Hi,
I am interested in Reach Rtk and would like to know if it is possible to get precise positions with Reach Rtk using Trimble Zephyr 2 Antenna on a pole?
If other antennas can be used – does Reach Rtk get more precise positions with other (expensive) antennas?
Best regards,
Frank
Hi Frank,
According to the datasheet of Trimble Zephyr 2 antenna its input voltage range is from 3.5V to 20V.
Reach provides antenna with 3.3V, so officially they are not compatible.
There’s a chance that 3.3V would be enough for this antenna, but no guarantees.
Also, you can use a cable with a power injector to provide required voltage to the antenna.
Big survey grade antennas usually provide better performance, but are less suitable for integration because of the size and weight.
For me, size and weight are not an issue, how much better would these antennas perform? And, how would one begin to integrate them?
Weston, those antennas are probably an overkill. They are so pricey because they have to perform equally well in many frequencies.
If size is not an issue for you, I would suggest going for Tallysman TW3740 / TW3742 or other large L1 GPS/Glonass/Beidou antenna.
This is a good suggestion - is the antenna you’re suggesting a direct snap-in replacement? What about connection cable? Power supply?
These antennas have wide voltage input range: 2.5 to 16 VDC. Reach supplies 3.3V, so they are compatible. Connector option will depend on where you purchase the antenna, you can even order it with custom connector/cable from Tallysman (MOQ might apply). For Reach you will need MCX connector, but adapters exist that will allow you to make connection without need to solder anything.
Well, price here is not an issue, another question arises, what keeps us from using other frequencies from the satillites? L2C, L5, and L1C? It looks like RTKLIB does support these.
Reach can not track L2 or L5 on the hardware level, so purchasing an expensive antenna that can receive these signals is an unreasonable expenditure.
Ok, I see… Will it ever be able to do this, ie. future versions?
That will require different hardware, so not solvable with software update. Good features for Reach 2.
