Tech Chat | Setting Up RTCM Output on the S20 Smart Antenna Base Station
The S20 is a smart GNSS antenna that integrates both antenna and GNSS engine in one compact unit. It's designed for easy integration into third-party agricultural systems, where it can provide reliable high-precision positioning.
In addition to being used as a rover, the S20 can also be configured as a simple base station to output RTCM correction data. This blog will walk you through how to connect the S20 to a computer and send configuration commands to enable RTCM output via serial port.
Preparation
To get started, you will need:
- S20 GNSS receiver
- S20 configuration cable
- Serial port tool (e.g. QCom)
- Windows PC
Step 1: Connect the S20 to Your Computer
1. Use the configuration cable to connect the S20 receiver to your computer and provide power to the S20 device.
2. Open Windows Device Manager to check which COM port is assigned to the S20 device.
3. Launch your serial communication tool and select the correct COM port. If the port is correct and the device is powered on, you should see NMEA messages such as: GPGGA, GPZDA, GPGSA, GPRMC, GPGST, GPNTR, GPGSV, BAT Info
Note: The receiver must be powered on to receive data in the serial tool.
Step 2: Send Commands to S20
Once connected, you can send the following commands in order:
1. Stop all current data output:
UNLOGALL
2. Set the device to base mode and enter the base coordinates:
MODE BASE [longitude] [latitude] [elevation]
//Replace the [longitude] [latitude] [elevation] with your actual base station coordinates. The unit of longitude & latitude is degree and the unit of elevation is meter.
3. Configure output RTCM message types and their output interval:
RTCM1033 COM1 10
RTCM1094 COM1 1
RTCM1074 COM1 1
RTCM1124 COM1 1
RTCM1084 COM1 1
Each command above sets the output frequency for a specific RTCM message. The number at the end represents the output interval (seconds). You can change it based on your application needs.
Note: After sending each command, the receiver will reply with "OK" to confirm successful execution.
By following these steps, you can flexibly configure the S20 to output RTCM correction data and work as a simple CORS base station. This makes the S20 an ideal choice for precision agriculture and other high-accuracy GNSS integration applications.
Learn more about S20 GNSS receiver,
https://www.singularxyz.com/S20.html
