> how to guide

[ the basics
gps speed sentry is a gps enabled speed monitor/car computer. it allows you to view gps derived information on a series of display types. information includes speed, elevation, position, bearing and much more. the layout is slightly different for portrait, landscape and square screen orientations but the functions remain the same.

the display is divided into 4 main parts, these are;

- the mini co-ordinate display
- the main display
- the speed limits
- the menubar

these are covered in more detail below.

with the recent windows mobile 5/6 support the menu structure was changed to support soft keys and conform with windows mobile 5 menu layouts. the same menu structure is used on all platforms but may look slightly different.

under windows mobile 5/6 the dialogs and menus will look like this;

the menu items can be activated using the left & right soft keys on windows mobile 5.

on pocket pc 2003 and earlier the dialogs and menus will look like this;

the menu items can be activated by clicking on them as per normal pocket pc menus or using the "override calendar button" option under the soft key settings.

[ the mini co-ordinate display

the co-ordinate display at the top of the screen shows the current locations co-ordinates in the selected format (set in the options dialog). clicking the location co-ordinate text switches the display to the full co-ordinate display view.

note: if you have a device with a square screen the mini co-ordinate display will not display, instead the speed limits will display in its place. this is due to screen real estate restriction with these devices. in addition to this to access the full co-ordinate display you must tap a new toolbar icon that looks like this;

[ the toolbar

the toolbar displays the icons for the various displays available in gps speed sentry. left to right these are;
- the day/night toggle
- the speed graph
- the elevation graph
- the compass view
- the speedometer view
- the status view

[ the main display

the majority of the screen real estate is occupied by the main display. this will differ depending on what display is currently selected.

if the "change view on screen tap" option is enabled, clicking the main display portion of the screen will cycle through the various displays that are available.

[ the speed limits

in the portrait orientation the speed limits will be located at the bottom of the display. in a landscape orientation the speed limits are located on the right of the main display. for a square screen the speed limits are located above the toolbar instead of the co-ordinate mini display.

there are six speed limits which are specified in the units screen. the current speed limit is surrounded by a red box.

clicking on any of the speed limits will change the current speed limit for the application. pressing up/left on the directional pad of your device moves the current speed limit back one position. pressing right/down on the directional pad of your device moves the current speed limit forward one position.

when the selected limit is exceeded the application will play a (sound specified in the options dialog). the sound can be repeated until your speed drops below the limit or it will only sound 5 times - this can be set up in the options dialog. when the current speed exceeds the selected speed limit the display of the current speed (in the main display and the speedometer icon) will turn red to give a visual indication that you are over the speed limit.

when the current speed exceeds 90% of the selected speed limit the "warn" sound specified in the options dialog will sound (this sound will not play if the enable warning sound option is turned off)

all sounds can be muted by tapping the speaker icon on the left hand side of the speed limits. if the sound is muted a red cross will display across the speaker icon.

[ the menubar

the functions that can be accessed by the menubar will be covered in depth (further down) however the menubar behaves differently to most applications as it automatically hides itself to reveal more screen real estate. the menu bar will look slightly different on a device with an earlier platform than windows mobile 5.

when running the application on windows mobile 5 platform the two menu bar items can be activated by using the left and right soft keys. pressing the left soft key will actvate a customisable action such as exit the application or toggle the sound (this can be done if the menu bar is in the hidden position as well). the right soft key activates the main menu whch will pop up when the soft key is pressed. activating the main menu will also bring the menu bar up.

if your device does not support soft keys, the soft key menus can be activated by clicking the menu options with the stylus.

to make the menubar manually disappear simply tap the red arrow pointing down. to bring the menubar back up again simply press the red arrow pointing up. the menu bar can also be toggled up and down by pressing the directional pad centre button (or the enter/okay button).

when the gps is connected the menubar will drop down automatically after 10 seconds. if you manually bring the menubar up and dont open any menu options the menubar will disappear again after 10 seconds.

[ day/night toggle icon

clicking the sun/moon icon will change the display type to the day or night time display colour scheme.

note: on a square screen the day night icon will be smaller and will be located to the left of the speed limits at the top of the screen.

