D-RTK 2 beginner

Hi!

I’m not very familiar with RTK and I’m trying to understand, how the system works.

I would like to get more accuracy for modelling than just drone gps, but it should also be quick and easy, so GCPs are not the option for me.

  1. Why is there an option to put coordinates manually to the D-RTK 2 mobile station? What does that give more?

  2. If I want to use the D-RTK 2 mobile station with Mavic 3E and the rtk module, is it enough that I set up the station and connect it to the remote? Can I then get rtk fixed situation to the photos when mapping? Or do I also need a phone, extra application, NTRIP e.g.?

  3. What do you think, how handy is it to work with rtk base station e.g. D-RTK 2?

I appreciate all comments and advice.

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RTK is when you have a ground station or are connected via NTRIP to a CORS network. That station is the basis of the survey and everything is angle and distance from that point. Both ends are also tracking the paths of the satellites and the base is giving the rover/drone a corrected position (coordinate) to write to the images.

  1. They allow you to input a manual coordinate because you may not have internet and a way to capture a point but you have something with a known coordinate on it.
  2. Basically you are networking the drone and the base through the RC so yes you can do it with data services or a direct connection to the base.
  3. If you’re not married to the D-RTK 2 I would suggest buying the drone without it and then get an Emlid RS2+. It can do everything the D-RTK 2 can but is more robust and not proprietary to DJI. It will be more repeatedly accurate as a rover and collect your checkpoints.
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Thanks for the reply it was really helpful. I have read about the RS2+ and you are absolutely right about that. However, I have understood that RS2+ needs NTRIP or another Reach as a base station for it to work and I mobile application.

What I’m looking for is a solution with good enough accuracy (don’t need perfect, but better than just GPS) in relation to ease of use, use of time and practicality.

You don’t need data to run a local NTRIP. This means that the RC is connected to a device that allows networking or you WiFi directly into the Reach receiver itself. No data service is needed. We use Verizon Inseego routers to serve all our devices related to the drone program. When there’s no data the RC and base are still networked via the router. With RTK GNSS it’s either cm-level relative accuracy or not. When you don’t have data you can lose your global accuracy if you don’t have a known point but you can also overcome that by PPK’ing the base position and shifting the data after the fact if global accuracy mattered.

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