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What is GPS?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of ! satellites pla"ed into orbit by the #$S$ %epartment of %efense$ GPS was originally intended for military appli"ations& but in the '()*s& the government made the system available for "ivilian use$ GPS works in any weather "onditions& anywhere in the world& ! hours a day$ There are no subs"ription fees or setup "harges to use GPS$ +ow it works GPS satellites "ir"le the earth twi"e a day in a very pre"ise orbit and transmit signal information to earth$ GPS re"eivers take this information and use triangulation to "al"ulate the user,s e-a"t lo"ation$ .ssentially& the GPS re"eiver "ompares the time a signal was transmitted by a satellite with the time it was re"eived$ The time differen"e tells the GPS re"eiver how far away the satellite is$ /ow& with distan"e measurements from a few more satellites& the re"eiver "an determine the user,s position and display it on the unit,s ele"troni" map$

0 GPS re"eiver must be lo"ked on to the signal of at least three satellites to "al"ulate a % position (latitude and longitude) and tra"k movement$ With four or more satellites in view& the re"eiver "an determine the user,s 1% position (latitude& longitude and altitude)$ 2n"e the user,s position has been determined& the GPS unit "an "al"ulate other information& su"h as speed& bearing& tra"k& trip distan"e& distan"e to destination& sunrise and sunset time and more$ +ow a""urate is GPS? Today,s GPS re"eivers are e-tremely a""urate& thanks to their parallel multi-"hannel design$ Garmin,s ' parallel "hannel re"eivers are 3ui"k to lo"k onto satellites when first turned on and they maintain strong lo"ks& even in dense foliage or urban settings with tall buildings$ 4ertain atmospheri" fa"tors and other sour"es of error "an affe"t the a""ura"y of GPS re"eivers$ Garmin5 GPS re"eivers are a""urate to within '6 meters on average$

/ewer Garmin GPS re"eivers with W00S (Wide 0rea 0ugmentation System) "apability "an improve a""ura"y to less than three meters on average$ /o additional e3uipment or fees are re3uired to take advantage of W00S$ #sers "an also get better a""ura"y with %ifferential GPS (%GPS)& whi"h "orre"ts GPS signals to within an average of three to five meters$ The #$S$ 4oast Guard operates the most "ommon %GPS "orre"tion servi"e$ This system "onsists of a network of towers that re"eive GPS signals and transmit a "orre"ted signal by

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bea"on transmitters$ 7n order to get the "orre"ted signal& users must have a differential bea"on re"eiver and bea"on antenna in addition to their GPS$

The GPS satellite system The ! satellites that make up the GPS spa"e segment are orbiting the earth about ' &*** miles above us$ They are "onstantly moving& making two "omplete orbits in less than ! hours$ These satellites are travelling at speeds of roughly 8&*** miles an hour$ GPS satellites are powered by solar energy$ They have ba"kup batteries onboard to keep them running in the event of a solar e"lipse& when there,s no solar power$ Small ro"ket boosters on ea"h satellite keep them flying in the "orre"t path$ +ere are some other interesting fa"ts about the GPS satellites (also "alled /09ST0:& the offi"ial #$S$ %epartment of %efense name for GPS); o The first GPS satellite was laun"hed in '(8)$ o 0 full "onstellation of ! satellites was a"hieved in '((!$ o .a"h satellite is built to last about '* years$ :epla"ements are "onstantly being built and laun"hed into orbit$ o 0 GPS satellite weighs appro-imately &*** pounds and is about '8 feet a"ross with the solar panels e-tended$ o Transmitter power is only 6* watts or less$ What,s the signal? GPS satellites transmit two low power radio signals& designated <' and < $ 4ivilian GPS uses the <' fre3uen"y of '686$! =+> in the #+? band$ The signals travel by line of sight& meaning they will pass through "louds& glass and plasti" but will not go through most solid ob@e"ts su"h as buildings and mountains$ 0 GPS signal "ontains three different bits of information - a pseudorandom "ode& ephemeris data and almana" data$ The pseudorandom "ode is simply an 7$%$ "ode that identifies whi"h satellite is transmitting information$ Aou "an view this number on your Garmin GPS unit,s satellite page& as it identifies whi"h satellites it,s re"eiving$ .phemeris data& whi"h is "onstantly transmitted by ea"h satellite& "ontains important information about the status of the satellite (healthy or unhealthy)& "urrent date and time$ This part of the signal is essential for determining a position$ The almana" data tells the GPS re"eiver where ea"h GPS satellite should be at any time throughout the day$ .a"h satellite transmits almana" data showing the orbital information for that satellite and for every other satellite in the system$

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Sour"es of GPS signal errors ?a"tors that "an degrade the GPS signal and thus affe"t a""ura"y in"lude the following; o 7onosphere and troposphere delays - The satellite signal slows as it passes through the atmosphere$ The GPS system uses a built-in model that "al"ulates an average amount of delay to partially "orre"t for this type of error$ o Signal multipath - This o""urs when the GPS signal is refle"ted off ob@e"ts su"h as tall buildings or large ro"k surfa"es before it rea"hes the re"eiver$ This in"reases the travel time of the signal& thereby "ausing errors$ o :e"eiver "lo"k errors - 0 re"eiver,s built-in "lo"k is not as a""urate as the atomi" "lo"ks onboard the GPS satellites$ Therefore& it may have very slight timing errors$ o 2rbital errors - 0lso known as ephemeris errors& these are ina""ura"ies of the satellite,s reported lo"ation$ o /umber of satellites visible - The more satellites a GPS re"eiver "an Bsee&B the better the a""ura"y$ Cuildings& terrain& ele"troni" interferen"e& or sometimes even dense foliage "an blo"k signal re"eption& "ausing position errors or possibly no position reading at all$ GPS units typi"ally will not work indoors& underwater or underground$ o Satellite geometryDshading - This refers to the relative position of the satellites at any given time$ 7deal satellite geometry e-ists when the satellites are lo"ated at wide angles relative to ea"h other$ Poor geometry results when the satellites are lo"ated in a line or in a tight grouping$ o 7ntentional degradation of the satellite signal - Sele"tive 0vailability (S0) is an intentional degradation of the signal on"e imposed by the #$S$ %epartment of %efense$ S0 was intended to prevent military adversaries from using the highly a""urate GPS signals$ The government turned off S0 in =ay ***& whi"h signifi"antly improved the a""ura"y of "ivilian GPS re"eivers$ How does the Global Positioning System work ? Updated 26th June 2011

