The SparkFun ZOE-M8Q GPS Breakout is a miniaturised, high-accuracy GNSS receiver board with Qwiic (I2C) connectivity. The u-blox ZOE-M8Q is a 72-channel receiver that tracks GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo constellations simultaneously for faster lock times and improved precision.

An onboard rechargeable battery maintains the RTC and orbit data for up to five hours, reducing time-to-first-fix from ~30 seconds (cold start) to ~1 second (hot start). The compact form factor uses a U.FL antenna connector, supporting both standard ceramic antennas and small chip-scale antennas.

Key Features

• 72-Channel GNSS Receiver – Tracks GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo simultaneously
• Qwiic (I2C) Interface – No soldering required; plug-and-play with the Qwiic connector system
• Rechargeable Backup Battery – Hot start in ~1 second, maintains RTC for up to 5 hours
• U.FL Antenna Connector – Supports standard and chip-scale external antennas
• Highly Configurable – Adjustable baud rates, update rates, geofencing, spoofing detection, SBAS/D-GPS via u-center or Arduino library
• Breadboard Friendly – 0.1" header pins broken out alongside Qwiic connector
• UART Output – Industry-standard pin grouping compatible with Serial Basic

Specifications

• GNSS Module: u-blox ZOE-M8Q
• Channels: 72
• Constellations: GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
• Interfaces: I2C (Qwiic), UART
• Antenna Connector: U.FL
• Cold Start TTFF: ~30 seconds
• Hot Start TTFF: ~1 second

Ideal For

• Compact GPS tracking and logging projects
• Drone and robotics navigation
• Asset tracking with space constraints
• Multi-constellation GNSS applications

Resources

• ZOE-M8Q Hookup Guide