Comparative Performance Evaluation of Two GNSS Modules for UAV Navigation Accuracy and Satellite Acquisition Metrics
TL;DR
Results show that the MATEK M10Q-3100 CAN consistently outperformed the CUAV NEO 3, achieving higher horizontal and vertical accuracy, smoother speed estimation, and tracking more satellites.
Abstract
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) depend on global navigation satellite system (GNSS) modules for positioning and autonomous navigation, yet their real-world performance is rarely evaluated under identical flight conditions. This study experimentally compares the CUAV NEO 3 GNSS and MATEK M10Q-3100 controller area network (CAN) modules on a fixed-wing UAV performing the same waypoint-based mapping mission. Performance was assessed using horizontal accuracy (HAcc), vertical accuracy (VAcc), speed accuracy (SAcc), and the number of tracked satellites (NSats). Results show that the MATEK M10Q-3100 CAN consistently outperformed the CUAV NEO 3, achieving higher horizontal and vertical accuracy, smoother speed estimation, and tracking more satellites. These improvements are attributed to its newer-u-blox M10-class receiver, enhanced multipath resistance, and CAN-based communication, which provides better synchronization with the flight controller. The findings demonstrate that actual GNSS performance is strongly influenced by hardware design and real flight conditions, highlighting the importance of empirical evaluation for reliable UAV navigation and mapping applications.