How to use the Maestro A2035-H GPS receiver

I am trying to put together a GPS tracker for my wife to wear while running. Something that she can plug into the serial monitor afterwards and it will tell her how far she went. I've noticed that most GPS receivers are pretty expensive ($60 bucks or so) but I found this one on Mouser that is less than $20:

I read this user guide:

http://www.mouser.com/catalog/specsheets/GPS_Receiver_A2035_H_V11[1].pdf

but I don't understand if there is a command set associated with it or if it just starts spitting out position data as soon as it is woken up. Is there something that I am missing here?

Well I am sort of figuring some of this stuff out, but can someone tell me what the phrase "According messages either in NMEA or OSP mode" below means?

10.2 Proper Shutdown 
The A2100-A/B modules require an orderly shutdown process to properly stop internal operation and complete any writes of critical data to BBRAM or Flash memory 
data area. Abrupt removal or drop of main power while the system is running has 
risks ranging from minor impact on TTFF to  fatal, permanent corruption of flash 
memory code area on the module. 
A controlled and orderly shutdown while the A2100-A/B is running in full power mode can be initiated by 

• A 200ms pulse on the ON_OFF pin,  
• According messages either in NMEA or OSP mode. 

The shutdown is completed after maximum 1s. Therefore the module should be 
supplied with voltage for that time after the shutdown sequence was initiated.

It just starts spitting out NMEA data and they work good I use them for time stamping timing critical events on remote nets. If you contact tech support with Maestro you email with "Larry" and this is not much better than the manual but once he understands what you want and stops telling you really basic things off his troubleshooting sheet you get what you need from someone behind the curtain. Given the $20 cost for a fully functional GOS with PPS it is a great deal, even with the poor docs.

They are surface mount parts but hand solder very easily.

Regarding the shutdown shutdown stuff I just wait the second then shutdown power.

wwbrown:
It just starts spitting out NMEA data and they work good I use them for time stamping timing critical events on remote nets. If you contact tech support with Maestro you email with "Larry" and this is not much better than the manual but once he understands what you want and stops telling you really basic things off his troubleshooting sheet you get what you need from someone behind the curtain. Given the $20 cost for a fully functional GOS with PPS it is a great deal, even with the poor docs.

They are surface mount parts but hand solder very easily.

Regarding the shutdown shutdown stuff I just wait the second then shutdown power.

Thank you so much for responding to my question! So when you say that you just shutdown power after a second, is this after you do the 200ms high/low pulse on the ON_OFF pin or do you just wait for the wakeup pin to go low and then count 1 second after that?

After the 200 ms pulse

Excellent! Thank you very much! Order placed with mouser.

Hello , jerseyguy1996

How did it go with your project? i am looking up this chip , i am wondering if it needs an evaluation board or i just can connect it directly via UART with arduino ? . did u need any external components for the chip ? will be nice if u upload a pic of the final product u have . Thank you

Hi,

Did anybody tried this module?
Does it sends NMEA messages only when satelites are fixed?
I have one device, and I added the 10k pull up resistor for UART mode.
I sent a 100 ms start signal to the ON_OFF pin.
The current cunsumption of the system is increasing about 0.02 A.
But no bytes can received from the module on Tx pin

I can not decide that the device is wrong, or it just can not "see" the satellites?

I had worked at a few years with one of this modules, and I don't remember very well if it starts by sending NMEA out. I don't worked with Arduino, but with a microcontroller PIC. What I can do is trying to find the code and pass you my starting sequence.

Hi,
I also want to use it with a microcontroller.
I would be grateful, if you could send some code.

thanks

I'm sorry for the delay. I can't send you the code, but I can tell you what I did at the time:

        Set the GPS RESET pin;
        delay of 200ms;
        Clear the GPS RESET pin;
        delay of 400ms;
        Set the GPS ON pin;
        delay of 400ms;
        Clear the GPS ON pin;
        delay 2000ms;
        wait for serial data.

I've repeating this process until I receive data. At the time I used SPI instead of USART.

I hope it helps.

I am using this Maestro A2035-H module, after giving a 200 ms pulse to ON_OFF pin, i can see a lot of NMEA messages coming out, but it takes a very long time for this module to sync with enough GPS satellites, anyone has similar experience?

another question about the toggling ( 1 pulse per second pin: TM_GPIO5) reference clocking signal: is this signal always there or after lock with GPS satellites?