NATIONAL Instruments has introduced the NI GPS Toolkit for LabVIEW, an extension of the graphical system design environment that expands the NI RF PXI platform to include multi-satellite GPS signal simulation.
Using the software to create waveforms that simulate up to 12 satellites (C/A codes in the L1 band), engineers can test receiver characteristics such as sensitivity, Time To First Fix (TTFF) and position accuracy with the NI PXIe-5672 RF vector signal generator.
The toolkit allows engineers to use a combination of simulated and recorded GPS waveforms as a comprehensive, low-cost solution for receiver design validation and verification.
By recording live GPS signals off the air with an NI PXI-5661 RF vector signal analyser and an NI PXI-5690 pre-amplifier (low-noise amplifier), engineers can capture GPS signals with natural impairments that a receiver would observe in the real world.
They also can generate both simulated and recorded signals with the NI PXIe-5672 RF vector signal generator, by continuously streaming GPS waveforms from hard disk.
With a 2TB Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) hard drive option, engineers can generate up to 12.5 minutes of non-repeating simulated waveform or 25 hours of continuous recorded GPS signal to test how the receiver responds to a broad range of circumstances.
Engineers can combine the GPS Toolkit with the NI Modulation Toolkit for LabVIEW, NI TestStand test management software and PXI RF modular instrumentation for a complete low-cost production test solution.
Because PXI modular instrumentation is purely software-defined, the same PXI system can test wireless devices that use other standards such as RDS, WiFi, GSM, WCDMA, Bluetooth and DVB.
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