Spectra Precision ProFlex 800 User Manual

ProFlex™ 800

Getting Started Guide

Backpack
Conguration

Copyright Notice

Copyright 2012-2013 Trimble Navigation Limited.
All rights reserved.

P/N631671-01 rev B, February 2013

Trademarks

All product and brand names mentioned in this pub­lication are trademarks of their respective holders.

Limited Warranty Terms and Conditions

Product Limited Warranty. Subject to the terms and

conditions set forth herein, Trimble Navigation Lim­ited (“Trimble”) warrants that for a period of (1) year
from date of purchase this Spectra Precision product
(the “Product”) will substantially conform to our
publicly available specifications for the Product and
that the hardware and any storage media compo­nents of the Product will be substantially free from
defects in materials and workmanship.

Product Software. Product software, whether built
into hardware circuitry as firmware, provided as a
standalone computer software product, embedded in
flash memory, or stored on magnetic or other media,
is licensed solely for use with or as an integral part of
the Product and is not sold. The terms of the end
user license agreement, as included below, govern
the use of the Product Software, including any differ­ing limited warranty terms, exclusions and limita­tions, which shall control over the terms and
conditions set forth in the limited Product warranty.

Warranty Remedies. If the Product fails during the
warranty period for reasons covered by this limited
warranty and you notify us of such failure during the
warranty period, we will repair OR replace the non­conforming Product with new, equivalent to new, or
reconditioned parts or Product, OR refund the Prod­uct purchase price paid by you, at our option, upon
your return of the Product in accordance with our
product return procedures then in effect.

CAUTION

RISK OF EXPLOSION IF BATTERY REPLACED
BY AN INCORRECT TYPE.
DISPOSE OF USED BATTERIES
ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS.

Table of Contents

What is ProFlex 800? .................................................................1

Scope of this Guide ....................................................................2

System Components Overview......................................................3

ProFlex 800 Basic Supply ......................................................3

Standard Accessories.............................................................4

Optional Accessories..............................................................5

Equipment Description & Basic Functions ....................................7

Front View ............................................................................7

Rear View .............................................................................9

Buzzer................................................................................11

Battery Model & Battery Compartment...................................12

Special Button Combinations................................................12

Charging Batteries Before Use...................................................14

Removing the Battery from the ProFlex 800...........................14

Charging the Battery ............................................................14

Inserting the Battery in the ProFlex 800 ................................15

Display Screens .......................................................................16

Power-On Screen .................................................................16

General Status Screen..........................................................16

Memory Screens..................................................................18

Receiver Identification Screen ..............................................19

Position Computation Screen................................................19

ATL Recording Screen..........................................................20

Memory Management Screen................................................21

Screen Backlight .................................................................22

Data Transfer Screen ...........................................................22

Mounting Options.....................................................................23

Backpack Mount..................................................................23

Tripod Mount ......................................................................23

Bottom Mount .....................................................................23

Cradle Mount ......................................................................23

Temporary RTK Base Setup.......................................................24

Prerequisites.......................................................................24

ADL Vantage (Pro) Radio Link...............................................25

Embedded Transceiver (ADL Foundation)...............................26

RTK Rover Setup......................................................................27

Prerequisites.......................................................................27

Preparing the Backpack .......................................................27

Logging Raw Data ....................................................................30

Starting/Stopping Raw Data Logging......................................30

Downloading Raw Data.........................................................30

English

English

What is ProFlex 800?

Congratulations! You have just acquired a ProFlex 800 GNSS
receiver from Spectra Precision!
GNSS have revolutionized control surveys, topographic data
collection, construction surveying, marine surveying and
machine guidance and control. Purchasing the right tools for
a professional job is essential in today's competitive business
environment. Learning to put these tools to work quickly and
efficiently will be the focus of this manual.

ProFlex 800 is a flexible, rugged and high-performance
GNSS receiver integrating the best of today’s technologies,
including the exclusive Z-Blade™ algorithms and multi­constellation (GPS+GLONASS+GALILEO+SBAS+QZSS)
capabilities.

English

1

Scope of this Guide

English

This guide is designed to help you rapidly familiarize yourself
with your new equipment. It is more particularly focused on

land surveying applications, when the ProFlex 800 is carried
in a backpack and used with a data collector and survey field
software.

However, other applications (machine guidance and marine
surveying) are suggested in this guide, for example when
describing the receiver (connectors, available accessories,
etc.), and when presenting the different ways of installing the
receiver. For detailed information about using ProFlex 800 in
applications other than land surveying implying the use of a
backpack, please refer to the ProFlex 800 Reference Manual.

For the sake of conciseness, only a selection of the many
ProFlex 800 functions are presented in this guide.

