ZED-F9P satellite-navigation receiver

The u-blox ZED-F9P is a high-precision GNSS receiver module, a multi-band satellite-navigation receiver from u-blox that supports real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning with centimeter-level accuracy. It is a surface-mount LGA module of 17.0 x 22.0 x 2.4 mm, small enough for UAV flight controllers, ground robots and survey equipment.

The receiver tracks four satellite systems concurrently: GPS and QZSS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. It is multi-band, and the band set depends on the ordering variant. One variant tracks L1C/A, L2C, L1OF, L2OF, E1B/C, E5b, B1I and B2I signals, a dual-band L1/L2 configuration; another tracks L1C/A, L5, L1OF, E1B/C, E5a, B1I and B2a signals, a dual-band L1/L5 configuration. Using two bands lets the receiver correct for ionospheric delay and converge quickly in RTK mode, which gives a reliable fix for navigation of aircraft.

Positioning modes include RTK rover and base station with survey-in, and the module provides carrier phase output. The module supports PointPerfect correction services and AssistNow assistance data. Further features are jamming detection, secure boot and updates, data logging, a time pulse output, programmable flash memory, a TCXO oscillator and an RTC crystal. Active antenna supervision includes LNA control and supply, antenna open and short circuit detection pins and an additional SAW filter.

The module runs from a supply of 2.7 V to 3.6 V and operates from -40 degrees C to 85 degrees C. Host interfaces are two UARTs, USB, SPI and I2C. An external active antenna connects through a dedicated pin, and u-blox lists matching multi-band antennas such as the ANN-MB series.

Typical applications are drone navigation and precision agriculture, autonomous vehicles, construction and heavy machinery guidance, rail, and timing. Evaluation hardware such as the EVK-F9P kit is available for integration work.