[ speed graph icon

clicking the speed graph icon will change the display type to the speed graph view. this view displays a graph of current and historical speeds as well as the speed limit selected at the time. the upper limit of the graph is the maximum speed value set on the options dialog. any values higher than the maximum value will show on the graph as the maximum value (the lower value of the graph is always zero). the lower and maximum value are displayed in small text on the top & bottom left hand side of the graph. the current speed value is displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the graph.

the current and historical speeds are shown by the green line on the graph (this colour is blue in the day colour scheme). the red line signifies the speed limit that applied at that time. the most recent speed value is displayed by the text shown on the graph. the graph is updated every 1, 2 or 3 seconds depending on the graph update speed (which can be set under the options screen).

if the "move graph when not moving" item on the options screen is turned on the graph will always move even when you are not moving. if this option is turned off the graph will only move when the current speed is greater than the movement tolerance.

[ elevation graph icon

the elevation toolbar icon shows the current elevation in the selected units (units are not shown to save space). clicking the elevation graph icon will change the display type to the elevation graph view. this view display a graph of current and historical elevations. the upper limit of the graph is initially set to the maximum elevation value set on the options dialog (the lower value of the graph is zero). the lower and maximum value are displayed in small text on the top & bottom left hand side of the graph. the current elevation value is also displayed in the bottom right hand corner of the graph.

if the current elevation value exceeds the maximum elevation value the graph will be rescaled. the scale factor is 50%. for example if the maximum elevation is set to 1000ft and this is exceeded the new maximum elevation will be 1500ft, if this is exceeded the new maximum will be 2250ft. this is done to avoid having to change or guess (on long trips) what the maximum elevation will be.

as with the speed graph, the current and historical elevations are shown by the green line on the graph (or blue in the day colour scheme). the most recent elevation value is displayed by the text shown on the graph. the graph is updated every 1, 2 or 3 seconds depending on the graph update speed (which can be set under the options screen).

if the "move graph when not moving" item on the options screen is turned on the graph will always move even when you are not moving. if this option is turned off the graph will only move when the current speed is greater than the movement tolerance.

[ compass icon

the compass toolbar icon shows the current heading textually as well as being a mini compass showing where north and south are located. if a fix has not been acquired the icon will display a gray icon until a fix is established.

clicking the compass icon will change the main display type to the 3d compass view. this view shows an electronic compass. the compass will display the direction in which you are traveling. the display also shows the current direction in letters (ie n = north, s = south) as well as the current bearing in degrees.

the red portion of the compass arrow signifies north while the blue portion signifies south.

the compass will not update if your speed is less that the movement tolerance. when your speed drops below the movement tolerance (eg if you stop at a traffic light) the compass will display your last heading/direction until you start moving again. this is done to avoid the compass jumping around when you are not moving.

[ speedometer icon

the speedometer icon shows the current speed and will also turn red is the selected speed limit is exceeded. clicking the speedometer icon will change the main display type to the speedometer view. this view shows the current speed in the selected units (in large letters). the current speed display is accompanied by a other information. the other information includes top speed, average speed, an odometer and a trip meter.

the top speed is updated when ever the previous top speed is exceeded.

the average speed, odometer and trip meter are updated when the speed exceeds the movement tolerance. this is to avoid false readings when the vehicle is stationary.

the trip meter can be reset using the reset>trip distance menu, the trip is also reset when the application is closed. resetting the trip meter will also reset the average speed (since average speed is distance divided by time).

the odometer is updated as the trip meter updates, it does not reset when the application is closed and can only be reset by using the reset>total distance menu option.

if the current speed exceeds the selected speed limit the text will turn red to give a visual indication of excessive speed.

the decimal place for speeds less than 100 can be hidden using the "show decimal" item under the options screen.

