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Survey guide
Can I use a different brand of UHF base station with the CEESCOPE™ RTK?
Yes. You don’t need to stay within one brand: the CEESCOPE™ RTK works with practically any base station as long as two things match. The corrections message must be a format both ends support (RTCM 3.x always works; CMR and CMR+ usually do; CMRx is Trimble only), and the radio format, frequency and channel spacing must be the same at both ends.
2 settings to match
RTCM 3.x works with every receiver
CMRx Trimble only
403–470 MHz CEESCOPE™ UHF radio
There’s often confusion, partly from GNSS marketing, that base and rover must be the same brand to talk over UHF. That isn’t the case, though there can be advantages in some circumstances. Compatibility between the CEESCOPE™ RTK (or any rover) and a base comes down to matching two things.
1. The corrections message
The corrections message is simply a time adjustment for each satellite in view that shifts the rover’s measurements to remove errors.
| Format | Compatibility |
|---|---|
| RTCM 3.x | Non-proprietary. Every base and rover can use it, and every GNSS system can be set to it. |
| CMR, CMR+ | Trimble formats, now on most GNSS systems, so effectively non-proprietary. A Trimble base sending CMR+ works with a Hemisphere or NovAtel rover set to CMR+. |
| CMRx | Proprietary, Trimble only. A Trimble base sending CMRx will not work with a NovAtel or Hemisphere CEESCOPE™; only the Trimble version can decode it. |
CMRx is compressed, which reduces base power use and improves radio range, but it doesn’t improve position accuracy. You don’t have to use it even if you have it: a more powerful radio or a bigger battery does the same job. If you can choose the format at the base, compatibility is never an issue. The open formats won’t be discontinued, and other land survey rovers on the same base can use the same message. See RTK corrections formats for which formats suit each receiver.
2. The radio format
The radio isn’t actually part of the GNSS electronics, even if it’s in the same box. Modern UHF radios are multi-format: a Satel radio has the Pacific Crest option and vice versa, a Satel will have the Trimble format and a Trimble will likely have the Satel format. As long as the receive radio has the format the base transmits, it will work.
The Satel receive radio in the CEESCOPE™ RTK covers 403–470 MHz, so it matches any base radio on frequency. Set the channel spacing to 12.5 kHz or 25 kHz to match the base, and choose the radio format:
| CEESCOPE™ setting | Format |
|---|---|
| SATELLINE-3AS | Original Satelline-3AS data transfer mode (default) |
| PacCrest-4FSK | Transparent mode, FEC on, scrambling on (option 1) |
| PacCrest-GMSK | Transparent mode, FEC on, scrambling on (option 2) |
| TrimTalk450s(P) | Trimtalk450s GMSK, receiver fitted to Pacific Crest transmitters (option 3) |
| TrimTalk450s(T) | Trimtalk450s GMSK, receiver fitted to Trimble transmitters (option 4) |
| PacCrest-FST | Option 5 |
If the corrections format matches too (for example CMR+ at both ends), RTK corrections should be received.
In short: choosing the GNSS brand inside the CEESCOPE™ RTK is more about a consistent user interface than compatibility. CEE HydroSystems is always happy to review your proposed base station equipment for any potential issues.
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