GPS Tracking w/Text Messaging (with carputer on.)

fromplanetbob · 04-23-2006, 07:17 PM

I know there is alot of discussion here about hooking up a GPS to a cell phone for operation with the computer off. I want to be able to send my GPS location but only need to do it with the computer on.

So my theory... I have a US Cellular Razr which is Bluetooth enabled. I want to be able to connect to the Razr via bluetooth and send GPS corrdinates. I'm assuming I can use something like maps.google.com to display the maps and my location.

Now, I can handle writting the GPS interface, I have code for this already in some programs I've written for my day job. I can also handle receiving the e-mail and processing the coordinates and stuffing them into a database. Maps.google.com is probably easy to manipulate. So how do I send a SMS message through bluetooth to my phone? and is there anyone doing this already?

I have a couple of reasons for wanting this. I want a quick way for me to review where I've been and where I'm going. This is especially nice for figuring up my milage every month. I think it would also be a nice "cool" factor and my wife would be able to see where I'm at (my cell phone doesn't work inside some of my customer's offices.)

DRWeside · 04-25-2006, 06:14 AM

How would your computer send an SMS to your wife? You didn't mention anything about how your computer will connect to the internet.

One way you can proceed, if you use your phone as a modem for your carPC, is by running an SMTP server on your carPC. Have your own GPS application polling every couple of minutes for coordinates and sending a properly formatted e-mail via the SMTP server. The e-mail can contain a simple maps.google.com link that includes the coordinates for querying.

Ex. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.771...&iwloc=A&hl=en

fromplanetbob · 04-25-2006, 06:19 AM

Okay, you missed a couple of things. I don't want to use my phone for internet access. I want to utilize it's text messaging capabilities. I want to send a text message to an e-mail address say, TrackMe@IAmJeremy.com. On the server, that e-mail address will be piped to an application that will pick the coordinates up out of the e-mail and store them into a database. Then people can goto a page on my web server and can track me from there.

I don't want to dial out to the internet because then I can't receive phone calls on my cell phone. The data is so little that a text message could easily handle the amount of data. And text messaging will work a higher percentage of the time than dialing up to the internet anyways.

tj!2k4 · 04-25-2006, 06:55 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by fromplanetbob

my wife would be able to see where I'm at

"of course I wasn't at the strip club, honey.. you saw I was at the client's office.. I have no idea how this lipstick got on my collar.."

DRWeside · 04-25-2006, 01:07 PM

@ tj

bob:

Where is your "server"? Is it on the carPC?

Take a look. I've seen a few bluetooth chat clients on the net. Not sure which profile they use. My guess would be that they use the LAN profile.

Soooo, let me see if I understand. You will have your carPC create a message that will be sent to your phone over bluetooth. Then your phone will send this message as a text message. Am I getting this?

Jahntassa · 04-25-2006, 03:41 PM

Have you thought about the costs of this? I know with verizon each text sent over the 'plan' is $0.10.

I think Motorola phone tools has a way to send SMS, I think Phonecontrol does it too, I don't know anything about coding it to work though.

DarquePervert · 04-25-2006, 04:42 PM

You could SMS the NMEA sentence and plot the information in the sentence which would include latitude, longitude and heading.

DRWeside · 04-25-2006, 10:49 PM

Great example of an SMS app for PPC.

Jahntassa's right about Phonecontrol. I never tried sending an SMS from PhoCo, but Zorro can you give some more ideas on how to proceed. I had completely forgotten about using AT commands to send SMS messages.

Bugbyte · 04-25-2006, 11:20 PM

This can be done for free and without a cell phone using APRS technology.

It requires 3 items, a portable Ham radio, a device called a Tiny Trak II, and a GPS antenna. The data is sent via packet radio and put on a server that is tied to your Ham radio license ID that people can log into and see where you are.

The only impediment is the Ham license, but it's a fairly low bar to get the basic license.

fromplanetbob · 04-26-2006, 05:57 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Bugbyte

This can be done for free and without a cell phone using APRS technology.

