GPS-710 Product Information

Plug-and-Play GPS Receiver for the Kenwood 710-Series Amateur Radios

Click to download the GPS-710 installation instructions (PDF)

Click to download the GPS-710 brochure (PDF)

Product Highlights

• Simple plug-and-play design (less than 5 minutes to install)
• Clutter-free attachment to TM-D710 Operation Panel
• High performance GPS engine
• Very low power: 0.2 Watts
• Always-on design for instantaneous radio start up
• RJ45 jacks employ integrated ferrites for improved noise immunity
• Fully shielded, high quality jumper cables
• Fully FCC Class B tested
• RoHS compliant

Product Overview

The GPS-710 is a custom built, uncluttered, plug-and-play solution for adding a stand-alone GPS to your Kenwood TM-D710 or RC-D710 radios. It uses an excellent 20 channel SiRF-III GPS chipset (with WAAS, ENGOS, and MSAS augmentation) that can acquire GPS lock from a cold start in well under 60 seconds. The active internal antenna has proven to be extremely capable of maintaining GPS lock, even in very unfavorable mobile installations.  The GPS remains powered even while the radio is off, and provides data immediately when the radio is powered on - instantaneous position lock.  The GPS-710 draws about two-tenths of a Watt from the line, and does not present a significant standby drain to an automobile battery.

As you can see from the photo below, the GPS-710 is hidden well behind the Operation Panel. The GPS-710 is attached to the Operation Panel with automotive-grade "high bond" adhesive tape, designed to maintain a strong bond in temperatures up to 200F, which is well above the operating temperature limits of the radio. For anyone not wanting to mount the GPS-710 to the back of the Operation Panel, optional separation kits (6" and 24") are available.

The shielded serial jumper uses molded right-angle connectors with an integrated strain relief. The data jumper uses a double shielded cable that follows the Kenwood design for signal shielding. The wires are cemented into the RJ-45 (CAT6) connectors before being crimped into place and the resulting connection is extremely reliable.  Every GPS-710 is individually tested on a TM-D710 before packaging.

The GPS-710 is FCC Class B certified as a peripheral device to the TM-D710/RC-D710.  The RJ-45 jacks on the GPS-710 employ high quality EMI filters, so additional ferrites are not commonly needed.  An open "pass-through" 2.5mm serial jack is provided, as can be seen below, so that an external device can be attached to the TM-D710 and/or GPS-710 serial output signals.  An example of attaching the GPS-710 to a laptop (APRSISCE, APRSPoint, UI-View32) is given here.

The mounting bracket and COM port are both completely usable with the GPS-710 installed.

GPS Receiver Detailed Specifications

• SiRF Star III high performance GPS chipset
• Very high sensitivity
• Extremely fast Time-To-First-Fix at low signal levels
• Supports the NMEA 0183 data protocol
• Built-inSuperCap to maintain system data for rapid satellite acquisition
• Built-in active patch antenna
• Foliage Lock for weak signal tracking
• All-in-view 20-channel parallel processing
• Snap Lock 100ms re-acquisition time
• Superior urban canyon performance