GPS Receiver

Has anyone ever built a GPS receiver with a PIC? I'd like to give it a try. All the projects I've seen start out like "Buy a receiver and interface it to a PIC..." Well Garmin programmed their chips at some point, and that's what I'd like to try. I realize it's a large undertaking with a lot of Fun Math(TM), but even if I could just lock onto a clock signal, that would be a cool project.

bonxer said:

Has anyone ever built a GPS receiver with a PIC? I'd like to give it a try. All the projects I've seen start out like "Buy a receiver and interface it to a PIC..." Well Garmin programmed their chips at some point, and that's what I'd like to try. I realize it's a large undertaking with a lot of Fun Math(TM), but even if I could just lock onto a clock signal, that would be a cool project.

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It's hardly just a matter of programming a chip!.

You first need to built the receiver section itself, then you have to decide how to decode the signals - like anything, it would certainly be possible - but be prepared for a suitcase sized (probably a large suitcase) receiver, and spending many thousands of dollars.

I second what Nigel said.

You gotta understand, GPS is complicated enough that they don't build recievers out of off-the-shelf components... there are certainly custom-built ICs that they use. to make the equivalent of one of those ICs out of other chips (microcontrollers, logic, all that stuff) you would need a TON of space, winding up with the suitcase-sized unit that nigel mentions. not to mention the YEARS it would probably take you to actually design and build one and get it running... if you could even do it at all.

if it were as simple as throwing a microcontroller and a few other parts together, then it would probably already have been done.

I guess I now have more respect for my little 2"x2"x1" Delorme Earthmate. https://www.delorme.com/earthmate