Create your own NRTK?

Posted by: John Hamilton

I have setup just such a system with an older R7 GNSS receiver. I output the corrections (RTCM or CMR+) on one of the three serial ports. This serial flow connects to a Microhard Bullet Plus cell modem ( http://www.microhardcorp.com/BulletPlus.php). I have the modem setup to auto connect to my office server running SNIP ( https://www.use-snip.com/) so that as soon as data is received on the serial port in the modem it forwards the data packet to my office. To do at the office this I had to open my firewall to that selected port on my router, and then I run TCP-COM ( http://www.taltech.com/tcpcom) on my office computer to receive the data and convert it back to serial, which then feeds in to SNIP via a virtual serial port). Up to now there is no NTRIP involved. SNIP takes the data and serves it up as an NTRIP caster.?ÿ

Here is a rough sketch...

Thank you for this detailed description. But the base station will be directly connected to a computer running SNIP so there will be no need for a bridge in my case since the computer running SNIP will be directly receiving corrections via serial.

BTW ill have to go through my old stuff and see if i got an old laptoo with serial otherwise ill have to get a usb to serial dongle.

Installed the free lite version of SNIP and went through the options. I felt overwhelmed at first glance. Is there possibly a tutorial?

I get that computer running SNIP is set to 127.0.0.1 but how do i set the parameters on receiving the packets and how are they send out for a client to receive them?

I have successfully done this with an R6-4 as a base connected to my SNIP server via serial cable.?ÿ My rover is an R2 and Trimble Slate with Access.?ÿ Slate has an AT&T sim card.

1. Setup R8-s as a base using web interface.?ÿ Broadcast output CMRx over serial port.?ÿ (Port 2 for R6-4.)
2. Connect serial cable from R8-s to computer using usb to serial adapter
3. Start SNIP, Add Serial Stream
   1. Select com port and configure port settings (38400,8,none,1,none,500 works for me)
   2. Name your mount point and uncheck parse RTCM
   3. Configure mount point
      1. Data Format - Trimble CMR
      2. Select GNSS Types (GPS, GLONASS, etc)
      3. Check "Hide this Entry in the Caster Table"
   4. Under the Serial Streams tab, right click on your mount point and hit connect
4. Under Caster and Clients tab, select mange user accounts and create a new user account name and password.?ÿ Take note of the listening IP address and port on the right side of the screen.
5. Go to your firewall settings and open that port.?ÿ Depending on your IT setup, you may have to forward that port to the internal IP address of that computer.
6. Open Trimble Access on rover
   1. Create new GNSS contact for base station
      1. Contact Type - Internet Rover
      2. NTRIP Configuration - check use NTRIP (I also checked use NTRIP 1.0, but don't know if that's necessary)
      3. Enter user name, password, static IP, port
   2. Create new survey style?ÿ
      1. Rover Options
         1. Survey Type - RTK
         2. Broadcast Format - CMRx
      2. Rover Data Link
         1. Type - Internet Connection
         2. GNSS contact - new contact just created
   3. To test, go to General Survey
      1. Measure
      2. Select the new survey style you just created
      3. Don't select Start Base Receiver, as it's already started
      4. Select Measure Points
      5. It should connect to the internet then show the mount point listed in a table; hit enter to select the mount point
      6. A globe with a green check mark should show in the Access status window when the connection is successful

This setup works flawless for me.?ÿ Troubleshooting is pretty easy.?ÿ If it works for a while then all of a sudden won't connect for some reason, I'll just delete the serial stream in SNIP and create a new one.?ÿ Works every time.

Posted by: andrewm

I have successfully done this with an R6-4 as a base connected to my SNIP server via serial cable.?ÿ My rover is an R2 and Trimble Slate with Access.?ÿ Slate has an AT&T sim card.

