GPS Recievers - Real and Simulated

NearSys is preparing to sell GPS reciever kits for use with its near space flight computers and BalloonSat Extreme. The GPS receiver is the UniTraQ GT-320 with high altitude firmware.

The kit will include mounting materials, project box, and DB-9 connector. The GPS is designed to draw power through its DB-9 connector, so plug it into a flight computer and it's ready to produce output, no extra batteries required.

NearSys is also testing a new version of its GPS simulator. This version 2.0 will become a kit and produces more GPS sentences than before. It's greater sentence output make it a better near space and rocket flight mimic. You'll download the program with your desired flight parameters set and plug it into the flight computer. It's two buttons allow you to control when the GPS has a lock (or loses a lock) and when the balloon launch begins. The LEDs indicate power, status of GPS lock, and ascent/descent. Mission elapsed time (MET) and altitude are optionally displayed on a PC or laptop running the PICAXE program editor.