Evermore BT-R900
1. Introduction
Evermore is a Taiwaneze manufacturer that produces quality GPS products for all categories of users. SiRF III devices are well known to users for their good reception as well as good overall performance. We had the chance to test the BT-R900, a SiRF III enabled BT GPS device, and compare it with other similar devices. First off, let's see some background information about Evermore.
- Evermore background
Evermore was founded in 1998. Head-quartered at Taiyuan Science Park, Hsinchu, TAIWAN, the company mainly concentrates on GPS related technology "...EverMore identify itself not just a follower but a customer-oriented leader. We can meet customer’s requests and changes in the short time by our strong innovation ability and dynamic support teams. EverMore offers the standard and custom-designed products for car navigation, maritime, mapping, land surveying, and so forth..."
- Evermore BT-R900
The Evermore BT-R900 is a high performance Bluetooth GPS receiver that is both compact and portable. With the BT-R900, you can now add full GPS navigation capabilities to your PDA, smart phone or laptop at minimal cost while enjoying performance that rivals dedicated GPS navigators. By employing the SiRFstarIII chipset, users will enjoy unsurpassed positioning accuracy and performance.
Powered by Li-ion rechargeable batteries with an impressive battery life, the BT-R900 is as easy to carry around as your mobile phone. Date transmission and connections via Bluetooth eliminate any need for wires, and the Bluetooth transmitter allows GPS data to be transmitted to your PDA, smart phone or any other Bluetooth enabled device within 10 meters. The high-sensitivity GPS receiver will pick up the weakest of signals, allowing you to place it anywhere without compromise, and enabling you to begin navigation immediately with the very fast Time-To-First-Fix.
- Used chipset
The SiRF III chipset has the following specifications:
Chipset: |
SiRF Star III WAAS enabled |
Frequency: |
1, 1575.42 MHz |
C/A code: |
1.023 MHz chip rate |
Channels: |
20 channel all-in-view tracking |
Sensitivity |
Acquisition: -148dBm |
Position Accuracy: |
10 meters, 2D RMS |
~ 5 meters, 3D RMS WAAS |
|
Velocity: |
0.1 m/s |
Time: |
us synchronized to GPS time |
Default: |
WGS-84 Acquisition Time (Open sky, stationary) |
Reacquisition: |
0.1 sec., average |
Hot start: |
1 sec., average |
Warm start: |
38 sec., average |
Cold start: |
42 sec., average |
Altitude: |
18,000 meters (60,000 feet) max. |
Velocity: |
515 meters/second (1000 knots) max. |
Acceleration: |
Less than 4g |
Jerk: |
20 m/sec |
Protocol messages: |
NMEA-0183 output protocol, Bluetooth Interface Baud Rate 4800bps |
Output format: |
GGA(1sec), GSA(5sec), GSV(5sec), RMC(1sec) |
Operating temperature: |
-20° to 60° C |
Humidity: |
5% to 95% Non-condensing |
Looking at the SiRF III specs, we notice that the chipset is capable of receiving up to 20 satellites (actually 12 maximum), has very low Hot/Warm/Cold start times and its accuracy reaches ~5m when WAAS mode is enabled.
