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Navtech Seminars & GPS Supply logo Navtech Seminars & GPS Supply

GPS satellite in orbit

GPSetc.com News
The GPS/GNSS newsletter by Navtech Seminars & GPS Supply, 
the GPS professional's resource since 1984.
May 30, 2002

Editor-in-Chief: Carolyn P. McDonald  (send news items to cmcdonald@navtechgps.com)

Technical Editor: Keith D. McDonald (satconsult@aol.com)

Production & Design: F'Lynne Didenko (fdidenko@navtechgps.com)

Welcome to "GPSetc.com News" published by Navtech Seminars & GPS Supply - your source for GPS/GNSS news!  To see previous newsletters, go to our newsletter home page.  

We invite you to forward this newsletter to your colleagues - subscriptions are free. (We do not share our growing email list with anyone except the non-profit Institute of Navigation.) 

*Please see the bottom of this page for how to subscribe to this newsletter or how to be removed from our email list.
Note: Many of the links on this page are set to open in a new window.  

Included in this Newsletter: 
(click on hyperlinks below to jump to news items)

 

1) Navtech Room Block in Annapolis Has Been Extended to May 31!

2) New GPS Quiz by Accord Software & Systems

3) NAVCEN News

4) News from the ION

5) Navtech's ION GPS-2002 Tutorial Info Now on Web!

1) Navtech Room Block in Annapolis Has Been Extended to May 31!

Good news for those of you who have not yet reserved your hotel room for our June courses in Annapolis. You can still get our special rate if you make your reservations by this Friday. Be sure to let them know you are with Navtech.

$90 + 12% tax for everyone (2nd person in same room is $10 per day).

After this date, rooms are offered on a space available basis. The hotel is filling up, so please do not delay!

HOTEL INFO:
All of Navtech's June 17-21, 2002 public courses will be held at:
Sheraton Barcelo Hotel
173 Jennifer Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Tel (410)266-3131, Fax (410)266-6247
www.sheraton.com
Rooms must be guaranteed. Hotel has a 24 hour cancellation policy.

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2) New GPS Quiz by Accord Software & Systems

GPS Quiz - Part I Volume 1

(The author of the below questionnaire is Dr. Jayanta Kumar Ray (email: jkray@accord-soft.com) of Accord Software & Systems Private Limited, Bangalore, India. Accord Software and Systems is a leader in programmable DSP-based GPS Receiver Technology. The references for this questionnaire pinpointing the page numbers where the answers can be found are given on the website www.accord-soft.com under the heading "GPS Quiz")

1. A GPS receiver uses the following for determining the user position:

a) range measurement
b) angular measurement
c) both range and angular measurements
d) neither range nor angular measurements

2. A side real day is about

a) 24 hours
b) 23 hours 56 min
c) 24 hours 4 min
d) none of the above

3. The C/A code chip width is approximately

a) 3 m
b) 30 m
c) 300 m
d) 3000 m

4. The GPS signal travels mostly through the

a) ionosphere
b) troposphere
c) ionosphere and troposphere (atmosphere)
d) free space

5. The obliquity factor for the ionospheric delay error at a 5 deg mask angle is about

a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4

6. Code measurement smoothing with carrier reduces

a) receiver noise only
b) multipath effects only
c) receiver noise and multipath effects
d) ionospheric delay error

7. If the receiver clock bias is known accurately, then the VDOP will

a) increase
b) decrease
c) remain unchanged
d) be arbitrarily changed as the receiver clock bias and VDOP are unrelated

8. The time accuracy using a good GPS receiver (with SA OFF) in position hold and stand-alone mode is approximately

a) 3-4 ns
b) 30-40 ns
c) 300-400 ns
d) 3000-4000 ns

9. The GPS satellite antenna signal beam width that covers the surface of the earth facing the GPS satellite is

a) 14.2 degree
b) 21.4 degree
c) 28.6 degree
d) 43.7 degree

10. Large ground plane when added to a GPS antenna

a) reduces the back lobes (gain) thereby attenuating the 
     ground reflections to the antenna
b) physically blocks the ground reflections coming to the 
     antenna
c) reduces the front lobes (gain) thereby amplifying the 
     direct signal
d) has no effect to the antenna gain pattern

11. The function of the mixers in the GPS receiver RF front-end is

a) to correlate the local code with the incoming signal
b) to remove the carrier from the signal
c) to remove the code from the signal
d) to bring down the carrier frequency from L band to lower 
     frequency band

