Hey guys, this is my first post and I am excited to learn more about this field and move into it.
I have a P4 advance and an Inspire 1 v2, I’ve played around with mapping, done a few trials with pix4d and it seems overall I need to get into some RTK/PPK or using GCPs.
Since I am on a limited budget I don’t have endless possibilities, but I am thinking of ordering two reach rs+ units and getting into GCPs.
My real question is, are they good enough? Is there a better option within an similar budget and what general advice do you have for a newcommer.
I am based in Scandinavia, and from what I can tell UAVs aren’t that big yet, and I am wanting to get into it before everyone else does.
Good luck with getting into the UAVs ahead of all! That’s a strong motivation for jumping into the surveying material
I believe I have some details to help you make an informed decision. Even though for me Reach RS+ is always good enough
When talking about the choice between the units, it all comes down to the environment you’re surveying in. If you can always provide the unit with good satellite visibility and a clear sky view so that nothing blocks it, single-band receives are for you to go with. Reach RS+ can be easily put either on the tripod or on the surveying pole.
If your environments are complicated and have diversity, you may want to go for multi-band receivers. They are robust in challenging conditions like the city or the slight foliage. In this way, you’d want to look at the Reach RS2. More expensive, true, but unavoidable in case of complications of the environment.
As @jp-drain-sol mentioned, you can go with the multi-band Reach M2. Unlike both RS2 and RS+, it’s a bit trickier to place on the pole and on the tripod: it doesn’t have the thread. There are several external components as well, like the battery and the GNSS antenna. Still, if the idea of placing this on a tripod doesn’t scare you, M2 will work just as well as RS2.
A quick trick for you: if you have access to the somewhat affordable NTRIP services nearby, there’s no need for two units. You can connect just one to the Internet and survey with it. This is one of the ways we do the GCPs collection in our guide. This option, however, needs to be weighed against all costs.
The reason I recommend two M2’s is having the multi-band comes down to one of my philosophies, I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
Multi-band for “challenging” conditions covers a multitude of things in the real world. Basically, anything that interferes with satellite reception at the rover.
Also, two M2’s on a budget, is very affordable even with two LoRa radios.
Agree with you, @jp-drain-sol. That’s a good point to follow.
Single-band receivers are indeed more sensitive to the overall environment. If there are any doubts about it and its quality, I believe it’s an indication of the need for a multi-band receiver.
By the way, you’re keeping up the “able to build some things yourself” spirit on our forum! Thanks for that! That’s the usage diversity we’re looking for.
Still, @MoniBinis, if it’s not your cup of tea, you can always check out more field-ready solutions
