ashtech Z-Surveyor User manual

Z-Surveyor & Z-FX
Operation and Reference Manual
Ashtech
1170 Kifer Road
Sunnyvale, CA USA 94086
Phone and Fax Numbers
•Main
• Voice: 408-524-1400
• Fax: [phone]
• Sales
• US: 800-922-2401
• International: 408-524-1670
• Fax: [phone]
•Europe
• Voice: 44-993-883-533
• Fax: [phone]
• Support
• US: 800-229-2400
• International: 408-524-1680
• Fax: [phone]
•BBS
• Direct: 408-524-1527
Internet
• [e-mail]
• http://www.ashtech.com

ii Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual
Copyright Notice
Copyright © 1998 MagellanCorporation. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication or the computer programs described in it may be repro-
duced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means,electronic,mechanical photocopying, recording, orotherwise, without prior
written permission of Magellan. Your rights with regard to this publication and the
computer programs are subject to the restrictions and limitations imposed by the cop-
yright laws of the United States of America (“U.S.A.”) and/or the jurisdiction in
which you are located.
Forinformation on translations and distribution outside the U.S.A., please contact
Ashtech.
NO PATENT OR COPYRIGHT LIABILITY IS ASSUMED WITH RESPECT TO
THE USE OF INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN.WHILEREASONABLE
PRECAUTIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS PUB-
LICATION, ASHTECH ASSUMES NORESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS OR
OMISSIONS, NOR IS ANY LIABILITY ASSUMED FOR DAMAGES RESULT-
ING FROMTHE USE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. FUR-
THER, THIS PUBLICATION AND FEATURES DESCRIBED HEREIN ARE
SUBJECTTO CHANGE WITHOUTNOTICE.
Printed in the United States of America.
© Copyright 1998 Magellan
Part Number: 630102-01,RevisionC
DCS d-579 incorporated Oct 03 (Table 2.4)
Trademarks
Z-Surveyor and the Ashtech logo are registered trademarks of Magellan. All other
product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks oftheir respective
holders.

iii
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
LICENSOR AND ITS THIRD-PARTY SUPPLIERS MAKE NO WARRANTIES OR
REPRESENTATIONS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE PROGRAM, MEDIA,
DOCUMENTATION, RESULTS OR ACCURACY OF DATA AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY
DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONFRINGEMENT. LICENSOR AND ITS THIRD-
PARTY SUPPLIERS DO NOT WARRANT THE PROGRAM WILL MEET YOUR
REQUIREMENTS OR THAT ITS OPERATION WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-
FREE.
LICENSOR, its third-party suppliers, or anyone involved in the creation or deliver of the
Program or Documentation to you shall have no liability to you or any third-party for special,
incidental, indirect or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, loss of profits or
savings, downtime, damage to or replacement of equipment or property, or recover or
replacement of programs or data) arising from claims based in warranty, contract, tort (including
negligence), strict liability, or otherwise even if LICENSOR or its third-party suppliers have
been advised of the possibility of such claim or damages. The liability of LICENSOR and its
third-party suppliers for direct damages shall not exceed the actual amount paid for this Program
License.
Some states do not allow the exclusion of limitation of implied warranties or liability for
incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to
you.
U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS
The Program andDocumentation are provided with RESTRICTIVE RIGHTS. Use, duplication,
or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (c)(1)(ii) of
the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 or
subdivision 9(C)(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights 48 CFR
52.227.19, as applicable.
Should you have any questions concerning the License Agreement or the Limited Warranties
and Limitation of Liability, please contact in writing: Ashtech, 1170 Kifer Road, Sunnyvale,
CA 94086

iv Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual

Table of Contents v
Reliance Fundamentals
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Functional Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Memory Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Performance Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Receiver Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
[B] RTCM Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
[U] RTCM Remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
[E] Event Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
[X] External Frequency Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
[M] Remote Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
[F] Fast Data Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
[T] Point Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
[3] Observables—1, 2, 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
[J] RTK Rover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
[K] RTK Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 2. Equipment Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Z-Surveyor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Pinouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Port (Fischer) Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Z-FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Pinouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Z-FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Z-FXHE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
PCMCIA Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Battery/Charger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Disposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Chapter 3. Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

