[aprssig] Anyone use GPS module as alt to full GPS unit ?

[Curt, WE7U]

On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 maiko at pcs.mb.ca wrote:

> Does anyone recommend a good 'GPS module + Tracker' circuit
> as a lower cost alternative to buying a full blown GPS unit ?
>
> It would be nice to go and by a GPS module and connect it
> into a tiny tracker or TNC for marathon work. I've seen some
> kits and modules available, for example Jupiter series out
> of the UK, and I'm sure there are more.
>
> I've never tried this, but I'm looking for cost effective
> alternatives here.

Try a PocketTracker mated with a GPS.  Any kind of puck-type or
board-level GPS will still need an addition battery/power-supply to
run it.  It might be better to just use a cheap handheld GPS that
has its own internal batteries.  That way you only have a 9V battery
in the PocketTracker and a couple of AA's in the GPS.

That package only has two physical units and one cord to deal with.
Gives you 2-meter transmitter, TinyTrack 3a TNC, and a GPS.
Everything you need for an event tracker.  270mW out, but it appears
to get out better than the wattage would have you believe.

I've taken a TinyTrack-II board and put on a TO-220 regulator
instead of the TO-92 package, then ran a Trimble SV6 board off of
that power supply.  That way the TT-II and GPS could run off the
same battery, but I still had to integrate a radio into the package.
It also needed a single-transistor inverter circuit between the GPS
and the TT-II.  I think the TT-III may have alleviated that need by
allowing you to use an inverted GPS input directly.

--
Curt, WE7U.   APRS Client Comparisons: http://www.eskimo.com/~archer
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