Hemisphere GPS A222 User manual

875-0364-0
User Guide
A222™
Smart Antenna
Revision: A1
August 01, 2017

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This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.
ThisproductcomplieswiththeessentialrequirementsandotherrelevantprovisionsofDirective2014/53/EU.Thedeclarationofconformitymaybeconsultedat
https://hemispheregnss.com/About‐Us/Quality‐Commitment.
Copyright Notice
Copyright Hemisphere GNSS, Inc. (2017). All rights reserved.
No part of this manual may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any language or
computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of Hemisphere GNSS.
Trademarks
Hemisphere GNSS®, the Hemisphere GNSS logo, TRACERTM, Crescent®, EclipseTM, e-Dif®, L-DifTM, miniEclipseTM,
PocketMax3 PCTM, PocketMax3TM, PocketMax3TM, S320TM, SBX-4TM, VectorTM, XF1TM,and XF2TM are proprietary trademarks
of Hemisphere GNSS, Inc. Other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
Patents
Hemisphere GNSS products may be covered by one or more of the following patents:
U.S. Patents
Australia Patents
6111549 6876920 7400956 8000381 8214111 2002244539
6397147 7142956 7429952 8018376 8217833 2002325645
6469663 7162348 7437230 8085196 8265826 2004320401
6501346 7277792 7460942 8102325 8271194
6539303 7292185 7689354 8138970 8307535
6549091 7292186 7808428 8140223 8311696
6711501 7373231 7835832 8174437 8334804
6744404 7388539 7885745 8184050 RE41358
6865465 7400294 7948769 8190337
Other U.S. and foreign patents pending.
Notice to Customers
Contact your local dealer for technical assistance. To find the authorized dealer near you:
Hemisphere GNSS, Inc
8515 East Anderson Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85255 USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]
www.hgnss.com
Technical Support
If you need to contact Hemisphere GNSS Technical Support:
Hemisphere GNSS, Inc.
8515 East Anderson Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85255 USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
Documentation Feedback
Hemisphere GNSS is committed to the quality and continuous improvement of our products and services. We urge you to
provide Hemisphere GNSS with any feedback regarding this guide by writing to the following email
address:
[e-mail].

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Table of Contents

Copyright Notice .............................................................................................................................................................. i
Trademarks ..................................................................................................................................................................... i
Patents ............................................................................................................................................................................ i
Notice to Customers ........................................................................................................................................................ i
Technical Support ........................................................................................................................................................... i
Documentation Feedback ............................................................................................................................................... i
Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Overview ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Key Features ................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Parts List ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Product Support ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Chapter 2: Installation .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Installation ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Display, Mounting, and Connectors .............................................................................................................................. 5
LED Display .................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Mounting A222 .............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Selecting the Proper Antenna Location ................................................................................................... 6
Routing and Securing the Cables ............................................................................................................ 6
Mounting Options ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Surface Mount .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Pole Mount ............................................................................................................................................... 9
Powering A222............................................................................................................................................................ 10
Power Considerations ............................................................................................................................ 10
Connecting to a Power Source .............................................................................................................. 10
Power/Data Connector ........................................................................................................................... 10
Chapter 3: Using A222 ................................................................................................................................................. 12
Using A222 ................................................................................................................................................................... 13
GNSS Operation ......................................................................................................................................................... 13
Automatic Tracking ................................................................................................................................ 13
Receiver Performance ........................................................................................................................... 13
Differential Operation .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Automatic SBAS Tracking ..................................................................................................................... 13
Default Parameters ..................................................................................................................................................... 14
Configuring the A222 .................................................................................................................................................. 14

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Auto-Seed .............................................................................................................................................. 14
Appendix A: Troubleshooting ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Appendix B: Technical Specifications .......................................................................................................................... 17


A222 User Guide Chapter 1 - Introduction Page 1 of 20
Chapter 1: Introduction
Overview
Key Features
Parts List
Product Support

A222 User Guide Chapter 1 - Introduction Page 2 of 20
Introduction
Overview
Hemisphere GNSS’ all new scalable A222 was designed to excel in challenging environments, and is ideal for
use with various applications, including precision agriculture, machine control, construction, mining, and marine.
The A222 is a multi-GNSS RTK, high accuracy GNSS receiver that allows you to work quickly and accurately.
Built on Hemisphere GNSS’ Eclipse™ platform, A222 boasts the latest GNSS patented technology and offers
quick startup and reacquisition times.
The A222 can be updated by adding L1/L2 GLONASS activations and subscriptions for Athena RTK and/or Atlas
L-Band. Athena RTK is Hemisphere's most advanced RTK processing software that can be added to the A222
as a subscription service.
Note: Throughout the rest of this manual, A222 Smart Antenna is referred to simply as A222.
Figure 1-1: A222 Smart Antenna
A222 is a versatile smart antenna with several first-class features:
• Utilizes Hemisphere’s Athena GNSS engine
• Atlas support over L-Band corrections
• Environment-proven enclosure for the most aggressive user scenarios
Athena RTK has the following benefits:
• Improved Initialization time. Performing initializations in less than 15 seconds at better than
99.9% of the time
• Robustness in difficult operating environments. Extremely high productivity under the most
aggressive of geographic and landscape oriented environments
• Performance on long baselines. Industry-leading position stability for long baseline applications
• Performance under scintillation. Sustained accuracy under ionospheric scintillation activities, in
high scintillation-affected areas
• Atlas L-Band is Hemisphere's industry leading correction service, which can be added to the
A222 as a subscription

