Using UTS for Guidance

Configure the machine to connect to a Universal Total Station (UTS) instrument for machine guidance.

To enable UTS guidance, select a UTS option as the positioning source in the Machine Setup screen.

The UTS Settings screen

The UTS Settings screen enables you to set the radio network ID and channel that both the system and UTS instrument communicate over. Ensure that the Channel and Network ID settings chosen on the machine match those set on the UTS instrument.

NOTE – Ensure that the UTS instrument has been set up in Machine Control mode using Trimble SCS900 or Siteworks and that the small screen on the front of the UTS instrument displays "Waiting for connection".

NOTE – Ensure that each machine using UTS guidance in the same area of a site has a unique Target ID for its MT9xx Machine Target.

TIP –

Look at the small screen on the front of the UTS instrument to check which Channel and Network ID it is using.
In the UTS Settings screen, toggle Auto Search off if you prefer to move the machine back to the last tracked position where the MT9xx Machine Target was lost and manually start a search.

If you have an Operator Plus account you can configure the UTS tolerance thresholds via the Advanced button on the UTS Settings screen.

The UTS Management screen

The UTS Management screen enables you to select and use UTS instruments that are on the same radio channel and network as the machine and within radio range of the machine.

The system supports connection to a maximum of five UTS instruments.

TIP –

For best accuracy, select an instrument to use for guidance that is less than 200 m from the machine
Set a custom name for your Trimble SPSx30 Total Station using Trimble SCS900 or Siteworks software.

NOTE – Use Trimble SCS900 or Siteworks software to connect to and set up UTS instruments in Machine Control mode before connecting to them from the machine. The accuracy of guidance on the machine depends on an accurate UTS instrument setup.

NOTE – The system will clear the bench and transition offsets if you stop the UTS instrument currently being used for guidance and start it again in a different position, or if you start using a different UTS instrument. A confirmation message Bench and Transition Offsets will be Cleared is displayed before you can use the UTS instrument for guidance.

NOTE – Tap within the UTS Name or Status column area to start or use the UTS instrument for guidance. Tapping on a UTS instrument row in any other areas will not be recognized. This prevents unintentional activation when your fingers are close to the screen in those columns.

Understanding UTS statuses

Item	Function
Configuring	Appears after you have tapped a UTS instrument to start it and while a radio connection is being established with it.
Searching	Appears when the UTS instrument is searching for the target.
Tracking	Appears when a UTS instrument is tracking the target.
Used for Guidance	Appears instead of the status of Tracking for the UTS instrument that you have tapped to use for guidance. The UTS instrument providing guidance is listed at the top and is highlighted orange.
Target Lost	Appears when the UTS instrument is not tracking the machine target and a search has failed to find the machine target, or when auto search is disabled and the UTS instrument is not tracking the machine target and you have not started a search.
UTS out of level	Appears when a UTS instrument reports that it is out of level. To correct this, stop the connection to that UTS instrument using the overflow menu, re-level it and redo the UTS Instrument setup using Trimble SCS900 or Siteworks before starting it again from the machine.
Configuration failed	Appears after you tap to start a UTS instrument but the radio connection to it from the machine fails to be successfully established. To correct this, stop the connection to that UTS instrument using the overflow menuand redo the UTS Instrument setup using Trimble SCS900 or Siteworks before starting it again from the machine.
Out of Range	Appears if your UTS instrument is positioned at a distance greater than the Maximum Distance limit set for UTS tolerances. For more information, see Understanding UTS tolerances.

Understanding Horizontal and Vertical Differences

UTS guidance accuracy decreases as the distance increases from the UTS instrument used for guidance. Some jobs require using more than one UTS instrument to ensure accurate guidance over the length of a pass. In this case, you must transition between UTS instruments as the machine moves along the pass.

When multiple UTS instruments are used for a pass, the horizontal and vertical difference values displayed in the UTS Management screen are the differences between the target position reported by the UTS instrument used for guidance and the positions reported by any other UTS instruments tracking that target. The horizontal and vertical difference values provide an indication of the quality of the UTS instrument setup along a pass.

The first UTS instrument to track a target is assumed to have zero error. At each transition between UTS instruments, the horizontal and vertical differences between the previous UTS instrument and the new UTS instrument are compensated for by the system. These compensations accumulate with each transition into a value referred to as the transition offsets.

NOTE – If an action is performed that resets the transition offsets to zero during a pass, then there may be significant changes to the elevation of the formed surface and to horizontal guidance.

Understanding UTS information

Several icons appear in the UTS Management and work screens.

Icon	Description
	Displays when the distance to the UTS instrument has exceeded the warning threshold. For more information, see Understanding UTS tolerances.
	Displays when the distance to the UTS instrument is outside of the distance or position tolerances. For more information, see Understanding UTS tolerances.
	Tap to display the overflow menu for an instrument in the list. Use the overflow options as follows: Tap to establish the radio connection to a UTS instrument and move it to the Connected Instruments list. NOTE – Once a UTS instrument is started by a machine it is not available for other machines or surveyors to connect to. Tap to use a connected UTS instrument for guidance. NOTE – Not available when the UTS instrument is out of range or is outside of the distance or position tolerances.For more information, see Understanding UTS tolerances. Tap to stop using the UTS instrument. This makes it available for other machines or surveyors on site to use. Tap to activate a search for the UTS instrument to find the MT9xx target if it has lost tracking. Tap to cancel a search in progress. Tap to view diagnostic information for the UTS instrument and the machine target.
	Displays when the UTS instrument is connected to an external power source.

Understanding UTS diagnostics

The Diagnostics pop-up information box displays status information for the UTS instrument and the MT9xx machine target. Use this information to troubleshoot errors during operation.

