gps-wip

GPS Projects - Work in Progress

Last updated: 26 Aug 2026

Overview

I am always working on multiple projects relating to GPS technology for the speed sailing community. This repository has been created so that I can share details about all of the projects, and their current status.

My focus can change suddenly, so this page helps me to keep track of everything and share with others. I have recently parked numerous projects to make time for Weymouth Speed Week 2026 and Farrel Cup 2026, and they can be found under “Currently on Ice”.

Current Activities

I am typically working on several mini projects at the same time, depending on the priorities.

Project Summary
WSW Weymouth Speed Week 2026, including beach course improvements
Farrel Cup Prince of Speed - Farrel Cup 2026
Garmin IDs Automated cataloguing of Garmin watches, and updates to my Garmin page
“When” issue Clock drift issue manifesting in Garmin watches, unrelated to FIT persistence issues
ESP Gates Validation of results produced for 500 m courses at Prince of Speed

Recent Activities

During Jun and Jul 2026, I undertook a couple of studies relating to the UBX chipsets and ESP devices.

Project Summary
UBX Config Documents aspects of the u-blox M10 that are relevant to the speed sailing community
ESP Config Study to identify optimal ESP GPS configuration(s), providing clarity to users of the ESP GPS

Ongoing Evaluations

I am usually testing and evaluating multiple devices (or apps) at the same time, and often providing feedback.

Project Summary
APPro Testing of new builds, discussing ideas for new features, etc
ESP GPS Testing and evaluating the ESP GPS, sharing thoughts and suggestions
LISA GPS Testing and evaluating the LISA GPS, which is based on the ESP GPS
SYRAC GPS Testing and evaluating the SYRAC GPS, which is based on the ESP GPS

There are some devices that I have studied in great detail, but lost momentum and still need to document.

Project Summary
Garmin Evaluations of the Synaptics chipset - e.g. Garmin Forerunner 970 + fenix 8 Pro
COROS Firmware issues keep cropping up, but I cannot test and document every FW release
Apple Lots of evaluations have been performed for the Series 5 to Series 10, Ultra 1 + 2, SE, etc.
Vakaros More of an “intent” than an investigation, since I do not have much Vakaros + Motion data

Strategic Initiatives

Some of my projects have much longer term goals, and quite different in nature to short term projects.

Project Summary
WST Live Thoughts relating to the timekeeping, hardware, and software for WST events
Garmin UBX Potential for integration of Garmin watches with u-blox GNSS receivers
OpenDoppler Open-source GNSS speed logger platform for windsurfing and related water sports
GPY 1.1 Proposal builds upon the “minimal” frames that are currently supported by the GPY format

Currently on Ice

Sometimes I am working on something and often near completion, but have to park it before publishing my work.

Project Summary
Clock Drift Study of clock drift and how it is handled by the SiRF Star II, SiRF Star III, and u-blox chips
Gated Results High-performance open source algorithm for gated results such as the 500 m at POS
Motion Kinematic testing of 5 Hz vs 10 Hz produces interesting results which I need to document
Gybe Analysis Thoughts about the measurement of gybes and tacks, which needs some revision
Decimation When converting to 1 Hz there are some important factors to be considered
Integration Documenting the different ways of integrating speed to calculate distance
Error Propagation Documenting the use of Gaussian error propagation… theory and practice
Acceleration Lots of analysis was undertaken relating to acceleration, but it still needs documenting
Spike Filters Approaches to filtering that massively improve spike handling for a variety of devices
FIT Persistence Garmin FIT files are subject to timing issues, but I devised an algorithm to fix the issue
Garmin Tests Numerous static tests using 12 or more different Garmin devices, never documented
Test Approach Documenting GPS test approaches and the common anomalies that are present

Shelved Initiatives

These initiatives are no longer “currently on ice” and I have no real intention of picking them up.

Project Summary
GPX Ideas This project captured some ideas for a collection of “standard” GPX extensions
Garmin Antennas The evolution of Garmin antennas is quite interesting, but I never wrote up my notes