Guidance on the cheap

SteveE · Apr 15, 2017

A cheaper alternative is patchwork GPS which have just brought out a Bluetooth unit which connects to a smart phone /tablet. It also allows for tilt correction. Have a look at their website. It isn't to the accuracy of their or other higher end units and you have to download the app from Google play or app store but worth a look.

Rob Graham · Apr 18, 2017

An Gof said:
If that's the best it can do you have wasted your money.

It hasn't been delivered yet...Postie brought it back to depot according to the card he left...if he'd switch it on I could track it lol!

EBF · Apr 18, 2017

I don't really agree with the @MickW view that anything cheap is worthless. Technology has moved on a lot since most of the agricultural guidance products on the market were designed at huge cost and what's the point in paying them for what is effectively an expensive tablet computer when I already have a smartphone and a tablet, both with more than enough computing power to run some simple guidance software?

As for accuracy, it depends on what you are after. My fert spreader throws reasonably accurately to 12 metres with another 5 metres of overlap beyond that so I have no need to know where I am to the nearest centimetre.

My initial use of the Garmin GLO with the fert spreader to do about 10 Ha is that it works well for this job, with the quantity of fertiliser used being more or less correct for the area covered at the given rate. The limiting factor seems to be my steering rather than the accuracy of the GPS. It is certainly significantly better than doing it by eye if my past experience is anything to go by. If I get time I'll explore the accuracy of it a bit further.

NH 200 · Apr 24, 2017

Rob Graham said:
It hasn't been delivered yet...Postie brought it back to depot according to the card he left...if he'd switch it on I could track it lol!

How are you getting on with your garmin? Been thinking either to go for a garmin/qstarz with agribus or go for the ontrak system which will cost a fair bit more with accuracy between 15-20cm. What sort of accuracy should the garmin or qstarz give?

Rob Graham · Apr 25, 2017

Had a quick play there (between hailstone showers) with just the tractor and it's seems much more consistent than phone GPS, I didn't have the track set to the correct width and tried to run pass to pass and I'd say it's accurate +-1m...but again I'd like to try with a more accurate track width.

Northern farmer · Apr 25, 2017

Rob Graham said:
View attachment 506754 Had a quick play there (between hailstone showers) with just the tractor and it's seems much more consistent than phone GPS, I didn't have the track set to the correct width and tried to run pass to pass and I'd say it's accurate +-1m...but again I'd like to try with a more accurate track width.

Did you try to evaluate the accuracy from the tractor traces on the field or from the coverage map on the screen? The latter only shows how accurately you are steering (referred to the screen instructions).

1 metre pass-to-pass does not sound bad for an EGNOS receiver and manual steering.

Rob Graham · Apr 25, 2017

From the coverage map on the 2 R.H.S runs I ran pass to pass on the wheelings, at max it suggested I correct by 0.25m, the final run on the LHS I tried to follow the guidance if you get me. Apologies as I've been quite busy lately, but you tell the app where the GPS is located in relation to the implement and I'm wondering if I tried it in a few different positions it may make it easier to follow.

Breakthru · Apr 26, 2017

Rob Graham said:
From the coverage map on the 2 R.H.S runs I ran pass to pass on the wheelings, at max it suggested I correct by 0.25m, the final run on the LHS I tried to follow the guidance if you get me. Apologies as I've been quite busy lately, but you tell the app where the GPS is located in relation to the implement and I'm wondering if I tried it in a few different positions it may make it easier to follow.

If you have a separate aerial put it as near the front of the tractor as possible to get the best results, less figure of 8's at the end. Same with drilling, mount it on the front of the drill, who cares where the tractor is crabbing on the sidlings as long as the centre of the drill is in the right place

EBF · May 2, 2017

That's about the same as my experience with the GLO with around + or - 1 metre accuracy. I find it fine for spreading fert. Sorry, no screenshots etc, busy lambing...

bongorongo · Jun 5, 2017

Have a look at eFarmer. http://efarmer.mobi/
Great for record keeping and navigation. Connects to GPS antenna via Bluetooth.
They are working on their own cheap RTK, and I think they also are planning autosteer option.

