Ada Fruit GPS Ultimate Breakout Board for PineA64

[MarkHaysHarris777]

The VBAT is absolutely necessary for real-life practical use of this gps unit... otherwise boot-up and acquisition of fix can take anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple of hours !

15 minutes to a couple of hours? But the datasheet says that a cold start acquisition typically takes 35 second (and so does the adafruit overview)! Now, since it says typically, I could see you padding it out to say... 1 minute, but not 15 minutes to hours? I have the exact same breakout from Adafruit, and with the battery removed, it can lock on in just under 30 seconds when in open sky on a clear day.

Perhaps this is this when you're running the on-board ceramic antenna and are using it indoors? As those numbers would make sense then, as its much harder to acquire a signal... even then, it can be touch and go if you get a lock at all or not.

This is one of those times, pfeerick, when you make absolutely no sense what-so-ever.

... you are arguing against my empirical evidence and experience.  Acquisition depends not only on an open sky, but also on the periods of the satellites in that sky.  I am an expert in tracking those satellites.  Under some ideal conditions I have had my gps receiver obtain a fix from cold boot in 30 seconds;  however, it is 'usually' on the order of 10 to 15 minutes !  ... and funny this should come up now, yesterday my receiver (because of atmospheric conditions and the actual positions of the satellites in orbit) did not obtain a 3D fix for almost 2.5 hours !  It bobbled in and out of 2D fix with less than 3 satellites in view with a good signal.  This happens infrequently, but it does happen.  The point of having the backup battery is that the acquisition times to 3D fix are 'usually' cut in half and sometimes reduced to just a couple of minutes , and in many cases just 30 seconds. The ratings get confused because most testing assumes best conditions, and a backup battery in place. 

pfeerick, this is science not opinion; I'm not interested in arguing about it either. Put a battery on your gps or not.  I choose to, and it works for me. You are free to take my expert advice or not... or like we say in the forums-- YMMV