vi Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual
Memory Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Internal Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Hardware Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Applying Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Receiver Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
PCMCIA Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Monitoring via the Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Satellite Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Remaining Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Remaining Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Monitoring via the Serial Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Satellite Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Available Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Remaining Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Setting Receiver Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Saving Parameter Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chapter 4. Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
LED Display Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
System Information (SysInfo) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Receiver Status (Survey:mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Survey Configuration (SURVCONF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Data Recording (Sessions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Miscellaneous Parameter (Settings) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Static Surveying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Performing a Static Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Measuring Antenna Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Moving to the Next Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Kinematic Surveying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Kinematic Initialization Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Table of Contents vii
Performing a Kinematic Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Rapid Static Surveying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Performing a Rapid Static Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
RTK Surveying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Base System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Data Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
PCMCIA File Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
File Naming Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Downloading the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
DATALOGR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Index-1

viii Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual

List of Figures ix
Reliance Fundamentals
List of Figures
Figure 1.1: Z-Surveyor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Figure 1.2: Z-FX(HE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Figure 2.1: Z-Surveyor Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 2.2: Z-Surveyor Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 2.3: Power Connector Pin Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 2.4: Serial Port Pin Layout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Figure 2.5: Z-FX/Z-FXHE Front Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 2.6: Z-FX Rear Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 2.7: Z-FXHE Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Figure 2.8: Z-FXHE Serial Port Pin Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Figure 2.9: PCMCIA card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Figure 2.10: Top View of Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 2.11: Battery in Battery Charger with AC Adaptor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Figure 3.1: Opening Memory Bay Door. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Figure 3.2: PCMCIA card insertion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Figure 3.3: Memory Bay Door Closing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Figure 3.4: PCMCIA card removal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Figure 3.5: Opening Battery Bay Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Figure 3.6: Battery Insertion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Figure 3.7: Closing the battery bay door. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Figure 3.8: Sealing the battery bay door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Figure 3.9: Opening Battery Bay Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Figure 3.10: Grasping Battery Pull-lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Figure 3.11: Pulling Battery Pull-lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Figure 3.12: Removing Battery From Receiver (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Figure 3.13: Removing Battery From Receiver (B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Figure 4.1: Display Menu Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Figure 4.2: PCMCIA File Card Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Figure 4.3: Z-Family File Naming Convention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

x Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual

List of Tables xi
Reliance Fundamentals
List of Tables
Table 1.1: Technical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Table 1.2: Z-FX/Z-FXHE Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Table 1.3: Accuracy as Function of Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 1.4: Z-Surveyor Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Table 2.1: Z-Surveyor Front Panel Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Table 2.2: Z-Surveyor Rear Panel Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Table 2.3: Power Connector Pinouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Table 2.4: Serial Port Pinout Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 2.5: Z-FX/Z-FXHE Front Panel Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Table 2.6: Z-FXHE Rear Panel Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Table 2.7: Pinouts for Power Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Table 2.8: Z-FXHE Serial Port 1 Pinout Descriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Table 2.9: Z-FXHE Serial Port 2 Pinout Descriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Table 2.10: PCMCIA Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Table 2.11: Battery Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Table 4.1: Control Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Table 4.2: Main Menu Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Table 4.3: Survey Status Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Table 4.4: Time Displays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Table 4.5: Selectable Recording Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Table 4.6: Selectable Data Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Table 4.7: Selectable Baud Rates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Table 4.8: Selectable Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Table 4.9: Front Panel Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Table 4.10: File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Table 4.11: Z-Family Recording Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