A222 User Guide Chapter 1 - Introduction Page 3 of 20
Atlas L-Band benefits include the following:
• Positioning accuracy. Competitive positioning accuracies down to 4 cm RMS in certain
applications
• Positioning sustainability. Cutting edge position quality maintenance in the absence of
correction signals, using Hemisphere’s patented technology
• Scalable service levels. Capable of providing virtually any accuracy, precision and repeatability
level in the 4 to 100 cm range
• Convergence time. Industry-leading convergence times of 10-40 minutes
Key Features
Key features of A222 include:
• Centimeter-level accuracy using Atlas* or Athena** technology in a rugged, all-in-one enclosure
(*requires subscription **requires activation)
• Improved GNSS performance—particularly with RTK and/or L-Band applications
• Very fast RTK fix and reacquisition times
• Supports, NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000*, for communication with external devices (*requires NMEA
certification)
• Wide operating voltage range of 8-32 VDC, providing high transient protection for any power
source
• Integrated 2D tilt sensor enables offset corrections
A222 supports a variety of protocols for communicating with navigation systems, CAN systems, and other
devices.
Parts List
Table 1-1 provides the part name and description, quantity, and part number for each part in your kit.
Table 1-1: A222 Parts List/Accessory Items
Part Name/Description Qty Part Number
A222 GNSS Smart Antenna 1 804-0153-0
Mounting adapter, 1” to 5/8” Pole Mount 1 710-0130-0
Mounting adapter, Flat Mount 1 710-0129-0
Note: Your kit will include one of the above
adapters, depending on your order.
The following accessory items are available for purchase separately for your A222.
Power/data cable (single DB9), 3 m 1 051-0129-002
Power/data cable (unterminated), 4.6 m 1 051-0169-000
Product Support
If you have questions regarding the setup, configuration, or operation of A222, contact your local dealer. For
additional support information see “Technical Support”.

A222 User Guide Chapter 2
–
Installation Page 4 of 20
Chapter 2: Installation
Display, Mounting, and Connectors
LED Display
Mounting A222
Powering A222

A222 User Guide Chapter 2
–
Installation Page 5 of 20
Installation
Display, Mounting, and Connectors
All connections and ports are located on the bottom of the unit, as shown in Figure 2-1.
Table 2-1 provides additional information about each port/connection.
Figure 2-1: A222
Table 2-1: A222 Ports and Connections

Port/Connection Description
Mounting holes Four off-set mounting holes. Two adapters are available, the first
includes a marine 1” standard, adaptable to 5/8”. The second allows
for flush mounting the unit.
Power, data port (12-
pin)
External power/data cable; allows you to supply power to A222 as
well as communicate with external devices via NMEA 0183 serial,
and binary.

A222 User Guide Chapter 2-Installation Page 6 of 20
LED Display
A222 uses a single LED (see Figure 2-1) that provides system information based on the color of the LED as follows:
• Blinking Red - Power on
• Blinking Amber - GNSS position available, including RTK float and Atlas
• Blinking Green - RTK-fixed or Atlas-converged position available
• Blinking any color - Receiver operational
If at any time the LED turns to a solid color for an extended period, the receiver has malfunctioned.
Mounting A222
This section provides information on where to mount your antenna and the different mounting options available.
Selecting the Proper Antenna Location
Proper antenna placement is critical to positioning accuracy.
To select the proper antenna location:
• Place the antenna with an unobstructed view of the sky. An obstructed view of the sky may impair system
performance. The GNSS engine computes a position based on measurements from each satellite to the
internal GNSS receiver.
• Mount the antenna on, or as close as possible to, the center of your point of measurement. For example, ideal
antenna placement on a vehicle is the center of the cab roof, assuming there is a clear view of the sky.
• Position the antenna as high as possible.
Routing and Securing the Cables
Consider the following when routing cables:
• Power/data cable must reach an appropriate power source
• Power/data cable may connect to a data storage device, computer, or other device that accepts GNSS data
• Do not run cables in areas of excessive heat
• Do not expose cables to corrosive chemicals
• Do not crimp or excessively bend cables
• Do not place tension on cables
• Coil up excess cable in the cab of the vehicle or near the antenna
• Secure along the cable route using plastic tie wraps as necessary
• Do not run cables near high voltage or strong RF noise and transmitter sources
Improperly installed cables near machinery may cause injury or death.
Mounting Options
A222 allows for the following mounting options:
• Surface-mount
• Pole-mount

