RTK through mast or sim card?

[Tweed]

I am looking into RTK steering and am not sure which system to go for (mast or simcard). Mobile phone coverage never seems good enough all over the farm, do you have to pay double if you have two simcards? Do signals from masts have black spots?

 

[Mwf]

Phone sim type crap if signal at all dodgy. Really crap,not just ok.

 

[Oscar]

I m havimg problems with mobile sim also but upgrades coming through seem to be getting it better but not there yet. This is with variguide/Fendt.

 

[CPP]

We have a Rtk network base on mobile sims and don't have the problem with a Starfire 3000

 

[Robt]

JD Rtk extend........
Our radio base Rtk works . Reason being we survey the signal on farm prior to selling the signal! If you have black spots, we don't sell you Rtk!
Pm me for more details

 

[Brisel]

Comparing mobile phone coverage to mobile RTK isn't very fair. Data takes much less signal & the antenna on the tractor is far better than a hand held mobile phone. An RTK survey would be a good investment IMO before you start spending big £ on a system that doesn't work for you. Ask around the local firms like Precision Decisions, LH Agro (Robt), AS Comms etc to see who has base stations locally that you could subscribe to in order to save buying your own base station. I'm in the back end of nowhere but have 3 masts within 3 miles of here.

 

[Tweed]

Comparing mobile phone coverage to mobile RTK isn't very fair. Data takes much less signal & the antenna on the tractor is far better than a hand held mobile phone. An RTK survey would be a good investment IMO before you start spending big £ on a system that doesn't work for you. Ask around the local firms like Precision Decisions, LH Agro (Robt), AS Comms etc to see who has base stations locally that you could subscribe to in order to save buying your own base station. I'm in the back end of nowhere but have 3 masts within 3 miles of here.

Thanks. There is no way I would buy a base station, but if there are base stations I could subscribe to 10 to 15mls away, which option would you advise?

 

[Clive]

Thanks. There is no way I would buy a base station, but if there are base stations I could subscribe to 10 to 15mls away, which option would you advise?

subscribe to a base if you have the option - way better than sim RTK

 

[Brisel]

Thanks. There is no way I would buy a base station, but if there are base stations I could subscribe to 10 to 15mls away, which option would you advise?

I'm not on RTK as I have enough accuracy for what I want already plus I'm in steep valleys so radio & GPRS signal is an issue, so I'm not really qualified to answer your question I'm afraid.

Subscribing to someone else's signal brings the risk of losing accuracy if the base goes down at their end, but there should be provisions for this in your contract of supply depending on the circumstances of who you are buying from.

 

[James Owen]

I am looking into RTK steering and am not sure which system to go for (mast or simcard). Mobile phone coverage never seems good enough all over the farm, do you have to pay double if you have two simcards? Do signals from masts have black spots?

Our EssentialsNet RTK works very well please PM me for more details

 

[Fendt]

We used a sim card rtk network on our topcon x30 for one year. Now running from a local base station. the sim card system repeatedly lost signal (at least a dozen times a day), and when it had a signal it never seemed as accurate as it should have been. Quite noticeable when trying to plant potatoes. The base station signal is extremely accurate and very rarely loses signal. No questions in my mind which I would choose.

 

[CPP]

It does seem to be that some system works best on mobile and some on base RTK
It depends on who's GPS you are going to use.

 

[SoilEssentials]

RTK corrections delivered via SIM card can be problematic, however the devil is in the detail. 2/3G modems, dual network connectivity, and run on systems such as xFill, RTK Extend and Glide can all be used to create a robust and future proofed RTK GNSS system. For a customer looking for the range and availability offered by SIM based RTK it is important that the detail is correct and backup is in place.
All of the backup systems above are compatible with our EssentialsNet RTK correction network - a system designed specifically for agriculture.

 

[bravheart]

excuse my ignorance here, is it the same signal as a mobile phone, and if EE are offering a 4g signal here will that work with a gps system also if so is it faster/more stable/reliable than 2g-part time 3g from the other providers?

 

[SoilEssentials]

No excuses needed - all this technology can be a minefield. The correction signal is carried over the mobile phone network via the internet. The coverage is dependent on the provider's signal strength in your particular area. If you're looking for more details and want to talk through what's what you can call our Head office on: 01356 650459.

 

[JACK F]

Had a year with subscription through a sim card and was a pain. Some days were okay but most seemed to lose signal too often despite being in good phone signal area.
Switched to base stations (through RTK farming) and signal has been virtually perfect all the time. Massive improvement and also works out cheaper than what I was paying before per year. Did have to fork out a bit of money on new receiver equipment on tractor but was well worth it. Would definitely recommend subscribing to base station.

 

[Robert Ramsay]

Jack F. I think that there are good reasons and places to use radio and others for Network. If you farm in a mostly flat area with a good radio network and do not roam beyond that network then radio is a no brainer! If you live in more challenging topography for delivering radio signal, or you roam out of range of the network then RTK via sim may offer a better solution. Sim networks can nip in and out for a few moments and so GPS systems with no Glide / Xfill etc do not work well with them. Trimble, Leica and John Deere all work well on our EssentialsNet.

 

[James 6920]

Having used a base station system from RobT for 3 years and now using john Deere mobile rtk I have to say that both work brilliantly, the john Deere system works extremely well on our area that is spread along way from base and on some land that dosent get a mobile signal at all!!! Yea I've had a few moments of rtk-x and sf2 but 3 times in a season is nothing!!!!!!

 

[Tweed]

I think I had better get a survey done!

 

[Slick]

B and B tractors have a Trimble RTK network that reaches into some parts of South Yorkshire.