JD RTK base station costs

[Brisel]

I have 8 JD tractors, a SP sprayer & 2 x NH combines. I'm considering Controlled Traffic and would like to know what it would cost.

No third party masts in the area and I'd like to stay with JD for now, since they charge you just for the privilege of using someone else's radio. I would consider mobile RTK but for that many units I'm guessing that the economics tip in favour of my own base + radios. I need a 10 mile range and have a tall building to fit an antenna on.

Starfire receivers are all unlocked to SF3 and all tractors are Autotrac ready. The combines have Trimble auto steer but simple Omnistar/Rangepoint corrections. The sprayer has no auto steer but Agleader section control and EGNOS guidance .

 

[Banana Bar]

At the risk of sounding like a [emoji239], why don’t you ask JD?

BB

 

[Brisel]

At the risk of sounding like a [emoji239], why don’t you ask JD?

BB

I intend to do that - just trying to get an idea of "real world costs" not just a set of unlock and hardware figures from a JD salesman (no offence @CPP ).

What sort of range do you get with radios?

 

[Northern farmer]

Is a single base going to be sufficient for your fleet? How far from the base would the signal need to be useful?

You could have mobile RTK equally from your private base as radio RTK. I'm not familiar with the JD gear but if the receivers already have NTRIP capability, it would be less expensive to pay the SIM card costs rather than purchasing radios. Then again, if you need an NTRIP modem, might cost the same as a radio.

I understand you would need to pay a early fee for JD just to be able to use your private base instead of a JD RTK signal. I hate this, hope it isn't the case either for radio or NTRIP.

 

[Brisel]

I don't think the receivers have the NTRIP capability as standard & will require a bolt on module for 4G LTE or radio. SF3 is JD's own satellite based correction signal similar to Centrepoint RTX, only requiring one more unlock for RTK.

Only a couple have JD link so I assume the rest don't have modems fitted. 6Rs and 8Rs varying in age from 2012 to 2019.

 

[Serup]

I have 8 JD tractors, a SP sprayer & 2 x NH combines. I'm considering Controlled Traffic and would like to know what it would cost.

No third party masts in the area and I'd like to stay with JD for now, since they charge you just for the privilege of using someone else's radio. I would consider mobile RTK but for that many units I'm guessing that the economics tip in favour of my own base + radios. I need a 10 mile range and have a tall building to fit an antenna on.

Starfire receivers are all unlocked to SF3 and all tractors are Autotrac ready. The combines have Trimble auto steer but simple Omnistar/Rangepoint corrections. The sprayer has no auto steer but Agleader section control and EGNOS guidance .

If i understand the system correct, the saving you will have by having your own base station, is the fee for rtk signal from deere or your dealer. From my dealer the subscription is about 700€ for basestation and 1000€ for mobile rtk per year, for the first antenna.

If all your antennas are SF3, then you need both the rtk unlock and a radio for either basestation or mobile signal for each antenna. I don't know the price in the UK, but i paid about €2000 for sf3 unlock, €2000 for rtk unlock and €2000 for the rtk radio, when i upgraded an SF1 antenna in 2019. That was including 1 year subscription to the dealer basestation network. The price was the same if it had been mobile rtk, but the subscription for the dealer basestation network is cheaper here. I farm in a 15-20 mile radius from the farm, and i never change which basestation i use, so it has a long range. I don't even know where it is located. As i understand it, it's just an SF6000 antenna with rtk, placed somewhere.

My dealer has a pricing structure for big customers like you, so you still would want to use their service (at least for their own base station network, mobile rtk is from deere i think).
Since i only have one rtk antenna, i don't remember the numbers, but the price for each extra is less for every extra you add. After a certain number, it doesn't cost more to add more antennas.

I don't think the receivers have the NTRIP capability as standard & will require a bolt on module for 4G LTE or radio. SF3 is JD's own satellite based correction signal similar to Centrepoint RTX, only requiring one more unlock for RTK.

Only a couple have JD link so I assume the rest don't have modems fitted. 6Rs and 8Rs varying in age from 2012 to 2019.

I'm not sure you can use the modem from jd link for rtk signals - at least not the one from deere. New tractors still has the rtk modem bolted to the antenna, when they use RTK. And i believe they all are jd-link ready now, from 6 series and up, at least here.