Best Practices to Connect an Emlid Reach RS2 Base to an Autel Evo II Pro Enterprise RTK Drone

[Malli35998]

When starting up, do not turn on your hotspot. When the RS2 cannot find a wifi connection, it will enable it's own wifi indidcated by the connection icon turning white instead of blue. Then you can connect to the RS2's network with your phone and/or Smart Controller.

Thanks Dave! I generally turn off the hotspot initially and log into the RS2 using my iPad and the Wifi connection provided by the RS2. On the Smart Controller, which RTK option do I select and does the RS2 provide credentials for an RTK login?

 

[Dave Pitman]

Thanks Dave! I generally turn off the hotspot initially and log into the RS2 using my iPad and the Wifi connection provided by the RS2. On the Smart Controller, which RTK option do I select and does the RS2 provide credentials for an RTK login?

On the Smart Controller you need to also log into the RS2 wifi. Then in Explorer,you use Custom NTRIP like always. You will enter the credentials as provided by the RS2 ( CORRECTIONS OUTPUT > LOCAL NTRIP.)
Tap on the info icon to see all the credentials.

The url will be an IP address.

 

[elphtrooper]

When starting up, do not turn on your hotspot. When the RS2 cannot find a wifi connection, it will enable it's own wifi indidcated by the connection icon turning white instead of blue. Then you can connect to the RS2's network with your phone and/or Smart Controller.

This is the way!

NTRIP Setup
Address: 192.168.42.1 (usually)
User: reach
Password: emlidreach (unless you've changed it)
Mountpoint: REACH

 

[jmason702]

Do you both live in Texas? if so where at?

 

[Malli35998]

Do you both live in Texas? if so where at?

I live in Kingwood, TX. NE of downtown Houston off Hwy 59.

 

[jmason702]

Both of you live in Texas, interesting... about the connection problems with Autel

 

[elphtrooper]

Do you both live in Texas? if so where at?

Just northwest of Austin.

 

[elphtrooper]

I live in Kingwood, TX. NE of downtown Houston off Hwy 59.

Are you running network NTRIP? RTKNET?

 

[Malli35998]

Are you running network NTRIP? RTKNET?

NTRIP

 

[Malli35998]

This is the way!

NTRIP Setup
Address: 192.168.42.1 (usually)
User: reach
Password: emlidreach (unless you've changed it)
Mountpoint: REACH

I did some testing in my driveway. Plan to go back and test tomorrow at the large park I do all of my testing.

Steps:
1. I connected to the RS2 using my iPad Pro via RS2 WiFi
2. I reconnected to the RS2 using my iPad Pro as a Hotspot
3. For the Base mode I used Average FIX configured for 10 min (sometimes 15 min)
4. After 10 or 15 minutes, I captured the Position data
5. I switched from Average FIX to Manual for the Coordinates entry method
6. I input the Coordinates from Step 4 and set the Antenna height then saved.
7. I turned off the iPad Pro Hotspot
8. I reconnected to the RS2 to my iPad Pro via RS2 WiFi.
9. I set the Correction output to Local NTRIP
10. I connected the Smart Controller to the RS2 via RS2 WiFi.
11. Smart Controller RTK Settings: Select Custom (NTRIP) Network
RTK IP Host: 192.168.42.1
Port: 2101
Account: reach
Password: emlidreach
Mountpoint: REACH
12. Hit Login
13. RTK Network Status: Connection successful

Questions:
1. Please review steps above. Are these steps correct? Any missing?
2. I assume the RTK Positioning eventually go from FLOAT to FIX. How exactly does this work using Local NTRIP (no Emlid Caster internet connection to get RTK corrections). Is it because I set the Base mode to Manual and used the position data that was generated using Average FIX ?

 

[elphtrooper]

I did some testing in my driveway. Plan to go back and test tomorrow at the large park I do all of my testing.

Steps:
1. I connected to the RS2 using my iPad Pro via RS2 WiFi
2. I reconnected to the RS2 using my iPad Pro as a Hotspot
3. For the Base mode I used Average FIX configured for 10 min (sometimes 15 min)
4. After 10 or 15 minutes, I captured the Position data
5. I switched from Average FIX to Manual for the Coordinates entry method
6. I input the Coordinates from Step 4 and set the Antenna height then saved.
7. I turned off the iPad Pro Hotspot
8. I reconnected to the RS2 to my iPad Pro via RS2 WiFi.
9. I set the Correction output to Local NTRIP
10. I connected the Smart Controller to the RS2 via RS2 WiFi.
11. Smart Controller RTK Settings: Select Custom (NTRIP) Network
RTK IP Host: 192.168.42.1
Port: 2101
Account: reach
Password: emlidreach
Mountpoint: REACH
12. Hit Login
13. RTK Network Status: Connection successful

Questions:
1. Please review steps above. Are these steps correct? Any missing?
2. I assume the RTK Positioning eventually go from FLOAT to FIX. How exactly does this work using Local NTRIP (no Emlid Caster internet connection to get RTK corrections). Is it because I set the Base mode to Manual and used the position data that was generated using Average FIX ?

This is pretty much what I went through, looks good. Once you've got your base mode set and local NTRIP turned on it is just like the network station that your normal NTRIP comes from but you are remoted directly into it instead of through a bunch of servers so your accuracies should actually be a little better. Only downside I see here is that now I have to manage base station coordinates for about 20-30 different sites and manually input them every time I return. I'll show my age but it's like going back in time when we always had to hand enter. We'll never miss that.

