RxTools

User Manual
RxTools

March 22, 2017

Applicable to RxTools v17.0.0

© Copyright 2000-2017 Septentrio NV/SA. All rights reserved.

Septentrio NV
Greenhill Campus, Interleuvenlaan 15i
3001 Leuven, Belgium

http://www.septentrio.com
[email protected]
Phone: +32 16 300 800
Fax: +32 16 221 640
@Septentrio

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 LIST OF CONTENTS

List of Contents

CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1 Introduction 13
1.1 INSTALLING RXTOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.1.1 Recommended System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.1.2 Windows installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.1.3 Linux installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.1.4 Windows uninstall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.1.5 Linux uninstall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2 RxControl 17
2.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.1.1 RxControl compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.1.2 Launching RxControl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.2 GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.2.1 A quick guide to RxControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.2.2 Controlling the Septentrio Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.3 CONNECTING TO THE SEPTENTRIO RECEIVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.4 RXCONTROL’S MAIN WINDOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.4.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.4.2 RxControl main window information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.4.2.1 The Position Information section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.4.2.2 The Satellite Status section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2.4.2.3 Receiver Information tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.4.2.3.1 Time tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.4.2.3.2 RxClock tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.4.2.3.3 DOP tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.4.2.3.4 PL tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.4.2.3.5 RAIM tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.4.2.3.6 PVT tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.4.2.3.7 Status tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.4.2.3.8 Integration tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.4.2.3.9 Attitude tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.4.2.4 The Status bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.4.3 The menus and the toolbar of the RxControl window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.4.3.1 The File menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.4.3.2 The View menu and the toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.4.3.3 The Communication and Navigation menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.4.3.4 The Tools menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2.4.3.5 The Logging menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

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2.4.3.6 The Help menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

2.5 RXCONTROL’S TABULAR AND GRAPHICAL VIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.5.1 Channel Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.5.1.1 Channel Table Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2.5.2 Carrier to Noise Ratio Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2.5.2.1 Carrier to Noise Ratio Plot Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.5.3 Sky Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.5.3.1 Sky Plot Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2.5.3.2 Sky Plot Toolbar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
2.5.4 The Planimetric Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
2.5.4.1 The main areas of the Planimetric Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
2.5.4.2 Planimetric Plot Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
2.5.5 Statistics Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2.5.6 The DiffCorr Info window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2.5.7 The SBAS Ionospheric Delay Plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2.5.8 Stanford Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
2.5.9 Attitude View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
2.5.10 Auxiliary Antennas View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
2.5.11 IMU View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
2.5.12 L-Band Status Plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
2.5.13 Time Plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
2.5.14 AGC Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
2.5.15 Spectrum View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
2.5.16 Message Inspector View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
2.5.17 Message Statistics View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
2.6 THE EXPERT CONSOLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
2.6.1 The Receiver Commands Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
2.6.2 The ASCII Display Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
2.6.3 The NMEA Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
2.6.4 The Events Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
2.7 LOGGING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
2.7.1 RxControl Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
2.7.2 Septentrio Receiver Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
2.7.2.1 Internal Logging Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
2.7.2.2 Download Internal Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
2.8 UPGRADING THE RECEIVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

3 Data Link 79
3.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
3.1.1 Data Link compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
3.1.2 Launching DataLink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
3.2 GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
3.2.1 Connecting to a receiver using Data Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
3.2.1.1 Configure Connection 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
3.2.1.2 Using scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
3.2.1.3 Logging data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
3.3 DATA LINK: A WORKED EXAMPLE IN AN RTK SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
3.3.1 Connecting to the receiver using Data Link. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

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3.3.2 Additional receiver settings for RTK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

3.3.2.1 Receiver COM port settings for RTCMv3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
3.3.2.2 Output of NMEA GGA from the receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3.3.3 Configuring the NTRIP connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3.3.4 Transferring data between different Connections on Data Link . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

4 SBF Converter 88
4.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
4.1.1 SBF Converter compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
4.1.2 Launching SBF Converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
4.2 USING SBF CONVERTER: A WORKED EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4.2.1 Conversion to RINEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4.2.2 Conversion to ASCII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4.2.3 Conversion to Google Earth KML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
4.2.4 Conversion of Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
4.2.5 Conversion to GPX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
4.2.6 Conversion of SBF Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

5 SBF Analyzer 101

5.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
5.1.1 SBF Analyzer compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
5.1.2 Launching SBF Analyzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
5.1.3 SBF Analyzer Return Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
5.2 USING SBF ANALYZER: A WORKED EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
5.2.1 Selecting plots and plot options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
5.2.2 The Carrier to Noise Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
5.2.3 The Height Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
5.2.4 The GNSS PVT Mode, Error, NrSV Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
5.2.5 The Differential Corrections Age Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
5.2.6 The Heading, Pitch, Roll Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
5.2.7 The GNSS Attitude Mode, Error, NrSV Plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
5.2.8 The CPU Load and Uptime Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
5.2.9 The Receiver Status Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
5.2.10 The SBF Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
5.2.11 The Statistics Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
5.2.12 The Sky Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
5.2.13 The Planimetric Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
5.2.14 The General File Information Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
5.3 SBF ANALYZER: REPORTER TOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
5.3.1 Using the command line to generate reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

6 RxLogger 121
6.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
6.1.1 RxLogger compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
6.1.2 Launching RxLogger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
6.1.3 RxLogger Return Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
6.2 USING RXLOGGER: A WORKED EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
6.2.1 Connecting to a receiver using RxLogger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
6.2.2 Configuring RxLogger settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

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6.2.3 Defining a post processing action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126

6.2.4 Using RxLogger in the command line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

7 RxUpgrade 131
7.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
7.1.1 RxUpgrade compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
7.1.2 Launching RxUpgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
7.1.3 RxUpgrade Return Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
7.2 USING RXUPGRADE: A WORKED EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
7.2.1 Upgrading receiver firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

8 RxDownload 135
8.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
8.1.1 RxDownload compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
8.1.2 Launching RxDownload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
8.2 USING RXDOWNLOAD: A WORKED EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
8.2.1 Opening new receiver connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
8.2.2 Setting the RxDownload preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
8.2.3 Configuring the receiver settings using RxDownload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
8.2.4 Configuring the receiver output using RxDownload. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
8.2.5 Editing the post processing actions using RxDownload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
8.2.6 Initiating a download of the internally logged files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

9 RxPlanner 143
9.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
9.1.1 RxPlanner compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
9.1.2 Launching RxPlanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
9.2 USING RXPLANNER: A WORKED EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
9.2.1 Creating a new project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

10 RxAssistant 150
10.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
10.1.1 RxAssistant compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
10.1.2 Launching RxAssistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
10.2 USING RXASSISTANT: A WORKED EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
10.2.1 Connecting to a receiver using RxAssistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
10.2.2 Configuring the NTRIP connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
10.2.3 Configuring NMEA output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
10.2.4 Managing receiver configurations using RxAssistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
10.2.5 Using the AsteRx-m GeoPod with Esri ArcPad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

11 APS3G Tools 162

11.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
11.1.1 APS3G Tools compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
11.1.2 Launching APS3G Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
11.1.3 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

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12 SBF Tools 164

12.1 BIN2ASC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
12.2 SBF2STF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
12.3 SBF2ASC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
12.4 SBFBLOCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
12.5 SBF2CMD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
12.6 SBF2KML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
12.7 SBF2GPX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
12.8 SBF2RIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
12.9 SBF2ISMR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
12.10 SBF2CGGTTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
12.11 POSCONV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
12.12 TIMECONV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186

A Null-modem cable 188

B Conversion and projection of coordinates 189

B.1 COORDINATE CONVERSIONS ON AN ELLIPSOID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
B.2 THE CONFORMAL DIRECT MERCATOR PROJECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
B.3 THE TOPOCENTRIC ENU COORDINATE SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
B.4 COORDINATES IN A LOCAL DATUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192

C Troubleshooting 193
C.1 THE SEPTENTRIO RECEIVER SPECIFIC MENUS ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN RXCONTROL . . .193
C.2 RXCONTROL’S SCREENS ARE NOT UPDATED OR ONLY PARTIALLY UPDATED . . . . . . . . . . . .193
C.3 CONTACTING SEPTENTRIO SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194

D Warning and Error Messages 195

D.1 SERIAL PORT RELATED WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
D.2 TCP/IP PORT RELATED WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196
D.3 SBF FILE PLAYER RELATED WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
D.4 RXCONTROL DATA PARSER RELATED WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
D.5 LOGGING RELATED WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
D.6 UPGRADE RELATED WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
D.7 RECEIVER DIAGNOSTICS CAUSING ERRORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

E Connection script for NTRIP connection using Data Link 201

Glossary 202

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 LIST OF FIGURES

List of Figures

2-2 Launching the RxControl GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2-3 Connection dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2-4 Create Serial Connection dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2-5 Create TCP/IP Connection dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2-6 Create SBF File Connection dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2-7 Main Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2-8 Position Information section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2-9 The planimetric dispersion ellips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2-10 Position in Local Datum tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2-11 Satellite Status section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2-12 Pop-up in the Satellite Status section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2-13 Receiver Information tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2-14 PVT Mode icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2-15 Integration Mode icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2-16 Attitude Mode icons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2-17 File menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2-18 View menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2-19 Tools menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2-20 Logging menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2-21 Help menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2-22 Channel Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2-23 Carrier To Noise Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2-24 Sky Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2-25 Planimetric Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
2-26 Selective display of PVT modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2-27 Statistics Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2-28 The DiffCorr Info window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
2-29 SBAS Ionospheric Delay Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
2-30 HPL Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
2-31 VPL Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2-32 Attitude View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
2-33 Auxiliary Antennas View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
2-34 IMU View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
2-35 L-Band Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
2-36 ENU time plot with East, North and Up components on one plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
2-37 AGC table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
2-38 Spectrum View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
2-39 Message Inspector View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
2-40 Message Statistics View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
2-41 The Expert Console displaying its Receiver Communication tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
2-42 The ASCII Display tab of the Expert Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

8
 LIST OF FIGURES

2-43 The NMEA tab of the Expert Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

2-44 Logger dialog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
2-45 Logger Global Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
2-46 Logger File Naming Settings Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
2-47 Data Logging SBF tab dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
2-48 Data Logging NMEA tab dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
2-49 Data Logging Post Processing tab dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
2-50 Download Internal Files dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
2-51 Upgrade Receiver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

3-2 Launching the DataLink GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

3-3 Configuring the Connection 1 port on Data Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
3-4 Connecting to the receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
3-5 Sending commands to the receiver using Data Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
3-6 Schematic of an RTK setup using Data Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
3-7 Configuring input of RTCMv3 to COM2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
3-8 Configuring output of GGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3-9 Connection settings for FLEPOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
3-10 Details of the correction stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
3-11 Transferring correction data and GGA between the receiver and the net-
work server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
3-12 RTCMv3 and the GGA message on Connection 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
3-13 RxControl main window and planimetric plot. RTK fix mode and DiffCorr
LED are indicated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

4-2 Launching the SBF Converter GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

4-3 Opening a file with SBF Converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4-4 Configurations for RINEX conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
4-5 Example of a RINEX file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
4-6 Error message when RINEX cannot be generated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
4-7 Example of a converted DOP SBF block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4-8 Configuration for ASCII conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
4-9 Configuration for KML conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
4-10 Opening the converted file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
4-11 KML file displayed in Google Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
4-12 Configuration for conversion of receiver commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
4-13 How to save the receiver MIB description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
4-14 Opening the converted Commands file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4-15 Example of a converted Commands file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4-16 Configuration for GPX conversion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
4-17 GPX file displayed in Google Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
4-18 Configuration for SBF Blocks conversion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
4-19 Text file generated by SBF Blocks conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

5-2 Launching the SBF Analyzer GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

5-3 Launching SBF Analyzer from a file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
5-4 Selecting plots and plot options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
5-5 Generating the selected plots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
5-6 Carrier to noise plot for GPS (L1CA), Glonass (L1CA) and SBAS (L1) . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
5-7 Carrier to noise plot for GPS (L2P), Glonass (L2C). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
5-8 Time plot of the calculated height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
5-9 Time plot of GNSS PVT Mode, Error and Number of Satellites in PVT and
tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

9
 LIST OF FIGURES

5-10 Time plot of RTCMv3 differential correction reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

5-11 Time plot of the calculated heading and pitch of the AsteRx2eH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
5-12 Time plot of GNSS attitude Mode, Error and Number of Satellites in PVT
and tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
5-13 Time plot of receiver CPU and uptime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
5-14 Time plot of the receiver status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
5-15 Time plot of SBF data blocks that are present in the file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
5-16 Statistics plot showing a summary of positioning and attitude mode as well
as errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
5-17 Sky plot showing positions of satellites overhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
5-18 Viewing the Sky plot at different times in the file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
5-19 Planimetric plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
5-20 Statistics and Other Information window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
5-21 Selecting a report to generate using the SBF Analyzer Reporter tool . . . . . . . . . . .118
5-22 Editing a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
5-23 Example of a static report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
5-24 Using the command line to generate a PDF report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

6-2 Launching the RxLogger GUI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

6-3 Connecting to a receiver using RxLogger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
6-4 Main window of RxLogger when connected to a receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
6-5 Configuring the settings in the Global and File Naming tabs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
6-6 Selecting which SBF data blocks to be logged and their rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
6-7 Adding a post-processing action that generates RINEX data files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
6-8 Selecting details of RINEX file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
6-9 Selection the compression format for the RINEX files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
6-10 Configuring output of the generated RINEX files to a remote FTP location . . . .128
6-11 Naming the post-processing action and starting logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
6-12 Launching RxLogger from the command line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
6-13 Launching RxLogger from the command line with ‘test1_rxlogger.conf’ . . . . . . .130

7-2 Launching the RxUpgrade GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

7-3 Opening a connection on the receiver over which to make the upgrade. . . . . . .133
7-4 Selecting the .suf firmware file to upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
7-5 Starting the firmware upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
7-6 Progress of receiver upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

8-2 Launching the RxDownload GUI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

8-3 Adding a new receiver to RxDownload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
8-4 Main window of RxDownload showing connections to three receivers. The
time till the next scheduled download is indicated by the yellow box.. . . . . . . . . .137
8-5 Setting the preferences for RxDownload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
8-6 Changing the receiver elevation mask using RxDownload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
8-7 Selecting the SBF data blocks to be logged to the internal SD card. . . . . . . . . . . . .140
8-8 Adding RINEX conversion as a post processing action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
8-9 Downloading files before the next scheduled download. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

9-2 Launching the RxPlanner GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

9-3 Opening a new project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
9-4 Selecting the location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
9-5 Selecting the time and date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
9-6 Selecting the elevation mask, GDOP threshold and constellations to be used147
9-7 Prompt to update the almanac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147

10
 LIST OF FIGURES

9-8 Plots generated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

9-9 Creating a PDF report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
9-10 RxPlanner PDF report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

10-2 Launching the RxAssistant GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

10-3 RxAssistant can be accessed via the Window’s system tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
10-4 Setting RxAssistant to be visible in the taskbar of the PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
10-5 Configuring RxAssistant preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
10-6 Generating the receiver Diagnostic Report using RxAssistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
10-7 Connecting to a Septentrio Receiver using RxAssistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
10-8 Configuring the NTRIP connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
10-9 Status information with active NTRIP connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
10-10 The Position tab when in RTK fix mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
10-11 Configuring NMEA output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
10-12 Managing upload of configuration script files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
10-13 Saving the current receiver and RxAssistant configuration as a profile . . . . . . . . .158
10-14 Uploading a saved configuration profile to the receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
10-15 Launching the ArcPad software from the PC start menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
10-16 Selecting and configuring the ArcPad connection with the AsteRx-m GeoPod 160
10-17 Activating the connection between the AsteRx-m GeoPod and ArcPad . . . . . . . .161
10-18 The current position plotted on the ArcPad World map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

11-1 APS3G Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

B-1 Difference between geodetic latitude ϕ and geocentric latitude Φ . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

B-2 The Mercator projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
B-3 The topocentric ENU coordinate system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191

11
 LIST OF TABLES

List of Tables

2.2-1 Default serial port settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

5.1-1 SBF Analyzer return codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

6.1-1 RxLogger return codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

7.1-1 RxUpgrade return codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

12.1-1 bin2asc Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

12.2-1 sbf2stf Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
12.3-1 sbf2asc Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
12.3-2 sbf2asc Row Identifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
12.3-3 sbf2asc (Short)MeasEpoch block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
12.3-4 sbf2asc PVTCartesian block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
12.3-5 sbf2asc PVTGeodetic block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
12.3-6 sbf2asc PVTCov block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
12.3-7 sbf2asc PVTDOP block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
12.3-8 sbf2asc AttitudeEuler block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
12.3-9 sbf2asc AttitudeCovEuler block. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
12.3-10 sbf2asc ExtEvent block. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
12.3-11 sbf2asc ReceiverStatus block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
12.3-12 sbf2asc BaseStation block. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
12.3-13 sbf2asc BaseLine block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
12.3-14 sbf2asc BaseLink block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
12.3-15 sbf2asc GPSAlm block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
12.3-16 sbf2asc AuxPos block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
12.3-17 sbf2asc ExtSensorMeas block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
12.4-1 sbfblocks Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
12.5-1 sbf2cmd Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
12.6-2 sbf2kml Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
12.7-1 sbf2gpx Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
12.10-1 sbf2cggtts Arguments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186

12
 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1

Introduction
The RxTools is a suite of GUI tools for monitoring and configuring receiver operations as well
as logging and downloading SBF data files. There are also tools to analyze the SBF data files
and convert them to various other formats. A list of the RxTools is given below.

RxLauncher is an application that enables launching any of the RxTools applica-

tions listed below with a single click.

RxControl is a graphical user interface which facilitates control and monitoring

of a Septentrio Receiver in real time. It offers numerous views for monitoring
data and a simple logger for recording data files.
Data Link is a graphical communications terminal that allows users to establish
connections to multiple devices and transfer data between them.

SBF Converter is a GUI for converting SBF data file to various other formats in-
cluding ASCII, RINEX and KML.

SBF Analyzer allows users to generate the same time plots offline from SBF files
that RxControl produces in real time.

RxLogger allows flexible logging of SBF and NMEA data. Users can select multiple
streams each with a different update rate. Post processing actions such as data
conversion or FTP transfer can also be defined.
RxUpgrade is a small application used to upgrade the firmware on a receiver. It
can also be called via the command line allowing upgrade of multiple receivers
simultaneously.
RxDownload is an application for managing the download of data logged inter-
nally on receivers. It can connect to multiple receivers at the same time and can
be used to configure the receiver and set data output.
RxPlanner is a Satellite Mission Planning software. It shows the satellite visibility
and DOP at a user defined location and time period.

RxAssistant is an interface and control GUI that simplifies receiver configura-

tion and monitoring without compromising on flexibility. It provides basic status
monitoring, NTRIP as well as the configuration of NMEA output.
APS3G Tools is an application designed to ease the basic configuration of the
Altus APS3G product line.

13
 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Installing RxTools

1.1.1 Recommended System Requirements
The following operating systems are supported:

• Windows Windows 7
• Windows 8
• Windows 10
• Fedora 15 or later

The minimal system requirements (for 1 Hz update rate 1 ) are:

• 1 GHz processor
• 1 GB RAM
• 1024×768 or higher resolution

1.1.2 Windows installation

Note 1. Administrative rights are required for installing RxControl.

The RxTools installation is performed by running the RxTools_17_0_0_Installer installer:

• RxTools_17_0_0_Installer.exe
(located in the RxTools\windows directory on the installation CD)

With the Windows setup program of the RxTools_17_0_0_Installer, users may choose to in-
stall some or all of the following applications: RxControl 17.0.0 , SBF Converter 17.0.0, SBF
Analyzer 17.0.0, RxLogger 17.0.0, RxUpgrade 17.0.0, RxDownload 17.0.0, RxPlanner 17.0.0,
Data Link 17.0.0, RxAssistant 17.0.0 and/or RxLauncher 17.0.0.

Please see the release notes for installation instructions and warning. Also the release notes
contains detailed description of the programs above as their issues and limitations.

During the installation, you can indicate into which directory you want the Rx-
Tools_17_0_0_Installer to be installed. If a previous version of RxTools is installed you will
be notified that the previous version will be uninstalled. Once RxTools have been installed,
any of the individual GUI tools can be launched using the RxLauncher application.

When connecting to a receiver using USB, two virtual serial ports will be created on your
machine which can be used to communicate to the receiver. Check the Device Manager
to see the exact names of these virtual serial ports. Usually they will stand out from the
rest of the serial ports since they will have an enumeration number which is a bit higher
than the built in serial ports. Also they should have the name ’Septentrio’ written beside
the port name. These virtual serial ports will be labeled as such when RxControl shows the
Connection Dialog. The virtual serial port names correspond to a given USB port. If you
plug the receiver into a new USB port, the virtual serial ports will have new names.
1
Higher data rates (e.g. 10 Hz) will require higher CPU and memory requirements.

14
 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1.3 Linux installation

To install RxControl, run the program RxTools_17_0_0_Installer.bin located in the
directory RxTools/linux-i386/ of the installation CD.

During the installation, you will be prompted in which directory you want the RxTools to be
installed, and where you want to create the shortcuts. Remember that RxControl 17.0.0 and
other RxTools might have some incompatible features with different Septentrio Receiver ver-
sions, therefore you may want to choose a different directory for keeping parallel RxControl
versions or other tools running properly on the same PC.

For USB connectivity you do not need to install any special drivers on Linux.

In order to use RxControl with Linux OS the following settings are required:

• The RxControl process should have the rights to access the /dev/ttyS? serial ports.
On most modern Linux, the /dev/ttyS? devices are owned by root and belong to
the uucp group, with read and write access to the group. Additionally, the device is
normally locked by writing a file in the /var/lock/ directory, owned by root and
belonging to the lock group, with read and write access to the group. In order to
access the serial ports, the user(s) who want(s) to use RxControl must be part of the
uucp group and of the lock group.
On a stand-alone Linux machine, the classic way to make a user part of the uucp
group and of the lock group is by editing the /etc/group file, adding the users
name to the line defining the uucp group and the lock group. For example, if the
user jsmith must be added to the uucp group, change the line:
uucp:x:14:uucp
to
uucp:x:14:uucp,jsmith
On many Linux distributions, graphical tools may edit the file, in Fedora Core, for in-
stance, the tool is found in the System Settings | Users and Groups menu.
Editing the /etc/group file requires c privileges.
On Linux machine administered centrally on a local network, the group members are
likely to be shared between the machines, using name services like the NIS (Network
Information Service), NIS+ or the LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). The
/etc/nsswitch.conf file controls the use of the name services. Ask your system
administrator to add the needed users to the uucp and the lock groups.
• This program will not run on your system if the permissions of the serial ports are not
set to read/write (rw) for you (normally this should not be a problem with the default
permissions).
In case you run into problems make sure that you change the permissions using the
command:
chmod 660 /dev/ttyS?
where the ?-mark has to be replaced by the correct figure for your port (e.g. /dev/ttyS0
for the COM1 port).
Changing these permissions also require root privileges.
• The user has to update his environment by logging out and back in. Be aware that the
X session has to be restarted as well. On most systems this can be done by pressing
the key combination Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.
• It is not recommended to install RxControl as a root user for security reasons as well
as for avoiding that the installation overwrites other settings in your system. If you
need to make RxControl available to more than one user it is recommended to share
the installation directory of RxControl.

15
 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

Once RxControl is installed, it can be launched by executing the link created by the in-
stallation program or by executing ./runRxControl in the directory where the program
is installed. Data Link 17.0.0 and SBF Converter 17.0.0 can be run from the bin direc-
tory so that the proper libraries can be loaded on a Linux system. They can also be run
from the install directory in a similar way as described for RxControl above. If the Rx-
Tools_17_0_0_Installer installer has been used, then other application as Data Link can be
run by launching the appropriate script (e.g. runDataLink located in the /bin directory inside
the RxTools_17_0_0_Installer installation path. These scripts make sure of setting a temporal
library path for the applications so that they can run properly on your Linux system.
Note 2. In order to run the RxTools on a 64-bit Linux version it might be needed to install the 32-bit version of
the C standard library. For Fedora installation this is the package "glibc.i686". The equivalent for Debian(/Ubuntu)
installations is "ia32-libs" package.

1.1.4 Windows uninstall

When the RxControl installer is run, the installer will first offer to uninstall a previous instal-
lation if present.

To uninstall RxTools without installing a new verions, either:

• run the uninstaller executable present in the RxTools installation directory,

• or use the Add/Remove Programs feature of Windows (sometimes named
Uninstall a program), which can be accessed via the Control Panel.

After launching uninstall, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the removal of Rx-
Tools.

1.1.5 Linux uninstall

To uninstall RxTools, execute the following program:

• uninstall, located in the RxTools installation directory.

After executing the command follow the on-screen instructions to complete the removal of
the RxTools.

16
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Chapter 2

RxControl

2.1 Introduction
RxControl is an intuitive GUI application, which allows you to control your Septentrio Re-
ceiver, to log data, to monitor the navigation solution and other activities of the receiver.

