Exploring Base Stations for ViDoc Rover and RTK Drones

PIX4Dcatch
1

Hi everyone :wave:

I have some questions that I need your help with.
It’s regarding base stations. We work with ViDoc rover and want to add an RTK drone to our hardware set in order to be able to get 3D models of private houses in the areas where there are no NTRIP services. So a proper base station is required.
I was recommended RoboDot RTK GPS station.

I’d like to ask about base stations in general.
Please share your experience with the usage of this kind of equipment.
What to pay attention to? Are there any downsides? Can you name any good alternatives to the recommended option?

Also, there are a couple of product-specified questions.

  1. Firstly, can this station be used with both the rover and an RTK drone, such as DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise or Phantom 4 RTK?
  2. If the station works fine with both drones and the rover, could you recommend an antenna that doesn’t come with the base station kit and can be purchased optionally? There are two options as I understand: 1. 900 MHz radio, 2. external antenna. Please correct me, if I’m wrong.

Any input is highly appreciated.

Have a wonderful week ahead.

Kind regards,
Alek Alergant

2

Dear Alek Alergant,

viDoc RTK supports any kind of NTRIP corrections over TCP/IP protocol. This means, that a 4G or WiFi communication is needed between the base and the rover. No Radio Frequency (RF) based communication is supported.
Once you have established the connection, you can set up the NTRIP.
Please note, the corrections are sent in a given Coordinate Reference System (CRS). Both endpoints (rover and base) has to use the same CRS, so please take special care of that.
What is NTRIP
Connect PIX4Dcatch to the viDoc RTK rover
Coordinate reference systems and 2D projections

Regards.

3

Thank you for your answer, Bence. It helps a lot