Mini‐Mac™ Model 2816 GPS Surveyor

Abstract

A new portable dual‐frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver is being delivered to customers by Aero Service. The MINI‐MAC Model 2816 receiver is lightweight, portable, and designed for operation by one person in field environments. The receiver is packaged to withstand harsh environmental conditions and deliver dual‐frequency data of the highest quality. Decoded broadcast ephemerides allow for field data. Time and pseudoranges obtained via the unit's course/acquisition (C/A) code L1 capability are used to obtain precise time synchronization. The receivers record on canonical times, so it is not necessary to start different receivers at the same time in order to maintain synchronous phase observations. The MINI‐MAC 2816 Surveyor is capable of tracking up to eight satellites simultaneously using C/A code on L1 and Aero's proven proprietary codeless methods on L2. An L1‐only version, Model 1816, is also available. Phase lock can be maintained on up to eight satellites in kinematic operations. The receiver is designed for future implementation of kinematic software without any required hardware changes. Various aspects of the receiver are discussed and details of a number of field results are provided.