2.1.1 RxControl compatibility

RxControl 17.0.0 has been designed and tested to work with the interface of all recent
Septentrio Receivers. Certain old product families are not supported. Please consult the
RxTools release notes for more information about receiver compatibility.

Some receivers can also be configured and monitored using their embedded web interface.
Please refer to the respective product manuals for more information.

The menu of RxControl adapts itself to the connected Septentrio Receiver. So if new func-
tionality is added to the receiver via a firmware update, the new functionality may be visible
in the menu of RxControl without having to update RxControl itself.

17
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Using an old version of the receiver than expected by RxControl may cause some screens
not to function properly since the receiver might not be able to provide the requested data
to RxControl.

Please consult the release notes of RxTools 17.0.0 to check for specific differences and in-
compatibilities with previous versions.

2.1.2 Launching RxControl

RxControl can be launched in several ways: using the RxLauncher GUI, from the Start menu
on a Window’s PC, a shortcut to the RxControl executable can be found under ’Septentrio
RxTools’. You can also launch RxControl via the ’Tools’ menu of any of the GUI tools, for
example from SBF Analyzer as shown in Figure 2-2.

Figure 2-2: Launching the RxControl GUI

2.2 Getting started

2.2.1 A quick guide to RxControl
The RxControl program is an intuitive GUI which allows you to control your Septentrio Re-
ceiver, to perform data logging, to monitor the navigation solution and other activities of
the Septentrio Receiver. To fully understand the functionality and to be able to use all the
capabilities of RxControl, it is recommended to read the HTML help pages and the manual
of RxControl. The purpose of this section is to assist you with your first steps.

Once RxControl is installed (see Section 1.1 on page 14), your next task is to set up a connec-
tion from your PC to the Septentrio Receiver. The user must be aware that the Septentrio

18
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Receiver has several serial ports (e.g. COM1), and that they are not to be confused with the
PC’s serial ports (COM1 and COM2). On Linux systems, the serial ports of the PC are denoted
by /dev/ttyS0 and /dev/ttyS1 for COM1 and COM2 respectively. The next paragraphs
refer to the Windows naming convention.

To connect to the Septentrio Receiver via a serial cable, follow the next steps:

1. Make sure that the receiver is up and running and that it is connected to the antenna.
2. Use a null-modem serial cable (see Section A on page 188) to connect one of the serial
ports of your PC to one of the serial ports of the Septentrio Receiver.
3. Start RxControl, or, if it is already running, go to File | Change Connection.
4. The Change Connection dialog (see Figure 2-3 on page 21) will appear. For the first
connection, choose Serial Connection | Create New | Next>.
5. A dialog window (see Figure 2-4 on page 22) to select the communication port will be
shown (by default the serial port settings are not shown and are correctly filled in for
the default receiver settings). If the Septentrio Receiver is connected to your PC’s COM2
port, change the Serial Port to COM2.
If you would like to connect via USB then select one of the two virtual serial ports, which
have been created for USB communication.
If you accept these settings your PC’s serial port will be in the same state as the Septen-
trio Receiver’s COMx port, and the communication with the Septentrio Receiver may
begin. Every time you turn your Septentrio Receiver on or reset it via software, the se-
rial ports of the Septentrio Receiver will return to the default communication settings
as listed in the table below:

Parameter Value
baud rate 115200
data bits 8
parity none
stop bits 1
flow control none

Table 2.2-1: Default serial port settings

If you want to change these settings you have to press the little triangle next to
Advanced Settings to make the settings visible. Before pressing the Finish but-
ton, you have to provide a file name for the connection settings. Enter a name in the
Connection File text field, even if you stay with the default settings. If you press
the Enter button on your PC’s keyboard, RxControl will add the extension .serial to
the file name. Later you will be able to reuse these settings for the chosen serial port
by loading the settings file.
Note 4. As an inheritance of the DOS background working under Windows systems, it is not allowed
to have a file named COMX.extension. Therefore, you should avoid naming your connection files some-
thing like COM1.serial.
6. Pressing the Finish button will start the connection to the Septentrio Receiver.

Connecting over a Local Area Network (LAN) or over the Internet using a TCP/IP socket is
much simpler than via a serial port. All you need to provide in this case is the hostname or
the IP address of your Septentrio Receiver (see Figure 2-5 on page 22).

Once connected, RxControl displays its Main Window (see Figure 2-7 on page 24) with the
current position, the list of tracked satellites and timing information. If you don’t see the
normal display, please look for more information in Section 2.3 on the next page.

19
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

If everything went all right and you are now connected, then welcome to the RxControl user
interface!

Please hover your mouse over various texts and controls to see the tool tips which provide
extra receiver information or help.

The blinking green lights at the bottom of the main screen signal new data coming into Rx-
Control.

To monitor various aspects of the receiver performance including the position solution and
tracking, go to the View menu and choose one either Time Plots or one of the views. All
the screens are intuitive and easy to use. The icons in the tool bar provide shortcuts to some
of the most used views.

To control the receiver, use the receiver menus (see Section 2.4.3.3 on page 36), which consist
of dialogs and commands to control the operation of your Septentrio Receiver. Have in
mind that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the Septentrio Receiver command
set and the different items in the Communication and Navigation dialogs; most of the
time the name of the menu, item or dialog clearly matches the name of the command. The
settings you change in these dialogs are actually changed in the receiver when you press the
OK or Apply button.

To log SBF data, go to the RxControl Logging dialog used for logging data coming from
the receiver. (see Section 2.7 on page 71).

2.2.2 Controlling the Septentrio Receiver

If you want to change the receiver settings, the place you are likely to visit are the
Communication and Navigation menus (see Section 2.4.3.3 on page 36). These menus
are built dynamically from the MIB description, which is downloaded from the receiver. In
these menus you will be able to find different special settings and commands that set the
receiver in a specific mode. The contents of these dialogs always reflect the current settings
of the receiver. If you change any parameter on these dialogs and press OK, the new settings
will be transmitted to the receiver.

All the current settings can also be requested or changed manually via the Expert
Console (see Section 2.6 on page 66), which acts as a command-line interface to the
Septentrio Receiver. Besides querying the current settings using the get-commands, the
Expert Console also allows you to change the settings by issuing the corresponding
set-commands. For more information about the commands of the receiver, please con-
sult the ”Command Line Interface Reference Guide”. Other tabs in this screen allow you to
see the flow of NMEA and/or differential correction messages.

2.3 Connecting to the Septentrio Receiver

RxControl connects to the Septentrio Receiver using either a serial RS-232 (see Appendix A on
page 188) cable, USB cable or a TCP/IP data stream connection. The latter allows RxControl
to operate a receiver remotely and can be useful for remote reference stations equipped
with a Septentrio Receiver.

20
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

On startup, RxControl pops up a Change Connection dialog asking the user to specify
the communication settings (see Figure 2-3). The user can choose between four connection
options:

• Connecting with the last known connection

• Connecting via a serial link
(USB connection is done through a virtual serial link)
• Connecting via a TCP/IP socket
• Replaying a recorded file

Figure 2-3: Connection dialog

At first use of RxControl, the user has to create a new serial, TCP/IP or SBF file replay con-
nection and RxControl does not present the Use Last Connection option in the Change
Connection dialog. Creating a new serial, TCP/IP or SBF file replay connection is done by
selecting the Create New option in the corresponding drop-down list. The Finish but-
ton will become grayed out and the Next > will become available indicating that the user
has to enter additional information. Pressing the Next > button pops up a Create a new
Serial connection (see Figure 2-4 on the following page), a Create a new TCP/IP
connection dialog (see Figure 2-5 on the next page) or a Create a new SBF file
connection dialog (see Figure 2-6 on the following page).

The Create a new Serial connection dialog allows to specify the values of param-
eters affecting the serial or USB connection between the Septentrio Receiver and the Rx-
Control program. The predefined values reflect the default settings of the serial ports of the
Septentrio Receiver.

However for USB connection via virtual serial ports, some port parameters like baud rate will
be ignored since it is unnecessary (see Section 1.1.2 on page 14 for more USB details).

Keep in mind that after a reset of the receiver, the serial ports of the Septentrio Receiver
may return to this state, so it is advisable to use the default settings. After adjusting the
parameters to the needed values, specify a file name were these parameters can be stored.
Once all information has been entered, press the Finish button.
Note 5. As an inheritance of the DOS background working under Windows systems, it is not allowed to have
a file named COMX.EXTENSION.

21
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Figure 2-4: Create Serial Connection dialog

If the Septentrio Receiver has Ethernet capabilities, then users may also connect to the re-
ceiver using a TCP/IP connection.

Defining a TCP/IP connection is simply done by specifying the IP address or the hostname
of the Septentrio Receiver. In the latter case, the hostname must be resolved by a local
DNS server or by linking the hostname (e.g. MyReceiver) to the corresponding IP (e.g.
192.168.1.134) address. This can be done by inserting a line into the hosts file:
192.168.1.123 receiver.yourdomain receiver

Contact your network administrator for more information on how to map the Septentrio
Receiver IP address to a DNS server.

Figure 2-5: Create TCP/IP Connection dialog

RxControl also has a standalone mode in which it can replay recorded SBF files. This is done
by using an SBF file connection. Defining such a connection is done by specifying the SBF file
that must be played. The file will be played at the rate at which it was recorded, or at a factor
slower or faster as specified by the user.
Note 6. The behavior of RxControl in file play mode depends on the recorded messages. If messages re-
quired by RxControl are not available in the file it is possible that some or all dialogs of RxControl do not function
as expected.

Figure 2-6: Create SBF File Connection dialog

22
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

The parameters of each created connection are saved in a connection file. These files are
located in the user_home_dir/.septentrio directory. A serial connection properties file
is identified by the extension .serial while a TCP/IP connection has the extension .tcpip
and a SBF file connection .sbffile.

If connections files are available at startup, RxControl displays the Use Last Connection
option and specifies the name of the corresponding connection file in the Change
Connection dialog (see Figure 2-3 on page 21).

The user can decide to always connect to the last used connection and skip the dialogs
from the Change Connection dialog by selecting the Use the last connection at
startup check box accessed from the File | Preferences menu entry.

If RxControl is already running, the Change Connection dialog (see Figure 2-3 on page 21)
can be opened by choosing File | Change Connection in the RxControl’s main win-
dow.

During the display of the Change Connection dialog, there is no data communication
between the Septentrio Receiver and RxControl. Pressing the Work offline button allows
you to use RxControl without any receiver connected.

Whenever RxControl fails to initiate a connection to the receiver it will pop up an error dialog
and will allow the user to select another connection.

If RxControl loses its connection to a receiver it will try to reconnect using the same connec-
tion parameters.

Also if receiver is connected via USB and it is restarted or unplugged RxControl will try to re-
establish the connection. Allow several seconds for the virtual serial port to become visible
if receiver is restarted using the USB connection.

Once connected, RxControl displays its Main Window (see Figure 2-7 on the following page)
with the current position, the list of tracked satellites and timing information. If you don’t
see the normal display, please check for a solution in Appendix C on page 193.

When RxControl connects to a receiver, it sends a request for a standard minimal set of
SBF data blocks required to update all the views. In order to minimize to processing and
communication overhead for the Septentrio Receiver RxControl will also dynamically adapt
the set of requested SBF blocks depending on the views and screens opened and closed
within RxControl. During a session, you cannot change this minimal set of SBF messages for
your current connection.

2.4 RxControl’s main window

2.4.1 General
RxControl’s main window is the central part of RxControl. It gives the user a general
overview of position related information, the satellite systems in use, and the status of the
Septentrio Receiver.

If this window stays empty after having connected to the receiver, it means that something
is wrong with the connection or that the receiver is not turned on. This may happen if the

23
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

wrong PC’s serial port is specified, or if the PC’s serial settings do not match the receiver’s
settings. Possible solutions to this problem can be found in Section 2.3 on page 20.

RxControl’s main window is the central location for accessing all receiver related information
and offers full control of the Septentrio Receiver. The Septentrio Receiver outputs navigation
and measurement information in binary SBF data blocks and/or ASCII NMEA sentences at
user-specified intervals. RxControl dispatches the SBF data blocks to a variety of graphical or
tabular views. Quick access to these views is available through the toolbar of the RxControl
window.

Figure 2-7: Main Window

If you would like to change the update rate of the main window and thus the update fre-
quency coming from the receiver, you can do so in the Preferences | General section.

RxControl’s main window consists of four main areas:

• the Position Information section displays current position, velocity, and related
accuracy parameters;
• the Satellite Status section gives an overview of the tracking status of the
Septentrio Receiver for various satellite systems;
• the Information tabs in the bottom part of the window display timing information,
dilution of precision parameters, protection levels (HPL/VPL), RAIM (HERL/VERL), PVT
solution information, and the status of the currently used communication link to the
receiver;
• the Status bar gives a quick overview of the communication between the Septentrio
Receiver and the RxControl program, current PVT mode and the status of logging.

The first three of them have a little triangle before their title. Clicking this triangle allows to
expand/collapse the area.

A minimal subset of SBF blocks is needed to update the graphical windows of RxControl.
The user has no control over this minimal subset of SBF blocks for the current connection.

24
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Nevertheless, the list of SBF blocks transmitted over other connections, can be controlled by
the user through the Communication | SBF Output dialog.

Closing RxControl’s main window closes all the current views, shuts down the communication
link to the Septentrio Receiver and terminates the RxControl program. During the shutdown,
a file with the user preferences (user_home_dir/.septentrio/rxcontrol.conf) for
the RxControl program and a connection file with properties for the current connection to
the Septentrio Receiver are saved ( user_home_dir/.septentrio/connectionname-
.tcpip for an Ethernet connection, user_home_dir/.septentrio/connectionna-
me.serial in the case of a serial/usb port connection and user_home_dir/.septen-
trio/connectionname.sbffile in the case of a file replay connection).

2.4.2 RxControl main window information

2.4.2.1 The Position Information section
The top section of the RxControl main window shows in separate tabs position- and velocity-
related information. The default view1 displays the current position and velocity expressed

in the geodetic geographic system ϕ − latitude , λ − longitude, h − ellipsoidal height
based on the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) ellipsoid.

Figure 2-8: Position Information section

The format used is changed through the FILE PREFERENCES . . . | FORMATS menu entry, which
can be accessed by right clicking on the position information display. The formats pref-
erence setting allow to alter the angular format and the coordinate system throughout
RxControl. The angular format is displayed as (a) sexagesimal degrees, (b) decimal de-
grees or (c) degrees-decimal arcminutes as often used in nautical applications The user can
switch the overall coordinate system as (a) cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z), (b) geodetic coordi-
nates (ϕ, λ, h), (c) geocentric coordinates (Φ− geocentric latitude, Λ− geocentric longitude, r −
geocentric distance) (See Section B.1 on page 189), (d) topocentric coordinates (E − east, N −
north, U − up) related to a topocentric reference point (See Section B.3 on page 191), (e) or
as a cartographic projection (E − east, N − north, H − ortometric height) (See Section B.2 on
page 190). The orthometric height H, referenced to the geoid, by subtracting the geoid un-
dulation N, H ≈ h − N. The Septentrio Receiver interpolates the geoid undulation using
the geoid model at 10 ◦ matrix derived from the full WGS84 coefficient set (see: Technical
Characteristics of the NAVSTAR GPS – June 1991).
Note 7. When running the Septentrio Receiver in base station mode, the position information section dis-
plays only the known true position of the base station. In the base station mode, position errors or standard
deviations are meaningless and thus are not provided.
1
At first startup of RxControl the position and velocity are always displayed in geodetic geographic coor-
dinates. At subsequent startups, RxControl will read the user’s preferences file and display the last used
view.

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

When no position updates are available, values are set to N/A and the cause of the problem
can be seen in the status bar (see Section 2.4.2.4 on page 31).

The position and velocity views display the standard deviation of the coordinate components.
The geodetic and geocentric view display the deviations (σE , σN ) of the standard planimetric
error ellipse along the parallel and meridian, while σU is measured along the normal direction
to the ellipsoid.

meridian
σN
θ
σV σU
σE parallel
W E

Figure 2-9: The planimetric dispersion ellips

This semi-major and semi-minor axis (σU , σV ) and the orientation angle θ, measured clock-
wise from the geographic North, are displayed in the topocentric and projection views. The
velocity tab reports the corresponding standard deviations of the velocity components.

The Position Information section is capable of showing either the GNSS-only solution or an
integrated solution (if available). Whether the GNSS-only or integrated solution is shown, is
determined by a user preference as set in the preferences dialog, which can be opened by
selecting the Preferences... item in the File menu of the main application window. If
an integrated solution is shown, this is indicated by the presence of the text “Integrated” in
the left column of the tabs.

When position information is received from the receiver in a local datum (e.g. in the PosLocal
SBF block), a third tab is shown, that displays the position coordinates in this local datum as
well as the name of the applicable datum. The interpretation of the local height H depends
on the applicable datum. This usually is the physical height defined by that datum.

Figure 2-10: Position in Local Datum tab

26
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

2.4.2.2 The Satellite Status section

The central section of the RxControl main window displays status information about the
satellites and their signals currently tracked by the Septentrio Receiver. At start-up, the Rx-
Control program initiates communication with the receiver and adjusts its views to the avail-
able options of the Septentrio Receiver. During this phase, the Septentrio Receiver com-
municates its capability to track a specific satellite system, such as GPS (Global Positioning
System), GLONASS (Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System), Galileo, SBAS (Space-Based
Augmentation System like EGNOS), BeiDou, QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) or. IRNSS
(Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System) RxControl adjusts its appearance to the actual
tracking capability of the receiver. When the Septentrio Receiver does not support tracking
of a particular satellite system, the corresponding tab is disabled and inaccessible for the
user.

Figure 2-11: Satellite Status section

The satellite systems tab provides a quick overview of reception and usage status of the in-
dividual satellites. The satellite number is preceded by a letter indicating the satellite system
to which a satellite belongs:

• “G” for GPS satellites

• “R” for GLONASS satellites
• “S” for SBAS satellites
• “E” for Galileo satellites
• “C” for BeiDou satellites
• “J” for QZSS satellites
• “I” for IRNSS satellites

The signal indicator on each button reflects the status of each signal of the corresponding
satellite. It is represented by little colored squares. The number of squares depends on the
represented system and the capabilities of the receiver (only the signals of which the receiver
is capable of are displayed). To find out which square represents which signal just hover the
mouse over a button and a small pop-up will appear with this information, as well as other
satellite information. The color code of the squares is as follows:

• grey indicates that the receiver is neither tracking the corresponding satellite’s signal
nor searching for it. There could be two different reasons: (a) the almanac data re-
ports that the satellite is not visible from the current position, or (b) the user explicitly
requested not to track this satellite. (For more information about the commands of the
receiver, please consult the ”Command Line Interface Reference Guide”.) If all signals
for a satellite are in this mode, the text on the button is also grey to indicate that there
is no activity for this satellite.
• yellow indicates that the receiver tries to detect the corresponding signal of the satel-
lite and has entered into the search mode.

27
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

• orange indicates that a valid satellite signal has been detected and that the tracking
channel enters into a synchronization phase.
• blue indicates that the satellite signal is tracked, but it is not used in the PVT.
• green indicates that the satellite signal is tracked and used in the PVT computation.
• red indicates that the satellite signal is tracked, but it has been thrown out of the PVT
computation.

When the text for an SBAS satellite is printed in bold, this SBAS satellite is used as a source
of SBAS corrections that could be used by the PVT solution. Note that this can only be the
case when the PVT mode includes an SBAS-aided positioning solution.

At the bottom of the satellite status section there is a summary of the tracking status of
the Septentrio Receiver for all the satellite systems. Both the total number of satellites and
the number of satellites per constellation that have signals in (a) search (b) synchronization
(c) tracking but not used in PVT (d) tracking and used in PVT are shown. If a satellite has
signals of different statuses it will be counted in the last possible list.

Hovering the mouse pointer over a satellite button pops up a message containing basic
information on the satellite (See Figure 2-12). The pop-up message reports the following:

Figure 2-12: Pop-up in the Satellite Status section

• The logical channel on which this satellite is being tracked by the Septentrio Receiver
(next to the satellite number).
• For SBAS satellites the name of the geostationary satellite is also displayed.
• The elevation and azimuth angles of the line-of-sight to the satellite in degrees. An
arrow indicator shows whether the satellite is rising (↑) or setting (↓).
• The status of all the satellite’s signals together with the name of the signal and if it is
healthy or not

2.4.2.3 Receiver Information tabs

The bottom section of RxControl’s main window contains the Time, RxClock, the Dilution
Of Precision, the Protection Limit or Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring, PVT
and Status tabs.

Figure 2-13: Receiver Information tabs

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

2.4.2.3.1 Time tab

The Time tab displays the current date and time. By default, the date and time are displayed
in the UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) time reference, but it can be changed to the GNSS
time reference or to the local time (derived from the PC’s locale) by right-clicking in the Time
tab.

2.4.2.3.2 RxClock tab

The RxClock tab displays the current date and time expressed by the Week number (WNc)
and the Time Of Week (TOW). It also shows the offset and the drift of the Septentrio Receiver’s
internal clock with respect to the GNSS time reference.

2.4.2.3.3 DOP tab

The central tabs show the Dilution Of Precision (DOP), Protection Limit (PL) or Receiver
Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) values. The DOP parameters represent the in-
fluence of the geometric distribution of the observed satellite constellation on the naviga-
tion solution. The multiplication of the DOP parameter times the a-priori standard deviation
of the range errors yields the expected accuracy of the position (horizontal and/or vertical)
and the time synchronization. PDOP (Position DOP) is a measure of the achievable three-
dimensional geometric accuracy and has two components: HDOP (Horizontal DOP) in the
local horizontal plane and a vertical component VDOP (Vertical DOP). An estimate of the tim-
ing error can be derived from the value of TDOP (Time DOP).

2.4.2.3.4 PL tab
If SBAS satellites are tracked, the horizontal and vertical protection limits are displayed. If
supported it also shows the SBAS PL integrity status (successful, failed or unavailable).

2.4.2.3.5 RAIM tab

The Septentrio Receiver features RAIM to ensure the integrity of the computed position so-
lution, provided sufficient satellites are available. The RAIM tab shows Horizontal External
Reliability Level (HERL) and Vertical External Reliability Level (VERL) which are the dis-
tinct External Reliability Levels (XERL) for the horizontal and the vertical components based
on the Minimum Detectable Bias (MDB). It also shows the RAIM integrity status (successful,
failed or unavailable).

2.4.2.3.6 PVT tab

The PVT tab shows information about the PVT solution. If there is no PVT solution the reason
is also displayed here. If there is a PVT solution the following information is shown:

PVT mode: Stand-Alone PVT, Differential PVT, Fixed location, RTK with fixed ambiguities, RTK
with float ambiguities or SBAS aided PVT.
System: The systems used in the PVT solution (e.g.: GPS+SBAS).

29
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Info: Indicates if the PVT solution is of the 2D or 3D type. Indicates the type of correc-
tions used in case of SBAS, DGPS, or RTK solution. Indicates DO229 precision approach
mode and the Auto Base mode. Indicates use of altitude pressure aiding information.
Indicates start of baseline information.
Corr Age: When in DGPS or RTK mode this indicates the mean age of the differential correc-
tions and when in SBAS mode this indicates the mean age of the fast corrections.

The PVT tab only shows information about the GNSS-based PVT. Refer to Section 2.4.2.3.8
for more information on the integrated solution, if available.

2.4.2.3.7 Status tab

The Status tab reports the:

Up-Time of the Septentrio Receiver: expressed in days, hours, minutes and seconds.
CPU usage: high values during a long period of time may indicate a problem with the func-
tioning of the Septentrio Receiver and may require the user’s attention.
Connection port: the name of the connection port on the receiver side.
Throughput: the throughput of the currently used communication port. If the connection
is over Ethernet the IP-address is shown when hovering over the throughput.

2.4.2.3.8 Integration tab

The Integration tab shows information about the integrated solution for position, velocity
and attitude:

Mode: current integration mode.

Error: current integration error status.
Info: information regarding the status and the type of measurements used.
GNSS Age: Duration that no GNSS measurements were received and no GNSS-
measurement based PVT is computed.

As for most parts of the user interface, more detailed information or an explanation is shown
when the user hovers with the mouse over these fields.

The Integration tab only shows information if an integrated solution is available to RxCon-
trol. On one hand this is determined by the capabilities of the Septentrio Receiver, and the
selected positioning mode. On the other hand, this is also determined by the user preference
as set in the Preferences dialog, which can be opened by selecting the Preferences...
item in the File menu of the main application window. If no integrated solution is used by
the application, all fields in the Integration tab show “N/A”. If the receiver does not support
integration, the tab is not shown.

2.4.2.3.9 Attitude tab

The Attitude tab shows information about GNSS-based heading/attitude:

Mode: current GNSS heading/attitude mode.

Error1: current error status for auxiliary antenna 1.
Error2: current error status for auxiliary antenna 2.

30
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Nr SV: the average over all antennas of the number of satellites currently included in the
attitude calculations.

As for most parts of the user interface, more detailed information or an explanation is shown
when the user hovers with the mouse over these fields.

