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ALTUS APS-U User Manual

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APS-U
User Manual
Revision 2.1
1 |
P a g e

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Summary of Contents for ALTUS APS-U

  • Page 1 APS-U User Manual Revision 2.1 P a g e...
  • Page 2 Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. ALTUS is not responsible for printing or clerical errors. All specifications are typical and subject to change without prior notice.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    How to set the APS-U in RTK rover mode using the UHF radio ............. 20 How to set the APS-U in RTK rover mode using the cell modem and NTRIP ......... 22 How to configure the receiver as RTK base ................... 25 How to use TERRASTAR services ......................
  • Page 4 Port Descriptions ............................ 43 List of Typical GNSS Related Acronyms ....................46 P a g e...

  • Page 5: Introduction

    1.2 Warranty ALTUS provides a 2-year warranty for the APS-U receiver, free from defects in materials and workmanship, from date of sale on the invoice of the original buyer. A 90-day warranty is provided for the cables and other accessories. Firmware upgrades are free for life.

  • Page 6: Ce Notice

    1.2 CE NOTICE Receivers of the APS-U family carry the CE mark and are as such compliant with the 2004/108/EC -EMC Directive and amendments, 2006/95/EC - Low Voltage Directive, both amended by the CE marking directive 93/68/EC. With regards to EMC, these devices are declared as class B, suitable for residential or business environment.

  • Page 7: Safety Information

    Statement 0001/WARNING: The power supply provided by Altus (if any) should not be replaced by another. If you are using the receiver with your own power supply, it must have a double isolated construction and must match the specifications of the provided power supply.

  • Page 8: Aps-U Overview

    2 APS-U Overview The APS-U provides multi-frequency RTK GNSS capability together with GNSS Heading, L-Band positioning from TERRASTAR, and wireless communications within a rugged MIL-STD-81 0 housing for the broadest range of applications. For maximum flexibility, the design is scalable from a single antenna GNSS receiver to full options with Heading, wireless links and L- Band capability.

  • Page 9: Aps-U Variants

    All models include a 2GB internal memory and Ethernet connectivity. Bluetooth can be enabled with a firmware update. Note: Due to a design limitation, the event markers are not functional on the current APS-U hardware when used together with the PPS-Out signal.

  • Page 10: Aps-U Design

    2.3 APS-U Design 2.3.1 Front Panel Figure 1: Front Panel 10 | P a g e...
  • Page 11 2.3.2 Rear Panel There are 6 ports on the APS-U. The rear of the APS-U has two TNC connectors for GNSS antennas; one for the main antenna and one for the auxiliary antenna for heading applications Figure 2: Rear Panel...
  • Page 12 2.3.3 Mounting Brackets Figure 3: Mounting Brackets 12 | P a g e...
  • Page 13 Configuration via USB and Ethernet Software Programs and Manuals 2.3.5 Front Panel LEDs The APS-U has LEDs to indicate status of the GNSS receiver, as well as incoming differential corrections via external device. Figure 5: LEDs 13 | P a g e...

  • Page 14: Internal Memory

    2.4 Internal Memory The APS-U has 2GB Memory for internal data logging. When using with APS-U for internal data logging, data is logged in SBF or NMEA format, and may be retrieved after the logging session is complete. Files can be accessed via the logging tab using the APS-U web interface.

  • Page 15: Web Interface

    APS-U web interface for ease of use. By default, the APS-U has a DHCP address http://aps-u-snxxxxx, where xxxxx are the five digits of the APS-U serial number, (to be found on the top right of the rear panel of the APS-U enclosure)

  • Page 16: Receiver Administration

    4 Receiver Administration 4.1 Change IP Settings The default DHCP address can be changed into the desired static address selecting the tab “Ethernet”. To apply the changes press “OK” 16 | P a g e...

  • Page 17: Configuration Management

    The current receiver configuration can be saved and archived for future reuse or loaded on a different receiver. Once the configuration is saved, it can be recalled. Any change to the default settings will be implemented in the current configuration of the APS-U and are not automatically copied in the boot configuration of the unit.