0rti"le by %arren Griffin ntrodu!tion When 7 first wrote this arti"le ba"k in ** & "onsumer grade GPS was very new& very e-pensive and very rareE 4onse3uently most of those who "hose to invest in GPS hardware had a vested interest in dis"overing how this marvel of te"hnology worked$ Ca"k in **' when map based GPS navigation first arrived& new users "ould not believe that the system was fee free with no servi"e plan and no "ontra"t& what was the "at"h they all asked? 0nd so the seed of an idea that be"ame this e-planation was born$ FG years on GPS is mainstream& a "ommodity item that is no longer ama>ing or to be marveled at$ We @ust open the bo-& swit"h on and use it with little thought to the te"hnology that drives it$ Cut it is still worth e-plaining how a small bla"k bo- sat on your dashboard or held in your hand "an know where you are anywhere on the surfa"e of the planet to an a""ura"y of about '*m for "onsumer grade and '*mm for survey grade devi"esE That devi"e on your dash is re"eiving a signal from a satellite orbiting above you at an altitude of over ''&*** milesE /ot bad for a devi"e that is not "onne"ted to a m dishE "a!kground # $a%star The Global Positioning System (GPS) network we all use is "alled /avstar and is paid for and operated by the #S %epartment of %efen"e (%o%)$ This Global /avigation Satellite System (G/SS) is "urrently the only fully operational system but :ussia has G<2/0SS& 4hina has 42=P0SS and the .# has G0<7<.2 ea"h at varying stages of development or testing$ 0s a military system& /avstar was originally designed and reserved for the sole use of the military but "ivilian users were allowed a""ess in '()1$ Ca"k then& a""ura"y for "ivilian users was intentionally degraded to GD- '**m using a system known as Sele"tive 0vailability (S0) but this was eliminated in =ay ***$ &he Satellite $etwork The GPS satellites transmit signals to a GPS re"eiver$ These re"eivers passively re"eive satellite signalsH they do not transmit and re3uire an unobstru"ted view of the sky& so they "an only be used effe"tively outdoors$ .arly re"eivers did not perform well within forested areas or near tall buildings but later re"eiver designs su"h as Si:?Star777& =TI et" have over"ome this and improved performan"e and sensitivity markedly$ GPS operations depend on a very a""urate time referen"e& whi"h is provided by atomi" "lo"ks on board the satellites$

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The /avstar GPS 4onstellation .a"h GPS satellite transmits data that indi"ates its lo"ation and the "urrent time$ 0ll GPS satellites syn"hroni>e operations so that these repeating signals are transmitted at the same instant$ The signals& moving at the speed of light& arrive at a GPS re"eiver at slightly different times be"ause some satellites are further away than others$ The distan"e to the GPS satellites "an be determined by estimating the amount of time it takes for their signals to rea"h the re"eiver$ When the re"eiver estimates the distan"e to at least four GPS satellites& it "an "al"ulate its position in three dimensions$ There are at least ! operational GPS satellites at all times plus a number of spares$ The satellites& operated by the #S %o%& orbit with a period of ' hours (two orbits per day) at a height of about ''&6** miles traveling at (&***mph (1$(kmDs or '!&***kph)$ Ground stations are used to pre"isely tra"k ea"h satellite,s orbit$ +ere is an interesting "omparison$ The GPS signals are transmitted at a power e3uivalent to a 6* watt domesti" light bulb$ Those signal have to pass through spa"e and our atmosphere before rea"hing your satnav after a @ourney of ''&6** miles$ 4ompare that with a T9 signal& transmitted from a large tower '* - * miles away at most& at a power level of 6-'*&*** watts$ 0nd "ompare the si>e of your T9,s roof mounted antenna with that of your GPS& often hidden inside the "ase itself$ 0 wonder then that it works as well as it does and when the o""asional hi""up o""urs you will at least understand the reasons why$

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Signals from multiple satellites are re3uired to "al"ulate a position How Position is 'etermined 0 GPS re"eiver BknowsB the lo"ation of the satellites be"ause that information is in"luded in the transmitted Ephemerisdata (see below)$ Cy estimating how far away a satellite is& the re"eiver also BknowsB it is lo"ated somewhere on the surfa"e of an imaginary sphere "entred at the satellite$ 7t then determines the si>es of several spheres& one for ea"h satellite and therefore knows the re"eiver is lo"ated where these spheres interse"t$ GPS (!!ura!y The a""ura"y of a position determined with GPS depends on the type of re"eiver$ =ost "onsumer GPS units have an a""ura"y of about GD-'*m$ 2ther types of re"eivers use a method "alled %ifferential GPS (%GPS) to obtain mu"h higher a""ura"y$ %GPS re3uires an additional re"eiver fi-ed at a known lo"ation nearby$ 2bservations made by the stationary re"eiver are used to "orre"t positions re"orded by the roving units& produ"ing an a""ura"y greater than ' meter$ How s &he Signal &imed? 0ll GPS satellites have several atomi" "lo"ks$ The signal that is sent out is a random se3uen"e& ea"h part of whi"h is different from every other& "alled pseudo-random "ode$ This random se3uen"e is repeated "ontinuously$ 0ll GPS re"eivers know this se3uen"e and repeat it internally$ Therefore& satellites and the re"eivers must be in syn"h$ The re"eiver pi"ks up the satellite,s transmission and "ompares the in"oming signal to its own internal signal$ Cy "omparing how mu"h the satellite signal is lagging& the travel time be"omes known$ )hat does the signal !onsist o*? GPS satellites transmit two radio signals$ These are designated as <' and < $ 0 4ivilian GPS uses the <' signal fre3uen"y ('686$! =+>) in the #+? band$ The signals travel by line of sight& meaning they will pass through "louds& glass& plasti" et" but will not travel through solid ob@e"ts su"h as buildings and mountains$ The GPS signal "ontains data and ephemeris data$ three different bits of information J a pseudo random !ode& almana!

