I was just notified by a supplier of gps modules in RSA that this product has become available locally(RSA). I'm not sure how long this has been out in the rest of the world, but the following statement had my attention : NEO-6P GPS module for Precise Point Positioning....OK, what is PPP, and how accurate is it exactly. The guys at ublox claims positional accuracy of <1m. http://www.u-blox.com/en/gps-modules/neo-6p-/neo-6p.html
This is brillian for a L1 receiver. Then the small print - it can achieve and maintain this level of accuracy in static or slow moving applications. It is priced at around 1.5* the T chip's price and also has the raw data output capability that can be used in achieving a RTK fix (OpenRTK lib. ect).
Looking ahead in the quest for affordable, reliable 5cm accuracy receivers, I can not help but wonder when we will see a L1+L2 receiver from ublox at a price that does not involve selling a kidney. Are these guys going to stay with the mobile device position market? Will this market's demand for more accurate solutions push them to release technology they already posses (I'm speculating, but pretty sure). Can't wait for the NEO-6RTK.
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I already got this Neo 6P module from CSGShop. Price its ok, shipping its ok, however after further reading, it regret buying this module. It would be better to buy it directly from UBLOX, as they sell one evaluation package with the latest firmware and flash options .
THE CSG module includes an old Firmware and cannot be upgraded because the module includes no FLASH memory or EEPROM, only ROM. Included ROM version is 6.02 and most of the features appear to be disabled on that version based on the documentation.
PPP configuration requires firmware 7.02 as stated on page 41 of the Receiver description Protocol. Check link...
http://www.u-blox.com/images/downloads/Product_Docs/u-blox6_Receive...
PPP needs to be configured and seems to be active, however precision is something which I cannot state. Submetre accuracy is reported for 2D positioning in the order of several hours and under static occupation.
TO store the configuration, you need to add a battery or an EEPROM via the I2C bus. That bus is available with the SCA and SCL breakout. However such connectors require a quite small wire such as wrap wire. i.e. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8030
I used an Microship 24L032A as a replacement for the 24AA32A and works OK for storing configuration.
TO upgrade the firmware, you need to add a FLASH memory via the SPI bus. However, the SPI bus has no direct access from the board and you need to solder directly on the UBLOX chip, a risky operation for the unskilled person.
All the nice features like AGPS or Assist now require a flash memory. Without flash, you need to attach the GPS directly to a computer via USB to provide the required information.
Conclusion. As a GPS, works fine, reads SBAS and is highly configurable. You can extract RAW data and use it for postprocessing using RTKLIB. RTCM mesages are supposed to work so DGPS can be used but also need additional soldering or transmitting them via USB port.
The provided software its fine to configure the module, but is not a simple business.
If you intend to use this as an out of the box submetric solution, forget about it. There is no miracle sub metric accuracy. Otherwise buy it directly from UBLOX or stick to the Neo6M GPS. It is cheaper ($20) and includes battery, and works just fine for L1 and CA Codes, precision of 2.5m CEP.
If you really need a submeter accuracy, check for omnistar ready GPS devices. They provide the required corrections via the nominal fee or 1500 bucks a year and promise sub meter accuracy in realtime.
The antena its an active antena from UBLOX and it is nice. UBLOX the provide the complete data sheet with specs for it.
Hope this clarifies some of the confusion with the NEO 6P module.
Cheers.
CSGshop usually adds the same kit antenna as u-blox in its own eval kit (which is of course too expansive).
This is the so called "ANN-MS" antenna, a really cheap patch antenna from China resp. Taiwan.
Of course it works and giving fine results for the first look (high gain, which is resulting in relatively high signal levels with the high sensitivity NEO-6P receiver), but you won't get the full potential of your NEO-6P with the cheapest antennas!
Don't forget, one major feauture of the NEO-6P is the "carrier smoothing" which is in fact a measurement of the GPS signal carrier phases (as typically done in RTK setups).
Related precision antennas with a very good price-feature ratio are the so called "dual-feed" from Tallysman (see http://www.tallysman.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/White-Paper...).
I offer them usually in enclosures (mostly for RTK systems) but of course you could use their embedded models for UAV applications, especially the TW2105 (http://www.tallysman.com/TW2105.php).
Even I usually offer complete devices in ruggedized enclosures (for outdoor surveying) I can offer simple carrier boards for the NEO-6P, but of course already equipped with a Lithium battery and a Flash EEPROM (non-volatile store your settings). USB and UART interfaces can be used both separately (together or independant), powering is possible with 5 V as well as with 3.3 V.
If you're interested, I could show some photos of the board on my website.
https://www.optimalsystem.de/os.aspx?x=411&lg=en
Best regards from Saxony (a state in Eastern Germany),
Hagen
What length of cable is that patch antenna?
CSGshop has a black patch antenna for $ 19.95. That is what I got. Search their site for antenna otherwise impossible to find !
thank you very much your quick answer.
after i test ppp accuracy ,i will share results in this site.
I decided to buy gps from csgshop because its better price.but i am not sure which antenna i buy.
can you sent me your antenna link from csgshop please ?
i want to examine features.
thanks again.
The firmware is already loaded. The eval board works out of the box using the built-in USB port. For APM you need to set the UART1 baud, solder in an adapter to connect it to APM (I cut off an old 3DR GPS cable), and for NMEA you are done. If you select UBX you need to setup the messages you need. There is documentation on this site. Just serach. I stuck with NMEA. You can also get NMEA out the USB port. It is also used for configuration from a PC using ucenter software (free ublox download). You can get an eval board from ublox online. It is a little pricey but it comes with active antenna. I got my board and antenna from CSGshop.com. They have a better price, but it takes a while to ship to the US. They have a suitable antenna.Tell Alexander I sent you.
Let me know how accurate this thng really is.
Vijay.. so when your eval board is plugged into your computer it is just a NMEA stream? Seems like the NEO-6P has very good accuracy when standing still.. and would be a good alternative to a expensive one for taking spot measurements. I am trying to figure out a way to accurately geo-reference photos and having points of reference in the photos that I have taken redings from would be ideal... just want to know I can read the data from the eval board.. and NMEA is perfect if that is what you get.
thanks for helpfull reply.
how did you load firmware to ublox neo 6p ? (FTDI cables or USB port on eval board.)
I have used NEO-6P with APM2.5. It works fine. I typically get 11 sats with HDOP 1.1. Use the UART1 set to 38400 baud. You can use NMEA only or UBX only. The APM2.5 works outs using Autoprotocol. I have found NMEA to work easier. Typically 15 sec to 3D fix. However, I am not sure NEO-6P is truly better in the real world then LEA-6H. More tests needed and hopefully other people will try it. My eval board has sma antenna jack so I am using an active remote GPS antenna.
does anybody use ublox neo 6p ppp with apm 2.5 board ?
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