SysOnChip CF Plus Review

Are you looking for the ultimate in Compact Flash GPS Receivers ? If so, then look no further!

The SysOnChip Compact Flash Plus brings you the best of both worlds. You can use it in-car, whilst walking, and you get the opportunity of SiRF XTrac, which gives you greater sensitivity in bringing in the all important satellite signals.

SysOnChip are a new company in Korea that strive for quality in their products, and have brought together the all important components that are required to bring a good product to market. The antenna is created by Sarantel who are the manufacturer behind Ericsson mobile phone antennas.

The SysOnChip CF Plus GPS Receiver sports the smallest size for complete mobility and contains a 12 channel all-in-view satellite receiver with low power consumption and the latest SiRF IIe/LP chipset to keep you up to date with technology.

 

Box Contents

The SysOnChip CF Plus comes with a quick reference manual in the box.  You can purchase a CF to PCMCIA adaptor as an optional accessory if you need to use this in a PCMCIA sleeve or on a laptop or tablet PC.  The CF Plus does not come with any external patch antenna, but in most cases, it's not required.

Performance

The SysOnChip CF Plus gives ultimate performance at no cost, the SiRF Star IIe/LP gives a low power consumption to make sure that your PDA or Laptop battery isn't drained unneccesarily. The form factor is the slimmest in it's category, and the CF Plus outperforms all Compact Flash GPS Receivers on the market today.

   

Chipset	SiRF Star IIe/LP
Channel	12 Channel parallel satellite tracking
Physical Dimension	100x47x16mm (LxWxD)
Hot Time To First Fix (TTFF)	< 8 seconds
Warm Time To First Fix (TTFF)	< 38 seconds
Cold Time To First Fix (TTFF)	< 45 seconds
Antenna	One built-in basic antenna and an optional external antenna
Output Message	NMEA 0183 (GGA, GSA, GSV, RMC, VTG)
H/W Interface	Compact Flash (CF) Type I (Compatible in CF Type II Slots)
Power Voltage	3.3v DC, Low Power Consumption with SiRF Star IIe/LP chipset
Datum	WGS-84
Update Rate	every 1 second
Re-acquisition Time	0.1 second
Environmental Conditions
Operating Temperature	-10C to 50C
Humidity	95% non-condensing
Maximum Altitude	18,300 m
Maximum Speed	1,852 km/h

 

SiRF XTrac

SiRF Xtrac allows the use of GPS in locations and environments previously deemed inaccessible. It can tolerate severe "urban canyon" environments and operate reliably under dense foliage and bridges, inside garages and in many cases inside homes and offices. It's high sensitivity also offers substantially higher immunity to electrical "noise" as is often generated by PDA's.

Accessories

Are you looking to use the SysOnChip CF Plus GPS Receiver in a Laptop, or a PCMCIA socket on your PDA ? If so, then make sure you also purchase a CF to PCMCIA Adapter. If you have a UV coated windscreen which blocks radio signals (including GPS Signals), then you may also want to purchase a Re-Radiating Antenna.

  

Dell Axim Users
There are some known issues with Dell Axim X3's that cause lockups with the SysOnChip CF Plus card. SysOnChip are aware of this problem, and it is only isolated to Dell Axim X3's, and is being investigated. For Dell Axim X3 owners, we would suggest an alternative product (Haicom 303 MMF)

Conclusion

The SysOnChip CF Plus GPS Receiver is well ahead of the competition in size, and performance. If you currently have a GPS Receiver that's left waiting for minutes on end to receive a signal, then you will be impressed with this little GPS Receiver! A best buy!