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The pseudo random !ode is simply an 7$ %$ "ode that identifies whi"h satellite is transmitting information$ Aou "an often view this number on your GPS unit,s satellite information page& the number atta"hed to ea"h signal bar identifies whi"h satellites it,s re"eiving a signal from$ 2. (lmana! data is data that des"ribes the orbital "ourses of the satellites$ .very satellite will broad"ast almana" data for .9.:A satellite$ Aour GPS re"eiver uses this data to determine whi"h satellites it e-pe"ts to see in the lo"al sky$ 7t "an then determine whi"h satellites it should tra"k$ With 0lmana" data the re"eiver "an "on"entrate on those satellites it "an see and forget about those that would be over the hori>on and out of view$ 0lmana" data is not pre"ise and "an be valid for many months$ 3. +phemeris data is data that tells the GPS re"eiver where ea"h GPS satellite should be at any time throughout the day$ .a"h satellite will broad"ast its 2W/ ephemeris data showing the orbital information for that satellite only$ Ce"ause ephemeris data is very pre"ise orbital and "lo"k "orre"tion data ne"essary for pre"ise positioning& its validity is mu"h shorter$ 7t is broad"ast in three si- se"ond blo"ks repeated every 1* se"onds$ The data is "onsidered valid for up to ! hours but different manufa"turers "onsider it valid for different periods with some treating it as stale after only hours$ ,old Starts - )arm Starts +.plained 2ften manufa"turers and reviews will refer to ?a"tory& 4old and Warm Start times$ #nderstanding the above& these "an be simply e-plained as follows; /a!tory Start o 0ll data is "onsidered invalid$ ,old Start o 0lmana" data is "urrent but .phemeris is not or has e-pired$ )arm Start o Coth 0lmana" and .phemeris data is "urrent$ To "ompute a P9T (position velo"ity time) solution the re"eiver will look for satellites based on where it ,thinks, it is roughly lo"ated and the almana" if "urrent$ 7f it finds one or more of the satellites it e-pe"ts to see it will lo"k onto that satellite and begin downloading ephemeris data$ 2n"e data from three satellites has been re"eived an a""urate positional fi- is "al"ulated$ 7f you are moving whilst trying to obtain a fi- this pro"ess may take mu"h longer than it would if you were stationary$ Aour re"eiver must "omplete re"eption of ephemeris data without error& this data is transmitted in three pa"kets$ Should any one pa"ket not be re"eived "ompletely without error then it must start over again$ 4learly doing this whilst moving leads to mu"h higher error rates and longer fi- times$ 4onsiderably less than a se"ond of interruption is enough to mean the re"eiver will have to wait for the ne-t transmission$ 7f you are attempting a lo"k having re-lo"ated more than a "ouple of hundred miles sin"e your last fi- then the ephemeris data will in most "ases no longer be valid$ The re"eiver will be looking for satellites in the sky above that "annot be seen be"ause of your re-lo"ation$ 7n this "ase the re"eiver will initiate a fa"tory start and begin downloading both almana" and ephemeris data$ This will e-tend the initial time to lo"k "onsiderably$ This is why your GPS is so slow to "al"ulate a fi- when you swit"h it on in your hire-"ar at the airportE 0ui!k/i. +.plained Kui"k?i- is a feature provided by some manufa"turersDdevi"es$ To understand what Kui"k?i- is you need to understand in detail how a GPS "al"ulates your position$ ?or the initial position "al"ulation your GPS "hipset needs to find at least ! satellites with a strong enough signal ( ) dC+> or more) and it must keep those satellites and the signal strength for appro-imately one minute in order that it "an download the data from the satellites that is essential for "al"ulating your position (this it the ephemeris data e-plained earlier)$ 7f at any time the GPS re"eiver loses the signal of any satellite or the signal drops below ) dC+> then it has to start all over again and tra"k that satellite for another minute$ 7n a real life s"enario for e-ample& you may be driving between high buildings (urban "anyons& see below) and the re"eived GPS signal keeps "hanging all the time$ The Kui"k?i- file you download from the internet is part of a solution from your GPS "hip manufa"turer$ Si:? "all their solution 7nstant ?i- (7 .dition) or 0-GPS (assisted GPS)$ The file "ontains spe"ially prepared ephemeris data that is valid for 8 days that your GPS "hip uses instead of the the data re"eived from satellites for "al"ulating your first fi-$ '$

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This allows the "hip to skip the Bdownload ephemeris from satelliteB step and instead to start "al"ulating your position immediately after powering on$ This takes around 6-'6 se"onds on average$ The signal strength re3uired for downloading ephemeris data from satellites is )db+L whereas the signal strength re3uired for "al"ulating your position on"e your GPS has re"eived the ephemeris data is mu"h lower at only '6 dC+>$ So a valid Kui"k?i- file allows your devi"e to "al"ulate your position in 6-'6 se" rather than the minute it would otherwise take (if stationary)& and lowers the minimal signal strength re3uired for "al"ulating your position from ) dC+> to '6 dC+>$ 7f at any time your GPS "hipset finds the Kui"kfi- ephemeris data is invalid or very old it defaults to "al"ulating your position the traditional way& i$e$ tra"king a minimum of ! satellites with )db+> signal "ontinuously for around a minute$ Sour!es o* GPS signal ?a"tors that "an degrade the GPS signal and thus affe"t a""ura"y in"lude the following; error

