Instant global positioning with no extra components

10th January 2014

u-blox

Nat Bowers

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Datasheet

Integrating a satellite receiver IC with all passives and a pre-tuned GPS antenna, the PAM-7Q is a GPS/QZSS antenna module from u-blox. With low power consumption of 22mA at 3V, high sensitivity from -147 to -161dBm, sophisticated noise suppression (ensuring maximum performance even in GPS hostile environments) and I²C/UART interfaces (one of each), the antenna module makes it very simple to integrate global positioning.

Operating over a temperature range from -40 to +85°C and supplied in a compact 22x22x8mm package, the PAM-7Q is suited for industrial and consumer applications requiring a small, fast and cost efficient solution to GPS/QZSS positioning. It is incredibly simple to integrate the GPS/QZSS positioning module into pre-existing designs, or to solder it with a pin-header to a customised PCB. The simple design and easy interfacing allows the device to keep installation costs to a minimum.

This highly accurate antenna module provides position accuracy of 2.5m CEP, SBAS accuarcy of 2.0m CEP and a navigation update rate of up to 10Hz. From a cold start it will aqcuire an accurate position in under 30s. This is significantly reduced to 5s for aided starts and just 1s for reacquisition. The module's 18 x 18 mm patch antenna provides RHCP polarisation, something unachievable with smaller patch antenna elements.

The GPS/QZSS chips are qualified according to AEC-Q100, making them suitable for automotive applications such as satellite navigation. The RoHS compliant and halogen free PAM-7Q module is form factor compatible with its predecessor, the UP501, enabling easy drop-in replacement. u-blox also offers the EVK-7PAM evaluation kit to help designers in their selection.

Thomas Nigg, Vice President of Product Marketing, u-blox, comments: “For small and medium production runs, sourcing and tuning of an external GPS antenna can be expensive and logistically difficult. The PAM-7Q is a perfect, drop-in solution to this problem. It provides instant, high-performance global positioning, no additional components are necessary.”