The information box displays the name of the UTS instrument and its current status.

UTS

The fields in this area display status information for the UTS instrument.

Field	Explanation
Northing Easting Elevation	The setup location of the UTS instrument.
Compensator	The instrument’s compensator status. For best results, ensure that this is enabled.
Instrument height	The setup height of the UTS instrument above a known control point.
Scale factor	The scale factor set on the UTS instrument.
PPM	The offset that corrects the error in the UTS instrument’s Electronic Distance Meter (EDM) caused by temperature and pressure.
Point Name	The name of the point at which the UTS instrument was set up.

Machine Target

The fields in this area display the status of the machine target.

Field	Explanation
Northing Easting Elevation	The location of the center of the machine target as measured by the UTS instrument, but adjusted for mast lean.
Search window	The position of the machine target relative to the search window specified during UTS instrument set up.
Slope distance Horizontal angle Vertical angle	The observed location of the machine target relative to the UTS instrument.

Field

Explanation

Northing

Easting

Elevation

The location of the center of the machine target as measured by the UTS instrument, but adjusted for mast lean.

Search window

The position of the machine target relative to the search window specified during UTS instrument set up.

Slope distance

Horizontal angle

Vertical angle

The observed location of the machine target relative to the UTS instrument.

Understanding UTS tolerances

If you are using more than one UTS instrument and are transitioning between them, you can configure the acceptable thresholds for the distance and position differences between the UTS instruments in the Web Interface. Use the thresholds to disable transitions between UTS instruments outside tolerances.

In the work screen, the following information is displayed for UTS instruments:

The text ribbon can be configured to display a text item that shows which MT9xx machine target on the machine is currently being tracked and its distance from the UTS instrument.
The plan view displays the location of UTS instruments available on site. An orange icon indicates the UTS instrument in use.

Bench UTS

Benching matches the cutting edge elevation to a known elevation on site. It does not match the Northing or Easting horizontal position.

TIP – You can access the Bench UTS screen from the work settings menu or by tapping the Bench button in the UTS Management screen.

To bench:

Open the Bench UTS screen.
Position the cutting edge over the benchmark. You may move the machine, side shift, or rotate the blade to achieve this.
Level the blade using the Current Reading of the slope displayed on the Bench UTS screen.
Using a tape measure, measure up from the benchmark to the cutting edge tip.
In the Blade Tip field, select which tip you want to bench: Left or Right.
Add the elevation of the benchmark and the value measured in step 4. Write this value down and then enter that value into the Elevation - (A) field.
Tap Bench.
Before moving the machine go back into the Bench UTS screen and check that the Last Bench Elevation displayed matches the elevation written down in step 6.

Common UTS problems

Problem	Action
UTS instrument not displayed in UTS Management screen	Check that the radio channel and network on the machine are set correctly to match those of the UTS instrument.
UTS instrument tracks the Machine Target on another machine	In the UTS Settings screen, change the target ID on the machine. NOTE – Ensure that each machine using UTS guidance in the same area of a site has a unique Target ID for its MT9xx Machine Target.
Surveyor checking grade behind the machine finds that it does not match	Ensure the following: Machine has been benched. For more information, see Bench UTS. The same design is being used on the machine and by the surveyor. The same vertical offset is being used by the machine and the surveyor. The surveyor has set up their instrument position accurately and agrees with the elevation on the benchmark used by the machine. For more information, see Bench UTS. The surveyor has the correct pole height set. TIP – Ask the surveyor to bench and adjust their pole height to agree with the same benchmark that the machine has been benched on.

Problem

Action

UTS instrument not displayed in UTS Management screen

Check that the radio channel and network on the machine are set correctly to match those of the UTS instrument.

UTS instrument tracks the Machine Target on another machine

In the UTS Settings screen, change the target ID on the machine.

NOTE – Ensure that each machine using UTS guidance in the same area of a site has a unique Target ID for its MT9xx Machine Target.

Surveyor checking grade behind the machine finds that it does not match

Ensure the following:

Machine has been benched. For more information, see Bench UTS.
The same design is being used on the machine and by the surveyor.
The same vertical offset is being used by the machine and the surveyor.
The surveyor has set up their instrument position accurately and agrees with the elevation on the benchmark used by the machine. For more information, see Bench UTS.
The surveyor has the correct pole height set.

TIP – Ask the surveyor to bench and adjust their pole height to agree with the same benchmark that the machine has been benched on.

Troubleshooting UTS guidance

The table below lists some of the error messages that may appear in the work screen and common error states during operation.

Operational State	Problem	Solution
Move Machine	Not enough information to calculate the machine heading.	Drive the machine in any direction until the message no longer displays.
UTS Out of Level	The tilt compensator on the UTS instrument is out of range.	Stop the UTS instrument. Repeat the position setup for the instrument using Trimble SCS900 or Siteworks, making sure that the tripod is secure and the instrument is level. Start the UTS instrument from the UTS Management screen.
Target Lost. Searching...	The UTS instrument used for guidance has lost line of sight to the machine target and Auto Search is enabled.	If required, tap Cancel to cancel the search. Move the machine or remove any obstruction to the line of sight. Start a search for the UTS instrument from the UTS Management screen. Optionally, hold and point the UTS instrument at the target to regain the lock.
UTS - Low Battery xx% of battery remaining	This message displays briefly on screen, first when the UTS battery level is at 15%, and then when the UTS battery level reaches 5%.	You can choose to carry on working or select another instrument from the UTS Management screen. Guidance is still provided. Check the remaining battery level of the UTS instrument in the UTS Management screen.