Since I have to buy a new radio for the narrowbanding requirements I was wondering if there are other options for surveyors besides Pacific Crest? I am replacing my PDL 35w radio, and would like something with similar power. Anyone else use another brand or setup they can recommend?
I know nothing about them, BUT the other large supplier for VHF radios would be Satel.
Another option is going to spread spectrum with maybe something from Intuicom.
I have not used either of these products, I am a Pac Crest PDL user myself, HOWEVER, I am also looking at ALL options right along with you.
SHG
Shelby,
have you tried using 19,200 baud rate? I'm trying to find time to have a crew duplicate a mornings work done at 9600, with an afternoon done at 19,200 to compare.
Was hoping you or someone else may have tried this already. forgive me for not remembering all that has been posted about this before.
My license is for 25 khz (wide band) and I am using 19,200 baud on trimble equipment. From everything I have been told, I will still be legal.
James
I have not done any testing, just based on the Pac Crest ads AND what testing I understand that Leica did, performance is poor or non functional, just because the FCC says transmitting at 19,200 in a 25 kHz band is acceptable doesn't mean it actually works for RTK applications. Rumors that I have heard say it won't work due to the amount of data that needs to go in each burst. I think with the Pac Crest ADL, they came up with some new technology so there is nothing lost in the transmission. Bear in mind this is the bits and pieces I am hearing and I am no expert.
Would be good to hear from an actual user that tried to make their existing equipment work in a compliant mode.
SHG
James, is that actually working for you? As stated, that is legal, BUT I have also heard it doesn't work or works with a performance hit.
SHG
It is the only way I have run this equipment since we got it in 2008. The base is a SPS851 with a 2 watt internal radio. I have a trimmark 3 radio for longer distances that I reset the baud rate to 9600 when I use it. That's not but a few times a year. I haven't tried it at 19,200 yet. It may not work.
James
So you haven't actually tried to transmit over the air at 19,200 baud?
SHG
> So you haven't actually tried to transmit over the air at 19,200 baud?
>
> SHG
I transmit over the air at 19,200 every day using the SPS851 base internal 2 watt radio. I have been doing that for over 4 years and never had a problem. On a wide open and flat job (not East Texas) I can get close to 4 miles range.
I have not tried it with the Trimmark 3.
James
We ended up buying a new system, a Topcon HiperII. They have built in low power radios, but we also got a 35 watt external radio. I don't know who makes it, but its about half the size of the old Pac Crest 35 watt PDL we were using. It has no switches so you change all the channels with the data collector. We haven't used it yet on a daily basis, but we did set it up and try out the range.
I don't know if we had problems with our old system or not, but the range with the new system was truly stunning. We got something like 12 miles with it, and our base wasn't really set up at an ideal location. The ground was very flat, but our base was setup in town with some buildings and trees between the base and the point we shot 12 miles away.