There are many "auses for position errors or low signal '$ 7onosphere and troposphere delays J The satellite signal slows as it passes through the atmosphere$ The GPS system uses a built-in model that "al"ulates an average amount of delay to partially "orre"t for this type of error$ $ Signal multi path J This o""urs when the GPS signal is refle"ted off ob@e"ts su"h as tall buildings or large ro"k surfa"es before it rea"hes the re"eiver$ This in"reases the travel time of the signal& thereby "ausing errors$ 1$ :e"eiver "lo"k errors J 0 re"eiver,s built-in "lo"k is not as a""urate as the atomi" "lo"ks onboard the GPS satellites$ Therefore& it may have very slight timing errors$ !$ 2rbital errors J 0lso known as ephemeris errors& these are ina""ura"ies of the satellite,s reported lo"ation$ 6$ /umber of satellites visible J The more satellites a GPS re"eiver "an Bsee&B the better the a""ura"y$ F$ Cuildings& terrain& ele"troni" interferen"e& or sometimes even dense foliage "an blo"k signal re"eption& "ausing position errors or possibly no position reading at all$ GPS units typi"ally will not work indoors& underwater or underground$ 8$ Satellite geometryDshading J This refers to the relative position of the satellites at any given time$ )$ 7deal satellite geometry e-its when the satellites are lo"ated at wide angles relative to ea"h other$ ($ Poor geometry results when the satellites are lo"ated in a line or in a tight grouping$ '*$ 7ntentional degradation of the satellite signal J Sele"tive 0vailability (S0) is an intentional degradation of the signal on"e imposed by the #$S$ %o%$ S0 was intended to prevent military adversaries from using the highly a""urate GPS signals$ The government turned off S0 in =ay ***& whi"h signifi"antly improved the a""ura"y of "ivilian GPS re"eivers$ Some Satellite /a!ts +ere are some other interesting fa"ts about the GPS satellites; There are some &6** satellites of all types and purpose orbiting the earth$ There are over )&*** foreign ob@e"ts orbiting the earth "onsisting of items like nose "ones and panels from old satellites& an astronaut,s glove& spanner and moreE The first GPS satellite was laun"hed in '(8)$ 0 full "onstellation of ! satellites was a"hieved in '((!$ .a"h satellite is built to last about '* years$ :epla"ements are "onstantly being built and laun"hed into orbit$

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0 GPS satellite weighs appro-imately &*** pounds and is about '8 feet a"ross with the solar panels e-tended$ Transmitter power is a mere 6* watts or less$ ?or more information about satellites and GPS satellites in parti"ular& visit /0S0,s web site where you will find a GPS Satellite tra"ker applet similar to below that allows you to tra"k all of the &6** plus satellites that "urrently orbit our planet but more spe"ifi"ally you "an tra"k the /avstar network of satellites and see whi"h ones are "urrently flying over your lo"ation$

6** Satellites orbit the .arth GPS # $1+( senten!e in*ormation ,ontents '( 7nterpreted senten"es F Garmin proprietary senten"es with ! interpreted 0ll MGP--- senten"e "odes and short des"riptions ?ormat of latitudes and longitudes :eferen"es N Top O NGlenn,s GPS 4ontents PageO 12 nterpreted senten!es MGPC2% - Cearing& origin to destination MGPCW4 - Cearing and distan"e to waypoint& great "ir"le MGPGG0 - Global Positioning System ?i- %ata MGPG<< - Geographi" position& latitude D longitude MGPGS0 - GPS %2P and a"tive satellites MGPGS9 - GPS Satellites in view MGP+%T - +eading& True MGP:** - <ist of waypoints in "urrently a"tive route MGP:=0 - :e"ommended minimum spe"ifi" <oran-4 data MGP:=C - :e"ommended minimum navigation info MGP:=4 - :e"ommended minimum spe"ifi" GPSDTransit data MGP:T. - :outes MGPT:? - Transit ?i- %ata MGPST/ - =ultiple %ata 7%

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MGP9CW - %ual Ground D Water Speed MGP9TG - Tra"k made good and ground speed MGPWP< - Waypoint lo"ation MGPPT. - 4ross-tra"k error& =easured MGPL%0 - %ate Q Time There is a full list of MGP--- senten"e "odes available& without links to format details$ NTopO 3GP"4' Cearing 2rigin to %estination eg$ C2%&*!6$&T&* 1$&=&%.ST&ST0:T *!6$&T bearing *!6 degrees True from BST0:TB to B%.STB * 1$&= breaing * 1 degrees =agneti" from BST0:TB to B%.STB %.ST destination waypoint 7% ST0:T origin waypoint 7% .-ample '; MGPC2%&*(($1&T&'*6$F&=&P27/TC&R*' Waypoint 7%; BP27/TCB Cearing (($1 True& '*6$F =agneti" This senten"e is transmitted in the G2T2 mode& without an a"tive route on your GPS$ W0:/7/G; this is the bearing from the moment you press enter in the G2T2 page to the destination waypoint and is /2T updated dynami"allyE To update the information& ("urrent bearing to waypoint)& you will have to press enter in the G2T2 page again$ .-ample ; MGPC2%&*(8$*&T&'*1$ &=&P27/TC&P27/T0R6 This senten"e is transmitted when a route is a"tive$ 7t "ontains the a"tive leg information; origin waypoint BP27/T0B and destination waypoint BP27/TCB& bearing between the two points (8$* True& '*1$ =agneti"$ 7t does /2T display the bearing from "urrent lo"ation to destination waypointE W0:/7/G 0gain this information does not "hange until you are on the ne-t leg of the route$ (The bearing from P27/T0 to P27/TC does not "hange during the time you are on this leg$) 3GP"), Cearing and distan"e to waypoint& great "ir"le eg'$ MGPCW4&*)')18&&&&&&T&&=&&/&R'1 CW4& 6!!!&!('8$ !&/&' 1*($68&W&*6'$(&T&*1'$F&=&**'$1&/&**!R ( 6!!! #T4 time of fi;6!;!! !('8$ !&/ <atitude of waypoint ' 1*($68&W <ongitude of waypoint *6'$(&T Cearing to waypoint& degrees true *1'$F&= Cearing to waypoint& degrees magneti" **'$1&/ %istan"e to waypoint& /auti"al miles **! Waypoint 7% eg $ MGPCW4& ' ' *6'F&6'1*$* &/&***!F$1!&W& '1$)&T& ')$*&=&***!$F&/&.G<=R'' 1 ! 6 F 8 ) ( '* '' ' '1

