RTK Postcard related

GPS/GNSS
1

Hello guys,
I’m planning to purchase the following items based on your YouTube demonstration using the RTK Postcard module:

  • SparkFun RTK Postcard (ESP32 + Quectel LG290P)
  • SparkFun Portability Shield
  • Iridium/GPS/GLONASS Passive Antenna

The goal is to build a portable, high-precision RTK GPS setup.

Before placing the order, I’d like to confirm a few things:

Would these three items alone be sufficient to reproduce the setup shown in your video, or is there anything else I should consider adding?

  1. Is it possible to extract raw RTK GPS data (latitude, longitude, altitude) to a laptop using USB, WiFi, or Bluetooth via Arduino code?
  2. Can the RTK Everywhere firmware be modified or uploaded using the Arduino IDE?
  3. For RTK correction via NTRIP (e.g., from a national geodetic service), can the mountpoint, caster IP, and port be directly entered on the device?
  4. Does the device support a built-in NTRIP client, or is an external application like SW Maps required?
  5. Lastly, is there a SparkFun-provided tool (desktop or mobile) for configuring RTK settings, such as NTRIP details or firmware updates?

Thanks in advance for your support!

2

Hi @Daniel77 ,

The Postcard hookup guide and the RTK Everywhere Manual should contain the answers to your questions. Please have a read through and let us know if you have more questions.

Regarding the antenna, that Passive Iridium/GPS/GLONASS antenna is not a good choice. I’d only recommend that if you are using Iridium. There are better recommendations in the hookup guide.

I hope this helps,
Paul

3

Hi Paul,

Thank you for pointing me to the hookup guide and RTK Everywhere manual – I’ve read through both documents. I’m now ready to proceed with my purchase, but I have a couple of questions:

  1. In the YouTube video it looks like you can carry the Postcard module and receive latitude, longitude, and altitude data over Bluetooth directly on your cellphone. Is that correct?
  2. Once the data is on the phone (for example, in the SW Maps app), is it possible to export or download it as an Excel file?

Thanks again for your help!

4

P.S. if my cellphone is paired to the Postcard via Bluetooth, can I run an NTRIP client on the phone (e.g. RTK Droid) to pull RTCM corrections and stream them over that same Bluetooth link to the LG290P module at the same time?

5

Hi @Daniel77 ,

The Postcard can send NMEA and other GNSS data to your cellphone over Bluetooth.

SWMaps does have a “Share / Export” option, but you would need to check if the available formats meet your needs.

SWMaps has its own built-in NTRIP Client. I do not know if it is possible to run a separate Client over the same Bluetooth link at the same time.

Best wishes,
Paul