Racelogic are working with NavSys Corporation to provide LabSat customers with an option to simulate the signals coming from the troubled SVN 49 satellite.
The problems have been caused by signals from the L1 and L2 antennas being un-intentionally reflected by a new antenna designed to transmit on the new L5 band.
NavSys and Racelogic have been in discussions with GPS Wing, and we will shortly be releasing an update to the SatGen software to give users the ability to simulate the errant signal so they can tune their receivers to cope when the Satellite is switched to healthy.
Since its release seven months ago, LabSat has already made a mark on the GPS Simulator market, with uptake from a number of product manufacturers looking for realistic and repeatable GPS testing.
Development has continued at a fast pace, and we can now announce that LabSat has a new capability: video synchronisation.
Using the Racelogic Video VBOX, a GPS data logger used by automotive and motorsports professionals, perfectly synchronised multi-camera video can be recorded alongside the GPS RF data.
This is possible because the internal GPS engine in Video VBOX time stamps the video, enabling the RF data to be perfectly synchronised, with the GPS data graphically superimposed on the image during recording.
If you’re a developer, this means you can film your test route alongside the GPS RF data and play it back in sync, with a graphic overlay.
This gives a unique visual element to testing, and it’s ideal for developing location based services. It also enables you to demonstrate equipment at exhibitions and in training.
Julian Thomas (MD) said: “To see the video, in perfect time with the GPS RF playback, provides engineers with valuable information about the real world conditions encountered during the recording.”
Roke, the company behind numerous inventions in communications, aviation, and defence, has recently taken delivery of a record and replay LabSat system in order to test their GPS devices.
With laboratories located in the grounds of a manor house near Southampton, UK, Roke is one of Siemens’ worldwide R&D centres. Their past innovations are as diverse as ‘HawkEye’, a sensor system which tracks the flight of a tennis or cricket ball and revolutionised television coverage, all the way to ‘HALO’, an acoustic locator of guns and mortars, designed initially to detect cease-fire violations in Yugoslavia, and now used by the British Army.
The 420-strong company is also well known for providing quick and innovative solutions to complex challenges using location based technology across a variety of markets, which made the ability of LabSat to record and replay real world GPS scenarios for test and development for GPS devices useful in a variety of applications.
George McLeod, Test Gear Manager at Roke Manor Research, said, “LabSat has been a valuable tool in assisting our Engineers on GPS development projects. The ability to record live GPS RF signals and replay these in the lab has allowed us to conduct realistic and repeatable GPS testing from the workbench, helping to ensure that we are able to deliver solutions that accurately meet our customers’ requirements in the fastest possible time scale.”
ION GNSS, the GPS industry’s most prestigious conference and tradeshow, was held in Georgia last month.
Craig Wynant from VBOX USA, LabSat distributor in the States, joined Racelogic Design Director Chris Smith to demonstrate LabSat’s capabilities.
Chris said: “There was a lot of interest in the LabSat GPS simulator from organisations across the GPS industry, including receiver manufacturers, aerospace companies, educational establishments, and chipset companies.”
He said: “It was also great to receive some good feedback from some of our existing customers, who are benefiting from using LabSat in their development work.”
LabSat's new video sync capability demonstrated at ION GNSS 09
Being asked if we’ll be taking along firearms to our exhibition stand isn’t a question we’re used to being asked by show organisers, but then again DSEI was no normal show.
Taking place at the ExCel centre in London’s docklands last month, Defence Systems & Equipment International London is the world’s largest defence expo, complete with a range of high end weaponry and security solutions, and attracting visitors from a diverse range of companies.
LabSat was on display in addition to the full range of VBOX GPS data loggers, and proved to be an attraction for a variety of attendees who stopped to find out how LabSat could assist in their GPS development and testing.
Our LabSat product manager, Stephen Jenkins, said: “I spoke with a number of organisations who include GPS navigation in their products, and who would benefit from using LabSat within GPS development, integration, and production testing.”
“We also had interest from manufacturers of GPS surveillance systems, UAV developers, as well as defence system companies.”
Chris Smith (Design Director) at the LabSat stand at DSEI 09
A preview of the press release due to go out this week to coincide with the launch of our most powerful software yet…
Screenshots from new software simulator SatGen – set to improve OEM device development
Racelogic’s new scenario generation software, SatGen, released this week, makes easy work of creating custom scenarios for their LabSat GPS Simulator. Complex scenarios can be created very simply by using the intelligent path and velocity models built into the software.
With its ability to simulate user defined dynamic GPS scenarios from scratch anywhere in the world, the new software answers the demand for efficient and accurate testing of the increasing numbers of professional and consumer GPS featured products on the market.
Stephen Jenkins, LabSat project manager, gave an example of how SatGen could be used: “If your company is based in the USA, but you sell your GPS products internationally, SatGen will enable you to create a test scenario for virtually any location. You can program a drive round Tokyo, or a route through Stuttgart for example, and check that your design performs as required, without needing to leave the office.”Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Harry Nicholas 
Customer Profile: Roke Manor Research
October 27, 2009Roke, the company behind numerous inventions in communications, aviation, and defence, has recently taken delivery of a record and replay LabSat system in order to test their GPS devices.
With laboratories located in the grounds of a manor house near Southampton, UK, Roke is one of Siemens’ worldwide R&D centres. Their past innovations are as diverse as ‘HawkEye’, a sensor system which tracks the flight of a tennis or cricket ball and revolutionised television coverage, all the way to ‘HALO’, an acoustic locator of guns and mortars, designed initially to detect cease-fire violations in Yugoslavia, and now used by the British Army.
The 420-strong company is also well known for providing quick and innovative solutions to complex challenges using location based technology across a variety of markets, which made the ability of LabSat to record and replay real world GPS scenarios for test and development for GPS devices useful in a variety of applications.
George McLeod, Test Gear Manager at Roke Manor Research, said, “LabSat has been a valuable tool in assisting our Engineers on GPS development projects. The ability to record live GPS RF signals and replay these in the lab has allowed us to conduct realistic and repeatable GPS testing from the workbench, helping to ensure that we are able to deliver solutions that accurately meet our customers’ requirements in the fastest possible time scale.”
Roke Website