Most notably, in the survey setups section, only the use of
radios is fully described in the implementation of the data
link. The other solutions are only outlined. For a full
description of these solutions, please refer to the ProFlex 800
Reference Manual.

2

System Components Overview

The tables below provide an overview of the different key
items composing the ProFlex 800. The list of items is
intentionally limited to those more particularly required to
operate a temporary base, and a rover in backpack
configuration. The complete list of items is provided in the
ProFlex 800 Reference Manual.

Depending on your purchase and based on the type of survey
you wish to perform, you may only have some of the listed
items. Please refer to the packing list for an accurate
description of the equipment that has been delivered to you.

Spectra Precision reserves the right to make changes to the
items listed below without prior notice.

ProFlex 800

Basic Supply

ProFlex 800 Basic: ProFlex 800 L1/L2 GPS
Receiver with standard accessories:

• 1 x Li-Ion rechargeable battery pack

• AC/DC power supply kit

• USB cable, host to device, 20 cm

• Serial interface cable

• Ethernet cable

• Bluetooth antenna

• Cellular antenna

• 2-Hz update rate

• Transport bag

• Dual-frequency tracking [P]

• Limited RTK [L]
– No limitation in base mode
– Baseline limited to 3 km in rover mode
– All protocols available: RTCM-2.3, RTCM3,

CMR/CMR+, ATOM
(+ DBEN and LRK in rover mode)

ProFlex 800 Basic (above) + ADL Foundation
radio (internal transceiver TRx 430-470 MHz)
NOTE: UHF antenna not included in this part
number but available as a separate item.

English

Item Part Number Picture

990658-ASH

990658-30­ASH

3

English

Standard

Accessories

(Can also be ordered separately as spare parts using part
numbers mentioned below.)

Item Part Number Picture

Cellular antenna (quad-band) 111397

Bluetooth antenna 111403

7.4 V-4.6 Ah Li-ion Battery Pack (rechargeable) 111374

USB Host-to-Device Cable, 0.2 m
Makes ProFlex 800 a USB device.

Ethernet adaptor cable

Serial data cable 700461

AC/DC Power Supply Kit (includes external AC
adapter, battery charger and cable extension for
powering ProFlex 800 directly from the AC
adapter)

Transport bag 206490

702104

702426

802064

4

Optional

Accessories

GNSS Antennas

Item Part Number Picture

ASH-661 L1/L2/L5 GNSS antenna,
gain: 38 dB

ASH-660 L1 GNSS antenna,
gain: 38 dB

802135

802133

UHF Antennas

Item Part Number Picture

Whip antenna, TNC adapter, 410-430 MHz C3310190

Whip antenna, TNC adapter, 430-450 MHz C3310196

Whip antenna, TNC adapter, 450-470 MHz C3310188

Transmitter Kits

Item Part Number Picture

87330-00: ADL Vantage Kit, 430-470 MHz,
4 W
87330-20: Accessory kit, 430-450 MHz
87330-10: Accessory kit, 450-470 MHz

ADL Vantage

ADL Vantage Pro

Each accessory kit includes a unity-gain
antenna, a range pole mount, a tripod
mount system, a battery accessory kit (with­out the battery) and a Vantage/Vantage Pro
programming cable.

87400-00: ADL Vantage Pro Kit, 430-470
MHz, 35 W
87400-20: Accessory kit, 430-450 MHz
87400-10: Accessory kit, 450-470 MHz
Each accessory kit includes a unity-gain
antenna, a range pole mount, a tripod
mount system, a 35-W radio battery bag
with 2 x 6’ cables (without the battery) and a
Vantage/Vantage Pro programming cable.

English

Transmitter
alone

Transmitter
alone

5

English

Other Accessories

Item Part Number Picture

Survey Backpack Kit, includes:

•Backpack

• 7.4 V-4.6 Ah Li-ion Battery Pack (recharge­able)

• GNSS cable with push-pull system consist­ing of PP-m/TNC-m 50-Ohm coaxial cable,

1.50 m, and PP/TNC-m 50-Ohm coaxial
cable, 0.75 m.

• Range pole for UHF antenna (includes 0.50­meter pole with 5/8” female adaptor, TNC
receptacle and TNC-female/TNC-female
cable extension, 0.80 meter long)

• HI measurement tool

890309

6

Equipment Description & Basic Functions

Front View

English

From left to right:

Bluetooth Antenna

A coaxial female connector (reverse SMA type) allowing you
to connect a Bluetooth antenna for wireless communication
with a field terminal or other device.

Cellular Antenna

A coaxial female connector (SMA type) allowing you to
connect a cellular antenna. A cellular antenna is required
when the ProFlex 800 sends or receives RTK or differential
corrections data via its internal cellular modem (GSM).

