Solution: LG 8600 Telus (sdcard) stored maps

[425H]

Here is how to use the maps stored on sdcard with Telus LG 8600. It is still kludgy, as every time you start and quit mgmaps you need to point the cache location back and forth between the internal memory and the sdcard. This can be surely done by programming; doing this every time by hand takes too long (can you help, Cristian?).

General layout:
1. Load mgmaps instead of Telus Navigator on the phone: remove all the files from the Navigator directory ( /brew/ams/15 or so) as one of them blocks the file browsing. Load mgmaps.jar and .jad into /brew/ams/15 using names 15.jar and 15.jad.
2. Use two locations of mgmapscache: a low-res on the phone internal memory and low-to-high res on the sdcard. Set up mgmaps with the cache pointing to the internal memory, save settings. Quit mgmaps.
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3. Start mgmaps, you should see the low-res map on screen.
4. Now, set up mgmaps with the cache pointing to the sdcard and save settings. Do not restart mgmaps. From this moment and until restart of mgmaps, you will be able to use the maps on the sdcard.
5. Before quitting mgmaps, point its cache location to the phone's internal memory.

Repeat steps 3-5 as needed.


In detail:
1. Download the Telus Navigator on the phone (or use the one preinstalled).
2. Download & install BitPim onto PC.
3. Download & install the USB driver (LGUSBModemDriver_WHQL_Eng_Ver_4.8.1.exe) for the LG 8600 phone.
4. Use the USB cable to connect the phone with PC.
5. Use BitPim and XVI32 hex editor to find the 6-digit phone service (SPC) code in nvm/nvm/nvm_0000. Quit the BitPim.
6. Download & install QPST onto PC.
7. Start the QPST EFS explorer. When prompted, enter the SPC code.
8. Use QPST EFS explorer to save the low-resolution mgmapscache (zoom levels 0-8 or so) into /brew/16452/myothers
9. With QPST EFS explorer, backup the entire /brew/ams directory on your PC. As EFS explorer does not back up directory trees, you will need to recreate the directory structure by hand. Multiple file copy will work, but be sure to confirm the file names and directory locations.
10. Locate the directory where Telus Navigator is installed. It will be a numbered directory such as /brew/ams/foo, where foo is a number (for example, 15). Use a hex editor such as XVI32 to check the contents of /brew/ams/db/contentinfo. This file lists the apps and their directories.
11. With QPST EFS explorer, delete the contents of the /brew/ams/foo (that is, /brew/ams/15 or so).
12. Rename the mgmaps .jar and .jad into foo.jar and foo.jad (that is, 15.jar, 15.jad or so).
With QPST EFS explorer, upload the foo.jar and foo.jad into /brew/ams/foo directory.
13. Save the low-to-high resolution (zoom levels 0-15 or higher) mgmapscache onto the SD card.
14. Start the "Telus Navigator" through Menu-Tools&Apps-GPS Services-Telus Navigator. In fact, you are starting mgmaps.
15. Through Menu-Settings-Map Browsing-, set the checkmarks on Stored Maps and Offline Mode, set memory cache size to 65536 kB; do Menu-Save-OK-Back.
16. Through Menu-Settings-Map Browsing-Menu-Browse-, locate the mgmapscache on the /others (internal phone memory).
17. Do Menu-Save-OK-Back.
18. Quit mgmaps.
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19. Start mgmaps. You should see the low-res map.
20. Use Menu-Settings-Map Browsing-Menu-Browse- to locate the mgmapscache on the /sdcard.
21. Do Menu-Save, OK, Back. You see the same map, but now you can zoom in as much as necessary (mgmaps is accessing the maps on the sdcard).
22. Before quitting mgmaps, point the map cache back to the internal memory.

Repeat steps 19-22 as needed. If you quit mgmaps before pointing the map cache to the internal memory, mgmaps will not show any map at all at the startup and you will have to go back to step 16.

Final remarks
1. It seems the reason this all works is either a bug in mgmaps or a bug in implementation of file access in J2ME.
2. As a simplest workaround, one could have separate locations for:
1) cache.conf on the internal phone memory and
2) map cache on the sdcard.
That would mean adding one more browsing option in stored maps menu.
3. Even though the phone is set to offline browsing, every time when the map cannot be displayed, the debug log shows enqueing on yimg.com, and internet access flashing arrows appear on the top, indicating that mgmaps attempts to get maps from the internet. Is there some way to turn off internet access from inside of mgmaps?