FieldBee GPS RTK base stations. Trimble compatibility?

[Dave645]

Hi I have a question can the FieldBee base station talk to Trimble receivers and kit?

I asked fieldbee they said.
Quote View attachment FieldBee-L2-RTK-GNSS-Base-station-Datasheet.pdfView attachment FieldBee-L2-RTK-GNSS-Base-station-Datasheet.pdfFieldBee RTK base station (1599 EUR) and have centimeter accuracy. You can check the data sheet of our base station, if your system can receive NMEA0183 signal in RTCMx3 format (baudrate is 115200 kb/s) via Internet or radio, you should be able to use it with other receivers.
I include their data sheet.

so can anyone out there test this, has any of your farming friends got Trimble based gps RTK, and can they log into your FieldBee base station.(mostly in Europe right now)
I do this because I think we can break a monopoly if it’s true, where they can charge £800 annual sub for something we can get for free once we have a base station of our own, fully setup.

I ask this here because trimble are reluctant to tell me as you might imagine, they say it’s doubtful etc which is not, a no it will not, so my guess is it will and they don’t want to say it will.

I hope someone can shed light on this here’s hoping.

I will add FieldBee make tractor GPS kits that use the normal sub correction signals so you can use their gear without a base station and get 2cm accuracy so why if they are setup to receive them would they make there base station not talk to normal receivers? They use normal receivers. All be it RTK ones.

 

[CEONLTD]

Hi Dave

Ceon anre now looking after the Fieldbee product for the UK and Ireland

I have been talking to the fieldbee team on you request that Fieldbee works with the Trimble based GPS RTK, the first set of testing has been complete and went well. when the next phase of testing is complete they are planning to launch base stations that are compatable with the trimble RTK units.

 

[Dave645]

Hi Dave

Ceon anre now looking after the Fieldbee product for the UK and Ireland

I have been talking to the fieldbee team on you request that Fieldbee works with the Trimble based GPS RTK, the first set of testing has been complete and went well. when the next phase of testing is complete they are planning to launch base stations that are compatable with the trimble RTK units.

Thanks that’s good to know, thanks.
Can you extend the testing to steering motors, these are expensive and users of other systems other than FieldBee, may have existing kit and want a base station but have incompatible receivers so look to buy FieldBee ones but want to retain their existing steering motors/kit items including control screens.
So my question would be, can FieldBee receivers and or tablet powered software talk to any other existing steering systems. At least at the steering motor level?
You can extend that again, is the FieldBee receiver compatible with other systems so all they swop is the receiver on the cab roof? And so they can retain the steering kit and their touch screen controller.
as you maybe able to tell there are many variations of these types of questions, but making it transparent what will work with what, helps the farmer and you.
If you can just sell them a base station so they get RTK, Or you have to sell them extra items to get their existing kit up to RTK levels. Or they have to buy more kit from you but can retain their existing steering motor.
So receiver, software, and base station, (they buy a tablet) but your kit can use their existing steering system.

 

[CEONLTD]

Dave

I will feed back you requests to FieldBee and let you know of any futher developments

 

[CEONLTD]

Thanks that’s good to know, thanks.
Can you extend the testing to steering motors, these are expensive and users of other systems other than FieldBee, may have existing kit and want a base station but have incompatible receivers so look to buy FieldBee ones but want to retain their existing steering motors/kit items including control screens.
So my question would be, can FieldBee receivers and or tablet powered software talk to any other existing steering systems. At least at the steering motor level?
You can extend that again, is the FieldBee receiver compatible with other systems so all they swop is the receiver on the cab roof? And so they can retain the steering kit and their touch screen controller.
as you maybe able to tell there are many variations of these types of questions, but making it transparent what will work with what, helps the farmer and you.
If you can just sell them a base station so they get RTK, Or you have to sell them extra items to get their existing kit up to RTK levels. Or they have to buy more kit from you but can retain their existing steering motor.
So receiver, software, and base station, (they buy a tablet) but your kit can use their existing steering system.

