TOP106 Mounting

GPS/GNSS Development Boards
1

Hello,

The website photo shows the TOP106 attached to a mast.

How was this done?

(I know it has a 5/8" fastener at the bottom but does not explain the arrangement in the photo.

Thanks,

Jay Zebryk

17587-L1_L2_GNSS_antenna_TOP106-09.jpg
17587-L1_L2_GNSS_antenna_TOP106-09.jpg600×600 63.4 KB

2

The black pole is a 1/4" Monopod from A*azon, common with photography (read cheap to buy) as opposed to surveying poles (read very rugged, and expensive) that have the standard 5/8" surveyor gear thread. The silver bit is the adapter (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/17546) we had made so that we could use the easier to find/cheaper poles.

This should give you some additional info: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/sp … e-assembly

3

Great! Thanks!

Three other Q’s…

  1. Has the problem of it leaking badly as reported in the forum been fixed?

  2. Is this compatible with a U-Blox XPLR-M9 GNSS Explorer Kit?

— Which assummes an active GPS antenna.

  1. Is this much better than the U-Blox GPS-15192 which I already have.

— With the mounting plate.

4

  1. It’s rare (less than 1%) and decreasing. Our supplier has increased the amount of sealant.

  2. The TOP106 is compatible with the u-Blox XPLR-M9 but the M9 is single frequency (L1), the TOP106 is dual freq L1/L2, so while it will work just fine, you’d be just as good with a cheaper L1. But you should really just move to the ZED-F9x and an L1/L2 antenna, it’s soo much better.

  3. As said previously, TOP106 is dual freq, GPS-15192 is dual freq and well. I prefer the TOP106 as its got a larger ground plane which leads to slightly better reception, and a bigger mount (5/8"). The magnetic mount of the u-blox antenna is great for automotive mounts but not so great for a permanent roof mount.

5

Which ZED-F9x do you recommend?

Is that the same as the U-Blox EVK-F9P-00?

Are yours available in an enclosure or is that a simple matter?

(I am a bit confused with all your options.)

Does it require an RTK subscription or is it fundementally better being dual frequency?

6

The ZED-F9P is what I recommend: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/16481

I find the SMA connector to be the most handy.

You’ll see better off the shelf accuracy than a single freq receiver.

I regularly see 0.3m accuracy or better with the zed and nothing else. If you want the really high precision (14mm) then you’ll have to provide the zed with correction data. Corrections can come from a monthly service (about $50 a month and falling due to competition), or you can setup your own permanent base station but it will cost you a second ZED-F9P.

7

That is affordable.

Is an enclosure available?

Another subject more complicated…

Using the U-Blox XPLR-M9 GNSS Explorer Kit, we are having a problem with “Dither”.

Sometimes, when changing position about a meter, the calculated difference between Pos1 and Pos2 can be a negative number.

This really screws up the plot of a test radio’s signal strength vs distance.

(I conduct radio range surveys.)

Do you think the better GPS receiver will solve this?

8

If you need a fully enclosed solution, our RTK product line (https://www.sparkfun.com/categories/tags/rtk) may be helpful.

Do you think the better GPS receiver will solve this?

I’m sorry I can’t speak to whether it will.