2011-3-31
For those of you that have heard about the IA DOT's RTN, this is what one of their base stations looks like. This is the Newhall site, located near Highway 30.
There is an antenna located outside on the mast, which is also grounded. The signal goes through a coax cable to a GNSS receiver that is in the building. The receiver calculates satellite observations, and that data is sent over the DOT's private network to their main office in Ames, IA. For those of us that want to use this data, we access the servers in Ames and request data for some location in the state. The server then responds with the data from the base closest to your location, or with network merged data from several bases around you.
There are two key points to a good base station location. First, the antenna needs a clear view of the sky in all directions - nothing more than 5 degrees above the horizon in any direction. Second, a rigid structure to mount to. Masonry is ideal because it doesn't sway in the breeze. If the base station antenna is moving due to wind, that same movement will show up in the position data at your rovers.
2011-3-21
2011-3-1
Farm Show in Cedar Falls, IA