12. The difference of the code range and carrier phase measurements (assuming no cycle slip) mainly has the following components

a) code noise
b) code noise and multipath
c) code noise, multipath and ionospheric delay error
d) code noise, multipath and twice the ionospheric delay 
     error

13. The RTCM Type 1 message from a DGPS reference station contains

a) Reference station parameters
b) Delta differential GPS corrections
c) Differential GPS corrections
d) Constellation health

14. Each navigation data sub-frame has

a) 30 words
b) 30 bits
c) 300 bits
d) 1500 bits

15. The Costas loop is generally used for GPS signal carrier tracking as

a) it has high tolerance for dynamic stress
b) it is insensitive to 180 deg phase reversal due to data bit 
     transition
c) it has higher accuracy compared to FLL and PLL
d) it is easy to implement

Grade your performance:

Excellent (13-15), Very good (11-12), Good (8-10)

Answers:

1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (c) 6. (c) 7. (b) 8. (b) 9. (c) 10. (a) 11. (d) 12. (d) 13. (c) 14. (c) 15. (b)

References:

1. ICD-GPS-200C (1993), Interface Control Document, Navstar GPS Space Segment and Navigation User Interfaces, Prepared by ARINC Research Corporation, California. See PDF at NAVCEN’s website. Paper copy available through Navtech GPS Supply.

2. Kaplan, E.D. (1996), Understanding GPS Principles and Applications, Artech House Publishers, Boston. Available through Navtech GPS Supply.

3. Lachapelle, G. (1997), GPS Theory and Applications, ENGO 625, Geomatics Engineering, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. Contact Navtech GPS Supply for information.

4. Misra, P. and Enge, P. (2001), Global Positioning System: Signals, Measurements and Performance, Ganga-Jamuna Press, Lincoln, Massachusetts. Distributed exclusively by Navtech GPS Supply.

5. Parkinson, Brad W. and Spilker, James J. Jr. (1996), Global Positioning System: Theory and Applications, Volume I, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., Washington DC. Available through Navtech GPS Supply.

6. RTCM SC-104 (1994), RTCM Recommended Standards for Differential Navstar GPS Service, Version 2.1, Washington DC. Available through the RTCM.

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3) NAVCEN News

-----Original Message-----
From: Casswell, Rebecca [mailto:RCasswell@navcen.uscg.mil]
Sent: Monday, May 06, 2002 5:42 PM
Subject: CGSIC Meeting Presentations

The presentations from the 39th CGSIC Meeting that was held 17-19 April in
Springfield, Virginia are now available on the NAVCEN website.
(http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/cgsic/meetings/summaryrpts/39thmeeting/39thcgsic.htm)

Mark your calendars!
Future meetings-
22-24 September 2002, 40th Meeting, Portland Convention Center, Portland, Oregon (prior 
     to the GPS ION Conference)
19-21 March 2003, 41st Meeting, Washington, DC area.

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4) News from the ION

a)   ION 58th Annual Meeting & CIGTF 21st Guidance Test Symposium
June 25-26, 2002
Hyatt Regency Hotel - Albuquerque, New Mexico

FRIDAY, JUNE 14: Classified Session Clearance Deadline
All visit requests, Need-to-Know certifications and security clearance authorizations must be received by CIGTF/46th Test Group. See ION website for details: http://www.ion.org/meetings/am2002/clearance.pdf

Other meeting-related links:
Technical Program: http://www.ion.org/meetings/am2002program.cfm

Airport Shuttle Discount Coupon: http://www.ion.org/meetings/am2002/airport_shuttle.pdf

For additional information, visit the ION Web site or call the ION at (703) 683-7101, email: mailto:membership@ion.org

b)  The Institute of Navigation's National Office is moving! As of Monday, June 3, 2002 the ION may be contacted as indicated below. Please update your records accordingly.

Institute of Navigation
3975 University Drive, Suite 390
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 383-9688
Fax: (703) 383-9689

As always, you may contact the ION via the Internet:
Website: www.ion.org
Email: membership@ion.org 

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5) Navtech's ION GPS-2002 Tutorial Info Now on Web!

Go to http://www.navtechgps.com/seminars/GPStutorials/iongps2002.asp for information on all 35 of our half-day tutorials to be presented prior to the ION GPS-2002 conference in Portland, Oregon this September.

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SEND US YOUR NEWS ITEMS, WITH SOURCES! 
Carolyn McDonald, Editor

cmcdonald@navtechgps.com  

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Thank you for subscribing to our news update emails.  
We hope the information will be useful to you!

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