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RTK GPS Deployment

Description

The RTK kit is composed of multiple elements:

  • One RTK PoE enabled main unit
  • One Beitian GPS antenna
  • One magnetic support
  • One M12 4 pins cable
caution

The magnet used by the support is powerful. Please use caution while manipulating it near ferromagnetic surfaces.

Installation

  • Start by assembling the magnetic support and placing the GPS antenna on it.
  • Connect the antenna to the main unit using the M12 cable, making sure that the tightening rings and appropriately used.
  • Place the antenna on the highest ferromagnetic surface available:
    • The antenna sky view should not be obstructed by any objects, in any directions.
    • Metallic surfaces located on the side of the antenna shouldn't be closer than a few meters.
  • Make sure that the main unit is located in a secure area.
  • Connect the main unit to the DCC kit Unifi switch using an RJ45 cable. This port needs to be 1-12.
  • Make sure that the main unit is receiving power by checking for the activity lights on the switch and on the unit itself.
  • Wait for a few minutes for the main unit to boot up.
  • When booted up, the RTK interface can be accessed using the link available of the http://10.0.0.100/hub page or directly on http://rtk-base.
info

When the kit is assembled, the whole chain is IP67 rated. This means that the RTK kit can be left outside, even while raining without affecting its performances.

Calibration

Before being able to use the kit, it needs to be calibrated. To do so:

  • Click on the Calibration button located on the top-right of the interface.
  • Check that the Required Accuracy is set to 1m or lower.
  • Click on the Start Calibration button. If the action has been taken into account, the button should now display the ✓ icon.

After a few seconds, the status should change to Calibrating. The current accuracy and the graph should be updated every few seconds. When reaching the desired accuracy, the status will change again, this time to Fixed, meaning the kit is ready to be used.

At this point, checking that the RTK kit is functioning correctly can be easily done by booting up a drone. The kit is ready to be used if that drone reports a RTK Float GPS status.