The Attitude tab only shows the above information if this information is available to Rx-
Control. On one hand this is determined by the capabilities and settings of the Septentrio
Receiver. On the other hand, this is also determined by the user preference as set in the
Preferences dialog, which can be opened by selecting the Preferences... item in the
File menu of the main application window. The tab does not display information if the ap-
plication is set up to only show integrated solutions. If the receiver does not support GNSS
Attitude/Heading, the tab is not shown.

2.4.2.4 The Status bar

At the bottom of RxControl’s main window a status bar (See Figure 2-7 on page 24) can be
found. The status bar consists of two lines and contains the following information in the
order from left to right:

• a LED which blinks if a valid SBF message is received. Normally this LED blinks green,
but whenever there is a CRC error or there are discarded bytes it starts blinking red.
Hovering the mouse over the LED will show a pop up with information about the num-
ber of CRC errors and discarded bytes. Showing this pop up also makes the LED blink
green again (until the next error). Right-clicking the LED allows to reset the CRC errors
and discarded bytes counters.
• a LED indicating the receiver status. If the receiver status indicates there are no errors,
it blinks green. If the error flag of the receiver is set, it blinks red. The history of pre-
vious errors will also be kept in the tool tip of this LED. To clear this history right click
on the LED and select Reset Counter. The second option Display the error
output in the Expert Console issues the LstInternalFile, Error com-
mand to the receiver and shows its output in the Expert Console. This also clears the
error on the receiver side.
• a LED indicating that differential corrections are being received or transmitted2 by the
Septentrio Receiver. See DiffCor Info Window (Section 2.5.6 on page 49) for more
details about the correction messages that are coming in.
• a LED which will blink green every time an external event is detected by the receiver.
See Expert Console(Section 2.6 on page 66) Events tab if you would like to see the
details about the external event or if you would like to count the external events.
• a LED indicating that external sensor measurements are being received by the Septen-
trio Receiver.
• an icon indicating the logging status. If the arrow on the icon is moving, this indicates
that logging is currently taking place. If the icon is stationary then no logging is taking
place.
• an icon indicating internal logging. If this icon is greyed out then your receiver does not
support internal logging. If the icon is colored and stationary then the internal logging
is available but there is no logging taking place. If the arrow on the icon is moving this
means that internal logging is currently taking place.
2
For transmitted differential corrections the LED only blinks when they are transmitted on a serial connection
or a connection that is actively used.

31
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

• an icon indicating the current PVT mode of the Septentrio Receiver, see Figure 2-14 on
the following page:
(a) No PVT available
(b) Stand-alone PVT
(c) Differential PVT
(d) Base Station
(e) RTK Fixed Ambiguities
(f) RTK Float Ambiguities
(g) SBAS Enabled PVT
(h) Moving-Base RTK with Fixed Ambiguities
(i) Moving-Base RTK with Float Ambiguities
(j) Precise Point Positioning (PPP) with Fixed Ambiguities
(k) Precise Point Positioning (PPP) with Float Ambiguities
• an optional icon indicating the current integration mode of the position and velocity
information shown by RxControl, see Figure 2-15 on the next page:
(a) GNSS PV solution
(b) Loosely-integrated PV solution
(c) Extrapolated PV solution
(d) No integrated PV solution
The icon is not shown when not relevant, e.g. when automatically choosing the GNSS
PV solution when connected to a receiver that is not capable to perform integration.
• an optional icon indicating the current heading/attitude mode, see Figure 2-16 on the
following page:
(a) GNSS Heading/Attitude with Fixed Ambiguities 3
(b) GNSS Heading/Attitude with Float Ambiguities 3
(c) Integrated Attitude
(d) No Heading/Attitude
The icon is not shown when not relevant.
• an icon indicating the connection state of RxControl.
• a text area for messages indicating the current actions of RxControl.
• a text area showing that an external reference clock is connected to the receiver or
nothing if no such reference is there.
• a text area showing that a onePPS in pulse is available to the receiver or nothing if no
such pulse is there.
• a text area showing the type of the currently connected receiver.
• a text area showing the marker name, if one has been set, otherwise ’SEPT’.

3
Computed either from multi-antenna receivers or moving base configurations.

32
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k)

Figure 2-14: PVT Mode icons

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 2-15: Integration Mode icons

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 2-16: Attitude Mode icons

2.4.3 The menus and the toolbar of the RxControl

window
The menu bar of RxControl’s main window allows a user to control every operational aspect
of the Septentrio Receiver, log data, open various graphical and tabular data views and get
information about the status and capabilities of the Septentrio Receiver.

Please note that all menus related the Septentrio Receiver commands are created dynami-
cally via the MIB (Management Information Base) downloaded from the receiver. RxControl
communicates with the receiver following the binary SNMP (Simple Network Management
Protocol) protocol and the command set as described in the MIB. Therefore it is impossible to
describe in this section the exact look and contents of the receiver menus. Only the entries
that are hard coded in RxControl are fully described here, so when your RxControl is con-
nected to a receiver additional menu entries are created. For more information about the
commands of the receiver, please consult the ”Command Line Interface Reference Guide”.

2.4.3.1 The File menu

The File menu allows you to access main functions of RxControl. It contains the following
hard coded entries:

Change Connection: Allows to connect to another Septentrio Receiver or file (this option is
discussed in more detail in Section 2.3 on page 20).
Manage Connections Allows to view, rename or delete existing connection files.
Preferences: Opens the preferences dialog. This dialog is divided into the following sec-
tions:
• The Preference page of this dialog allows the user to change the general set-
tings of RxControl. These settings include the following:
– Setting the update rate of the SBF messages transmitted by the receiver.

33
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

– Position/Velocity/Attitude selection preference allows the user to specify if au-

tomatic, integrated or GNSS-only solution is to be used. The integrated solu-
tion can be shown when connected to a Septentrio Receiver offering integra-
tion capabilities (e.g. using input from an IMU). Which solution is shown, is de-
termined by this preference. By default, “Automatic” is selected. In this mode,
the integrated solution is shown when the connected Septentrio Receiver is
capable of integration and if sensor integration is enabled in the Position-
ing Mode settings of the receiver. Otherwise, the “Automatic” mode causes
the GNSS-based solution to be shown. “GNSS-based solution only” and “In-
tegrated solution only” can be used to force the respective solutions to be
shown.
– Satellite Constellation Order can be selected. This will effect dialogs and dis-
plays which show satellite information grouped by constellations. Their order
can be changed according to the selection of this preference.
– File Management preferences allow experienced users to change default be-
havior for dealing with files used by RxControl. Caution is advised.
• The Programs section allows to point to a specific program to execute a given
task. For example the user can select a preferred browser which will be used to
open web pages through RxControl.
• The Reference section allows to change the reference positions which effect var-
ious plots. The True Antenna Position reference point effects the HPL/VPL plots,
while the Topocentric Reference Position effects Topocentric Position on the main
screen, ENU Time Plot and the Planimetric Plot.
• The Formats section the user can select the format of units which will be dis-
played.
Display Diagnostic Report: Opens a dialog displaying diagnostics about RxControl and the
connected receiver (if any).
Save MIB Description As: Allows to save the MIB description currently used by the RxCon-
trol to build the receiver’s menu.
Upload Script: Allows to execute a script on the receiver. This script can be used to set
the receiver into a certain configuration. Script files consist of a sequence of ASCII
commands to be executed on the receiver. Lines starting with #@ are not sent to the
receiver, and can be inserted as comments. The script execution can be suspended for
a specified amount of time by inserting a sleep statement as a comment. The duration
is by default specified in milliseconds, but can also be specified in seconds or minutes;
e.g.:
• #@ sleep 1000
• #@ sleep 3 sec
• #@ sleep 2 min
The script execution can also be suspended until a given GNSS time (as reported by the
receiver) is reached, by inserting a sleep until statement as a comment, e.g.:
• #@ sleep until 01:23
• #@ sleep until 13:45:10
• #@ sleep until 2023-05-17T13:45:10
Show Receiver Configurations: Allows to see and save the different Septentrio Receiver
configurations.
Upgrade Receiver using FTP: Used to upgrade the Septentrio Receiver over FTP connec-
tion. Please note that normal operation is not possible during upgrade. The upgrade
is explained in detail in sections 2.8 on page 78.
Upgrade Receiver using Current Connection: Used to upgrade the Septentrio Receiver.
Please note that normal operation is not possible during upgrade. The upgrade is
explained in detail in sections 2.8 on page 78.

34
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Exit: Exit the program

Figure 2-17: File menu

2.4.3.2 The View menu and the toolbar

The View menu provides access to the tabular and graphical views which characterize the
navigation solution and other aspects of the receiver operation. These views are explained
in more detail in sections 2.5.1 on page 38 to 2.6 on page 66. These views can be invoked
through the View menu or by clicking the corresponding icon in the toolbar. Clicking an
icon for the first time will open the corresponding view, while clicking it again will bring it to
the front.

Figure 2-18: View menu

The entry Configure Toolbar... of the View menu allows the user to configure which
buttons are available on the toolbar.

This menu also contains entries to select:

• the available Views

• the time frame in which the time is displayed on the Time tab (see Section 2.4.2.3.1 on
page 29)
• whether or not the toolbar is shown

The dimension and location of each tabular view and plot is saved in the rxcontrol.conf
file located in the user_home_dir/.septentrio/ directory. At startup, RxControl reads

35
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

this file and restores the sizes and relative positions of the views and plots. The same single
file is shared in the case that more than one RxControl is opened on the same system.

2.4.3.3 The Communication and Navigation menu

The Septentrio Receiver has an extensive command set which allows the user to control
many aspects of the Septentrio Receiver operation. For more information about the com-
mands of the receiver, please consult the ”Command Line Interface Reference Guide”. Mas-
tering all the commands can take some time even for an experienced user, so in order to help
the user, all receiver commands are made visible via RxControl menus. These menus are
built dynamically on information provided by the receiver itself. The Communication menu
contains the settings related to communication with the receiver while the Navigation
menu contains the receiver parameters linked to its operation. All commands shown on
these settings dialogs contain descriptive tool tips to assist the user and have a link to the
online Septentrio Receiver manual.

Each time a settings dialog is shown, the receiver is queried for its current status so that
the shown settings reflect the actual receiver status. When no reply is received an error is
reported. At the bottom of each settings dialog there are always four buttons:

Default: Changes all the settings in the dialog to the default settings.
Apply: Applies the settings in the dialog without closing the dialog.
OK: Applies the settings in the dialog and closes the dialog.
Cancel: Closes the settings dialog without changing the receiver’s settings.

If RxControl is connected to a AsteRx2DR, PolaRx3, PolaRx3e, PolaRx3G, PolaRx3eG, Po-

laRx3TR or PolaRx3eTR an extra ’Network settings...’ menu option will be available in the
Communication menu. Clicking on this option will open a wizard that allows the network
setting of the connected device to be changed. The following network settings are available:

• Static or dynamic IP configuration. The receiver can be configured to use a static (fixed)
IP address with gateway and netmask or to get a dynamic IP via the DHCP protocol.
• HTTP port number and password. The default HTTP port is 80 but can be changed if
needed. A HTTP password can be set to restrict users from configuring the network
settings of the receiver via HTTP.
• Telnet port number. The telnet port number can be changed from its default value of
28784.
• Ethernet device reset. This option will reset the Ethernet configurations of the receiver.

The wizard will finally save all new settings in the Septentrio Receiver.
Note 8. The wizard will setup the baudrate of the link to 115200 bps, the serial-to-Ethernet board can go
to higher rates in these units but this requires a manual configuration of both the Septentrio Receiver and the
serial-to-Ethernet board. Please check your Septentrio Receiver product manual for further information.

36
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

2.4.3.4 The Tools menu

Figure 2-19: Tools menu

The Tools menu contains an entry to open the Expert Console (see Section 2.6 on
page 66) to control the receiver via the ASCII command line interface, see the receiver’s ASCII
output or to visualize the NMEA stream.

The following entries allow to open the other programs that are delivered together with
RxControl.

2.4.3.5 The Logging menu

Figure 2-20: Logging menu

The RxControl program has a built-in logging functionality allowing to log the binary SBF
stream (at the same rate as the one RxControl is using) and/or the ASCII NMEA stream
(at a user programmable rate). Opening the RxControl Logger window (see Figure 2-
44 on page 71) allows to specify the log file name and the SBF/NMEA messages which will be
logged. If logging is in progress closing the window will not stop the logging. A logging icon in
the status bar of RxControl main window will be disabled if logging is stopped and enabled
if logging is in progress. For a more detailed description of the logger see Section 2.7 on
page 71.

This menu entry also contains the Septentrio Receiver specific commands related to the
internal logging if supported.

If internal logging is supported by your receiver and you would like to log SBF data to a disk
on your receiver you must do so through Communication | Output Settings | SBF
Output. In the Ports row select DSK1, then select SBF message to be logged, and finally set
the SBF message output Interval. To manage your internal log files use the menu items
which contain the word Internal in the Logging menu.

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

2.4.3.6 The Help menu

Figure 2-21: Help menu

Help Topics: This menu provides access to the integrated HTML help of the RxControl pro-
gram.
Event Viewer: Opens a window showing an event log of the current session of RxControl.
This window will log errors, warnings, and significant events which took place since
RxControl was started.
Septentrio Website: Points your browser to the Septentrio website.
Support: Points your browser to the Septentrio support website for either RxControl or the
connected receiver. The opened web page has already some filled in fields with details
about the program or receiver.
About RxControl: Shows a dialog with version information about the RxControl program.

Depending on the connected Septentrio Receiver other entries may appear here with infor-
mation about the Septentrio Receiver.

2.5 RxControl’s tabular and graphical views

2.5.1 Channel Table
The Channel Table can be opened using the View | Views | Channel Table menu
entry or by clicking the corresponding icon in the toolbar of RxControl’s main window.
There is a tab for each system the receiver is capable of tracking (unavailable systems are
greyed out). By default the columns of the channel table contain the real-time values for
measurements made by the Septentrio Receiver. Each row contains measurements for a
particular channel. If wanted the rows and columns can be swapped via the Transpose
option in the View menu. Please note that the channel table adapts itself to the number of
signals and antenna’s available as reported by the receiver.

38
 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Figure 2-22: Channel Table

The following information can be displayed:

The satellite PRN number or slot number is preceded by either one of the following:
• “G” for GPS satellites
• “R” for GLONASS satellites
• “S” for SBAS satellites
• “E” for Galileo satellites
• “C” for BeiDou satellites
• “J” for QZSS satellites
• “I” for IRNSS satellites
The Elevation and Azimuth angles of the satellite characterize the location of the satellite
relative to the local horizontal plane. The Azimuth angle is measured from geographic
North in positive towards the East. The Elevation angle defines the angle between the
local horizontal plane and the direction to the satellite. Both angles are measured in
degrees. The Elevation angle is preceded by an up (↑) or down (↓) arrow indicating
whether the satellite is rising or setting. When the arrow is absent, the Septentrio
Receiver has not been able yet to determine the variation of the Elevation. Both angles
can be visualized in the Sky Plot (see Section 2.5.3 on page 42).
The State (for each available signal and antenna) displays the current tracking status of the
satellite’s signals. The affix (PVT) indicates whether a particular satellite is used in the
navigation solution. The icon giving a graphical representation of the state follows the
same color conventions as explained in Section 2.4.2.2 on page 27.
The Health status of the satellite’s signals as derived from the decoded navigation message.
It can take the values Healthy, Unhealthy or Unknown.
The Carrier-to-Noise Ratio characterizes the quality of the different received satellite sig-
nals for each available antenna and is expressed in dB-Hz. These values are also visu-
alized in the Carrier to Noise Ratio Plot (see Section 2.5.2 on page 41).
The Lock time indicates for how long each satellite’s signal has been continuously tracked
on an antenna and is expressed in hours, minutes, and seconds.
The Cumulative Loss-Of-Continuity counter starts at zero at receiver start-up, and is incre-
mented at each initial lock after signal (re)acquisition, or when a cycle slip is detected.
The Doppler is a measure of the velocity of the satellites relative to the antenna and is
expressed in Hz. A positive value for the Doppler shift indicates that a satellite is ap-
proaching the receiver, while negative values indicate that a satellite is moving away
from the receiver.
The Range measured by the code correlators of the receiver represent the pseudodistances
to the satellites in meters.

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The SBAS corrections is a group of columns which allow you to visualize the
GEOCorrections SBF block from the receiver. It contains all the corrections as used
in the PVT computation. This group of columns is only displayed when the receiver has
set an SBAS PVT mode. The next corrections are displayed:
(a) SBAS Range Corr: The applied pseudorange correction based on the fast correc-
tion data received in MT02-MT05 or MT24
(b) Fast Corr Age: The Age of applied fast correction
(c) Orbit Delta-X: X-component of applied orbit correction based on the long term
correction data received in MT24 or MT25
(d) Orbit Delta-Y: Y-component of applied orbit correction based on the long term
correction data received in MT24 or MT25
(e) Orbit Delta-Z: Z-component of applied orbit correction based on the long term
correction data received in MT24 or MT25
(f) SV Clock Corr: The satellite clock correction based on the long term correction data
received in MT24 or MT25
(g) Long Term Corr Age: Age of applied long term correction
(h) Iono Pierce Point Lat: The Latitude of ionospheric pierce point
(i) Iono Pierce Point Lon: The Longitude of ionospheric pierce point
(j) SBAS Iono Delay: The slant ionospheric delay at the ionosphere pierce point based
on the data received in MT18 and MT26
(k) Iono Corr Age: Maximum of the of the ionospheric correction age at each of the
grid locations used for the interpolated delay
(l) σ FLT: The standard deviation of fast and long-term corrections (used for XPL com-
putation)
(m) σ UIRE: The standard deviation of ionospheric delay corrections (used for XPL
computation)
(n) σ AIR: The standard deviation of unmodeled receiver errors, such as tracking noise
and multipath (used for XPL computation)
(o) σ TROPO: The standard deviation of tropospheric delay corrections (used for XPL
computation)
The RAIM Statistics is a group of columns that shows the detailed results of the RAIM
algorithm which ensures the integrity of the computed position solution, provided that
sufficient satellites are available. The next values are displayed:
(a) e_i Code: The Code a-posteriori measurement residual
(b) w_i Code: The absolute value of the w-test statistic for the Code
(c) MDB Code: The Minimal Detectable Bias for the Code
(d) e_i Phase: The Phase a-posteriori measurement residual
(e) w_i Phase: The absolute value of the w-test statistic for the Phase
(f) MDB Phase: The Minimal Detectable Bias for the Phase
(g) e_i Doppler: The Doppler a-posteriori measurement residual
(h) w_i Doppler: The absolute value of the w-test statistic for the Doppler
(i) MDB Doppler: The Minimal Detectable Bias for the Doppler
The Nav. Page Decoding Statistics is a group of columns that shows the some statistics
about the decoding of the received navigation pages. The statistics begin when the
connection to the receiver was established. The following values are displayed:
(a) # Pages: The number of received pages
(b) # CRC Errors: The number of received pages with CRC errors
(c) Viterbi Count: The sum of the Viterbi decoder error counts for all received pages
The Galileo | Available Galileo Services is an item that is only available for the Galileo tab.
It shows the available services for the satellite

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

2.5.1.1 Channel Table Menu

View The Transpose option allows to swap the rows and columns of the channel table.
It also contains the option to show/hide specific items from the tabular view, a Print
entry to make a printout of the table and a Close option to close the window.
Sort This menu allows to choose between sorting according to the PRN number or according
the channel number.
Antenna’s If the receiver has more than one antenna, this menu allows to show/hide the
items for an antenna.
Signals Allows to show/hide the different signals for each available satellite system.

2.5.2 Carrier to Noise Ratio Plot

The accuracy of the navigation solution depends on several factors, such as the observed
geometry of the constellation and the quality of the received signals. The quality of the
signals can be expressed as the ratio of the power level of the received signals to the ambi-
ent noise level and is called the Carrier-to-Noise Ratio (C/N0 ). Carrier-to-Noise Ratios are
expressed in dB-Hz and the observed values are influenced by the Elevation angles of the
satellites and local conditions, such as multipath effects. High levels of the Carrier-to-Noise
Ratio indicate good tracking of the received satellite signals. The PVT processing algorithm
of the Septentrio Receiver assigns weights to the observations based, among other criteria,
on these ratios. The C/N0 Plot can be invoked with the View | Views | Carrier to
Noise Plot menu item or by clicking its icon on the toolbar of RxControl.

Figure 2-23: Carrier To Noise Plot

The carrier to noise plot (see Figure 2-23) displays the observed Carrier-to-Noise Ratios of
the Septentrio Receiver for all the tracked satellites per system. The color bars represent
the C/N0 values for all the signals of a satellite. Since the number of bars that are available
for each system is depended on the capabilities of the receiver the bars have a tool tip that
describes which bar represents which signal. The bar color itself does not have any meaning.
Within one channel there may be different colored bars representing different signals.

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2.5.2.1 Carrier to Noise Ratio Plot Menu

• View
– With Tabbed Layout and Vertical Layout you can select to have either a tab for
each satellite system, or to show them all under each other. This can be useful for
system comparison purposes.
– Show Labels shows or hides the labels 4 above each bar indicating the current
Carrier-to-Noise value represented by that bar.
– Show Average show or hides lines with the average for each signal
– Print allows to make a printout of the plot
– Close closes the plot.
• Sort This menu allows to choose between sorting according to the PRN number or
according the channel number.
• Zoom This menu allows to set the zooming factor of width of the bars. 100% corre-
sponds to the width needed to put the labels under the set of bars for one satellite.
Zooming in will make the bars wider.

2.5.3 Sky Plot

The Sky Plot graphically represents the satellites in view in the local topocentric hemi-
sphere. The outer black circle represents the local horizon with true geographic North point-
ing to the top of the figure. The grey radial lines represent successive lines of equal Azimuth
(from 0◦ → 360◦ ), while the concentric circles represent increasing values of equal Elevation
(from 0◦ → 90◦ ). The blue circle represents the current elevation Tracking mask angle of the
Septentrio Receiver and the green one represents the current elevation PVT mask angle. The
Septentrio Receiver will not search for satellites with an Elevation below the Tracking mask
angle and it will not use tracked satellites with an Elevation below the PVT mask angle in the
PVT solution.
4
When the zoom factor is too small so that the labels are no longer readable, this menu item is greyed out
and the labels are no longer visible. Zooming in will enable them again.

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Figure 2-24: Sky Plot

Each satellite in tracking is represented by a colored plus sign (+) in the Sky Plot. The
satellite PRN number or slot number, preceded by a letter indicating the constellation:

• “G” for GPS satellites

• “R” for GLONASS satellites
• “S” for SBAS satellites
• “E” for Galileo satellites
• “C” for BeiDou satellites
• “J” for QZSS satellites
• “I” for IRNSS satellites

The status of the different signals of the satellite appears next to the cross.

The color of the cross can either represent the system to which the satellite belongs or the
current state of the satellite depending on the user’s preference. When representing the
system the possible colors are:

Dark Purple identifies a GPS satellites

Black identifies an SBAS satellites
Blue-Purple identifies an Galileo satellites

When representing the satellite status the same colored square box is used as on the status
indicators in RxControl’s main window (see Section 2.4.2.2 on page 27 for color definition).

The satellite PRN number can be followed by either a question mark (?), indicating that no
health status for the satellite has been decoded, or the letter U when the satellite is set to
unhealthy. In absence of either indicator, the satellite’s status is healthy.

The history of the satellite passes can be shown by tracks (with the same color as for the
crosses). For a description of the possible user settings related to the satellite tracks see
Section 2.5.3.1 on the next page.

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The Local Horizon Mask (shown by the light purple line in Figure 2-24 on the preceding
page) is disabled by default, but it can be invoked using the Show Local Horizon item in
the menu (see Section 2.5.3.1). The Local Horizon Mask is a line, which connects for each
Azimuth, the lowest Elevation angles at which satellites were visible. At start-up, the Local
Horizon Mask is not defined, but the more tracked satellites pass overhead, the clearer and
clearer the view of the local obstructions blocking the satellite’s signals gets. In order to get
an accurate representation, the Local Horizon feature must be enabled for at least one day
of continuous data collection. Local Horizons can be stored as files with the extension .lhm.
Later these files can be opened to continue the accumulation of the data.

