Good day,
I often face challenges of insufficient range when using my RS2 Base & rover set up over the Lo-Ra RTK solution.
I am seeking low-cost ($USD 0-500) means of improving said range.
Do you think this would be effective? I know some licensing would be required in my jurisdiction due to the power output.
Any suggestions (for example Antennae mods) would be appreciated.
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You can also put an active booster between the rs2 and the the antenna.
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Get your antenna as high as affordably possible
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Hi @adrian.levy99,
LoRa is a low-powered radio which requires a line of sight between receiver and transmitter. However, if you plan to survey in more challenging conditions, I’d suggest using a couple of more powerful external radios to work in RTK.
Reach RS2 works with external radios, including UHF ones. You can use RS-232 or a USB port on RS2 to connect the radio. We’ve tested the UHF antenna with our Reach RS+, but it should work the same for Reach RS2.
I can hardly help you choose the right digital repeater since we haven’t tested them. So, I can’t guarantee that it’ll work fine with our devices.
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Could you post a link to an example of such a product?
Thank you for your useful response.
In your opinion would changing the radio antenna boost the range?
For instance this option:
Adrian, I’m not a radio expert but I believe the antennas that Emlid sells are specific to their radio. I believe they are a certain length because of the frequencies transmitted/received for the LoRa radios.
I haven’t tried mine yet due to health reasons, but terrain, woods and buildings will limit range on any uhf radio. Our Javad radios are basically in the same frequencies range, however they’re not compatible with the Emlid radios. Even with the Javad radios, we have distance problems. Try and place the antenna as high as possible, this usually helps a lot.
I’d like to have about a 10’ length of cable between the RS2 and the antenna in order to get it up in the air for use as base. That would be nice
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Hi @adrian.levy99,
Could you please describe your issue in more detail? What the maximum distance for LoRa currently?
I can hardly recommend you this antenna type since we haven’t tested 3rd-party antennas with Reach RS2.
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I often work in environments where there is poor or no direct line of sight between Base & Rover. Obstructions are usually trees/forest.
The terrain is usually quite rough and it is sometimes impossible to determine where the highest part of the site is to place the base at the start of the project.
I have been on sites where the radios will not broadcast beyond 500 metres.
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You just might have to use the ntrip option , which would require sim cards or mobile hotspots.
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More than likely no cell service… therefore the radios.
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Wonder if www.Starlink.com is an option for remote areas? Still have to work within range of it (LoRa) though.
$500 equipment? $100 month? Use a motorcycle, electric wheelchair, or car battery for power?
Don’t forget to pay someone to sit at the base for security.
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Hi @adrian.levy99,
I can hardly suggest some exact external radios since we’ve never tested that. It depends on the conditions and it’s hard to say something surely without local tests.
Also, I agree with David. Indeed, if an internet connection is available, you can transmit corrections via NTRIP.
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