Take care not to swap the Bluetooth antenna and the cellular
antenna. The picture below shows where the shorter and
longer antennas should be connected.

7

English

USB Host & Device

A nine-contact female connector (Fischer type). Depending
on how it is configured, the USB port can be used in two
different ways:

1. For a USB host, such as a mass storage device using
optional device cable P/N 702104.

2. For a USB device allowing ProFlex 800 to be seen as a
disk from the computer connected to this port. In this
configuration, files can be transferred between the
ProFlex 800’s internal memory and the computer using
the USB cable provided (P/N 702103).

Display Screen

The display consists of a 128 x 64-pixel, 1.5-inch
monochrome yellow screen using organic LED technology
(OLED).

Used in conjunction with the Scroll button, the display screen
allows you to view different pages of information. See Display
Screens on page 16 for a detailed description of the
information available from this screen.

After a few seconds of inactivity (i.e. Scroll button idle),
screen luminosity turns from high to low level.

Power button

To turn on the ProFlex 800, hold the Power button pressed
until the power LED lights up.

To turn off the ProFlex 800, hold the Power button pressed
until the “Ashtech” screen is displayed. Then release the
button and wait until the ProFlex 800 shuts down.

Power LED

• This indicator light is off when the ProFlex 800 is off and
no external power source is connected to the DC power
input.

• It is on and red when an external power source is present
at the DC power input and the ProFlex 800 is off.

• It is on and green when the ProFlex 800 is on, regardless
of whether it is powered from the internal battery or an
external power source.

8

• It is blinking red when the sleep mode has been enabled

[9] [3] [4] [5] [7] [1]

[6] [8] [2] [10]

and the receiver is currently running a session. With the
sleep mode enabled, the receiver is idle between any two
sessions, as if it were virtually turned off, and the power
LED is also turned off during this time.

Log Button

Press this button briefly to start recording raw data on the
selected storage medium.

Another short press on this button will immediately stop raw
data recording.

Scroll button

Press this button briefly to scroll through the different pages
of information viewed on the screen.

If an alarm is reported on the display screen, a short press on
the Scroll button will acknowledge the alarm. The Scroll
button will recover its display scrolling function only after all
the alarms have been acknowledged this way.

Another function of the Scroll button is to re-activate the
screen backlight after the latter has automatically been
turned off. The Scroll button is also used in the firmware
update procedure.

English

Rear View

DC Power Input

A Fischer, three-contact, female connector [1] allowing the
ProFlex 800 to be powered from either the provided AC
adapter (connect the cable extension between ProFlex 800
and the end of the AC adapter output cable), or an external
9- to 36-V DC power source through cable P/N 730477 (cf.
base setup using an external radio transmitter).

9

English

GNSS Input #1

A TNC coaxial female connector [2] allowing you to connect
a GNSS antenna to the receiver via a coaxial cable.

Serial Data Ports

These are all Fischer, seven-contact, female connectors, each
allowing a serial connection to an external device.

•Ports F [3] and B [4] are both RS232-only ports

• RS232/422 Port A [5] is a switchable RS232/RS422 port
(Default is RS232).

As an option (installed at the factory), port A also delivers
a regulated DC power voltage between pin 1 (+12 V DC)
and pin 2 (GND) that can be used to power a connected
device. The DC current available is 0.5 A steady state, and

1.0 A peak.

UHF Input

A TNC coaxial female connector [6] allowing you to connect
a radio whip antenna. This connector is available only if the
ProFlex 800 has been fitted with a radio module. (Connector

[6] is missing from the rear view above.)
Warning! Do not confuse this coaxial input with the GNSS

input [2] below. Connecting a GNSS antenna to the UHF
input might damage it if the embedded UHF transmitter is
used (although the transmitter is not supposed to transmit
until there are enough GNSS satellites received).

10

Ethernet Port

A Fischer, seven-contact female connector [7] allowing you to
connect the ProFlex 800 to a local network (LAN). Through
this connector, you may remotely control and monitor the
ProFlex 800 from any computer connected to the Internet.
Data may also flow through this port, in the same way as
through a serial port.

GNSS Input #2

A TNC coaxial female connector [8] for applying an external
reference clock. (Connector [8] is missing on the rear view
above.)

CAN 2.0 Bus

A Fischer, five-contact, female connector [9] allowing you to
connect the ProFlex 800 to external, NMEA2000-compatible
equipment via CAN bus. (For future use.)

Earth Terminal

A screw terminal [10] for connecting the receiver chassis to
Earth.

Electric Isolation

All signals available on the following connectors are optically
isolated from the receiver’s internal circuitry and chassis
ground, as well as from each other:

• Serial ports A, B and F (including DC power output voltage
on port A)

• Ethernet port

•CAN bus

English

Buzzer The internal buzzer will sound whenever an error is detected.

The buzzer will sound six times and then stop. The error icon
will however continue to blink. To acknowledge the error
notification, first press the Scroll key to view the error and
associated code and then press the same button again.

11

English

Battery Model &

Battery

Compartment

The battery used is a 7.4-V DC - 4600 mAh rechargeable
battery. It is a standard model used in many camcorders.

The battery is housed in a battery compartment accessible
from above the ProFlex 800. The compartment door can be
opened by lifting and then turning the quarter-turn finger
screw counter-clockwise.

The battery will automatically operate as a backup power
source for the receiver if for some reason the external DC
source used is removed from the DC power input.

A slide switch is available at the bottom of the battery
compartment to set the behavior of the receiver after removal
or failure of the DC power source while the receiver is on:

• Slide switch pushed to the right: Automatic re-start. The

receiver will automatically be switched on when DC power
is restored.

• Slide switch pushed to the left: Manual re-start. After

power is restored, the receiver will stay off. Operator
intervention is needed to switch the receiver back on.

Use for example the tip of a pen to slide the switch to the left
or right.

Special Button

Combinations

12

• With the ProFlex 800 OFF, pressing the Power, Log and

Scroll buttons simultaneously for a few seconds will
restore all the factory settings.

• With the ProFlex 800 OFF and a USB key connected,

pressing the Power and Scroll buttons simultaneously for
a few seconds will cause the ProFlex 800 to start a
firmware upload process. If there is no USB key

connected or the key does not contain a firmware upgrade,
then the process will abort after a few seconds.

Because data has to be decompressed on the USB key
during upgrades, the USB key must be unlocked, with at
least 100 MBytes of free memory, before starting the
upgrade.

These button combinations are summarized in the table
below:

Button

Combination

Power+Log+Scroll OFF Restores Factory Settings.

Power+Scroll OFF Initiates firmware update from USB key.

ProFlex 800

State

Function

English

13

Charging Batteries Before Use

English

Make sure the battery is fully charged for each ProFlex 800
you will be using in the field.

Follow the instructions below to charge a battery.

Removing the

Battery from the

ProFlex 800

Charging the

Battery

Unless the battery has already been taken out, do the
following:

• Open the battery trapdoor, accessible from above the

ProFlex 800, by lifting and then turning the quarter-turn
finger screw anticlockwise. This releases the two springs
located under the battery, pushing the battery slightly
upward (see picture).

• Grab the battery and take it out of the compartment.

The battery charger comes with a separate universal AC
adapter fitted with a 1.5-m output cable. The AC adapter
includes a choice of four different, detachable plug types.
Follow the instructions below to operate the charger.

• Choose the plug type that is suitable for your country.

• Secure that plug on the AC adapter.

• Connect the cable from the AC adapter to the battery

charger.

• Give the battery the right orientation with respect to the

charger [1] (the battery terminals should come into
contact with the two sets of connectors on the charger),
then push the battery against the plate and slide it forward
[2] until it locks into place.

14

• Plug the adapter into an AC outlet. Battery charging starts

[1] [2]

11

2

MED MAXHI

MED

MAXHI

[3]

[6]

MED MAXHI

[5]

MED MAXHI

[4]

immediately.
For a low battery that’s being charged, you will first see the

three LEDs switch on and off, one after the other, followed
by a short period of time when none of the LEDs is on (see
[3]).

After about two hours of charging, the MED LED will stay
on [4]. A few minutes later, the HI LED [5], and then the
MAX LED [6] will also stay on.

• When the three LEDs are on, this means the battery is
fully charged and can be disconnected from the charger.

English

Inserting the

Battery in the

ProFlex 800

• Insert the battery into the compartment making sure the
battery has the right orientation (the battery terminals
should come into contact with the two sets of connectors
located at the bottom of the compartment).

• Close the trapdoor, push the finger screw in tight, and turn
it fully clockwise.

Note that once it is properly secured, the trapdoor pushes
the battery against the bottom of the compartment to
ensure electrical connection of the battery to the ProFlex

800.

15

Display Screens

English

Power-On Screen When you power on the receiver, the Ashtech logo appears on

If you press the Scroll button several times, you will see the
following displays successively.

the screen. It is displayed until the receiver has completed its
auto-test (this takes about 30 seconds).

Then the General Status screen is displayed.

General Status

Screen

An example of General Status screen is shown below.

[1]

[2] [3] [4]

[5]

[6]

[9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

This screen displays the following information:

• : Satellite icon [1] (always displayed).

• Number of satellites tracked [2].

• Position solution status [3]:

– NONE: Position not available
– AUTO: Autonomous GPS position
– DGPS: Differential GPS position
– S DGPS: SBAS Differential GPS position
– FLOAT: Float solution
– FIXED: Fixed solution (RTK is operational)
– BASE: Receiver configured as a base.

[8]

[7]

16

• Number of satellites used [4]: Number of satellites used
in the position processing, regardless of the current
position solution status.

• : Data link icon [5]. This icon is displayed only when
corrections are received.

• Age of corrections [6], in seconds. This value is displayed
when corrections are received and only after base station
information has been received (Position status is at least
“DGPS”).

• Raw data logging icon [7]:

Data recording through front panel Log button:
– Blinking: Raw data logging in progress
– Fixed: No raw data logging in progress.

ATL data recording for advanced diagnosis.

• Percentage of free memory in the storage medium used
[8].

• : Battery icon [9] with visual indication of remaining
charge. If an external power source is used (AC adapter or
external battery), the battery icon will be animated to
indicate battery charging in progress.

is displayed when there is no battery in the
compartment and the receiver is operated from an
external power source.

• Power status [10].

Icon Definition

Percentage of remaining battery. This indication will flash when
Percent
value

the remaining energy drops below 5%. When an internal battery is

used with external power applied, this icon alternates between the

plug and the percentage of charge on the battery.

Replaces percentage when an external power source is used.

English

• Alarm status [11].

Icon Definition

Alarm detected. Press the Scroll button to view the alarm type.

Press it again to acknowledge the alarm, which then disappears

from the list. Unless there is another alarm in the queue, in which

case you will have to resume the acknowledge sequence, the

screen then displays the memory screen.
None No alarm detected

17

English

• GSM module (modem) status [12]. This may be one of the
following icons:

Icon Definition

Blank Modem turned off.

Blinking icon: Modem turned on but not initialized yet. Indicates
signal strength at modem antenna input.
Fixed icon: Modem turned on and initialized (ready for a connec­tion). Indicates signal strength received at modem antenna input.
The higher the number of bars, the better the signal.
This icon will show four dots at the bottom when the input signal is
zero.
The symbol shown in the upper left corner stands for “2G”. When
the modem detects a 3G network, “3G” is displayed instead.

Modem on line.

•[13]: USB status and/or Bluetooth status.

Icon Definition

USB port connected to active device

Bluetooth active

Memory Screens From the General Status screen, press the Scroll button to

access the Memory screens. Memory screens appear
successively (see examples) at a display rate of about five
seconds:

18

Left screen:

• First line: Percentage of free space in the internal
memory.

• Second line: Number of files currently stored in the
internal memory.

• Third line: Percentage of free space on the USB mass
storage device.

• Fourth line: Number of files currently stored on the USB
mass storage device.

Right screen:

• First line: Total space occupied by the files currently
stored in the internal memory.

• Second line: Nominal size of the internal memory.

• Third line: Total space occupied by the files currently
stored on the USB mass storage device.

• Fourth line: Nominal size of the USB mass storage device.

About the “*” symbol:

• It can only appear at the end of the first or third line.

• Where placed, it indicates that this storage medium is
used for data logging.

What if there is no USB mass storage device connected to the
receiver?

• Parameters relevant to the USB key size and space used
and available are void (three dots displayed instead).

• Number of files is forced to “0”.

English

Receiver

Identification

Screen

Position

Computation

Screen

From any of the two Memory screens, press the Scroll button
to access the Receiver Identification screen. See example
below.

• Receiver Serial Number

• Firmware Version

• Receiver Bluetooth Identifier

From the Receiver Identification screen, press the Scroll
button to access the Position Computation screen. This
screen displays the receiver position. The displayed
coordinates will be:

• either WGS84 coordinates (“W84” displayed at the
beginning of the last line; coordinates are latitude,
longitude and ellipsoidal elevation)

• or local coordinates (“LOC” displayed at the beginning of
the last line; coordinates may be either Easting, Northing,
Height or Latitude, Longitude, Ellipsoidal Elevation,
depending on whether or not a projection is defined in the
local coordinate system used),

If the receiver is a rover, the displayed position will be the last
computed position. The coordinates will be local (“LOC”)
only if the rover receives specific RTCM messages from the
base describing the local system used by the base.

If the receiver is a base, the displayed coordinates are set
ones (not computed ones) representing the WGS84 or local

19

English

reference position assigned to the base. See screen example
below for a rover delivering WGS84 coordinates.

The upper line contains the same information as in the upper
line of the General Status screen.

A new press on the Scroll button will take you to the ATL
Recording screen (see below). If however the receiver is fitted
with a radio receiver or is connected to an external radio
transmitter, an additional display screen will show up before
pressing the Scroll button takes you back to the ATL
Recording screen.