2.5.3.1 Sky Plot Menu

• View
– Show Tracking Elevation Mask: If enabled the Tracking Elevation mask is dis-
played.
– Show PVT Elevation Mask: If enabled the PVT Elevation mask is displayed.
– Show All Visible Satellites: Defines whether satellites that are not tracked (and
of which the Elevation and Azimuth is known) are or aren’t displayed on the Sky
Plot.
– Show Satellites in Search: Defines whether satellites that are not tracked but are
searched for (and of which the Elevation and Azimuth is known) are or aren’t dis-
played on the Sky Plot. This option is only available if Show Tracking Elevation
Mask is unchecked.
– Show Satellites Labels: Defines whether to show the satellite number or its
name or nothing.
– Show Signal Status Indicators: Defines whether the satellite’s signal indicator is
shown or not.
– Show Tracks: Defines whether the history of the satellite passes is shown or not.
– Clear Tracks: Clears the history of the satellite passes.
– Colour Tracks by Satellite System: The tracks shown on the Sky Plot (if en-
abled) follow the system color of the satellites.
– Color Tracks by Signal Status: The tracks shown on the Sky Plot (if enabled)
follow the status color of the satellites.
– Print: Prints the Sky Plot.
– Close: Closes the Sky Plot.
• Local Horizon
– Enable Local Horizon: If enabled the Local Horizon is displayed.
– Clear Local Horizon: Clears the Local Horizon.
– Save Local Horizon: Allows saving of the Local Horizon so that it can be reloaded
later.
– Save Local Horizon As: Allows saving of the Local Horizon to a specified file so
that it can be reloaded later.
– Open Local Horizon: Allows reopening of the Local Horizon that has been previ-
ously saved.

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2.5.3.2 Sky Plot Toolbar

The toolbar contains a checkbox for all the satellite systems. Depending on the capabilities of
your Septentrio Receiver, one or more systems can be disabled meaning that your receiver
cannot use those systems.

If the checkbox for a system is selected the satellites/track history of that system are vi-
sualized on the Sky Plot, if deselected the satellites/track history are not shown for that
system.

2.5.4 The Planimetric Plot

The planimetric plot graphically represents the planimetric position reported by the Septen-
trio receiver. The displayed position is (a) either the projection coordinates (E, N) obtained
using the conformal direct Mercator projection (See appendix B.2 on page 190), with the grid
displaying either the originating geodetic coordinates (ϕ, λ) or the projection coordinates
(E, N), or (b) the topocentric coordinates (E, N) determined, relative to a local topocentric ref-
erence station (See Section 2.4.3.1 on page 33 and Section B.3 on page 191).

Figure 2-25 below shows the planimetric plot main screen. Beneath the menubar of the

Figure 2-25: Planimetric Plot

planimetric plot, the title indicates the current ellipsoid and displayed coordinate grid. When

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in topocentric coordinates display mode, the used topocentric reference position is dis-
played. At the right of the plot, the toolbar groups action buttons allowing to navigate
around the plot, to perform zooming operations or to center the plot around specific points.
The statusbar is used for relaying information to the user.

2.5.4.1 The main areas of the Planimetric Plot

The grid of the planimetric plot displays the position according to the current selected view
(See Section 2.5.4.2). The distance between the main ticks are determined by the scale factor
of the plot. The planimetric plot is capable of showing either the GNSS-only solution or an
integrated solution. Whether the GNSS-only or integrated solution is shown, is determined
by a user preference as set in the preferences dialog, which can be opened by selecting the
Preferences... item in the File menu of the main application window. An integrated
solution can only be shown if the Septentrio Receiver has integration enabled.

The toolbar of the planimetric plot gives fast access to several actions subdivided into 4
categories. The first action group allows (a) to drag the plot by holding the left mouse button
pressed down, (b) to zoom to a specific rectangular area (the start point and size of this area
is displayed in the statusbar), and (c) to zoom to the limits of the plot by adjusting the center
point and the scale used. The second action group allows to clear the mean position or to
clear the entire plot. The latter action also resets the mean position. The third action group
allows to center the plot on the current position, the mean position or the local topocentric
reference point. Finally, the vertical scaling slider performs zooming actions on the plot.
During zoom-actions, the statusbar displays the selected scale.

The statusbar permanently displays the total number of displayed points, the current size of
the plots history and the PVT mode of the current position. Punctual information is tempo-
rally displayed in the statusbar. If the current position is calculated using integration, this is
indicated in the status bar by prepending “Integrated” to the current PVT mode. Moreover, if
there is temporarily no GNSS PVT solution, and the current position is an integrated position
calculated through extrapolation, the age of the last GNSS solution is shown in the status bar
(instead of the current PVT mode).

In the lower left corner of the plot, an optional scale indicator displays the current scale.
When the projection coordinates are displayed, the linear distortion corresponding to the
center point of the plot is shown above the scale indicator.

The upper right corner of the plot can optionally display the legend of the plot. The legend
indicates the meaning of the color of the positions. Depending on the current settings, this
color can either indicate the GNSS PVT mode or the integrated mode.

2.5.4.2 Planimetric Plot Menu

• View
– Selection of the used grid. Possible values are :
(a) Geodetic Grid or Cartographic Grid plot the positions according to the Mer-
cator projection (See Section B.2 on page 190) coordinates (E, N). When in
Geodetic Grid mode, the tick values represent latitude ϕ versus longitude λ
coordinates. In Cartographic Grid mode, the tick values correspond to the
Mercator coordinates north N versus East E.

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

(b) Topocentric Grid displays the local planimetric topocentric coordinates north
N versus east E referenced to the local topocentric reference point.
In both grid modes, the distance between the main tick marks of the axis is based
on the selected scale.
A top of these grids, a circular or distance grid can be displayed. The center
point of these concentric circles is determined by the selection made in the Cen-
ter|Circular Grid Center menu. The radius of the consecutive circles depends
on the selected scale.
– Selection of how the points are plotted. Possible values are :
(a) dot,
(b) pixel,
(c) cross marker.
If wanted the points can be connected with a solid line.
– Different information :
(a) Dispersion Ellips : the planimetric Dispersion Ellips represents the horizontal
precision of the position,
(b) Mean Position displays the mean position of all points since startup of
(c) Reference Position displays the position of the local reference point (See Sec-
tion 2.4.3.1 on page 33) by a green upward triangle.
(d) Base Station Position displays the position of all base stations (See Sec-
tion 2.5.6 on page 49) sending out differential corrections by a grey downward
oriented triangle. The triangle is accompanied by the identification number of
the base station.
– The View Legend selector allows to display the legend for the colors currently
displayed.
– The dynamic Select PVT Modes sub menu allows to select which PVT modes are
to be displayed (See Figure 2-26). The sub menu always contains the buttons All
and Current displaying respectively all PVT modes or just the current PVT mode.
The user further has the possibility to select a specific PVT mode allowing a closer
inspection of the data calculated by the receiver.

(a) Display of all modes (b) Display of stand-alone modes (c) Display of SBAS modes

Figure 2-26: Selective display of PVT modes

– The Legend Mode sub menu allows to specify whether the positions must be col-
ored according to the GNSS PVT mode or the integrated mode. Possible choices
are :
(a) Automatic: if the last entry in the plot corresponds with a GNSS-only solution,
color according to the GNSS PVT mode; if the last entry corresponds with an
integrated solution, use the integrated mode
(b) GNSS PVT Mode: the legend and the colors represent the GNSS PVT mode.
(c) Integrated Mode: the legend and the colors represent the integrated mode.

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– The Mouse Tracking selector displays the position of the mouse cursor using the
selected grid in the statusbar. It is advisable not the leave this option on all the
time due to high CPU consumption.
– Close closes the Planimetric plot.
• Scale
– This menu item allows to set the scale of the Planimetric plot. A quick access to
the scale of the planimetric plot is provided by the vertical scaling slider in the
toolbar.
– The Show Scale Indicator allows to toggle the visibility of the scale indicator and
the linear distortion, calculated at the current center point, drawn inside the plot
• Center
– The Plot Center submenu allows to center the plot around either the
(a) Current Position
(b) Mean Position
(c) Reference Position
(d) Middle Point of the plot
(e) the center point of a Selected Area.
The first three items are also accessible via the toolbar.
– The Circular Grid Center submenu allows to center the circular grid (when en-
abled) around either the
(a) Current Position
(b) Mean Position
(c) Reference Position
(d) Middle Point of the plot
(e) the center point of a Selected Area.
• History
The planimetric plot accumulates the data points in a buffer. The user can manipulate
the buffering of data in several ways :
– The Size of the buffer can be adjusted between 3 600, 7 200, 36 000, 21 600 or
43 200 points.
– When the buffer fills up the oldest data points will be discarded. The number
of points discarded are selected using the Shift Out option expressed as a per-
centage (10%, 20%, 25% or 50%) of the history Size. For example, if Shift Out is
50% and Size is 3 600 points, then after filling up the data buffer, the oldest 1 800
points will be removed from the plot.
– The Decimation is a useful feature especially at high data rates. When No Data
Decimation is selected, all points reported by the receiver will fill up the data
buffer at the selected update rate. For high update rates, data decimation allows
to plot only selected points. Two options are available :
(a) 1 out of n points (n = 2, 5, 10 or 20) selects the last point out of n points gener-
ated by the receiver.
(b) mean from n points (n = 2, 5, 10 or 20) displays the mean value from the last n
points generated by the receiver.
– At any moment, the user can reset the mean position by selecting the Clear Mean
Position. This position is based on all points generated by the receiver from the
moment that connection with the receiver is established.
– At any moment, the history of the plot can be reset using the Clear Plot option.
• Tools

– Drag the plot allows to drag the plot by holding pressed the left mouse button.
– Zoom to Area performs a zooming operation to a selected rectangular area at
the release of the left mouse button.

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– Zoom to Limits adjusts the scale and center point of the plot to adjust the plot to
the limits of collected points.
These items have a quick access button in the toolbar of the planimetric plot.

2.5.5 Statistics Plot

The Statistics Plot graphically represents the number of occured PVT modes and PVT
errors for every epoch.

In a pie chart this plot shows the number of epochs in each PVT mode. Likewise it shows
the number of epochs for each PVT error. All occured PVT modes and errors are displayed
in the legend on the right side of the pie charts. Also the percentage of epochs in each PVT
mode/error is shown.

Figure 2-27: Statistics Plot

2.5.6 The DiffCorr Info window

When the Septentrio Receiver is operated in rover mode, it receives differential corrections
from nearby base stations or reference stations. The stationary or moving base stations
model the real-time GPS error sources and send differential corrections to nearby users ac-
cording to an internationally agreed format. The Septentrio Receiver supports Radio Techni-
cal Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM), versions 2.3 and 3.0, and Compact Measure-
ment Record (CMR) data transmission standards.

When either of these messages is enabled, the user can examine information about the base
station and the status of either of the received differential messages in the DiffCorr Info
window (Figure 2-28 on the next page).

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Figure 2-28: The DiffCorr Info window

The upper part of the DiffCorr Info window is invariable with regard to the selected data
transmission standard for the differential corrections. This part displays information about
the base stations that are transmitting differential correction data to the receiver. For each
base station a row displays :

• its identification (ID),

• the standard (RTCMV2.3, RTCMV3.1 or CMR) used for streaming the differential data,
• the system for which differential corrections are made available. This information is
only available for base stations used for the differential PVT calculations of the receiver
position. These base stations are displayed in green.
• the connection on which the differential correction data are received,
• the length of the current baseline. The baseline can be prefixed with the ∼ sign (ap-
proximation sign). In that case the baseline has been calculated by RxControl using the
rover position and the position of the base.
• and a baseline quality indicator. This indicator is a measure for the spatial correla-
tion of error sources between the base station and the rover receiver. Small baselines
are considered optimal while longer baselines tend to provide sub-optimal corrections.
The baseline quality indicator compares the current baseline length to 250 km when
differential code corrections are used. For RTK operations, the length is compared to a
maximum separation of 25 km. The baseline also shows information about the start-
point and endpoint of the baseline. The baseline can point to the antenna reference
point or to the antenna phase center.

A base station that is used by the receiver for its PVT calculation is highlighted in green color.
A base station for which no up to date corrections have been received is rendered in gray.
Sorting the table can be done by clicking on the header of the column that should be used
for sorting.

The lower part of the DiffCorr Info window represents the type, the number and age
of messages received and identifies the base station which generated the differential data.
The age of the messages is updated each 0,1 s. When the value of the age of a message

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exceeds the Maximum Correction Age, which defaults to 20 s, the corresponding line is
highlighted either in red color or in a blue color. A red highlight indicates that the receiver
is no longer using these messages since they exceeded the temporal decorrelation limit im-
posed by the Maximum Correction Age setting. Messages highlighted in blue have in-
formation which does not decorrelate in time and therefore are still used by the receiver.

The status bar of the DiffCorr Info window displays the number of base stations used
for PVT calculation out of the total number of base stations available and the current value
of the Maximum Correction Age setting.

2.5.7 The SBAS Ionospheric Delay Plot

The ionosphere, located between ±70 and ±1000 km above the earth surface, is one of the
major error sources in GNSS navigation. The ionosphere causes the carrier phase to advance
and the code to be delayed. This delay directly contributes to the measured code ranges (see
Section 2.5.1 on page 38) and has to be modeled by the navigation algorithm.

Augmentation systems, like Europe’s EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Sys-
tem) or USA’s WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System), monitor the ionospheric delay of the
code measurements and calculate the vertical ionospheric delays for grid-points within the
coverage area. The grid and the corresponding ionospheric delays are transmitted to the
users via geostationary satellites.

In the ionospheric plot the received ionospheric vertical delays are represented by a color
code on the world map. The value for each color code is mapped on the continuous color
scale. The lower limit of this scale is always set to 0 meter, while the upper limit can be
adjusted by the user via the Max Value entry in menu on the right side of the plot.

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Figure 2-29: SBAS Ionospheric Delay Plot

The cells with a black cross indicate that these areas are not monitored. The ionospheric
delay error for these points can be greater than 45 meters, and the use of these values is
not recommended. Cells for which no vertical ionospheric delay is available are totally black,
signaling a Don’t Use status for these areas.

On the right side of the ionosphere plot, the list of SBAS PRN’s allows the user to choose
the provider of ionospheric delay. If ionospheric information has been received for a specific
SBAS PRN satellite, then PRN number will be displayed in bold text. The user may select or
de-select any PRN as preferred. This allows the user to differentiate the information specially
when the ionosphere is being monitored by more than one PRN in an specific point. The user
can also specify the order in which the PRN’s are drawn. PRN’s on top of the list are drawn
on top of the lower ones. Click on the arrows on the right hand side of the PRN numbers to
move the selected PRN up or down.

The user can also select which bands are displayed:

0 - 8 : only the vertical bands are shown

9 - 10 : only the horizontal bands are shown
0 - 10 : both the vertical and horizontal bands are shown, the horizontal ones are drawn on
top of the vertical ones

In the bottom group box the user can select for the ionospheric delay itself (together with
the upper limit of the scale) to be painted or for the GIVEI to be painted.

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2.5.8 Stanford Plots

Note 9. Inspiration for plots: Courtesy of WIDE AREA DIFFERENTIAL GPS LABORATORY at STANFORD UNIVERSITY
(http://waas.stanford.edu/)

In navigation and particularly for the vertical guidance of an aircraft on Precision Approach
(PA), the four concepts which enter almost every specification are accuracy, integrity, conti-
nuity, and availability. While these are not new, the way in which they are expressed is very
different for GNSS systems as opposed to more conventional systems such as Instrument
Landing System (ILS).

Accuracy, the first concept, is quite intuitive. It is measured as the difference between the
measures and the true positions. Any navigation aid has its inherent accuracy. The SBAS
implementation is obliged to quantify the accuracy of wide-area differentially corrected nav-
igation solution. Accuracy is most critical in the vertical dimension for aircraft precision ap-
proach. Moreover, in satellite navigation the vertical dimension is the most difficult due to
inherently weaker vertical geometry.

Accuracy or more specifically, Navigation Sensor Error (NSE) is defined as the difference
between the position estimated by the navigation sensor and the true position of the aircraft
which is only exceeded 5% of the time in the absence of system failures.

Two other concepts, integrity and continuity, address performance of the navigation sys-
tem in the presence of failures or rare natural events. Integrity measures the ability of the
system to protect the user from inaccurate position estimates in a timely fashion. Continuity
measures the navigation system’s ability to complete an operation without raising an alarm.
These are the instantaneous metrics of flight safety and are computed at 1 Hz.

Integrity risk is defined as the probability that the NSE exceeds either the Horizontal Alert
Limit or Vertical Alert Limit (HAL and VAL) and the navigation system alert is silent beyond the
time-to-alarm. On the other hand, continuity risk is defined as the probability that the nav-
igation system alarm will drop during the operation (precision approach in this case). These
are competing constraints on the system; integrity failures shall not lead to Hazardously
Misleading Information (HMI) favoring a small alert limit but continuity failures lead to False
alarms favoring a large alert limit.

The final metric for the SBAS or GNSS system is availability which emphasizes the opera-
tional economy of the navigation system. It is computed as the fraction of time the SBAS
system is providing position fixes to the specified level of accuracy, integrity and continuity.
The Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for SBAS specify the computation
of the Vertical Protection Level (VPL) and Horizontal Protection Level (HPL) of the differen-
tially corrected navigation solution which must be met at a probability of 99.99999%. Thus
the true error must not exceed the protection level more than once in 107 seconds. If the
computed protection level exceeds the corresponding alert limit then the alarm is raised and
the operation cannot proceed. If the operation has already begun this condition is a conti-
nuity breach and a missed approach must be conducted. Otherwise the system is declared
unavailable for that epoch.

Figure 2-30 displays the HPL value, as transmitted by the SBAS satellites, versus the calcu-
lated error bounds for the corrected PVT solution. The true error is calculated by making the
difference between the true horizontal position of the antenna and the computed receiver’s
horizontal position. The points on the histogram are drawn with a color code representing
the number of epochs that that specific bin of HPL–error occurred.

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Figure 2-30: HPL Plot

The plot is divided in several zones:

The Normal Operation, is divided in two subzones, which are set corresponding to the
upper limits specified by HAL1 and HAL2. These two alarms allow you to specify 2
separate categories for Normal Operation. The points in the Normal Operation zone
have a HPL value which is larger than the true horizontal error.
-The first limit is formed by the HAL1, which value (default is 30 meters) can be set by
right-clicking on the plot (Set Horizontal Alert Limit 1).
-The second limit is formed by the HAL2, which value (default is 40 meters) can be set
by right-clicking on the plot (Set Horizontal Alert Limit 2).
You must always remember that the grey zone between HAL1 and HAL2 is a subset of
the Normal Operation zone (where HPL values are larger than true horizontal error).
At the same time you can set the Maximum Graph Size, so you can set higher values
for your alarms. The HPL1, HPL2 and the Maximum Graph Size are dependent of each
other, so you must pay attention to the valid ranges while setting them, meaning that
relation should be: Maximum Graph size > HPL2 > HPL1.
The long-term availability requirement of SBAS systems is 99.9% and hence at least 999
out of 1000 points should lie in the Normal Operation region. The current percent-
age of the number of points that are in this zone is labeled in the plot itself or in the
Colored legend Bar displayed in the right of the plot.
The points in the System Unavailable zone have a HPL value that exceeds the Horizontal
Alert Limit and a HPL larger than the true horizontal error. This condition raises an
alarm incrementing the corresponding pointer.

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

The points in the Misleading Information or the Hazardously Misleading Information

zones indicate that the navigation system has produced (hazardously) misleading, and
thus dangerous, information to the navigator. Please notice that there are 3 separate
zones for the Misleading Information, each one defined depending on the values you
set with your value alarms or performance limits.

At the right of the plot you will see a colored legend displaying the number of epochs and the
percentage of them in its corresponding area (the colors in the legend match the different
zones in the plot).

Each individual zone of the plot has its own counter displaying the total number of epochs
and the percentage of them that the navigation system yielded a corresponding point.

The View menu allows to (a) set the true antenna position 5 , (b) to Clear all the information
already gathered and start with a new clean plot, (c) to specify the maximum graph size,
(d) the HPL1, (e) the HPL2 and (f) to close the plot.

Figure 2-31 displays the vertical performance of the SBAS system. Just as the Horizontal
graph, the Vertical graph has default values for both the VALs, but in Vertical guidance these
values are set to 12 and 20, meters respectively. Again you can use the View menu of the
plot to change these values.

Figure 2-31: VPL Plot

The VPL plot is divided into zones similar to those of the HPL plot (see Figure 2-30). Legends
plus all functionality is also similar to the HPL plot. The main differences are that the limits for
5
changing the true antenna position setting will reset the plot

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

the different performance categories have different default values for each category. Also
the maximum graph size is set to 25 as default because the Alarm Limit values are lower
than in the Horizontal graph. Again you can change this maximum size and change or set
customized values or performances in the plot.

There are also two Stanford plots displaying the RAIM metrics: the HERL and VERL plot. They
are similar to the HPL and VPL plot respectively.

2.5.9 Attitude View

The Attitude View represents the current attitude of the receiver, both in a graphical way
as well as in a textual way.

The Velocity Attitude Indicator offers a combined graphical representation of velocity and
attitude as typically found in airplane cockpits (see Figure 2-32). It consists of the following
components (left to right, top to bottom):

• the horizontal speed indicator

• a virtual horizon, offering a combined representation of the heading, the pitch and the
roll. The heading is represented by ticks on the horizon.
• the orthometric height indicator
• the vertical speed indicator
• (at the bottom) the compass

The lower part of the attitude view consists of zero or more clocks, each showing other as-
pects of the current attitude. Figure 2-32 shows the attitude view, including all clocks that are
available.

Figure 2-32: Attitude View

Below the Velocity Attitude Indicator, Figure 2-32 from left to right contains clocks showing:

• the heading (including the course over ground represented by a secondary green/cyan
arrow)
• the pitch
• the roll

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Each of these clocks can be individually hidden or shown by toggling the corresponding menu
items in the View menu. The View menu moreover contains an item to show or hide the
course over ground arrow, and a sub-menu Vehicle Type to select the type of vehicle
shown in the heading, pitch and roll clocks.

The lower part of the window consist of a textual representation of the attitude metrics,
showing heading, pitch and roll values and variances. These can be hidden or shown by
clicking on the triangle at the top left, or by the Show Textual Metrics item in the View
menu.

Depending on the type and configuration of the attached receiver, attitude and PVT can be
calculated based purely on GNSS signals (from multi-antenna receivers or from moving base
configurations) or as a result of integrating GNSS signals with the input of an external IMU
sensor. The status bar of the attitude window displays the integration mode of the data that
is currently shown. The user can configure this through the preferences dialog, which can be
opened by selecting the Preferences... item in the File menu of the main application
window. Figure 2-32 shows the attitude window while in an automatic mode, which instructs
the application to choose integrated position, velocity and attitude data if available, and the
GNSS-only solution otherwise. In the figure, integrated data is shown.

2.5.10 Auxiliary Antennas View

The Auxiliary Antennas View displays the relative position of the auxiliary antennas
to the main antenna as well as the velocities of the auxiliary antennas. Both position and
velocity are given in the east, north and up directions.

Figure 2-33: Auxiliary Antennas View

2.5.11 IMU View

The IMU View represents graphically or textually accelerations and angular rates of the ex-
ternal sensors measurements and integrated angular rate measurements. If a receiver has
external sensors, this view displays the raw measurements of the sensors and the integrated
angular rates for the receiver.

For the raw measurements of the sensors the accelerations and angular rates are given in
the XYZ directions. The integrated angular rate measurements are given in east, north, up
directions.

You can chose from which sensor you want to see the measurements by selecting the sensor
in the Measurements | Sensors menu. This menu is empty if no sensors are available.

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In the Measurements | Measurements menu you can chose to see both acceleration
and angular rate measurements or only one of these two.

The scale menu is by default set to auto scale. As a consequence the scale is adapted to the
measurements. You can also set the scale manually by selecting the corresponding menu.

Figure 2-34: IMU View

2.5.12 L-Band Status Plot

In case your Septentrio Receiver is capable of tracking L-Band signals this panel shows the
status of the L-Band.

The top part contains a table with a summary for each tracked L-Band signal, while the lower
part shows the status of the decoder.

