Hemisphere GPS P306, Integrator Manual

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P306/P307 Integrator’s Guide Chapter 3-Operation Page 23 of 39
This chapter provides P306/P307 operation information, such as communicating with the P306/P307,
firmware, and configuration defaults.
Powering the P306/P307
The P306/P307 is powered by a 3.3 VDC power source. Once you connect appropriate power,
the P306/P307 is active. Although the P306/P307 proceeds through an internal startup sequence
upon application of power, it is ready to communicate immediately.
Communicating with the P306/P307
The P306/P307 features three primary serial ports (Port A, Port B, Port C) that you can configure
independently from each other. You can configure the ports for any combination of NMEA 0183,
binary, and RTCM SC-104 data. The usual data output is limited to NMEA data messages as
these are industry standard.
Configuring the P306/P307
You can configure all aspects of P306/P307 operation through any serial port using proprietary
commands. For information on these commands refer to the
Hemisphere GNSS Technical
Reference.
You can configure the following:

One of the two firmware applications

Set communication port baud rates

Which messages to output on the serial ports and the update rate of each message

Various receiver operating parameters
For a complete list of commands and messages refer to the
Hemisphere GNSS Technical
Reference.
To issue commands to the P306/P307, you will need to connect it to a terminal program such as
or either of Hemisphere GNSS’ software applications (SLXMon or PocketMax3™). See “
What is
the best software tool to use to communicate with the P306/P307 and configure it? ” for
descriptions of SLXMon, and PocketMax3™.
Firmware
The software that runs the P306/P307 is often referred to as firmware since it operates at a low
level.
You can upgrade the firmware in the field through any serial port as new versions become
available.
Note: Install the antenna outdoors so it has a clear view of the entire sky. If you place the antenna
indoors near a window, for example, you will likely not track a sufficient number of satellites. With a
properly installed antenna the Eclipse provides a position within approximately 60 seconds.
Note: You may use the three serial ports to separate the different data types and output different
rates. If the Eclipse is required to output different data types simultaneously, ensure data logging
and the processing software used can correctly parse the different data from a single stream.