We all know the typical navigation products that use GPS and we just expect these screens with built in maps to work. Little thought is spared to the engineers whose effort has gone into making the GPS receiver perform so well in such a harsh environment. Integrating GPS receivers can be easy, likewise it can be nearly impossible depending on what other technologies it is being co-located with and where it is expected to work!

Navman have a range of SiRFStarIII GSC3-LP and GSC3f-LP GPS receivers to cater for all levels of integration, from the simplest “Plug and play” devices like the GPS3260 (serial) and GPS3261 (USB) Smart Antennas, offering the receiver and antenna in a single IP rated enclosure with NMEA and Binary protocol support to the embedded Jupiter module range.

For those who want something small and surface mounted, the Jupiter 30 is the ideal choice, at 25.4 x 25.4mm it will consume little real estate on a PCB but offers optimal SiRFStarIII performance in an edge solder-able format. If you demand the smallest footprint the Jupiter 32 is the way to go. It’s not just its obvious form factor (15 x 17mm) that plays a part, the LGA mounting and sealed RF shield ensures that other components can be mounted in very close proximity with no effect on the performance of the GPS core.

For systems where the antenna is to be co-located with the GPS receiver in a dynamic embedded environment, the Antenova M10214-Ax is based on the SiRFStarIII GSC3LTi, delivers maximum performance, and uses the least real estate. Designed to be mounted at a right angle down the edge of the main application PCB, the unique Omni-directional antenna ensures that whatever the orientation the receiver will perform.