- Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:03 am
#118629
Hi All,
Many of you may not be aware of this, but there is a Soviet/Russian equivalent to the GPS system which works in much the same way. In the financial turmoil of the mid 90's the system suffered and fell as low as 6 satellites in operation, however since 2000 a modernization and re-population effort has been in progress that has seen the constellation restored to 22 operational satellites, all of them modernized dual frequency units.
In the navigation lab I work at, I use GLONASS all the time and have to say that in challenged environments, such as an area with tall buildings, having GLONASS can be a life saver. Even out in the middle of a field there are times of day where you can see as few as 6 GPS satellites in view, so having an extra 4-5 from GLONASS can make the difference between a barely usable position solution, and having an excellent idea of where you are. This week when I was doing field work we had periods of 21 satellites in view, and this is before the EU's GALILEO system is even launched (this chip also supports that system when/if it shows up on the scene).
With the rebuilding of the GLONASS constellation nearly complete, big name manufacturers have started to produce GPS+GLONASS high-sensitivity modules for use in vehicle navigation, or advanced handsets.
One of these is the 'Teseo II' now available from ST Microelectronics.
http://www.st.com/internet/com/TECHNICA ... 295372.pdf
As a GNSS (global navigation satellite systems, not just GPS) enthusiast I'd love to see sparkfun build a module.
I'd also like to offer my assistance in design consultation - I am an Engineering PhD in a satellite navigation research lab who has designed RF systems in the past - just fire me an email if you have any questions.
Thanks in advance.
Many of you may not be aware of this, but there is a Soviet/Russian equivalent to the GPS system which works in much the same way. In the financial turmoil of the mid 90's the system suffered and fell as low as 6 satellites in operation, however since 2000 a modernization and re-population effort has been in progress that has seen the constellation restored to 22 operational satellites, all of them modernized dual frequency units.
In the navigation lab I work at, I use GLONASS all the time and have to say that in challenged environments, such as an area with tall buildings, having GLONASS can be a life saver. Even out in the middle of a field there are times of day where you can see as few as 6 GPS satellites in view, so having an extra 4-5 from GLONASS can make the difference between a barely usable position solution, and having an excellent idea of where you are. This week when I was doing field work we had periods of 21 satellites in view, and this is before the EU's GALILEO system is even launched (this chip also supports that system when/if it shows up on the scene).
With the rebuilding of the GLONASS constellation nearly complete, big name manufacturers have started to produce GPS+GLONASS high-sensitivity modules for use in vehicle navigation, or advanced handsets.
One of these is the 'Teseo II' now available from ST Microelectronics.
http://www.st.com/internet/com/TECHNICA ... 295372.pdf
As a GNSS (global navigation satellite systems, not just GPS) enthusiast I'd love to see sparkfun build a module.
I'd also like to offer my assistance in design consultation - I am an Engineering PhD in a satellite navigation research lab who has designed RF systems in the past - just fire me an email if you have any questions.
Thanks in advance.