xii Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual

Introduction 1
Reliance Fundamentals
Introduction
1
Introduction
Both the Z-Surveyor and the Z-FX represent a powerful and economic alternative to
conventional surveying equipment for the GPS community. Designed to support an
expanding variety of surveying applications, including land/boundary/cadastral surveys,
route surveys, construction and as built surveys, the 12 channel, dual frequency receiver
integrates technological advances in microprocessor design, data storage, and power
management. Retaining the functionality of a complete surveying system, the Z-Surveyor
now fits into a smaller, lighter, and more ergonomic enclosure. Incorporating Ashtech’s
patented Z-Trackingtechnology to mitigate the effects of Anti-Spoofing (AS), both the
Z-Surveyor and the Z-FX provide increased tracking ability under adverse satellite
visibility conditions such as under tree canopy, in canyons, or between buildings. While
both receivers operate on just 7.5 watts, the Z-Surveyor includes an internal battery
capable of approximately 4.5 hours of continuous operation. For longer operations, the Z-
Surveyor offers an external power input. Each receiver also includes internal memory in
the form of a removable (Z-Surveyor only), standard 2Mb PCMCIA card expandable up
to 85Mb. Due to performance and popularity, many third party applications software
companies have developed their application-specific packages to work directly with the
receiver. Our receiver works with a wide choice of controller software and data collectors
as well as coming with a full range of accessories to make surveying simple and efficient.
We have built the system to support collection and post-processing of static, rapid static,
and kinematic data without the need for an external handheld display/controller due to an
integrated, optimized keyboard/display. The unit functions as a base station and/or rover
for real-time code and code/carrier RTCM differential GPS usage. To support the
requirement for real-time centimeter-level surveying solutions, an optional spread
spectrum radio is incorporated into the receiver, providing a configured portable and
integrated real-time GPS surveying system. The receiver can be configured as a
continuous operating reference station (CORS) for surveying, GIS, geological, or other
scientific monitoring applications.
Overview
The Z-Surveyor and the Z-FX, Figure 1.1 and Figure 1.2 respectively, process signals
from the GPS satellite constellation. Each receiver provides real-time position, velocity,
and time measurements using twelve dedicated separate and parallel channels for Coarse/
Acquisition (C/A) code-phase, and carrier-phase measurement on the L1 (1575 MHz), and
Precise (P) code phase and carrier phase measurement on L1 and L2 (1227 MHz) bands.
Each receives satellite signals via an L-band antenna and low-noise amplifier (LNA). The

2 Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual
receiver operates stand-alone and as a base (reference) station or remote (rover)
station providing real-time differential GPS operation for code and real-time
kinematic (RTK) operation for carrier phase. The unit implements the RTCM SC 104
V2.2 standard for differential and RTK operation, including the newly defined
message types 18/19 and 20/21. These features allow the Z-Surveyor and the Z-FX to
achieve centimeter accuracy while being compatible for differential and RTK
operation with any other receiver that implements the RTCM standard.
Figure 1.1: Z-Surveyor
Figure 1.2: Z-FX(HE)

Introduction 3
Introduction
Functional Description
The receiver is activated when power is applied to the power connector (or internal
battery has been inserted for the Z-Surveyor only), and the power push-button is
pushed to ON. After self test, the receiver initializes its 12 channels and begins
searching for all space vehicles (SV) within the field of view of the antenna.
The receiver can track all Block I and Block II GPS SVs. All 32 PRN numbers as
specified in Navstar GPS Space Segment/Navigation User Interfaces, ICD-GPS-200,
Revision B are coded inside the product. As the receiver acquires (locks onto) each
SV, it notes the time and then collects the ephemeris data about the orbit of that SV,
and almanac data about the orbits of all the SVs in the constellation.
The receiver features 12-parallel channel/12-SV all-in-view operation; each of up to
12 visible SVs can be assigned to a channel and then continuously tracked. Each SV
broadcasts almanac and ephemeris information every 30 seconds, and the unit
automatically records this information in its non-volatile memory.
The unit has an L1/L2-band radio frequency (RF) port and four RS-232 serial input/
output (I/O) ports. Ports A, B, C, and D are capable of two-way communication with
external equipment with Port D capable of RTCM operation when using the optional
internal radio link.
The RF circuitry receives satellite data from a GPS antenna and LNA via a coaxial
cable, and can supply +5V to the antenna/LNA by means of that cable. No separate
antenna power cable is required. Typical power consumption is approximately 7.5
watts even when powering an LNA.
The receiver incorporates a green-colored LED which lights indicating power status
by flashing. A flashing red light indicates sleep mode. A second green-colored LED
below the first one indicates operation of the optional internal spread spectrum radio
by flashing.
The receiver collects Coarse Acquisition (C/A) code-phase (pseudo-range) and full
wavelength carrier phase measurement on L1 frequency (1575 MHz), Precise (P)
code phase (pseudo-range) and full wavelength carrier phase on L1 and L2 frequency
(1227 MHz). All data can be stored on the internal PCMCIA card. The receiver
permits uninterrupted use even when Anti-Spoofing (AS) is turned on. When AS is
on, the receiver automatically activates Ashtech’s patented Z-tracking mode that
mitigates the effects of AS. The performance when AS is on is the same as when AS
is off.
Memory Options
The amount of data the Z-Surveyor can retain depends upon the PCMCIA card
installed and the recording interval. You can verify the amount of memory by going
to the Memory Status (MEM:***%) menu under the SYSINFO menu through the
front panel of the receiver. You can also verify the amount of memory by sending

