LabVIEW Adds Toolkit For GPS Receiver Testing

Extending the LabVIEW graphical system design environment, the NI GPS Toolkit expands the company's RF PXI platform to include multi-satellite GPS signal simulation. Using LabVIEW software to create waveforms that simulate up to 12 satellites (C/A codes in the L1 band), users can test receiver characteristics such as sensitivity, time to first fix, and position accuracy with the PXIe-5672 RF vector signal generator. Recording live GPS signals off the air with a PXI-5661 RF vector signal analyzer and a PXI-5690 preamplifier allows the capture of GPS signals with natural impairments that a receiver would observe in the real world. Users can also generate both simulated and recorded signals with the vector signal generator by continuously streaming GPS waveforms from hard disk. With a 2 TB redundant array of inexpensive disks hard-drive option, they can generate up to 12.5 minutes of non-repeating simulated waveform or 25 hours of continuously recorded GPS signal to test how the receiver responds to a range of circumstances. Price for the GPS Toolkit for LabVIEW starts at $1,999. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, Austin, TX. (800) 258-7022.