NaviGadget

Russia launching GLONASS correction relay satellites

Jun 1, 2009 gps navigation 1 Comment

Russians will be launching two multipurpose relay satellites in the next couple of years that will be carrying payloads for correcting GLONASS data.

N. Testoyedov, director general of Reshetnev Informational Satellite System company recently said:

“They will provide the opportunity to receive high-precision GLONASS signals in all territory of Russia”.

The two will be called Loutch-5A and 5B and will be in orbit in December 2010 and December 2011 respectively.

Previously Loutch geostationary satellites were used for relaying communications between the International Space Station (ISS) and other space vehicles and the ground. Kind of similar to U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellites. Read More …

AgGPS FmX: high tech agriculture GPS nav system

Mar 17, 2009 gps navigation, misc news 1 Comment

If you think you’re the only one taking advantage high tech GPS devices you’re so wrong. Farmers are actually way ahead of you. Trimble is in the agriculture market providing farmers with tools to help them better control their equipment. Check out this AgGPS Fmx display with dual GPS receviers (GPS+GLONASS) which can provide up to 1 inch of accuracy, integrated radio for wireless video input and a huge 12.1″ screen.

It even has a light bar to give you a quick feedback on your route.

Vladimir Putin’s Dog now GPS enabled

Oct 22, 2008 gps navigation, misc news Leave a comment

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has lost his black lab Connie for the last time. Connie was recently fitted with a collar that is hooked into Glonass (global navigation satellite system) which is the Russian equivalent of our GPS system. Deputy First Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov was in charge of the project and he informed Prime Minister Putin that the collar is fully operational and ready to be fitted for Connie immediately. The collar weighs in at 170 grams and plans to outfit Russia’s search and rescue dogs with the device in the upcoming months. No word on when the collar will be available for the masses and as of right now the only functional model is the one outfitted for Connie. We guess being the Prime Minister of Russia does have its perks.

glonass receivers

Dec 12, 2007 gps navigation, misc news 5 Comments

Glonass satellite navigation system of Russia is not yet complete nor offers full coverage like U.S.’ GPS but that will soon change in the next couple of years since Russia has committed to complete the project (like other nations).

Once that is done that can only mean one thing for you: Better and faster position fix! Of course you’ll need a device that can receive and understand these signals – which won’t be the same signal as those coming from GPS satellites. That’s why we already have a market for dual receivers. GlonassCentral already has 3 antennas and 3 boards that has the hardware to receive signals from both Glonass and GPS satellites with prices ranging from $21 to $4200.

These dual receiver are not yet for retail yet but we look forward to days when sat nav system manufacturers will use lines like: “now works with Glonass!”, “dual receivers for better reception” to sell their devices.

Leica GMX902 GG dual-frequency GPS + GLONASS receiver

Aug 10, 2007 gps navigation, misc news 11 Comments

Leica Geosystems just introduced Leica GMX902 GG, a dedicated, dual-frequency GPS + GLONASS Receiver for monitoring applications, mostly for sensitive structures such as bridges, mines or high rise buildings and crucial topographies such as land slides or volcanoes.

As you know GLONASS is Russian’s equivalent of GPS which currently has 16+ satellites in orbit. The dual frequency code of Leica GMX902 enables it provide precise data capture which is required for highly accurate position calculation and motion analysis.

As with the other receivers in the GMX900 family, the GMX902 GG has been designed and built purely for monitoring applications. The key characteristics of the GMX900 family are low power consumption, high quality measurement, simplicity, and durability. The Leica GMX902 GG is an ideal receiver for deformation monitoring with superior tracking of satellites from the both GPS and GLONASS constellations. The GMX902 GG is also a perfect receiver for atmospheric studies and ionospheric scintillation research with 20Hz measurement of high precision dual-frequency code, phase and signal-to-noise ratio.

navigation satellite wars

Apr 10, 2007 gps navigation, misc news 1 Comment

GPS is not the only global navigation satellite system out there, at least not for long. There are other nations trying to break their dependence from USA’s globally available free service – which can be shut down at will of U.S. military. Not to mention GPS (Navstar) is aging (even older than 1st generation iPods!!!) fast and it needs some serious upgrading.

European Union – Galileo

Initiated in 1999, Galileo is a joint effort of European countries. When first started, the U.S. opposed the plans stating that it would end their ability to control positioning satellites in military conflict scenarios. The pressure from the U.S. backfired and as a result the Galileo project was over-funded by European nations who decided it was crucial to be independent of U.S. controlled GPS.