[ status icon

clicking the status icon (red cross or satellite/dish) will change the display type to be the status view. this view shows the status of the gps information. initially the status icon will be a red circle which signifies that the gps data is not valid (ie it doesn't have a fix). when a fix is acquired the red circle will change to an green circle to signify that the gps data is valid.

the green circle is split into 4 quadrants. these signify four nmea sentences used by the application to generate the derived information. all four of these should either stay green or flash between green and grey. if one or more of the dots remain grey then the application is not receiving the correct information from the gps. moving clockwise from the top left the sentences are rmc, gga, gsa and gsv. if not all of these are flashing please check your gps has the nmea sentences enabled.


further status information is displayed on the status view, this information is;
- type of gps fix (no fix, gps fix, differential gps fix and 2d/3d fix)
- data validity (yes/no)
- number of satellites in view
- hdop (horizontal dilution of precision)
- utc date/time (coordinated universal time, which is the same as greenwich mean time)
- local date/time (which is utc time converted to the time zone configured on your pda)

on the right of the status text if a satellite sky plot showing the gps satellite location. the sky plot will rotate to show the overhead satellites in relation to your current travel direction.

below the status text is a series of recpetion bars showing the reception status of the gps satellites. if a gps is overhead and not locked it will show in orange. when a satellite becomes locked it will turn green. the text at the bottom signifies the gps nuber and the text on the top is the signal to noise ratio (signals over 40 are considered good).

when a fix is achieved the application will play the "fix" sound specified in the options dialog, when the fix is lost the application will play the "fix lost" sound specified in the options dialog. these sounds can be changed using the browse function in the options dialog.

the date format can be change under the options screen.

[ location icon (co-ordinate display)

the location icon will only display on device with a square screen. the icon appears in the position of the day/night icon. clicking the location icon brings up the co-ordinate main display.

for portrait and landscape orientations the co-ordinate display view is accessible by clicking the co-ordinates mini display.

the co-ordinate display will show the current location co-ordinates in a variety of formats. these formats are;

- latitude/longitude in degrees, minutes and seconds
- latitude/longitude in degrees, minutes and decimal minutes
- latitude/longitude in decimal degrees
- position in terms of the maidenhead grid locator (see the faq for more info on maidenhead grid)
- position in terms of OSGB grid co-ordinates, this format will only display if you are inside the uk.

[ mute icon

the mute icon is used to turn off any sounds the application makes. clicking the mute icon will toggle whether or not any sounds are made. the red cross next to the mute icon indicates that no sounds will be made (eg speed warnings).

note: for the square screen layout the mute icon will be smaller and will be to the right of the speed limits at the top of the screen.

[ speed camera warnings
if enabled, gps speed sentry can warn the driver of approaching speed cameras. the speed camera warning are built into the speedometer view. once configured the application will warning the driver about approaching speed cameras in two ways, each with a specific wanring distance.

when the first detection distance is crossed a warning sound will be played and the speedometer view will change to a radar type view showing any approaching cameras;


each camera is represented by an icon depicting its type with the closest valid camera being highlighted with a red surround as well as a red line. cameras are considered a valid threat if they are within the detection distance and within a specific detection angle. the radar view also shows some information ralting to the closest valid camera i.e. the type, distance, speed limit (if known) and the id of the camera. if the camera is no longer considerd a threat the radar view will revert back to the speedometer view.

if the camera remains an active threat and the second detection distance is crossed another warning sound will be played and the radar view will switch to a more detailed view;


the detailed view showing the closest camera threat with a larger icon as well as the details of the camera in larger text. if configured to do so the application will also change the selected speed limit based on the approaching cameras speed limit (speed limits must match). once the threat has passed the detailed view will either revert to the speedometer view or back to the radar view if any threats remain in the first detection distance.

for more detail on the database configuration please read the menu>setup>database section towars the end of this document.

[ menubar options
there are two menubar options available at the bottom on the screen. these can be activated by using the soft keys on windows mobile devices or by clicking with the stylus.

the left menu option (or left softkey) toggles the gps on and off. the right menu option (or right softkey) brings up the main menu for the application, this is where all the settings and options are accessed.

[ menu>exit
this exits the application, if the gps is still connected the gps will be disconnected before the application closes.

[ menu>about
this displays the about screen. the about screen shows contact information, a disclaimer regarding the use of the application and this is where you register for the full version of the software


your device owner name is displayed above the serial number. this is the same owner name that is shown on the today screen. this name is used to generate a serial number.
to register the software enter the serial number supplied when you purchased the software and press the "register" button. once the application is registered the register button will disappear and your serial number will be shown in the text box.

press the "ok" menu option (or left soft key) to close the dialog.

you can access the about screen by selecting the "about" menu item from the main menu.

[ menu>gps active
this menu option is used to connect or disconnect the gps. if the menu item is not ticked then the gps is not active (ie not connected). if the menu item is ticked then the gps is currently active (ie connected).

to turn the gps on or off, simply click the "gps active" menu item.

