Intro
When you are not able to get into a differential position mode (RTK integer, RTK float, Differential), you may want to troubleshoot whether the radios are actually communicating. This article is intended to ensure there is communication at the hardware level.
Radios that are mentioned in this article:
- SATEL
- Satelline EASy (manual attached)
- Freewave
- FGR2
- I2
Step 1 - Frequency
Step 2 - Baud Rate
OxTS devices (RT3003 etc.) | 9600 bps by default |
NovAtel devices (PwrPak7 etc.) | 19200 bps by default |
Step 3 - Operating Mode
- Setup (Right button)
- -> Additional (Use up/down buttons to find)
- -> Priority (Check that it says RX/TX)
- -> Additional (Use up/down buttons to find)
Step 4 - Serial Connectors
The link between radio and receiver is a serial connection, which has many possible configurations. It is important to find the user manual and check that the pins on all cables match up with what you need.
Radios | |
Satel EASy radio | DB15 female (in) |
FreeWave FGR2 radio | DB9 female (in) |
GNSS Receivers / INS Devices | |
RT3003G INS | DB15 male (out) |
GPS-Base Receiver |
DB9 male (out) Communicates to radio through COM2 port |
PwrPak 7 Receiver |
DB26 male (out) N.B. - supplied with COM1 only cable with a DB9 female ending (can be tricky) |
Unit | Likely use case | Check for |
PwrPak7 direct connection to RT3003G | 14C0097A cable in between | Power provision and data pins 2 and 3 |
PwrPak7 connection to Satel radio | Genderchanger to fix the female end connector | Mirroring the pins (2 and 3) rather than being carried through |
Step 5 - Error Correction Settings
Make sure that the error correction settings are not drowning out any desired signals - if in doubt, turn this feature off on both radios to see if the problem is fixed.
Step 6 - Sanity Check
If the radio still isn't working, try using a third radio to check for shorted or otherwise damaged serial connectors. It is recommended to cut the power before removing serial connectors to prevent any electrical faults, so this may have occurred before you acquired the radio.
Satel Radio LED Definitions
RTS | CTS | TD | RD | CD | Descriptions |
Request To Send | Clear To Send | Transmitting Data | Receiving Data | Carrier Detect | |
Off | Red | Off | Off | Off | Idle - No data transmission at all |
Off | Red | Off | Off | Red (constant) | RSSI threshold possibly set too low |
Off | Red | Red | Off |
Red |
Transmitting a data packet |
Off | Red | Off | Off | Orange | Noise or other transmission on this frequency |
Off | Red | Off | Green | Green | Receiving a packet |
Freewave Radio LED definitions
Base CD | Base TX | Base CTS | Mobile CD | Mobile TX | Mobile CTS | Descriptions |
Red | Red | Red | Red | Off | Red flash | Power no link |
Green | Slow red flash | Slow red flash | Green | Slow red flash | Slow red flash | Linked |
Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | Setup mode |
Glossary
Carrier Detect Line
The "Carrier Detect" (CD) LED refers to a signal from the radio modem to the DTE (Data Terminal Equipment). It indicates whether there is activity on the radio channel - it's active whenever a signal exceeding the level required for reception exists on the radio channel, or when the radio modem itself is transmitting.
It doesn’t make any difference if the signal is an actual data transmission, a signal of a radio transmitter not belonging to the system, or even an interference signal.
RSSI Level
RSSI, or “Received Signal Strength Indicator,” is a measurement of how well your device can hear a signal from an access point or router.
Because an RSSI value is pulled from the client device’s WiFi card (hence “received” signal strength), it is not the same as transmit power from a router or AP.
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