1. Setup R8-s as a base using web interface.?ÿ Broadcast output CMRx over serial port.?ÿ (Port 2 for R6-4.)
2. Connect serial cable from R8-s to computer using usb to serial adapter
3. Start SNIP, Add Serial Stream
   1. Select com port and configure port settings (38400,8,none,1,none,500 works for me)
   2. Name your mount point and uncheck parse RTCM
   3. Configure mount point
      1. Data Format - Trimble CMR
      2. Select GNSS Types (GPS, GLONASS, etc)
      3. Check "Hide this Entry in the Caster Table"
   4. Under the Serial Streams tab, right click on your mount point and hit connect
4. Under Caster and Clients tab, select mange user accounts and create a new user account name and password.?ÿ Take note of the listening IP address and port on the right side of the screen.
5. Go to your firewall settings and open that port.?ÿ Depending on your IT setup, you may have to forward that port to the internal IP address of that computer.
6. Open Trimble Access on rover
   1. Create new GNSS contact for base station
      1. Contact Type - Internet Rover
      2. NTRIP Configuration - check use NTRIP (I also checked use NTRIP 1.0, but don't know if that's necessary)
      3. Enter user name, password, static IP, port
   2. Create new survey style?ÿ
      1. Rover Options
         1. Survey Type - RTK
         2. Broadcast Format - CMRx
      2. Rover Data Link
         1. Type - Internet Connection
         2. GNSS contact - new contact just created
   3. To test, go to General Survey
      1. Measure
      2. Select the new survey style you just created
      3. Don't select Start Base Receiver, as it's already started
      4. Select Measure Points
      5. It should connect to the internet then show the mount point listed in a table; hit enter to select the mount point
      6. A globe with a green check mark should show in the Access status window when the connection is successful

This setup works flawless for me.?ÿ Troubleshooting is pretty easy.?ÿ If it works for a while then all of a sudden won't connect for some reason, I'll just delete the serial stream in SNIP and create a new one.?ÿ Works every time.

Thank You Very much for that. Will check ASAP

So I had a look on the web configuration guide from Trimble website and it shows that you can assign a com port to bleutooth and enter the web ui via bluetooth. So i thought to ask if it is possible as well to connect to snip via bluetooth instead if having to use that legacy serial cable

One more thing. I just found out that free version of Snip stops functionality after one hour and you have to reset the app. Can anyrhing be done about that

Posted by: therock003

So I had a look on the web configuration guide from Trimble website and it shows that you can assign a com port to bleutooth and enter the web ui via bluetooth. So i thought to ask if it is possible as well to connect to snip via bluetooth instead if having to use that legacy serial cable

One more thing. I just found out that free version of Snip stops functionality after one hour and you have to reset the app. Can anyrhing be done about that

I haven't tried bluetooth, so I can't help there.

Only the features available in the Basic version of SNIP are disabled after an hour with the free version.?ÿ Free version features, including serial streaming, keep working.

Are you sure? Because i just run it yesterday and left it idle, and after about an hour i went to try and test your steps, it wouldn't even let me add the serial stream

Posted by: therock003

Are you sure? Because i just run it yesterday and left it idle, and after about an hour i went to try and test your steps, it wouldn't even let me add the serial stream

From the SNIP website:

"SNIP?ÿis available in several different models to suit your needs. A free evaluation download allows exploring?ÿSNIPƒ??s primary features.?ÿ In this mode, each time?ÿSNIP, is started, users have a limited one-hour evaluation period with all of the features in the?ÿBasic?ÿmodel enabled. The application can be upgraded to the?ÿLite?ÿmodel at any time free of charge by completing a brief in-app registration. The?ÿBasic?ÿand?ÿPro?ÿmodels are obtained by way of a simple cart checkout process. An?ÿEnterprise?ÿmodel is available to support various unique needs."

So you have to register the evaluation version to enable the Lite version.

Trying to establish a bluetooth-serial connection in order to enter the unit configuration but so far seems impossible. Followed this guide

http://www.trimble.com/EC_receiverHelp/v4.43/en/ReceiverSettings_ConfiguringUsingWebBrowser_Windows7.html

I'm on Win10 but thats the latest they go on their site (along with Vista and XP)

So when i get to the step of creating a modem and assigning the bluetooth com port, it appears i dont get to choose the existing port.

As you can see from here, serial port should be com port 13

It seems i get no option for ports on outgoing connection. I only get a selection for incomming. I added some ports fro incomming and they appear but no matter what com 13 is not an option for the modem creation

@andrewm Hi, thanks a lot for your method description. I only still have a doubt about reference base coordinates.

?ÿ