This is not a perfect solution, but it wouldn't be all that bad: I have a GPS unit that set me back about $70. It is sold by Rand McNally, but made by a company in New Zealand. The unit is made to attach to a PC, such as a laptop. It looks alot like a mouse, but attaches to the PC's serial port. Inside there is one board and a patch antenna. The whole assembly weighs a few ounces. Every second, it spits out the typical GPS NMEA strings (position, of course, is part of that serial dump).
I could program a PIC processor to strip out the position strings from the GPS and integrate a call sign into the message packet and spit it out to a transmitter. I think this would be a fairly trivial process. By the way, doesn't G-Wiz or some other rocket supply place sell GPS's on a chip? Bill -----Original Message----- From: Sander Pool [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, June 07, 2002 5:19 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [ERPS] Fwd: [WAMEX] An interesting device Don't all cell phone 'standards' (yeah, that's a joke :-) need to support GPS location reporting within the next few years? Of course if there is no cell-coverage at all this doesn't work. Even Nextel uses a cell tower to connect phones 'directly', right? It would probably be tricky to buy less than 10.000 units of these chipsets but maybe a sample or two could be had. Sander ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pierce Nichols" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, June 07, 2002 5:12 PM Subject: [ERPS] Fwd: [WAMEX] An interesting device > > Anyone know if there is GSM service out at MTA? > > -p > > >X-Originating-IP: [194.237.142.5] > >From: "Carsten Glans" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: "WAMEX" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Subject: [WAMEX] An interesting device > >Date: Sat, 8 Jun 2002 00:04:33 +0100 > >X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 > >X-OriginalArrivalTime: 07 Jun 2002 22:10:13.0957 (UTC) > >FILETIME=[19129750:01C20E70] > > > >Hi list! > > > >I have no connection to this company whatsoever, but have found what i > >belive is a great gadget for rocketry application. What they have > >developed is a transponder small as a box of matches containing a GSM > >phone with a GPS device built in. You can phone it up and ask where it is > >(its using both GPS and GSM triangulation) and also have the device phone > >you up and say where it is. It is also capable of being programed and > >controlled from a phone (manual recovery activation!?). The obvius usage > >is of course for rocket recovery. They also are up to making a small > >device you put on your dog when you are out hunting and you can follow the > >dog from the phone using for example a WAP phone. Its also possible to > >trace through maps on Internet and on map programs. I will investigate > >further, they are to release their products during the automn. The address > >is <http://www.followit.se/>http://www.followit.se/ > > > >Respectfully > > > > > >Carsten Glans > ><http://www.min-sajt.com/cag>http://www.min-sajt.com/cag > > > > Mars or Bust! > www.marssociety.com > > _______________________________________________ > ERPS-list mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list > > _______________________________________________ ERPS-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list _______________________________________________ ERPS-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list
