I am contemplating setting up an RTK Express as a base, for someone else’s Facet to be a rover. I know I can figure out software and set up an NTRIP caster (and I reject using other people’s casters). I am 99% sure I can get RTCM out the USB port and just plumb it myself, with a computer attached.
What I can’t figure out from the firmware manual is what comes out the “TCP Client”/“TCP Server”. I would more or less expect it to be the same bits that would go over SPP, BLE, and perhaps USB port or Data port. But it says NMEA. (This is both a question and a suggestion to edit the manual to answer the question.)
Further questions:
is TCP client/server are possible in base mode?
in base mode, are RTCM3 messages sent to USB, in addition to radio and data ports?
TCP client/server is possible in base mode. The firmware typically allows the base station to broadcast RTCM3 messages over multiple interfaces, including TCP.
I would more or less expect it to be the same bits that would go over SPP, BLE, and perhaps USB port or Data port.
The TCP Client/Server output whatever is in the ring buffer. Said differently, if you enable the message (NMEA or RTCM or other) it will be broadcast by the TCP Client/Server.
is TCP client/server are possible in base mode?
Yes
in base mode, are RTCM3 messages sent to USB, in addition to radio and data ports?
They may be updated; it’s always a balance of how exhaustive instructions should be…you want all the pertinent info, but also don’t want to inundate/overwhelm brand new/unfamiliar users with a litany of ‘xyz’ out-the-gate…
Most folks don’t pre-read our docs; kudos to you for being pro-active!
Forum traffic tends to be repetitive regardless of how many times things are explained or documented. It does however help identify which wheels are squeaky and formulating “what you need to know” guides.
Many things can be possible, not everything is plumbed out, and demand for specific features hard to gauge. Forums are a great way to understand what people are doing with the technology.
In theory, I see your point, but this is a reference manual not a tutorial, and saying how things are more carefully and accurately doesn’t make it much longer. I just submitted Clarify docs: TCP server, radio UART by gdt · Pull Request #788 · sparkfun/SparkFun_RTK_Firmware · GitHub to clarify some. There’s a larger point that I’ll work on, which is that the message configuration applies to all of the communication methods at once. That’s fine, but part of F9P config culture is that you can set message rates per port. I completely understand why you don’t do it that way, and that’s not a complaint. But from the point of view of reading the docs and understanding what is going to happen, it can be confusing for someone used to u-center.