*6'F timestamp 6'1*$* <atitude of ne-t waypoint 1 / /orthDSouth ! ***!F$1! <ongitude of ne-t waypoint 6 W .astDWest F '1$* True tra"k to waypoint 8 T True Tra"k ) ')$* =agneti" tra"k to waypoint ( = =agneti" '* ***!$F range to waypoint '' / unit of range to waypoint& / S /auti"al miles ' .G<= Waypoint name '1 R'' "he"ksum 3GPGG( Global Positioning System ?i- %ata $ame Senten"e 7dentifier +.ample 'ata 'es!ription MGPGG0 Global Positioning System ?i- %ata

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Time <atitude <ongitude ?i* ' - S %GPS fiS S '8*)1! !' !$)(F1& / Kuality; 7nvalid ' GPS fi*6 )*$ & = blank blank R86 '8;*);1! L !'d !$)(F1, / or !'d !, 6!B /

*)'6'$F)1)& W )'d 6'$F)1), W or )'d 6', !'B W %ata is from a GPS fi6 Satellites are in view :elative a""ura"y of hori>ontal position )*$ meters above mean sea level -1!$* meters /o last update /o station id #sed by program to "he"k for transmission errors

/umber of Satellites 0ltitude Time sin"e last %GPS update %GPS referen"e station id 4he"ksum

+ori>ontal %ilution of Pre"ision (+%2P) '$6 +eight of geoid above WGS)! ellipsoid -1!$*& =

4ourtesy of Crian ="4lure& /)PK7$ Global Positioning System ?i- %ata$ Time& position and fi- related data for a GPS re"eiver$ eg $ M--GG0&hhmmss$ss&llll$ll&a&yyyyy$yy&a&-&--&-$-&-$-&=&-$-&=&-$-&---hhmmss$ss S #T4 of llll$ll S latitude of a S / or yyyyy$yy S <ongitude of a S . or S GPS Kuality indi"ator (*Sno fi-& 'SGPS fi-& S%if$ -S number of satellites in -$S hori>ontal dilution of -$S 0ntenna altitude above = S units of antenna altitude& -$S Geoidal = S units of geoidal separation& -$S 0ge of %ifferential GPS data ---- S %ifferential referen"e station 7% eg1$ MGPGG0&hhmmss$ss&llll$ll&a&yyyyy$yy&a&-&--&-$-&-$-&=&-$-&=&-$-&----Rhh ' S #T4 of Position S <atitude 1 S / or S ! S <ongitude 6 S . or W F S GPS 3uality indi"ator (*SinvalidH 'SGPS fi-H S%iff$ GPS fi-) 8 S /umber of satellites in use Nnot those in viewO ) S +ori>ontal dilution of position ( S 0ntenna altitude aboveDbelow mean sea level (geoid) '* S =eters (0ntenna height unit) '' S Geoidal separation (%iff$ between WGS-)! earth ellipsoid and mean sea level$ -Sgeoid is below WGS-)! ellipsoid) ' S =eters (#nits of geoidal separation) '1 S 0ge in se"onds sin"e last update from diff$ referen"e station '! S %iff$ referen"e station 7%T '6 S 4he"ksum 3GPG55 Geographi" Position& <atitude D <ongitude and time$ eg'$ MGPG<<&186'$F6&S&'!6*8$1F&.R88 eg $ MGPG<<&!('F$!6&/&' 1''$' &W& 6!!!&0 !('F$!F&/ <atitude !( deg$ 'F$!6 min$ /orth ' 1''$' &W <ongitude ' 1 deg$ ''$' min$ West 6!!! ?i- taken at ;6!;!! #T4

position position S position W GPS fi-) use pre"ision mean-sea-level meters separation meters (se"onds)

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0 %ata valid

eg1$ MGPG<<&6'11$)'&/&***! $ 6&WR86 ' 1 !6 6'11$)' 4urrent latitude / /orthDSouth 1 ***! $ 6 4urrent longitude ! W .astDWest 6 R86 "he"ksum M--G<<&lll$ll&a&yyyyy$yy&a&hhmmss$ss&0 llll$ll S <atitude of position a S / yyyyy$yy S <ongitude a S . hhmmss$ss S #T4 0 S status; 0 S valid data 3GPGS( GPS %2P and a"tive satellites eg'$ MGPGS0&0&1&&&&&&'F&')&& & !&&&1$F& $'& $ R14 eg $ MGPGS0&0&1&'(& )&'!&')& 8& &1'&1(&&&&&'$8&'$*&'$1R16 ' '

