TopNET-V: Installation and configuration (Part 3 of 5) - Creating NTRIP and TCP/IP RTK services

Welcome to TopNET-V, a client program offered as an extension to Topcon’s unique and powerful Reference Station Software Suite. As a part of the TopNET+ package, the TopNET-V application is intended to control a network of reference stations and provide corrections to any rover, located within the coverage area of the network, and is used in conjunction with the TopNET-S server and TopNET-R client programs.

TopNET-V can be configured to support RTK, DGPS and Network RTK modes of operation in any combinations; the user simply decides which data stream is compatible with the mobile equipment in use and requests this through the appropriate communication link

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TopNET-V: Installation and configuration (Part 3 of 5) - Creating NTRIP and TCP/IP RTK services

Creating NTRIP and TCP/IP RTK services

The NTRIP and TCP/IP services setup in TopNET-V are what allow single base network RTK, network RTK, or DGPS corrections to be streamed from the reference stations to the connected rovers.

The following RTK correction formats are supported for single base network RTK and network RTK:

  • CMR/CMR+
  • RTCM 2.3
  • RTCM 3.0
  • RTCM 3 MSM Type 2-7 (default is 5)
  • For DGPS corrections, RTCM 2.3 format is supported.

Creating NTRIP and TCP/IP services

The NTRIP services populated in the Services list are what will populate the NTRIP Mountpoint source table in the application software used on the rovers.

The TCP/IP ports listed are direct TCP/IP connections to their corresponding RTK/DGPS services (without using NTRIP protocol with user authentication). 

  • To access TopNET-V services, navigate to Setup > Services.
  • To add new NTRIP and TCP/IP services, click Add.

To create a new single base network RTK service in TopNET-V, do the following:

  1. In the Service type and data format dialog box, click the RTK radio button.
  2. From the drop-down list, select the RTK correction format that will be used.
  3. Click Next.

Regardless of the correction format chosen, for this new service, it is recommended to click the Automatically assign Reference Station nearest to the rover radio button.

The user can also select for a given service to specify a specific reference station only to stream RTK corrections to the rover.

Once finished, click Next.

When selecting the correction format as RTCM 3 MSM, the Service details - MSM dialog box will appear.

Configure the following RTCM 3 MSM service details:

  1. Select the MSM Type to use for this service from the drop-down menu.
  2. Check/uncheck Satellites to use for this service.
  3. Click Next.

When selecting the correction format as RTCM 3.0, the Service details dialog box will appear:

Configure the following RTCM 3.0 service details:

  1. Check/uncheck the Satellites (GPS/GLONASS) and signals to use.
  2. Select to transmit the antenna type of the reference station in the RTCM 3.0 stream or use a Null antenna type (no antenna).
  3. Select which RTCM 3.0 Messages to transmit using the radio buttons.
  4. Click Next:

When selecting the correction format as RTCM 2.3, the Service details dialog box will appear.

Configure the following RTCM 2.3 service details:

  • Check/uncheck the Satellites (GPS/GLONASS) and signals to use.
  • Select to transmit the antenna type of the reference station in the RTCM 2.3 stream or use a Null antenna type (no antenna).
  • Check/uncheck additional RTCM 2.3 Messages to transmit from the reference station providing RTK corrections.
  • Click Next.

To create a new single base network RTK service in TopNET-V, select the correction format as CMR/CMR+.

The Service details dialog box will appear. Configure the following CMR/CMR+ service details:

  1. Check/uncheck the Satellites and signals to use for this service.
  2. Click Next.

After specifying the correction service details for any given correction format, regardless of the format, the TCP/IP Port and Mountpoint dialog box will appear.

If setting up the service as an NTRIP Mountpoint, configure the following:

  1. Check/uncheck the NTRIP Mountpoint checkbox.
  2. Enter the Name of the NTRIP Mountpoint. Typically, this will contain the RTK correction format being used to make it easier for the user to identify what they are connecting to.

If setting up the service as a direct TCP/IP connection (not using NTRIP protocol), configure the following:

  1. Check/uncheck the TCP/IP Port checkbox.
  2. Specify the TCP/IP Port to be used to stream RTK correction in the RTK correction format chosen.
  3. Please note that any services can be set up for NTRIP and direct TCP/IP concurrently.
  4. Click Finish.

The newly created service will now appear in the Services list.

Follow this same procedure to add any additional single base network RTK services.

To create a new network RTK service in TopNET-V, do the following:

  • In the Services dialog box, click Add.
  • Click the Network RTK radio button.
  • From the drop-down list, select the RTK correction format that will be used.
  • Click Next.

For this new service, regardless of RTK correction format chosen, configure the following:

  1. Specify the distance from the rover where the virtual base station will be located.
  2. Specify the distance from the virtual base station the rover must be before calculating a new virtual base station location.
  3. Specify the max distance from an actual reference station location where a virtual base station will be calculated.
  4. Click Next.

From a practical standpoint, the default network RTK settings for calculating virtual base stations are recommended. However, the reference station network design in a given area would dictate whether these settings should be modified from their defaults.

When selecting the correction format as RTCM 3.0, the Service details dialog box will appear.

Configure the following RTCM 3.0 service details:

  • Check/uncheck the Satellites (GPS/GLONASS) and signals to use.
  • Select to transmit the antenna type of the reference station in the RTCM 3.0 stream or use a Null antenna type (no antenna).
  • Select which RTCM 3.0 Messages to transmit using the radio buttons.
  • Click Next.

Note: The CMR/CMR+ package is set up identically to RTCM3. In the case of MSM, the option to choose the applicable satellite constellations will appear similar to the single baseline setup.

After specifying the correction service details for any given correction format, regardless of the format specified, the TCP/IP Port and Mountpoint dialog box will appear.

If setting up the service as an NTRIP Mountpoint, configure the following:

  • Check/uncheck the NTRIP Mountpoint checkbox.
  • Enter the Name of the NTRIP Mountpoint. Typically, this will contain the RTK correction format being used to make it easier for the user to identify what they are connecting to.

If setting up the service as a direct TCP/IP connection (not using NTRIP protocol), configure the following:

  • Check/uncheck the TCP/IP Port checkbox.
  • Specify the TCP/IP Port to be used to stream RTK correction in the RTK correction format chosen.
  • Please note that any services can be set up for NTRIP and direct TCP/IP concurrently.
  • Click Finish.

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