Product Overview
Designed and manufactured in Boulder, Colorado, USA, the SparkPNT SXM-E is the perfect solution for your high-precision positioning and navigation needs. Based around the multi-constellation, multi-frequency mosaic-X5 module from Septentrio, this is our most advanced GNSS receiver to date. It supports signals from the GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Beidou (China), Galileo (Europe), Navic (India), and QZSS (Japan) constellations with on-module support for future L-band signals. The mosaic-X5 module is a very sophisticated chip running a full internal web page server; where its position can be monitored and fully configured through that web page using a standard browser. It can be configured as a Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Base Station to provide corrections to other RTK Rovers, or as an RTK Rover, where it can achieve a horizontal positioning accuracy of 6 millimeters (0.6cm + 0.5ppm). For research applications, the mosaic-X5 can deliver position updates at 100Hz (100 times per second), log raw GNSS data, and monitor/mitigate signal jamming or spoofing.
Under the hood, the SXM-E is powered by the mosaic-X5 GNSS module from Septentrio; and the Espressif ESP32-WROVER processor (16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM). The mosaic-X5 has USB-C connectivity (with Ethernet-over-USB), multiple UARTs, and supports full Ethernet connectivity. The only interface it doesn't offer is WiFi and that's why we've included the ESP32 with its own Ethernet connection. You can connect the mosaic-X5 directly to your Ethernet network - our product supports Power-over-Ethernet too. Or you can link the mosaic-X5 Ethernet port to the ESP32 Ethernet port and have the ESP32 provide WiFi connectivity. In that mode, the ESP32 becomes an Ethernet to WiFi Bridge, seamlessly passing WiFi traffic to and from the mosaic-X5 via Ethernet.
SparkPNT SXM-E
SparkPNT SXM-E
Housed in an extruded aluminum enclosure, this is the perfect solution for creating your own continuously operating reference station (CORS).
Check out our product comparison page for a table with the basic features of the SparkPNT SXM-E compared against other mosaic-X5 products.
Parts List
The SXM-E comes with everything you need to get up and running.
- Quick Start Guide
- Cased GNSS Receiver
- Aluminum Enclosure
- 10-Way Pluggable Screw Terminal Blocks
- Qwiic 1.3" OLED Display
- L1/L2/L5 GNSS Surveying Antenna
- Reinforced RG58 TNC-SMA Cable (10m)
- WiFi + Bluetooth RP-SMA Antenna
- 32GB microSD Card (Class 10)
- USB-C Power Supply (5W)
- Reversible USB-C Cable (A to C, 2m)
- Ethernet Cable (CAT-6, 1m)
- Silicone Bumpers - 5x11mm (4 Pack)
Specifications
Below are the full specifications for this device:
Features
- Septentrio mosaic-X5 multi-constellation, multi-frequency GNSS Receiver
- Highly secure against jamming and spoofing with AIM+ unique interference mitigation technology
- Update rate up to 100 Hz
- 448 hardware channels for simultaneous tracking of all visible supported satellite signals:
- GPS: L1C/A, L1PY, L2C, L2P, L5
- GLONASS: L1CA, L2CA, L2P, L3 CDMA
- Galileo: E1, E5a, E5b, E5 AltBoc, E6
- Beidou: B1I, B1C, B2a, B2b, B2I, B3
- QZSS: L1C/A, L1 C/B, L2C, L5
- NavIC: L5
- SBAS: Egnos, WAAS, GAGAN, MSAS, SDCM (L1, L5)
- On-module L-band
- Accuracy:
- Standalone:
- Horizontal: 1.2m
- Vertical: 1.9m
- RTK:
- Horizontal: 6mm + 0.5ppm
- Vertical: 10mm + 1ppm
- Standalone:
- Time to Fix: <45s
- Operating temperature: -40 to 85 °C
- USB-C interface (UART and Ethernet-over-USB)
- ESP32-WROVER processor
- Flash: 16MB
- PSRAM: 8MB
- USB-C interface (UART via CH340)
- Enclosure
- Materials: Extruded Aluminum
- Three Push Buttons
- Six LED Indicators
- Two USB-C Ports
- microSD Slot for Data Logging
- Connected directly to the mosaic-X5 for fast data logging
- OLED display
- 128x64 pixels
- Dimensions: 180.6 x 101.8 x 41mm (7.1 x 4.0 x 1.6in)