or of or of

S position W position

S =ode; =S=anual& for"ed to operate in % or 1% 0S0utomati"& 1%D % S =ode; 'S?i- not available S % 1S1% 1-'! S 7%s of S9s used in position fi- (null for unused fields) '6 S P%2P 'F S +%2P '8 S 9%2P 3GPGS6 GPS Satellites in view eg$ MGPGS9&1&'&''&*1&*1&'''&**&*!&'6& 8*&**&*F&*'&*'*&**&'1&*F& ( &**R8! MGPGS9&1& &''&'!& 6&'8*&**&'F&68& *)&1(&')&F8& (F&!*&'(&!*& !F&**R8! MGPGS9&1&1&''& &! &*F8&! & !&'!&1''&!1& 8&*6& !!&**&&&&R!% MGPGS9&'&'&'1&* &* & '1&&*1&-1&***&&''&**&' '&&'!&'1&'8 &*6RF8 ' S Total number of messages of this type in this "y"le S =essage number 1 S Total number of S9s in view ! S S9 P:/ number 6 S .levation in degrees& (* ma-imum F S 0>imuth& degrees from true north& *** to 16( 8 S S/:& **-(( dC (null when not tra"king) )-'' S 7nformation about se"ond S9& same as field !-8 ' -'6S 7nformation about third S9& same as field !-8 'F-'(S 7nformation about fourth S9& same as field !-8 3GPH'& +eading& True$ 0"tual vessel heading in degrees Ture produ"ed by any devi"e or system produ"ing true heading$ M--+%T&-$-&T -$- S +eading& degrees True 3GP700 <ist of waypoint 7%s in "urrently a"tive route eg'$ MGP:**&.G<<&.G<=&.GTC&.G#C&.GTI&=C2T&.GTC&&&&&&&R6)

Page 12 of 19
eg $ MGP:**&=7/ST&4+0T/&4+0T'&4+0TW&4+0T=&4+0T.&**1&**!&**6&**F&**8&&&R*6 <ist of waypoints$ This alternates with MGPWP< "y"le whi"h itself "y"les waypoints$ 3GP71( :e"ommended minimum spe"ifi" <oran-4 data eg$ MGP:=0&0&llll$ll&/&lllll$ll&W&&&ss$s&"""&vv$v&WRhh ' S %ata status S <atitude 1 S /DS ! S longitude 6 S WD. F S not used 8 S not used ) S Speed over ground in knots ( S 4ourse over ground '* S 9ariation '' S %ire"tion of variation .DW ' S 4he"ksum 3GP71" :e"ommended minimum navigation information (sent by nav$ re"eiver when a destination waypoint is a"tive) eg'$ MGP:=C&0&*$FF&<&**1&**!&!('8$ !&/&' 1*($68&W&**'$1&*6 $6&***$6&9R*C 0 *$FF&< %ata status 0 S 2I& 9 S warning 4ross-tra"k error (nauti"al miles& ($( ma-$)& steer <eft to "orre"t (or : S right) **1 2rigin waypoint 7% **! %estination waypoint 7% !('8$ !&/ %estination waypoint latitude !( deg$ '8$ ! min$ / ' 1*($68&W %estination waypoint longitude ' 1 deg$ *($68 min$ W **'$1 :ange to destination& nauti"al miles *6 $6 True bearing to destination ***$6 9elo"ity towards destination& knots 9 0rrival alarm 0 S arrived& 9 S not arrived R*C mandatory "he"ksum eg $ MGP:=C&0&!$*)&<&.G<<&.G<=&6'1*$* &/&***!F$1!&W&**!$F& '1$(&' ' 1 ! 6 F 8 ) ( '* '' ' '1 ' 1 ! 6 F 8 ) ( '* '' ' '1 '! 0 validity !$*) off tra"k < Steer <eft (<D:) .G<< last waypoint .G<= ne-t waypoint 6'1*$* <atitude of /e-t waypoint / /orthDSouth ***!F$1! <ongitude of ne-t waypoint W .astDWest **!$F :ange '1$( bearing to waypt$ ' $( "losing velo"ity 0 validity R1% "he"ksum $(&0R1%

eg1$ MGP:=C&0&-$-&a&"--"&d--d&llll$ll&e&yyyyy$yy&f&g$g&h$h&i$i&@Rkk ' S %ata Status (9Snavigation re"eiver warning) S 4rosstra"k error in nauti"al miles

Page 13 of 19
1 S %ire"tion to steer (< or :) to "orre"t error ! S 2rigin waypoint 7%T 6 S %estination waypoint 7%T F S %estination waypoint latitude 8 S / or S ) S %estination waypoint longitude ( S . or W '* S :ange to destination in nauti"al miles '' S Cearing to destination& degrees True ' S %estination "losing velo"ity in knots '1 S 0rrival statusH (0Sentered or perpendi"ular passed) '! S 4he"ksum 3GP71, :e"ommended minimum spe"ifi" GPSDTransit data eg'$ MGP:=4&*)')1F&0&186'$F6&S&'!6*8$1F&.&***$*&1F*$*&'1*(()&*''$1&.RF eg $ MGP:=4& 6!!F&0&!('F$!6&/&' 1''$' &W&***$6&*6!$8&'(''(!&* *$1&.RF) 6!!F Time of fi;6!;!F #T4 0 /avigation re"eiver warning 0 S 2I& 9 S warning !('F$!6&/ <atitude !( deg$ 'F$!6 min /orth ' 1''$' &W <ongitude ' 1 deg$ ''$' min West ***$6 Speed over ground& Inots *6!$8 4ourse =ade Good& True '(''(! %ate of fi- '( /ovember '((! * *$1&. =agneti" variation *$1 deg .ast RF) mandatory "he"ksum eg1$ MGP:=4& ' ' *6'F 0 1 6'11$) ! / 6 ***! $ F W 8 '81$) ) 1'$) ( '1*F(! '* **!$ '' W ' R8* *6'F&0&6'11$) &/&***! $ !&W&'81$)& 1'$)&'1*F(!&**!$ &WR8* 1 ! 6 F 8 ) ( '* '' ' Time Stamp validity - 0-ok& 9-invalid "urrent <atitude /orthDSouth ! "urrent <ongitude .astDWest Speed in knots True "ourse %ate Stamp 9ariation .astDWest "he"ksum

eg!$ MGP:=4&hhmmss$ss&0&llll$ll&a&yyyyy$yy&a&-$-&-$-&ddmmyy&-$-&aRhh ' S #T4 of position fiS %ata status (9Snavigation re"eiver warning) 1 S <atitude of fi! S / or S 6 S <ongitude of fiF S . or W 8 S Speed over ground in knots ) S Tra"k made good in degrees True ( S #T date '* S =agneti" variation degrees (.asterly var$ subtra"ts from true "ourse) '' S . or W ' S 4he"ksum 3GP7&+ :outes