A222 User Guide Chapter 2-Installation Page 7 of 20
Surface Mount
You can surface-mount A222 with four machine screws (no. 8-32).
Figure 2-2: A222 Top/Bottom

A222 User Guide Chapter 2-Installation Page 8 of 20
To surface-mount A222:
1. Determine the desired location for A222 (see Selecting the Proper Antenna Location).
2. Refer to the template of the bottom portion of the A222 surface-mount (provided with A222 accessories). Use
the outer four holes per your installation.
3. Mark the mounting hole centers on the mounting surface.
4. Place A222 surface mount over the marks to ensure the planned hole centers align with the true hole centers
(adjusting as necessary).
5. Use a center punch to mark the hole centers.
6. Drill the mounting holes with a 5mm bit appropriate for the surface.
7. Use four machine screws (no. 8-32) to attach A222 to the surface mount adapter before securing the
complete unit to the intended area.
8. Place A222 surface mount over the mounting holes and insert the mounting screws through the bottom of the
mounting surface into A222 surface mount adapter.
Figure 2-3: A222 Antenna with Surface Mount Accessory
Hand-tighten only (10 to 12 in-lbs). Damage resulting from over-tightening is not covered by the warranty.

A222 User Guide Chapter 2-Installation Page 9 of 20
Pole Mount
The center thread on the bottom of A222 is 1-14 UNS. The mounting assembly included with A222 includes a 5/8-11
UNC adapter. Simply thread the riser/pole into the antenna until snug.
Figure 2-4: Pole Mount
Hand-tighten only (screws 10-12 in-lbs; pole 35-40 in-lbs.) . Damage resulting from over-tightening is not
covered by the warranty.

A222 User Guide Chapter 2-Installation Page 10 of 20
Powering A222
Power Considerations
A222 accepts an input voltage of 8-32 VDC. For best performance use a clean and continuous power supply. When
applying 12 VDC, A222 will draw approximately 3.2W.
Connecting to a Power Source
A222 uses a single cable for power and data input/output.
Note: A power/data cable is not supplied with A222, but is available as an accessory item. See Table 1-1 for a list of
accessory items.
Note: The following information refers to using the accessory item cables available from Hemisphere GNSS.
The antenna end of the cable is terminated with an environmentally-sealed 12-pin connector and the opposite end is
either DB9 or unterminated (requires field stripping and tinning).
To power A222:
• Connect A222 to a 12 VDC source. Note: Selecting the right power connector will depend on your specific
installation requirements.
Do not apply a voltage higher than 32 VDC. This will damage the receiver and void the warranty.
A222 features reverse polarity protection to prevent excessive damage if the power leads are accidentally reversed.
With the application of power, A222 automatically proceeds through an internal startup sequence; however, it is ready
to communicate immediately.
Power/Data Connector
Figure 2-5 shows the 12-pin power/data connector pinout assignments and Table 2-2 provides the pinout
specifications.
Note: The Wire Color column in Table 2-2 refers to the color of the wires at the unterminated end of accessory item
051-0169-000 (4.6 m unterminated power/data cable).
Figure 2-5: Power Assignments

A222 User Guide Chapter 2-Installation Page 11 of 20
Table 2-2: Pinout Specifications
Pin Description Wire Color
1 Manual mark in White
2 Port B Tx Brown
3 Port B Rx Blue
4 CAN high Orange
5 Signal ground Yellow
6 Port A Tx Violet
7 1 PPS Gray
8 Port A Rx Pink
9 CAN low Tan
10 Power in (12 V) Red
11 Power ground Black
12 Speed out Green
Note: For successful communication, the baud rate of the A222 serial ports (Port A and Port B) must be set to match
that of the connected devices.

