Fendt valtra claas jd Bateman what's best way to go

Topcon, have customers sharing between fendt, mf ( same as valtra) claas and Bateman. One system , swaps between all four in minutes
[email protected] for more info

Egnos starts at £5696 Omnistar G2 £7945 rtk £10,870
This is x14 screen but we'll sell most is x30 which has most things standard rather than paid for unlocks

X30 is more expensive but does so much more . Yes those prices include , screen and receiver. The receiver is a GPS antenna and steer controls all in one unit

Outside of ordering from the factory as RTK enabled, still the cheapest way I reckon will be to get RTK activated on your VarioGuide unit. On a steer ready tractor to go RTK you will need the following (prices are ballpark and may have changed recently):

1. VarioGuide unit to go in the roof. £4300
2. IMU to go inside VarioGuide. £2100
3. RTK radio unit to go inside VarioGuide. £1900
4. Bit of connecting loom, antenna etc. £145

The major disadvantage to this approach is your locked in and that system can't be swapped to other machines. You could only move it to another Fendt tractor. An aftermarket Topcon or Trimble solution with a separate screen and receiver would enable you to move it to another machine or brand of tractor. That flexibility will cost more though. You have to decide what bests suits your situation.

From there you've got to decide from where to get your correction source. Options are:

1. Subscribe to an RTK correction service over the mobile network. Need a decent mobile signal where you'll be operating. Looking at about £700 per year for a sub, maybe bit less.

2. Get your own temporary base (UHF). This is a self contained receiver and radio about the size of two thick paperback books. You mount it on a tripod and it can move about. To get year in year out repeatability in the same field, the tripod will need to be set to the exact same location (or bash in a big timber post with a 5/8 whitworth thread on it which won't move!) Radio power is low - usually 1W or less. Radio range about 5 to 10km depending on position and terrain. Cost about £6k

3. Build your own permanent base. Major difference to a (2) is the receiver and satellite antenna are now separate and the radio is high power (from 1w up to a mighty 35w). Price varies a lot. Lots of variables here. Receivers start around £8k. Satellite antenna about £1k ish. Big UHF radio is about £1.5 to £2K. Then you might need a mast for the UHF antenna if you haven't got a tall building to mount on. There's coax cabling and ancillaries and setup time and the radio will need an annual licence from OFCOM. It all adds up if you can't do it yourself. It's important it's done properly otherwise your wasting your time.

Maybe give J. Bownes a nudge on the mast it would complement a mast they need to install at Winsford, and more importantly I could buy RTK signal.