[aprssig] Google Maps on Cell Phones

[Joel Maslak]

The new version of Google Maps for smart phones includes a really  
nifty feature for phones without GPS (or those of us who use a  
Blackberry on Verizon's network - Verizon disabled the GPS for  
"better user experience" or should we say to force you to use their  
mapping product).

It figures out which cell tower you are on and plots an approximate  
location of the tower on the map and a circle around it (the diameter  
of the circle varies roughly with some sort of "range" of the tower -  
I get 5000m radius circles here).

Certainly it's not GPS quality, but I do think it could have APRS  
applications, especially for long-distance use, if we could duplicate  
what Google is doing with their app.  I don't know how feasible that  
is or not.  Then transmit your beacons with position ambiguity turned  
on (too bad position ambiguity is designed for squares corresponding  
to fractional degrees of lat/long rather than a center point with an  
"uncertainty" radius).