Rob Graham · Jun 13, 2017

Quick update. Been spraying on Friday and had another go with the Garmin Glo and the free app. Find attached pic, as I was following tramlines in this field I wasnt overly concerned with the guidance, which was just as well because I set the receiver offset wrong, I cracked on and while filling I centralised the receiver and corrected the offset hoping the next 2 fields would have been better but unfortunately the AB tramlines weren't straight.

robinsjanis · Jun 13, 2017

I have tried Field Navigator and Teejet Matrix Pro 570.
As far as fertilizer spreading, I like seperate screen for that, because phone is always needed for other things.
Teejet navigation was really acurate, using it was easy.

For the Field Navigator you can contact those developers, they are really open.and looking for testers!

Briantee · Jun 18, 2017

You could use AgOpenGPS, mapping, section control, flagging, tramlines, boundary, lightbar, runs on Windows, free - just download it. Farmers all over the world are using it, But..... you need a GPS source.

If you don't like it, delete it. Written by a farmer, for farmers.

https://github.com/farmerbriantee/AgOpenGPS
https://github.com/farmerbriantee/AgOpenGPS

davedb · Mar 23, 2019

Briantee said:
You could use AgOpenGPS, mapping, section control, flagging, tramlines, boundary, lightbar, runs on Windows, free - just download it. Farmers all over the world are using it, But..... you need a GPS source.

If you don't like it, delete it. Written by a farmer, for farmers.

https://github.com/farmerbriantee/AgOpenGPS

So what would I need to run this? A tablet and a GPS receiver?

cquick · Mar 25, 2019

davedb said:
So what would I need to run this? A tablet and a GPS receiver?

Yes. A tablet that runs windows 10, and a GPS source of your choice. For £40 you can get a Ublox M8T receiver which will get you to 30cm accuracy. For £400 odd you can get a pair of RTK boards capable of guiding you down to the centimetre, although if going down that route you'll want to build an autosteer setup.

etcetra · Mar 25, 2019

Farmer GPS
http://www.farmergps.com
I've been using an older version for several years on an old rugged laptop (itronix gobook ) running Win XP coupled to a Garmin 18 GPS.
Software works well and has plenty of features, accuracy with the Garmin is Ok for fert spreading but could be improved with a better GPS such as a Novatel. The newer versions of the software support bluetooth. Free to download and try (although time limited).

ETC

davedb · Mar 25, 2019

Charles Quick said:
Yes. A tablet that runs windows 10, and a GPS source of your choice. For £40 you can get a Ublox M8T receiver which will get you to 30cm accuracy. For £400 odd you can get a pair of RTK boards capable of guiding you down to the centimetre, although if going down that route you'll want to build an autosteer setup.

What tablet would you recomend? 30cm accuracy would be fine for what I’m doing atm but nice to know I could go down the auto steer route in the future

cquick · Mar 26, 2019

davedb said:
What tablet would you recomend? 30cm accuracy would be fine for what I’m doing atm but nice to know I could go down the auto steer route in the future

I use an Acer Switch alpha 12, a bit overkill but I also use the tablet for some more intensive tasks. They can be had for £250ish on ebay now

This Linx tablet on amazon looks like it'll do the job: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Linx-12X64-12-5-inch-Detachable-Processor/dp/B06Y2W2NJX?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_2

steveR · Mar 29, 2019

davedb said:
What tablet would you recommend? 30cm accuracy would be fine for what I’m doing atm but nice to know I could go down the auto steer route in the future

I picked up a Huawei 8" tablet for 50 quid in the local electrical pawnbroker place, works just fine except in VERY bright sunlight like today! But to be fair very few tablet displays would cope. I can see a cardboard hood coming along soon....

Running Field Nav with a Garmin Glo. Had a bit of a mare today mind, as the software kept reporting |Unstable GPS| whatever that meant. Bizarre, as the BT GPS app reported sub. 1.25m accuracy at the time quite happily. Killing the app and restarting sorted it!!

I have the Glo mounted on a Velcro pad, and am experimenting with top of cab and on front of the dash. There is a negligible difference in Sats picked up in either location.

steveR · Mar 29, 2019

etcetra said:
Farmer GPS
http://www.farmergps.com
I've been using an older version for several years on an old rugged laptop (itronix gobook ) running Win XP coupled to a Garmin 18 GPS.
Software works well and has plenty of features, accuracy with the Garmin is Ok for fert spreading but could be improved with a better GPS such as a Novatel. The newer versions of the software support bluetooth. Free to download and try (although time limited).

ETC

I experimented with farmergps yonks ago, but abandoned it as the accuracy from the low cost gps at the time was poor. Good to know its still going! I am sure I have the interface box in the workshop still... Never used!!

Guidance on the cheap

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