Connecting Your First Rover

This guide walks you through connecting a rover receiver to your FastRTK base station and verifying RTK operation.

Prerequisites

Before connecting a rover, ensure:

• Base station is powered on and running
• Base coordinates are set (see Setting Base Coordinates)
• At least one mountpoint is configured
• At least one NTRIP user account exists
• Base is tracking satellites (check dashboard)

Connection Methods

Method 1: NTRIP over Internet (Most Common)

Connect your rover to the base station via cellular or WiFi internet.

Rover Configuration

Configure your rover's NTRIP client with:

Setting	Value
Caster Address	Your base station's IP address or hostname
Port	10000 (default)
Mountpoint	Your configured mountpoint name
Username	NTRIP user account
Password	User password

Example Configuration

Caster: 192.168.1.100 (or mybase.example.com)
Port: 10000
Mount: RTCM3
User: field_user
Pass: ********

Method 2: UHF Radio (No Internet Required)

For areas without cellular coverage, use UHF radio to transmit corrections directly.

1. Configure base radio settings (frequency, protocol, power)
2. Configure rover radio to match base settings
3. Connect rover radio to rover receiver via serial cable

Detailed UHF Radio Setup Guide →

Method 3: Local WiFi

Connect rover directly to the FastRTK WiFi network:

1. Connect rover device to FastRTK WiFi network
2. Configure NTRIP client:
   • Caster: 192.168.25.1
   • Port: 10000
   • Use your mountpoint and credentials

Verifying RTK Fix

After connecting, verify successful RTK operation:

Check Solution Status

Your rover should display one of these solution types:

Solution	Meaning	Accuracy
RTK Fixed	Full RTK solution	1-2 cm
RTK Float	Converging to fixed	10-50 cm
DGPS	Differential only	0.5-1 m
Autonomous	No corrections	2-5 m

Check Correction Age

• Ideal: < 1 second
• Acceptable: 1-5 seconds
• Problematic: > 5 seconds (check connection)

Verify Position Accuracy

If you have access to a known control point:

1. Occupy the known point with your rover
2. Compare displayed position to known coordinates
3. Difference should be within 1-3 cm for RTK Fixed

Troubleshooting Connection Issues

Cannot Connect to Caster

Symptom	Solution
Connection refused	Verify IP address and port number
Authentication failed	Check username and password
Mountpoint not found	Verify mountpoint name (case-sensitive)
Timeout	Check network connectivity

Connected but No RTK

Symptom	Solution
Stays in Float	Wait longer, check sky view, verify base coordinates
Autonomous only	Check mountpoint is streaming data
High correction age	Check network quality, move closer to base

Position Seems Wrong

Symptom	Solution
Large offset (meters)	Base coordinates may be wrong
Inconsistent accuracy	Check for multipath at rover location
Jumpy position	Insufficient satellites, poor sky view

Best Practices

For Survey Work

1. Wait for RTK Fixed before collecting points
2. Verify fix at a known control point before starting
3. Monitor correction age throughout survey
4. Check satellite count - aim for 15+ satellites

For Machine Control

1. Use wired connections where possible for reliability
2. Configure automatic reconnection on loss of signal
3. Set appropriate stale data timeouts based on application
4. Monitor position quality via CAN bus or serial output

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Next Steps

• User Management - Add more NTRIP users
• Mountpoint Configuration - Create additional streams
• UHF Radio Setup - Configure radio for offline use

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