RFOXiA's MultiNav Pro+ Is a Compact, Quad-Constellation GNSS Receiver with a Clever PCB Filter

Delaware-based RFOXiA has launched a crowdfunding campaign for an ultra-compact position and timing module, built around the u-blox MIA-M10Q and with a high-efficiency chip antenna for an all-in-one design: the MultiNav Pro+.

"Our MultiNav Pro+ [is] the world most sophisticated synchronous GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] system, leveraging the most advanced RF technology," claims RFOXiA's chief executive officer and founder, Moamen Mohamed, of the company's compact module. "It's fully integrated, ready to be part of your design, super compact 19×23mm [around 0.75×0.91"], power efficient, [and] supports standard UART and I2C interfaces."

The module is built around the u-blox MIA-M10Q GNSS chip, giving it the ability to receive data from GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and BeiDou constellations simultaneously with a configurable polling rate up to 18Hz. To this, RFOXiA has added the SYNZHEN SZC-C-1G18 chip antenna, offering a claimed 3.1dBi peak gain with over 75 per cent efficiency. This is then connected to RFOXiA's micro-strip bandpass filter, a patented design which uses PCB traces to avoid the need for bulky discrete filters.

RFOXiA is supplying the module with an open-source C-language library, compatible with NMEA protocol control commands, which Mohamed describes as "super easy" to use with the Arduino IDE or any other toolchain for integrating the module into microcontroller and single-board computer (SBC) projects.

With no need for an external antenna and its small size, the company positions the part as ideal for everything from weight-sensitive drones to wearable projects, promising 1.5m (around 5') accuracy before correction data is applied.

RFOXiA is now funding production of the boards on Kickstarter, with rewards starting at $69 for a single MultiNav Pro+ — early bird pricing available only to the first 200 backers. Hardware is expected to ship in December this year, the company has confirmed.