Frugal GPS saves power for personal safety

The Spot Satellite Messenger uses Nemeriz GPS technology to send location information embedded in emergency messages.

Nemerix is providing its NX2 GPS solution for the Spot Satellite Messenger, a revolutionary consumer satellite personal communications product that offers affordable peace of mind by providing the ability to send a message for help from virtually anywhere, completely independent of cellphone networks.

Axonn manufactures the Spot Satellite Messenger for Spot.

Spot combines Axonn's proficiency in the development of advanced wireless technology hardware for tracking and monitoring remote assets, with Nemerix's ultra-low-power GPS technology and positioning expertise.

Using GPS technology, the Spot Satellite Messenger enables users, based on varying levels of need, to send messages to friends, family, or if needed, emergency responders, with all messages including the user's exact location co-ordinates.

Spot also provides the ability to visually track the location of the messenger using web-based mapping software.

After benchmarking available GPS positioning technology, Axonn chose Nemerix thanks to the GPS company's expertise in providing ultra-low-power global positioning solutions.

Axonn CEO Dave Biggs explains: "Nemerix's ultra-low-power and highly reliable, high-precision location determination technology was crucial to our ability to produce an affordable, personal safety device that can be used outside the coverage areas of cellular phones and powered by convenient and readily available batteries".

Biggs adds: "Consequently Spot is powered by just two AA sise lithium batteries and when powered on, Spot has a battery standby time of approximately 12 months".

With Spot being designed for use in the event of an emergency, it was also crucial for Axonn to balance its power management requirements with superior location accuracy.

The Nemerix GPS solutions integrated into the Spot Satellite Messenger possesses both the signal acquisition and the static location accuracy specifications needed for a product designed to provide the user's exact position co-ordinates in times of need.

Lewis Boore, VP of Marketing for Nemerix comments: "This is a truly exciting and extremely valuable application and validates Nemerix's position as the premier provider of low-cost, high performance GPS solutions".

"We are delighted that Axonn chose our GPS positioning technology to work alongside their communications expertise to deliver the world's first satellite messenger".

GPS signals are processed by the Nemerix system within the 239g Spot Messenger.

Nemerix's NX2 baseband processor designed for C/A code L1 GPS low power applications acts as a flexible GPS enabled microcontroller, with a highly integrated low-noise RF front-end receiver.

Spot message and tracking functions enable users to send messages to friends, family or emergency responders, based on varying levels of need and to visually track the location of the Spot satellite messenger.

Priced at less than US $170, the Spot Satellite Messenger is ideal for the growing market of more than 64 million estimated outdoor enthusiasts, specifically for backpacking, camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, ice and rock climbing, skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, or recreational maritime activities.

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