It requires 3 items, a portable Ham radio, a device called a Tiny Trak II, and a GPS antenna. The data is sent via packet radio and put on a server that is tied to your Ham radio license ID that people can log into and see where you are.

The only impediment is the Ham license, but it's a fairly low bar to get the basic license.

Why would I want to do this, coverage for that is less than what it would be for my cell phone,not to mention a huge added cost!

Quote: Originally Posted by DRWeside

@ tj

bob:

Where is your "server"? Is it on the carPC?

I have 3 dedicated servers at the planet in Texas. (http://www.ThePlanet.com)

Quote:

Soooo, let me see if I understand. You will have your carPC create a message that will be sent to your phone over bluetooth. Then your phone will send this message as a text message. Am I getting this?

Yes.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jahntassa

Have you thought about the costs of this? I know with verizon each text sent over the 'plan' is $0.10.

US Cellular 9.95 / month unlimited text messages.

Quote:

I think Motorola phone tools has a way to send SMS, I think Phonecontrol does it too, I don't know anything about coding it to work though.

I'll have to look into that.

Splash-X · 04-30-2006, 11:59 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by fromplanetbob

I don't want to dial out to the internet because then I can't receive phone calls on my cell phone.

I don't know a ton about your cell phone but on Sprint service you can be connected to the internet and still receive a phone call. If you are downloading something from the net at the same time a call comes in it wont ring but we're talking about a matter of a few seconds, depending on how often you want to report back to the server.

Anyways, heres an example from EE:

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Prog..._21740368.html

Here is a link to AT commands for a Sony Ericson, I know its not Motorola Razr, but its a start:
http://developer.sonyericsson.com/si...isc/p_misc.jsp

PURDooM · 05-01-2006, 12:12 AM

Packet radio is pretty far area coverage, like 20 miles or so. But within 20 miles, well you know where you are anyway so why spend the $400+ on ham equipment? I know HF bands go farther, but they are less reliable too.

My recomendation: I hear boost mobile's i415 will function as a 19000 baud modem over usb without using any credit on the phone, the phone is cheap, and you only need to credit the phone every 3 months or so $20. Get that.

It is a heck of alot easier making a auto connect to the internet script than trying to figure out how to interface and automate text messaging to a different phone. And to make all that obsolete, the phone has a GPS built in (nextel based) so you wouldn't need your own, and there is a third party app for transmitting with it. Check it:

http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive..._mologogo.html

It notes that web costs .20 cents a day, but maintaining live service means crediting about .22 cents a day to the phone anyway, so its like the service is free if you keep the phone alive.

fromplanetbob · 05-01-2006, 05:56 AM

Boost Mobile doesn't have coverage where I need it though, actually, their coverage is pretty spotty in VA/NC

adaminc · 05-01-2006, 08:37 PM

APRS has a large coverage area, pretty much the world over, since there are infact APRS satellites that you can link up to, not to mention the large amount of digipeaters located around the world which relay the data below the ionosphere.

And all the equipment to do it is amateur equipment.

http://eng.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/astars.html

That website has some good information on it, my dad uses APRS to send small emails, lol.

RPM_VR4 · 05-01-2006, 08:47 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Splash-X

I don't know a ton about your cell phone but on Sprint service you can be connected to the internet and still receive a phone call. If you are downloading something from the net at the same time a call comes in it wont ring but...

I have Sprint. If connected to the net (via dial-up #777) I cannot recieve calls. All incomming goes strait to voice-mail. Sucks!

My co-worker has a T-Mobile PDA phone. If he recieves a call while using the net on the PDA it will ring and he can answer it, but any download is put on hold until he hangs up. Still a ton better than my situation though.

Are you saying you have the same thing with Sprint? What do you mean "it wont ring"? That sounds like not being able to accept incomming calls to me. If your does work like my co-workers T-Mobile, it must be phone dependant because it definatly doesn't work like that with any of the Sprint phones I've tried to use (including their newest PDA phone). What phone do you have?