Rover Station Setup And Operation
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4 Rover Station Setup And Operation
Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) operation provides centimeter-level precision by
eliminating errors that are present in the GNSS system. For all RTK operations, you
require both a rover receiver and a source of corrections from a base station or
network of base stations.
The second part of the RTK GNSS system is the rover receiver. The rover receiver is
moved between the points that require measurement or stakeout. The rover receiver
is connected to a base station or to a source of RTK corrections such as a CORS
(Continuous Operational Reference System) or the CHC APIS service. The connection
is provided by:
•
an integrated radio
•
an integrated cellular modem
•
a cellular modem in the controller
This chapter provides the information to help you identify good setup locations,
describes the conventional process to set up the rover station and the configuring
procedure that required for receiving correction data.
4.1
Rover Station Setup Guidelines
For good rover operation, observe the following setup guidelines:
•
Place the GNSS antenna in a location that has a clear line of sight to the sky in
all directions. Do not place the antenna near vertical obstructions such as
buildings, deep cuttings, site vehicles, towers, or tree canopy. GNSS rovers and
the base station receive the same satellite signals from the same satellites. The
system needs five common satellites to provide RTK positioning.
WARNING – Take care not to touch overhead power lines with the CHC i50
GNSS receiver or the range pole when moving the equipment into position.
Touching overhead power lines may cause electrocution, leading to serious injury.
•
GNSS satellites are constantly moving. Because you cannot measure at a
specific location now does not mean that you will not be able to measure there
later, when satellite coverage at the location improves.
•
To get a fixed position solution with centimeter precision, initialize the RTK
rover receiver. For initialization to take place, the receiver must track at least
five satellites that the base station is also tracking. In a dual-satellite
constellation operation, for example, GPS and GLONASS, the receiver must