Trimble Catalyst

It is my understanding that you pick the accuracy you need, then Catalyst will first utilize the Trimble VRS Now if in a coverage area, if not, it will then go to one of the RTX correction services. If you are outside of the VRS Now coverage area, then your convergence time with RTX would likely be significantly longer when receiving satellite based corrections. I believe you can also post-process static files with RTX in a web-based application.

I doubt the app. would allow you to collect a raw data file (without incurring a cloud based charge) which could later be post processed with the free CenterPoint RTX post processing service they offer, but who knows where this is headed.

As of right now it appears there are only three apps that utilize Catalyst, one of which is Trimble's TerraFlex, so it could be that you can post-process via this application as well. A downside to this would be that you have to have a monthly subscription and it seems you cannot enter your own local RTN for corrections.

"VRS Now" unfortunately isn't anything to get too excited about at the moment. Would be great to be able to switch to that service for a specific project, then let the hardware sit idle for a month or two without having to pay for a service you are not using.

I'm sure they will force you to buy blocks of time larger than 30 days.

Thank you Mr. Schrock, I appreciate the clarification on the external RTN corrections. I assumed that if I subscribed to a correction service for their "Precision" level, it would only be utilizing VRSNow or RTX, not an external RTN, but good to know it is available to use a public network, if available.

Is the following assumption correct: If I have a free statewide RTN providing dual-frequency corrections and using Trimble's Catalyst configuration at only the sub-meter subscription, it will only provide sub-meter accuracy...any ideas?

Hi all - to answer your question, Trimble Catalyst is a software defined receiver as a service. This means, you pay for a level of accuracy and the receiver will be able to deliver that level of accuracy if a correction service is available. If you use your state's free RTN but have a sub-meter subscription you will only get sub-meter accuracy. This said, sub-meter support is delivered first via RTX over IP, second via RTX L-Band, and lastly via SBAS. So it is unlikely that you would need to use your RTN for this level of support. Hope this helps clarify some things.

Jason Rossback
Marketing Director
Trimble

The main advantage of the Trimble RTN (over the Oregon DOTs RTN) here in the Willamette Valley is that it is a full GNSS service whereas the DOTs system is GPS only. The disadvantage is that you have to pay a fee, whereas the DOT's system is free.