Notices

Hi;
I have been lurking for a few days, reading as much as I can about The N800 and Maemo Mapper. This is the first time I

have posted, so please forgive me if I have broken any protocol or could have found answers elswhere.

It needs little repeating, but the N800 is amazing and the Maemo Mapper app., which is what I have been using most

lately is equally amazing.

When I open MM I repeatedly receive the "failed to open or create database: file is encrypted or is not a database" message. I have read somewhere on this forum that to eliminate this error message, you have to remove any & all POI files or folders; I did this, through file manager but to no avail - any solution out there?

Am I able to create my own POI's within MM, or do I have to import POI's exclusively from external sources?

I have the N800 paired successfully with a tiny Holux GPSlim240 receiver. The Holux seems to take minutes rather than seconds to find a fix from cold, otherwise it seems to work very well. No problem observing a track in MM but when I am stationary, the fix wanders erratically until I resume forward movement. My solution is to disable GPS from within MM while static in order to stop my screen becoming one large Etch-a-Sketch doodle. As I am new to the whole GPS thing, I do not know whether this is to be expected or is a function of my receiver or typical of GPS devices in general. Ideas anyone?

If I know generally where I will be travelling, it is not difficult to download map data along the route prior to departure, given a WiFi connection. I usually prefer to use google maps. Here's the thing...I repeatedly am unable to download maps beyond a certain zoom level, usually no closer than level 2 or 3. I'll get an error message after MM shows the map download status to be complete, saying "'x' maps failed to download", where 'x' is the precise number involved for a particular area. Given that MM displays a positive map download status, I assume there is lots of map data available, but why can I not import it all? I have lots of space available on two 2GB SD cards.

Once again, please forgive if these are Newbie queries; I am just trying to find answers more quickly. One can spend a lot of time on these gizmo's!

Trying to download at any zoom level higher than 4 is a waste, IMO. That's more than enough detail for me. The Holux isn't the latest technology, and needs a clear view of the sky. In your car, it needs to be well up in the windshield, and some windshields have a coating that blocks GPS signals. It should be adequate, but you may get some position instability. Newer units, which can track more satellites simultaneously, do better. Some GPS receivers have a 'feature' which stops it from sending position data when stopped. I'm not sure if the Holux does that or not.

You can make your own POI files, but I haven't been ambitious enough to learn how. The help file is very good, and should tell you how to do just about everything. I suggest reading that thoroughly.

I don't know what the miniumum zoom is on google maps.. it may be that they simply dont supply zoom 1 or 0 for maps..

for me though there is more detail in zoom level 3 than zoom level 4.. but I wouldn't bother trying to download anything less than 3..

as for the Holux... I have the M-1200 and it does the same wondering around while stopped.. i have mapped the hardware "back" key on the nokia to start/stop GPS.. so it's easy to just switch off the gps when stopped.
As for sensitivity.. my Holux works fine even in my pocket while in the car.. and locks well inside my house. . I don't have any problem will weak signals with it.

I didn't mean to imply that my post referred to all Holux receivers, just the GPSlim. I don't have one, but I've read lots of negative things about it. My f-tech bluetooth receiver doesn't move around at all when stopped, or at least not enough to see on a map - a few feet at most.

Tap-and-hold on the point you want to mark and a menu will appear that allows you to create your own POIs and more.

I have the same problem on the N810, it is caused by inaccurate positioning, which could be due to bad reception. The "Min. Speed" setting in the "Auto Center" tab might help, but I am not sure yet.

I am not even sure that zoom levels above 4 are available, but Google Maps has a limit on how much you can download in a burst. For this reason and because I think they look better, I use the Microsoft Virtual Earth Street maps (and Google for the satellite view).

@markerbuoy:
As you have experienced, it's very often not possible to download down below 2 or 3. This depends on the map source (as well as the area, I believe). There's a very useful setting in the 'Maps -> Manage Repositories' menu:
"Download Zooms: Min. Max", where you can set min. and max. zoom levels (and other useful tricks to combine with this, e.g, double pixels, zoom steps etc). If you set min. to 3 or 4 you won't get those download errors (and won't have to suffer the pop-up until it times out or whatever). You can set these values on a per-map-source basis.

Many thanks to all, so far, who have replied to my queries. Everyone has made good suggestions, which I will try....again. While fiddling with various settings in MM, I have seen (and wondered about) some of the features you have variously referred to; I will persist until I achieve the results I need, as it looks as if MM has lots of capability.

FYI, I have achieved incredible results while driving. My little Holux (GPSlim240) seems to do very well indeed on the road. When cycling, the track can get a little drunken, presumably due to low speed. While walking, it sometimes looks as if I had a bottle of wine to drink before I set off!

One of the reasons I wanted to fiddle with GPS, is to track and map some hiking trails on a small island near where I live (West Coast,BC, Canada). So far, I see I will have to resolve the low speed issue and then it will be interesting to see if I can receive a reliable signal through forest cover. I was hoping to overlay the various trails over top of Google's satellite map and then print copies for the benefit of my island neighbours. Is there anyone out there with experience in this department?

Thanks, once again to everyone for your help.