Setting up a base station using AutoBase technology

The receiver features AutoBase™ technology, which enables you to reduce daily setup time for mobile base stations and to reduce the risk of using incorrect base station coordinates during setup.

With the receiver, always start a base station setup by using the Siteworks or Trimble Access software to initialize the receiver on a new point unless you are using the Enable – HERE ALWAYS AutoBase mode.

Even if you have used the AutoBase feature in other Trimble receivers, Trimble recommends that you read this information carefully as new functions in this feature may greatly benefit you.

The AutoBase feature influences how you set up the receiver as a base station. Before the receiver can transmit RTK corrections (that is, operate as an RTK base station), the current position of the receiver must correspond to a previous base station position. The base station position—latitude, longitude, and height—must be part of the GNSS site calibration.

To perform the first base station setup at a new location, always use the Siteworks or Trimble Access software to initialize the receiver on a new point. You generally do this only once, the first time that you occupy the point, but see the Caution below. When the base station setup is complete, the receiver generates and stores an application file that contains the parameters for that location.

To perform a subsequent base station setup at the same location, simply press on the receiver. The receiver turns on, determines its location, finds the appropriate application file, initializes the settings, and starts to broadcast RTK CMR+ corrections through the internal radio or through the external radio (whichever radio was used the previous time).

When you perform a subsequent base station setup at the same location, the receiver assumes that there is no change to either the antenna height or the antenna height measurement method used previously. It is therefore essential that you keep the antenna height constant between setups. If there is any risk that the antenna height might have changed, you must use the Siteworks or Trimble Access software to start (and so reset) the receiver.

If the receiver uses an external radio, the AutoBase feature uses the Bluetooth wireless connection to the radio. If a Bluetooth connection is not used, the AutoBase feature searches the receiver communications ports for the external radio. When the receiver finds the external radio, the receiver transmits RTK CMR+ corrections to the radio.

Best practice

After each new base station setup, and at the start of every measurement session, Trimble recommends that you measure one known point to verify that the position and height errors are within tolerance. The measurement takes only a few seconds, but can eliminate the gross errors typically associated with daily base station setup.