OXTS RT-Base S User manual

Confidently. Accurately.
RT-Base S
Portable GNSS Base
Station
User Manual

2 Oxford Technical Solutions
Legal Notices
Information furnished is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, Oxford
Technical Solutions Limited assumes no responsibility for the consequences of use of
such information nor for any infringement of patents or other rights of third parties
which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under
any patent or patent rights of Oxford Technical Solutions Limited. Specifications
mentioned in this publication are subject to change without notice and do not represent
a commitment on the part of Oxford Technical Solutions Limited. This publication
supersedes and replaces all information previously supplied. Oxford Technical
Solutions Limited products are not authorised for use as critical components in life
support devices or systems without express written approval of Oxford Technical
Solutions Limited.
All brand names are trademarks of their respective holders.
The software is provided by the contributors “as is” and any express or implied
warranties, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose are disclaimed. In no event shall the contributors be
liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages
(including, but not limited to, procurement of substitute goods or services; loss of use,
data, or profits; or business interruption) however caused and on any theory of liability,
whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including negligence or otherwise) arising in
any way out of the use of this software, even if advised of the possibility of such
damage.
Copyright Notice
© Copyright 2015, Oxford Technical Solutions.
Revision
Document Revision: 151112 (See Revision History for detailed information).
Contact Details
Oxford Technical Solutions Limited
77 Heyford Park
Upper Heyford
Oxfordshire
OX25 5HD
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Web: http://www.oxts.com
Email: [email protected]m

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Warranty
Oxford Technical Solutions Limited warrants its products to be free of defects in
materials and workmanship, subject to the conditions set forth below, for a period of
one year from the Date of Sale.
‘Date of Sale’ shall mean the date of the Oxford Technical Solutions Limited invoice
issued on delivery of the product. The responsibility of Oxford Technical Solutions
Limited in respect of this warranty is limited solely to product replacement or product
repair at an authorised location only. Determination of replacement or repair will be
made by Oxford Technical Solutions Limited personnel or by personnel expressly
authorised by Oxford Technical Solutions Limited for this purpose.
In no event will Oxford Technical Solutions Limited be liable for any indirect,
incidental, special or consequential damages whether through tort, contract or
otherwise. This warranty is expressly in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or
implied, including without limitation the implied warranties of merchantability or
fitness for a particular purpose. The foregoing states the entire liability of Oxford
Technical Solutions Limited with respect to the products herein.

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Table of Contents
Introduction 5
How do base stations work? 5
Transmitting the corrections 7
Scope of delivery 8
Specification 10
Conformance notices 11
EMC 11
ESD notice 11
Operation 12
Charging the internal battery 12
To disconnect the battery 13
Selecting a suitable antenna location, and setting up the tripod 13
Connecting the GNSS antenna and radio modem cables 15
Powering up and monitoring the RT-Base S 16
The control panel 16
Configuring the RT-Base S using NAVbase 20
Check your IP settings 21
The NAVbase interface 22
Position manager 27
Downloading and converting the internally logged correction data 29
Attaching the second modem 31
Changing the differential correction format 32
What the RT-Base S transmits in each mode 32
Repeatability 34
Revision history 36

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Introduction
The RT-Base S is a self-contained, weatherproof and portable GNSS base station. It is
designed to be quick and easy to set-up, and transmits corrections to local receivers via
radio modem or (optionally) via Wi-Fi.
In addition to outputting differential corrections for use in real-time, the RT-Base S has
the ability to log corrections internally—allowing them to be used in post-processing.
This is especially useful when operating in challenging real-world environments
because it means no data is lost where the reliability of radio transmissions cannot be
guaranteed.
There are two versions of the RT-Base S:
RT-Base S
Supplies L1/L2 GPS corrections down to 1 cm accuracy.
RT-Base S G
Supplies GLONASS and L1/L2 GPS corrections down to 1 cm accuracy.
How do base stations work?
A base station significantly increases the position accuracy of other GNSS receivers by
sending them corrections. The base station does this by independently identifying the
errors affecting the signal from each GNSS satellite it can see. Information about those
errors is then broadcast using a radio modem, or something similar. Other GNSS
receivers in the area—which are also connected to similar radio modems—receive the
correction information and take it into account when calculating their own position
measurements. Removing the errors results in more accurate position estimates.
A base station identifies the errors affecting GNSS signals in one of two ways. If the
base station is placed at a precisely surveyed location, it calculates a GNSS position
measurement in the normal way, then compares that calculated position to the known
location. If the position measurements match exactly, no correction is required. If there
is a difference however, the base station calculates the length of time each satellite
signal would need to be delayed by, in order to cause the difference between the
surveyed location and the GNSS measurement being produced.
Alternatively, if the base station is not placed at an accurately surveyed location, the
only way for it to estimate the errors is to measure its own position as accurately as
possible. It does this by averaging the GNSS measurements over a period of time
before settling on one location. It then compares all further measurements to that
chosen location in order to identify the errors in the same way as before.
In both cases the base station calculates the errors affecting the signal from each
satellite it can see, and shares that information with other GNSS receivers in the local

