute of Navigation. You can't boost the signal any further because of the limited power supply on a satellite.

[benzinblut]

I am new to GPS. I do not travel very extensively but do some trips 2-3 times a year. I have not used GPS so far but want to buy one. I will be making a trip of about 3000 km or more in about 3 weeks from now.

Please advice me how should I proceed, keeping in mind the following:
1) My requirement is to have maps for whole of India. Atleast for the highways.
2) I will also require detailed map for Mumbai (other members in the house would need it).
3) I am not looking at very expensive stuff, but the screen has to be readable without much effort. I would prefer a product that gives more features at lower cost.
4) My brother is returning from Germany in 2 weeks. If there are better hardwares availabe there (that are compatible with indian softwares), please suggest the model no. I can ask him to bring it along.

Which software and hardware is suitable for me. Please give an idea of the cost. Also, what will be the recurring costs i should expect.

EDIT: Will there be any cost during useage? Will the software have a validity for useage?

[Newpunter]

@Benzinblut, for your usage, the best would be to get a chinese make GPS and Satguide combo which would be very cheap and satisfy your requirements. I bought a similar combination and it cost me only around 3500/- . Ofcourse, I didn't like Satguide and later switched to MMI which is very good. You can look at the following site for the hardware ( I bought mine from the same site and the experience was very good ) :
GPS Gadgets: GPS Receiver, Portable GPS Navigation, GPS Blocker, GPS Antenna & More - DealExtreme

For the maps, you can buy online from the following sites:
Satguide (cost 990/-): India Map For Windows OS Mobiles

MMI ( cost 2490/-) : Buy MapmyIndia mobile phone GPS : Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, iPhone and Blackberry GPS phone navigation software with all India maps

There will not be any additional costs during usage.

[arvind71181]

How good are MMI mobile maps? Was browsing through the website and the costs seem ok. How detailed are they? Anybody having experience using the same? Any feedback would be appreciated

[f1fan]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Its a lot more easier to rig a 1KW magnetron and create an EMP to take out WIFI and mobile towers, than bother with a 10 foot range jammer.

Reminds me of the movie "Ocean's 11"

[Newpunter]

Originally Posted by arvind71181

How good are MMI mobile maps? Was browsing through the website and the costs seem ok. How detailed are they? Anybody having experience using the same? Any feedback would be appreciated

MMI are the best maps available in India. I have been using them for the past 6 months or so. The maps are quite detailed and the coverage is very good. The only issue i had was that sometimes the software calculates routes that takes you through some very narrow routes ( I found out that i was to blame for this, as i had selected the route calculation mode as "Shortest" instead of "Fastest" ).

I have checked the coverage in Chikmagalur, Belur, Halebidu, Bangalore and Gurgaon and some places in AP. While the maps for AP were very bad and missed a lot of important roads in the rural areas, the coverage for the remaining areas was nothing less awesome.

Satguide in comparison was very basic and lacked a lot of POIs when i used them the last time.

[arvind71181]

Originally Posted by Newpunter

MMI are the best maps available in India. I have been using them for the past 6 months or so. The maps are quite detailed and the coverage is very good. The only issue i had was that sometimes the software calculates routes that takes you through some very narrow routes ( I found out that i was to blame for this, as i had selected the route calculation mode as "Shortest" instead of "Fastest" ).

I have checked the coverage in Chikmagalur, Belur, Halebidu, Bangalore and Gurgaon and some places in AP. While the maps for AP were very bad and missed a lot of important roads in the rural areas, the coverage for the remaining areas was nothing less awesome.

Satguide in comparison was very basic and lacked a lot of POIs when i used them the last time.

Thanks for the detailed feedback. So its safe to buy a mobile map for the Galaxy S right? Is there anything special that needs to be considered when buying a map for a mobile?