SparkFun Forums

[kippyieh]

Hi!

Great forum btw.

I would like to come up with a really small gps/FRS receiver/transmitter unit to fit into a cylindrical (< 13 mm in diameter) case - size constraints seem to be a pretty common GPS tracking theme.

I think I need a power supply, GPS receiver, APRS unit, and two antennas.

There doesn't appear to be a pre-fab unit available. Maybe someone could add to my parts list and ??

I was hoping someone would at least point me in the right direction and help get me started. I don't have much EE experience at all (my background is civil engineering and I had a basic circuit design class as an undergrad), but I am willing to put forth the effort.

Thanks for any help!

[busonerd]

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc ... ts_id=8291 is the smallest GPS unit that SFE offers, but you'll have to build a very thin custom PCB to fit under it, along with a custom PCB for battery regulation + the LNA + all the transmitter.

Cheers,

--David Carne

[kippyieh]

Yeah - that is the one I have been considering.

I would like to get a handle on exactly what this will end up looking like; e.g., something similar, but without the size constraints. I am trying to use the garmin GPS/FRS units for device tracking.

Thanks!

[kippyieh]

Any thoughts anyone? Any suggested reading material? Anyone familiar with the setup that I am suggesting and know of a similar product?

Thanks!

[ttabbal]

The smallest GPS + Trasmitter I know of is the BeelineGPS. It's an amateur radio device. You said FRS and APRS, very different rules on those, so I'm not sure what you need. But that might give you a start.

[rpcelectronics]

I have my RTrak that has been selling for about a year now. I am still taking orders, I just build to order since the demand has gone down. It's based on the popular OpenTracker APRS engine.

http://www.rpc-electronics.com/trackers.php

I have two units I'm building on the bench right now.

I am also working on a Lite version of the RTrak, minus the built-in 2M transmitter. I also put everything on a single board, no more modules.