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MultiNav Pro+ BLE - interference from onboard GPS module affecting link quality?

Dawn RyanJuly 25, 2026
So I'm running the MultiNav Pro+ BLE and GNSS modules together on the same custom carrier board, pretty close to each other physically - maybe 15mm between them. Everything works fine at short range but I'm starting to see some link degradation at longer distances that I didn't expect, and I'm wondering if the GNSS module is radiating enough noise in the 2.4GHz band to be hurting my BLE sensitivity at range. I know GNSS receivers can be noisy depending on how the switching regulators are laid out, and at 50km you're already working with whatever link margin you've got so even a few dB of added noise floor could matter.
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Replies

AdamJuly 25, 2026
@Dawn Ryan yeah this is a real and very plausible culprit — 15mm is close enough that if there's any switching regulator noise on the GNSS module radiating into the 2.4GHz band, your BLE receiver is going to see it, and you're right that at those ranges you have almost no margin to give up.
 
The first thing I'd do is a quick sanity check: power the GNSS module off completely and run your range test again. If your link quality recovers noticeably, you've found your problem and you can start isolating whether it's conducted noise on the supply rails or radiated from the GNSS board itself. If there's no difference, it's probably something else — antenna orientation, ground plane issues, whatever — and you can rule this out.
 
If it is the GNSS, a few things that tend to help: a small copper pour ground shield between the two modules makes a meaningful difference, and making sure they're on separate LDO-regulated supply rails rather than sharing a switcher is probably the biggest single fix. Conducted noise from a shared switcher into the BLE module's supply can degrade receiver sensitivity just as badly as radiated interference, sometimes worse.
 
Also worth checking — do you have a ground plane break or any slot in the PCB between the two modules? That can actually make radiated coupling worse by forcing return currents to route in ways that create unintentional loop antennas right between your two modules.
Devon MillerJuly 25, 2026
Yeah 15mm is pretty tight for those two, I've seen similar issues on a carrier board I did last year - the GNSS TCXO and any switcher noise can def bleed into BLE receive sensitivity especially when you're already pushing link budget at range. Try throwing a small ground pour fence between them if you have the space, and if you're not already, make sure the GNSS module's LDO or switcher caps are solid and close to the pins - made a noticeable difference for me.

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