  • Page 18: Upgrading The Firmware Or Uploading A New Permission File

    4.3 Upgrading the firmware or uploading a new permission file The APS-U firmware can be upgraded via the “Upgrade” screen in the “Admin” menu. You can upgrade the unit by selecting a .SUF-file with a more of the firmware version.

  • Page 19: User Administration

    4.5 User Administration The User Administration screen in the Admin menu offers the possibility to configure access levels for different users. Users can be configured as “viewer” (view status and settings, but not change them) or “user” (full access). 19 | P a g e...

  • Page 20: Basic Configurations

    5 Basic Configurations 5.1 How to set the APS-U in RTK rover mode using the UHF radio Step 1: Enable RTK Rover PVT mode If when starting from the default configuration, RTK rover is enabled by default. Step 2: Activate UHF radio.
  • Page 21 Step 3: Changing the basic settings to receive RTK corrections via UHF -Mode of the UHF radio: The user can turn the UHF modem on and off in the UHF tab and can change the radio mode as receiver or transmitter. To receive corrections, the UHF modem has to be set to Receiver.

  • Page 22: How To Set The Aps-U In Rtk Rover Mode Using The Cell Modem And Ntrip

    Step 2: Activate Cellular modem. Ensure a valid SIM card is inserted into the APS-U. The SIM card slot is located behind the UHF door. In the status window, the cellular modem can be activated in the cellular/Ntrip widget. If the unit was preconfigured before, the cellular modem will now be activated and connect to the internet.
  • Page 23 Step 4: Changing the cellular settings to connect to the internet  If necessary for the SIM card, a Pin code has to be entered in the cellular pin; If no Pin code is required, leave this section blank.  The cellular configuration has to be set based on the requirements of the cellular provider.
  • Page 24 Step 6: Review proper operation Once successfully connected to the Ntrip service, the status bar will light up green and the type of received corrections will be displayed. The PVT Mode in the right upper corner of the web interface should be changed to RTK Fixed. 24 | P a g e...

  • Page 25: How To Configure The Receiver As Rtk Base

    5.3 How to configure the receiver as RTK base Step 1: Setting the receiver in static mode When starting from the default configuration, go to the GNSS position tab and select static as the PVT mode. Step 2: Setting the Static Position of the receiver The Static Position is set to auto by default.
  • Page 26 Step 3: Setting the Geodetic1-5 and Cartesian1-5 Under the advanced settings of the GNSS position tab, the 5 geodetic static positions and 5 cartesian static positions can be set. Step 4: Save settings Click the Save button to store the settings. Step 5: Outputting RTK corrections The output of RTK corrections can be configured using the wizard available in the Correction Output in the In/Out tab.
  • Page 27 Once the GNSS receiver is set to static, to output RTCMv3 differential corrections via UHF, select the UHF tab. In the UHF Modem Mode, set the power to on and the mode to transmitter. In the UHF Transmitter Configuration, select the desired channel and transmitting power.
  • Page 28 If needed, customize the set of messages to be output The system will prepare the stream and prompt you to press OK to apply the changes. 28 | P a g e...
  • Page 29 Upon pressing “OK” the APS-u will start outputting the desired correction stream on the selected connection. Step 6: Save and store settings Press Ok to save the settings and click the Save button to store the settings. 29 | P a g e...

  • Page 30: How To Use Terrastar Services

    In the TERRASTAR tab, information of the TERRASTAR subscription is displayed in the LBAS1 L-band decoder Information. The product activation code (PAC) can also be found in this component. If the Access says enabled, then the APS-U will be able to receive TERRASTAR corrections.
  • Page 31 Step 3: Beam Selection Mode and Service When starting from the default configuration, the auto mode is selected. The demodulator will try to lock to a visible beam. In manual mode the demodulator will attempt to lock to the beam identified in the drop-down menu ‘Manual beam selection’.
  • Page 32 Step 6: Review proper operation The graphic view will report onto which Lband satellite the APS-U is locked, the “Lband tracker status” will give additional information about the tracking, displaying among other information the frequency, baud rate and carrier to noise. In order to be able to successfully use TERRASTAR services, the CN0 of the L-band has to be at least 34 dB-Hz.