The possible two screens show the current radio settings:

• First line: Serial port used, “Rx” for radio receiver or “Tx”

for radio transmitter, radio type (ADL). Extra-parameter for
“Rx”: Power status

• Second line: Channel number, carrier frequency

• Third line: Protocol used (Transparent, Trimtalk, DSNP,

etc.), airlink speed

• Fourth line: Squelch setting (medium, low, high). Extra-

parameters for Rx if a Pacific Crest: “FEC” if forward error
correction enabled, “SCR” if scrambling enabled.
Modulation type (GMSK, 4FSK). The fourth line will be
slowly scrolled to the right if four parameters have to be
displayed in the line.

ATL Recording

20

Screen

Pressing the Scroll button from the Position Computation
screen –or from the Radio Settings screen if there is a radio
used– will take you to the ATL Recording screen, which looks
like one of the following, depending on whether a USB key is
connected to the receiver (below, right) or not (below, left).

You don’t normally have to record ATL data, but if for
troubleshooting purposes, the Technical Support asks you to
do so, then proceed as follows:

• Press the Log button (left-hand button). This will cause
the receiver to start recording ATL data on the specified
storage medium. The screen will then look like this:

You can then freely use the Scroll button to access other
receiver screens without affecting the ATL data collection
in progress (pressing the Scroll button from this screen
will take you back to the General Status screen).

• When enough ATL data have been recorded (Tech Support
will usually indicate the duration of ATL data collection
needed for troubleshooting), then come back to the ATL
Recording screen and simply press on the Log button
again to stop the recording.

NOTE 1: ATL data recording is totally independent of raw
data recording: controlling ATL recording is done exclusively
from the ATL recording screen, and raw data recording from
any other screen.

NOTE 2: Before connecting a USB key to record ATL data,
make sure there is no *.par files saved on the key as the
presence of this type of file would initiate some other
functions in the receiver.

English

Memory

Management

Screen

From the ATL Recording screen, press the Scroll button to
access the Memory Management screen. The flowchart
below summarizes the different tasks you can perform at this
point in the management of the receiver memory.

21

English

Clean up

internal

memory?

Delete

all G-les?

Delete

all les?

Forma t

memory?

Yes Yes YesNo

No

Yes No

No

Back to General Status Screen

ATL Recording Screen

Scroll button

Conrm?

Yes

No

In progress...

Screen Backlight The screen backlight is automatically turned off if no key is

pressed for 1 minute. When the backlight is off, a short press
on the Scroll button will turn it back on. The Scroll button will
then recover its usual functions.

22

Data Transfer

Screen

or more information on the screen displayed when

F
downloading files, refer to Downloading Raw Data
on page 30.

Mounting Options

135 mm

Backpack Mount

Tripod Mount

Bottom Mount

The ProFlex 800 is secured in a backpack when used as a
rover for land surveying applications.

In land surveying applications, when used as a roaming base
mounted on a tripod, the ProFlex 800 can be secured on one
of the legs of the tripod using the lug located on its bottom
side.

The lug may be secured onto the chassis in two different ways
allowing the receiver to be installed either with its front panel
upwards or sideways (recommended).

This type of installation is suitable for machine guidance or
marine applications. The ProFlex 800 is secured from
underneath the receiver case, using four screws M4.

Preparing the support (a flat plane) on which the receiver will
be mounted only consists of drilling four holes, forming a
simple, 100-mm square.

Note that this is a VESA

1

-compliant mounting scheme.

English

Cradle Mount

This type of installation is also suitable for machine guidance
or marine applications. The ProFlex 800 can be secured on a
cradle of your choice, possibly designed to allow adjustable
orientation of the receiver front panel.

On both sides of the receiver case are two M4 screws,
135 mm apart, that can be used for mounting the receiver on
the chosen cradle.

In this mounting case, the two plates located on either side
of the receiver case can either be kept in position or simply
removed.

1.VESA= Video Electronics Standards Association.

23

Temporary RTK Base Setup

English

Prerequisites • You will need a tripod and a tribrach (not provided) to

install the base. You will also need an antenna extension
pole fitted with a 5/8” male adaptor (not provided but
available as an accessory).

• For a long-range radio link, i.e. more than 1 mile or

1.6 km, for which the radio antenna should be placed as
high as possible, it is good practice to install the antenna
on top of an antenna pole secured on a tripod (neither of
these items is provided).

• To power an external radio, you need a 9-30 V DC power

source. Using a standard 12 V DC battery is a convenient
choice. In this configuration, the ProFlex 800 can be
powered either from the same power source
(recommended), using cable P/N 802143, or from its
internal battery.

Powering the ProFlex 800 from the external battery offers
two advantages:

1. Operating sessions can be extended significantly.

2. The external battery operates as a trickle charger for
the ProFlex 800’s internal battery.

• For a ProFlex 800 fitted with an internal transceiver, the
level of RF power radiated by the UHF antenna depends
on the type of DC source used to power the receiver:

– Internal battery used: The RF power is limited to

100 mW whatever the requested level of power.

– External DC power used: The RF power level is as

requested (not intentional limitation).

24

ADL Vantage (Pro)

ProFlex 800

Base

Cable P/N 802143

To

GNSS

Antenna

Power

Port A

GNSS Input

External 9-30 V
DC Power Source

Fuse (4 A)

+

Radio Antenna

ADL Vantage
or ADL Vantage Pro
Transmitter

Pacific Crest Data/Power Cable (A00630)

SAE

Radio Link

The connection diagram is as follows. The use of port A is
recommended on the receiver side. However, any of the other
serial ports may be used as well.

English

25

English

ProFlex 800

Base

Cable P/N 802143

To

GNSS

Antenna

Power

GNSS Input

External 9-36 V
DC Power Source

Fuse (4 A)

+

Radio

Antenna

ProFlex 800

Base

To

GNSS

Antenna

Port A

GNSS Input

Radio

Antenna

(Radiated power

limited to 100 mW)

(No power
limitation)

External Battery Used

Internal Battery Used

Embedded

Transceiver (ADL

Foundation)

26

RTK Rover Setup

1

2

Prerequisites • Insert a freshly charged battery into the ProFlex 800.

• Use a range pole fitted with a 5/8” male adaptor at the
upper end (not provided).

• Mount the GNSS antenna at the top of the range pole.

• Connect coaxial cable P/N P076510A to the GNSS
antenna.

• If a radio link is used with the base, your rover should
normally have been fitted with the radio receiver kit that
matches the reception band covered by the radio
transmitter used at the base.

• If a GPRS connection is used, your rover should normally
have been fitted with the SIM card that will allow it to
perform a network connection.

To connect a SIM card, open the trapdoor and remove the
battery. The SIM card can be inserted in a dedicated
socket located at the bottom of the compartment. Insert
the SIM card as shown on the picture.

Preparing the

Backpack

1. Unzip the larger compartment of the backpack.

2. Insert the different cables needed into the backpack. All

[1]

[2]

cables can pass through either of the velcro flaps [1]
located at the top of the backpack.

• GNSS antenna: Insert the TNC end of the 1.50 m

“Quick Release” cable (P/N P076500A) into the
backpack through one of the velcro flaps, then make it
run along the inner edge of the compartment, down to
where the rear panel of the receiver will be located
once placed in the backpack.

• Data Link:

If cellular communication is used to receive RTK
corrections, no special cable is needed.

If a radio is used to receive RTK corrections, insert the
UHF range pole into the side compartment of the
backpack. Secure the pole using the short velcro strap
[2] located on top of the side compartment. Pass the
attached coaxial cable through a velcro flap [1], then
make it run along the inner edge of the main

English

27

English

[4]

GNSS(Radio)

(Data Collector)

[5]

[3]

compartment, down to where the rear panel of the
receiver will be located once placed in the backpack.

• Communication with field terminal:
If Bluetooth is used, no special cable is needed.

If wired communication is used, pass the Fischer end
of serial data cable P/N 700461 (provided) through a
velcro flap, and again make it run along the inner edge
of the compartment, down to where the rear panel of
the receiver will be located once placed in the
backpack.

3. Anchor all the cables together, inside the compartment,
using the short velcro straps [3].

4. Insert the ProFlex 800 into the compartment in such a
way that the rear panel is facing the bottom of the
compartment [4].

5. Connect all the ends of the cables present at the bottom
of the compartment to the rear panel. The required
connections are:

• GNSS cable to GNSS Input #1 (mandatory)

• UHF radio cable to UHF input (if a radio is used)

• Serial data cable to the serial port of your choice (if a

serial link is used with the field terminal).

28

6. If needed, connect the following antennas directly to the
front panel of the receiver:

• Bluetooth antenna, if wireless communication with the

field terminal is preferred to a serial link.

• Cellular antenna, if the internal cellular modem is used

to receive RTK corrections.

7. Secure the receiver inside the backpack by tightening the
three pairs of Velcro straps [5] over the case. If internal
antennas are used, some straps should be positioned in

such a way that the antennas can pass through the slots

[6]

designed into these straps.

8. Turn on the ProFlex 800 and close (zip) the compartment.

9. Place the backpack on your back.

10.Connect the free ends of the quick-release coaxial cables
together. This connects the GNSS antenna to the receiver.