The total cost of the system is expected to be around €3 billions. Galileo is funded by EU nations and China.

Primarily intended for civilians, Galileo will support different kinds of services: OS (open service) will broadcast in two bands (1164–1214 MHz and at 1563–1591 MHz) and when both are used you’ll be able to get <4 meter accuracy. CS (commercial service) will require a fee but if used with ground stations it will be able provide accuracy of less than 10 cm’s. It will use an extra band at 1260–1300 MHz in addition to the OS frequencies.

• Number of satellites: 30
• Completion Date: 2011
• Current Status: First satellite launched in December 2005 and first ‘Galileo’ signal received in January 2006.

China – Beidou

China’s Beidou was first planned to be used for military purposes but Chinese government has already announced it will be free for civilians as well. This would conflict with EU’s Galileo which plans to profit from selling of receivers and subscriptions to benefit from high accuracy signals.

• Completion Date: Coverage of China and neighbors by 2008 – global coverage in later years
• Number of satellites: 35
• Current Status: 4 satellites in orbit

Russia – Glonass

Russia’s Glonass has a long history which goes as far back as the peak of Cold War. The Glonass system has never been globally available since then, mostly due to instability in Soviet Union and current Russia. India, and possibly China, collaborate with Russia on Glonass. Since 1992 Russia has launched 44 satellites, some of which are no longer in service. Glonass’ civilian signal – which is only available half the time in Russia, and less globally – can provide <100 meters of accuracy. Military signals are better, providing accuracy of <15 meters. Russia has announced that it would make military grade signals available this year.

• Completion Date: 2011
• Number of satellites: 24
• Current Status: 16 in orbit, 5 of which is switched off. 12 more scheduled to be in orbit in the next two years

India – IRNSS

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, IRNSS, was recently approved with a budget just over $300 million. IRNSS is planned to provide only regional coverage provided by 7 satellites.

• Number of satellites: 7
• Completion Date: 2011
• Current Status: First satellite to be launched in 2008

USA – Navstar (GPS)

It is the only fully functional, globally available navigation satellite system so far. It is free for everybody on this planet. The first one of the satellites was launched in 1978 and the system has been fully operational since 1995. However the satellites get old and need to be replaced and technological advancements require GPS to be upgraded.

The modernization has been approved since 2000 and is called GPS III. The new system will provide capabilities such as to shut off GPS service to a limited geographical location while providing GPS to US forces. The new GPS III satellites will still provide legacy capabilities while adding high-powered, anti-jam military-code signals.

These satellites will have about 500 times the transmitter power of the current system, multiplying its resistance to jamming. With a constellation of 30-32 satellites, GPS III will have second and third frequencies to contain civilian signal, L2 & L5, more robust signal transmissions, and provide real-time unaugmented 1 meter accuracy.

Completion Date: 2011
Number of satellites: 24+
Current Status: Fully functional, upgrade in process

homemade GPS jammer

Jan 29, 2007 gps navigation, hacks, tracking 10 Comments

Today we are featuring an article from Phrack – an online hacker magazine. What we have is a do-it-yourself GPS jammer that can have a range of upto several hundred feet. Keep in mind this is not an easy hack – a bachelors in electrical engineering seems like a prerequisite.

The GPS band pass filter is a 2-pole Toko 4DFA-1575B-12 ceramic dielectric filter from Digi-Key[4], part number TKS2609CT-ND. This part is optional, but helps clean up the RF spectrum before further amplification. The filter’s insertion loss is around 2 dB.

The final RF amplifier is a WJ Communications AH102. It provides another 13 dB of gain, with a higher P1dB compression point of around +27 dBm (500 mW). The AH102 draws the most current of any part, and is not really necessary if you’re aiming for a low range, low current, battery operated device.

This hack is designed to be a low cost one, only using components you can easily find at a trip to Radio Shack. It targets the Global Positioning System (GPS/NAVSTAR) L1 frequency of 1575.42 MHz. Also keep in mind this device will not work against the Russian GLONASS or European Galileo systems.

Russia to Expand Glonass Navigation System

May 18, 2006 gps navigation, misc news Leave a comment

Russia’s leading spacecraft corporation has announced plans to boost its global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) with five new satellites this year and three more next year.

