Antenna selection

I have this view after uploading the “roverortner” configuration. He has been working on this configuration from the very beginning.

Or should I use a different configuration, a better one?

In NMEA i have only gga and vtg on. I don’t know if my problem is also that I only have gps + glo + gal turned on. BDS i have off. It might be a problem? I set it up according to the advice of colleagues from the forum.

So you actually only use Gps and Glo, then.

Is there any lake or sea close to the field with fix problems?
Reflections (of satellite signal) from water or metal roofs , can result in losing the fix.

To see the bar graph in u-center you must enable GSV NMEA, but you only need to do that on the USB interface, not UART1 or UART2.

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It is good i have gps and glo only?

I guess I’ll try to load the rover ortner configuration yet without disabling anything.


This is my RTK lost area. No lakes, no trees, no power line. The area is located on a hill.
There is always a fix between the buildings on the left.

Recommended distance from RTK base is 25km that will result in 2.5cm± every adicional km after is 1mm less precision, but it degrades faster up to just single GPS, and also makes it harder to maintain fix especially with just 2 constellations.

If your base uses BDS then turn off GAL and turn on BDS.

Ok, i will try.

I bought two survey antennas. One for the tractor and one for the base station. First, I mounted it to the tractor. The RTK loss problems are gone. Then I made the base station, which gave a much more stable track. So I recommend that everyone choose the survey antenna.

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Interesting, I haven’t seen issues with the very basic GNSS antenna from Ardusimple (but still bought the better antenna for my F9P base).

Which exact survey antenna are you using? Which GNSS constellations are you using? Did you lose RTK previously because of poor sky visibility at the rover?

It is obvious that a better antenna gives better performance but it is not obvious how much better and how to even quantify the improvement.

A helical is easy to quantify the improvement for rover, they stay fixed in tree cover that the patch style antennas loose signal very easily in. If you have high hedgerows, or sharp hills they are very beneficial. Also in extremely dusty conditions like a combine they cannot collect enough dust to stop working, no need to get out and wipe.

In open area for rover, and for base the survey style are definitely the best choice.

The HX 607 has been working very well this summer, and is half the price of the tallysman HC 871.

Its great there is such a assortment of affordable antenna options in comparison to regular agricultural pricing.

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I use these antennas.
As I wrote earlier, I had areas with clear skies and the RTK signal was going out in exactly the same way as under trees. After replacing the antenna, the problem in those places where the signal disappeared now is always there.

Later, I will check in the second tractor where I have the ann-mb antenna or it is better with my base station in those places where the signal disappeared.
I am using GPS + GLO + GAL.

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Hi Tynell!

I was looking for HC871 Tallysman antena but DigiKey has only this HC882 HC882 Dual-Band Helical Antenna + L-band | Tallysman.

Would you mind to share you opinion? I’m trying to build my RTK base station with Emlid M2.

A base station needs a clear view of full the sky, down to a few degrees above the horizon for best results any way. I feel like a survey antenna is better suited to the base station than the helix. But on the rovers, no doubt the helix has real advantages.

Although several helix antenna descriptions say they are good for base stations too.

The HC882 looks like it supports all the same bands as the 871, plus Galileo E5. But I’ll defer to @PotatoFarmer’s experience.

RF is such a black art!

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Your base should be in a nice open location with a good clear view of the sky.

I use a survey style antenna with the M2 for base with great results. An mcx to (sma or tnc) adapter to get the M2 to adapt.

C$ 1.37 24% Off | 1Pcs RG316 SMA Female Jack Bulkhead to MCX Male Plug Connector RF Coaxial Jumper Pigtail Cable For Radio Antenna 4inch~10M

C$ 98.19 20% Off | GPS antenna 300D Survey High precision waterproof RTK GPS L1 L2 Glonass Galileo For ZED-F9P Trimble BD970 BD982 receiver

Survey style is the more accurate antenna. In perfectly flat, nicely open territory with little for trees or obstructions.

But if you have particularly crowded, overgrown, overhanging obstacles, hilly terrain, problems with losing gps signal. Helical antennas are a much better choice.

The tallysman hc871 and 882 are really great choices. You will not be disappointed tallysman antenna in rover position. Helical antennas also do not suffer from dust accumulation.

Tallysman is a great, and fairly priced brand building high quality antennas. I have also had success with these two, especially the stubby harxon hx-901. The HX 607 performed well but sticks up fairly high, Its a bit taller than my thumb.

C$ 92.89 20% Off | Helix Antenna HX-901 HX-501 GPS L1 L2 L5 GLONASS GALILEO For RTK UAV GIS survey intelligent driving Replace CHX602A CH7609A

C$ 109.28 20% Off | Helix Antenna HX-607 GPS L1 L2 L5 L-Band GLONASS GALILEO BDs QZSS For UAV GIS survey intelligent driving Replace CHX600A

For rover in challenging conditions helical is a great choice.

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Thank you, Michael! Good points! I’ll change my shopping list :blush:

Thank you, Tynell! You saved me reasonable amount of money!

Initially I planned to buy Ardusimple basic kit since it has antena and it’s a bit cheaper . But now I see that I need helical antena for my rover. So maybe I should go micro PCB + micro Ardusimple ? What could you suggest?

I have no experience with the ardusimple boards, but their function should be the same as any other ublox F9P. The M2 also is F9P based, but has a great UI and online caster that makes it suit the base position right out of the box.

I am building and testing POE based hardware at the moment so fairly out of the loop with the current AiO.

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Hi Tynell!

Sorry for bothering you again.
Could you suggest what cable should I buy for HX 901 antena? I guess it’s a TNC to SMA cable?

Another question. What’s the maximum cable length for the Base Station? I’m going to order that antena that you suggested from Aliexpress.

Thank you in advance!

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