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Ashtech Promark 2 Issue

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(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

Hello All,

A few days ago I noticed an issue with my two receivers Ashtech Promark 2 : indeed the hour of its clock is initialized automatically on the date August 28, 2003, I reset the receiver and I set the date manually in configuration but as soon as the satellites are received the date resets to August 28, 2003 which makes the receiver almost unusable. I would like to know if anyone with this model has the same problem, if as if the manufacturer has limited its use to exactly twenty years If someone has?ÿ any idea how to solve this problem will be helpful and I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance.

 
Posted : April 14, 2023 3:53 pm
(@daikini)
Posts: 24
Member
 

Looks like a fixed offset based on a hidden epoch value hardcoded in firmware to calculate current date and time. It is quite common for antediluvial GPS devices. Sorry but someone would have to hack and patch the firmware to fix it. Almost no hope here, I believe.

It is not limited by the manufacturer. No one predicted that you would use this device for so long, while there is some newer generation of GPS receiver every few years. It is just the end of life and every electronic device is subject to such limitation. Do you still use twenty years old PC computer or phone? Everything has to be upgraded at some point.

 
Posted : April 17, 2023 3:36 am
jhframe
(@jim-frame)
Posts: 7283
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As described by daikini, it's a common problem with obsolescent equipment.  The simple fix is to convert the data file to RINEX, change the dates in the RINEX file using a text editor, then process the RINEX file.

 
Posted : April 17, 2023 7:11 am
bill93
(@bill93)
Posts: 9838
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It's a problem of too few bits to represent the week number, so it appears to be 1024 or 2048 weeks behind. If you are doing static sessions, this can be fixed by converting to RINEX and editing the dates.

If using TEQC do the conversion to RINEX with a week number override in the conversion setup:   -week 2222 or whatever the correct week is.

 
Posted : April 17, 2023 7:17 am
(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

Thank you friends for your answers, one of the receivers captures the satellites normally I just have to change the time on the Rixe file on the other hand unfortunately the other captures only three to four satellites after having made an initialization and no longer captures the frequency L1 It displays 2D and does not display pdop or number of satellites in the topographic lifting mode and therefore it no longer records a raw file to transform it into a rinex file, I still reflashed but even give the result so I think that The Almanac file is old and the receiver is no longer updated. I bought these second -hand receptors and I did not take advantage of it is for her that I am disappointed. I would like to know if I can transfer the Almanac file from a good receiver to this one because GNSS Solutions does not allow it.

Thanks again for daikini, Jim Frame and Bill93.

 
Posted : April 17, 2023 8:08 am

(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

@jim-frame I do that with a good receiver but not with a second as I explained below.

 
Posted : April 17, 2023 8:17 am
(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

@bill93 Thank you for your explanation!

 
Posted : April 17, 2023 8:18 am
(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

@daikini Thanks a lot for your help.

You are right but where to find the one who can make a patch apart from his manufacturer it would be nice from him if he creates an update v2.60 for example, I wouldn't think it'd be hard for him.

 
Posted : April 17, 2023 8:23 am
oldpacer
(@oldpacer)
Posts: 656
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You can still process static in Ashtech Solutions, but you have to load each file one at a time. 

 
Posted : April 17, 2023 10:25 am
(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

@oldpacer Thank you for your suggestion.

 
Posted : April 17, 2023 11:40 am

(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

Dear friends,

Please how to use teqc to convert raw data from Ashtech promark 2 to Rinex format.
I noticed that the current date must be week number of the receiver + 1024 to get the correct date.
I was also able to correct the date of the Rinex observation file using notepad only but not the navigation one.

Can you tell me how to do it too? Thanks again.

 
Posted : April 25, 2023 11:40 am
oldpacer
(@oldpacer)
Posts: 656
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I don’t think teqc does that? You need to process your Ashtech proprietary raw data in Ashtech Solutions or finagle them though its successor, Spectra Precision GNSS Solutions. You might be able convert Promark 2 files directly into the Spectra Precision Rinex convertor, but I think you will have to process them, output them and then convert them. Are you wanting to determine a position or determine baselines? If you just want baseline and height difference data, process them in Ashtech Solutions; the data will not be accurate, but it will be precise.

 
Posted : April 25, 2023 4:40 pm
jhframe
(@jim-frame)
Posts: 7283
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I don’t think teqc does that? You need to process your Ashtech proprietary raw data in Ashtech Solutions or finagle them though its successor, Spectra Precision GNSS Solutions. 

teqc can, indeed, read Ashtech B, S, E and D files in their native format and convert them to RINEX.  (It can read Trimble dat files, too.)  See the teqc tutorial for more information.

 
Posted : April 25, 2023 7:11 pm
oldpacer
(@oldpacer)
Posts: 656
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@jim-frame  Cool, that's pretty powerful for open software. I still have my old units (I tell myself they are for backup) so I might need teqc one day.

 
Posted : April 26, 2023 7:29 am
(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

@jim-frame Thank you.

 
Posted : April 26, 2023 8:01 am

(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

@oldpacer Thank you.

 
Posted : April 26, 2023 8:07 am
(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

@jim-frame can you show me a command line please?

 
Posted : April 26, 2023 8:28 am
jhframe
(@jim-frame)
Posts: 7283
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You need to use a flag if you're running from the command line.  From the tutorial:

For native or receiver specific formats, an option flag may be needed to specify the general type of receiver, and its argument is used to specify the receiver format:
-ash for Ashtech
d -- B/E/S/D download fileset (B-file required)
s -- RS-232 stream format
r -- R-file
u -- U-file (note: -ash u is always required for a U-file)

But why not run WinTEQC instead? 

t
 
Posted : April 26, 2023 8:51 pm
(@amine76)
Posts: 15
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Topic starter
 

@jim-frame This tool is more useful thanks again.

 
Posted : April 27, 2023 2:47 pm
(@dimlitsas)
Posts: 3
Member
 

Hi,

I had the same issue.

The logged data are in different year (instead of 2024, is 2005).

How can I resolve this?

How can I produce and use a rinex file?

Thank you.

 
Posted : November 3, 2024 1:30 am

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