  • Page 33: How To Set Up Dual-Antenna Operations For Heading Output

    5.5 How to set up dual-antenna operations for heading output? Step 1: Setting the receiver in dual antenna mode for heading output If Heading option was purchased, the receiver will automatically be set up for heading operation when starting from the default configuration.

  • Page 34: How To Configure Data Output

    5.6 How to configure data output Data output can be configured in the In/Out tab of the web interface. The data output can be configured on COM ports or via Ethernet. Step 1a: configure the COM ports The COM port settings can be changed in the In/Out > Serial Port Settings window. By default all COM ports are set to a baud rate of 115200 buad, using 8 data-bits, no parity, 1 stop-bit and no flow control.
  • Page 35 Step 3: Select output data type In the next window, the output message type can be chosen; SBF or NMEA output can be selected. Step 4: Select communication port The port, on which the data should be output, can be selected in the next screen. 35 | P a g e...
  • Page 36 Step 5: Select the messages that should be output Both for NMEA and SBF output, the messages to be output can be selected in the next step. 36 | P a g e...
  • Page 37 Step 6: Set the output interval The interval that should be used to send out the messages can be selected in the next screen. Step 7: Change the NMEA precision In the Advanced settings, the NMEA precision can be customized. In this window, the number of extra digits in the latitude, longitude and altitude reported in NMEA sentences can be defined.

  • Page 38: How To Check Tracked Satellites

    5.7 How to check tracked satellites Step 1: Checking the tracked satellites When starting from the default configuration, go to the GNSS satellites tab. In the GNSS satellites tab, it is possible to check several satellite parameters for every constellation, signal and antenna. 38 | P a g e...

  • Page 39: How To Enable Pps-Output

    5.8 How to Enable PPS-Output Step 1: Setting the PPS Parameters When starting from the default configuration, go to the GNSS other tab. In the GNSS other tab, it is possible to set the PPS parameters. The Interval specifies the time interval between the pulses. A special value “off” is defined to disable the PPS signal. The default value is 1 sec.

  • Page 40: How To Log Data For Support And Retrieve Debugging Information

    5.9 How to log data for Support and retrieve debugging information When contacting Altus for assistance to resolve problems, the user is often asked to log some SBF data. This data can be used by the Altus support to analyze the behavior of the receiver and determine the cause of the problem.
  • Page 41 Step 5: Retrieve debugging information To help identify problems, it is important to know exactly which firmware version is used and any error messages that are generated as well as the current receiver configuration. All this information is contained in the Diagnostic Report which can be generated from the Admin tab from the About menu as shown in the screenshot below.
  • Page 42 Step 6: Contact Support From the About page in the Admin tab, it is also possible to contact Altus support and access the support page on the Altus website, where you can find the FAQs., 42 | P a g e...

  • Page 43: Appendix

    6.1.2 PPS & Event In This port uses cable assembly p/n 2001952 which has a 7-Pin Lemo plug to the APS-U rear panel that into a BNC connector for 1 Pulse Per Second (PPS) out, and wire connectors for Event A & B markers.
  • Page 44 The port uses cable assembly p/n 201956, which has a 16-pin Lemo plug that splits into a USB (Type A) port communicates directly to the internal processor, and an Ethernet RJ45. The Ethernet port can be connected for communication to a PC or Ethernet router. This is internally connected to an Ethernet hub to communicate with the APS-U. Pin #...
  • Page 45 6.1.6 DC Power Input The external power input is via the 4-pin LEMO connector. Cables 201863 (open end) or 214451 (with AC power adapter) can be used. The specifications are: • External Power: 9 VDC to 30 VDC • Current: 0.89 A @ 12 VDC Nominal Wire Color Function...
  • Page 46 6.2 List of Typical GNSS Related Acronyms APME A Posteriori Multipath Estimation Antenna Reference Point ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange Compact Measurement Record Central Processing Unit Carriage Return Clear to Send DGPS Differential Global Positioning System Dilution of Precision EGNOS European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System ESTB...

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