Alpha Micro Expands GPS Antennae Portfolio With Launch Of The Taoglas AP.35a

Online, August 31, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Design-based distributor Alpha Micro Components (www.alphamicro.net) has today announced the addition of the AP.35a, the latest GPS antenna from the leading M2M antenna developer Taoglas (www.taoglas.com), to its product portfolio. The Taoglas AP.35a is a powerful active 35x35mm antenna and has been developed for use in compromised environments where next-generation tracking devices are placed, including deep inside vehicles and assets.

Christos Papakyriacou, Managing Director at Alpha Micro, said: "The AP.35a antenna is the ideal addition to Alpha Micro's extensive range of GPS antennas. Its practical design allows it to be securely embedded into any GPS solution, providing comparable performance normally only achieved when using an external GPS antenna. The AP.35a fits in nicely with our extensive range of wireless products and complements our GPS solutions from u-blox."
The AP.35a is a complete GPS antenna solution made from a uniquely formulated high-grade ceramic supplied with its own ground-plane and can be terminated with the customer's choice of connector.

In addition, it does not take up valuable board space as it can hover over the main-board of the device, saving space and also allowing for a much higher gain and resistance to noise than existing passive patch antennas. Combining high-zenith gain and low-axial ratio, the antenna is capable of receiving very weak signals at low elevation satellites, giving the greatest GPS sensitivity. An internal SAW filter reduces noise entering from the device system, which is important when considering the close proximity of cellular transmitters and circuitry in today's miniature devices.

These results combined lead to quicker cold starts and more accurate position and location information. With a cold start of 21 seconds in open sky conditions with the uBlox 5 module, testing has confirmed that the AP35a cuts up to five seconds off the market cold-start performance of Taoglas' existing antenna the AP.25B. Max C/N ratio of 51 with 12 simultaneous locked satellites has been recorded over 24 hours, an improvement from ten. All told, these incremental changes result in substantial improvements in reliability and accuracy for the discerning professional GPS system designer at the forefront of the industry.

"Taoglas has focused on producing the highest performance GPS antennas for the M2M market," said Dermot O'Shea, Director, Taoglas. "These antennas add to our strong line-up of active and passive antenna solutions. M2M market feedback and requirements help us to continuously improve and optimize this line of products. With the AP.35a we have distilled five years of experience working with the needs of the world's top automotive and tracking companies into the design."

For further information on the AP.35a, please visit www.alphamicro.net/AP35