Page 14 of 19
eg$ MGP:T.& &'&"&*&PC:4PI&PC:T2&PT.<G:&PP<0/%&PA0=C#&PP?07:&PW0::/&P=2:T<&P<7S=:R81 MGP:T.& & &"&*&P4:.SA&G:A:7.&G42:72&GW.::&GW.STG&8?.%R1! ' 1 ! 6 $$ '$ /umber of senten"es in se3uen"e $ Senten"e number 1$ ,", S 4urrent a"tive route& ,w, S waypoint list starts with destination waypoint !$ /ame or number of the a"tive route 6$ onwards& /ames of waypoints in :oute 3GP&7/ Transit ?i- %ata Time& date& position& and information related to a T:0/S7T ?i-$ M--T:?&hhmmss$ss&------&llll$ll&a&yyyyy$yy&a&-$-&-$-&-$-&-$-&--hhmmss$ss S #T4 of position fi-----S %ate; ddDmmDyy llll$ll&a S <atitude of position fi-& /DS yyyyy$yy&a S <ongitude of position fi-& .DW -$S .levation angle -$S /umber of iterations -$S /umber of %oppler intervals -$S #pdate distan"e& nauti"al miles -$- S Satellite 7% 3GPS&$ =ultiple %ata 7%$ This senten"e is transmitted before ea"h individual senten"e where there is a need for the <istener to determine the e-a"t sour"e of data in the system$ .-amples might in"lude dual-fre3uen"y depthsounding e3uipment or e3uipment that integrates data from a number of sour"es and produ"es a single output$ M--ST/&--- S Talker 7% number& ** to (( 3GP6") %ual Ground D Water Speed Water referen"ed and ground referen"ed speed data$ M--9CW&-$-&-$-&0&-$-&-$-&0 -$S <ongitudinal water speed& knots -$S Transverse water speed& knots 0 S Status; Water speed& 0 S %ata valid -$S <ongitudinal ground speed& knots -$S Transverse ground speed& knots 0 S Status; Ground speed& 0 S %ata valid 3GP6&G Tra"k =ade Good and Ground Speed$ eg'$ MGP9TG&1F*$*&T&1!)$8&=&***$*&/&***$*&IR!1 eg $ MGP9TG&*6!$8&T&*1!$!&=&**6$6&/&*'*$ &I *6!$8&T *1!$!&= **6$6&/ *'*$ &I True tra"k made good =agneti" tra"k made good Ground speed& knots Ground speed& Iilometers per hour

eg1$ MGP9TG&t&T&&&s$ss&/&s$ss&IRhh ' S Tra"k made good S ?i-ed te-t ,T, indi"ates that tra"k made good is relative to true north 1 S not used ! S not used 6 S Speed over ground in knots F S ?i-ed te-t ,/, indi"ates that speed over ground in in knots 8 S Speed over ground in kilometersDhour ) S ?i-ed te-t ,I, indi"ates that speed over ground is in kilometersDhour ( S 4he"ksum The a"tual tra"k made good and speed relative to the ground$

Page 15 of 19
M--9TG&-$-&T&-$-&=&-$-&/&-$-&I -$-&T S Tra"k& -$-&= S Tra"k& -$-&/ S -$-&I S Speed& ImDhr 3GP)P5 Waypoint lo"ation eg'$ MGPWP<&!('8$'F&/&' 1'*$F!&W&**1RF6 !('8$'F&/ <atitude of waypoint ' 1'*$F!&W <ongitude of waypoint **1 Waypoint 7% When a route is a"tive& this senten"e is sent on"e for ea"h waypoint in the route& in se3uen"e$ When all waypoints have been reported& GP:** is sent in the ne-t data set$ 7n any group of senten"es& only one WP< senten"e& or an :** senten"e& will be sent$ eg $ MGPWP<&6' )$F &/&*** 8$6)&W&.G<<R6( ' 1 ! 6 F 6' )$F <atitude of nth waypoint on list / /orthDSouth 1 *** 8$6) <ongitude of nth waypoint ! W .astDWest 6 .G<< 7dent of nth waypoint F R6( "he"ksum 3GP8&+ 4ross Tra"k .rror& =easured eg'$ MGPPT.&0&0&*$F8&<&/ 0 0 *$F8 < / General warning flag 9 S warning (<oran-4 Clink or S/: warning) /ot used for GPS (<oran-4 "y"le lo"k flag) "ross tra"k error distan"e Steer left to "orre"t error (or : for right) %istan"e units - /auti"al miles ' degrees degrees Speed& True =agneti" knots

eg $ MGPPT.&0&0&!$*8&<&/RF% ' 1 !6F 0 validity 0 "y"le lo"k 1 !$*8 distan"e off tra"k ! < steer left (<D:) 6 / distan"e units F RF% "he"ksum 3GP9'( %ate Q Time #T4& day& month& year& and lo"al time >one$ M--L%0&hhmmss$ss&--&--&----&--&-hhmmss$ss -S %ay& -S =onth& '

S *' *' to to

#T4 1' '

Page 16 of 19
---S -S <o"al >one des"ription& -- S <o"al >one minutes des"ription (same sign as hours) N Top O 6 Garmin proprietary senten!es with : interpreted MPG:=. - .stimated Position .rror MPG:=? - Position ?i- Senten"e MPG:== - =ap %atum MPG:=9 - 9elo"ity Senten"e MPG:=L - 0ltitude 7nformation MPS<7C - %ifferential 4ontrol NTopO 3PG71+ .stimated Position .rror eg$ MPG:=.&'6$*&=&!6$*&=& 6$*&=R ** to GD'1 Aear hours