4 Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual
$PASHQ,FLS,0 (for more information, refer to the Z-Family Technical Reference
Manual).
Technical Specifications
Table 1.1 lists the technical specifications of the Z-Surveyor.
Table 1.1: Technical Specifications
Characteristic Specifications
Tracking 12 channels L1 CA/PL1 and PL2
Size 3.“H x 7.3"W x 8.25"D
Weight 3.75 lb
Operating temperature -20° to +55°C (without internal battery)
Storage temperature -30° to +75°C (without internal battery)
Humidity 100%
Environment Resistant to wind-driven rain and dust to MIL-STD-810E
Power consumption
Operating with internal battery, at
room temperature (25°C), display
disabled
7.5 watts
Power input 10—28V
Data storage From 2Mb up to 85MB dependent on PCMCIA card
Interface • Eight character alphanumeric LED display
• Two dual-color LED
• Four RS-232 ports via Fischer connectors
• One antenna connector
• Event marker and 1PPS via serial port connector
• optional external reference connector
• optional radio antenna connector
Measurement Precision
C/A (>10° elevation)
• Pseudo-range (raw/smooth)
• Carrier Phase • 25cm/3.6cm •0.9mm
P-Code AS off (>10° elevation)
• L1 Pseudo-range (raw/smooth)
• L1 Carrier Phase
• L2 Pseudo-range (raw/smooth)
• L2 Carrier Phase
• 15cm/0.9cm
•0.9mm
• 21cm/1.3cm
•0.9mm

Introduction 5
Introduction
Table 1.2 lists the technical specifications of the Z-FX/Z-FXHE.
Table 1.2: Z-FX/Z-FXHE Technical Specifications
Characteristic Specifications
Tracking 12 channels L1 CA/PL1 and PL2
Size 2.30“H x 6.75"W x 9.25"L
Weight 3.75 lb
Operating temperature -20° to +55°C
Storage temperature -30° to +75°C
Humidity 100%
Environment Resistant to wind-driven rain and dust to MIL-STD-810E
Power consumption
Operating with internal battery, at
room temperature (25°C), display
disabled
7.5 watts
Power input 10—28V
Data storage From 2Mb up to 85MB dependent on PCMCIA card
Interface • Eight character alphanumeric LED display
• Two dual-color LED
• Four RS-232 ports via Fischer connectors
• One antenna connector
• Event marker and 1PPS via serial port connector
• optional external reference connector
• optional radio antenna connector
Measurement Precision
C/A (>10° elevation)
• Pseudo-range (raw/smooth)
• Carrier Phase • 25cm/3.6cm •0.9mm
P-Code AS off (>10° elevation)
• L1 Pseudo-range (raw/smooth)
• L1 Carrier Phase
• L2 Pseudo-range (raw/smooth)
• L2 Carrier Phase
• 15cm/0.9cm
•0.9mm
• 21cm/1.3cm
•0.9mm