Figure 2-35: L-Band Status

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

2.5.13 Time Plots

The Time Plots graphically show how a particular value changes over time. The following
plots are available:

• Satellite/Measurements related plots:

– Carrier to Noise plot shows Carrier to Noise ratio over time (CN0) for each tracked
satellite. In the Options of this plot it is possible to select a particular signal if
your receiver has more than 1 frequency.
– Doppler Shift plot the Doppler shift of each satellite.
– Doppler Rate plot shows the rate of change of the Doppler value for each satel-
lite.
– Number of Satellites plot shows the total amount of visible satellites over time.
You can select to see number of satellites in view, in track or in PVT mode.
– PRNs in View6 plot shows for each chosen satellite if it is in view or not.
– Satellite Azimuth plots shows the azimuth values of chosen satellites over time.
– Satellite Elevation plots shows the elevation values of chosen satellites over
time.
– Pseudorange plot shows the pseudorange of each tracked satellite.
– Signals plot shows which signals are tracked and/or used in the PVT solution.
– Scintillation Indices plot shows the S4 and Sigma Phi scintillation indices (only
for receivers that support the ionospheric scintillation monitoring feature).
• PVT related plots:
– Relative East, North, Up (ENU) plot shows the East, North, and Up values from
a given topocentric reference point.
– Height plot shows the current height. In the Options of this plot it is possible to
select Ellipsoidal, Orthometric or Local height to be shown. The local height will
only be displayed if position data in a local datum is available, and usually is the
physical height defined by that datum.
– Velocity plot shows the velocity values.
– Position Standard Deviations Cartesian plot shows the standard deviations of
the Cartesian position components.
– Position Standard Deviations Geodetic plot shows the standard deviations of
the geodetic position components.
– Residuals plot shows residuals for each active satellite. In the Options of this
plot the users can also select to view the w-test statistic or the Minimal Detectable
Bias. Also the user is able to choose the signal for which the residuals are being
shown. In addition it is possible to choose between Carrier-Phase, Pseudorange
or Doppler residuals.
– GNSS PVT Mode, Error, NrSV plot shows the values of PVT Mode, PVT Error and
number of space vehicles (satellites) in track over time.
– Clock Bias and Drift plot shows the receiver’s clock bias and clock drift over time.
– Differential Corrections Age shows the mean age of the differential corrections
over time, as well as the age for each individual differential correction message
type. It is also possible to show the reception of individual differential correction
messages over time.
– Dilution of Precision (DOP) plot shows the various dilution of precision values
over time.
– Protection Level plot shows horizontal and vertical protection levels over time.
The user can display the protection levels computed through autonomous fault
6
The Y-axis of the plot shows the SVID’s numbers as retrieved from SBF so that no graphical overlap occurs
for the different systems

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

detection (HPLfd and VPLfd) or based on SBAS error estimates (HPLsbas, VPLs-
bas).
• Heading/Attitude related plots:
– Heading, Pitch, Roll (HPR) plot shows the Heading, Pitch, and Roll values of the
attitude, if an attitude solution exists.
– GNSS Attitude Mode, Error, NrSV plot shows the attitude mode and error for
GNSS-based attitude, and the number of satellites used in the computation of the
attitude solution.
– Auxiliary Antenna Position plot shows the auxiliary antenna position and veloc-
ity relative to the main antenna.
– Acceleration (IMU) plot shows the IMU based accelerations in vehicle coordi-
nates.
– External Sensor Measurements plot shows raw measurements received from
external sensors. This can include accelerations, angular rates and a zero velocity
flag.
• Receiver Status related plots:
– CPU Load and Uptime plot can be used to observe the CPU load of your receiver
over time, as well as the uptime of the receiver over time.
– Receiver Status plot shows the value of the receiver status and error bits over
time.
– Quality Indicators plot shows the value of the quality indicators for the main
functions of the receiver.
– Battery plot shows the charge level of the batteries (if applicable).
– Cellular plot shows several status values for the cellular modem (if applicable).
– Front End Gain plot shows the front end gain and the pulse blanking statistics.
– SBF plot shows the reception of individual SBF messages over time.
• Measurement combination plots: These plots offer a means for advanced users to
monitor several conditions such as ionospheric activity and multipath.
– Lx - Ly plot displays the carrier phase range difference between two signals per
satellite (iono).
– Px - Py plot displays the code range difference between two signals per satellite
(iono/multipath).
– Px - Lx plot displays the difference between the code range and the carrier phase
range per satellite (iono/multipath).
– Total Electron Content plot provides an estimate for the total electron content
(iono/multipath).
– MPx plot displays a computed indication for multipath.

The ENU, Height, Position Standard Deviations and HPR plots are capable of show-
ing either the GNSS-only solution or an integrated solution. Whether the GNSS-only or inte-
grated solution is shown, is determined by a user preference as set in the preferences dialog,
which can be opened by selecting File | Preferences. An integrated solution can only
be shown if the Septentrio Receiver has integration enabled.

The Azimuth, Elevation, Doppler Shift, Pseudoranges and PRNs in View plots
are limited to an update rate of 1 second. Since their values change gradually it is not neces-
sary to update them more frequently.

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Figure 2-36: ENU time plot with East, North and Up components on one plot

When the user chooses a particular time plot, he/she may choose to click the Options...
button in the Time Plots Selection dialog, which will open the Time Plot Options
dialog for a particular Time Plot. In the Time Plot Options dialog the user can choose
which satellites will be visible in the plot. The user can also choose output to be displayed
on up to 4 different plots. This feature can be particularly useful for the ENU plots. The user
may select any combination of the East, North, or Up values to be displayed on any of the 4
plots. If applicable, the dialog also allows the selection of the antenna(s) for which the data
must be plotted, and the signals to be used in the plot. Once the plot is visible, the user
can reconfigure those plot options via View | Options. Doing this will however discard
all data that is already shown in the plot.

In all plots except the PVTMode, Error, NrSV plot, the PVT Mode can be visualized as a
colored bar at the bottom of the plot. This can be enabled or disabled using the Time Plots
Selection dialog. Likewise, in selected plots it is possible to visualize the Integration Mode,
the Attitude Mode or the (External or Collection) Events using such a bar, provided that the
connected receiver has the required capabilities. If the PVT Mode bar is shown, the user can
choose to show a vertical marker at times where the PVT Mode changes, via View | Mark
PVT Mode Changes. This makes it easier to spot PVT Mode changes, even when they are
short.

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The time axis displays time corresponding to the time frame and representation as selected
in the application preferences. If you wish to change the time frame/representation go to
the main screen: File | Preferences, and in the Units section select the time frame
from either GNSS time, UTC time, or local time, and for GNSS time you can optionally choose
to display the time of week, or the GNSS seconds. When you change this value the time plots
will automatically adjust the time axis to correspond to the selected time frame.

There are several ways to navigate through the data of a time plot. The zoom mouse tool
(which can be enabled in the tool bar) allows to indicate with the mouse which region the
plot must zoom to, while the pan mouse tool allows to move the visible part of the data by
dragging the mouse. Panning along either the time axis or the value axis is possible using the
respective scroll bar. To the right of the horizontal scroll bar and at the bottom of the vertical
scroll bar, several buttons allow you to set up the navigation in the corresponding direction:
to zoom in, to zoom out, or to keep the entire data range in view. The latter is one of the
ways to automatically update the visible part of the plot: one can choose to continuously
keep the entire data range in view, or one can choose to automatically scroll the visible part
when needed to keep new data in view as it is received (follow mode). A plot automatically
switches to follow mode when you scroll to the right-most part of the data. The toolbar has
buttons to switch all plots in the view to follow mode or show all mode. The user can also
select the mode in the View menu. Zoom and scroll buttons are disabled if they are not
applicable in the current state.

Zooming and scrolling in the time dimension can be synchronized between plots, so that
different plots keep showing the same time extent as you navigate around. This facilitates
the analysis of contemporaneous data. This can be enabled or disables using the respective
items in the View or the buttons in the tool bar. You can choose between no synchronization,
synchronization of all plots within a window and synchronization of all time plots within the
application.

When hovering with the mouse over a data point, a tooltip appears providing the following
information about the data point: the name of the data set, the date and time (resp. week
number and time of week), the value and unit, and (if relevant) the satellite.

If you would like to know the exact position of your cursor on the plot, turn on the View |
Mouse Tracking option by setting it checked. You will see the coordinates of your mouse
on the bottom left corner of the status bar. A horizontal and vertical marker marks the
position of the mouse in the plot. If more than one plot is shown in the window, the other
plots will show a vertical marker at the corresponding time position.

The History | Clear menu option allows to clear the plot at any time and start anew.
Use the History | Clear All Time Plots menu option to clear all open time plots.

When time plots stay open for a long period of time, they may accumulate a large amount of
data. The user can configure a limit to the amount of data that is maintained, as well as how
the time plots must reduce their data to maintain this limit. The configuration dialog can be
shown using History | Data Size Settings. The same settings can be edited in the
application preferences. It is possible to restrict the maximum number of data points in a
single dataset and/or to place a limit to the approximate amount of memory occupied by
the data in all open time plots. The user can choose to either decimate the data or to throw
away the oldest data when a limit is reached. Decimating the data consists of discarding all
odd data points. After a time plot has been decimated, new incoming data for that same plot
will be decimated to the same degree.

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2.5.14 AGC Table

The AGC Table can be opened using the View | Views | AGC Table menu entry or by
clicking the corresponding icon in the toolbar of RxControl’s main window. The columns
of the AGC table contain the real-time values of the Septentrio Receiver. Each column rep-
resents an analog front end part. The first row of every column is the front end code, which
gives the signals that can be tracked with the front end part. The next row gives the antenna
to which the front end is connected to. The third row gives the actual front end gain in dB.
The fourth row indicates the normalized variance of the IF samples. The nominal value for
this variance is 100. The last row gives the percentage of samples being blanked by the pulse
blanking unit. This field is always 0 for receivers without pulse blanking unit.

Figure 2-37: AGC table

2.5.15 Spectrum View

The Spectrum View enables spectral analysis of the RF signal received from the antenna.
The user can choose between visualizing the RF spectrum, the raw IF samples or a histogram
distribution of the samples. The represented frequency band can be selected at the top
of the window. The user can also determine whether the values must be averaged before
visualization or not, and the number of values that must be included in the average.
p For the
histogram distribution the user can choose to visualize the I and Q samples or I2 + Q2 . The
user can also choose to normalize the histogram.

On the RF spectrum the user can see at which frequency interference is present (the peaks
in the plot). From the raw samples the user can see pulsed interference. If the Septentrio
Receiver is heavily
p jammed the I and Q samples histograms will not show a gaussian distri-
bution and the I2 + Q2 histogram will not show a chi-square shape distribution.

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Figure 2-38: Spectrum View

2.5.16 Message Inspector View

With the Message Inspector View it is possible to show the contents of selected SBF
blocks as they are received from the receiver. Figure 2-39 shows the Message Inspector
View, displaying the live contents of the PVTGeodetic blocks sent by the receiver.

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Figure 2-39: Message Inspector View

In the upper part of the message inspector view, the message for which the data must be
shown can be selected. First select the format to which the message belongs. Then the
message can be selected, using the line edit or the list. When you edit the text in the line
edit, the list shows all matching messages. When connected to a receiver, the list does not
contain those SBF blocks which cannot be requested from the connected receiver.

The lower part displays the data from the message selected above. This part is a tree, ex-
panding composed fields into subfields and showing nested submessages if applicable. The
Value column shows the current value of the corresponding field, if possible in an interpreted
way. Besides the default columns (Name and Value) the user can enable or disable columns
showing the data type and the raw value using the View | Columns menu.

The data is updated each time a new message of the selected type is received from the
receiver. Updating can be temporarily disabled through the View | Freeze menu item.

The View | Show Primary Fields Only menu item, when checked, restricts the dis-
played fields to those that present (the most) meaningful information to end users. When the
View | Show Computed Fields menu item is checked, fields representing computed
information are included. If not checked, only fields are shown that are present as such in
the received message.

Besides SBF, other data formats are available. In particular, a number of formats for differen-
tial corrections are supported, offering the majority of their message types. When selecting

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

a message type from differential correction format, the displayed data is extracted from re-
ceived DiffCorrIn SBF blocks.

2.5.17 Message Statistics View

The Message Statistics View shows how many times each kind of message has been
received. For messages that are received at a regular rate, that rate is also indicated. When
an item for a given kind of message is expanded in the view, detailed information is given
about the distribution of the different intervals at which that message has been received.

Figure 2-40 shows the Message Statistics View.

Figure 2-40: Message Statistics View

2.6 The Expert Console

The expert console is designed for users familiar with the ASCII command set of the Septen-
trio Receiver and allows an unlimited control of the receiver. Expert users can drive the re-
ceiver operations through a command line interface by entering commands to adjust the
behavior and operation of the Septentrio Receiver. For more information about the com-
mands of the receiver, please consult the ”Command Line Interface Reference Guide”.

The expert console is divided into five tabs:

(a) The Receiver Commands tab (see Section 2.6.1 on the next page) allows users to di-
rectly communicate with their Septentrio Receiver.

(b) The ASCII Display tab (see Section 2.6.2 on page 68) allows the expert user to follow
the receiver’s operation throughout a textual representation of its state.

(c) The NMEA tab displays the NMEA sentences sent by the Septentrio Receiver. For this tab
to display information NMEA messages must first be enabled through the Communication
| Output Settings menu.

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(d) The Events tab allows the user to see the details of the external events if they are being
generated.

The different tabs of the expert console share common features.

• Each tab has a LED (grey when inactive) which blinks green when a corresponding mes-
sage or sentence is received. If the tab that received a message is not active, the LED
turns to orange to indicate the user that a new message or sentence has arrived on
this tab. After the user inspects the new message or sentence by selecting this tab, the
LED will return to its default grey color.
• Just above the command line is a message area displaying relevant information (See
Sections 2.6.1 until 2.6.3 on page 69 for specific information) according to the selected
tab. Two buttons control the operations of the message area :
(a) a Freeze button toggles the update of the message area allowing a closer inspec-
tion of the displayed messages. When the freeze button is selected, the informa-
tion normally sent to this message area is discarded
(b) a Clear button that allows the user clear the message area.
• At the bottom of the Expert Console is the command line (see Figure 2-41) used
for sending commands to the Septentrio Receiver The command line is explained in
more detail in Section 2.6.1.

2.6.1 The Receiver Commands Tab

The Receiver Commands tab of the Expert Console is the first tab and forms the cen-
tral communication channel with the Septentrio Receiver for the expert user. The window
is split up in the message area and the command line (see Figure 2-41). The expert user
enters his/her commands on the command line, sending them to the Septentrio Receiver by
pressing the Enter key. The message area displays the commands entered and the replies
received from the Septentrio Receiver.

Figure 2-41: The Expert Console displaying its Receiver Communication tab

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Commands sent by the user to the Septentrio Receiver are preceded in the message area be-
side the "<" sign, while the receiver’s reply is identified by indenting with two spaces and the
">" sign. A typical communication between the user and the Septentrio Receiver is displayed
as follows:

< ggu
> $R: ggu
> GeoidUndulation, auto, 0.0
< help, sno
> $R; help, sno
> setNMEAOutput (=sno), Stream, Cd, Messages, Interval
> getNMEAOutput (=gno), Stream
>
> "Select NMEA message types and update intervals"
>
>
< sno, Stream1, COM1, GGA, sec1
> $R: sno, Stream1, COM1, GGA, sec1
> NMEAOutput, Stream1, COM1, GGA, sec1

In this example the user queries the Septentrio Receiver for the current value of the
geoid undulation (ggu). The reply indicates that the Septentrio Receiver is currently con-
figured to interpolate the value for the geoid undulation using the built-in geoid model
(setGeoidUndulation, auto). The user then decides to request a short help about how
to set the NMEA output (sno). After having a look to the help, the user enables the output
of the GGA NMEA message to COM1 at 1Hz by sending the sno, Stream1, COM1, GGA,
sec1 to the Septentrio Receiver.

The command line interface of the Expert Console directly connects to the central dis-
patching unit of the Septentrio Receiver internal firmware. Through it, the user can use full
names, mnemonics, or numeric values of the command set to control the Septentrio Re-
ceiver. The Expert Console gives a warning when a user attempts to set or modify the
settings of the connection port which is used by RxControl.

The command line of the Expert Console has a history buffer limited to the last 50
commands. The up and down arrow key allow the user to browse through the history. Using
the normal editing keys, a recalled command can be edited or given other arguments. When
Enter is pressed, the edited command is transmitted to the Septentrio Receiver.

Right-clicking in the message area of the Expert Console allows to Copy or Select All
the contents of the message area.

The scroll bar at the right side of the display area allows scrolling through the history of the
commands and replies exchanged between the Septentrio Receiver and RxControl.

2.6.2 The ASCII Display Tab

When the ASCII Display tab is visible RxControl turns on textual representation of the
current receiver’s status (see Figure 2-42 on the following page). When the tab becomes
inactive again, the ASCII output of the receiver is turned off again.

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Figure 2-42: The ASCII Display tab of the Expert Console

Right-clicking in the display area of the Display Output tab allows to Copy or Select
All the currently displayed output.

The command line is still accessible from the ASCII Display tab, but the replies are di-
rected to the Receiver Commands tab (see Section 2.6.1 on page 67).

2.6.3 The NMEA Tab

When National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) output is enabled the user can exam-
ine the NMEA sentences in the display area of the NMEA tab of the Expert Console.

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 CHAPTER 2. RXCONTROL

Figure 2-43: The NMEA tab of the Expert Console

The command line is still accessible from the NMEA tab, but the replies are directed to the
Receiver Commands tab (see Section 2.6.1 on page 67).

Selecting the Freeze button allows for a closer examination of the NMEA sentences. Using
the scroll bar at the right side of the display area scrolls through the history of the NMEA
sentences.

Right-clicking in the display area of the NMEA tab allows to Copy or Select All the cur-
rently displayed sentences.

2.6.4 The Events Tab

This tab allows to see details about external events which are generated on the Septentrio
Receiver. The details displayed on the Events tab include:

• if the event was an Event A or an Event B

• polarity of the event or in other words if the event occurred on the rising or on the
falling edge
• exact receiver time at which the event occurred
• receiver clock bias which can be used to calculate the satellite time at which the exter-
nal event occurred

There is also a running total of Events A and Events B, which can be reset by using the Reset
buttons. When the Expert Console is closed the counters are also reset.

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2.7 Logging
2.7.1 RxControl Logging
RxControl has the ability to log the binary SBF blocks or the ASCII NMEA sentences transmit-
ted by the Septentrio Receiver.

Settings specific to the Septentrio Receiver data logging are changed via the Logging |
RxControl Logging... menu entry which opens the Logging window. This window is
subdivided in five tabs with the following information

(a) the status of the data logging,

(b) the global settings of the data logging,

(c) the selection of SBF messages to log,

(d) the selection of NMEA sentences to log, and

(e) a post processing.

The accessible fields in the Logging window adjust automatically according to the selections
made: inaccessible fields are greyed out. The data logging settings take effect when the user
selects the Start Logging button. When logging is ongoing you will see a moving logging
icon at the bottom right corner of the main screen. Use the Stop Logging button to stop
the data logging.

The Status tab of the Logging Window

The Status tab (see Figure 2-44) shows the status of the logging.

Figure 2-44: Logger dialog

The upper part of the panel shows the log file name for both the SBF and the NMEA
logging. Also the file size and the number of bytes logged per second are shown.

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The middle part shows an indicator of how much space is used on the drive which is
currently used for storing the data files.
The bottom part allows the user to select between viewing a tab containing an event
log of the logging process or a tab with message statistics of the logged messages.

The Global tab of the Logging Window

The Global settings tab (see Figure 2-45) allows to specify the following parameters:

Figure 2-45: Logger Global Settings Tab

(a) the Log Directory specifies the directory in which the logged files are stored
(b) the Message Types To Log allows to log only SBF or NMEA messages or both
(c) the Log Schedule allows to specify an interval for the logging process. The start
and stop time must always be specified in GNSS time, but the times are also printed in
the currently set time frame underneath the start and stop time entry fields.
(d) the Startup Script allows to send a script to the Septentrio Receiver just before
the logging starts. The script can be send every time the connection is lost, or only once.

The File Naming tab of the Logging Window

The File Naming settings tab (see Figure 2-46) allows to specify the following param-
eters:

Figure 2-46: Logger File Naming Settings Tab

(a) the File Naming and subsequent fields allows to specify how the logged files will
be named. The File Naming settings are discussed in the next paragraph
(b) the Station Settings allows to change the Station Settings of the
Septentrio Receiver

File Naming Settings

Four different options are available for specifying the file name convention of the

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logged data. The first three of them are (a) hourly, (b) six-hourly or (c) daily files ac-
cording to the IGS Convention (http://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/). The last one, the Manual
File Naming option allows the user to specify a chosen filename.
When selecting the IGS File Naming convention the following options are available:
• Log messages with a "do not use" time stamp to
"00000/<MarkerName>0000.00": Select this option if you want messages
that have an invalid time stamp to be logged as well.
• To set the markername part of the IGS file name the user has two options:
– Retreive the MarkerName from the receiver: In this case the NAME of the
station is downloaded from the Septentrio Receiver when the logging starts
(it can be changed via the Station Settings button).
– Force the MarkerName to: In this case the entered marker name is used.
Note 10. The IGS Convention option is mandatory when, in the Post Processing tab, the
RINEX or the CGGTTS conversion is chosen.

When the Manual File Naming has been selected, the user has to specify the following
additional parameters:
• File Name: the base name or prefix of the data file(s) created for storing the SBF
messages or NMEA sentences
• SBF File Extension: the extension of the SBF filename(s) that will be created
• NMEA File Extension: the extension of the NMEA filename(s) that will be created
• to store all the messages in one large file or to split the file automatically when:
– it has reached a specified file size
– a specified amount of time has passed
In both cases of automatically splitting the base name is extended with _XXXX
with XXXX a four digit number starting from 0000).
As an example, let the three text fields contain the entries SepRx, SBF and NME. The
data files created in the directory specified in the Log Directory are:
(a) SepRx.SBF for logging the SBF messages;
(b) SepRx.NME for logging the NMEA sentences.
If the user chooses the IGS Convention in the File Naming Convention
selector. According to this naming convention data files are created as follows:

NAMEDDDS.YYE where: NAME . . . is the 4 character code for the station name
DDD . . . is the day number of the year
S . . . is the session identifier
YY . . . are the last two digits of the current year
E . . . an identifier for the type of the data stored in the file
The session identifier S can be one of the following:
• the figure “0” identifies a data file that spans 24 consecutive hours
• data files comprised of data for 6 consecutive hours have the figures “1” (0-6hr),
“2” (6-12hr), “3” (12-18hr) and “4” (18-24hr) as session identifiers
• the letters from ‘A” (0-1hr) to “X” (23-24hr) are used to identify hourly data files
• the letters from ‘a” (0-1hr) to “x” (23-24hr) followed by 2 digits representing the
starting minute within the hour are used to identify 15 minute data files
The time basis used for the IGS file naming convention is GPS time.
Finally, the data type identifier “_” marks data files which contain SBF block categories,
while “1” identifies data files which contain only NMEA sentences. By default the project
path is further extended by the year-date subdirectory YYDDD.

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The following example clarifies the afore mentioned IGS convention, where the current
directory (“./”) is used as Project Path :

./03225/PLRX2251.03_
PLRX2252.03_
PLRX2253.03_
PLRX2254.03_
PLRX2255.03_
PLRX2256.03_
............
............
./03226/PLRX2260.031
./O3227/PLRX2270.031
./03227/MRKR227A.03_
MRKR227B.03_
MRKR227C.03_
MRKR227D.03_
MRKR227E.03_
............
............
............
MRKR227V.03_
MRKR227W.03_
MRKR227X.03_

On day 225 of year 03 (August 13, 2003) the data for the station identified as PLRX
was logged. Six data files (PLRX2251.03_ . . . PLRX2256.03_), each spanning 6 con-
secutive hours, containing SBF blocks are logged. The following 2 days, a single daily
data file (PLRX2260.O31 and PLRX2270.O31) was logged for the same station and it
contains only NMEA sentences.
This data file (a) either spans 24 hours of data, or (b) could be the result of scheduled
data logging that has started and ended during that day. On August 15, 2003 (day
227 year 03), RxControl logged SBF messages in hourly data files (MRKR227A.03_
. . . MRKR227X.03_) from another station MRKR.
In the other hand the naming convention used for the CGGTTS data files follows the
next definition:

XZLLmoMJ.DAY where: X . . . is either "G" for a GPS only, "R" for a GLONASS only
or "M" for a GNSS multi-channel data file
LL . . . are the first 2 characters of the Laboratory set in
the CGGTTS parameter settings
mo . . . are the first 2 characters of the Receiver ID set in
the CGGTTS parameter settings
MJ . . . are the first two digits of the Modified Julian Date
of the first observation in the file
DAY . . . the last three digits the Modified Julian Date of
the first observation in the file

The SBF and NMEA tabs of the Logging Window

The user can select the SBF messages and/or NMEA sentences that he/she wants to
log in these tabs. Groups of SBF or NMEA messages are shown in bold on top of the

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list. These groups of messages are already predefined and depend on the Septentrio
Receiver you are connected to.

Figure 2-47: Data Logging SBF tab dialog

Figure 2-48: Data Logging NMEA tab dialog

The SBF messages are always logged at the same rate as the one used in RxControl,
while the rate(s) for the NMEA messages can be set by the user.
For NMEA messages it is even possible to create different streams with messages of
which each stream has its own rate. This is done by clicking the Add Stream button.
The first row contains the desired rate while the following rows contain the messages
to be logged at that rate.

The Post Processing tab of the Logging Window

The Post Processing tab can be used to perform one or more actions on a log file
after the file is closed. A log file is closed when the logging is stopped or when a new

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file is started according to the IGS convention or when the maximum file size is reached
in manual file naming mode.

