[time-nuts] Z3801A good GPS-receiver

[Magnus Danielson]

From: John Ackermann N8UR <jra at febo.com>
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Z3801A good GPS-receiver
Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2005 21:01:43 -0400
Message-ID: <42BF4FF7.3060607 at febo.com>

Hi John,

> I suspect that a large percentage of us on this list have a Z3801A --
> and if you add Tom's collection, it probably averages out to at least
> one each!

So I've noticed.

> They are very good units and provide a nice way to get traceability.

Good.

> You might check out
> http://www.realhamradio.com/GPS_Frequency_Standard.htm which has a lot
> of information about these units.
> 
> I've also written some Perl programs to log data from them under *nix,
> similar to the Windows software that's available (see links on the
> realhamradio site for the Windows version).

Yes, I've noticed all the links, software and all that. Being a *nix guy I
naturally care to have the source and control.

The reason I'm asking is that I don't beleive all I'm reading on the web, it's
nice to stir the pot a little and get some opinions too. If someone walks up
and say "yeah, but we only bougth them dirt cheap a couple of years back
because it was the best deal then, but now you can get..." I have provided a
reason to utter that comment.

One of the things I have failed to find is the type of GPS receiver operation
in action. I assume that it is a C/A signal (it only says L1), but does it use
HPs brilliant solution to track both carrier and code variations to make
compensations similar to the L1/L2 P(Y) code-less tracking? I think I have
the article around here somewhere. It is not a carrier-phase type of receiver
as I have gathered it. Right?

At work I keep things traceable through a Pendulum GPS-88, but I don't think
the nice people at Pendulum is going to offer me a GPS-88 or GPS-89 for the
price I can get a Z3801A shipped from US. On the other hand, I could check
with them! ;O)

Cheers,
Magnus