Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
I bought one with some other gear for £1150+vat about 2.5 years ago. Don’t think I’d be be able to get near that price now though buying singly, but you never know.
Topcon hiper v
- Thread starter Richard Smyth
- Start date
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
When I bought mine this radio was called the Satelline EasyPro 35, but I actually bought it as a Leica model HPR2 with my Leica gear.
A lot of other companies including Topcon and Leica either white label or resell the Satel radios in their own colours (quite literally for Topcon), so its worth asking your Topcon ag dealer if they can still source them at preferential ag prices (as compared to survey market prices).
They used to be known as the SRL-35 in Topcon speak. Topcon also white labelled the ArWest radio above known as the TRL35.
http://topconcare.com/en/hardware/gnss-radios/srl-35/
ArWest radio aka Topcon TRL-35 (same thing, in a yellow paint job)
A lot of other companies including Topcon and Leica either white label or resell the Satel radios in their own colours (quite literally for Topcon), so its worth asking your Topcon ag dealer if they can still source them at preferential ag prices (as compared to survey market prices).
They used to be known as the SRL-35 in Topcon speak. Topcon also white labelled the ArWest radio above known as the TRL35.
http://topconcare.com/en/hardware/gnss-radios/srl-35/
ArWest radio aka Topcon TRL-35 (same thing, in a yellow paint job)
Field Marshall
Member
- Location
- Wiltshire
The smaller Satelline easy radio modem will work as a repeater as well as a receiver. It may only put out 1W but that may well be enough if placed correctly. I bought three about two months ago and they have gone up somewhat but I,m sure that they would be a lot less than the 35W radio. I always buy them without the display because its cheaper and stops customers fiddling with them. XL systems are the UK agents and are more than helpful, have no idea about Aus.
In the Uk there are strict laws governing radio broadcasts that we have to comply with, again I have no idea about Aus.
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
Agreed, the Latchem’s from XL Systems are really good folks to deal with, but possibly just a tad far from Richard 
Last time I looked the 1 watt Satelline Easy radios were all under the £800 mark. There was a price rise a few months ago, so might be more now. Display or non-display versions made only about £30 difference or so.
If only Richard has physical access to the radio then I’d get the display version as they offer a bit more functionality, ie can be programmed from the front screen/buttons (without resorting to the laptop and programming software) as well as some other neat functions like actual Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) in the digital display. But as you say if these radios are in the hands of others then non-display versions would be better as they’re harder to muck about and tamper with.
The 35W radios would be at least double or possibly close to triple the price of the little 1W radios. It really depends what sort of radio distance and terrain you need to cover,
The latest 2018 version of the 35 watt radio, called the Satelline-4Pro (see user manual) can now be set to transmit as low as 2 watt power (then step up to 10w, 20w, 25w and finally 35w on full power). With the distances and terrain Richard is talking about that’s what I’d go for.
The software on all their models is for all intents the same, the only operational difference I’m lead to understand is that the 35w radio supports some extra high density data modulation schemes like 16FSK.
That probably shouldn’t make too much difference though, but since Australia enforced narrow-banding to 12.5 KHz a few years ago may be handy if your future proofing your infrastructure for transmitting corrections for all 4 sat constellations.
Last time I looked the 1 watt Satelline Easy radios were all under the £800 mark. There was a price rise a few months ago, so might be more now. Display or non-display versions made only about £30 difference or so.
If only Richard has physical access to the radio then I’d get the display version as they offer a bit more functionality, ie can be programmed from the front screen/buttons (without resorting to the laptop and programming software) as well as some other neat functions like actual Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) in the digital display. But as you say if these radios are in the hands of others then non-display versions would be better as they’re harder to muck about and tamper with.
The 35W radios would be at least double or possibly close to triple the price of the little 1W radios. It really depends what sort of radio distance and terrain you need to cover,
The latest 2018 version of the 35 watt radio, called the Satelline-4Pro (see user manual) can now be set to transmit as low as 2 watt power (then step up to 10w, 20w, 25w and finally 35w on full power). With the distances and terrain Richard is talking about that’s what I’d go for.
The software on all their models is for all intents the same, the only operational difference I’m lead to understand is that the 35w radio supports some extra high density data modulation schemes like 16FSK.
That probably shouldn’t make too much difference though, but since Australia enforced narrow-banding to 12.5 KHz a few years ago may be handy if your future proofing your infrastructure for transmitting corrections for all 4 sat constellations.
- Location
- Pinnaroo. South Australia
Not had a chance to do anything yet but the 35 watt looks the go. Think I’d go with the screen on it as I shouldn’t have others that would play with it.