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area. This is normally achieved using radio modems or via an optional Wi-Fi system. A
transmitter connected to the base station broadcasts corrections, and each GNSS
receiver has a modem attached to it that listens for those corrections.
For RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) carrier-phase measurements the principle is the same,
but the remote GNSS receiver also has to figure out the difference in the number of
carrier-phase cycles between the RT-Base S and the itself. To do this, the RT-Base S
measures the carrier-phase of the signals from each satellite and transmits it to the
remote system.
Figure 1. Differential GNSS overview
The base station is either placed at a precisely known location or left to average its position over time. It
can then estimate the errors affecting each satellite it is tracking and broadcast information about those
errors using radio modems. Nearby GNSS receivers use radio modems to listen for corrections, and
apply them to the signals from the common satellites, reducing the errors in their own position
calculations.
Differential GNSS can work in real-time applications because the errors affecting each
satellite vary slowly and predictably. The GNSS receiver in the vehicle uses a model to
predict the error from each satellite. It can update its model when the radio link
transmits new data. It is not necessary for the mobile GNSS receiver to wait until the
radio has transmitted the correction before outputting its latest value. Depending on the
GNSS receiver in your INS, pseudo-range differential GNSS corrections can be up to
60 seconds old, and RTK corrections can be up to 30 seconds old.

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Transmitting the corrections
Each new RT-Base S is supplied with a pair of radio modems suitable for use in the
country specified when ordered. Typically, these radio modems have a range of 2–5 km
line-of-sight. However, trees, buildings, hills and other obstructions will limit the range
that can be achieved. Table 1 shows the different radios that can be supplied with the
RT-Base S. Please note, one of the radio modems will be pre-installed inside the
RT-Base S.
Table 1. Overview of different radios
Radio Specification
SATEL 403–473 MHz band, up to 1 W, typically 5 km. License free bands available
for many European countries. Radio will typically cover 8 bands with
25 kHz channel spacing, except for SATEL Easy radios which have a much
wider range of configurable frequency.
SATEL 869 MHz band, up to 500 mW, typically 2 km. License free across most of
European Union.
FreeWave 900 MHz band, up to 1 W, typically >10 km. License free in USA, Brazil,
Canada.
Futaba 2.4 GHz band, 10 mW, maximum 2 km. License free in Japan.
As an option, the RT-Base S can broadcast corrections via Wi-Fi using an RT-XLAN.
The RT-XLAN transmits DGNSS corrections up to 1 km and is an especially useful
feature for customers using our newest RT-Range systems, as it means the corrections
can be received by just one INS, then shared among the other vehicles without the need
for additional equipment.
While the RT-Base S will work seamlessly with our own GNSS-aided INS products, it
is not limited to them in any way. The RT-Base S can also serve as a general base
station for other products. To help achieve this the RT-Base S transmits corrections in
six common formats: RTCA, RTCA2, RTCM, RTCMv3, CMR, CMR+.