- Weight: 415.15g (0.92lbs)
Connections
- SMA Connections:
- GNSS Antenna (L1/L2/L5/L-Band) - provides 3.3V for an active antenna
- WiFi + Bluetooth Antenna (2.4GHz)
- 3.5mm Screw Cage Connections:
- 9V-36V DC input (isolated)
- GND
- mosaic-X5 - 3.3V/5V switchable
- UART (TX/RX/CTS/RTS):
COM1 - Event A/B Inputs
- PPSO
- LOG
- UART (TX/RX/CTS/RTS):
- ESP32 - 3.3V/5V switchable
- UART (TX/RX/CTS/RTS)
- GPIO: (RX:
32, TX:34, CTS:35, RTS:33)
- GPIO: (RX:
- I2C (SCL/SDA)
- UART (TX/RX/CTS/RTS)
- Ethernet:
- KSZ8041NLI Ethernet PHY interface
- 10Base-T / 100Base-TX with auto-negotiate and Auto MDI/MDI-X
- Power Options:
- USB-C Ports
- Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)
- 9V-36V DC input (fully isolated)
Antennas
- GNSS Survey Antenna
- Whip Antenna
- WiFi/Bluetooth (SPP and BLE)
- 2.4GHz
Capabilities
| Feature | Enabled | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SBAS | ✓ | Default |
| DGNSS Rover | ✓ | Permitted |
| DGNSS Base | ✓ | Permitted |
| RTK Rover | ✓ | Permitted |
| RTK Base | ✓ | Permitted |
| RTCM v2.3 | ✓ | Depends on RTK/DGNSS permissions |
| RTCM v3.x | ✓ | Depends on RTK permission |
| CMR v2.0 | ✓ | Depends on RTK/DGNSS permissions |
| Time Sync | ✗ | Not permitted |
| xPPS Output | ✓ | Default |
| Event tracking | ✓ | Permitted |
| Logging on disk(s) | ✓ | Permitted with advanced options |
| APME | ✓ | Permitted |
| RAIM | ✓ | Permitted |
| Moving Base | ✓ | Permitted |
| Measurement Availability | ✓ | Available |
| Interference Mitigation | ✓ | Permitted |
| DSK1 | ✓ | |
| Frequency Sync | ✗ | Not permitted |
| PPP | ✗ | Not permitted |
| - PPPAtomiChron | ✗ | |
| Augmentation Data Service | ✗ | None |
| - LBAS2 | ✗ |
Schematic
Users can download the full schematic for the SXM-E in *.pdf format.
Dimensions
- Metal Enclosure
- Printed Circuit Board
- Antenna
Details about the aluminum enclosure can be found on the Metal Enclosure - Custom Aluminum Extrusion (6in. x 4in. PCB) product page.
The circuit board dimensions are illustrated in the drawing below; the listed measurements are in inches.
For more information about the board's dimensions, users can download the Eagle files for the board. These files can be opened in Fusion 360 and additional measurements can be made with the dimensions tool.
Fusion 360 is a fully-integrated design and manufacturing platform that is free to use for hobbyists and students. However, it does require an account registration to utilize the software.
As of June 7th, 2026, Eagle is no longer accessible and licensing has been deactivated. Users will need to migrate over to Fusion 360, Autodesk's fully-integrated design and manufacturing platform.
These videos from Autodesk demonstrates how to inspect and measure dimensions in Fusion 360:
The dimensions and technical specifications of the GNSS antenna can be found on the GNSS Multi-Band L1/L2/L5 Surveying Antenna - TNC (SPK6618H) product page. Dimensions of the included GNSS antenna, in mm.
Source: SPK6618H Datasheet (PDF)
How It Works
The Septentrio mosaic-X5 GNSS receiver provides all-in-view satellite tracking; multi-constellation and multi-frequency. When you turn the SXM-E on, it needs to do two things: acquire a GNSS signal and access the internet.
If you connect to the SXM-E's CONFIG ESP32 USB port and open a terminal emulator / serial console, you will see diagnostic data which tells you the status of the SXM-E. You can find more information on how to do that in the quick start guide and in the software overview.
It also features Septentrio's unique AIM+ (Advanced Interference Mitigation and Monitoring) technology for continuous detection and mitigation of GNSS jamming and spoofing.
Suggested Reading
As a more sophisticated product, we will skip over the more fundamental tutorials (i.e. Ohm's Law and What is Electricity?). However, below are a few tutorials that may help users familiarize themselves with various aspects of the board.
