Real Time Kinematic (RTK)
Real Time Kinematic (RTK) satellite navigation is a technique used in land surveying and in automatic guidance (agriculture) based on the use of carrier phase measurements of the GPS signals where a single reference station provides the real-time corrections to a rover vehicle (tractor, combine etc.) to a level of accuracy down to a centimeter.
How RTK System works
The RTK System consist of a local base station near the field or farm that transmits corrections to the StarFire 6000 receiver on the RTK System equipped vehicle. The base station monitors the constellation of GPS satellites and continuously calculates a position. As the base station is not moving, errors can by calculated in real-time. These fluctuations are then sent to the vehicle via the RTK System radio. The vehicle’s receiver uses this information to calculate a highly accurate, corrected position.
The RTK signal has a radius of 20km
Accuracy is at +-2.5cm and you can’t get more accurate than that! Farmers use it to plant between the previous year’s stubble. The RTK signal’s accuracy remains the same year after year while other signals tend to shift, which results in a reduction of tract traffic.