Summary of Contents for FarmerGPS FarmerGPS
- Page 3 GPS......................2 Main advantages of GPS guidance............2 What we consider essential for GPS guidance........3 Hardware installation................4 Software setup/configuration..............5 General....................5 Equipment.....................8 GPS....................15 Fields....................16 Register .....................17 Touch screen..................19 Display....................20 Advanced....................22 Program Start..................23 File menu....................27 GPS menu...................32 Resolution menu.................33 Options menu..................34 Mouse problems..................47 USB - RS232 converter cable.............47 Index....................52...
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- Page 8 For the setup you will need:...
- Page 12 Please enter the details of all your equipment here. Click "new" to enter a new piece of equipment and make sure you click "Save" when you are done! Equipment entered here will be available in the drop-down option on the main screen. All detailed values you are providing here will be used by a simple drop-down selection in the main screen later.
- Page 13 The "Operation" text is used in Field records and as a “template” name for files. A full explanation follows later, for now please provide meaningful operation names such as “Spraying” etc. We recommend you use a single word without special characters. The name you choose here will be referenced with the Excel spreadsheets discussed later in this manual.
- Page 14 “Offset” is the distance from your antenna to the actual implement. This offset describes the offset in-line with the equipment. For example the distance from the booms to the GPS receiver is 10'. The offset value would be set to 10'. A positive value will draw the equipment bar a few feet/meters (whatever entered) behind the receiver, a negative value allows for offset entries on equipment in the front of your antenna.
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- Page 20 "Area_1...
- Page 23 If your laptop has a touch screen or if you simply want to enable large clickable buttons for function keys on the main screen, use the following screen:...
- Page 36 Excel field report: This option is ONLY available if you have Microsoft Excel 2003 or 2007 installed! It will take the current data and fill in an Excel template. The template chosen is derived by the equipment “Operation” setting. So for a "Sprayer" whose operation setting is "Spraying", the Excel field report will look for an Excel template in the c:\gpslog\Records folder called "Spraying.xls".
- Page 37 replaced with the fieldname of the field file you have currently loaded. A sample excel file is part of your installation. Check the gpslog folder for xls files. See Appendix A for a list of #GPS-…# syntax. Create OpenOffice report: This export option is basically the same as the Excel field report feature.
- Page 47 Create Shape file POLYGON: This menu allows you to create a polygon shape file as you go around the field. This is typically done to get area counts and to create a boundary loaded at the beginning of an operation. The following will show up on the right side of your main screen: Make sure you select "Outside"...
- Page 48 When clicking "Create Point" the identification text is also stored to that point. Points are shown as "red crosses" on the screen (see above). "Save" will prompt you for a file name. Shape files may be imported at any time by using the "File/Import Shape file" option.
- Page 51 Prepare Program for next season After a completed season, we recommend the following practices. You may choose to do some of these activities after every completed seasonal operation such as “seeding”: 1. Make a backup of your data! Many methods and programs exist for data backups so this is just one example.
- Page 52 be used for creating shapes files and area counts, since the spraying operation often overlaps areas. Some Windows 2000/XP/2003 users have reported that if a GPS is plugged into a serial port while Windows is booting, the mouse will jump all over the screen after Windows starts.
- Page 53 The next time you boot the computer, the serial mouse on that COM port will be disabled. If you boot the machine without the GPS attached, it shouldn't list the disabled device. Problem: I can't transfer any data, or the program doesn't see the USB adapter.
- Page 55 Field report syntax When utilizing the ‘Export Field report’ options a simple #GPS-…# syntax is being used. The template must be stored in the “records” folder, typically c:\gpslog\records. The template chosen is derived by the equipment “Operation” setting. So for a "Sprayer" whose operation setting is "Spraying", the Excel field report will look for an Excel template in the c:\gpslog\Records folder called "Spraying.xls".
- Page 56 #GPS-NAreacounterW# Numeric area counter color W #GPS-NAreacounterE# Numeric area counter color E #GPS-NAreacounterR# Numeric area counter color R #GPS-NAreacounterV# Numeric area counter color V #GPS-Breaks# Find break times in your data #GPS-DistanceON# Shows distance travelled ON #GPS-DistanceALL# Shows distance travelled #GPS-Operators# Operators added by application data #GPS-OperatorsAndDate...
- Page 57 Integration to Trimble Light bars Example shown on AgGPS110, however others should be very similar. Since a menu is not available on these light bars, a program from Trimble called: Ag Remote must be installed on a PC/laptop and then be connected to the free serial port. At start up, the Ag Remote software shows: When connecting, you must enter the correct serial/COM –...
- Page 58 B to NMEA 8N1 for other 3 party software to work. This includes FarmerGPS. Use the “>” and “v” keys to select: This configuration will send NMEA data on port A with 8 data bits, No parity and one stop...
- Page 60 accuracy............1 Add data to the SAME file......27 Area Counter..........39 area displays..........21 Auto start............7 color ............45 drawing color..........45 equipment.............8 Equipment............5 equipment drop-down........8 equipment.txt..........11 ESRI Shapefiles.........29 Find USB............48 Google Earth..........31 ............2 Grid ............20 Light bars............3 Midtech............1 navigation..........25, 41 navigation bar..........25 NMEA ............1 Novatel ............1 Outback............1 records ............37...
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