Inaccurate journalism

[lw395]

RAN Engineer.

Best the phone can do from a mobile network is to know the cell ID (and sector) and then it would need a database of cell site locations.

Many years ago, I had a GSM phone with no GPS which could tell its position surprisingly accurately. Usually much better than 100metres. The network generally knows the location (and often speed) of any phone engaged in traffic. The phone needs to be in touch with at least two base stations to get a position this way.
I'm not sure this works with all networks in all countries. But AIUI, it's still a requirement in the US for any phone network to know the approximate location of any phone making a 911 call by this means. A lot of phones have the GPS switched off a lot of the time.
Obviously, off the coast, pushing the range limits of your network, you may only be 'talking to' one basestation so your phone will only have a range and sector (i.e you're e.g. on the South facing antenna).

The network is keeping track of where phones are, for the purposes of handing over to a different base station as you travel.
Whether the network's info about the phone's location is always made available to the phone is another question. Or if that data is available to the phone, it may not be accessible to the user. The expectation is, if you want your location, you use a phone with a GPS enabled.

Back in the old days, my GSM phone used to display the STD code of the area it thought it was in. Quite often at Stokes Bay, it would give 01983, Isle of Wight. I guess it could only see one base station.

 

[lw395]

My Iphone doesnt have a gps chip in it but Mr Uber seems to know exactly where I am!

Sometimes the phone receives GPS signals and passes the unprocessed data to the network. So the network does the power-hungry sums to work out the location.

 

[LadyInBed]

I suppose that more to the point is whether the nav apps are written to accept position data from other than GPS input, I don't think they do.

 

[mjcoon]

I suppose that more to the point is whether the nav apps are written to accept position data from other than GPS input, I don't think they do.

In Android, there's the "mock position" interface, by which a test location can be injected and served up as a "GPS" position.

Mike.

 

[Shuggy]

Claysie

Your offer is much appreciated. I was in the Big Smoke pretending to earn a living - next time I am down from my chicken-infested rural hideaway I will check in with you. In fact, we should make it a date. Does his Lairdship own a tie or were they discarded post retirement?

On a more serious note I gave the good shup a wee pat on the futtocks as I walked past last week. Hope you recover quickly and get her launched.

Shuggingtons

Shuggipoos
I am desolate at the lonely picture you paint of eating your steak and hoovering down the beer on your own-some.
If this occurs again - call me!

 

[Roberto]

that a used Boreal 44 could be bought for £150k-£250k.

Hmmph.

Maybe, if you accept delivery in Lake Titicaca, or similar

 

[mjcoon]

There's an article by Duncan Kent in YM dated June 2019 in which he reports being parked on Corfu and watching the sun setting over the Albanian mountains. This means he must be confused about the geography or cannot tell the difference between sunset and sunrise!

Mike.

 

[[70521]]

Second one: some journo (I think it might have been Duncan Kent again but can’t remember, although I took a photo of the relevant page) in the ‘what boat’ section stated that a used Boreal 44 could be bought for £150k-£250k. I was absolutely taken by the boat and started to scour the ads. Utter fantasy. They go for £400k-£500k. Does no-one proof read and fact check any more?

I think he was quite correct in the price of the Boreal 44, sadly I did not see the advert until to late. If you see any other second hand Boreals for sale (I've only seen the one) please let me know.

 

[Shuggy]

As above; I haven’t gone trawling through Apple’s old pages, but Wikipedia is easier to check quickly and that reckons every iPhone back to at least the 3G has had GPS; in the UK only a tiny handful of early adopters bought the model before the 3G so I doubt that’s what you have.

That’s how Uber knows where you are.

Pete

Agreed...

 

[claymore]

Claysie

Your offer is much appreciated. I was in the Big Smoke pretending to earn a living - next time I am down from my chicken-infested rural hideaway I will check in with you. In fact, we should make it a date. Does his Lairdship own a tie or were they discarded post retirement?

On a more serious note I gave the good shup a wee pat on the futtocks as I walked past last week. Hope you recover quickly and get her launched.

Shuggingtons

I still have a tie or two - the old Regiment, (The Kings Own Herbacious Borderers), an SRU relic of the pre-professional era, The Clan Tartan (Gunn) and a rather worn, Guinness adorned number which can stand up on its own.
In terms of venue we could catch an overnight sleeper from the Smoke - it ought to give us an extra 3 hours drinking time which would be a bit of a bonus
The pat on the futtocks was much appreciated!!