The company also voiced intention to double the production of piloted Soyuz rockets with the help of foreign investors.

The head of the Reshetnev Research and Production Center, Andrei Kozlov, said in Berlin the system currently had 13 satellites in the orbit, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported.

President Vladimir Putin ordered in December 2005 that the system should be ready by 2008 and in March this year Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Glonass would be available to domestic consumers for military as well for civilian purposes by the end of 2007.

The first launch under the Glonass program took place October 12, 1982, but the system was only formally launched September 24, 1993.

The satellites currently in use are of two modifications — Glonass and its updated version Glonass-M. Glonass-M has a longer service life of seven years and is equipped with updated antenna feeder systems and an additional navigation frequency for civilian users. A future modification, Glonass-K, is an entirely new model based on a non-pressurized platform, standardized to the specifications of the previous models’ platform, Express-1000.

Glonass-Ks are small spacecraft that are considerably lighter than their previous models, which makes them less costly to put into orbit. Their weight also allows the use of a wider range of carrier rockets. Glonass-Ks’ estimated service life has been increased to 10-12 years and a third “civilian” L-range frequency was added.

Tests on Glonass-K satellites are scheduled for 2007.

via

Russia will offer its satellite navigation system (GLONASS) to global users

Mar 21, 2006 gps navigation, misc news 1 Comment

GLONASS is the equivalent of the US Global Positioning System, or GPS.

Russia’s global satellite navigation system will become available for civilian clients in Russia starting next year and open for other users worldwide two years later, Russia’s defense minister said on Tuesday.

Sergei Ivanov said that Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System, known as GLONASS, will be offered to foreign clients worldwide in 2009, the ITAR-Tass, Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies reported.

“It will have an enormous commercial importance,” Ivanov said in televised remarks during a visit to NPO Reshetnyov company in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, which builds satellites for the program. “It will contribute to the national economy’s development in many spheres.”

Developed during the 1970s, the GLONASS system originally had 24 satellites, but the number had dwindled, falling into the teens.

Thanks to Russia’s booming oil revenues, the government has earmarked funds to revive the system to its full strength. GLONASS now has 17 satellites, but two of them were temporarily out of order, ITAR-Tass said on Tuesday… via

Company develops system that uses GPS, GLONASS and Galileo Satellites

Feb 17, 2006 gps navigation, misc news Leave a comment

Topcon Positioning Systems, a developer and manufacturer of positioning equipment recently announced the Paradigm G3 chip, a new technology that sets the standard for the future of satellite positioning.

The new Topcon G3 technology adds the soon-to-be-available European Union Galileo satellite constellation, which will eventually have a total of more than 30 satellites. The G3 chip with its patented Universal Signal Tracking capabilities has 72 universal channels that can receive signals from up to 36 satellites simultaneously.
The advantages of Topcon’s Paradigm G3 are numerous and include:
• Tracks all signals from all available satellite positioning systems now and in the future to provide seamless positioning information.
• Patented new generation firmware is designed to dynamically adjust to satellites with best signal strength.
• High rate signal sampling delivers industry leading performance and accuracy.
• Streamlined chip profile – 75 percent smaller than current chips, enabling small, lighter receiver design.
• Unmatched tracking capabilities in difficult environments reduce signal degradation.
• G3 incorporates more channels and uses less power, guaranteeing full workdays on a single charge.

The first Galileo satellite, a demonstration and testing model launched December 28, sets the stage for additional satellite launches in 2006 and beyond. In a related development, users of Topcon Positioning Systems GPS+ technology and equipment can now access three additional navigational satellites in the GLONASS system following a Christmas Day launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The launch, which increased the number of GLONASS satellites to 17 (with GPS, the total number of satellites available to Topcon customers to 41), is the first of a series of satellite placements the Russian Federal Space Agency has scheduled in the next two years to bring the GLONASS satellite system to full deployment.
Two of the satellites are the new M-series, which has a longer orbit-life – seven to eight years – compared to about three years for older models. Future launches will include GLONASS satellites that are designed to orbit for up to 10 years.
How does “more satellites” relate to assisting Topcon customers on the job site? Having access to all satellites available virtually eliminates job site downtime, making workdays more productive, and adding to a company’s bottom line.
The development of the G3 technology and Paradigm chip further solidifies Topcon’s reputation as the global leader in designing and manufacturing the most innovative satellite positioning technologies to meet the constantly changing demands facing the civil engineering and construction industry…read