Datasheet

This is the raw GPS "NMEA sentence" output from the module. There are a few different kinds of NMEA sentences, the

most common ones people use are the $GPRMC (Global Positioning RecommendedMinimum Coordinates or

something like that) and the $GPGGA sentences. These two provide the time, date, latitude, longitude, altitude,

estimated land speed, and fix type. Fix type indicates whether the GPS has locked onto the satellite data and received

enough data to determine the location (2D fix) or location+altitude (3D fix).

For more details about NMEA sentences and what data they contain, check out this site (https://adafru.it/kMb)

If you look at the data in the above window, you can see that there are a lot of commas, with no data in between them.

That's because this module is on my desk, indoors, and does not have a 'fix'. To get a fix, we need to put the module

outside.

If you can get a really long USB cord (or attach a GPS antenna) and stick the GPS out a window, so its pointing at the

sky, eventually the GPS will get a fix and the window data will change over to transmit valid data like this:

GPS modules will always send data EVEN IF THEY DO NOT HAVE A FIX! In order to get 'valid' (not-blank)

data you must have the GPS module directly outside, with the square ceramic antenna pointing up with a

clear sky view. In ideal conditions, the module can get a fix in under 45 seconds. however depending on your

location, satellite configuration, solar flares, tall buildings nearby, RF noise, etc it may take up to half an hour

(or more) to get a fix! This does not mean your GPS module is broken, the GPS module will always work as

fast as it can to get a fix.