DIY GPS
I have been on a mission to reduce the power consumption and cost of getting Mischief ready for adventures and to this end I had a success. I have made a GPS module that draws 60mA, cost less than £20 and feeds GPS NMEA info in a format that my VHF can read. This module also works on my laptop. My previous GPS feed was a Gamin 72H which draws over 100mA and cost around £100.
One attempt at this resulted in a spare GPS module for my AIS unit. I bought a GPS receiver through ebay that cost £2.92 so I wasn't expecting much. It turned out that the GPS receiver didn't have a UART and the USB connector had no power connections. I tried removing the USB plug and pressing the bare wires against the GPS connector on the Matsutec. Within 30 seconds I had a GPS fix. After fitting a TNC connector I now have a back-up GPS unit. The official Matsutec GPS units cost £45!
One attempt at this resulted in a spare GPS module for my AIS unit. I bought a GPS receiver through ebay that cost £2.92 so I wasn't expecting much. It turned out that the GPS receiver didn't have a UART and the USB connector had no power connections. I tried removing the USB plug and pressing the bare wires against the GPS connector on the Matsutec. Within 30 seconds I had a GPS fix. After fitting a TNC connector I now have a back-up GPS unit. The official Matsutec GPS units cost £45!
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