Fendt varioguide with different receivers.

[v12cat]

Just wondering if anyone had interfaced a non standard RTK receiver with varioguide, such as in a 724?

Are we dealing with can bus or is serial comms possible / used? I have very little technical info on this machine yet as I've not had it long.

It may be a complete no go but thought someone might know.

 

[Boysground]

I have all Fendt kit in mine but there are options. You probably need to speak to whoever’s system you want to use. It will possibly depend on the age of your tractor, Fendt used to use Topcon but it is now Trimble.
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[PJ Walker @ RTK Farming]

Depending on the age of the machine you should be able to order from your dealer a Trimble or Novatel receiver. Both are good systems with the Novatel being cheaper, especially if you want higher accuracies. Topcon is also compatible but in my experience it is not as reliable though I'm sure plenty of people get on with it fine. Not sure much else can be integrated into the vario guide system.

 

[v12cat]

Not sure much else can be integrated into the vario guide system.

Ok, I see. It seems the whole GPS scene is based on unnecessary locking and restriction etc.

 

[PJ Walker @ RTK Farming]

Ok, I see. It seems the whole GPS scene is based on unnecessary locking and restriction etc.

Well I suppose the manufacturers would argue that they use these locks to cover their R&D costs. It has become somewhat of an industry standard now.
I haven't tried or seen anyone try to fit another GPS system. It's probably possibly but only by serial feed so you wouldn't get the full integration. I suppose it depends on how you want to use it.

 

[Wombat]

I have all Fendt kit in mine but there are options. You probably need to speak to whoever’s system you want to use. It will possibly depend on the age of your tractor, Fendt used to use Topcon but it is now Trimble.
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Fendt do the algorithms, steering ecu and screen themselves and use only novatel or Trimble GPS receivers for the positioning

 

[Charlie M]

The Fendt receiver or dome will only talk to an Agco transmitter. We have our own Topcon base station but couldn’t get them to connect, so we just had portable Agco base stations, which were made by Topcon. Fendt system’s run on different software to standard Topcon.
We tried connecting our Topcon AGI receivers on the tractors, but not plugging the Topcon screens in to see if it connected to the Vario guide but it didn’t work, even tho it uses the same wiring harness.
The new tractors have come with Trimble and Novatel systems in and we are running them on N-Trip from our Topcon base station. I think it is possible to put a SIM card in a Fendt receiver and run it on N-Trip but we never tried it. It would need to be RTK unlocked tho.
It’s a complete mine field!!
(I have a complete Fendt RTK system here for sale if your looking)

 

[Boysground]

Varioguide ntrip with a SIM card here. Works a treat

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[Northern farmer]

The Fendt receiver or dome will only talk to an Agco transmitter. We have our own Topcon base station but couldn’t get them to connect, so we just had portable Agco base stations, which were made by Topcon. Fendt system’s run on different software to standard Topcon.
We tried connecting our Topcon AGI receivers on the tractors, but not plugging the Topcon screens in to see if it connected to the Vario guide but it didn’t work, even tho it uses the same wiring harness.
The new tractors have come with Trimble and Novatel systems in and we are running them on N-Trip from our Topcon base station. I think it is possible to put a SIM card in a Fendt receiver and run it on N-Trip but we never tried it. It would need to be RTK unlocked tho.
It’s a complete mine field!!
(I have a complete Fendt RTK system here for sale if your looking)

Did you try to connect your Fendt to your Topcon base with the radio? Are you sure the radios were configured the same way? It is a Satel radio on the Fendt and most likely a Satel radio on the Topcon base too, they should work if the radios are for the same market (same frequency range).

I have a Novatel base and a Satel radio at the base and our Fendt (with the older Topcon AGI-4 based VarioGuide receiver) works fine, the RTK correction signal both over the radio and via NTRIP.

I have not seen the detailed wiring diagram of the new Novatel receiver on a Fendt (nor the Trimble). Are the two also modified for Fendt or are they unmodified Novatel/Trimble receivers? Could be either way as the new receivers have an additional interface box at the roof, I guess including the steering controller (not sure about gyros) that was integrated to the Topcon topdoc. It is quite obvious that this interface box would be needed in any case but if say the Novatel receive is a standard Novatel product, then I cannot see why another receiver could not work. The standard Novatel receiver anyway gives a standard NMEA feed towards the tractor. Then again, if they wanted, they could easily implement a protocol to check that the receiver is an AGCO part.

 

[Richard Smyth]

The Fendt receiver or dome will only talk to an Agco transmitter. We have our own Topcon base station but couldn’t get them to connect, so we just had portable Agco base stations, which were made by Topcon. Fendt system’s run on different software to standard Topcon.
We tried connecting our Topcon AGI receivers on the tractors, but not plugging the Topcon screens in to see if it connected to the Vario guide but it didn’t work, even tho it uses the same wiring harness.
The new tractors have come with Trimble and Novatel systems in and we are running them on N-Trip from our Topcon base station. I think it is possible to put a SIM card in a Fendt receiver and run it on N-Trip but we never tried it. It would need to be RTK unlocked tho.
It’s a complete mine field!!
(I have a complete Fendt RTK system here for sale if your looking)

topcon base should work just fine with the topcon Vario guide Receiver (ag3000). Mine does anyhow although I’m using it via ntrip with thebase set up at home these days.

the topcon and agco receivers have a different pinout in the 12 pin Deutsche plug. If using the agi4 in my Fendt with a x25 there is an adapter harness which changes the pinouts. They wouldn’t tell me what it was so I could make my own which was frustrating.

 

[Blue.]

Varioguide ntrip with a SIM card here. Works a treat

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Trimble or Novatel?

 

[Boysground]

Novatel

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