NST issue when playing music.

Bugreport for Sports Tracker

19-02-2009 09:10

I have been using NST to quiet a while now and have not had previous issues with GPS route tracking, but the last two runs I have done have both had issues with GPS . The difference with these two runs is that I was listening to music through the Nokia Music Player and set the workout to Auto Laps (500m) and target to my best previous run on this route.

Some interesting things are although the tracked route is v.poor due to GPS losses but the overall workout distance is correct. How? Is it calculated based on how far I would have run at that point on the "route" the workout is linked to?

On my second run I opened the phone part way round and the GPS improved but it was still pretty poor. My NST user name is mbrett.

The workouts are Sunday 15-feb-09 and Monday 16-feb-09.

I am using an N95 8Gb with FW 30.0.018 (product code 0558787) and NST version 1.82 from Nokia Research to gain the on screen map info.

I am playing m4a music files.

It is as if either the applications are fighting to be in the foreground of NST needs teh fuul attention of the phone and dislikes sharing the phone with Music Player.

Anyone else seen this issue.

I have already reported the first workout out the NST team at Nokia Research.

Comments

Submitted by mbrett on 23-02-2009 09:59.

I have now done a couple more runs with Nokia Music Player running alongside NST. This is what I found.

14/02/2009 11:31... 14.02.09 11:33 7.39 km 47:13 9.38 km/h - GPS tracking good (No Music Player off. NST Laps off).

15/02/2009 12:52... 15.02.09 12:52 4.04 km 25:37 9.46 km/h - GPS tracking is awful. (phone closed for teh full workout. Music playing. NST Laps on.)

17/02/2009 5:11 ... 17.02.09 17:11 3.57 km 20:02 10.7 km/h - GPS tracking is awful until I open my phone and the tracking improves, but could be better. Music playing. NST Laps on.)

20/02/2009 1:28 ... 20.02.09 13:28 4.80 km 29:03 9.91 km/h - GPS tracking good (No Music Player off. NST Laps on).

21/02/2009 1:14 ... 21.02.09 13:14 5.68 km 32:33 10.5 km/h - GPS tracking good (No Music Player off. NST Laps on).

It seems that either the phone power used by the Music Player reduces the power available for GPS tracking resulting in the phone needing to be open to increase the available aerial size to counteract, OR

The headphone cable works as an antenna and disrupts the GPS signal reception of the phone's in-build GPS receiver. This could be checked to a degree by running Nokia Music Player through the phone speakers whilst running using NST and having Laps on.

Submitted by djh.sthlm on 24-02-2009 16:36.

I have an entirely different setup than mbrett, but thought I'd let you know my experiences on this subject. e61+ext BT GPS I am using NST everyday, in every possible weather condition, day and night. I usually have the lap function operating at 1km intervals for all workouts.

My native music player has never seemed to affect the performance of the NST app, although I get a little nervous about going through other menus while I'm on a run. I'd rather preserve the integrity of the NST session data than risk possible interruption when looking for a file to listen to and hitting the wrong key, especially with my running gloves on.

The accuracy of my route data doesn't seem to be affected by the placement of my ext BT GPS, either. I always toss my BT GPS in my lower front jacket pocket. In the past, I've even thrown the GPS up into my winter cap with no noticeable improvements.

Making and receiving calls, although rarely performed, don't seem to have a noticeable effect on the route data.

Bridges, tunnels, varying weather conditions, buildings and hilly terrain clearly have an affect on data consistency.

Oddly, or perhaps not, running after a heavy snow with clear skies seemed to improve statistics considerably. I'm guessing less signal echos, bounces, etc.

I'm quite interested in this subject because I am ready for my next mobile purchase. I thought that my route data accuracy would improve somewhat with an inbuilt GPS because of the additional A-GPS feature set. Judging by the graphical outputs while sifting through many other NST user's workouts, I don't see that I should expect things to improve a great deal with a new phone (this subject only).

All that said, the route data accuracy is as reliable using my e61 as it is with a Garmin Forerunner my friend loans to me occasionally. Even one step further, data recording using my e61 with other S60 applications I have installed (GPS Utilities, SmartComGPS, AFTrack and GETrack) are no more or less accurate than NST.

Submitted by mbrett on 24-02-2009 17:11.

Sounds like it may be the internal GPS within my N95 8Gb then as I have a clear view of the sky throughout my workouts and the main difference is the different phone model and the power / interface requirements of my internal GPS.

Submitted by Jamaal on 05-03-2009 15:51.

Also used NST V1.82 and never had a problem with my Sports Tracker while listening to Music.

FWIW, Vine (Consumer version of NST) is pretty stable too with the MP3 player on although it tends to list songs twice...

{All thoughts & opinions expressed above are my own, and not of any other organization}

Submitted by djh.sthlm on 02-05-2009 22:48.

You can add the N79AE to the fray of this subject.

I listened to nearly four hours of music during last Sunday's long-slow run. I experienced no problem whatsoever on that session. I was listening to PodRunner podcasts (no tags) uploaded from iTunes. I used the native Music player and, oddly, none of the tracks showed on my workout summary (mobile app and website).

Today I headed out listening to an album uploaded to my N79AE directly from iTunes. I got a couple kms in and the GPS lost it's fix and wouldn't regain. I stopped the workout and tried staring another. No GPS fix was established. I was in an open environment and couldn't blame the GPS reception on anything else.

Then I tried to quit NST and it just froze. I waited a couple minutes and had to restart my phone. Then I stared another workout and started Music player and lost the GPS fix again. Another phone restart was needed, this time without Music player and I finished the remaining 14km of my workout without a hitch.

I'll try again tomorrow with different music files. Pity if this keeps up because the armband and earbuds included with the N79AE are so friendly for music on the run.

-David

N79 Active Edition. Scandinavian variant, custom FW version 11.049.251.2 RM-348

Submitted by mbrett on 03-05-2009 10:25.

My music is downlaoded from my iTunes Library aswell using a third party freeware tool.

mbrett
N95 8Gb (Product Code: 0558787 (UK)) FW 31.0.018