My New RTK Express is not able to get a Fix

GPS/GNSS Development Boards
1

I bought the RTK Express kit that includes the antenna GPS-18380

Charged it up. Mounted the antenna and unit to a pole.

Set it outside for a couple of hours, still says 0 satellites in view.

Checked that the antenna cable connections are tight.

Tried to reset RTK Express to factory defaults.

Tried to cold boot the F9P via U-Center.

Tried updating RTK Express firmware (is now v3.7)

Tried updating F9P firmware (is now HPG 1.32)

Verified that the F9P is sending messages:

??:??:?? [18:04:53.310] $GQGSV,1,1,00,0*64
??:??:?? [18:04:53.310] $GNGLL,,,,,,V,N*7A
??:??:?? [18:04:53.560] $GNRMC,,V,,,,,,,,,,N,V*37
??:??:?? [18:04:53.560] $GNVTG,,,,,,,,,N*2E
??:??:?? [18:04:53.560] $GNGGA,,,,,,0,00,99.99,,,,,,*56
??:??:?? [18:04:53.560] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,1*33
??:??:?? [18:04:53.560] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,2*30
??:??:?? [18:04:53.561] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,3*31
??:??:?? [18:04:53.561] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,4*36
??:??:?? [18:04:53.561] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,5*37
??:??:?? [18:04:53.561] $GPGSV,1,1,00,0*65
??:??:?? [18:04:53.561] $GLGSV,1,1,00,0*79
??:??:?? [18:04:53.561] $GAGSV,1,1,00,0*74
??:??:?? [18:04:53.561] $GBGSV,1,1,00,0*77
??:??:?? [18:04:53.561] $GQGSV,1,1,00,0*64
??:??:?? [18:04:53.561] $GNGLL,,,,,,V,N*7A
??:??:?? [18:04:53.808] $GNRMC,,V,,,,,,,,,,N,V*37
??:??:?? [18:04:53.808] $GNVTG,,,,,,,,,N*2E
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GNGGA,,,,,,0,00,99.99,,,,,,*56
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,1*33
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,2*30
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,3*31
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,4*36
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,5*37
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GPGSV,1,1,00,0*65
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GLGSV,1,1,00,0*79
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GAGSV,1,1,00,0*74
??:??:?? [18:04:53.809] $GBGSV,1,1,00,0*77
??:??:?? [18:04:53.810] $GQGSV,1,1,00,0*64
??:??:?? [18:04:53.810] $GNGLL,,,,,,V,N*7A
??:??:?? [18:04:54.061] $GNRMC,,V,,,,,,,,,,N,V*37
??:??:?? [18:04:54.061] $GNVTG,,,,,,,,,N*2E
??:??:?? [18:04:54.061] $GNGGA,,,,,,0,00,99.99,,,,,,*56
??:??:?? [18:04:54.061] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,1*33
??:??:?? [18:04:54.061] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,2*30
??:??:?? [18:04:54.061] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,3*31
??:??:?? [18:04:54.062] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,4*36
??:??:?? [18:04:54.062] $GNGSA,A,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,99.99,99.99,99.99,5*37
??:??:?? [18:04:54.062] $GPGSV,1,1,00,0*65
??:??:?? [18:04:54.062] $GLGSV,1,1,00,0*79
??:??:?? [18:04:54.062] $GAGSV,1,1,00,0*74
??:??:?? [18:04:54.062] $GBGSV,1,1,00,0*77
??:??:?? [18:04:54.062] $GQGSV,1,1,00,0*64

What else to try? Return it to Amazon?

PXL_20230825_214519049.jpg
PXL_20230825_214519049.jpg3072×4080 1.63 MB

Here’s the output after resetting the device via serial port:

SparkFun RTK Express v3.7
** Bluetooth broadcasting as: Express Rover-2E26 **
Menu: Main
1) Configure GNSS Receiver
2) Configure GNSS Messages
3) Configure Base
4) Configure Ports
5) Configure Logging
6) Configure WiFi
p) Configure User Profiles
r) Configure Radios
s) Configure System
f) Firmware upgrade
x) Exit
s

Menu: System
GNSS: Online - ZED-F9P firmware: HPG 1.32
Module unique chip ID: 3E40B207DA
SIV: 0, HPA (m): 429496.719, Lat: 0.00000000, Lon: 0.00000000, Altitude (m): 0.0
Display: Online
Fuel Gauge: Online - Batt (73%) / Voltage: 3.97V
microSD: Online
Bluetooth (2E26): Online
WiFi MAC Address: D4:D4:DA:65:2E:24
System Uptime: 0 00:05:38.391 (Resets: 0)
f) Display microSD Files
e) Echo User Input: On
d) Configure Debug
z) Set time zone offset: 00:00:00
b) Set Bluetooth Mode: Classic
r) Reset all settings to default
B) Switch to Base mode
R) Switch to Rover mode
W) Switch to WiFi Config mode
S) Shut down
x) Exit
d

