GPS Connector: Another Android Bluetooth app for Missileworks and Eggfinder GPS

[Buckeye]

This app was mentioned on the Missileworks T3 product page and is fairly new (2021). I haven't seen it mentioned on the forum previously.

GPS Connector

It is a basic app that reads the NMEA data stream from the receiver unit into your Android device via BlueTooth. It prominently displays lat/lon that you then copy into your favorite GPS compass or map tool to navigate to your rocket. (I like the GPS Essentials app on my phone and/or Garmin Etrex handheld.)

There is a terminal tab that continuously scrolls the NMEA sentences. These can be saved to a log file and shared for further plotting and post-processing.

I successfully paired GPS Connector to the HC-06 BlueTooth module of my Missileworks T3 receiver. The litmus test of these kinds of apps for me is that they do not lose connection if my phone is timed-out, locked, or rotated from portrait to landscape. In my short test, GPS Connector seems fine.

This is a nice simple app to get the lat/lon/alt values of your rocket location and reliably save the log file. For integrated mapping, there is always Rocket Locator and Rocket Track.

 

[blastzone]

Nobody has a handy app out there that will display the location on a map along with the phone's location?

 

[Buckeye]

For integrated mapping, there is always Rocket Locator and Rocket Track.

Nobody has a handy app out there that will display the location on a map along with the phone's location?

As mentioned, there is Rocket Locator (Google Play Store) and Rocket Track (side-loaded apk file). Search the forum for more info on both.

 

[blastzone]

yeah, rocket locator is not available for my version of android (galaxy s20) but was able to side load Rocket Track......which doesnt work. it displays data and all that, but the map portion doesnt work. Oh well, just means i cant be lazy and will have to manually plug coordinates into my handheld gps.

 

[Buckeye]

Hmm, I have a Galaxy S20 running Android 13, and both apps with maps seem to run fine. I originally installed these apps several phones ago and they migrated over OK.

 

[blastzone]

must be something with them migrating vs installing directly.

 

[Handeman]

yeah, rocket locator is not available for my version of android (galaxy s20) but was able to side load Rocket Track......which doesnt work. it displays data and all that, but the map portion doesnt work. Oh well, just means i cant be lazy and will have to manually plug coordinates into my handheld gps.

Not sure what's going on there. Rocket Locator works just fine on my Samsung S22+ w/ Android 13.

 

[blastzone]

Gah, i'm getting them mixed up. rocketTrack is what I sideloaded and its not working. Let me track down Rocket Locator...

 

[blastzone]

Is this the 'rocket locator' app you're talking about? In google play store it says its not available for my device. :/

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.frankdev.rocketlocator?
After figuring out how to get the APK even though its not 'available for my device' and installing it manually (overriding a bunch of warnings that its for an older version of android, etc), its working great. Thanks for your help.

 

[DaHabes]

Is this the 'rocket locator' app you're talking about? In google play store it says its not available for my device. :/

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.frankdev.rocketlocator?
After figuring out how to get the APK even though its not 'available for my device' and installing it manually (overriding a bunch of warnings that its for an older version of android, etc), its working great. Thanks for your help.

I need the APK as well since I lost my phone, but the link provided above is not found. Can you either 1) fix the link or 2) attach the APK here?

 

[Handeman]

I need the APK as well since I lost my phone, but the link provided above is not found. Can you either 1) fix the link or 2) attach the APK here?

If you go to Google Play Store and search for rocket locator, it should come up and just click the Install button. Shouldn't need a APK file.

 

[Buckeye]

Remove the question mark from the link in post #9

 

[DaHabes]

This app was mentioned on the Missileworks T3 product page and is fairly new (2021). I haven't seen it mentioned on the forum previously.

GPS Connector

It is a basic app that reads the NMEA data stream from the receiver unit into your Android device via BlueTooth. It prominently displays lat/lon that you then copy into your favorite GPS compass or map tool to navigate to your rocket. (I like the GPS Essentials app on my phone and/or Garmin Etrex handheld.)

There is a terminal tab that continuously scrolls the NMEA sentences. These can be saved to a log file and shared for further plotting and post-processing.

I successfully paired GPS Connector to the HC-06 BlueTooth module of my Missileworks T3 receiver. The litmus test of these kinds of apps for me is that they do not lose connection if my phone is timed-out, locked, or rotated from portrait to landscape. In my short test, GPS Connector seems fine.

This is a nice simple app to get the lat/lon/alt values of your rocket location and reliably save the log file. For integrated mapping, there is always Rocket Locator and Rocket Track.

View attachment 592115

This app is asking for a credit card number to validate "your location" despite it supposedly being a free app. So, I created a virtual card number with a $1 limit and the card gets declined. The data entered for the virtual number is correct.

Who has successfully downloaded this app and how? Were you charged? If so, how much?

 

[blastzone]

This app is asking for a credit card number to validate "your location" despite it supposedly being a free app. So, I created a virtual card number with a $1 limit and the card gets declined. The data entered for the virtual number is correct.

Who has successfully downloaded this app and how? Were you charged? If so, how much?

the app was not available in the app store for my device (galaxy s20). I had to use a funky apk downloader web site from my computer (google search will give you a few) to get the apk, and then i had to put the file on a share and download it to my phone and then sideload it. what a pain, but it finally worked.
no charge, if you're being prompted to pay for something its most likely a bogus/scam app.

 

[Buckeye]

This app is asking for a credit card number to validate "your location" despite it supposedly being a free app. So, I created a virtual card number with a $1 limit and the card gets declined. The data entered for the virtual number is correct.

Who has successfully downloaded this app and how? Were you charged? If so, how much?

Which app are talking about? GPS Connector or Rocket Locator?

 

[DaHabes]

Which app are talking about? GPS Connector or Rocket Locator?

GPS Connector, from within the App store. It's the app itself that is asking for a credit card, it's weird.

I even pulled the app from the developer's website; it still asks for and rejects all credit cards. I sent the developer a message.

 

[Buckeye]

Well, I literally installed GPS Connector from Google Play on the date of post #1. I paid nothing.

I do have a payment method on file in my Google Account.

 

[DaHabes]

So do I, the app asks for it when you start it. It's in demo mode otherwise.

 

[blastzone]

Ah, sorry, i was talking about rocket locator. Gps connector was fine (and i wasnt charged or asked for payment) but it didnt show a realtime map of phone location vs bluetooth gps location, which is what i wanted. Rocket Locator does do that, but was a hassle to sideload.

 

[Buckeye]

So do I, the app asks for it when you start it. It's in demo mode otherwise.

There are a bunch of annoying pop up ads. Ignore them.

The app may start in simulation mode. Make sure your GNSS device is set to the proper input. For my Missileworks T3, it is the HC-06 Bluetooth module.