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Scope of delivery
Table 2 lists all the standard items that are delivered with an RT-Base S. Table 3, Table
4 and Table 5 list additional components that are supplied, depending on the radio
modem being supplied.
Please note: the customer must check that the supplied radio can be used without a
license, or obtain a suitable license before using the RT-Base S. Oxford Technical
Solutions cannot be held responsible for using this equipment illegally without the
correct radio license.
Figure 2. RT-Base S components

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Table 2. Summary of the common RT-Base S components
Qty. Description
1 RT-Base S unit
1 GPS-C006 15 m GNSS antenna cable
1 GPS-702-GG GNSS antenna
1 Professional tripod
1 12.8 V, 10 Ah, LiFePO4 battery (pre-installed)
1 13.2 V battery charger and cable (UK, EU and US-adapters supplied)
1 RT-Base S user manual
Note 1: Other radio modems/antennas might be supplied depending on the region it is used in.
Table 3. Additional components when supplied with SATEL radios
Qty. Description
2 SATEL Satelline-3ASd radio modems—one modem is pre-installed into the RT-Base S
2 Radio modem antenna with 3 m cable and magnetic bases
Table 4. Additional components when supplied with FreeWave radios
Qty. Description
2 FreeWave FGR-115RC 900 MHz radio modems—one modem is pre-installed into the
RT-Base S
2 Radio modem antenna with 3 m cable and magnetic bases
Table 5. Additional components supplied with Futaba radios
Qty. Description
2 Futaba radio modems—one modem is pre-installed into the RT-Base S
3 Radio antenna, SMA connector and magnetic base
2 2 m SMA-SMA antenna extension cable
1 5 m SMA-SMA antenna extension cable
1 TNC-SMA adaptor (fitted to one of the radio antennas)
1 14C0045A RT3000 Futaba radio cable

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Specification
The technical specification of the RT-Base S unit is shown in Table 6.
Table 6. RT-Base S specification
Parameter Specification
Power rating 12 V dc, 2.5 A maximum
Mains power 110–240 V ac, 50–60 Hz, 3 A maximum
Battery 12.8 V, 10 Ah, LiFePO4
Charge time ≈6 hours
Operating time 30 hours typical (>24 hours at -10 °C)
Operating temperature -10–50 °C
Charge temperature -20–40 °C
Environment IP65 when lid is secured shut
Output format RTCA, RTCA2, RTCM, RTCMv3, CMR, CMR+
Output interface RS232 serial, Ethernet
Case dimensions 474 × 415 × 149 mm (external)
Mass 11.9 kg (inc. all accessories)
Please note: The casing of the RT-Base S is air-tight when closed, but it is fitted with a one-way valve to
release excess pressure. If the RT-Base S has been transported by air, it may be necessary to open the
valve (located behind the handle) to balance the air pressure inside the case before it can be opened.

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Conformance notices
Any use or misuse of the RT-Base S, in a manner not intended by OxTS, may impair
the protection provided.
The RT-Base S has been tested to, and passed, the following standards:
EN 61326-2-1:2013 Electrical equipment for measurement, control and
laboratory use. EMC requirements. Particular requirements. Test configurations,
operational conditions and performance criteria for sensitive test and
measurement equipment for EMC unprotected applications.
FCC Rules CFR 47:2013 Parts 15.107 & 15.109 Class A.
EN 60529:1992+A2:2013 Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP
code).
EN 61010-1:2010 Safety requirements for electrical equipment for
measurement, control, and laboratory use.
EMC
The antennas used with this transmitter must be installed with a separation of at
least 23 centimetres from all persons. The antennas must also be separated by at
least 20 centimetres from each other.
Only screened Ethernet cables should be used with this unit.
ESD notice
The LCD display is sensitive to electro-static discharge (ESD).
The display may go blank when ESD occurs to some parts of the RT-Base S.
Other components in RT-Base S continue to operate correctly even if display
appears blank due to ESD.

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Operation
The RT-Base S has been designed to be as easy to operate as possible. However, it is
important to have a sound understanding of how the system works, so please read the
manual thoroughly before operating the product.
The set-up procedure is summarised below. More detailed information on each step is
also presented in the following sections.
Process of setting up the RT-Base S:
1. Ensure the battery is charged (page 12).
2. Select a stable, suitable location for the GNSS antenna (page 13).
3. Connect all cables and power up the system (page 15).
4. Configure the system, if required (page 15).
5. Download and convert the data if required (page 29).
Charging the internal battery
The RT-Base S is fitted with a 12.8 volt, 10 amp-hour, LiFePO4 battery. The battery is
capable of running the RT-Base S for between 24 and 32 hours depending on
conditions. Before using the RT-Base S for the first time, and prior to use each day, the
battery should be fully charged.
To charge the battery, connect the M12 connector on the supplied charger to the
connector marked Charge on the RT-Base S, then plug the battery charger in to the
mains supply. Note that the M12 connector is keyed and will only fit when correctly
aligned. The screw-collar only needs to be finger-tight. An LED on the battery charger
show the current charging state (yellow = charging, green = fully charged).
The RT-Base S takes about six hours to charge from fully discharged.
General precautions
Do not replace the batteries in the RT-Base S.
Only charge the RT-Base S with the supplied charger.
Do not charge the batteries more than once without discharging.
Do not expose the charger to water. Charging should take place indoors.
Do not leave the RT-Base S unattended during charging.

