# active GPS antenna on SW modems

**URL:** <https://forum.sierrawireless.com/t/active-gps-antenna-on-sw-modems/5570>\
**Category:** MC/EM Series\
**Created:** [April 20, 2012, 10:15am UTC](https://forum.sierrawireless.com/t/active-gps-antenna-on-sw-modems/5570 "2012-04-20T10:15:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dexdyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@dexdyne](https://forum.sierrawireless.com/u/dexdyne)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 10:15am UTC](https://forum.sierrawireless.com/t/active-gps-antenna-on-sw-modems/5570/1 "2012-04-20T10:15:44Z")

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We have an MC8790 modem, which it seems supports only passive GPS antennae. ( one might wonder why 🙂 )

Does anyone have any experience of adapting this to an active antenna?

I really like this until I saw the price!

[minicircuits.com/pdfs/ZX85-12G+.pdf](http://www.minicircuits.com/pdfs/ZX85-12G+.pdf)

I can, if I must, design PCBs with impedance matched tracking, but I’d really lie to buy a widget for 20 bucks max that just-does-it.

TVM

David

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**Author:** ![paruthiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@paruthiv](https://forum.sierrawireless.com/u/paruthiv)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 6:46am UTC](https://forum.sierrawireless.com/t/active-gps-antenna-on-sw-modems/5570/2 "2012-05-09T06:46:37Z")

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Hi,

> [@](#):
>
> We have an MC8790 modem, which it seems supports only passive GPS antennae

Did you somehow test to confirm this? Also did you try contacting your distributor?

Regards,  
Paruthiv