Affordable RTK GNSS?

[roadracer]

Does anyone, by chance, have experience with this device: https://emlid.com/reachrs/

For $799 it's pretty compelling compared to the $5k-$10k+ for Leica and Trimble. I would be interested in surveying my own property as well as using it for grading driveways and sites.

Thanks!

 

[quickfarms]

Where are you located?

it has CM precision so that is a joke compared to my Trimble receivers.

probably accurate enough to do rough grade or good for farming and GIS but not good enough to do surveying

 

[roadracer]

I'm in south east Montana and would describe everything I'm trying to do in the DIY category. Any legitimate surveying needed I would pay a professional to do.

 

[quickfarms]

GPS is a great tool,

the vertical accuracy of GPS is several times the horizontal accuracy

trees and buildings can block the signal, or at least degrade the accuracy.

I use GPS primarily for control work when the error of the traverse closure would probably exceed the accuracy of the GPS.

I have used GPS to do topography of dirt and other times that survey grade accuracy was not required for the data being collected

my typical GPS project involves using the GPS for the control traverse, it is very easy to locate the monuments in an entire section and set your control to due the site survey with the instrument

survey grade GPS is differential GPS, in other words it requires two GPS receivers. One is configured as a base station and transmits a correction to the rover, the base can also be a network base but you need an internet connection for that, the second receiver is the river that you use to collect the data

How big are your diy projects?

the reason I ask this is my old robotic instruments are capable of survey grade accuracy out to 1200’ with a mini prism.

 

[roadracer]

Property is a few hundred acres. the largest project will be grading a ~1mi drive largely up a hillside. My understanding is as long as I have internet (which I do) I can access a "second receiver" via the RTK network. There are 4-5 sites in the county. Not sure what the maximum distance is to be reasonably accurate.

 

[quickfarms]

Property is a few hundred acres. the largest project will be grading a ~1mi drive largely up a hillside. My understanding is as long as I have internet (which I do) I can access a "second receiver" via the RTK network. There are 4-5 sites in the county. Not sure what the maximum distance is to be reasonably accurate.

The website says 10km if I remember correctly

the receiver needs a continuous internet connection and most use Bluetooth, but you need to check the specs.

on my setup I use a cell phone as a personal hotspot, the data collector connects to the cell phone via WiFi and to the GPS receiver via Bluetooth. My system is a Trimble R8 with a nomad as a data collector.

as long as you are not doing precise grading and you understand the limitations of the equipment you should be fine

I was at one of the county landfills a while a ago and they were doing a topographic survey of the dirt with a total station to make shore there were no big bird baths. I would have used GPS mounted on the truck with the data collector set to auto collect the data every 25’ or 50’