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Do not use the charger if there are signs of damage.
Do not cover the charger.
To disconnect the battery
The battery is connected to the RT-base S using an M12 connector. To fully disconnect
the battery, it is necessary to remove the modem panel as shown in Figure 3. This panel
is held in place using three thumb-screws. Remove the screws and lift out the panel
using the two small handles attached to the cover. The battery can be disconnected by
simply unscrewing the connector.
Figure 3. Disconnecting the battery
To disconnect the battery, remove the three thumb screws (red circles) securing the modem panel. The
radio and battery connectors are indicated in the image above. To disconnect the battery, unscrew the
connector.
Selecting a suitable antenna location, and setting up the tripod
For the RT-Base S to work to specification, it is essential to put the antenna in a
location where it has a clear view of the sky. GNSS antennas do not only look for
satellites from above, they also receive signals from the side—down to an elevation of
10° in all directions. For that reason, it is important to place the antenna in the most
open location available to you.
One error that no base station can easily correct for are multi-path reflections from
buildings and trees. To avoid these, do not locate the antenna near trees and buildings,
or other tall hard structures. It is also very important that the antenna does not move
during the test. Ensure the supplied tripod is stable enough not to move in the wind and

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that no one can bump into it. When performing vehicle tests, consider gusts of wind
that may be created by passing vehicles.
Figure 4. Choosing a location for the GNSS antenna
Choose a location for the GNSS antenna that is not close to buildings or trees, as these can both affect
GNSS signals. The antenna needs to have a good view of the sky (not just above, but to the sides too).
If you intend to perform a test over several days, and will be packing the base-station
away overnight, it is important to mark the location of the GNSS antenna. It will need
to be placed in precisely the same location on each day. If possible, mount the antenna
on a pole that has been fixed in the ground and can be left behind until the test has
finished.
When operating in hot environments, the RT-Base S unit should not be left in direct
sunlight or the internal temperature may exceed the specification. The temperature
range of the unit is restricted because of the internal battery.
Setting up the tripod and antenna
1. The tripod legs use a friction lock to maintain their position. To extend each leg,
twist each leg axially in an anti-clockwise direction (viewed from below) to unlock
the leg. Ensure each section is re-locked in position by axially twisting it in a
clockwise direction. It doesn’t matter how high the GNSS antenna is located, as
long as it has the best possible view of the sky.
2. Carefully remove the GNSS antenna from the RT-Base S case. The antenna is
attached to the tripod via the threaded section. Do not apply excessive force when
tightening the antenna.

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3. Ensure the tripod and antenna are located in safe position and there is no chance
there will move or fall-over.
Connecting the GNSS antenna and radio modem cables
Before powering up the RT-Base S, the GNSS antenna should be connected to the
GNSS connector using the supplied GNSS cable. The GNSS connector on the
RT-Base S is located to the left of the carry handle.
Figure 5. RT-Base S cable connections
As shown above, the GNSS antenna connects to the left of the handle and the radio modem connects to
the right. Do not swap the connectors over or damage may occur.
If radio modems are being used to transmit and receive DGNSS corrections, one of the
supplied antennas should be connected to the Radio connector, located to the right of
the carry handle. The radio modem antenna should be placed as high up as possible (to
ensure good range is achieved), but should be located at least 20 centimetres from the
GNSS antenna.
Cable connection summary
Before powering the system, connect the GNSS antenna to the GNSS connector
using the supplied GNSS cable.
If radio modems are not required, there is no need to connect the radio modem
antenna to the Radio connector. If modems are being used, connect the antenna
before powering up the RT-Base S.
Ensure the radio modem is at least 20 centimetres from the GNSS antenna.