so a quick update for you Dave

List of tested device
Terminals:

1. AFS600
2. AFS700
3. TMX-2050

Receivers:

• AFS 372
• NAV-900

All above are tested and are compatible with the above terminals and receivers. And we still continue testing with other models. Latest base station firmware already includes feature to work with the teseted trimble systems

 

[Badshot]

so a quick update for you Dave

List of tested device
Terminals:

1. AFS600
2. AFS700
3. TMX-2050

Receivers:

• AFS 372
• NAV-900

All above are tested and are compatible with the above terminals and receivers. And we still continue testing with other models. Latest base station firmware already includes feature to work with the teseted trimble systems

So the fieldbee base will put out a radio signal on a frequency I choose? Which will work with Trimble screens?
Tmx2050.
Fm750
Intelliview on a combine?

What range does it have?
2km?
20km?
200km?

 

[CEONLTD]

So the fieldbee base will put out a radio signal on a frequency I choose? Which will work with Trimble screens?
Tmx2050.
Fm750
Intelliview on a combine?

What range does it have?
2km?
20km?
200km?

hi

ill see if i can get you some technical documentation to help clarify

 

[Dave645]

So the fieldbee base will put out a radio signal on a frequency I choose? Which will work with Trimble screens?
Tmx2050.
Fm750
Intelliview on a combine?

What range does it have?
2km?
20km?
200km?

As far as I know, the base station use 2 types of signal mobile data, and radio.
But you can move the base station, the base station needs a known GPS location so a shed roof, house etc you give it that location data and it spits out the correction data your equipment needs. You can move it but I have no clue how difficult setting up multiple locations is to do. It maybe simple or it maybe difficult.
I am not a user just an interested farmer.
They hopefully can give you want you want to know.
But you can look on the website.
https://www.fieldbee.com/product/fieldbee-rtk-base-station/

 

[CEONLTD]

As far as I know, the base station use 2 types of signal mobile data, and radio.
But you can move the base station, the base station needs a known GPS location so a shed roof, house etc you give it that location data and it spits out the correction data your equipment needs. You can move it but I have no clue how difficult setting up multiple locations is to do. It maybe simple or it maybe difficult.
I am not a user just an interested farmer.
They hopefully can give you want you want to know.
But you can look on the website.
https://www.fieldbee.com/product/fieldbee-rtk-base-station/

As dave said

It will work only with NTRIP mode (LoRa of wifi).
The working range will be 20km in radius.
from the Trimble side, RTK VRS unlock should be activated.
technical documetation will made avialable in a week or so

 

[Badshot]

As dave said

It will work only with NTRIP mode (LoRa of wifi).
The working range will be 20km in radius.
from the Trimble side, RTK VRS unlock should be activated.
technical documetation will made avialable in a week or so

Ok, so modems required to use it.
Thanks

 

[Halldor Hustak]

But will it work if there is a mountain between base and recever? (...of course still inside of 20 km range)

 

[Dave645]

But will it work if there is a mountain between base and recever? (...of course still inside of 20 km range)

Ok I can answer that 2 ways.
One if you get a good Mobile phone signal in all your fields then yes.

2. if you don’t get a signal then yes, but it requires you to setup the base station in radio mode actually near the field. I made a mount to go on the seed trailers front rack.

number 2 has draw backs like repeatability of tracks, you can fix this by making a permanent location for the base station at the other side of the mountain this needs to be as solid as possible fix a location once, then save it and name it so when you move the base station back there you use the same location, the only other thing to watch is the rotation of the base station to fix that make a base plate with one flat edge that you use to make sure the base station is in the exact same location and angle every time. The base station has one flat edge.

in short the answer is yes but extra work maybe required.

radio mode can work in any location but in difficult terrain then carful positioning maybe needed.