Menu: Debug
Filtered by parser: 0 NMEA / 0 RTCM / 0 UBX
1) u-blox I2C Debugging Output: Disabled
2) Heap Reporting: Disabled
3) Task Highwater Reporting: Disabled
4) Set SPI/SD Interface Frequency: 16 MHz
5) Set SPP RX Buffer Size: 1024
6) Set SPP TX Buffer Size: 32
8) Display Reset Counter: 0 - Disabled
9) GNSS Serial Timeout: 1
10) Periodically print WiFi IP Address: Enabled
11) Periodically print state: Disabled
12) Periodically print WiFi state: Disabled
13) Periodically print NTRIP client state: Disabled
14) Periodically print NTRIP server state: Disabled
15) Periodically print position: Disabled
16) Periodically print CPU idle time: Disabled
17) Mirror ZED-F9x's UART1 settings to USB
18) Print battery status messages: Enabled
19) Print Rover accuracy messages: Enabled
20) Print messages with bad checksums or CRCs: Disabled
21) Print log file messages: Disabled
22) Print log file status: Enabled
23) Print ring buffer offsets: Disabled
24) Print GNSS --> NTRIP caster messages: Disabled
25) Print NTRIP caster --> GNSS messages: Disabled
26) Print states: Enabled
27) Print duplicate states: Disabled
28) RTCM message checking: Disabled
29) Run Logging Test: Disabled
30) Run Bluetooth Test
31) Print TCP status: Disabled
32) ESP-Now Broadcast Override: Enabled
33) Print buffer overruns: Disabled
34) Set UART Receive Buffer Size: 2048
35) Set GNSS Handler Buffer Size: 4096
36) Print SD and UART buffer sizes: Disabled
37) Print RTC resyncs: Disabled
38) Print NTP Request diagnostics: Disabled
39) Print Ethernet diagnostics: Disabled
40) Set L-Band RTK Fix Timeout (seconds): 180
41) Set BT Read Task Priority: 1
42) Set GNSS Read Task Priority: 1
43) Set GNSS Data Handler Task Priority: 1
44) Set BT Read Task Core: 1
45) Set GNSS Read Task Core: 1
46) Set GNSS Data Handler Core: 1
47) Set Serial GNSS RX Full Threshold: 50
48) Set Core used for GNSS UART Interrupts: 1
49) Set Core used for Bluetooth Interrupts: 1
50) Set Core used for I2C Interrupts: 1
t) Enter Test Screen
e) Erase LittleFS
r) Force system reset
x) Exit
r
ets Jul 29 2019 12:21:46

rst:0xc (SW_CPU_RESET),boot:0x13 (SPI_FAST_FLASH_BOOT)
configsip: 0, SPIWP:0xee
clk_drv:0x00,q_drv:0x00,d_drv:0x00,cs0_drv:0x00,hd_drv:0x00,wp_drv:0x00
mode:DIO, clock div:1
load:0x3fff0030,len:1240
load:0x40078000,len:13012
load:0x40080400,len:3648
entry 0x400805f8
Display started
LittleFS Started
ZED-F9P firmware: HPG 1.32
SparkFun RTK Express v3.7
microSD: Online
Profile 'Profile1' loaded
Fuel gauge configuration complete
Batt (73%): Voltage: 3.97V Discharging: -4.58%/hr Green
GNSS configuration complete
No GNSS date/time available for system RTC.
*WIFI_OFF
Bluetooth broadcasting as: Express Rover-2E26
*NTRIP_CLIENT_OFF
State: Rover - No Fix
Batt (73%): Voltage: 3.97V Discharging: -4.58%/hr Green
No GNSS date/time available for system RTC.
No GNSS date/time available for system RTC.
2

You’ve really done it all! Sorry for the hassle.

You should get a few satellites in view within 30 seconds. No need to wait hours.

The unit is not getting a connection to an antenna. That’s either a bad antenna, bad cable, or bad unit. Without parts to swap out (different antenna, different cable, etc) it’s hard for me to help pin down what the culprit may be.

We’re happy to have you the return the unit to us or Amazon. We can get it turned around in a day or two.

3

Thanks for the quick response, I returned it to Amazon and ordered a replacement.