'6$*&= .stimated hori>ontal position error in metres (+P.) !6$*&= .stimated verti"al error (9P.) in metres 6$*&= 2verall spheri"al e3uivalent position error 3PG711 =ap datum eg'$ MPG:==&0strln Geod ,FFR6' eg $ MPG:==&/0% 8 4anadaR ? 4urrently a"tive hori>ontal datum 3PG719 0ltitude 7nformation eg'$ MPG:=L& !F&f&1R'C eg $ MPG:=L&(1&f&1R ' 0ltitude in feet Position fi- dimensions S user altitude 1 S GPS altitude This senten"e shows in feet& regardless of units shown on the display$ eg1$ MPG:=L& *'&f&1R') ' 1 *' 0ltitude ? #nits - f-?eet 1 "he"ksum 3PS5 " Proprietry Garman (%ifferential 4ontrol) Proprietary senten"es to "ontrol a Starlink differential bea"on re"eiver$ (7 assume Garmin,s %C: is made by Starlink) eg'$ MPS<7C&&&UR eg $ MPS<7C&&&IR 1 These two senten"es are normally sent together in ea"h group of senten"es from the GPS$ The three fields are; ?re3uen"y& bit :ate& :e3uest Type$ The value in the third field may be; U S status re3uest I S "onfiguration re3uest blank S tuning message ' (1&f 1

Page 17 of 19
When the GPS re"eiver is set to "hange the %C: fre3uen"y or baud rate& the BUB senten"e is repla"ed (@ust on"e) by (for e-ample); MPS<7C&1 *$*& **R6( to set the %C: to 1 * I+>& ** baud$ N Top O (ll 3GP... senten!e !odes and short des!riptions

MGP00= - Waypoint 0rrival 0larm MGP0<= - GPS 0lmana" %ata MGP0P0 - 0utopilot Senten"e B0B MGP0PC - 0utopilot Senten"e BCB MGP0S% - 0utopilot System %ata MGPC.4 - Cearing Q %istan"e to Waypoint& %ead :e"koning MGPC2% - Cearing& 2rigin to %estination MGPCW4 - Cearing Q %istan"e to Waypoint& Great 4ir"le MGPCW: - Cearing Q %istan"e to Waypoint& :humb <ine MGPCWW - Cearing& Waypoint to Waypoint MGP%CT - %epth Celow Transdu"er MGP%4/ - %e""a Position MGP%PT - %epth MGP?S7 - ?re3uen"y Set 7nformation MGPGG0 - Global Positioning System ?i- %ata MGPG<4 - Geographi" Position& <oran-4 MGPG<< - Geographi" Position& <atitudeD<ongitude MGPGS0 - GPS %2P and 0"tive Satellites MGPGS9 - GPS Satellites in 9iew MGPGP0 - T:0/S7T Position MGP+%G - +eading& %eviation Q 9ariation MGP+%T - +eading& True MGP+S4 - +eading Steering 4ommand

Page 18 of 19

MGP<4% - <oran-4 Signal %ata MGP=T0 - 0ir Temperature (to be phased out) MGP=TW - Water Temperature MGP=W% - Wind %ire"tion MGP=W9 - Wind Speed and 0ngle MGP2</ - 2mega <ane /umbers MGP2S% - 2wn Ship %ata MGP:** - Waypoint a"tive route (not standard) MGP:=0 - :e"ommended =inimum Spe"ifi" <oran-4 %ata MGP:=C - :e"ommended =inimum /avigation 7nformation MGP:=4 - :e"ommended =inimum Spe"ifi" GPSDT:0/S7T %ata MGP:2T - :ate of Turn MGP:P= - :evolutions MGP:S0 - :udder Sensor 0ngle MGP:S% - :0%0: System %ata MGP:T. - :outes MGPS?7 - S"anning ?re3uen"y 7nformation MGPST/ - =ultiple %ata 7% MGPT:? - Transit ?i- %ata MGPTT= - Tra"ked Target =essage MGP9CW - %ual GroundDWater Speed MGP9%: - Set and %rift MGP9+W - Water Speed and +eading MGP9<W - %istan"e Traveled through the Water MGP9PW - Speed& =easured Parallel to Wind MGP9TG - Tra"k =ade Good and Ground Speed

Page 19 of 19

MGPW49 - Waypoint 4losure 9elo"ity MGPW/4 - %istan"e& Waypoint to Waypoint MGPWP< - Waypoint <o"ation MGPP%: - Transdu"er =easurements MGPPT. - 4ross-Tra"k .rror& =easured MGPPT: - 4ross-Tra"k .rror& %ead :e"koning MGPL%0 - Time Q %ate MGPL?2 - #T4 Q Time from 2rigin Waypoint MGPLTG - #T4 Q Time to %estination Waypoint

N Top O /ormat o* latitudes and longitudes Where a numeri" latitude or longitude is given& the two digits immediately to the left of the de"imal point are whole minutes& to the right are de"imals of minutes& and the remaining digits to the left of the whole minutes are whole degrees$ eg$ !611$16 is !6 degrees and 11$16 minutes$ B$16B of a minute is e-a"tly ' se"onds$ eg$ 'F8*)$*11 is 'F8 degrees and )$*11 minutes$ B$*11B of a minute is about se"onds$ N Top O 7e*eren!es This information on /=.0 senten"es has been sour"ed from all over the ,net and 7 make no apologies for any ina""ura"ies or errors$ Still& it,s useful stuff$ 7 wish to thank all the sour"es& whi"h are listed on my GPS <inks page$ Please "onta"t me if you know of freely available interpretations of senten"es whi"h are not on this page$