[ menu>log active
this menu option is used to turn logging on or off. if the menu item is not ticked then logging is not taking place. if the menu item is ticked then the application is currently recording a log file.

to turn logging on or off, simply click the "log active" menu item.

if no log file has been selected and logging is turned on, the dialog to select a new log file will appear. if the dialog is cancelled and there is still no valid log file selected logging will automatically be turned off.

* tip - if you want to change the information being written to the text file you should ideally start a new log file as the csv header is only written to the csv file once. this means that if the information being written to the file is changed it could result in the file not being readable by external applications.

[ menu>new log
to set up a new log file press the "new log" menu option under the main menu.

this will display a dialog asking you to select a directory and file name for the log file.


a name will be suggested based on the current time and date. the directory will either default to the "my documents" folder or if you have selected another folder for the previous log file then that folder will be the default folder.

from version 1.53 you can change the log format and select between csv, google earth (kml) and gpx formats. simply pick the desired type from the drop down list of file types.

[ menu>reset

the reset menu option will display a sub-menu which allows you to reset various sets of trip information.

[ menu>reset>reset all
you can reset all of the values by selecting the "reset all" menu item from the "reset" sub-menu.

[ menu>reset>total distance
you can reset the total distance by selecting the "total distance" menu item from the "reset" sub-menu.

[ menu>reset>trip distance
you can reset the trip distance by selecting the "trip distance" menu item from the "reset" sub-menu.

[ menu>reset>top speed
you can reset the top speed by selecting the "top speed" menu item from the "reset" sub-menu.

[ menu>tools

the tools menu option will display a sub-menu displaying a list of tools.

[ menu>tools>set local time
this tool allows you to set the time and date of your device using the accurate information from your gps device. the tool can only be used when a valid gps fix has been acquired.

[ menu>tools>save position (kml)
this tool allows you to save your current position as a way point to a kml file (for viewing in google earth). the tool can only be used when a valid gps fix has been acquired.

when the tool is activated a dialog will display which allows you to select a file to save to as well as entering a name and description for your current position. enter a name and description (these will be remembered for the next time you use the tool) and press the browse button to select a file (a suggested file name will appear by default).

once a file name has been selected press the ok menu option (or left soft key) to save the position or cancel the operation by press cancel menu option (or the right soft key).

[ menu>setup

the setup menu option will display a sub-menu which allows access to various configuration dialogs for the application.

[ menu>setup>gps
the gps setup screen allows you to;
- set the com port
- set the baud rate
- set the auto connect option
- set the sirf option
- set the enable dtr option

the following dialog displays the available options for setting the gps up. to dismiss the dialog and save any changes simply click the ok menu option (or press the left soft key) or click the cancel menu option (or right soft key) to cancel any changes.

com port
allows you to select the com port used by your gps. com ports 0 through 9 are available. simply select the desired com port from the drop down list. the com ports are shown with their "friendly name" if the port is active on your system. if there is no name next to the com port number then it is unlikely that you device has that com port number as a valid port. the com port list supports virtual com ports created by franson gpsgate.

baud rate
this allows you to select the desired baud rate. most gps devices use a baud rate of 4800, if your device doesnt support this baud rate, select a different baud rate from the list

auto connect
this option allows you to automatically connect to your gps when the application starts up. if you have a bluetooth gps and this option is selected the gps will automatically try to connect to the gps and hence will show the bluetooth browser screen allowing you to select your gps.

sirf chipset
this option can help with hardware compatibility on some gps units that use the sirf chipset. enabling this option means the application will attempt to change the settings on your gps to output the correct nmea sentences. leave this option unticked if your gps works without any issues and only use this option if your gps uses a sirf chipset.

note: some problems have been reported with this option on some hardware so it has been removed in version 1.53 until further testing is done.

enable dtr
this option enabled the dtr flag for the gps connection. some gps devices such as the emtac gpsjaq or older navman sleeves require dtr to be enabled in order to connect to the gps.

enable bluetooth
this option will activate bluetooth when the gps connection is initiated. when the gps connection is closed it will turn the bluetooth radio off.

