There are 2 working Trimble 4600 LS receivers sitting under a desk, and not currently being used here at the Firm I work for. From what the field crew tells me, the third one does not work, so they quit using them. Is there a way to use 2 of the receivers as base and rover? I read an article once that said the 4600 LS was not capable of RTK, but I swear I just saw someone using these as a base and rover. Is anybody out there doing this?
Thanks,
> Is there a way to use 2 of the receivers as base and rover?
The 4600 isn't equipped for RTK, so you're not going to get any real-time results from them. However, you can still use them for static work, and with the right data collector you can do post-processed kinematic (PPK). PPK is the same as RTK, except that you don't get any real-time information about position or data quality.
The riskiest part of PPK is that you may run into conditions that render some or all of your observed points unresolvable without knowing it at the time. However, with proper procedures and acceptable operating conditions, PPK will deliver the same point quality as RTK.
> Is there a way to use 2 of the receivers as base and rover? I read an article once that said the 4600 LS was not capable of RTK, but I swear I just saw someone using these as a base and rover. Is anybody out there doing this?
I do PPK surveying with my 4600LS units quite often. It works fine as long as you recall that, like RTK, positions from short occupations won't be as accurate as rapid static solutions from longer ones.
You need the receivers to have firmware that supports PPK (what Trimble called "Stop-and-Go Kinematic" when the 4600LS units were introduced), you need a data collector running Trimble's Survey Controller software, and you need post processing software. So, unlike RTK, it does take a more alert human running the show.
> You need the receivers to have firmware that supports PPK
Thanks, Kent -- I wasn't aware that the PPK firmware was an option.
> Thanks, Kent -- I wasn't aware that the PPK firmware was an option.
I'm pretty sure that if the 4600LS is a dual-port receiver, it will have the PPK firmware. Even some of the single-port units were sold with the option. (I hope I'm not misremembering this detail. It's been 15 years since I bought mine, but the way I recall it, I paid extra for the Stop-and-Go capability. What that may actually mean is that I paid for the data collector with Survey Controller and the cabling.)
Edit: After looking at a review of the 4600LS from 1996, I think receivers probably all had the same firmware. The Stop-and-Go capability was just the addition of the survey controller.
I would think that most later-released units are PPK capable with Survey Controller = < V7.2. Some of the units could also be RTK capable if the option was purchased at the time. The user manual also explains how to go about it. I looked into this 5-6 years ago but the vendor was not able to obtain activation code from the manufacturer.
Check with GPS Configurator, it will tell you.
> I would think that most later-released units are PPK capable with Survey Controller = < V7.2. Some of the units could also be RTK capable if the option was purchased at the time. The user manual also explains how to go about it. I looked into this 5-6 years ago but the vendor was not able to obtain activation code from the manufacturer.
>
> Check with GPS Configurator, it will tell you.
Yeah, I was offered RTK when I bought mine circa 2004.
Do you have a spare manual for the 4600LS?