Figure 2-49: Data Logging Post Processing tab dialog

The top part contains a list of the currently defined Post Processing rules. Each
line represents a Post Processing rule. The first column contains a checkbox al-
lowing the user to enable the rule by checking it, or disabling the rule by unchecking
the checkbox. The next two columns contain the name and description of the rule as
specified by the user.
When the checkbox Remove Source Files, located under the rules list, is checked
the SBF or NMEA file used as input for the post processing action is removed after
finishing the post processing. If unchecked the file is left at its original position.
By clicking the Add button a wizard is shown to define a new Post Processing rule.
To define a Post Processing rule the following items have to be specified:
Post Process Action Input and Type
Here the user can specify if the rule should be applied on SBF or NMEA log files
and which conversion should be applied:
• No Conversion
• RINEX Conversion (SBF only)
• HATANAKA Conversion (SBF only)
• CGGTTS Conversion (SBF only),
• SBF Analyzer (SBF only)
• Custom Conversion
• ISMR Conversion
Custom Conversion
This page of the wizard is only shown when the user selects Custom
Conversion as conversion type. It allows the user to specify the custom pro-
gram that should be run and the command line parameters to use. The following
parameters are available:
• $SSN_INPUT$: replaced by the absolute path + filename of the logged file
• $SSN_INPUT_DIR$: replaced by the absolute path (without trailing "/") of
the logged file
• $SSN_INPUT_FILE$: replaced by filename of the logged file

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When Custom Conversion is selected the next page of the wizard is the Name
and Description page.
RINEX Parameters
This page of the wizard is only shown when the user selected a conversion type
that includes RINEX conversion. It allows the user to specify the parameters for
the RINEX converter.
Compression Type This page allows to select which compression should be applied
on the file(s) resulting from the conversion. The possible options are:
• No Compression
• Zip Compression
• Unix Z Compression
• GZip Compression
Output File Destination Here the user can choose to move the created files to a FTP
folder, to a local directory or to both. In case a FTP folder is selected the user has
to fill in
(a) the FTP server,
(b) the FTP port number,
(c) the remote path on the FTP server (which must exist!),
(d) the login name and
(e) the password to use.
(f) the timeout of the FTP
(g) the transfer mode used by the FTP process (Passive or Active)
Name and Description This page allows to specify the Name and Description for the
Post Processing rule.
Next to the Add button there is the Edit button. Clicking this button allows to change
the settings for the Post Processing rule that is currently selected in the rules list.
The Delete button removes the currently selected rule.

2.7.2 Septentrio Receiver Logging

2.7.2.1 Internal Logging Settings
Depending on the connected Septentrio Receiver, the internal logging options (if available)
are shown in the logging menu.

Further explanation of those options can be found in the Firmware User Manual.

2.7.2.2 Download Internal Files

The entry Logging | Download Internal Files... allows to download the internal
logged files that are stored on the non-volatile RAM of your Septentrio Receiver. The dialog
shows a list of the files currently available on the Septentrio Receiver (see Figure 2-50 on
the following page). One or more files of the list can be selected by clicking on them (keep
Ctrl down in order to select multiple files). Files which are locked (indicated by yes in the
Locked column of the list) are currently in use by the Septentrio Receiver and cannot be
selected for download. During the download the progress of the current file is shown on the
top progressbar, while the bottom one shows the overall progress.

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Figure 2-50: Download Internal Files dialog

2.8 Upgrading the receiver

If new firmware becomes available for the Septentrio Receiver, RxControl can be used as an
upgrading tool. This is done by choosing File | Upgrade Receiver using Current
Connection menu option or the Start "Upgrade Receiver" Wizard option in the
connection dialog (see Figure 2-3 on page 21) which pops up at start-up. After the upgrade
option is chosen, the connection to the receiver will be closed and all windows of RxControl
will stop functioning.

Figure 2-51: Upgrade Receiver

A wizard will be shown that guides you through the upgrade process. It allows you to select
the PC’s serial or TCP/IP port that should be used for the upgrade and the file containing the
new receiver firmware.

Once the actual upgrade is in progress a progress bar monitors the progress. Some serial
port emulation drivers don’t provide correct progress information, causing the progress bar
to complete before the upgrade is completed. A receiver upgrade can take up to several
minutes so please leave the tool untouched until it finishes its process. Once the upgrade
is done, the receiver is rebooted and will resume normal operation. In case of a failure an
error dialog with the failure message will be shown.

After upgrading the user gets the Change Connection dialog to reconnect to the receiver.

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Chapter 3

Data Link

3.1 Introduction
Data Link is a communication utility which allows users to establish connections between
several serial, USB and/or TCP/IP ports. Data Link is divided into up to six Port Panels, each
of which contains the controls to establish a simple connection to either a serial, USB or a
TCP/IP port.

3.1.1 Data Link compatibility

Data Link 17.0.0 is a versatile communication tool that can work not only with our receivers
but with a wide variety of different devices. It is in essence a terminal emulator that can
manage up to six connections at a time and pass data between any connected devices.

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3.1.2 Launching DataLink

Data Link can be launched in several ways: using the RxLauncher GUI, from the Start menu
on a Window’s PC, a shortcut to the Data Link executable can be found under ’Septentrio
RxTools’. You can also launch Data Link via the ’Tools’ menu of any of the GUI tools, for
example from RxControl as shown in Figure 3-2.

Figure 3-2: Launching the DataLink GUI

3.2 Getting started

3.2.1 Connecting to a receiver using Data Link
To be able to connect to a receiver using Data Link, your Septentrio Receiver should be up
and running and connected to your PC using either a serial, USB or Ethernet cable.

3.2.1.1 Configure Connection 1

There are up to six connection ports on Data Link each of which can connect to a different
device. To configure ’Connection 1’ to connect to the receiver for example, click on the large
button in the Connection 1 area shown highlighted in Figure 3-3 on the next page.

In this example, a receiver is connected to the PC by a serial cable connected to COM2 of the
receiver and a serial port on the PC labeled ’COM1’. A USB cable is also connected.

In the ’Select the connection’ box, serial and USB connections can be configured by selecting
the ’Serial’ radio button. In Figure 3-3 on the following page, the serial connection appears
as ’COM1’ which is the name of the PC serial port and the USB connection which shows up
as two virtual serial ports labeled ’COM28’ and ’COM29’.

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When connected to a real serial COM connection, other properties of the connection may
have to be configured e.g. baud rate however, for USB virtual COM ports, no further config-
uration is necessary.

Figure 3-3: Configuring the Connection 1 port on Data Link

When the connection settings have been made, you can press the ’Connect’ button and, if
the connection is made, the button will change to ’Disconnect’ as shown in Figure 3-4 and
the information field at the bottom will say ’Connected to COM1’

Figure 3-4: Connecting to the receiver

Clicking on the ’Show Data’ button with bring up a terminal window on which you can send
commands to the receiver and see the replies. The command prompt in Figure 3-5 on the
following page shows ’COM2’ as this serial port of the receiver that is connected.

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Figure 3-5: Sending commands to the receiver using Data Link

3.2.1.2 Using scripts

Data Link has the possibility to upload a script when the connection is established and/or
when the connection is closed. The uploading of scripts is controlled by the checkboxes
’Connect Script’ and ’Close Script’. When checking one of these a dialog will popup to select
the script to upload.

It is sometimes necessary to have delays between commands. This can be done using the
’sleep’ command as shown below:
#@ sleep <duration> [unit]

• duration: the duration of the sleep.

• unit: time unit of the duration (millisec, sec, min). If not specified the duration is in
milliseconds.

3.2.1.3 Logging data

The ’Log File’ option allows to log all the data that arrives on the port to the given file. Note
that the text that is entered on the command line to be transmitted over the port is not
logged in the file.

3.3 Data Link: a worked example in an RTK

setup
This section details how Data Link can be used as an NTRIP client to retrieve differential
correction data from the Belgian provider FLEPOS and send it to a receiver.

Figure 3-6 on the next page shows a schematic of the setup. Two separate connections are
made on Data Link; Connection 1 to COM2 of the receiver and Connection 3 to the FLEPOS

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NTRIP server. The transfer of NMEA GGA and RTCM correction data between the receiver
and FLEPOS is handled in Data Link using the check-boxes in the ’Link’ and ’GGA’ fields as
shown.

Figure 3-6: Schematic of an RTK setup using Data Link

3.3.1 Connecting to the receiver using Data Link

A connection is made between Data Link and the receiver using serial, USB or Ethernet as
described in Section 3.2.1 on page 80.

3.3.2 Additional receiver settings for RTK

3.3.2.1 Receiver COM port settings for RTCMv3
In this example, Data Link is connected to COM2 of the receiver so the receiver has to be
configured to accept differential correction of the correct format (RTCMv3 in this case) on
COM2. Figure 3-7 on the next page shows how this setting can be made.

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Figure 3-7: Configuring input of RTCMv3 to COM2

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3.3.2.2 Output of NMEA GGA from the receiver

When using differential corrections from a network provider such as FLEPOS, the user usually
has to provide his position to the network in order to get the appropriate correction data for
his location. The user’s position is sent to the network in the form of an NMEA GGA message.
The receiver can be configured to output the GGA message every 1 second over COM2 as
shown in Figure 3-8

Figure 3-8: Configuring output of GGA

3.3.3 Configuring the NTRIP connection

Taking a different connection field (Connection 3 in this example) again click on the large
button this time selecting the ’NTRIP’ tab. Clicking on ’Edit ...’ will bring up the ’Ntrip Settings’
dialog as Figure 3-9 on the next page shows. Here, the caster settings, user name and pass-
word of the NTRIP account can be entered. If these details have been entered correctly, the
’Stream’ drop-down list will become active and the desired differential correction stream can
be selected.

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Figure 3-9: Connection settings for FLEPOS

The ’Details...’ button gives more information on the selected NTRIP stream as shown in
Figure 3-10.

Figure 3-10: Details of the correction stream

3.3.4 Transferring data between different Connec-

tions on Data Link
The final step is to transfer the differential corrections arriving at Connection 3 on Data Link
from the NTRIP connection to the receiver on Connection 1 and vice versa for the GGA. This
is done by checking box ’1’ of the Link field on Connection 3 and box ’3’ on Connection 1 as
shown in Figure 3-11 on the next page.

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Figure 3-11: Transferring correction data and GGA between the receiver and the
network server

If the setup is correct clicking on the ’Show Data’ will show a steady stream of complex binary
data with the ASCII GGA sentence appearing every second. Note that normally no correction
data are sent until the network gets its first GGA message which means that the receiver has
to have a position.

Figure 3-12: RTCMv3 and the GGA message on Connection 1

The receiver should report the reception of differential corrections; indicated by the green
DiffCorr LED at the bottom of the main window in RxControl as shown in Figure 3-13.

Figure 3-13: RxControl main window and planimetric plot. RTK fix mode and
DiffCorr LED are indicated.

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Chapter 4

SBF Converter

4.1 Introduction
SBF Converter is a conversion utility which allows users to convert SBF logged files of the
Septentrio Receiver to other formats such as RINEX, ASCII, GPX and KML. The commands, if
logged in a file, can also be converted to a readable text format. Once SBF Converter 17.0.0
is installed, it can be launched by clicking the SBF Converter short-cut icon created by the
installation program. Please consult the HTML help pages of SBF Converter 17.0.0 for more
information on this program.

4.1.1 SBF Converter compatibility

SBF Converter 17.0.0 can convert data logged using any Septentrio Receiver however, some
older SBF blocks particular to the PolaRx2/2e may not be fully compatible with SBF Con-
verter.

4.1.2 Launching SBF Converter

SBF Converter can be launched in several ways: using the RxLauncher GUI, from the Start
menu on a Window’s PC, a shortcut to the SBF Converter executable can be found under

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’Septentrio RxTools’. You can also launch SBF Converter via the ’Tools’ menu of any of the
GUI tools, for example from RxControl as shown in Figure 4-2. Users who prefer to use the
command line are advised to use the SBF Tools and are directed to Section 12 on page 164
for more information.

Figure 4-2: Launching the SBF Converter GUI

4.2 Using SBF Converter: a worked example

4.2.1 Conversion to RINEX
SBF files can be opened in SBF Converter by clicking on either the folder icon next to the
Single file field or the Choose file button next to the Multiple files field as Figure 4-3 shows.

Figure 4-3: Opening a file with SBF Converter

The sequence of screenshots in Figure 4-4 on the following page show the steps involved in
configuring SBF Converter to convert SBF data to the RINEX format.

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Figure 4-4: Configurations for RINEX conversion

Having made the configuration for RINEX conversion, you can then click on the Convert but-
ton which will produce a RINEX file similar to the example shown in Figure 4-5 on the next
page.

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Figure 4-5: Example of a RINEX file

Note that, in order to generate RINEX files, the SBF file must contain the relevant data for
RINEX. The necessary blocks are selected automatically when checking the Rinex box in the
SBF tab of either RxControl logger or RxLogger as shown in Figure 6-6 on page 126. If the
SBF file does not contain the necessary blocks for the required conversion, SBF Converter
will give an error such as that reported in Figure 4-6.

Figure 4-6: Error message when RINEX cannot be generated

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4.2.2 Conversion to ASCII

The contents of an SBF file can be converted to the more readable ASCII format as shown in
the sequence of screenshots in Figure 4-7. There are various options that can be selected for
ASCII generation two of the most useful being Show column titles and, in order to have the
output in a format compatible with other analysis tools; the Change field delimiter to option.

Figure 4-7: Example of a converted DOP SBF block

Figure 4-8 on the next page show the ASCII conversion of the DOP SBF block where Show
column titles has been selected and the field delimiter has been changed from the default
comma to a double space.

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Figure 4-8: Configuration for ASCII conversion

In addition to bin2asc, you can find in the preferences menu of SBF Converter that there are
two other possibilities for conversion to text format: sbf2asc which was created primarily as
a sample application to assist users in developing their own conversion tools and the older
sbf2stf which is being phased out in favour of bin2asc. These tools can also be used in the
command line as is explained in Section 12 on page 164.

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4.2.3 Conversion to Google Earth KML

Logged data files containing any of the SBF positioning blocks (i.e. PVTCartesian, PVTGeode-
tic, IntPVCart and IntPVGeod) can be converted to KML format which can be displayed on
Google Earth. By clicking on the ’Options...’ button next to the KML checkbox, you can select
various settings for KML generation. Standard settings are shown in Figure 4-9.

Figure 4-9: Configuration for KML conversion

When the conversion has finished, the file can be opened in Google Earth by clicking on the
’Open’ button as shown in Figure 4-10.

Figure 4-10: Opening the converted file

The results of the KML conversion are given in Figure 4-10 which shows the trajectory of a
car test. The color of the trajectory indicates the positioning mode as given in the legend.
The zoomed panel shows a fall-back from RTK fixed positioning mode to differential then
RTK float which is due to the car going under a bridge.

For the AsteRx2eH and AsteRx2i receivers that can additionally output attitude, selecting ’At-
titude Track’ in the KML options tab will show the vehicle trajectory where the color indicates
the attitude mode.

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The color of the track when selecting the ’Satellite Survey’ option indicates the satellite track-
ing status: no tracking, tracked or tracked and PVT.

Figure 4-11: KML file displayed in Google Earth

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4.2.4 Conversion of Commands

The ’Commands’ SBF block contains a list of the commands used to configure the receiver.
When this block has been logged in a data file, the contents of the block can be converted
to a text file. There are a number of options associated with this conversion as Figure 4-12
shows. The ’.asn1’ file is the receiver MIB description and tells SBF Converter how to convert
the commands. The MIB file can be downloaded from the receiver using RxControl as shown
in Figure 4-13. If no ’.asn1’ is selected then the commands will not be fully readable.

Figure 4-12: Configuration for conversion of receiver commands

Figure 4-13: How to save the receiver MIB description

When the conversion has finished, the text file with the list of commands can be opened by
clicking on the ’Open’ button as shown in Figure 4-14 on the following page.

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Figure 4-14: Opening the converted Commands file

Figure 4-15 shows an example of the results of the conversion. In this case, the receiver was
configured to accept differential correction data in RTCMv3 format over COM3.

Figure 4-15: Example of a converted Commands file

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4.2.5 Conversion to GPX

Logged data files containing any of the SBF positioning blocks (i.e. PVTCartesian, PVTGeode-
tic, IntPVCart and IntPVGeod) can be converted to GPS eXchange Format (GPX). The Standard
settings are shown in Figure 4-9 on page 94.

Figure 4-16: Configuration for GPX conversion

Google Earth can also display files in GPX format as Figure 4-17 shows. In this format,
changes of positioning mode can be indicated by waypoint flags.

Figure 4-17: GPX file displayed in Google Earth

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4.2.6 Conversion of SBF Blocks

SBF Analyzer also includes the option SBF Blocks. This conversion will list the individual
SBF blocks in a file along with their time stamp. In the example shown in Figure 4-18 the file
’test_2.sbf’ is converted using the default settings.

Figure 4-18: Configuration for SBF Blocks conversion

This generates a text file called ’test_2_blocks.txt’ in the same directory as the SBF files as
Figure 4-19 shows.

Figure 4-19: Text file generated by SBF Blocks conversion

A sample of an SBF Blocks conversion for one epoch is given below.

1050146850.300 [012219][4027] [FlexRate esoc] MeasEpoch (v2) = measurement set of one epoch
1050146850.300 [020384][4000] [FlexRate esoc] MeasExtra (v1) = additional info such as observable variance
1050146850.300 [005922][5922] [FlexRate esoc] EndOfMeas (v1) = measurement epoch marker
1050146850.300 [020391][4007] [FlexRate esoc] PVTGeodetic (v2) = Position, velocity, and time in geodetic coordinates
1050146850.300 [005906][5906] [FlexRate esoc] PosCovGeodetic (v1) = Position covariance matrix (Lat, Lon, Alt)
1050146850.300 [005908][5908] [FlexRate esoc] VelCovGeodetic (v1) = Velocity covariance matrix (North, East, Up)
1050146850.300 [004001][4001] [FlexRate esoc] DOP (v2) = Dilution of precision
1050146850.300 [004028][4028] [FlexRate esoc] BaseVectorGeod (v1) = ENU relative position and velocity with respect to base(s)
1050146850.300 [005921][5921] [FlexRate esoc] EndOfPVT (v1) = PVT epoch marker
1050146850.300 [004013][4013] [FlexRate esoc] ChannelStatus (v1) = Status of the tracking for all receiver channels
1050146850.300 [005938][5938] [FlexRate esoc] AttEuler (v1) = GNSS attitude expressed as Euler angles
1050146850.300 [004076][4076] [FlexRate esoc] PVTSupport (v1) = Reserved for Septentrio only
1050146850.000 [004017][4017] [AsyncRt] GPSRawCA (v1) = GPS CA navigation frame
1050146850.000 [004017][4017] [AsyncRt] GPSRawCA (v1) = GPS CA navigation frame
1050146850.000 [004017][4017] [AsyncRt] GPSRawCA (v1) = GPS CA navigation frame
1050146850.000 [004017][4017] [AsyncRt] GPSRawCA (v1) = GPS CA navigation frame
1050146850.000 [004017][4017] [AsyncRt] GPSRawCA (v1) = GPS CA navigation frame
1050146850.300 [005919][5919] [AsyncRt] DiffCorrIn (v1) = Incoming RTCM or CMR message
RTCM 30 msgType=1004 stationID=56
GPS EpochTime=214050000

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GNSS Synch Flag:1 NrSVSignals:9

GNSS Smoothing Indicator:0 Smoothing Interval:0
1050146850.400 [012219][4027] [FlexRate esoc] MeasEpoch (v2) = measurement set of one epoch
1050146850.400 [020384][4000] [FlexRate esoc] MeasExtra (v1) = additional info such as observable variance
1050146850.400 [005922][5922] [FlexRate esoc] EndOfMeas (v1) = measurement epoch marker
1050146850.400 [020391][4007] [FlexRate esoc] PVTGeodetic (v2) = Position, velocity, and time in geodetic coordinates
1050146850.400 [005906][5906] [FlexRate esoc] PosCovGeodetic (v1) = Position covariance matrix (Lat, Lon, Alt)
1050146850.400 [005908][5908] [FlexRate esoc] VelCovGeodetic (v1) = Velocity covariance matrix (North, East, Up)
1050146850.400 [004001][4001] [FlexRate esoc] DOP (v2) = Dilution of precision
1050146850.400 [004028][4028] [FlexRate esoc] BaseVectorGeod (v1) = ENU relative position and velocity with respect to base(s)
1050146850.400 [005921][5921] [FlexRate esoc] EndOfPVT (v1) = PVT epoch marker
1050146850.400 [004013][4013] [FlexRate esoc] ChannelStatus (v1) = Status of the tracking for all receiver channels
1050146850.400 [005938][5938] [FlexRate esoc] AttEuler (v1) = GNSS attitude expressed as Euler angles
1050146850.400 [004076][4076] [FlexRate esoc] PVTSupport (v1) = Reserved for Septentrio only

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Chapter 5

SBF Analyzer

5.1 Introduction
SBF Analyzer is an application designed to allow analysis of SBF data files. The data plots
available using SBF Analyzer are similar to those available in real time using RxControl. Users
can also interact with the plots in the same way as those of RxControl. It is a powerful tool
when deep analysis of data recorded by Septentrio receivers is needed. SBF Analyzer also
offers the possibility to generate PDF reports of SBF data files.

5.1.1 SBF Analyzer compatibility

SBF Analyzer can be used to generate plots of SBF data files from any Septentrio Receiver
however, files from the legacy PolaRx2/2e receivers may not be properly displayed in certain
plots.

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5.1.2 Launching SBF Analyzer

SBF Analyzer can be launched in several ways: using the RxLauncher GUI, from the Start
menu on a Window’s PC, a shortcut to the SBF Analyzer executable can be found under
’Septentrio RxTools’. You can also launch SBF Analyzer via the ’Tools’ menu of any of the
GUI tools, for example from RxControl as shown in Figure 5-2. SBF Analyzer can also be
launched via the command console which allows to specify options as well. To know all
possible options lauch SBF Analyzer with the option "-h".

Figure 5-2: Launching the SBF Analyzer GUI

SBF Analyzer can also be launched by double-clicking on an SBF file with either an ’_’ or ’.sbf’
extension. When the file has been selected, the right-mouse button menu will also allow you
to launch SBF Analyzer as Figure 5-3 on the next page shows. In the same way, you can also
select to convert the file using SBF Converter or replay it using RxControl.

5.1.3 SBF Analyzer Return Codes

The possible return codes of SBF Analyzer are:

Value Description
-1 There was an error while parsing the command line options.
0 There were no errors while parsing the command line options.

Table 5.1-1: SBF Analyzer return codes

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Figure 5-3: Launching SBF Analyzer from a file

5.2 Using SBF Analyzer: a worked example

SBF Analyzer is primarily intended as a diagnostic tool. If problems are encountered when
using a Septentrio Receiver it is often useful to have a logged SBF file. This section uses the
example of a 24 hr SBF file logged using a static antenna in an open location to show how
normal plots should appear. The receiver used in this example is a dual-antenna AsteRx2eH
in RTK positioning mode and getting differential corrections from a network VRS (Virtual Ref-
erence Station).

The plots shown in the following pages are only a selection of some of the plots available in
SBF Analyzer but are some of the most useful for problem diagnosis.

5.2.1 Selecting plots and plot options

Users can select the plots they are interested in by ticking the check boxes on the main
window of SBF Analyzer as shown in Figure 5-4 on the following page. The Figure shows a
selection of some of the most useful plots however, depending on the application, certain
plots may be more relevant than others. Many of the plots have additional options available
via the ’Plot Options...’ button.

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Figure 5-4: Selecting plots and plot options

Having selecting the desired plots, they can then be generated by clicking the ’Analyze’ button
as shown in Figure 5-5.

Figure 5-5: Generating the selected plots

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5.2.2 The Carrier to Noise Plot

The carrier to noise plots in Figures 5-6 and 5-7 on the next page show the signal levels of
the GPS, Glonass and SBAS satellites over 24 hrs for the main antenna of the AsteRx2eH.

In open sky, each GPS and Glonass satellite can be tracked continually for about 4-6 hrs
as it passes overhead. They should show a characteristic curve in their signal level starting
low as the satellite is first tracked at low elevation then increasing as it reaches is maximum
elevation then decreasing again till the satellite falls below the horizon. At any given time,
there can be expected to be two or three satellites with signal levels around 50 dB-Hz.

The geostationary SBAS satellites should show a steady signal level of around 35-45 dB-Hz
depending on the user’s location. closer the equator, these satellites will have a higher ele-
vation and therefore higher signal strength.

Figure 5-6: Carrier to noise plot for GPS (L1CA), Glonass (L1CA) and SBAS (L1)

For the lower L2 frequency band; all GPS and Glonass satellites transmit L2P however,
whereas all Glonass transmit L2C, only a few GPS currently transmit L2C. For this reason,
Glonass L2P tracking is disabled by default as it brings no additional information. GPS L2P is
around 10-15 dB-Hz less than GPS L1CA. Glonass L1CA and L2C signals are about the same
level. The GNSS L2 band is close to a band allocated to amateur radio which can make it vul-

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nerable to interference. RTK positioning requires the use of good quality L2P or L2C signals
and so will be compromised should there be any problems with L2 signal reception.

Figure 5-7: Carrier to noise plot for GPS (L2P), Glonass (L2C)

When using a multi-antenna satellite such as the AsteRx2eH, the signal levels on the auxiliary
antenna can be plotted by selecting ’Aux 1’ in the ’Antenna’ field of the carrier to noise plot
options window as shown in Figure 5-4 on page 104. The signal levels on auxiliary antennas
should be similar to those on the main antenna.

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5.2.3 The Height Plot

Figure 5-8 shows the height of the antenna as calculated by the receiver over the 24 hr data
collection period. Due to the geometry of the satellite constellations, the calculated position
of an antenna on earth will always show the largest error in the vertical component. If any
problems are suspected in positioning they will be most evident in the height plot.

Figure 5-8: Time plot of the calculated height

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5.2.4 The GNSS PVT Mode, Error, NrSV Plot

The GNSS PVT Mode, Error, NrSV plot shown in Figure 5-9 shows several useful plots on
the one graphic. The ’SVs in PVT and SVs in Track’ plot shows the number of SVs (Space
Vehicles) or satellites that the receiver is tracking and the number whose measurements
it is using in the PVT. The number of satellites used will always be less than the number
tracked and in this example, the difference is between 1 and 11 satellites. The ’PVT Mode’
plot shows the positioning mode that the receiver is using. The possible values are; 0 (No
PVT available), 1 (Stand-Alone PVT), 2 (Differential PVT), 3 (Fixed location), 4 (RTK fixed), 5
(RTK float), 6 (SBAS aided PVT), 7 (moving-base RTK fixed), 8 (moving-base RTK float) and 10
(Precise Point Positioning (PPP)).

When the receiver is not able to compute a PVT, the ’Error’ plot will give the reason why;
0 (no error), 1 (not enough measurements), 2 (not enough ephemerides available), 3 (DOP
too large (larger than 15)), 4 (sum of squared residuals too large), 5 (no convergence), 6 (not
enough measurements after outlier rejection), 7 (position output prohibited due to export
laws), 8 (not enough differential corrections available), 9 (base station coordinates unavail-
able) and 10 (ambiguities not fixed).

Figure 5-9: Time plot of GNSS PVT Mode, Error and Number of Satellites in PVT
and tracking

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5.2.5 The Differential Corrections Age Plot

In order to be able to calculate an augmented positioning mode such a DGNSS or RTK, the
receiver needs to get differential correction data from an external source; either a second
(base station) receiver or, as is increasingly the case, from a network provider. In either
case, the format of the differential correction data will be the same; RTCMv2, RTCMv3 or
CMR. In this example RTCMv3 was used. Although there are a large number of RTCMv3
messages, only two (or three if you want to use Glonass) are necessary for RTK positioning:
the position of the base station antenna (message 1005 or 1006) and the GPS observables
(1003 or 1004). Glonass observables are contained either in message 1011 or 1012. Figure 5-
10 shows the age of each individual message as well as the mean age. For RTK, GPS (and
Glonass) observables are usually transmitted every second and should be received promptly
by the rover with an age no older than a few seconds. Differential correction data that is
consistently delayed will have a detrimental effect on the precision of the output RTK position
and may, if the corrections are older than the default time-out of 20 seconds, cause the
receiver to fall back to a less precise positioning mode.

Figure 5-10: Time plot of RTCMv3 differential correction reception

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5.2.6 The Heading, Pitch, Roll Plot

When using a multi-antenna receiver such as the AsteRx2eH, the main and auxiliary antenna
positions are use to calculate the heading and pitch of the vehicle or structure on which they
are mounted. Figure 5-11 shows a plot of the heading and pitch for a static setup where the
two antennas are about 80 cm apart. As the pitch calculation uses the difference in height
between the two antennas and, as height is the least precise component of the position, the
precision of the pitch is typically about half that of the heading.

Figure 5-11: Time plot of the calculated heading and pitch of the AsteRx2eH

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5.2.7 The GNSS Attitude Mode, Error, NrSV Plot

A plot similar to that for GNSS PVT is available for GNSS attitude and appears in Figure 5-12.
The possible attitude modes are:
0 (No attitude), 1 (Heading, pitch (roll = 0) aux antenna positions obtained with float ambigu-
ities), 2 (Heading, pitch (roll = 0), aux antenna positions obtained with fixed ambiguities), 3
(Heading, pitch, roll, aux antenna positions obtained with float ambiguities) and 4 (Heading,
pitch, roll, aux antenna positions obtained with fixed ambiguities).

Figure 5-12: Time plot of GNSS attitude Mode, Error and Number of Satellites in
PVT and tracking

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5.2.8 The CPU Load and Uptime Plot

The upper panel in Figure 5-13 shows the load of the receiver CPU as a function of time.
The CPU load depends on several factors, for example, the amount and frequency of data
requested from the receiver. Requesting the PVTGeodetic SBF block at 20 Hz will cause a
higher CPU load than requesting it at 1 Hz. More precise positioning modes such as RTK,
will also require more CPU capacity. CPU load is typically constant with occasional spikes. If
the CPU load reaches 100 %, the receiver will seem to freeze and gaps may be seen in data
output or in logged data files.

The lower panel of Figure 5-13 shows the uptime of the receiver. This is the time since the
receiver was last reset.

Figure 5-13: Time plot of receiver CPU and uptime

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5.2.9 The Receiver Status Plot

The plot in Figure 5-14 is a time plot of the contents of the ReceiverStatus SBF block. It
contains information on the status of various operating parameters as well as some error
flags. A description of these parameters and errors can be found in the SBF Reference Guide.

Figure 5-14: Time plot of the receiver status

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5.2.10 The SBF Plot

Figure 5-15 shows a time plot of SBF (Septentrio Binary Format) data blocks where each dot
indicates the presence of a particular block. As plots can only be generated by SBF Analyzer
when the relevant SBF block is present, this plot is useful for checking the contents of files to
make sure the relevant blocks are indeed present.

Figure 5-15: Time plot of SBF data blocks that are present in the file

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5.2.11 The Statistics Plot

The statistics plot shown in Figure 5-16 gives an overview of the percentage of positioning
and attitude modes in a file. It also shows the number and type of error as a percentage of
the total number of epochs in the file.

Figure 5-16: Statistics plot showing a summary of positioning and attitude mode
as well as errors

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5.2.12 The Sky Plot

The Sky plot (Figure 5-17) shows satellite positions in the sky overhead as they are seen at the
end of the file. To view the sky plot at other times in the file, you can select ’Plot Overview’ as
shown in Figure 5-18 and then either insert the time you are interested in or use the sliding
time bar. The pink line in the plots shows the lowest elevation at which a satellite was tracked
for a particular azimuth during the file. This is useful for detecting any problems that may
arise from sky obscuration.

Figure 5-17: Sky plot showing positions of satellites overhead

Figure 5-18: Viewing the Sky plot at different times in the file

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5.2.13 The Planimetric Plot

The planimetric plot shown in Figure 5-19 shows the horizontal positions calculated in each
epoch in the file. Similar to the height plot, this can be used to monitor the position precision
and quality for static files.

Figure 5-19: Planimetric plot

5.2.14 The General File Information Window

In the ’General’ tab of the ’Statistics and Other Information’ window shown in Figure 5-20,
information is given on the receiver (type, serial number and firmware) and the file. The
constellations and signals tracked and used in PVT can also be found here. The ’Reference’
tab shows the standard deviations of the calculated positions as well as the RMS values
relative to a reference position (inserted via the ’Preferences’ menu of the main window).

Figure 5-20: Statistics and Other Information window

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5.3 SBF Analyzer: Reporter Tool

SBF Analyzer can be used to generate reports in PDF format. The tool contains two default
report layout templates,’Static’ and ’Kinematic’ however, users can edit these or make their
own reports. Report layouts can be generated by selecting ’Reporter’ in the main window of
SBF Analyzer as shown in Figure 5-21.

Figure 5-21: Selecting a report to generate using the SBF Analyzer Reporter tool

Clicking on the ’Edit Layout ...’ button allows users to make changes to the selected report
layouts. Plots from the menu on the right hand side of the editor window can be simply
dragged and dropped onto the report as Figure 5-22 on the following page shows.

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Figure 5-22: Editing a report

Figure 5-23 shows the single-page standard static report for the file in this example.

Figure 5-23: Example of a static report

5.3.1 Using the command line to generate reports

SBF Analyzer can be used in a scripting context to generate reports automatically. In the
example shown in Figure 5-24 on the following page, the command below is used to generate
a report of file AF021190.13_.

start/wait sbfanalyzer.exe -f AF021190.13_

-l static.ppl
-o C:\Users\dean\DATA\test.pdf -S

The report uses the layout file ’static.ppl’ and the reports is written to the file ’test.pdf’. The
layout files are those shown in Figure 5-21 on the previous page which can normally be found

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in the folder;
C:\ProgramFiles(×86)\Septentrio\RxTools\templates

’start/wait’ is included to account for the fact that scripts used to generate reports will nor-
mally continue immediately; this ensures that the script will wait until SBF Analyzer has fin-
ished.

The ’-S’ option removes the need for any user interaction.

Figure 5-24: Using the command line to generate a PDF report

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Chapter 6

RxLogger

6.1 Introduction
RxLogger is a program which allows data files in SBF (Septentrio Binary Format) or NMEA to
be logged. Post processing actions (e.g. conversion to RINEX) can be defined on SBF files. Rx-
Control can also be used to log data files as described in 2.7 on page 71 however, the options
are more limiting and more bandwidth is required due to the large amount of information
that RxControl requests from the receiver to fill its various information fields. The program
can be used either as a GUI or a command line tool.

6.1.1 RxLogger compatibility

RxLogger 17.0.0 can be used with any Septentrio Receiver except the PolaRx2/2e.

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6.1.2 Launching RxLogger

RxLogger can be launched in several ways: using the RxLauncher GUI, from the Start menu
on a Window’s PC, a shortcut to the RxLogger executable can be found under ’Septentrio
RxTools’. You can also launch RxLogger via the ’Tools’ menu of any of the GUI tools, for
example from RxControl as shown in Figure 6-2. RxLogger can also be launched via the
command console which allows to specify options as well. To know all possible options lauch
RxLogger with the option "-h".

6.1.3 RxLogger Return Codes

The possible return codes of RxLogger are:

Value Description
-1 There was an error while parsing the command line options.
0 There were no errors while parsing the command line options.

Table 6.1-1: RxLogger return codes

Figure 6-2: Launching the RxLogger GUI

6.2 Using RxLogger: a worked example

The example below shows how to log data using both the RxLogger GUI and the command
line tool.

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6.2.1 Connecting to a receiver using RxLogger

To be able to connect to a receiver using Data Link, your Septentrio Receiver should be up
and running and connected to a PC using either a serial, USB or Ethernet cable. When RxLog-
ger is first launched, a Connection Setup window will appear and by clicking on the Finish but-
ton RxLogger will try to re-establish the last connection that was opened before RxLogger
was shut down. To open a new connection the user should select either Serial Connection or
TCP/IP Connection. The Serial option allows a serial COM or USB connection to be established
(the software drivers map the USB onto two virtual serial connections). The TCP/IP Connection
option allows the configuration of an Ethernet connection. Figure 6-3 shows a connection to
second USB COM port.

Figure 6-3: Connecting to a receiver using RxLogger

When a connection has been established, the main window of RxLogger will show time and
date as well as the receiver type and serial number in information fields in upper and lower
panels as shown in Figure 6-4 on the next page. There is also an SBF LED on the lower panel
that lights up every second.

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Figure 6-4: Main window of RxLogger when connected to a receiver

The configuration of RxLogger is split over several tabs. In the Global and File Naming tabs,
users can configure what data format they wish to log (SBF or NMEA). File names and naming
conventions. Most of the settings are self explanatory and have been explained previously
in Section 2.7.1 on page 71.

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6.2.2 Configuring RxLogger settings

Figure 6-5: Configuring the settings in the Global and File Naming tabs

The main difference between logging data using RxControl and RxLogger is that RxLogger
allows users to define multiple data streams which are just a selection of SBF data blocks de-
fined by the user. These stream can then each be logged at different rates up to a maximum
of 100 Hz depending on the receiver capabilities and options. New streams are added by
clicking on the Add Stream button and then selecting the SBF blocks you would like in that
stream and their logging rate (Message Interval).

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Figure 6-6: Selecting which SBF data blocks to be logged and their rate

6.2.3 Defining a post processing action

The Post Processing tab is used to define conversion processes to be carried out on logged
SBF data. As well as the standard RINEX, Hatanaka, CGGTTS and ISMR conversions, users
can also apply their own conversion by selecting the Custom Conversion option. This section
details the example of generating zipped RINEX data that is forwarded to an FTP location.

Figure 6-7: Adding a post-processing action that generates RINEX data files

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After selecting to generate RINEX data, the following window shown in Figure 6-8 allows the
selection of optional data for inclusion in the RINEX file. The format of the RINEX data can
also be selected as there are many tools in operation that can only use the older 2.x versions.

Figure 6-8: Selecting details of RINEX file

Many CORSs (Continuously Operating Reference Station) are required to submit RINEX data
to the network in a compressed form over FTP. Figures 6-9 and 6-10 on the next page show
how this can be done.

Figure 6-9: Selection the compression format for the RINEX files

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Figure 6-10: Configuring output of the generated RINEX files to a remote FTP
location

When all the settings have been made, users can name of the process and write a description
of what the process does. After this, the name of the newly created process will appear in
the main window of the Post Processing tab and can be enabled by ticking the check box as
shown in Figure 6-11.

Figure 6-11: Naming the post-processing action and starting logging

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6.2.4 Using RxLogger in the command line

The last used configuration for RxLogger is written in the configuration file ’rxlogger.conf’
located in; ’C:\Users\username\.septentrio’. RxLogger can be launched from the command
line as shown in Figure 6-12 using the command;

rxlogger.exe -A

The ‘-A’ option tells RxLogger to start logging automatically using the default configuration
file ’rxlogger.conf’.

Figure 6-12: Launching RxLogger from the command line

A new configuration file called ’test1_rxlogger.conf’ can be created using the command;

rxlogger.exe -p test1

RxLogger can then be launched to start logging automatically using the new
’test1_rxlogger.conf’ configuration file using;

rxlogger.exe -p test1 -A

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Figure 6-13: Launching RxLogger from the command line with

‘test1_rxlogger.conf’

Note that when using Linux, RxLogger requires that a graphical environment, for example an
X Server, is running.

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Chapter 7

RxUpgrade

7.1 Introduction
RxUpgrade is a utility which can be used independently for upgrading your receiver.

7.1.1 RxUpgrade compatibility

RxUpgrade can be used with any Septentrio Receiver except PolaRx2/2e receivers.

7.1.2 Launching RxUpgrade

RxUpgrade can be launched in several ways: using the RxLauncher GUI, from the Start menu
on a Window’s PC, a shortcut to the RxUpgrade executable can be found under ’Septentrio
RxTools’. You can also launch RxUpgrade via the ’Tools’ menu of any of the GUI tools, for
example from RxControl as shown in Figure 7-2 on the following page. RxUpgrade can also
be launched via the command console which allows to specify options as well. To know all
possible options lauch RxUpgrade with the option "-h".

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7.1.3 RxUpgrade Return Codes

The possible return codes of RxUpgrade are:

Value Description
-1 There was an error while parsing the command line options.
0 There were no errors.
1 The specified serial port was not found on the system.
2 The given upgrade file is invalid.
3 The upgrade failed.

Table 7.1-1: RxUpgrade return codes

Figure 7-2: Launching the RxUpgrade GUI

7.2 Using RxUpgrade: a worked example

7.2.1 Upgrading receiver firmware
The following pages give an example of using the RxUpgrade tool. In this case, the firmware
of an AsteRx2eH is upgraded to the most recent 2.5.1 version.

The first step as shown in Figure 7-3 is to select a connection over which to make the upgrade.
Note that USB and TCP/IP will be significantly faster than using a serial port. In this example,
one of the USB 2 (mapped onto the virtual serial port COM7) is used.

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Figure 7-3: Opening a connection on the receiver over which to make the upgrade

After having made a connection, you can then select the .suf file that you want to upgrade.
This can be done by clicking on the ’Browse ...’ button in Figure 7-4.

Figure 7-4: Selecting the .suf firmware file to upgrade

When the upgrade file has been selected, you can start upgrading the receiver by clicking on
the ’Upgrade’ button as Figure 7-5 on the following page shows. If there is any incompatibility
between receiver and firmware version, an error will appear at this stage.

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Figure 7-5: Starting the firmware upgrade

The progress of the upgrade procedure is indicated by a status bar as shown in Figure 7-6.
When the upgrade has reached 100%, you can click on ’Finish’ to complete the procedure.

Figure 7-6: Progress of receiver upgrade

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Chapter 8

RxDownload

8.1 Introduction
RxDownload is an application designed to download internally logged from multiple re-
ceivers. It can also be used to configure the receivers and select SBF data blocks to be logged.
Post processing actions such as RINEX conversion can also be configured using RxDownload.

8.1.1 RxDownload compatibility

RxDownload 17.0.0 can be used with any Septentrio Receiver except PolaRx2/2e receivers.

8.1.2 Launching RxDownload

RxDownload can be launched in several ways: using the RxLauncher GUI, from the Start
menu on a Window’s PC, a shortcut to the RxDownload executable can be found under
’Septentrio RxTools’. You can also launch RxDownload via the ’Tools’ menu of any of the
GUI tools, for example from RxControl as shown in Figure 8-2 on the following page.

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Figure 8-2: Launching the RxDownload GUI

8.2 Using RxDownload: a worked example

8.2.1 Opening new receiver connections
Click on the green ’+’ icon indicated in 8-3 to add a new receiver to RxDownload file down-
loading scheduler. Connections to receivers can then be made in a similar way to opening a
connection in RxControl.

Figure 8-3: Adding a new receiver to RxDownload

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Figure 8-4 shows an example where three receiver connections have been made to RxDown-
load; two over serial connections and one over TCP/IP. For the ’Px4_927.tcip’ connection,
there is one file ’sept167o00.13_’ scheduled to be downloaded after 45 minutes and 57 sec-
onds as the field indicated shows.

Figure 8-4: Main window of RxDownload showing connections to three receivers.

The time till the next scheduled download is indicated by the yellow box.

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8.2.2 Setting the RxDownload preferences

Preferences can be set via the ’File’ menu as shown in Figure 8-5. In the Preferences window,
the scheduled download times can be changed from the default 60 minutes and the local PC
directory where files are to be download can be selected.

Figure 8-5: Setting the preferences for RxDownload

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8.2.3 Configuring the receiver settings using Rx-

Download
RxDownload can also be used to change the receiver settings to that a separate connection
using RxControl is not necessary. In the example shown in Figure 8-6, RxDownload is used to
configure the PVT elevation mask setting of the receiver on the ’AsteRx2e.serial’ connection.

Figure 8-6: Changing the receiver elevation mask using RxDownload

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8.2.4 Configuring the receiver output using Rx-

Download
Figure 8-7 shows how to configure (or check) logging to the internal SD card. In this case, all
the SBF blocks necessary for RINEX conversion (’Rinex’ check box) have been selected to be
logged to the internal SD card (’DSK1’) at a rate of 1 Hz.

Figure 8-7: Selecting the SBF data blocks to be logged to the internal SD card.

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8.2.5 Editing the post processing actions using Rx-

Download
Again, similar to RxControl, RxDownload can be used to configure a post-processing action
on the logged SBF data files. In the example shown in Figure 8-8, the SBF files downloaded
from the receiver connected over ’Px4_927.tcpip’ will be converted to RINEX after download.

Figure 8-8: Adding RINEX conversion as a post processing action.

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8.2.6 Initiating a download of the internally logged

files.
By clicking on the blue button indicated in Figure 8-9, a download is immediately initiated. In
this example, the single SBF file downloaded over Px4_927.tcpip can be seen on the local PC
as well as the RINEX OBS and NAV files that were configured in the post-processing window.

For files that have already been downloaded from the receiver, users can download these
files once more by clicking on the ’Re-schedule download’ button indicated.

Figure 8-9: Downloading files before the next scheduled download.

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 CHAPTER 9. RXPLANNER

Chapter 9

RxPlanner

9.1 Introduction
RxPlanner is an software tool designed to allow users to visualise satellite visibility at a par-
ticular location over a user defined time period. As well as assisted planning of GNSS related
work, RxPlanner can also be used to see what the visibility should have been during a partic-
ular task and thus help identify problems should the observed visibility be significantly less
than that predicted by RxPlanner.

9.1.1 RxPlanner compatibility

RxPlanner 17.0.0 RxPlanner operates without the need for a Septentrio Receiver. It does
however require recent satellite ephemeris data. RxPlanner will automatically check that
the ephemeris data stored is applicable for the current job being executed and if not, it will
prompt the user to accept downloading the applicable ephemeris data.

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9.1.2 Launching RxPlanner

RxPlanner can be launched in several ways: using the RxLauncher GUI, from the Start menu
on a Window’s PC, a shortcut to the RxPlanner executable can be found under ’Septentrio
RxTools’. You can also launch RxPlanner via the ’Tools’ menu of any of the GUI tools, for
example from RxControl as shown in Figure 9-2.

Figure 9-2: Launching the RxPlanner GUI

9.2 Using RxPlanner: a worked example

The example below shows how the GPS and Glonass satellite visibility and DOP plots, as well
as a PDF report, can be generated for Shanghai on the 29th March 2013 from 8am till 8pm
(local time) for an elevation mask of 12 degrees.

9.2.1 Creating a new project

The first step in using RxPlanner is creating a new project. This can be done by clicking the
’New Project ...’ button on the main page. After entering a project name and clicking on ’OK’.
The new project will appear on the main screen. Clicking on this new project will activate the
configuration and plot icons in the left hand side as Figure 9-3 on the next page shows.

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Figure 9-3: Opening a new project

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The location can be set by either inserting the coordinates, typing a name into the address
bar or by simply dragging and dropping the marker on the correct location. In the example
in Figure 9-4 the correct location is found by typing in ’Shanghai’.

Figure 9-4: Selecting the location

The time, date and time period of interest can then be selected as shown in Figure 9-5.

Figure 9-5: Selecting the time and date

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By clicking on the ’Config’ button, the elevation mask can be set as well as the satellite con-
stellations to be included. In this window, the user can also select a local horizon mask file
by checking the ’Horizon Mask’ box. The is a file (.lhm) that can generated by the Sky Plot in
RxControl. This feature can only be used if you have collected 24 hrs of data at the current
location.

Figure 9-6: Selecting the elevation mask, GDOP threshold and constellations to
be used

If the almanac data stored in in RxPlanner is much older (or indeed younger) than that
needed for the current job then the user will be prompted to either use the current almanac
(Ignore) or download the appropriate almanac (Update Almanac) as shown in Figure 9-7.

Figure 9-7: Prompt to update the almanac

The results are generated by clicking on ’Views’ on the left hand panel. The plots include the
number of satellites available over time and the PRNs (satellites) in view. A plot showing the
dilution of precision (DOP) over time is also available where the quality is indicated by a color
bar below the plot; the lower the DOP the better the quality.

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Figure 9-8: Plots generated

Figure 9-9: Creating a PDF report

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Figure 9-10: RxPlanner PDF report

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 CHAPTER 10. RXASSISTANT

Chapter 10

RxAssistant

10.1 Introduction
RxAssistant is an interface and control GUI that simplifies receiver configuration and moni-
toring without compromising on flexibility.

10.1.1 RxAssistant compatibility

RxAssistant does not support PolaRx2e or older receivers.

10.1.2 Launching RxAssistant

RxAssistant can be launched in several ways: using the RxLauncher GUI, from the Start menu
on a Window’s PC, a shortcut to the RxAssistant executable can be found under ’Septentrio
RxTools’. You can also launch RxAssistant via the ’Tools’ menu of any of the GUI tools, for
example from RxControl as shown in Figure 10-2 on the next page.

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Figure 10-2: Launching the RxAssistant GUI

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When closing the RxAssistant GUI, the application continues to run in the background. It can
be shut down or re-opened via the system tray as shown in Figure 10-3

Figure 10-3: RxAssistant can be accessed via the Window’s system tray

When trying to launch a second instance of RxAssistant, a warning will pop up. To see at a
glance whether or not RxAssistant is running, you can configure your PC to show the RxAs-
sistant icon in the taskbar. This is done via the ’Customize ...’ link in the system tray as shown
in Figure 10-4.

Figure 10-4: Setting RxAssistant to be visible in the taskbar of the PC

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When RxAssistant is run for the first time, the user is asked if they would like the tool to
be launched automatically each time at startup. This setting can also be configured in the
preferences window as Figure 10-5 shows.

Figure 10-5: Configuring RxAssistant preferences

In the File menu, the user can also generate the receiver Diagnostic Report as shown in
Figure 10-6.

In this menu, the user can also select to ’Close’ the RxAssistant window (and leave it running
in the taskbar) or ’Exit’ which shuts it down completely. Note that, when exiting RxAssistant
or pressing ’Disconnect’, NMEA data will continue to be sent out over the configured port
as this is a receiver configuration. NMEA output can only be stopped by reconfiguring the
receiver or by disconnecting it from the PC or tablet.

Figure 10-6: Generating the receiver Diagnostic Report using RxAssistant

10.2 Using RxAssistant: a worked example

The example below shows how to connect to and configure a Septentrio Receiver for NTRIP
RTK using RxAssistant.

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10.2.1 Connecting to a receiver using RxAssistant

Connect a USB or serial cable from the Septentrio Receiver to the PC or tablet. In this partic-
ular example, an AsteRx-m GeoPod has been used.