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Powering up and monitoring the RT-Base S
The RT-Base S is switched on and off using the Power button located on the control
panel. If the LCD display fails to illuminate or show data, ensure the battery is charged
and that the battery has been reconnected after air travel.
Please note that a number of factors affect the time taken for the RT-Base S to acquire
satellites. The process normally takes about 90 seconds, but can take up to 20 minutes
if the unit has been turned off for a long period of time or has been moved a significant
distance since last time it was used.
The first thing the RT-Base S loads as part of the boot process is a configuration file,
which is held in its internal memory. The configuration file controls how the
RT-Base S behaves. The first time an RT-Base S is powered up after delivery, the
default settings are used. The default settings tell the RT-Base S to average its position
over a three-minute period (once it computes a GNSS position) and to broadcast
corrections in RTCMv3 format. The base station ID will be set to OxTS.
Creating custom configurations using our NAVbase software is covered in the next
section. Before that, it is important to become familiar with information presented on
the LCD display, and to learn how to adjust basic parameters of the configuration using
only the built in controls. This is useful in case you need to check/modify the
RT-Base S during a test but don’t have immediate access to a portable computer.
The control panel
The control panel on the RT-Base S is made up of three buttons, an LCD, a charge
connector, an Ethernet port and power switch. The controls and LCD are shown in
Figure 6.
Figure 6. The control panel on the RT-Base S

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When power is first applied, the LCD display shows the firmware version running in
the RT-Base S along with and the static IP address the unit is using to communicate
(Figure 7). This information page is displayed for 10 seconds.
Figure 7. LCD boot screen shown at start-up
Dev ID and IP address being used. This page is displayed for 10 seconds when power is first applied.
As soon as the boot page disappears, the LCD begins to alternate between the two
different status pages shown in Figure 8—displaying each for eight seconds. Once a
valid position measurement has been calculated, the system will begin to average a
position using the time period specified in the configuration file.
At this point the LCD alternates between the pages shown in Figure 9. Once averaging
is complete, or once an existing location has been loaded from memory, the LCD
moves to the fixed position status pages shown in Figure 10. The RT-Base S can now
be considered to be functioning.
Figure 8. LCD status pages while searching for a valid GNSS solution
The LCD alternates between the two screens above at eight second intervals while it looks for a valid
GNSS position.
Figure 9. LCD status pages while averaging a GNSS position
The LCD alternates between the two screens above at eight second intervals while it averages a position.
This process can be interrupted at any time and a saved position can be loaded.

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Figure 10. LCD status pages once position is fixed
The LCD alternates between the two screens above at eight second intervals once a position has either
been averaged over the specified time period, or a saved location has been loaded.
Making adjustments using the built-in control panel
Once the system has booted, the Scroll, Menu/Enter and Back buttons located on the
control panel can be used to access the internal menu system. This menu system
provides an easy way to adjust the main settings used by the RT-Base S.
The layout of the menu system is shown in Figure 11.

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Figure 11. RT-Base S settings menu layout and navigation
The settings menu can be accessed at any time from the status pages by pressing the Menu/Enter button.
This image shows how the settings menu is laid out. Once an option has been chosen, a brief
confirmation message (not shown here) will be displayed.

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Configuring the RT-Base S using NAVbase
While it is possible to change most major settings using the built-in buttons and menu
system, in order to use all features of the RT-Base S, you will need to use our free
configuration software. Each RT-Base S is supplied with a CD containing a copy of our
latest NAVsuite software. NAVsuite contains a number of different applications that
are used to help you work with OxTS hardware. The one required to configure the
RT-Base S is called NAVbase.
To use NAVbase you will need access to a Windows PC with an Ethernet port. Before
using the RT-Base S for the first time, NAVsuite should be installed on your PC. To
install the software, insert the CD into the CD drive and follow the instructions of the
installer. If the installer fails to run automatically, navigate to the CD drive and double-
click NAVsetup.exe.
Once you have installed the NAVsuite software, NAVbase can be launched by pressing
the Windows key and typing navbase, or by navigating to it under the installed
applications. You will find it in the OxTS folder.
Figure 12. Allow NAVbase to access the network
The first time NAVbase is started, Windows Firewall may present a warning message. You must allow
NAVbase access to the Ethernet network, or it will not be able to communicate with the hardware. It is
best to allow communication via private and public networks to prevent future problems.