Product category:
Antennas and Feeders
News Release from: Sarantel | Subject: GeoHelix GPS
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 24 October 2002
GPS antenna connects cellphone addon
Sarantel has acheived a significant design win for its advanced GeoHelix GPS (global positioning system) antenna which is to feature in the new GPS addon for the Ericsson T60c cellphone.
Sarantel has acheived a significant design win for its advanced GeoHelix GPS (global positioning system) antenna which is to feature in the new GPS addon for the Ericsson T60c cellphone The Smartback GPS addon has been developed by US-based Chapman Technologies, and provides GPS positioning information to ensure compliance with the USA's emergency call E911 mandate
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 16 Oct 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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GPS antenna slides into CompactFlash designs
In the last four months four companies have designed the Sarantel ultra-small GeoHelix GPS antenna into CompactFlash GPS modules in current production.
GPS antenna shrinks to surface mounting
A new small, passive, surface-mount version of the GeoHelix GPS antennas suits demanding applications requiring internal or tightly integrated surface-mount antennas.
It will benefit from the ability of the GeoHelix antenna to operate alongside the mobile phone antenna without interference.
The enhanced mobile phone will also provide personal security, telematics and location specific information to subscribers in the USA, Canada and Latin America.
The Chapman Safeguard Companion GPS enhancer is a detachable device that replaces the standard battery on an Ericsson T60c phone.
Further reading
Antenna helps keep Aussie golfers on the fairway
Tee2Green Technologies of Victoria, Australia has used a Sarantel GeoHelix GPS antenna in its new Sureshotgps range finder for golfers.
Omnidirectional bonus for miniature GPS antenna
Antenna specialist Sarantel has announced the PowerHelix GPS-P, a miniature GPS antenna which is omnidirectional and therefore tolerant of the orientation of the GPS receiver.
Novel GPS antenna picks up more satellites
The GeoHelix-H is a new-technology high-gain active antenna for portable GPS receivers which enables more satellites to be acquired than conventional patch devices.
Operating on CDMA, TDMA and GSM networks, GPS positioning information is relayed from the Smartback device back to the Chapman Command Centre (C3) as a standard data call.
This is then used to provide subscribers to the service with constant 911-trained emergency monitoring, roadside assistance and location-based information services.
"GPS positioning is the most effective and reliable manner of ascertaining the location of a cellular phone user", says Barrie Foley, CEO of Sarantel.
"Unlike basestation-dependent technology it requires no network upgrade nor replacement of handsets.
The first wave of GPS enabled cellular phones that are hitting the market now will rely upon accessories such as the Smartback.
However if the market takes off as we expect I'm sure we'll see closer and closer integration between GPS and phone, something the Sarantel antenna is ideally suited to".
Sarantel's range of advanced PowerHelix antennas is particularly suited to incorporation into complex and compact electronic devices because they may be mounted side by side and used in combined applications, such as GPS and cellular phones, or even Bluetooth and WLAN.
The PowerHelix range uses Sarantel's patented design in which copper tracks, deposited onto a small ceramic cylinder, are individually and automatically laser trimmed for optimum frequency response.
They require no ground plane and operate effectively even when in close proximity to the body.
"Sarantel's GeoHelix antenna was ideal for our purpose.
From a design perspective there is no more difficult environment for a GPS system than tucked into someone's breast pocket or held in the hand", says Laurence Sack, President of Chapman.
"Our Smartback system will be used for critical emergency calls, there was no question of accepting a solution that worked 90% of the time, we had to have a perfect solution first time".
The release of the GPS range of antennas from Sarantel is timely because of a ruling from the US Federal Communications Commission on the 1996 Telecom act.
This obliges US cellular network carriers to ensure 95% of mobile emergency calls can be located to within 150m by 2005.
This has been the subject of much debate within the mobile communications industry as to how feasible such positioning is on a commercial network.
Sarantel's antenna and Chapman's Smartback prove that it is possible.
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