[ menu>setup>options
this displays the options screen. the options screen allows you to;
- set the date format
- set the graph update speed
- set the logging interval
- set and play various sounds
- set the repeat sound option
- set the warning sound option
- set the gps fix sound option
- set the show speed as decimal option
- set the change view option
- set the move graph option
- set the mirror screen option
- set the save top speed option

the following dialog should display the available options. to dismiss the dialog and save any changes simply click the ok menu option (or press the left soft key) or click the cancel menu option (or right soft key) to cancel any changes.

date format
you can set the date format that is displayed on the status screen and for the log file by selecting a date format from the drop down box labeled "date format".

the date can be in the format of;
- dd/mm/yyyy
- mm/dd/yyyy
- yyyymmdd.

graph speed
you can set the update speed of the various graphs, these settings are low, normal and high. low speed allows you to see data from a longer time period while high speed updates faster but displays less data

for example, below are three graphs for the same period but viewed in the three graph speeds
low

normal

high

as you can see the low speed graph shows more data but appears squashed, the high speed graph shows less data and is a bit stretched. time periods for the graphs are as follows;

low = 220 points which is 220 seconds or 3 minutes 40 seconds
normal = 110 points which is 110 seconds or 1 minute 50 seconds
high = 55 points which is 55 seconds

logging interval
to reduce the amount of data that is written to a log file you can set the logging interval by entering a value into the logging interval box. this is measured in seconds meaning that data will only be logged at the interval specified.

sounds
this drop down allows you to select between the various sounds. the types of sounds events are fix, fix lost, warn and over. to view or select a new sound pick the desired sound event from the drop down and the current sound file name will display in the text box. to preview the sound press the ">" button. to select a new sound press the "..." button to browse to the desired file.

repeat sound
this options allows you to specify if the alarm sound (when over the speed limit) sounds continuously. if this option is not selected the alarm will only sound 5 times when the speed limit is exceeded.

warning sound
the warning sound can turned on and off using this option, if it is turned on you will be warned when you exceed 90% of the current speed limit. if it is turned off you will not be warned.

gps fix sound
the gps fix sound can turned on and off using this option, if it is turned on a sound will play when the gps fix is either lost or acquired. if it is turned off the sound will not play.

show decimal place
this option is used to the speed decimal place on or off for speed lower than 100. for example if the option was turned off a speed of 96.4mph will show as 96mph, if the option was turned on then the speed will be shown to one decimal place.

change view on screen tap
if this option is turned on the view will be cycled between the various views when the main area of the screen is tapped (ie location->speed graph->elevation graph->compass etc).

move graph when not moving
if this option is turned on the graphs will be moved regardless of whether you are moving or not. this can be useful if you wish to see the periods of time when you werent moving. if the option is turned off the graphs will only move when you are moving.

mirror screen
this options allows the view to be mirrored, this is in anticipation of a head ups type display which will be possible in future versions.

save top speed
this options allows the top speed to be saved between trips. if the option is turned off the top speed till reset to zero for every trip.

[ menu>setup>units
this displays the units screen. the units screen allows you to;
- set speed limits
- set the desired speed units
- set the desired elevation units
- set the desired location format
- set the maximum elevation
- set the elevation offset
- set the maximum speed
- set the movement tolerance

the following dialog should display the available options. to dismiss the dialog and save any changes simply click the ok menu option (or press the left soft key) or click the cancel menu option (or right soft key) to cancel any changes.

speed limits
you can set the six desired speed limits. simply enter the desired limits in each box. these are represented in the user selected units (ie miles per hour, kilometres per hour or knots).

speed units
this allows you to select the desired speed units (knots, kilometres per hour or miles per hour). simply select the desired unit from the drop down list.

elevation units
this allows you to select the desired elevation units (metres or feet). simply select the desired unit from the drop down list.

location format
this allows you to select the desired location format. the format can be;

- degrees minutes seconds (D M S)
- decimal degrees (DD.D)
- degrees minutes (DM.M)
- maidenhead grid locator (grid locator)
- ordnance survey co-ordinates (osgb uk only)

osgb values will not display correctly for areas outside of the united kingdom.

for more information on maidenhead grid locator please read the faq.

maximum elevation
again, this is the top value of the elevation graph. enter the desired value in the text box. the value is measured in feet for imperial units or meters for metric units.

