Time to First Fix: A Definition and Recommended Test Method

Leonard Kruczynski and Stewart Teasley

Abstract:	when discussing GPS. For navigation using either PPS or SPS, however, accuracy is not often a major distingushing characteristic for GPS equipment. Users more often consider physical attributes, cost and availability of features to make buying decisions. Yet one other aspect of GPS is critical: Time to First Fix (TIFF). How long after power-on does it take a GPS receiver to compute a position? This paper discusses the meaning of TIFF and its implications for the user. It describes the limitations of GPS that create lower limits for TIFF. The paper recommends a method to test receivers for TTFF and presents the results of tests conducted using the recommended method.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 8th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1995) September 12 - 15, 1995 Palm Springs, CA
Pages:	1665 - 1672
Cite this article:	Kruczynski, Leonard, Teasley, Stewart, "Time to First Fix: A Definition and Recommended Test Method," Proceedings of the 8th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1995), Palm Springs, CA, September 1995, pp. 1665-1672.
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