Vanix Tracx-1b Quectel EC200U-CN 4G GPS Module

The Vanix Tracx-1b is a compact 4G LTE Cat 1 modem with built-in multi-constellation GNSS, based on the Quectel EC200U-CN. Fit a data-enabled nano-SIM and the two supplied patch antennas and it reports position and data over the mobile network, which suits drone trackers, recovery beacons, fleet telemetry and IoT payloads that need to be located beyond radio range.

Key features

• LTE Cat 1 on FDD and TDD networks at up to 10 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up, with GSM/GPRS fallback

• Integrated GNSS tracking GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS

• SMS (text and PDU) plus TCP/UDP, MQTT, HTTP/HTTPS and FTP/FTPS for pushing position and telemetry to a server

• UART at up to 921600 bps and USB 2.0 for connecting a microcontroller, companion computer or PC

• USB-C input for powering the board from a 5 V supply

Specifications

• Cellular module: Quectel EC200U-CN

• Network: LTE Cat 1 FDD/TDD, GSM/GPRS

• Data rate: up to 10 Mbps down / 5 Mbps up

• GNSS: GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS

• Interfaces: UART, USB 2.0, I2C, SPI, PCM, SD card

• Max UART baud rate: 921600 bps

• SIM: Nano-SIM

• Power input: 3.7-4 V (VBAT), 3.7-5 V (USB-C)

• In the box: Tracx-1b module, 2 x patch antenna

The modem is driven with standard Quectel AT commands, and GNSS is enabled with AT+QGPS=1. A fix needs open sky, so mount the GNSS antenna on top of the airframe, clear of carbon plates and the LTE antenna.