Different carriers cause more or less interference with GPS?

Race Capture Pro hardware installation- power, wiring, physical installation, etc. See the dedicated forum for Sensor related topics

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F1 Dennis
Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:26 am

Different carriers cause more or less interference with GPS?

Post by F1 Dennis »

Unfortunately my GPS data from my last track day at Auto Club Speedway was extremely poor to unusable. I’m wondering if maybe the GPS system got more interference from the cellular antenna because I switched SIM cards from t-mobile to freedom pop.
Do different carriers use bands that may be closer to the GPS or perhaps this carrier has a weaker signal and the antenna is working harder which causes the interference?
My cellular antenna is about 3 feet from my GPS antenna as recommended. But I can see a signal quality of 3 "strong" with the cellular turned off and then won't go above 2 "acceptable" with it on.
I didn't have any issues with the GPS signal at the same track back in July when I was using a t-mobile card. It recorded a quality of 3 the whole day.

Also, regarding the note in the GPS section about turning on your device for 15 to 30 minutes before a race, does this mean the device will have to be on for this amount of time before any driving session? Will it lose whatever information it gathers if it is turned off during the day between sessions?

brentp
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Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 6:36 am

Post by brentp »

Hi,

We can unequivocally say that AT&T (FreedomPop) does not cause interference with the GPS reception of RaceCapture. It is the service we've recommended for a long time (and now recommend Verizon as well).

The frequency bands are separated by a wide margin, and the GPS receiver has a tight bandgap filter to prevent spill-over. Still, we recommend spacing the antennas apart. 3 feet should be sufficient.

The likely cause can come from a variety of other factors - we have a troubleshooting guide here, including a piece about warming up the device before hitting the track

https://wiki.autosportlabs.com/RaceCapture_GPS

Thanks, we hope this helps. Let us know what you find out after additional testing.
Brent Picasso
CEO and Founder, Autosport Labs
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