It's 10PM, do you know where your Pi is? If you had this Pi HAT, you would! This new HAT from Adafruit adds our celebrated Ultimate GPS on it, so you can add precision time and location to most Raspberry Pi boards (anything with the 40-pin GPIO “HAT” header; early Pi models with a 26-pin header are not compatible, nor are bare Compute Module boards).

Here's the low-down on the GPS module:

• -165 dBm sensitivity, 10 Hz updates, 66 channels
• Only 20mA current draw
• Built in Real Time Clock (RTC) - slot in a CR1220 backup battery for 7-years or more of timekeeping even if the Pi is off!
• PPS output on fix, by default connected to pin #4
• We have received reports that it works up to ~32Km altitude (the GPS theoretically does not have a limit until 40Km)
• Internal patch antenna which works quite well when used outdoors + u.FL connector for external active antenna for when used indoors or in locations without a clear sky view
• Fix status LED blinks to let you know when the GPS has determined the current coordinates

This HAT takes over the Pi's hardware UART to send/receive data to and from the GPS module. So, if you need to use the RX/TX pins with a console cable, you cannot also use this HAT. Instead, you'll have to use a monitor and keyboard to log in, or use ssh to connect over the network to your Pi.

Comes as a fully assembled GPS + PCB and an additional 2x20 GPIO header. Some light soldering is required to attach the 2x20 GPIO header to the HAT but it's fast and easy for anyone with a soldering iron and solder. You can also swap the plain female header we have with a 'stacky' type that lets you plug in a hat or GPIO cable on top or a slim ultra-low-profile header.

Even with a low-profile header installed, the GPS module itself adds sufficient thickness that the Pi + HAT won’t fit in most close-fitting Pi cases. If full protection from the elements is required, you’ll have to improvise or find a larger plastic enclosure, perhaps with cable glands.