Spirent Enhances GNSS Record and Playback System

Spirent Communications has added capabilities to its ultra-wideband GSS6425, which enable recording up to 150MHz bandwidth of GNSS signals. Users can now record up to three RF frequency bands at any one time with 10-, 30- or 50-MHz bandwidth each. Other enhancements include the ability to record up to four video streams, USB 3.0 support and easy remote-control using tablet or smartphone.

A single portable test system, the ultra-wideband GSS6425 allows customers to record GPS L1 and L2 and GLONASS L1 and L2 signals commonly needed for applications requiring very high accuracy such as surveying, precision agriculture, automotive research, and advanced navigation.

“Customers undertaking field testing are increasingly looking for portable and easy to use test solutions,” said Rahul Gupta, commercial segment lead for Spirent’s positioning division. “With these new abilities they can now easily configure, monitor, and control the GSS6425 using their mobile phone or tablet over Wi-Fi.”

Recording of four video streams by attaching webcams allows the user to capture visual records of any location. This enables users to fully understand the conditions at the time of recording, not only inside the vehicle (including activity on the dashboard, facial expressions, navigation unit, and more) but also outside the vehicle (such as top, front and back scenes, capturing building types, and movement in and out of a tunnel), which is useful especially during the post-processing phase.

The support for USB 3.0 has also been added, to facilitate faster recording transfer to and from the test system. Users can also use this to record data straight onto to any external hard drive supporting this interface, to record for a longer duration of time.

Spirent’s pecord and playback GSS6425 test solution provides a popular variety of applications, including:

• Automotive R&D testing: With the connected car becoming a reality, record and playback testing techniques are proving to be very useful, saving engineering teams time and cost spent on drive testing. With the GSS6425, customers can not only record GNSS signals but also up to four video streams, CAN bus data and sensor data synchronously.
• Authorized user tests: The GSS6425 can record GPS signals simultaneously for several hours at L1 and L2 frequencies — sufficient to capture both the GPS M-codes and Y-codes.