gsm_location() None Issue - the second -

[novis]

Hello pythoneers,

as the first thread "gsm_location() None Issue" is about signing related problems, I started a new thread to call your attention to a real gsm_location() problem that you might come across when using this function in a script:

gsm_location() always returns "None" when your mobile is not in idle mode. Means, whenever you are sending or receiving a SMS or when you make or receive a call, gsm_location() gives back "None".

After my experience this applies to 3rd edition phones only (tested on N73). Can someone confirm this on other mobiles?

Greetings
novis

[bogdan.galiceanu]

Hi novis,

I tested it on my N95 while calling it and it worked the whole time. I mean I made a very simple app that just prints the information in gsm_location() to a file every 5 seconds, started it, waited 15 seconds or so, called my N95 (the call lasted another 15 secs or so) and when I checked the file the info was there in every case, no "None" values.

How did you do it? Do you have a selfsigned Script Shell or the normal one? Because the normal one will always return None when running Python scripts with gsm_location().

[novis]

Hi bogdan.galiceanu,
this is not a signing issue. My test application is just doing a loop. The loop prints out the returned value of gsm_location() to the screen (4-5 times a second).
As soon as the phone is establishing an active network connection, I can see that I get "None" back.
(e.g. 2-4 seconds before an SMS arrives to my phone, I can see that the network status is changing to "None". After the SMS arrived I get the expected network values CID, LAC, MNC and MCC back)

As soon as the phone is in idle mode again I get the expected network values.

But meanwhile I found out, that this is definately not a python related thing. I tried to achieve the network values via AT-commands on several other N73 and found the same behavior.
It is not possible to get network status during an active connection neither.

When it is working with N95 (as you said) than for me this looks like a bug in the implementation of Nokias N73 firmware.

greetings
Novis

[croozeus]

Hi bogdan.galiceanu,
this is not a signing issue. My test application is just doing a loop. The loop prints out the returned value of gsm_location() to the screen (4-5 times a second).
As soon as the phone is establishing an active network connection, I can see that I get "None" back.
(e.g. 2-4 seconds before an SMS arrives to my phone, I can see that the network status is changing to "None". After the SMS arrived I get the expected network values CID, LAC, MNC and MCC back)

As soon as the phone is in idle mode again I get the expected network values.

But meanwhile I found out, that this is definately not a python related thing. I tried to achieve the network values via AT-commands on several other N73 and found the same behavior.
It is not possible to get network status during an active connection neither.

When it is working with N95 (as you said) than for me this looks like a bug in the implementation of Nokias N73 firmware.

greetings
Novis

Hi Novis,

Thats an interesting thing that you have noticed. Well I tried this on 3 devices - Nokia 6680 for 2nd Edition and N95 and E90 for 3rd Edition, And I get the gsm.location() values in all the devices at all the time.

As Bogdan already told the application must be signed by the location capablity for getting the gsm.location() values, remember that selfsigned applications do not have the location capability. So you need to sign the selfsigned application with your dev cert or through the opensigned online on www.symbiansigned.com

If you may have already done this, then lets wait for someone with an N73 to try it and comment on this. Meanwhile you could post your firmware of your device.

Best Regards,
Croozeus

[aaaaapo]

gsm_location() always returns "None" when your mobile is not in idle mode. Means, whenever you are sending or receiving a SMS or when you make or receive a call, gsm_location() gives back "None".

After my experience this applies to 3rd edition phones only (tested on N73). Can someone confirm this on other mobiles?

Yes. This is a SymbianOs bug or something similar. See this older post and Nokia Forum KnowledgeBase

This seems to occur only in 3G-network, not in GSM-network. It may explain why some people can't reproduce this bug.

I made a workaround: gsm_location is cached and if current call of location.gsm_location() returns None, the cached version is used.

[novis]

Hi aaaaapo,
you are right.
the bug occurs in 3G network mode only. Everything fine in 2G.
You just have to know about it to deal with it.

I think this is not even a Symbian bug but goes a layer deeper, as using AT-commands leads to the same bug.

kind regards
novis

[ozgur_er]

Hi all,

What is the situation about this issue? I also checked it with my N95;

In the idle mode when the serving cell changes location.gsm_location() CI value also changes.

But in the active mode (during a call) location.gsm_location() value does not change, it does not return None but it locks to the last CI value before the call. The CI value is updated when you terminate the call.

This issue is not related to the 3G network, I observe the problem in a 2G network...

Any solution ideas?

Thank you all...

[yugaljindle]

I am also facing the same problem.......

I am on a 2G network... and using a Nokia E72 !!

Its 2011 going on now... and still this problem persists...

Using Python 2.0 now on Symbian's latest release !

Is it a bug or what ?

How to get about it ?

Please help !!