CubeCell GPS (HTCC-AB02S) Air530 not getting signal?

#1

Hi, I got a few of your AB02S GPS modules, and am trying to use them, but it seems the Air530 is not getting a signal?

The basic behavior in the configAir530 example seems to work (see edit at bottom of post), gives results like:

15:06:50.305 -> $GNGGA,000018.029,3041.4346,N,10410.4026,E,0,0,,181.9,M,-31.9,M,,*7F

15:06:50.342 -> $GPGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,*1E

15:06:50.380 -> $BDGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,*0F

15:06:50.380 -> $GPGSV,1,1,00*79

15:06:50.413 -> $BDGSV,1,1,00*68

15:06:50.485 -> $GNRMC,000018.029,V,3041.4346,N,10410.4026,E,0.000,0.00,060180,,,N*52

15:06:50.523 -> $GNVTG,0.00,T,,M,0.000,N,0.000,K,N*2C

The other example programs, oledDisplayGPSInfo and printGPSInfo are also giving nonsense data, such as the time being June 1, 2080 at 0:00:00, and my coordinates and altitude as 0.00. Here’s an example of the output from printGPSInfo:

14:30:10.845 -> Date/Time: 2080/06/01 00:00:20.02
14:30:10.845 -> LAT: 0.000000, LON: 0.000000, ALT: 0.00
14:30:10.845 -> SATS: 0, HDOP: 0.00, AGE: 4294967295, COURSE: 0.00, SPEED: 0.00

Is this a known issue? How can I fix this to get useful information out of the GPS module?

I’m using the latest version (1.0.0) of the CubeCell Development Framework.
Thanks!

Edit: upon further research, I realize the fields that did have information in the ConfigAir530 example were just providing the (incorrect, presumably) time. How good is the built-in GPS antenna, and how long does it take to acquire a signal? If I want to use an external antenna, does the included one work, or is that just for LoRa? Also which connector is for GPS and which is for LoRa, they don’t seem to be labeled or described in the documentation?

thanks again.

Summary

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#2

Hi，
Please test the GPS in an open environment.The connector nearby the OLED is for LoRa, the other one is for GPS. An active external GPS antenna may accelerate GPS fix.

1 Like
#3

Did you ever get this fixed?

#5

hi,

this is not a bug. An active external GPS antenna may accelerate GPS fix.

#7

I managed to get this working, the Air530 chip supports more modes than the classes provided have implemented, by sending commands directly to the GPS chip I’ve managed to get my GPS chip working fine, date, altitude and lat and long all work as expected. I assume these issues are related to the default methods not enabling gelileo for european countries, the example I have provided below will enable all 4 types (gps, glonass, beidou, galileo).

Both the onboard and external antennas work, the onboard is slower to get a lock though, as expected.
I found an english translation of the Air530 manual where the raw commands for the GPS chip reside (links below).

The specific one I was interested in is this:

Command: 115 to set the search mode
Arguments:
Arg1: "1", GPS on        "0", GPS off
Arg2: "1", Glonass on  "0", Glonass off
Arg3: "1", Beidou on    "0", Beidou off
Arg4: "1", Galieo on     "0", Galieo off
Example: $PGKC115,1,0, 0,0*2B<CR><LF>

So the following code to send the relevant command worked for me:

Air530.begin();
Air530.sendcmd("$PGKC115,1,1,1,1*2B\r\n"); // mode: gps, glonass, beidou, galileo [0: off, 1: on]
Air530.setNMEA(NMEA_GGA|NMEA_RMC|NMEA_VTG);

Useful links


https://pe2bz.philpem.me.uk/Comm/-%20Receivers/-%20GPS/Info-921-GPS/Site1/Gps-Diags/NMEA_sentences.htm

Heltec GPS module sources were also useful:

Overall this device seems cool, but would be nice if the documentation was better.

2 Likes
#8

Hello,

With external active antenna did you mean something like this?:

I’m assuming since the antenna is active it would need power. The example above says something about 3-5V. Does the ab02s provide that voltage on the external antenna connector? In the schematics it doesn’t seam to. I tried a similar antenna without reception improvement.

1 Like
#9

I failed to get the GPS working using the internal antenna, I left it outside for more than an hour (I’m in a rural area with no neighbours and with a clear view of the sky) and didn’t pick up a single satellite.

After reading this I just plugged in the LoRa antenna into the GPS socket and I had a fix within a minute from inside the house. I think there must be a defect with the internal antenna but I can’t see anything obvious.

I now use the following antenna :

#10

I’ve discovered that, here in the UK, if I set the mode to GPS and GLONASS with

Air530.setmode(MODE_GPS_GLONASS);

then I can get a fix using only the onboard antenna.

#11

Have a look at this :wink: