NavCom SF-2040 User Manual Rev.F

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NavCom Technology, Inc.

20780 Madrona Avenue
Torrance, California 90503 USA

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

[e-mail]
www.navcomtech.com

P/N: 9

31000

3001

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

Table of Contents

List of Figures..........................................................iv

List of Tables ............................................................v

Notices ...........................................................vi

Copyright....................................................................vi

Trademarks ................................................................ vi

FCC Notice................................................................ vii

User Notice................................................................ vii

Limited Warranty .......................................................viii

StarFire™ Licensing...................................................ix

USG FAR.................................................................... ix

Global Positioning System .........................................ix

Revision History.......................................................xi

Use of this Document.............................................xii

Related Documents....................................................... xii

StarUtil User Guide.................................................... xii

Technical Reference Manual.....................................xiii

RINEXUtil User Guide...............................................xiii

Integrators Toolkit......................................................xiii

NavCom Release Notes............................................xiii

Related Standards........................................................ xiv

ICD-GPS-200 ........................................................... xiv

RTCM-SC-104.......................................................... xiv

CMR, CMR+.............................................................xiv

NMEA-0183.............................................................. xiv

Publicly-Operated SBAS Signals ............................. xiv

Chapter 1 Introduction .....................................17

System Overview...........................................................17

GPS Sensor System .................................................17

Accuracy....................................................................18

Features ....................................................................18

Output Data Rate.......................................................18

NCT Binary Proprietary Data.....................................19

NMEA-0183 Data ......................................................19

Antenna..........................................................................21

Controller .......................................................................21

Applications...............................................................23

Unique Features............................................................23

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

Chapter 2 Interfacing........................................ 27

Electrical Power.........................................................27

Communication Ports................................................29

Indicator Panel...............................................................32

Chapter 3 Installation....................................... 37

Battery Charging............................................................37

Battery Charger LEDs...............................................37

Battery Charging .......................................................38

Battery Installation.....................................................39

Battery Removal........................................................39

Battery Testing ..........................................................39

GPS Sensor...................................................................40

Block Diagram...........................................................43

Communication Port Connectivity.............................44

Chapter 4 Configuration .................................. 47

Factory Default Settings ................................................48

Message Descriptions...............................................50

3rd Party Controller Configuration Settings................51

Chapter 5 Safety Instructions.......................... 53

Transport...................................................................53

Maintenance..............................................................53

External Power Source..............................................53

Battery Packs ............................................................54

Safety First ................................................................58

A GPS Module Specifications.............................61

Features ....................................................................61

Time-To-First-Fix.......................................................62

Dynamics...................................................................62

Measurement Performance.......................................63

User programmable output rates ..............................64

Data Latency .............................................................64

Connector Assignments............................................64

Input/Output Data Messages.....................................65

LED Display Functions (Default)...............................65

Satellite Based Augmentation System Signals.........66

Physical and Environmental......................................66

Battery Packs ............................................................67

Battery Charger Kit....................................................67

B Antenna Specifications.................................... 69

Radiation Pattern.......................................................70

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

C StarFire™ .......................................................... 71

Description.................................................................71

Infrastructure .............................................................72

Reliability...................................................................73

How to Access the StarFire™ Service ..........................74

Glossary ..........................................................77

iii

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

List of Figures

Figure 1: SF-2040 Supplied Equipment .................. 22

Figure 2: Optional DC Power Cable........................28

Figure 3: SF-2040 Viewed From Bottom................. 30

Figure 4: NavCom Serial Cable...............................31

Figure 5: SF-2040 Indicator Panel...........................32

Figure 6: Battery Locking Clips................................39

Figure 7: SF-2040 Dimensions................................41

Figure 8: SF-2040 Block Diagram...........................44

Figure 9: Communication Port Connections............45

Figure 10: StarUtil NMEA Message List.................. 48

Figure 11: StarUtil Rover Navigation Setup............. 49

Figure 12: NAVSF2040G Radiation Pattern............70

Figure 13: StarFire™ Network.................................76

Figure 14: DTE to DCE RS-232 Pin Assignments... 80

iv

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

List of Tables

Table 1: Supplied Equipment...................................22

Table 2: External Power Cable Pin-Out...................27

Table 3: Optional DC Cable Pin Assignments.........28

Table 4: Serial Cable Pin-Outs ................................30

Table 5: Battery Status Indication............................33

Table 6: Link LED Indication (Default).....................34

Table 7: Base Station Indication..............................34

Table 8: GPS Light Indication..................................35

Table 9: Battery Charger LEDs................................37

Table 10: Factory Setup Proprietary Msgs COM 2..50

Table 11: SF-2040 Integrated Antenna....................69

v

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

Notices

SF-2040 GPS Products User Guide
P/N 96-310003-3001
Revision F
March 2008

Serial Number:

Date Delivered:

Purchased From:

Copyright

© 2008 by NavCom Technology, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this work or the

computer program(s) described herein may be
reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means,
without the expressed written consent of the copyright
holders. Translation in any language is prohibited
without the expressed written consent of the copyright
holders.

Trademarks

‘find your way’, ‘NavCom Globe’ and ‘NAVCOM
TECHNOLOGY’ logos are trademarks of NavCom
Technology, Inc. StarFire™ is a registered trademark
of Deere & Company. All other product and brand
names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective holders.

vi

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

FCC Notice

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful
interference, and

2. This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.

The GPS sensor has been tested in accordance with
FCC regulations for electromagnetic interference.
This does not guarantee non-interference with other
equipment. Additionally, the GPS sensor may be
adversely affected by nearby sources of
electromagnetic radiation.

The Global Positioning System is under the control of
the United States Air Force. Operation of the GPS
satellites may be changed at any time and without
warning.

User Notice

NavCom Technology, Inc. shall not be responsible for
any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions in information
contained herein, including, but not limited to,
information obtained from third party sources, such as
publications of other companies, the press, or
competitive data organizations.

This publication is made available on an “as is” basis
and NavCom Technology, Inc. specifically disclaims
all associated warranties, whether express or implied.
In no event will NavCom Technology, Inc. be liable for
direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential
damages in connection with the use of or reliance on
the material contained in this publication, even if
advised of the possibility of such damages. NavCom
Technology, Inc. reserves the right to make

vii

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

improvements or changes to this publication and the
products and services herein described at any time,
without notice or obligation.

Limited Warranty

NavCom Technology, Inc., warrants that its products
will be free from defects in workmanship at the time of
delivery. Under this limited warranty, parts found to
be defective or defects in workmanship will be
repaired or replaced at the discretion of NavCom
Technology, Inc., at no cost to the Buyer, provided
that the Buyer returns the defective product to
NavCom Technology, Inc. in the original supplied
packaging and pays all transportation charges,
duties, and taxes associated with the return of the
product. Parts replaced during the warranty period
do not extend the period of the basic limited warranty.

This provision does not extend to any NavCom
Technology, Inc. products, which have been
subjected to misuse, accident or improper installation,
maintenance or application, nor does it extend to
products repaired or altered outside the NavCom
Technology, Inc. production facility unless authorized
in writing by NavCom Technology, Inc.

This provision is expressly accepted by the buyer in
lieu of any or all other agreements, statements or
representations, expressed or implied, in fact or in
law, including the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose
and of all duties or liabilities of NavCom Technology,
Inc. To the buyer arising out of the use of the goods,
and no agreement or understanding varying or
extending the same will be binding upon NavCom
Technology, Inc. unless in writing, signed by a duly­authorized officer of NavCom Technology, Inc.

This limited warranty period is one (1) year from date
of purchase.

viii

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

StarFire™ Licensing

The StarFire™ signal requires a subscription that
must be purchased in order to access the service.
Licenses are non-transferable, and are subject to the
terms of the StarFire™ Signal License agreement.
For further details on the StarFire™ Signal Network,
its capabilities, terms and conditions visit

www.navcomtech.com
[e-mail]

or send an email inquiry to

USG FAR

Technical Data Declaration (Jan 1997)
The Contractor, NavCom Technology, Inc., hereby

declares that, to the best of its knowledge and belief,
the technical data delivered herewith under
Government contract (and subcontracts, if
appropriate) are complete, accurate, and comply with
the requirements of the contract concerning such
technical data

Global Positioning System

Selective availability (S/A code) was disabled on 02
May 2000 at 04:05 UTC. The United States
government has stated that present GPS users use
the available signals at their own risk. The US
Government may at any time end or change
operation of these satellites without warning.

The U.S. Department of Commerce Limits
Requirements state that all exportable GPS products
contain performance limitations so that they cannot
be used to threaten the security of the United States.

Access to satellite measurements and navigation
results will be limited from display and recordable
output when predetermined values of velocity and
altitude are exceeded. These threshold values are far

ix

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

in excess of the normal and expected operational
parameters of the SF-2040 GPS Sensor.

x

Revision History

Rev F (Mar 2008)

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

Format change
Added Revision History
In supplied equipment table,

added P/N for battery charger
kit, updated P/N’s for
batteries and travel case

Revised supplied equipment

photo to show coiled instead
of straight serial cable

Replaced old art work of

SF-2040 dimensions with

new art work
Added SF-2040 block diagram
Added specs for battery packs

and battery charger kit
Added specs for antenna
Updated text and graphics

pertaining to StarFire™ -- new

satellite longitudes and uplink

sites

xi

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

Use of this Document

This User Guide is intended to be used by someone
familiar with the concepts of GPS and satellite
surveying equipment.

 Note indicates additional information

to make better use of the product.

This symbol means Reader Be

Careful. Indicates a caution, care,
and/or safety situation. The user might
do something that could result in
equipment damage or loss of data.

This symbol means Danger. You are in

a situation that could cause bodily
injury. Before you work on any
equipment, be aware of the hazards
involved with electrical and RF circuitry
and be familiar with standard practices
for preventing accidents.

Revisions to this User Guide can be obtained in a
digital format from

http://www.navcomtech.com/Support/

Related Documents

StarUtil User Guide P/N 96-310008-3001

Describes the operation and use of NavCom’s
Windows based control program (included on CD)

xii

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

Technical Reference Manual P/N 96-3120001-3001

Describes the control and output data message
formats utilized by this instrument (for customer
programming purposes; included on CD)

RINEXUtil User Guide P/N 96-310021-2101

Describes the conversion program used on NavCom
proprietary output data message formats to RINEX
ver 2.10 observation and navigation files (for
customer programming purposes; included on CD)

Integrators Toolkit P/N 97-310020-3001

Provides additional instruction and tools for
developing control programs for this instrument (not
included in the packaging material; contact

support.navcomtech.com

for a copy).

NavCom Release Notes

Describes software updates for NavCom products.
Current and archived Release Notes are available on
the NavCom web site:

http://www.navcomtech.com/Support/DownloadCenter.cfm
?category=releasenotes.

NavCom Customer Support provides software
updates described in the Release Notes. Submit a
request for software updates via the Request Support
web page.

xiii

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

Related Standards

ICD-GPS-200

NAVSTAR GPS Space Segment / Navigation User
Interfaces Standard. ARINC Research Corporation;
2250 E. Imperial Highway; El Segundo, California
90245

RTCM-SC-104

Recommended Standards For Differential GNSS
Service. Radio Technical Commission For Maritime
Services; 1800 N. Kent St, Suite 1060; Arlington,
Virginia 22209

CMR, CMR+

Compact Measurement Record; Trimble Navigation
Limited; 935 Stewart Drive; Sunnyvale, CA 94085

NMEA-0183

National Marine Electronics Association Standard For
Interfacing Marine Electronic Devices. NMEA
National Office; 7 Riggs Avenue; Severna Park,
Maryland 21146

Publicly-Operated SBAS Signals

RTCA/DO-229D

The Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics
(RTCA) develops consensus-based
recommendations regarding communications,
navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management
(CNS/ATM) system issues.

RTCA. 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 805, Washington,
DC 20036.

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

These organizations implement the RTCA/DO-229D
standard set by RTCA:

WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System)

U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation
Administration. 800 Independence Ave, SW,
Washington, DC 20591

EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service)

European Space Agency. 8, 10 rue Mario-Nikis, F­75738 Paris Cedex 15, France.

MSAS (MTSAT Satellite-based Augmentation System)

Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. Ministry of Transport.
Kasumigaseki 2-1-3, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100, Japan.

GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation)

Indian Space Research Organization. Antariksh
Bhavan, New Bel Road, Bangalore - 560 094, India.

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

1

Chapter 1 ..............................Introduction

System Overview

GPS Sensor System

The SF-2040 GPS sensor
delivers unmatched accuracy
to the precise positioning community. This unique
receiver is designed to use NavCom’s StarFire™
network, which is a worldwide Satellite Based
Augmentation System (SBAS) for decimeter level
position accuracy (post-convergence period). The
receiver is also capable of RTK

2

, RTCM (code and
phase), and CMR/CMR+ DGPS operating methods.
The operating software is also capable of supporting
an external radio modem.

The SF-2040 integrated sensor consists of:

1

9 All-in-one housing incorporates compact GPS

antenna

9 24-channel, dual-frequency, precision GPS

receiver

9 2 separate SBAS channels, RTCA/DO-229D

compliant (WAAS/EGNOS/MSAS/GAGAN)

1

9 StarFire™ L-Band receiver
Refer to Table 1, later in this chapter, for the

complete list of supplied equipment.

Subscription Required; 2Separate Software Option Required

1-17

SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

1

Accuracy

When WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS, or GAGAN
(RTCA/DO-229D compliant) SBAS correction signals
are used, the system provides <50cm position
accuracy.

 System accuracy with WAAS, EGNOS,

MSAS, or GAGAN signals is subject to the
quality and update rate of these publicly­operated signals. Refer to Related

Standards\Publicly-Operated SBAS
Signals for contact information regarding

the organizations that implement the
RTCA/DO-229D standard.

The system provides <10cm position accuracy (post­convergence

2

period) when StarFire™ correction

signals are used.
The system provides instant <0.5cm position

accuracy when Ultra-RTK1 correction signals are
used (base-line, <40km, 0.5cm +1ppm). Ultra-RTK
requires GPS software version 4.2 or higher.

The system provides instant <1cm position accuracy
when RTK

1

correction signals are used (base-line,

<10km, 1cm +1ppm).

Features
Output Data Rate

The SF-2040 can output proprietary raw data at
programmable rates from <1Hz to predetermined
rates up to 50Hz
(PVT) data at programmable rates from <1Hz to
predetermined rates up to 25Hz
RS-232 serial ports with less than 20ms latency.
<

10cm horizontal and <15cm vertical StarFire™

1

and Position, Velocity, and Time

1

through two 115kbps

Separate Software Option Required; 2See Glossary or Web-site

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

accuracy are maintained as each output is
independently calculated based on an actual GPS
position measurement, as opposed to an
extrapolation/interpolation between 1Hz
measurements.

NCT Binary Proprietary Data

The sensor can output proprietary raw data
containing information including (but not limited to):

9 Satellite Ephemeris (0x81)
9 Satellite Almanac (0x44)
9 Raw Pseudorange Measurements (0xB0)
9 Position, Height, & Time (0xB1)
9 Velocity & Heading (0xB1)
9 Signal to Noise (0x86)
9 Channel Status (0x86)
9 Correction Data (mirror data; 0xEC)
9 Measurement Quality (0xB1 and 0xB5)

These data can be integrated in real-time positioning
applications or post-processed against any number of
software applications designed to handle NCT or
RINEX raw data. A Technical Reference Manual is
available on NavCom’s web site, which describes the
attributes of each of the input/output records (see
Related Documents in the fore-matter).

NMEA-0183 Data

The SF-2040 is capable of outputting several
standard NMEA-0183 data strings (see Related
Standards in the fore-matter) and one proprietary
data sting. Each data is headed with GP. The

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

proprietary data sting is denoted with a $PNCT
header.

Standard:

9 ALM – GPS Almanac Data
9 GGA – GPS Fix Data
9 GLL – Geographic Position – Lat / Lon
9 GSA – GNSS DOP & Active Satellites
9 GST – GNSS Pseudorange Error Statistics
9 GSV – GNSS Satellites In View
9 RMC – Recommended Minimum Specific GNSS

Data

9 VTG – Course Over Ground & Ground Speed
9 ZDA – Time & Date

Proprietary (header $PNCT):

9 SET – Solid Earth Tide

Described in the Technical Reference Manual (see
Related Documents in the fore-matter)

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

Antenna

The SF-2040 all-in-one housing incorporates our
compact GPS antenna with excellent tracking
performance and a stable phase center for GPS L1
and L2. The integrated antenna tracks all GPS,
WAAS/EGNOS/MSAS/GAGAN and StarFire™
signals. This antenna is listed in the NGS NOAA GPS
Antenna Calibration tables, as NAVSF2040G. The
robust housing assembly features a standard 5/8”
BSW thread for mounting directly to a surveyor’s
pole, tripod, or mast and is certified to 70,000 feet
(see Specifications for restrictions).

 Although rated to 70K feet, this antenna is not

designed for aircraft installations. Contact

[e-mail]

Controller

for aircraft solutions.

The SF-2040 GPS sensor is designed for use with an
external controller solution connected via one of two
serial COM ports.

This may be accomplished using a PC, Tablet PC or
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and a software
program which implements the rich control language
defined for NavCom GPS products. Refer to the
user’s guide of your controller solution for further
information. NavCom lists several application
software solutions on our website:

http://www.navcomtech.com/Support/ApplicationSoftware.cfm

In addition, NavCom provides a Windows™ based
software utility, called StarUtil, with the receiver.

The StarUtil User Guide, P/N 96-310008-3001, is
available on-line at

http://www.navcomtech.com/Support/DownloadCenter.cfm?categ
ory=manuals.

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

Included Items

Figure 1: SF-2040 Supplied Equipment

Table 1: Supplied Equipment

SF-2040G GPS Pole Mount Sensor

1

(P/N 92-310055-3001)
LEMO 7-Pin to DB9S Data Cable, Coiled 6 ft

2

(P/N 94-310090-3003)
Battery Charger Kit

(P/N 92-310092-3001)
Kit Includes:

3

4-Bay Battery Charger w/ Cable (P/N 92-310046-3001)

4

Charger Power Supply (P/N 82-02003-5001)

Two Lithium-Ion Battery Packs, 10.8 VDC, 4.4 Ah

5

(P/N 59-020102-3001 each)
CD-Rom containing User Guides, brochures, software

6

utilities, and technical papers
(P/N 96-310006-3001)

SF-2040 User’s Guide {Not Shown}

7

(P/N 96-310003-3001 Hard Copy)
Ruggedized Travel Case {Not Shown}

8

(P/N 79-100100-0001)

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

1

Applications

The SF-2040 GPS sensor meets the needs of a large
number of applications including, but not limited to:

9 Land Survey
9 GIS Field Data Collection

NavCom lists several application software solutions
on our website:

http://www.navcomtech.com/Support/ApplicationSoft
ware.cfm

Unique Features

The SF-2040 GPS sensor has many unique features:

 StarFire™

1

The ability to receive NavCom’s unique
correction service is fully integrated within each unit
(no additional equipment required). A single set of
corrections can be used globally enabling a user to
achieve decimeter level positioning accuracy without
the need to deploy a separate base station, thus
saving time and capital expenditure.

StarFire™

StarFire™ position outputs are referenced to the
ITRF2000 datum.

 Positioning Flexibility

The SF-2040 is capable of using WAAS, EGNOS,
MSAS, GAGAN (RTCA/DO-229D compliant) code
corrections via two internal Satellite Based
Augmentation System (SBAS) channels. The
SF-2040 automatically configures to use the most
suitable correction source available and changes as
the survey dictates (this feature can be overridden).

Subscription Required

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

1

 RTK Extend™

1

RTK Extend™ enables continuous real-RTK/RTK
level positioning accuracy during radio
communication outages by utilizing NavCom’s global
StarFire™ corrections.

Traditionally, when an RTK rover loses
communication with the base station, it is unable to
continue to provide centimeter position updates for
more than a few seconds, resulting in user down-time
and reduced productivity. With RTK Extend™, a
NavCom StarFire™ receiver operating in RTK mode,
can transition to RTK Extend™ mode and maintain
centimeter level positioning during communication
loss for up to 15 minutes. RTK Extend™ allows more
efficient and uninterrupted work, enabling focused
concentration on the work rather than the tools.

 Data Sampling

GPS L1 and L2 raw measurement data is output up
to 5Hz on either data port in the standard
configuration. An optional upgrade allows 10, 25, and
50Hz raw measurement data via one of the two serial
ports.

The PVT (Position, Velocity, & Time) data is output at
up to 5 Hz in the standard configuration. An optional
upgrade allows 10 and 25Hz position updates for
highly dynamic applications.

 GPS Performance

The SF-2040 utilizes NavCom’s NCT-2100 GPS
engine, which incorporates several patented
innovations. The engine’s industry leading receiver
sensitivity provides more than 50% signal to noise
ratio advantage over competing technologies. This
results in improved real time positioning, proven
through independent tests, when facing various

Separate Software Option Required

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

multipath environments.

 Rugged Design

Units have been tested to conform to MIL-STD-810F
for low pressure, solar radiation, rain, humidity, salt­fog, sand, and dust.

The rugged design of the SF-2040 system
components provides protection against the harsh
environments common to areas such as construction
sites.

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SF-2040 User Guide – Rev. F

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