I will try to keep this short.
"Suddenly", in 2024, some of my Topcon Hiper Pro receivers have stopped tracking satellite data.
Yes, they are old, but have provided me with excellent, robust service until December 2023, since 2006 in fact - awesome.
I have four receivers, three of which, simultaneously, are experiencing this issue.
Interestingly, the three (now problematic) units have had repairs over the years and all three have the same GNSS board installed, i.e. HGGDT_7.
The one unit that is working is 100% has the original board as when purchased, i.e. HGGDT_5.
The 'Receiver Date' on the three is 1988/01/01 - Long time before manufacture in the early 2000's.
The 'Receiver Date' on the working unit is current, all good.
I have contacted Topcon Support, but unfortunately the feedback was less than helpful.
It absolutely cannot be a coincidence that three receivers suddenly become faulty at the same time.
All four units have the latest firmware installed, viz. '3.5 Feb,01,2019 p5'.
It appears that the newer version GNSS board (HGGDT_7) is problematic (factory fault?).
It will be interesting to know if anyone else has been experiencing difficulty with satellite tracking, especially those with units that have the 'HGGDT"
boards installed. The Hiper Pro and GA units have these boards. Other units may also have? The board code can be checked via the TRU utility.
Any feedback will be much appreciated and extremely helpful.
In fact, if you have the time to check your units, I would really like to know if any Hiper Pro's with the HGGDT_7 board are in fact working correctly now in 2024, which will blow my theory out of the water. At least I will then have an idea what to do. I will be retiring in a couple of years, so purchasing a new system is not going to happen. If my theory is correct, I would certainly like to try and acquire a Rover unit (just one), which has a HGGDT_5 board installed. It would see me through for a couple of years, I am sure. If you know anyone with an older unit stashed in a closet somewhere, perhaps I can relieve them of it. 😉
I don't know the solution to your problem but a new rover or even base-rover combo won't break the bank anymore. No need to go for Topcon as there are dozens of suppliers.
I myself have bought a Comnav N3 2 years ago and am planning on buying a Comnav Mars Rover so i can use the N3 as a base and have the latest gnss receiver as a rover and rtk rover for about 4-5k€ where i'm living.
GNSS is only electronics, no optics so don't pay overpriced unikts from the big 3 when they were all over the place.
A few years back I was operating with a pair of Hiper Lite + units. One day, just after New Year of 2018? one of the units just refused to light up. Dead as a doornail, all of a sudden. Topcon dealer wouldn't touch it. Not supported. The boss had one of his clever friends open up both units to see if he could fix it. The result was that neither would work after that. We had found a compatable used unit to purchase locally, but with both units out we were obliged to go shopping for a new set. Bought a pair of Trimble R8s, which are still in service.
I've got a base/rover pair of Hiper Lite+ units that haven't been used in a while. I'll have a look and see what boards they have and see if they are still tracking satellites. It might be a few days before I get around to it.
Sorry John. I just checked mine and they are both the HGGDT_5 boards so I can't ad any commentary on what is happening with the HGGDT_7 boards.
With just a quick check, it looks like I was getting 11 to 12 satellites observed at the back of my office.
Hopefully someone else will have the HGGDT_7 boards and can provide some insight.