elevation offset
the elevation offset is a value that is subtracted from the true elevation to give a more realistic value. for instance if you are by the sea and the gps reports 30m as the elevation you can use an offset value of 30 to give an elevation reading of 0m which is more suitable in some cases.

maximum speed
this value is used as the maximum value shown on the speed graph. values higher than this value will shown on the graph as this maximum value. simply enter the desired value in the text box. these are represented in the user selected units (ie mile per hour, kilometres per hour or knots).

movement tolerance
this value is used as to determine if you are moving or not. for example if this value is set to 3, then the application will consider you "not moving" if you are going less than 3km/h,3mph or 3knots. this value also affects the graphs and logging, neither of these will occur if your current speed is less than this value.

[ menu>setup>log
gps speed sentry has advanced logging features that decipher raw gps information and writes it to a easy to use format. the data is written to a comma separated values file or csv file. csv files are easily read by microsoft excel, popular gis packages or by many database programs.

with logging turned on gps information will be written to the file at the interval specified on the options screen unless your current speed is below the movement tolerance. if the speed is below the movement tolerance it is assumed that you are stationary and hence logging does not occur.

this will display the log file options dialog, where you can set the exact information you required to be logged. to dismiss the dialog and save any changes simply click the ok menu option (or press the left soft key) or click the cancel menu option (or right soft key) to cancel any changes.


information that can be logged is as follows;
- position in decimal degrees (ddd.ddddd)
- position in degrees, minutes and decimal minutes (dddmm.mmm)
- position in osgb format (uk only)
- elevation
- current speed
- average speed
- trip distance
- total distance
- number of satellites
- horizontal dilution of precision (hdop)
- local date and time
- grid locator

these options can be turned on/off to create various information combinations. for instance using position & elevation you could derive a rough terrain model or by using position & number of satellites you could see (in a gis package) where the weakest signal was. the possibilities are endless.

note: these options only apply to csv log format at this time and they are not recorded for kml or gpx logging.

[ menu>setup>soft keys
the action peformed by pressing the left soft key can be customised to perform several different functions.


the actions that can be activated through the left soft key are;
- gps of/off toggle
- reset trip (resets trip meter, average speed)
- log csv (manual logging)
- log kml (manual logging)
- mute on/off toggle
- exit application

for manual logging in the csv format a log file must have been set up prior to logging (nothing will happen if a log file has not been created and the soft key is pressed). for kml logging a new file name will automatically be selected and written to.

if your device does not support soft keys you can override the calendar button by ticking the "override calendar button" check box. this has been tested on windows mobile 2003 but should work on older devices too.

[ menu>setup>database
** please note that this software does not include any speed camera database **
if you wish to use this feature you will need to procure a database for your country. please see the speed cameras page for more information on where to get a database for your country.

gps speed sentry currently only supports speed camera databases using the csv format specified on the pocket gps world website (www.pocketgpsworld.com). this format is documented on the speed cameras page on our website.

there are several settings available to alter the behaviour of the camera database. the settings are as follows;

- detection angle
- detection distances
- warning sounds
- automatic speed limit changes
- browse for another database

the detection angle is the angle (to the left or right) of the driving direction and an approaching camera in order to be considered a threat. since the angle is to the left or right, it is effectively half the total detection angle. for instance a detection angle of 90 degrees is actually 90 degrees to the left as well as 90 degrees to the right meaning cameras are actually monitored in a 180 degree swath. the maximum detection angle is 95 degrees.

there are two detection distances. these are measured in metres or yards depending on your unit of measure. once a camera passes either detection distance a audible warning will be played. the waring sounds can be turned off by unticking the "play warning sound" check box. the default sounds can be replaced by any sound file in the "wav" format, to replace the sound simply press the button with the three dots to locate a new sound file. additional sounds can be downloaded from our download page.

if the "change limit" check box is ticked and the second warning distance is passed the current speed limit will be changed to that of camera. this change is permanent until another camera is encountered or is changed by the user. the change can also be made to be temporary if the "temporary only" check box is ticked.

another database can be selected by clicking the "browse for database" button (the change wont be reflected until the program is restarted). once a database has been setup there is no need to broswe for a database. if you recieve an updated database just paste it over the old copy and the program will load the latest copy (as long as the name stays constant).