6 Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual
Performance Specifications
One of the most important functions of the receiver is providing real-time position
solutions with accuracy ranging from centimeter level to 100 meters. Table 1.3
summarizes the positioning modes and expected accuracy.
All accuracies were computed from multiple trials of live satellite data collected in the San Francisco
Bay area with Z-Surveyor receivers and Geodetic III antennas under average multipath conditions.
Receiver Options
Table 1.4 lists the available options. Each option is represented by a letter or number
presented in a certain order. You can verify the installed options by going to the
options table under the System Information (SYSINFO) menu through the front panel
of the receiver.
You can also verify the installed options by issuing the following command to the
receiver using an external handheld controller or PC, as described in the Z-Family
Technical Reference Manual:
•$PASHQ,RID
The command will display the options on the external handheld controller or PC. For
example:
$PASHR,RID,UZ,30,UC00,BUEXMFT3JK,0A13*75
Table 1.3: Accuracy as Function of Mode
Positioning Mode Typical Horizontal Accuracy (2drms), 5
SVs, PDOP<4
Maximum Update
Rate Maximum Operating Range
Autonomous 100 meters with SA on 5Hz (10 Hz optional) Anywhere
RTCM code differential 1.0 meters + 10 ppm 5Hz (10Hz optional) Several hundred
kilometers (depending
upon datalink)
Static (post-processed) 5mm + 1ppm 5Hz (10Hz optional) Several hundred
kilometers (depending
upon satellite geometry)
Real-time carrier phase
differential in RTCM-
RTK format or DBEN
format
1.6cm +2ppm 5Hz (10Hz optional) <15 kilometers
(depending upon datalink)

Introduction 7
Introduction
If the letter or number is displayed in the response message, the option is available. If
the letter/number is not displayed, the option is not available. Table 1.4 lists the
available options
[B] RTCM Base
The receiver has the ability to be set as an RTCM differential base station and can
output real-time differential corrections when this option is enabled.
The output will be in RTCM-104, Version 2.2 format message types 1,3,6, 16 and 22
as well as RTCM Carrier Differential 18, 19, 20, and 21. For messages 18, 19, 20, and
21, the K option is also required.
[U] RTCM Remote
The real-time differential corrections are available when this option is enabled.
The receiver will decode the RTCM-104, Version 2.2 format message types 1,3,6,9,
16, and 22 as well as types 18, 19, 20 and 21. For messages 18, 19, 20, and 21, the J
option is also required.
[E] Event Marker
The [E] option enables the storage of event times created from a trigger signal. The
receiver measures and records event times with high accuracy (down to one
microsecond). The receiver will store an event time at the rising edge of the trigger
signal (or the falling edge on command) and the time will be recorded in the
receiver’s PC memory card and/or output through the TTT NMEA message.
Table 1.4: Z-Surveyor Options
Option Description
B RTCM differential base
U RTCM differential remote
E Event Marker
X External Frequency
M Remote monitor option
F Fast Data Output
T Point Positioning
1,2,3 Observables
J RTK Rover
KRTKBase

8 Z-Surveyor & Z-FX Operation Manual
[X] External Frequency Reference
The external frequency option [X] allows the user to input an external frequency so
the user can synchronize receiver data to an external clock. When enabled, its
installation disables the internal oscillator and uses the external frequency input only.
This option is not available for firmware version UC00 or older.
[M] Remote Monitoring
The remote monitoring option allows the user to use the REMOTE.EXE to access and
control the receiver via a modem from a remote location.
[F] Fast Data Output
This option enables the receiver to be programed to output both raw position data and
NMEA messages or record data (if a PCMCIA card is present in the receiver) at user
selectable frequencies up to 10Hz. Without this option, only frequencies up to 5Hz
are available.
[T] Point Positioning
The [T] option allows the user to put the receiver into point positioning mode using
the $PASHS,PPO command. Point positioning mode will improve the accuracy of an
autonomous position of a static point.
[3] Observables—1, 2, 3
This option determines the observables available in the receiver where:
1—CA code and P-code on L1/L2 (No carrier)
2—CA code and carrier, P-code on L1/L2 (No carrier)
3—CA code and carrier, P-code on L1/L2 and carrier
[J] RTK Rover
The [J] option allows the receiver to act as a rover station thatw utilizes the carrier
phase differential (both DBEN and RTCM message 18, 19, 20, and 21) data
transmitted from the base to compute differentially corrected positions. This option
requires the observables option to be 3. For RTCM messages type 18, 19, 20, and 21,
the U option is required in addition to the J option.