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I would like to hookup a GPS receiver to my Pi so that I can:

  1. Get my geographical position
  2. Synchronise clock when not connected to network

What are my options? Will any hardware supported by gpsd work with the Pi?

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This sounds awesome! – Alex Chamberlain Jun 20 '12 at 9:52
This GPS reciever looks like a good option, but I would have to have a play with it to provide a decent answer. It runs at 3V3 and 75mA, which is a good start! – Alex Chamberlain Jun 20 '12 at 9:58
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Just wrote an answer about gpsd as I didn't notice it in the question. D'oh! FYI, here is the gpsd site: catb.org/gpsd/index.html which will give info on getting the time and location info from a software side. – winwaed Jun 20 '12 at 14:50
You could also use a Bluetooth GPS device, so you can put it at the best position (e.g. near a window), although it needs a separate power supply. GPS devices speaking NMEA 0183 work with gpsd and they are pretty standard, so maybe you can find a used one. Bluetooth on the RPi should also work with most Bluetooth dongles. – elmicha Jun 22 '12 at 21:24
My bounty will be awarded to an answer which provides a hardware schematic and software examples to set the clock and display geographical position. – Alex Chamberlain Jun 25 '12 at 11:12
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2 Answers

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+50

GPS Receiver

I would go for a generic usb GPS receiver such as the BU-353

BU-353

It works with the Raspberry Pi, just like a normal linux computer.

Most usb GPS receivers are just USB-to-Serial adapters that read the NMEA data from the GPS receiver. Look into pl2303 (many units i've seen use this particular chip) drivers, should be available.

You can also use GPIO and a traditional NMEA 0183 GPS receiver, but then you need to worry about power, and the prices are often higher. GPS antannas are common onboard boats and ships, and usually consume 12v.

The usb solution is cheaper.

Software

The gps receiver I mentioned is compatible with gpsd.

sudo apt-get install gpsd gpsd-clients python-gps

This will install gpsd and related software. Check gps status with cgps -s.

NTP Clock

To synchronize the clock with NTP, you need to install ntp.

sudo apt-get install ntp

See this blog post: http://blog.retep.org/2012/06/18/getting-gps-to-work-on-a-raspberry-pi/. It covers ntp in detail.

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That blog post is great. – Jivings♦ Jun 25 '12 at 20:17
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I can confirm that the BU-353 works with a Pi – pufferfish Dec 15 '12 at 15:35
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Useful GPS Module for Raspberry Pi Tutorial!

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I'd like to see this sort of tutorial replicate here ... blogs are always disappearing .... – Maria Zverina Oct 26 '12 at 11:52

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