Development of a GPS system

The MAX2769 is as you say an 'RF front end' sub-system component, it outputs I (In-phase) and Q (Quadraphase) baseband sampled data, the data contained in these I & Q outputs is not decoded into Latitude, Longitude, time etc. It is not a 'one-chip' solution, unless you can source a suitable device to input this baseband data, I don't think you are going to be able to use this device

 

I have only seen the baseband outputs from this device connected to a micro controller, which would obviously need to be running a decoding routine, I have no knowledge of how this would be done. I would look for a device that outputs NMEA data sequences via RS232, some hand held GPS devices output NMEA sequencies, like the Garmin Etrex and Garmin GPSmap60Cx. Also some GPS modules output NMEA like this one :-
http://www.rfsolutions.co.uk/acatalog/info_GPS_622F.html

This is a UK company, data sheet here :-

http://www.rfsolutions.co.uk/acatalog/DS-GPS622F-3.pdf

 

You would have to find an existing chip set for getting readable data from the MAX2769, maybe one exists, I couldn't fine one on the net, as I say the only references I could find, shows the MAX2769 connected to a micro-controller, I have no knowledge of the software techniques needed to decode the MAX2769 outputs. Devices that output NMEA sequences are well documented, units often output several NMEA sentences e.g:-

GSA - Overall Satellite data
GLL - Lat/Lon data
RMC - recommended minimum data for GPS

These sentencies are documented here :- http://www.gpsinformation.org/dale/nmea.htm#nmea
they are in readable Comma Separated Values, here are the RMC sentence details :-

RMC - The Recommended Minimum for GPS

$GPRMC,123519,A,4807.038,N,01131.000,E,022.4,084.4,230394,003.1,W*6A

RMC Recommended Minimum sentence for GPS

123519 Fix taken at 12:35:19 UTC
A Status A=active or V=Void.
4807.038,N Latitude 48 deg 07.038' N
01131.000,E Longitude 11 deg 31.000' E
022.4 Speed over the ground in knots
084.4 Track angle in degrees True
230394 Date - 23rd of March 1994
003.1,W Magnetic Variation
*6A The checksum data, always begins with *

 

The sentence or sentences are usually output every 1 second, they are output at 4800bits per second so all of the info. below would output in half a second or so, then there would be a half second pause before a new set of data is output :-

Garmin etrex summit outputs
$GPRMC,002454,A,3553.5295,N,13938.6570,E,0.0,43.1,180700,7.1,W,A*3F
$GPRMB,A,,,,,,,,,,,,A,A*0B
$GPGGA,002454,3553.5295,N,13938.6570,E,1,05,2.2,18.3,M,39.0,M,,*7F
$GPGSA,A,3,01,04,07,16,20,,,,,,,,3.6,2.2,2.7*35
$GPGSV,3,1,09,01,38,103,37,02,23,215,00,04,38,297,37,05,00,328,00*70
$GPGSV,3,2,09,07,77,299,47,11,07,087,00,16,74,041,47,20,38,044,43*73
$GPGSV,3,3,09,24,12,282,00*4D
$GPGLL,3553.5295,N,13938.6570,E,002454,A,A*4F
$GPBOD,,T,,M,,*47
$PGRME,8.6,M,9.6,M,12.9,M*15
$PGRMZ,51,f*30
$HCHDG,101.1,,,7.1,W*3C
$GPRTE,1,1,c,*37
$GPRMC,002456,A,3553.5295,N,13938.6570,E,0.0,43.1,180700,7.1,W,A*3D

A GPS receiver does not require any permission to operate it wherever it is as far as I am aware, however, flying something at 18km may need permission, I can't say

 

Here is a module that, it is claimed, has no altitude restriction, it is claimed that it works up to 40km altitude:-
The Ultimate GPS Module (MTK3339) it is available on Ebay and Amazon

Data sheet here :- http://www.adafruit.com/datasheets/GlobalTop-FGPMMOPA6C-Datasheet-V0A-Preliminary.pdf

The unit is also called MT3339, there is a PC tool here :-
http://www.adafruit.com/datasheets/GlobalTop%20MT3339%20PC%20Tool%20Operation%20Manual%20v1.1.pdf