11.Secure your field terminal on the range pole and turn it
on. You are now ready to start using your system.

English

If you are using an external cell phone for acquiring RTK
corrections, place it in the mesh pocket [6] located on the
left-hand belt of the backpack.

29

Logging Raw Data

English

Starting/Stopping

Raw Data Logging

Downloading Raw

Data

You simply need to use the Log button to start and stop raw
data logging. Later, you will however need to do the following
manually:

1. Downloading phase (if appropriate, rename the raw data

files collected on each site).

2. Post-processing phase: Manually correct all computed

elevations for the antenna height.

By default, raw data is logged to the receiver’s internal
memory. The Raw Data Logging icon on the General Status
screen will start flashing when a raw data file is open for
logging.

Use a USB mass storage device as a transit storage medium
to download raw data files from the receiver’s internal
memory to your office computer.

Important! During a download operation, files are not deleted
from the receiver but simply copied to the USB mass storage
device.

After downloading the files to this device, connect the USB
device to your computer and use your usual browser to copy
the files to the project folder.

Using a USB Mass Storage Device

• Connect the USB mass storage device to the receiver via

the short USB Host-to-Device cable provided (P/N

702104).
If raw data files are present in the receiver’s internal

memory, the following icons will automatically appear on
the display screen:

30

• To confirm the file transfer, press the Log button. The

General status screen will re-appear after the file transfer
is complete.

• To cancel the file transfer, press the Scroll button.

• If you do not press any button within the next 10 seconds,
the download procedure will be canceled automatically

and the screen will come back to the previous display.

Using the USB Cable Provided

• Connect the USB cable provided (P/N 702103) between
the office computer and the receiver’s USB port. The
receiver is then seen as a USB device from the office
computer

• Using Windows Explorer on your office computer, browse
the receiver’s internal memory for the raw data files.

• Copy/paste the files to your project folder.

English

31

Index

A

AC/DC power supply kit 4
Alarm status 17
Alarms 9
Antenna (GNSS) 5, 27
AUTO 16

B

Backlight 9
Backpack 23, 27
Backup battery 12
BASE 16
Battery (external) 24
Battery (insert) 15
Battery (remove) 14
Battery charger 4
Battery icon 17
Battery model 12
Bluetooth 28
Bluetooth antenna 4, 7, 28
Bluetooth identifier 19
Bluetooth status 18
Bottom mount 23
Buzzer 11

C

CAN bus 11
Cell phone 29
Cellular antenna 4, 7, 28
Charging battery 14
Cradle mount 23

D

Data link icon 17
Data transfer screen 22, 30
DC power input 9
Device cable (USB) 30
Display screen 8

E

Earth terminal 11
Electric isolation (optical) 11
Ethernet adaptor cable 4
Ethernet port 10

F

Factory settings 12
Firmware update 12
Firmware version 19
FIXED 16
FLOAT 16

G

GALILEO 1
General Status screen 16, 30

GLONASS 1
GNSS input #1 10
GNSS input #2 11
GPRS 27
GSM antenna 4, 7
GSM status 18

H

Host cable (USB) 4

K

Key combinations 12

L

LED status (battery charger) 15
Li-ion battery 4
Log button 9
Long-range radio link 24

M

Memory screens 18

N

NMEA2000 11

O

OLED 8

P

PacCrest transmitter (connection diagram)

25

Pages (of information) 9
Position computation screen 19
Power button 8
Power LED 8
Power status 17
Power-on screen 16

R

Radio module 27
Range pole 27
Range pole (UHF) 27
Raw data 9
Raw data icon 17
Receiver identification screen 19
Receiver serial number 19
Reference clock 11
Re-start (automatic or manual) 12

S

Satellites in use 17
SBAS 1
Screen backlight 22
Scroll button 8, 9, 16
Serial data cable 4, 28
Serial ports 10
SIM card 27
Slide switch (for re-start setting) 12

SMA 7
Standalone (raw data logging) 30
Status (position) 16

T

Tribrach 24
Tripod 24
Tripod mount 23

U

UHF input 10
USB port 8
USB status 18

V

Velcro 27

Z

Z-Blade 1

ProFlex™ 800

Getting Started Guide

Contact Information:

SPECTRA PRECISION DIVISION

10355 Westmoor Drive,
Suite #100
Westminster, CO 80021, USA

www.spectraprecision.com

© 2012-2013 Trimble Navigation
Precision logo are trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited or its subsidiaries. P/N 631671-01B

Rue Thomas Edison
ZAC de la Fleuriaye, BP 60433
44474 Carquefou Cedex, FRANCE

Limited. All rights reserved. Spectra Precision is a Division of Trimble Navigation Limited. Spectra Precision and the Spectra