Compact package houses antenna module

17th February 2014

Alpha Micro

Mick Elliott

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New to the Alpha Micro product portfolio is the u-blox PAM-7Q GPS/QZSS small footprint 22 x 22 x 8 mm antenna module, which integrates a satellite receiver IC plus all passives and a pre-tuned GPS antenna in one single compact package. It is Ideal for applications such as portable, covert tracking, asset-tracking, animal and child tracking.

The modulecombines low-power consumption with high-sensitivity, sophisticated noise suppression and I2C / UART interfaces, making the integration of global positioning as simple as possible.

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

PAM-7Q can easily be integrated into pre-existing designs or soldered with a pin-header to a customized PCB. The simple design and easy interfacing keeps installation costs to a minimum. The 18 x 18 mm patch antenna is designed for optimal antenna performance independent of orientation. High immunity to jamming is achieved through integration of dual SAW filters. PAM-7Q targets industrial and consumer applications that require a small, fast and cost-efficient solution to GPS/QZSS positioning.

The PAM-7Q module uses GPS/QZSS chips qualified according to AEC-Q100 and are manufactured in ISO/TS 16949 certified sites. Qualification tests are performed as stipulated in the ISO16750 standard: “Road vehicles – Environmental conditions and testing for electrical and electronic equipment”.

The module is form-factor compatible with its predecessor, the UP501.