LEA-5, NEO-5, TIM-5H - Hardware Integration Manual
GPS.G5-MS5-09027-A2 Released Product testing
Page 57 of 68
4.3 System sensitivity test
The best way to test the sensitivity of a GPS device is with the use of a 1-channel GPS simulator. It assures
reliable and constant signals at every measurement.
Figure 47: 1-channel GPS simulator
u-blox recommends the following Single-Channel GPS Simulator:
Spirent GSS6100
Spirent Communications Positioning Technology
(previously GSS Global Simulation Systems) www.positioningtechnology.co.uk
4.3.1 Guidelines for sensitivity tests
1. Connect a 1-channel GPS simulator to the OEM product
2. Choose the power level in a way that the “Golden Device” would report a C/No ratio of 38-40 dBHz
3. Power up the DUT (Device Under Test) and allow enough time for the acquisition
4. Read the C/No value from the NMEA GSV or the UBX-NAV-SVINFO message (e.g. with u-center)
5. Compare the results to a “Golden Device” or a u-blox 5 Evaluation Kit.
4.3.2 ‘Go/No go’ tests for integrated devices
The best test is to bring the device to an outdoor position with excellent sky view (HDOP < 3.0). Let the
receiver acquire satellites and compare the signal strength with a “Golden Device”.
As the electro-magnetic field of a redistribution antenna is not homogenous, indoor tests are in most
cases not reliable. These kind of tests may be useful as a ―go/no go‖ test but not for sensitivity
measurements.