RTK Reference Station does not connect to wifi or send data to caster

GPS/GNSS Development Boards
1

As requested, this is a new post regarding connectivity issues with the SparkFun reference station I recently purchased. Under the prior firmware, I could connect to the wifi, but it was intermittent. When it could connect, it would not send data to the caster (either rtk2go or emlid). I upgraded the firmware to 3.10 and now it does not connect to the wifi. Essentially, I’m working through the two following issues:

  1. Connecting to the internet via wifi

2.Sending data to the caster

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

2

Hi @csigis,

Apologies for the inconvenience.

I’m just going to quickly step through the WiFi configuration on the Reference Station - just to jog my memory and see if it provides any clues:

I have a Reference Station with 3.10 firmware freshly installed.

I have WiFi and GNSS antennas attached.

I have no microSD card installed.

I have not connected Ethernet.

I have the CONFIG ESP32 USB-C port connected to my computer.

The Ref Stn starts up in Base mode and performs a Survey-In. The checkered flag blinks for 60 seconds, then stops blinking and Xmitting (transmitting) appears on the display.

At the moment, the Ref Stn does not know any WiFi details (SSID and password) and does not know any NTRIP Caster details.

I open Tera Term - Serial emulator / console - at 115200 baud.

I see diagnostic messages appearing. It restarts its survey-in because opening Tera Term causes the ESP32 to reset.

I wait for the survey-in to complete (60 seconds).

Xmitting appears on the display again.

I hit a key in Tera Term to open the configuration menu.

I select 6 for the WiFi menu.

I enter my WiFi SSID and Password using 1 and 2.

I enter x twice to exit the menu.

I hit enter again to re-open the menu.

I enter 3 to open the Base menu.

I enter 7 to enable NTRIP Server.

I enter my RTK2go credentials using 10 and 11.

I exit the menu.

This all looks OK. I see:

Time elapsed: 58 Accuracy: 0.518 SIV: 31

Time elapsed: 58 Accuracy: 0.518 SIV: 31

Time elapsed: 59 Accuracy: 0.518 SIV: 31

Time elapsed: 59 Accuracy: 0.518 SIV: 31

Observation Time: 60

Base survey complete! RTCM now broadcasting.

STATE_BASE_TEMP_SURVEY_STARTED → STATE_BASE_TEMP_TRANSMITTING, 2023-12-13 18:14:19.353

NTRIP Server start

Network failover: Ethernet–>WiFi

Network delaying 7 seconds before connection

Connecting WiFi…

WiFi IP address: 192.168.0.66, RSSI: -51

NTRIP Server connected to rtk2go.com:2101 SunderlandMoorside

On the OLED display, I see the WiFi symbol and “Xmitting” has changed to “Casting”.

The Ethernet symbol is flashing, but that is expected as I do not have Ethernet connected.

I check RTK2go and I see:

Messages

Msg Format RTCM 3.2

Messages 1005(1), 1074(1), 1084(1), 1094(1), 1124(1), 1230(10)

Count 784 total msgs ~4.9 (msg/sec)

Signals GPS: Yes GLO: Yes QZSS: No GAL: Yes BeiD: Yes WAAS: No

SV Counts GPS:10 GLO:7 QZSS:0 GAL:7 BeiD:8 WASS:3

Common GNSS Osc. Yes

Current Caster Table Entry

STR;SunderlandMoorside;;RTCM

Recent Uptime Stats

Item Value

Last Restart 02:39 M:S Up(1/1) (02:39 MIN:SEC 99.2% overall)

PFAT time 0.0 mSec (30 sec ave.)

Data In 93.18 KB (raw reads)

Data Used 90.24 KB (post PFAT)

Data Out 0 Bytes (to clients)

First Seen Wed December 13 2023 18:14:46 (Coordinated Universal Time)

NOTE Still in startup phase, this stream may not be stable yet.

So, this all looks OK to me…

Can I suggest you follow the above recipe, just to check if you can get WiFi running?

If you are then still having problems, there are really only three things that could be wrong: a faulty WiFi antenna; a faulty internal u.FL antenna cable; or a faulty solder joint on one of the antenna connectors…

If you are willing to try debugging the hardware, let me know and I will help as much as I can.

If you want to return the Reference Station, please open a ticket at: https://www.sparkfun.com/returns

Apologies again for the inconvenience,

Paul

3

Thank yo for your assistance! I’m comfortable trying to debug the hardware and follow the recipe. I’ll follow up as soon as I’ve had a chance to work through the process. Thanks again.

4

By removing the SD Card I was able to connect to the router. I still seem to be having difficulty connecting tot he caster service. Here’s the serial output:

Observation Time: 59

Base survey complete! RTCM now broadcasting.

STATE_BASE_TEMP_SURVEY_STARTED → STATE_BASE_TEMP_TRANSMITTING, 2023-12-14 17:11:45.117

NTRIP Server start

Network failover: Ethernet–>WiFi

Network delaying 7 seconds before connection

Connecting WiFi…

WiFi IP address: 192.168.1.243, RSSI: -60

Network failover: WiFi–>Ethernet

Network delaying 7 seconds before connection

Network failover: Ethernet–>WiFi

Network delaying 15 seconds before connection

Connecting WiFi…

WiFi IP address: 192.168.1.243, RSSI: -60

Network failover: WiFi–>Ethernet

Network delaying 7 seconds before connection

Network failover: Ethernet–>WiFi

Network delaying 15 seconds before connection

It continues to respond like this indefinitely. At one point, after exiting the configuration menu, it did indicate “No friendly WiFi networks detected.” Settings are all correct for access. Any further assistance would be much appreciated.

5

Hi @csigis,

I haven’t seen this issue before. It sounds like a WiFi signal strength issue, but I’m really not sure.

I think it is probably best if you return the Ref Stn to us. We can investigate, correct the issue, and get it back to you quickly. Please fill in a request here: https://www.sparkfun.com/returns

However, if you do want to try debugging it yourself, please try the following. You can still return it afterwards if needed.

Disconnect the unit. Remove the green I/O screw terminal block - it is a snug fit but will come out with a little persuasion.

Remove the four screws on the front panel. Partially remove the front panel, observe the Qwiic cable going to the OLED display, then slide the PCB out.

Examine the soldering on the ESP32 WiFi / BT SMA connector. Does it all look OK? Check the soldering on the central pin in particular.

Examine the thin u.FL cable linking the SMA connector to the ESP32 module. Does it look OK? Is it correctly mated at both ends?

If you have the skill, confidence and tools:

Observe ESD precautions.

Use a u.FL removal tool to disconnect the thin u.FL cable. Check it for continuity, shorts and pinching.

Touch up the solder joint on the SMA connector central pin.

That’s about all I can suggest…

Apologies for the inconvenience,

Paul