gps-details

Metasail

Author: Michael George

Created: 1 August 2024

Overview

Metasail.com is currently being used by the PWA in Fuerteventura and you can watch / replay all of the PWA races.

It has also been used for the one hour classic in Torbole in 2019 + 2020 + 2021 + 2022 + 2023 + 2024 - see thread on seabreeze.com.au.

After a little bit of research, I’ve concluded the Metasail GPS tracker uses the Telit LE910C1 module which is probably based on the Qualcomm MDM9215.

The Qualcomm MDM9215 is actually quite an old product because it appears in a Qualcomm press releases from Feb 2012 and Sep 2012.

It is not impossible that Telit are now using an Airoha chipset based on further observations.

Internals

The internals of the Metasail are shown in a 2021 case history on the Daos Group website.

The photo of the PCB provides some useful information about the components:

• Daos Group - Metalog_Dream_Origin Rev1/02.2022

• Telit LE910C1 is clearly visible

Telit LE910C1

A case study on the Telit website says the following:

Meteda’s engineering team built the MetaSail devices around Telit’s GPS module and xE866 family of cellular modules, designing a compatible antenna and physical structure.

The Telit LE910C1 product page lists the following GNSS functionality:

Simultaneous support of GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS

The Telit LE910 software user guides list the NMEA sentences supported, including GNSS range residuals (GRS):

• Rev. 10 – 2021-06-04
• Rev. 7 – 2020-09-25

The Telit LE910Cx application note describes the use of $GPSNMUN, $GPSNMUNEX and $GPSACP:

• LE910Cx/ME910C1/ML865C1/NE910C1 A-GPS Application Note

There are various references to Qualcomm in the software user guides and $GPSNMUN + $GPSNMUNEX + $GPSACP are for Qualcomm.

Further details and investigations relating to the Telit LE910C1 are on another page.

GNSS Chipset

The Telit press release from 2013 includes the following details:

The LE910, based on Qualcomm Technologies’ Gobi™ MDM9215.

The Telit LE910C1 seems very likely to be based on the Qualcomm MDM9215, based on the above statement.

See the 4G LTE Portfolio on the Telit website for all LE910 products; LE910Q1, LE910Cx (Linux), LE910Cx (ThreadX), and LE910R1.

Red Herrings

We can ignore the fact that Telit have used the Airoha AG3335 chipsets in their recent GNSS modules:

• Telit Cinterion Adds New Dual-Band GNSS Positioning Modules Featuring the AIROHA AG3335 Chipset Family - 15 Mar 2023
• Telit SE873K5 GNSS Receiver Brings Compact Form Factor and Advanced Power Modes - 16 Jun 2022

The LE910Cx software user guide describes the GRS message as one of the NMEA outputs, which rules out Mediatek / Airoha chipsets:

• GRS is not supported Mediatek / Airoha chipsets. I’ve not seen it mentioned in any technical documentation of GNSS modules, etc.
• GRS suggests a chipset that implements Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM).

Qualcomm MDM9215

The press release from 2013 describes how the Telit LE910 is based on the Qualcomm MDM9215.

• I cannot find an official page for the Qualcomm MDM9215, but the MDM9205S page includes GNSS capabilities
  • Satellite Systems: GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, GPS.
• A press release from Sep 2013 implies the MDM9215 is the successor to the MDM9205:
  • The MDM9215 is the second generation 4G/LTE product, and first to feature a MDM9x15 chipset built on the 28nm.
• The list of snapdragon models on Wikipedia lists the MDM9200 + MDM9215 alongside the MDM9600 + MDM9615:
  • The MDM9615 Snapdragon X5 LTE Modem (IZat gpsOneGen 8A) was used in the iPhone 5 (released Sep 2012).
• The Telit LE910C1 software manuals describe the Qualcomm serial protocol, $GPSNMUNEX (including GRS) and $GPSACP:
  • Rev. 10 – 2021-06-04
  • Rev. 7 – 2020-09-25
• $GPSNMUN and $GPSNMUNEX are described in the application note for the Telit LE910Cx:
  • LE910Cx/ME910C1/ML865C1/NE910C1 A-GPS Application Note
• $GPSNMUNEX is quite similar to $GPSNMUN, described in more detail on M2M support:
  • AT$GPSNMUN AT command is used to activate unsolicited streaming of GPS data
• $GPSACP also provides a mechanism to retrieve the following details:
  • <UTC>,<latitude>,<longitude>,<hdop>,<altitude>,<fix>,<cog>, <spkm>,<spkn>,<date>,<nsat_gps>,<nsat_glonass>

Some websites detailing the Qualcomm 9215 and the GNSS capabilities:

• Qualcomm MDM9215 LTE 4G Wireless Communication Module MC7330 For Japan
  • “GNSS - GPS + GLONASS.”
  • n.b. GPS + GLONASS is consistent with the Daos Group website which says GPS + GLONASS.
• Compact multi band LTE modules
  • Ultra compact multi band LTE module which is based on the Qualcomm MDM9215.
  • This complete multi-band TDD-LTE/FDD-LTE/WCDMA/GSM/GNSS SMT.

Further details and investigations relating to the Qualcomm MDM9215 are on another page.

Conclusion

I’ve concluded the Metasail GPS tracker uses the Telit LE910C1 module which is probably based on the Qualcomm MDM9215.

The Qualcomm MDM9215 is actually quite an old product because it appears in a Qualcomm press releases from Feb 2012 and Sep 2012.

It is not impossible that Telit are now using an Airoha chipset based on further observations.