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A software thing I built: GPS on a 25MHz 486-SX

75 points · 24 comments · JPLeRouzic

  1. guenthert · · focus · HN ↗
    "real-time GPS-driven moving map display"

    Not the IMHO more interesting analog tech which lifts signals out of thermal noise.

    1. JPLeRouzic · · focus · HN ↗
      That looks interesting, what technology "lifts signals out of thermal noise"?
      1. FrankPetrilli · · focus · HN ↗
        GPS - look into Gold Codes [1] and auto-correlation. GPS arrives on your device at -128dBm, give or take, while thermal noise is -111dBm at the ~2MHz sampling bandwidth used. We use the processing gain from correlating against the ~1Mchip/s gold code to extract the lower bitrate signal, so you're pulling signals from approximately 20dB below the relevant thermal noise floor.

        [1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Gold_code" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Gold_code

      2. y04nn · · focus · HN ↗
        DSSS, direct sequence spread spectrum, used for encoding GPS signal
      3. peaseagee · · focus · HN ↗
        Spread spectrum, it&#x27;s pretty magical.
      4. JPLeRouzic · · focus · HN ↗
        Thanks @FrankPetrilli.
      5. squantor · · focus · HN ↗
        I found this an interesting writeup on the technologies needed to receive GPS signals:

        <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aholme.co.uk&#x2F;GPS&#x2F;Main.htm" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aholme.co.uk&#x2F;GPS&#x2F;Main.htm

        The combination of RF electronics and then doing the signal processing in an FPGA for the timing critical stuff and the actual DSP with a raspberry pi, very interesting.

        1. JPLeRouzic · · focus · HN ↗
          Thank you @squantor
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