GPS

Air Force Hopes for November, December Launches of Final GPS IIR-Ms
July 31, 2008

Air Force Hopes for November, December Launches of Final GPS IIR-Ms

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 10 2008: With replacement parts currently being manufactured for faulty components that have delayed launch plans, Air Force GPS program managers hope to get the final two modernized Block IIR satellites on orbit by the end of the year.

A tentative launch date of November 7 has been targeted for the Block IIR-20(M), which will carry a payload that includes an experimental L5 signal. If all goes well, the final IIR launch would take place by December 31.

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By Glen Gibbons
NXP/STMicroelectronics JV Launches
July 29, 2008

NXP/STMicroelectronics JV Launches

ST-NXP Wireless, a new company bringing together key wireless operations of STMicroelectronics and NXP, will begin operations August 2 following completion of a deal announced earlier this year.

Owning thousands of communication and multimedia patents, the new joint venture will bring key technologies for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) and for the emerging TD-SCDMA standard, as well as other cellular, multimedia and connectivity capabilities — including WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM radio, USB, and UWB (ultra-wideband).

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By Glen Gibbons
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GPS IIF Satellite Advances Through Environmental Tests
July 1, 2008

GPS IIF Satellite Advances Through Environmental Tests

GPS IIF satellite. Boeing image

The Boeing Company has announced completion of the latest in a series of environmental tests of the first of 12 GPS IIF satellites, which confirm the mechanical integrity of the spacecraft.

Having apparently overcome technical problems that have delayed the program for several years, the program is now on track to deliver the first satellite to the U.S. Air Force this year, according to the company, with launch currently scheduled for the first half of 2009.

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By Glen Gibbons
SiGe Launches GPS Radio with Dual-Antenna Capability
June 24, 2008

SiGe Launches GPS Radio with Dual-Antenna Capability

SE4150L

SiGe Semiconductor, Inc. has released the SE4150L GPS radio receiver featuring dual-antenna input capability for developing GPS products.

Housed in a low profile 4x4millimeter package, the SE4150L RF integrated circuit (RFIC) features a multi-bit output, which improves sensitivity and interference resistance, according to the company. The receiver has a reported system noise figure of 1.0 dB and input third-order intercept performance (IIP3) of better than 0 dBm.

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By Glen Gibbons
Micro-Modular Technolgies Joins SiRF Club

Micro-Modular Technolgies Joins SiRF Club

MN5010HS

A convergence of a relatively new Singapore-based company, Rockwell semiconductor engineering background, and SiRF Technology’s SiRFstarIII will produce a new family of OEM GPS receivers from Micro Modular Technologies (MMT).

By incorporating the SiRF module, the MN5010HS GPS receiver module represents a departure from MMT’s use of GPS technology from u-Nav Microelectronics (now Atheros Communications GPS business unit). Established in 2005, MMT has also joined the roster of SiRF Technology value added manufacturers (VAMs).

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By Glen Gibbons
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Frequency Electronics Gains GPS IIIA Clock Contract
June 19, 2008

Frequency Electronics Gains GPS IIIA Clock Contract

Frequency Electronics, Inc. (FEI) has received an authorization to proceed (ATP) on a new contract to provide master clocks and microwave sources for payloads on the next-generation GPS IIIA satellites. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company leads a team that will build the IIIA spacecraft under a recently announced Air Force contract.

According to FEI, the value of the contract, when finalized, could exceed $10 million with more than half of the work to be completed over the next 18 months.

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By Glen Gibbons
New u-blox GPS Module
June 18, 2008

New u-blox GPS Module

NEO-5Q

u-blox AG has announced the launch of a miniature GPS module designed for high volume, mass-market applications that require fast, accurate positioning at a low cost.

The NEO-5Q is a stand-alone GPS module in a 12 x 16 x 2.4–millimeter package. Its ROM-based architecture does not require an external Flash EPROM.

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By Glen Gibbons
New Company, New Time Code Generator
June 17, 2008

New Company, New Time Code Generator

ORCA Technologies’ GS-101

ORCA Technologies LLC, a recent start-up company — but one whose principals come with a long background in GPS timing instrumentation — has introduced the Model GS-101 GPS/IRIG-B Synchronized Time Code Generator (STCG).

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By Glen Gibbons
Faulty Booster Component May Delay IIR-M Launches; L5 Signal Ready to Go
June 4, 2008

Faulty Booster Component May Delay IIR-M Launches; L5 Signal Ready to Go

GPS IIR satellite. Lockheed Martin photo.

Suspected faulty components in a Delta II rocket are delaying the launch of the final two modernized GPS Block IIR satellites, possibly preventing the early broadcast of an L5 civil signal that faces a 2009 deadline for being on the air.

According to Air Force officials at the GPS Master Control Station, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, and Patrick AFB near the Cape Canaveral launch site, the questionable component is the 40-second timer that triggers separation of the third stage booster from the GPS space vehicle. Affected are both the 20th Block IIR-M, which had been scheduled to launch this month with a civil L5 test signal enabled in the navigation payload, and GPS IIR-21.

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By Glen Gibbons
SkyTraq Single-Chip OEM GPS
June 3, 2008

SkyTraq Single-Chip OEM GPS

SkyTraq’s Venus634LP

Taiwanese fabless GNSS manufacturer SkyTraq Technology, Inc., has announced a one-square-centimeter GPS OEM receiver, the Venus634LP.

The L1 GPS C/A-code, receiver includes 51 acquisition channels and 14 tracking channels and is also capable of processing satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) signals. Measuring 10 x 10 x 1.2 millimeters, the Venus634LP integrates LNA, SAW filter, RF front-end, GPS baseband, 0.5ppm TCXO, RTC crystal, LDO regulator, and passive components in an LGA44 package with 0.8 pitch.

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By Glen Gibbons
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