Field Bee Offer on RTK L2 receiver

[steveR]

RTK GPS Receiver | GNSS Receivers with price | FieldBee

The first step towards higher precision - Order the FieldBee GNSS receiver and the RTK base station together and save €49

www.fieldbee.com

Might be of some interest to someone looking for an idea for a Christmas pressie...

 

[Northern farmer]

Probably just me but I always find their website a bit confusing. The product info only talks about RTK rover properties, is this product not configurable as an RTK base? The RTK base product on their website is still a single frequency device.

Which chipset do they use? How does this product compare with Reach RS2?

 

[steveR]

Probably just me but I always find their website a bit confusing. The product info only talks about RTK rover properties, is this product not configurable as an RTK base? The RTK base product on their website is still a single frequency device.

Which chipset do they use? How does this product compare with Reach RS2?

I wonder if it is something "lost in translation"?

I assumed the use of SNIP and NTRIP to be honest, but their L1 systems did push the use of base and rover from them I agree. I feel that Fieldbee seem to push their products as a more consumer friendly package, but that the L2 maybe is missing a trick here?

However, the L2 receiver at €900 is about €500 less than the Reach2 but they are different bits of kit really...

Not sure that €1100 up front for a March delivery appeals though...

 

[steveR]

I am exploring a purchase though, using the STW latest 2020 STEPs scheme with a 50% Grant as the motivator!

They were not keen in a home brewed bitsa when I looked last year, but the new L2 Fieldbee system lends itself better to a grant application... We'll see

 

[steveR]

I am exploring a purchase though, using the STW latest 2020 STEPs scheme with a 50% Grant as the motivator!

They were not keen in a home brewed bitsa when I looked last year, but the new L2 Fieldbee system lends itself better to a grant application... We'll see

And had a from my Adviser!! Application being prepared this week, however, I cannot purchase one now as the approval for the Grant has to come first... I wonder if I can order now, and Invoice later, on delivery?

 

[jorgenbg]

The rover antenna is battery only? Seems a bit odd.

 

[steveR]

The rover antenna is battery only? Seems a bit odd.

Is it? I would think you could run a cable out, but I guess its more waterproof without a cable?? Dunno.

Battery will make it easy to remove quickly from the cab roof and take indoors, which is no bad thing from the reports of how many units are being stolen!!

 

[Robt]

What is battery life as I bet it’s power hungry. Seems like it’s designed for survey market

 

[steveR]

What is battery life as I bet it’s power hungry. Seems like it’s designed for survey market

Looks very similar to the earlier model with a charging port that I think would run off a power feed.... I will ask them tomorrow

But I would assume the consumption will depend on the setup... If it's just in the receiver mode with Bluetooth, I would not expect a big power usage. My Garmin Glo will run for 10-12 hrs on a tiny mobile phone battery.

 

[jorgenbg]

might be my language skills... from their
website:

• 12v-40v, 300mW power consumption
• 8 h autonomous work
• Replaceable battery 18650×2

 

[steveR]

might be my language skills... from their
website:

• 12v-40v, 300mW power consumption
• 8 h autonomous work
• Replaceable battery 18650×2

?

Yep, my take is like most chargeable kit, it can be used with a power cord. My only concern would be how waterproof and robust the process is... Not an issue if in the cab, but I presume the best location will be on the roof...!

 

[steveR]

The Reach RS2 is much better on power life...

22 hour on 1 charge

Up to 22 hours of autonomous work when logging data and up to 16 hours as a 3G rover, even in cold weather—no more need to carry spare batteries with you. Reach RS2 can charge from a USB wall charger or a power bank over USB-C.

 

[steveR]

?

Yep, my take is like most chargeable kit, it can be used with a power cord. My only concern would be how waterproof and robust the process is... Not an issue if in the cab, but I presume the best location will be on the roof...!

Or quick swap batteries...

 

[jorgenbg]

What do they mean by 8 hours antonomous work. The base station claims 16 hours? Is this the battery life? The base station surely must be on a power cord?

Cant see myself climbing the barn roof every 16 hours to change the batteries

 

[Northern farmer]

The 16 h versus 8 h battery life time must be because the base specs at their web site are for an L1 only receiver.

The base is not always fixed, it could be installed on a tripod next to the field one is working on (survey another application).

 

[steveR]

The 16 h versus 8 h battery life time must be because the base specs at their web site are for an L1 only receiver.

The base is not always fixed, it could be installed on a tripod next to the field one is working on (survey another application).

That was my understanding too. A "mobile" base unit will be hugely useful in areas where landscape or building obstacles screw the use of radio and also where 3G/4G reception may be poor (like in the countryside!). Also where the units will be moved around a lot such as a Contractor (or Surveyor) The drawback is how long the base unit takes to wake up and find it's location according to one report I read. The L2 is better I believe??

My take after doing some "research" is that I may need a moveable base unit as 2/3 of the farm has poor 3G/4G coverage, although possibly a mobile data hotspot with an external aerial may help here ? I will see if I can borrow one from my daughters fella this coming weekend for a play! I have land about 2km that has a gert great hill in between my land and the farm, but might just work..

 

[Northern farmer]

I always struggle to understand the poor cellular coverage in the UK when my country has an order of magnitude less dense population and it is pretty impossible to find a spot without handheld coverage, not to mention coverage for the tractor GPRS receiver with an external antenna at the top of the cabin.

There are many ways to deliver the RTK correction signal, Pheasant Surprise and others have talked about those options at this forum a lot. Instead of carrying the portable base, you could take a cellular to radio repeater to a sweet spot closer to the field etc. etc.

The portable base would not need to survey its location every time you start it. Put it on a fixed pole and survey the position once. Next time on that same pole you can use the previously surveyed location. Not sure about Field Bee but usually the base has a memory for a number of locations.

 

[steveR]

I always struggle to understand the poor cellular coverage in the UK when my country has an order of magnitude less dense population and it is pretty impossible to find a spot without handheld coverage, not to mention coverage for the tractor GPRS receiver with an external antenna at the top of the cabin.

The portable base would not need to survey its location every time you start it. Put it on a fixed pole and survey the position once. Next time on that same pole you can use the previously surveyed location. Not sure about Field Bee but usually the base has a memory for a number of locations.

Oh it really is dreadful cell coverage over large swathes of the country, adequate 2G would be a start for many rural locations, us included!

When the solar farm was being put in a few years ago here, the poor 3G coverage was a real issue, in the end they used satcoms for their data comms as opposed to the cheaper mobile data which was being looked at! The Project Manager never stoopped whinging... I allowed him to come up to the farm and tap into my wifi to allow him to work properly from his car with his laptop!!

I think the FB will remember several locations as you suggest. Easiest method would be a semi permanent pole or post for the base unit to be put on for the days work. Looking at teh spec of the "base" unit, the start up performance is not as bad as I first feared!

 

[steveR]

Maybe a better buy than the Fieldbee L1 package...? Nice compact module in the tractor too

https://www.robotshop.com/uk/reach-uav-mapping-kit.html

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Well their gen one system, wasn’t exactly a spectacular hit with the punters...as I recall.

Anyone tried the eFarmer FieldBEE

Hi I farm approximately 800 acres of mainly cereals in County Durham and I currently use a MF7720 with full autosteer to drill with only using EGNOS at the moment, which is not good enough for the job. So I am looking at either upgrading my Autoguide 3000 system to RTK for drilling, which I...

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