As always distance is king. I do quite a lot of contracting and it’s just easier if don’t need to move the base any more than necessary.
As always distance is king. I do quite a lot of contracting and it’s just easier if don’t need to move the base any more than necessary.
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
If you buy the Satel 35w radio they all have screens/buttons, it’s only the little 1w radios that have the option to have the screen/buttons or not. I guess they consider the 35w a pro class device, and you do have to be reasonably sensible with them as they generate a fair amount of radio power.
Had a glance over the local regs last night (yeh still getting over jet lag), looks like you guys don’t have the concept of a low power slice of “licence free” spectrum in a certain part of the 400 MHz band like we do in the UK. Rather your “low-power” threshold appears to be 8.3 watts (EIRP at the antenna not the radio output) power and under, above that it’s deemed ‘high power’ and you pay more for the privilege. So you’ve got more leeway even at 2w radio power with a 6dbi antenna, and stay within your existing license classification.
Remember to wire in an in-line lightning arrestor into your antenna feed, with a good chunky copper earthing. Might save your radio if your antenna is somewhere high and it does get struck - fair chance of that there. Use a decent size coax (the fatter the better) from the radio to antenna to keep your losses to an absolute minimum.
Had a glance over the local regs last night (yeh still getting over jet lag), looks like you guys don’t have the concept of a low power slice of “licence free” spectrum in a certain part of the 400 MHz band like we do in the UK. Rather your “low-power” threshold appears to be 8.3 watts (EIRP at the antenna not the radio output) power and under, above that it’s deemed ‘high power’ and you pay more for the privilege. So you’ve got more leeway even at 2w radio power with a 6dbi antenna, and stay within your existing license classification.
Remember to wire in an in-line lightning arrestor into your antenna feed, with a good chunky copper earthing. Might save your radio if your antenna is somewhere high and it does get struck - fair chance of that there. Use a decent size coax (the fatter the better) from the radio to antenna to keep your losses to an absolute minimum.
- Location
- Pinnaroo. South Australia
Not looked at the regs here yet but that sounds about right. UHF communication is low power at 5 watt. We run a private channel at 25 watt which costs more.
Just going through process of changing my uhf frequency as I was using a previous employers frequency on my gear. Going to my own now and the radio guy is setting us up a 5 watt licence but reckons he will program to 25 watt as we are so remote and undulating terrain.
Will do the same with the repeater when I get to it.
The old autofarm rtk base units used a massive coax for the same reason. The input cable will be find as standard rg 58 but will up size the output at repeater.
Just going through process of changing my uhf frequency as I was using a previous employers frequency on my gear. Going to my own now and the radio guy is setting us up a 5 watt licence but reckons he will program to 25 watt as we are so remote and undulating terrain.
Will do the same with the repeater when I get to it.
The old autofarm rtk base units used a massive coax for the same reason. The input cable will be find as standard rg 58 but will up size the output at repeater.
- Location
- southern riverina Australia
Yes there are big regulations here regarding transmission power( as the local JD dealer found out when the Optus people turned up and told them there transmitter was interfering with their phone tower and that every day it continued would be a 20 000 dollar fine...) As for Topcon. My MF dealer installed a setup like your talking about 10km from me , i did a contract job that was still on 8mm signal 16km from tower. He can apparently get the signal 30km from tower in his ute. He's one of the best dealer topcon have i have been told. If you want to pm me i can give you his number and you could give him a ring.
- Location
- Pinnaroo. South Australia
Autofarm has to replace one of our base stations back in 2007 for the same reason. With the base station the licence is for 200 km I believe to minimise interference.
The uhf radios are country wide. Meaning we can use that frequency on 25 watt anywhere. I’ll pm shortly.
Field Marshall
Member
- Location
- Wiltshire
In the UK we have to have a license from Ofcom for 35W which isn't actually that expensive. It does however mean that hopefully there is not interference from other people using the same frequency. We are on 25khz band width which some people said was not needed but I felt it was possibly a bit more future proof.
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
To be fair I think Ofcom do an OK job at spectrum management and we’re fortunate to not have been forced into mandatory 12.5 kHz narrowbanding like they have in the states and Oz. To get an area defined licence here costs me about £75 per annum per 12.5 kHz channel and you can blast out up to 100w EIRP @ 25 kHz in an area covering 2500 Sq km.
To see how convoluted the Aussie 400 MHz spectrum is and their attempts to re-farm it all have a look at this flow chart. OMG!