GPS Archives - Page 147 of 158 - Inside GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design

CSR-SiRF Merger Pairs Struggling Bluetooth and GPS Powerhouses – and Shows Handset Platform Dominance

CSR image

Merger plans recently announced by CSR (Cambridge Silicon Radio) plc and SiRF Technology Inc. connote more than the evolving fortunes and common future of a Cambridge, UK–based Bluetooth and WiFi provider and a San Jose, California GPS manufacturer.

It reaffirms the emergence of mobile phone handsets as a dominant location platform, the convergence of wireless communications and positioning at the chip level, and the trend toward absorption by semiconductor manufacturers of independent GPS technology providers who offer only single-frequency solutions.

By Glen Gibbons

February 12, 2009

Lynn Approved as Deputy Secretary of Defense

Raytheon Corporation executive William Lynn received an overwhelming vote of approval today (February 11, 2009) from the U.S. Senate to become the U.S. deputy secretary of defense. The 93 to 4 vote — with only four Republicans in opposition — did not reflect the considerable controversy surrounding Lynn’s nomination by President Obama.

By Glen Gibbons

February 9, 2009

Pendulum Instruments Acquires Naviva GPS Signal Generator

GSG-L1

Pendulum Instruments, of Stockholm, Sweden, has acquired the GSG-L1, a single-channel, single-frequency (L1) GPS signal generator, from Naviva, a Space Systems Finland (SSF) business unit.

The GSG-L1, which is designed for production test or R&D purposes, will be available for delivery in March. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

By Glen Gibbons

Broadcom Launches GPS/FM/Bluetooth Chip

Broadcom Corporation has announced a combined GPS/FM/Bluetooth device — the BCM2075 — designed to provide location based services (LBS) and advanced multimedia in a single chip.

By Glen Gibbons

RFMD Announces GPS LNA with SAW Filter

RF Micro Devices (RFMD), which last year announced plans to exit the GPS solutions business in order to focus on core semiconductor component opportunities, hasn’t abandoned the GNSS marketplace completely.

By Glen Gibbons

January 28, 2009

U.S. Agencies Publish 2008 Federal Radionavigation Plan

U.S. Coast Guard, Sitka, Alaska

A 2008 version of the Federal Radionavigation Plan (FRP) has been published by the U.S. government, providing the latest documentation of the policy and plans for radionavigation systems used for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) applications.

By Inside GNSS

January 25, 2009

Trimble Rolls Out New Ag Products

EZ-Guide 500 VRA

Trimble has introduced a series of new products targeting the agriculture market where the company has been doing particularly well in recent years. These include an integrated display for manual or automated machine operation, a variable rate application (VRA) option for the company’s lightbar guidance system, and two new differential GPS receivers.

The AgGPS FmX integrated display can operate as either a stand-alone manual guidance system or as part of an automated guidance, implement control or steering system. The FmX touch screen display is 12.1 inches, approximately 35 percent larger than the industry standard 10.4-inch screen, yet the display requires no more space in the cab than its predecessor, the AgGPS FieldManager, according to the company.

By Glen Gibbons

January 13, 2009

Blaupunkt Picks IfEN Constellation Simulator for Testing Car Nav Systems

NavX-NCS

Blaupunkt GmbH, a leading automotive electronics manufacturer, has selected the NavX-NCS multiconstellation, multifrequency GNSS simulator from IfEN GmbH as the GPS reference for production testing of its car navigation systems.

The NavX-NCS RF constellation simulator supports all present and planned Galileo and GPS frequencies (E1/L1, L2C, E5AB/L5, E6) in one box, now including the composite binary offset carrier (CBOC) signal structure for the Galileo Open Service on E1.

By Glen Gibbons

Thales Alenia Space Italia Wins Two Galileo Receiver Development Contracts

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Thales Alenia Space Italia (TAS-Italia) two contracts for development of Galileo ground station receiver equipment.

One contract is for Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element (GIOVE) phase A/B ground station receivers capable of tracking the multiplex binary offset carrier (MBOC) signal that is common to both the Galileo Open Service (OS) and the new GPS L1 civil signal, which will be transmitted beginning with the GPS III generation of satellites.

By Glen Gibbons

January 11, 2009

Former U.S. Space Commerce Official Joins ITT

Edward M. Morris

Edward M. Morris, formerly executive director for the U.S. Office of Space Commercialization, Department of Commerce, has joined ITT Space Systems Division (SSD) as executive director of strategic business development.

In his new position, Morris will be responsible for strategic program and business development of GPS navigation systems and additional space-related capabilities.

By Glen Gibbons

January 9, 2009

Gates Backs Lynn for Key Defense Post

William J. Lynn III

(Updated Jan.26) President Barack Obama’s nomination of William J. Lynn III, a senior vice-president at Raytheon Corporation, for deputy secretary of defense and his granting Lynn a waiver from the new administration’s own rules on former lobbyists has provoked considerable criticism from some quarters.

As the number two official in the Department of Defense (DoD), Lynn would report directly to Robert Gates, the current secretary of defense who has continued in that position in the new administration, the only holdover from ex-President Bush’s cabinet. Gates has come out strongly in support of Lynn, saying that he requested the waiver from the president.

Among other responsibilities, the deputy secretary serves as the co-chair of
the Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Executive
Committee (ExCom). Lynn would succeed Gordon England, who has paid a lot of attention to GPS during his term in office and enhanced the role of the PNT ExCom as an arbiter and advocate for the GPS program throughout the federal government.

By Glen Gibbons

January 6, 2009

PCTEL Acquires Wi-Sys

PCTEL, Inc., announced today (January 5) that it has acquired Wi-Sys Communications Inc., an Ottawa, Ontario, Canada–based company that specializes in GPS antenna and receiver technology. PCTEL will pay $2.1 million for Wi-Sys and plans to fully integrate the latter company’s operations into its Antenna Products Group (APG).

By Glen Gibbons

December 29, 2008

Applanix Upgrades POS, POSpac Products

Applanix Corporation has launched the POSPac MMS (Mobile Mapping Suite) 5.2, the latest release of its GNSS-aided inertial post-processing software for mobile mapping and surveying applications in multiple environments.

Applanix has announced that its POS AV products now support on-board OmniSTAR XP real-time differential GPS corrections using a purpose-built GNSS+L-band aircraft antenna and an embedded BD960 GNSS receiver.

By Glen Gibbons

GPS

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CSR-SiRF Merger Pairs Struggling Bluetooth and GPS Powerhouses – and Shows Handset Platform Dominance

Lynn Approved as Deputy Secretary of Defense

Pendulum Instruments Acquires Naviva GPS Signal Generator

Broadcom Launches GPS/FM/Bluetooth Chip

RFMD Announces GPS LNA with SAW Filter

U.S. Agencies Publish 2008 Federal Radionavigation Plan

Trimble Rolls Out New Ag Products

Blaupunkt Picks IfEN Constellation Simulator for Testing Car Nav Systems

Thales Alenia Space Italia Wins Two Galileo Receiver Development Contracts

Former U.S. Space Commerce Official Joins ITT

Gates Backs Lynn for Key Defense Post

PCTEL Acquires Wi-Sys

Applanix Upgrades POS, POSpac Products