 

[Dave Pitman]

This is pretty much what I went through, looks good. Once you've got your base mode set and local NTRIP turned on it is just like the network station that your normal NTRIP comes from but you are remoted directly into it instead of through a bunch of servers so your accuracies should actually be a little better. Only downside I see here is that now I have to manage base station coordinates for about 20-30 different sites and manually input them every time I return. I'll show my age but it's like going back in time when we always had to hand enter. We'll never miss that.

Import all your of base points into a Reachview project and then you can simply select them from the Manual configureation page. No manual entering !! It works great. Emlid is on it !!

 

[Malli35998]

This is pretty much what I went through, looks good. Once you've got your base mode set and local NTRIP turned on it is just like the network station that your normal NTRIP comes from but you are remoted directly into it instead of through a bunch of servers so your accuracies should actually be a little better. Only downside I see here is that now I have to manage base station coordinates for about 20-30 different sites and manually input them every time I return. I'll show my age but it's like going back in time when we always had to hand enter. We'll never miss that.

This is pretty much what I went through, looks good. Once you've got your base mode set and local NTRIP turned on it is just like the network station that your normal NTRIP comes from but you are remoted directly into it instead of through a bunch of servers so your accuracies should actually be a little better. Only downside I see here is that now I have to manage base station coordinates for about 20-30 different sites and manually input them every time I return. I'll show my age but it's like going back in time when we always had to hand enter. We'll never miss that.

I will give it a go this morning and let you know the results.

 

[elphtrooper]

Import all your of base points into a Reachview project and then you can simply select them from the Manual configureation page. No manual entering !! It works great. Emlid is on it!

I remember you saying something about that before. I just started a OneNote but a project is a great idea. We have to have 2 projects as we work across Zones but it's a lot better than reading small script in the field and getting one number wrong. Thanks!

 

[elphtrooper]

I will give it a go this morning and let you know the results.

Same here. Headed to the worst of them so cross your fingers! Happy shootin'.

 

[Malli35998]

Same here. Headed to the worst of them so cross your fingers! Happy shootin'.

Good luck! So far so good flying this morning.

 

[Malli35998]

I will give it a go this morning and let you know the results.

So far so good this morning. Initial battery. Problems have usually started once I start changing batteries.

 

[Malli35998]

I went 3 or 4 battery changes without much problem but the last battery change just would not go from FLOAT to FIX. I did nothing different (that I am aware of) from the other 3 or 4 battery changes. I tried everything I could think of for about 15 min and gave up. Since this was a test survey, very hot and I wanted to complete the survey, so I turned off RTK and finished up. I was able to capture over 2200 thermal IR images over a 30 acres area. Only one skipped flight line and 4 or 5 other missing photos. I will post the processed thermal IR and RGB Visible surveys later.

 

[elphtrooper]

I went 3 or 4 battery changes without much problem but the last battery change just would not go from FLOAT to FIX. I did nothing different (that I am aware of) from the other 3 or 4 battery changes. I tried everything I could think of for about 15 min and gave up. Since this was a test survey, very hot and I wanted to complete the survey, so I turned off RTK and finished up. I was able to capture over 2200 thermal IR images over a 30 acres area. Only one skipped flight line and 4 or 5 other missing photos. I will post the processed thermal IR and RGB Visible surveys later.

Sounds like a decent day for working through bugs. The bastard jobs (Liberty Hill) got me today. Three separate projects all strung in a line so it's about as easy as it could get despite the fact that there is something really weird going on out there with radio and GPS. Could be the area, could be our stuff but whatever. I got one done after giving up on the local NTRIP method because I had so much trouble connecting to the Reach receiver whether it was Wi-Fi'd or hotspotted. Had considerable issues with a beta receiver not wanting to connect to my MiFi or my phones hotspot. It did it a couple of times over the day so I got all my base points set but there's no way I could fly RTK so I just gave up and went home to continue troubleshooting Emlids. Try the drone again tomorrow. Kudos to you for sticking with it. I've been in one beta or another for the last 7 years and I have a ton of patience but the issues with any of the RTK drones (for different reasons) will wear you down after a while.

 

[Malli35998]

Sounds like a decent day for working through bugs. The bastard jobs (Liberty Hill) got me today. Three separate projects all strung in a line so it's about as easy as it could get despite the fact that there is something really weird going on out there with radio and GPS. Could be the area, could be our stuff but whatever. I got one done after giving up on the local NTRIP method because I had so much trouble connecting to the Reach receiver whether it was Wi-Fi'd or hotspotted. Had considerable issues with a beta receiver not wanting to connect to my MiFi or my phones hotspot. It did it a couple of times over the day so I got all my base points set but there's no way I could fly RTK so I just gave up and went home to continue troubleshooting Emlids. Try the drone again tomorrow. Kudos to you for sticking with it. I've been in one beta or another for the last 7 years and I have a ton of patience but the issues with any of the RTK drones (for different reasons) will wear you down after a while.

Unfortunately, some days are just frustrating. We are all trying to push the technology and our own knowledge to solve problems and provide answers. I am so glad these Forums are here for all of us to share our knowledge and experience. I really appreciate you all taking the time to contribute your expertise.