A222 User Guide Chapter 3
–
Using A222 Page 12 of 20
Chapter 3: Using A222
GNSS Operation
Differential Operation
Default Parameters
Configuring the A222

A222 User Guide Chapter 3
–
Using A222 Page 13 of 20
Using A222
For your convenience, both the GNSS and differential correction of the A222 are preconfigured. The receiver will
work out-of-the-box, and for most applications, little user setup is necessary. When powered for the first time, the
A222 will perform a “cold start,” which involves acquiring the available GNSS satellites in view and the SBAS
differential service.
GNSS Operation
The GNSS receiver is always operating, regardless of the DGNSS mode of operation. The following sections
describe the general operation of the A222’s internal GNSS receiver.
Automatic Tracking
The A222’s internal GNSS receiver automatically searches for GNSS satellites, acquires the signals, and manages
the navigation information required for positioning and tracking.
Receiver Performance
The A222 works by finding four or more GNSS satellites in the visible sky and uses information from the satellites
to compute a position within 2.4 m. Since there is some error in the GNSS data calculations, the A222 also tracks a
differential correction. The A222 uses these corrections to improve its position accuracy to better than 0.6 m.
The two main aspects of GNSS receiver performance are 1) satellite acquisition, and 2) positioning and heading
calculation.
When the A222 is properly positioned, the satellites transmit coded information to the antenna on a specific
frequency. This allows the receiver to calculate a range to each satellite.
GNSS is essentially a timing system. The ranges are calculated by timing how long it takes for the signal to reach
the GNSS antenna. The GNSS receiver uses a complex algorithm incorporating satellite locations and ranges to
each satellite to calculate the geographic location and heading. Reception of any four or more GNSS signals allows
the receiver to compute three-dimensional coordinates.
Differential Operation
The purpose of differential GNSS (DGNSS) is to remove the effects of atmospheric errors, timing errors, and
satellite orbit errors, while enhancing system integrity. Autonomous positioning capabilities of the A222 will result in
positioning accuracies of 2.4 m 95% of the time. To improve positioning quality to better than 0.6 m 95%, the A222
can use differential corrections received through the internal SBAS demodulator or through externally supplied
RTCM corrections.
Automatic SBAS Tracking
The A222 automatically scans and tracks SBAS signals without the need to tune the receiver. The A222 features
three-channel tracking that provides an enhanced ability to maintain a lock on an SBAS satellite when more than
one satellite is in view.

A222 User Guide Chapter 3
–
Using A222 Page 14 of 20
Default Parameters
Setting Description
DGNSS Application: Newest GNSS FW found at www.hgnss.com
Serial ports A and B Baud rate: 4800, 9600, 19200, 57600, 115200
Data bits: 8 Parity: None Stop bit: 1
Interface level: RS-232
GNSS messages Type: Hemisphere GNSS binary, NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000
Update rate: 1 Hz to 20 Hz*
Max DGNSS age: 259,200 sec
Elevation mask: 5°
*With Activation Code
Configuring the A222
You can configure the A222 through the serial port using Hemisphere GNSS commands. For example, you can
select the:
• Baud rate
• NMEA 2000 data message to output on the dual serial ports and the update rate of each message
Note: Use the $JSAVE command to save changes you make to the A222’s configuration for the changes to be
present in subsequent power cycles.
For information on Hemisphere GNSS commands refer to the Hemisphere GNSS Technical Reference.
Auto-Seed
Auto-Seed allows the end user to shut down their device in a static position for any extended period of time. If the
antenna remains stationary at shut down, the position status and Atlas convergence will remain in the device
memory and resume upon start-up. This enables the Atlas solution to regain its accurate position within two
minutes of start-up.
Auto-seed provides quick response positioning and enables the customer to get to work faster and with confidence
in the GNSS solution.

A222 User Guide Appendix A- Troubleshooting Page 15 of 20
Appendix A: Troubleshooting

A222 User Guide Appendix A- Troubleshooting Page 16 of 20
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
Table A-1 provides a list of issues with possible solutions to help you troubleshoot anomalous A222 operation.
Table A-1: Troubleshooting
Issue Possible Solution
Receiver fails to power  Verify polarity of power leads
 Check integrity of power cable connections
 Check power input voltage (8 - 32 VDC)
 Check current restrictions imposed by power source (maximum is 300
mA at 12 VDC)
 No data from the A222
 No communication
 No valid data
 Check receiver power status
 Check integrity and connectivity of power and data cable connections
 Verify the baud rate settings match
 Verify receiver responds to valid $J Command ($JI)
 Verify it is locked to a valid DGNSS signal
 Verify it is locked to 4 or more GNSS satellites
Random binary data from
A222
 Verify the RTCM or the BIN messages are not being accidentally output
 Verify the baud rate settings match
 Potentially, the volume of data requested to be output could be higher than
the current baud rate supports. Try either using a higher baud rate for
communications or decreasing the number of messages and/or baud rates
No GNSS lock  Check the integrity of the antenna’s power/data cable
 Verify the antenna is outdoors with a clear a view of the sky
 Verify the lock status and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of GNSS satellites
No GNSS position  Verify the antenna is outdoors with a clear view of the sky
A222 LED not blinking after
connection to power
 Verify polarity of power leads
 Check integrity of power cable connections
 Check power input voltage (8 - 32 VDC)
A222 LED displays solid color
(not blinking)
 Power-cycle the receiver
 Contact Technical Support