Clicking on the ’Select port’ drop-down list will show the possible connections. In the example
shown in Figure 10-7 the receiver’s USB connection has been mapped onto the connection
the PC connections ’AsteRx-m GeoPod (COM16)’ and ’AsteRx-m GeoPod (COM17)’. Whichever
port you select will be used for the RxAssistant connection and also for the NTRIP data trans-
fer. The remaining port can then be used to send NMEA data to a secondary application.

After making the port selection and clicking on ’Connect’, the fields in the Status panel should
be filled in with some basic information about the receiver.

Figure 10-7: Connecting to a Septentrio Receiver using RxAssistant

10.2.2 Configuring the NTRIP connection

The NTRIP connection for differential corrections can be configured in the ’Ntrip’ tab as Fig-
ure 10-8 on the next page shows. Clicking on ’Edit ...’ will bring up the ’Ntrip Settings’ dialog
where the caster settings, user name and password of the NTRIP account can be entered. If
these details have been entered correctly, the ’Stream’ drop-down list will become active and
the desired differential correction stream can be selected.

By default, the receiver is configured to automatically send a GGA message to the network in
order to get a correction stream that is appropriate for the user’s location. This behavior can
be overwritten however by checking the ’Fixed location for GGA’ box and entering a position
manually.

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In the lower panel of the Ntrip Settings window, the behavior when the Ntrip connection is
broken can be configured.

Figure 10-8: Configuring the NTRIP connection

When the stream has been selected and ’OK’ clicked on, clicking on ’Start’ on the Ntrip tab
will begin the transfer of differential correction data. The Status field of the Ntrip tab should
then show status to be connected and the amount of data received. The PVT mode is also
shown and a green LED is lights up each time the receiver get correction data as you can see
in Figure 10-9 on the following page. The ’Details...’ button gives more information on the
selected NTRIP stream as shown.

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Figure 10-9: Status information with active NTRIP connection

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The Position tab shown in Figure 10-10 shows some basic position and status information.
The ’GNSS signal quality’ is a performance indicator that shows at a glance, the overall quality
of satellite reception. If this plot shows fewer than 3 or 4 green bars then the signal quality
should be investigated further by looking at, for example, some of the time plots in RxCon-
trol.

Figure 10-10: The Position tab when in RTK fix mode

10.2.3 Configuring NMEA output

In the NMEA tab, users can select the NMEA sentences and the rate at which they want to
output them over the second port connection. In the example shown in Figure 10-11, the
GGA and GSV sentences are output every 1 second over USB Serial Port (COM23).

Figure 10-11: Configuring NMEA output

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10.2.4 Managing receiver configurations using Rx-

Assistant
The receiver configurations can be managed on the ’Script’ and ’Profile’ tabs. On the ’Script’
tab, a configuration script can be selected and uploaded to the receiver using the ’Send to
receiver’ button. A configuration script is a text file containing a list of receiver commands.

Figure 10-12 shows an example of a configuration script that sets the PVT mask and receiver
dynamics. Checking the box ’Reset receiver settings to default before sending’ ensures that
the only settings on the receiver are those in the script file and those initiated by RxAssistant.

Figure 10-12: Managing upload of configuration script files

The current receiver configuration can be saved as a profile in the ’Profile’ tab. Here, users
can save and load configurations without external configuration script files. In the example
shown in Figure 10-13 the current configuration is saved as ’configuration_1’.

Figure 10-13: Saving the current receiver and RxAssistant configuration as a pro-
file

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Saved profiles can the be uploaded to the receiver from the ’Select a preset’ drop-down list
as shown in Figure 10-14

Figure 10-14: Uploading a saved configuration profile to the receiver

10.2.5 Using the AsteRx-m GeoPod with Esri ArcPad

The output from the AsteRx-m GeoPod can be sent to a secondary application. In the follow-
ing example, the NMEA data from COM2 of the GeoPod is sent to the Esri ArcPad software.
The demo version of the tool has been used. The Esri ArcPad tool can be launched from the
PC start menu as shown in Figure 10-15

Figure 10-15: Launching the ArcPad software from the PC start menu

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The connection to the receiver can be configured in the ’GPS Preferences’ window as shown
in Figure 10-16.

Figure 10-16: Selecting and configuring the ArcPad connection with the AsteRx-m
GeoPod

When the connection settings have been configured, the connection can be activated by
selecting ’GPS Active’ as shown in Figure 10-17 on the following page. This will start up the
transfer of NMEA data to ArcPad and the current position and other information can then be
displayed on the main window.

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Figure 10-17: Activating the connection between the AsteRx-m GeoPod and Arc-
Pad

Figure 10-18 shows the current position plotted on one of the default maps of ArcPad.

Figure 10-18: The current position plotted on the ArcPad World map

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 CHAPTER 11. APS3G TOOLS

Chapter 11

APS3G Tools

11.1 Introduction
APS3G Tools is an application designed to ease the basic configuration of the Altus APS3G
product line. The tool allows to configure the receivers for specific use cases including rover
and base configurations.

11.1.1 APS3G Tools compatibility

While the application is generic enough (by using XML scripts) it has been mainly designed
for use with Altus APS3G products (Altus APS3G, Altus APS3G-X and Altus APS3G-g).

11.1.2 Launching APS3G Tools

APS3G Tools can be launched in several ways: from the Start menu on a Window’s PC or from
a shortcut to the APS3G Tools executable which can be found under ’Septentrio RxTools’.

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11.1.3 Getting Started

Figure 11-1: APS3G Tools

The first step when using APS3G Tools is selecting the PC’s serial port to which your receiver
is connected. This is done with the combobox in the upper left corner. Whenever a receiver
is connected to one of your PC’s serial ports you will see the serial number of the receiver in
the combobox making it easier to select the correct receiver.

The second step is selecting the commands XML file. The file that is selected by default is the
most used one but you can select another script if needed. The menu below the commands
XML selection shows the available options from the selected XML file. Selecting one of the
options will start the script to be executed.

The sent commands and the replies can be followed in the output window.

Below the output window there is a textfield where commands can be entered manualy. The
textfield is followed by a combobox that allows setting the "eol" that will be appended to the
command.

The "Clear Output" button on the right bottom allows to clear the output window.

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Chapter 12

SBF Tools

The RxTools installation also provides a number of executable software tools known collec-
tively as SBF Tools. The following sections give an overview of each tool with detailed usage
available by executing the appropriate tools from a command window without any parame-
ters. The tools are to be found in the ’Septentrio \RxTools\bin’ folder in the installation path.
A list of the SBF Tools along with a summary of their use is given below.

bin2asc: lists the contents of an SBF File in ASCII format. It is the most flexible of the
ASCII converters and should be tool of choice for SBF conversion to a readable
format.
sbf2stf: lists the contents of an SBF File in ASCII format. [Deprecated, replaced by
bin2asc]
sbf2asc: lists of the contents of an SBF File in ASCII format. This tool is provided as a
sample on how to decode SBF data. The sample C-code for this can be found
in: ’Septentrio \RxTools\sbf2asc’
sbfblocks: lists each individual time-stamped SBF block type present in the file as well as
the message numbers of any Differential Corrections
sbf2cmd: lists the receiver commands in an SBF File if the Commands block is present
sbf2kml: converts an SBF file to KML format for Google Earth visualisation
sbf2gpx: converts an SBF file to GPX format
sbf2rin: converts an SBF file to RINEX 2.x or RINEX 3.x format
sbf2ismr: converts an SBF file to the standard scintillation ISMR format
sbf2cggtts: converts an SBF file to a CGGTTS version 2E file
posconv: converts a given position between degrees, radians and cartesian coordinates
timeconv: converts a given time between GPS time, UTC, TOW/WN and GPS seconds

12.1 bin2asc
bin2asc is a tool for translating binary SBF into readable ASCII format. A separate text file
is created for each SBF block type. It is the most flexible of our ASCII converters and should
be the tool of choice.

Invoking bin2asc without argument prints the list of options and their usage. The possible
options for bin2asc are given in the table below:

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Argument Value
Description
-f file1 [file2 ...] Input file(s) to convert to ASCII.
-F Format Input file format, default is SBF.
-p path Target file path, default same as input.
List of message(s) to convert, default is all. The message
-m msg1,msg2,... name has to be the text name displayed in the list of sup-
ported messages (-l option).
-D Extract DiffCorrIn from SBF file.
-d delimiter Field delimiter, default is comma.
-n donotuse Value for donotuse fields, default is empty.
-a string Show string when a field is absent, default is empty.
-x Show headers in each one of the output files.
-t Show title columns for each of the output files.

-b epoch Time of first epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss

-e epoch Time of last epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss
-i Interval Decimation interval in seconds.
-E Exclude messages that don’t have a valid time.
-r Show raw value instead of interpreted version.
-o filename Put all converted data into a single file.
-A Output all fields, not only the primary ones.
-S filename Output message statistic summary output.
-s Output message time only.
-c Ask for confirmation before overwriting files.
-h Shows this help information.
Shows the list of supported messages. If the format is not
-l
specified (-f option) the SBF messages are shown.
Shows the list of supported formats. The supported mes-
-L sages per format can also be requested by adding the op-
tion -l.
-v Verbose mode, progress displayed
-V Shows the version number.

Table 12.1-1: bin2asc Arguments

12.2 sbf2stf
The RxTools sbf2stf tool is a Windows Console Application that displays the contents of an
SBF file in a proprietory Septentrio Text format. A separate text file is created for each SBF
block type.

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Note that no future releases to sbf2stf will be made and users are recommended to im-
plement bin2asc where possible.

Invoking sbf2stf without argument prints the list of options and their usage. The possible
options for sbf2stf are given in the table below:

Argument Value
Description
-f input file (Mandatory)Input SBF File
-p output path Output directory, default is the same as input

-m msg1,msg2,... Messages (Block Names) to be decoded.

If not provided, all messages will be converted to STF files
-l List all supported messages
-d delimiter Field delimiter, default is comma
-n donotuse Value for donotuse fields, default is empty
-x Show headers in each one of the output files
-t Show title columns for each of the output files

-b start epoch Time of first epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss

-e end epoch Time of last epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss
-i Interval Decimation interval in seconds
-E Exclude blocks where time stamp is invalid
-v Verbose mode, progress displayed
-V Program version

Table 12.2-1: sbf2stf Arguments

12.3 sbf2asc
The RxTools sbf2asc tool is a Windows Console Application that lists the contents of the
blocks in an SBF file in ASCII format. sbf2asc was mainly created as a sample application
to assist users in developing their own conversion tools. For converting SBF data into ASCII
or Text format, we recommend to use the more flexible bin2asc.

Invoking sbf2asc without argument prints the list of options and their usage. The possible
options for sbf2asc are given in the table below:

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Argument Value
Description
-f input file (Mandatory) Input SBF File
Name of the ASCII File. (if not provided, measasc.dat is
-o output file
used)
Include contents of the (Short)MeasEpoch
-m
blocks
-p Include contents of the PVTCartesian blocks
-g Include contents of the PVTGeodetic blocks
-c Include contents of the PVTCov blocks
-d Include contents of the DOP blocks
-a Include contents of the AttitudeEuler blocks
-s Include contents of the AttitudeCovEuler blocks
-u Include contents of the AuxPos blocks
-t Include contents of the ReceiverStatus blocks
-x Include contents of the ExtEvent blocks
-n Include contents of the BaseStation blocks
-l Include contents of the BaseLine blocks
-k Include contents of the BaseLink blocks
-h Include contents of the GPSAlm blocks
Inlcude contents of the ExtSensorMeasure-
-j
ments blocks
Time of first epoch to insert in the file
-b start epoch Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss.sss or
hh:mm:ss.sss.
Last epoch to insert in the file
-e end epoch Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss.sss or
hh:mm:ss.sss
-i interval Decimation interval in seconds
-E Exclude blocks where time stamp is invalid
-v Verbose mode, progress displayed
-V Display the sbf2asc version

Table 12.3-1: sbf2asc Arguments

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The output of sbf2asc is a text file containing columns of data. The first column identifies
the format and contents of each row as follows:

1-255 the row contains data from a (Short)MeasEpoch block

0 the row contains data from a PVTCar block

-1 the row contains data from a PVTGeo block
-2 the row contains data from a PVTCov block
-3 the row contains data from a DOP block
-4 the row contains data from a AttitudeEuler block
-5 the row contains data from a AttitudeCovEuler block
-6 the row contains data from a ExtEvent block
-7 the row contains data from a ReceiverStatus block
-8 the row contains data from a BaseStation block
-9 the row contains data from a BaseLine block
-10 the row contains data from a BaseLink block
-11 the row contains data from a GPSAlm block
-12 the row contains data from a AuxPos block

Table 12.3-2: sbf2asc Row Identifier

Then for each further column the data is to be interpreted as in the tables below.

Col1 PRN identifier (from 1 to 255). For GLONASS, PRN is 45+FreqNumber

Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 CA pseudorange in meters, or -20000000000 if not available
Col4 L1 carrier phase in cycles, or -20000000000 if not available
Col5 CA C/N0 in dB-Hz, or -3276.8 if not available
Col6 P1 pseudorange in meters, or -20000000000 if not available
Col7 P2 pseudorange in meters, or -20000000000 if not available
Col8 L2 carrier phase in cycles, or -20000000000 if not available
Col9 P1 C/N0 in dB-Hz, or -3276.8 if not available
Col10 P2 C/N0 in dB-Hz, or -3276.8 if not available
Col11 Receiver Channel
Col12 Lock time in seconds
Col13 L1 Doppler in Hz, or -214748.365 if not available
Col14 L2 Doppler in Hz, or -214748.365 if not available
Col15 CA Multipath correction in meters, or 0 if unknown or not applicable
Col16 P2 Multipath correction in meters, or 0 if unknown or not applicable

Table 12.3-3: sbf2asc (Short)MeasEpoch block

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Col1 0
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 X in meters, or -20000000000 if not available
Col4 Y in meters, or -20000000000 if not available
Col5 Z in meters, or -20000000000 if not available
Col6 Vx in m/s, or -20000000000 if not available
Col7 Vy in m/s, or -20000000000 if not available
Col8 Vz in m/s, or -20000000000 if not available
Col9 RxClkBias in seconds, or -20000000000 if not available
Col10 RxClockDrift in seconds/seconds, or -20000000000 if not available

Col11 NbrSV

Col12 PVT Mode field

Col13 MeanCorrAge in 1/100 seconds, or 65535 if not available

Col14 PVT Error

Col15
COG

Table 12.3-4: sbf2asc PVTCartesian block

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Col1 -1
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 Latitude in radians, or -20000000000 if not available
Col4 Longitude in radians, or -20000000000 if not available
Col5 Ellipsoidal height in meters, or -20000000000 if not avail-
able
Col6 Geodetic Ondulation, or -20000000000 if not available
Col7 Vn in m/s, or -20000000000 if not available
Col8 Ve in m/s, or -20000000000 if not available
Col9 Vu in m/s, or -20000000000 if not available
Col10 Clock bias in seconds, or -20000000000 if not available
Col11 Clock drift in seconds/seconds, or -20000000000 if not
available
Col12 NbrSV
Col13 PVT Mode field
Col14 MeanCorrAge in 1/100 seconds, or 65535 if not available
Col15 PVT Error
Col16 COG

Table 12.3-5: sbf2asc PVTGeodetic block

Col1 -2
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 Covariance xx
Col4 Covariance yy
Col5 Covariance zz
Col6 Covariance tt

Table 12.3-6: sbf2asc PVTCov block

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Col1 -3
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 PDOP value, or NA if PDOP not available
Col4 TDOP value, or NA if TDOP not available
Col5 HDOP value, or NA if HDOP not available
Col6 VDOP value, or NA if VDOP not available
Col7 HPL value in meters, or NA if not available
Col8 VPL value in meters, or NA if not available
Col9 NbrSV

Table 12.3-7: sbf2asc PVTDOP block

Col1 -4
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 Heading in degree
Col4 Pitch in degree
Col5 Roll in degree
Col6 Error flag for attitude solution
Col7 Mode used to compute attitude solution
Col8 NbrSV

Table 12.3-8: sbf2asc AttitudeEuler block

Col1 -5
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 Covariance HeadingHeading
Col4 Covariance PitchPitch
Col5 Covariance RollRoll
Col6 Error flag for attitude solution

Table 12.3-9: sbf2asc AttitudeCovEuler block

Col1 -6
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 Source (1 = GPIN1, 2 = GPIN2)
Col4 Counter used to indicate the number of events that have
occurred from the source (Col3)

Table 12.3-10: sbf2asc ExtEvent block

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Col1 -7
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 CPU-Load in percentage
Col4 Uptime in seconds
Col5 RxStatus field (HEX)

Table 12.3-11: sbf2asc ReceiverStatus block

Col1 -8
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 Base Station ID
Col4 Base type
Col5 Source
Col6 X_L1 Phase center
Col7 Y_L1 Phase center
Col8 Z_L1 Phase center

Table 12.3-12: sbf2asc BaseStation block

Col1 -9
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 Base Station ID
Col4 East
Col5 North
Col6 Up

Table 12.3-13: sbf2asc BaseLine block

Col1 -10
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 Number of Bytes Received
Col4 Number of Bytes Accepted
Col5 Number of Messages Received
Col6 Number of Messages Accepted
Col7 Age of last message

Table 12.3-14: sbf2asc BaseLink block

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Col1 -11
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 PRN
Col4 Eccentricity
Col5 Almanac reference time of week
Col6 Inclination angle at reference time, relative to i0 = 3 semi-
circles
Col7 Rate of right ascension
Col8 Square root of the semi-major axis
Col9 Longitude of ascending node of orbit plane at weekly epoch
Col10 Argument of perigee
Col11 SV Clock Drift
Col12 SC Clock Bias
Col13 PVT Mode field
Col14 Almanac reference week, to which t_oa is referenced
Col15 Health on 8 bits from the almanac page
Col16 Health summary on 6 bits

Table 12.3-15: sbf2asc GPSAlm block

Col1 -12
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 Antenna ID
Col4 Delta East
Col5 Delta North
Col6 Delta Up
Col7 Number of Satellites
Col8 Error
Col9 Ambiguity Type

Table 12.3-16: sbf2asc AuxPos block

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Col1 -13
Col2 time (GPS second since Jan 06, 1980)
Col3 SensorID
Col4 Type
Col5 X
Col6 Y
Col7 Z

Table 12.3-17: sbf2asc ExtSensorMeas block

12.4 sbfblocks
The RxTools sbfblocks tool is a Windows Console Application that lists the individual SBF
blocks in a file along with their time stamp.

Invoking sbfblocks without argument prints the list of options and their usage. The possi-
ble options for sbfblocks are given in the table below:

Argument Value
Description
-f input file (Mandatory)Input SBF File
name of the text file with block info
-o output file (if not provided, SBF file name is used plus .blocks.txt exten-
sion)
Show blocks over time instead of only Summary of results
(tab
-l detail separated).
S: Show only Summary of blocks (DEFAULT).
T: Show only Description over time of blocks.
B: Show both Description over time of blocks and Summary
When Description over time of blocks is enabled, extra
decoding of blocks such as DiffCorr and Comment is hid-
-h hide details
den.
(By default details are printed out)

-b start epoch Time of first epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss

-e end epoch Time of last epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss
-i Interval Decimation interval in seconds
-E Exclude blocks where time stamp is invalid
-v Verbose mode, progress displayed
-V Program version

Table 12.4-1: sbfblocks Arguments

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12.5 sbf2cmd
The RxTools sbf2cmd tool is a Windows Console Application. It converts all commands
found in an SBF file into plain text format.

Invoking sbf2cmd without argument prints the list of options and their usage. The possible
options for sbf2cmd are given in the table below:

Argument Value
Description
-f input file (Mandatory)Input SBF File
Name of the output ASCII file (if not pro-
-o output file
vided,’commands.txt’ is used)

-m mib file Name of the ASN.1 file containing the MIB description .
The MIB can be downloaded from the receiver .

-b start epoch Time of first epoch to insert in the output file.

Format:yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss

-e end epoch Time of last epoch to insert in the output file.

Format:yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss
-i Interval Decimation interval in seconds
-E Exclude blocks where time stamp is invalid
-v Verbose mode, progress displayed
-V Program version

Table 12.5-1: sbf2cmd Arguments

An example of sbf2cmd output is given.

1475,210460.14,exeSBFOnce,
1475,210460.14,exeSBFOnce, ,GPSNav+GEONav+ReceiverSetup+Commands+Comment
1475,210483.82,setSBFOutput, Res1,
1475,210486.22,setSBFOutput,Res1„MeasEpoch+MeasExtra+Comment

12.6 sbf2kml
The RxTools sbf2kml tool is a Windows Console Application that converts SBF files to KML
2.0 format.

Keyhole Markup Language is an XML-based notation for detailing geographic annotation and
visualization on Web-based maps and three-dimensional Earth browsers. KML was originally
developed for use with Google Earth.

Invoking sbf2kml without argument prints the list of options and their usage. The possible
options for sbf2kml are given in the table below:

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Value
Argument Description
-f input file (Mandatory)Input SBF File

-o output file name of the KML file.

(if not provided, SBF file name is used plus kml extension)
-k Convert to KML format (DEFAULT)
Select the mode for the Track Mode:
(DEFAULT) P = PVT Track using PVTGeodetic and PVTCarte-
sian blocks
g = PVT Track using PVTGeodetic blocks
c = PVT Track using PVTCartesian blocks
I = PVT Track using IntPVTGeodetic and IntPVTCartesian
-t blocks
j = PVT Track using IntPVTGeodetic
r = PVT Track using IntPVTCartesian
a = Attitude Track with Attitude mode using AttEuler blocks
t = Attitude Track with Attitude mode using IntAttEuler
blocks
s = Satellite Survey with PVT-Tracking using Channel Status
blocks (use with -n option)
Include different colored PVT Tracks on change of
-m
PVT/Attitude mode
RGB (Red, Blue, Green) Color values expressed in hexadeci-
mal notation to be used for the PVT/Attitude Tracks in case
-c where -m option is not used. The order of expression is
rrggbb.
e.g. -c FF0000 which would give a red color
Include Waypoints on the change of PVT, Attitude or
-u
Satellite-Survey modes.
-r Include Waypoints on PVT/Attitude/Satellite-Survey error
Include Attitude model on Attitude solution every NoOfE-
-A NoOfEpochs pochs
epochs
Include External Events (on PVT, Attitude or Satellite Survey

Tracks):
-x External Events 0 = do not include External Events
(DEFAULT) 1 = add Waypoint in Event
2 = add 3D-Model in Event using Att info (Attitude tracks)
3 = add Waypoint and Model using Att info (Attitude tracks)
Note that only up to 5000 events can be output

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Value
Argument Description
Show Baseline between Rover and Reference Stations. This
-d
requires the presence of BaseStation blocks.
Include satellite tracks on sky:
0 = Do not add sat. tracks
-p (DEFAULT) 1 = Show only sat. tracks on sky
2 = Show sat. tracks connected to position on earth
3 = add Waypoint and Model using Att info (Attitude tracks)
Satellite to be included in the Satellite tracks or in the Satel-
lite
Survey tracks.
(DEFAULT) a = All satellites are shown
-n g = Only GPS satellites
r = Only GLONASS satellites
e = Only GALILEO satellites
s = Only SBAS satellites
PRN = The numeric value of the specific satellite to be
shown
Use any of the following Altitude modes on KML output:
-h 1 = clampToGround
2 = relativeToGround
(DEFAULT) 3 = absolute
-w LineWidth Width of the line track (from 0.0 to 4.0) DEFAULT=1.0
-s Model Scale Scale of 3D model in 3D ExtEvent (from 1 to 10) DEFAULT=1

-b start epoch Time of first epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss

-e end epoch Time of last epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss
-i Interval Decimation interval in seconds
-E Exclude blocks where time stamp is invalid
Print detection of blocks(g=geodetic, c=cartesian,
-l
t=attitude)
-v Verbose mode, progress displayed
-V Program version

Table 12.6-2: sbf2kml Arguments

12.7 sbf2gpx
The RxTools sbf2gpx tool is a Windows Console Application that is used to convert SBF
files to GPX format. GPS eXchange Format is used to exchange GPS data between software
applications and devices as an XML schema.

Invoking sbf2gpx without argument prints the list of options and their usage. The possible
options for sbf2gpx are given in the table below:

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Argument Value
Description
-f input file (Mandatory)Input SBF File

-o output file name of the GPX file.

(if not provided, SBF file name is used plus gpx extension)
-x convert to standard GPX format (default)
-a make use of PVTGeodetic and PVTCartesian blocks
-g make use of PVTGeodetic blocks
-c make use of PVTCartesian blocks
-m include Waypoints on change of PVT mode
-r include Waypoints on PVT error
-l print the detection of PVT blocks(g=geodetic, c=cartesian)

-b start epoch Time of first epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss

-e end epoch Time of last epoch to insert in the output file.

Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss
-i Interval Decimation interval in seconds
-E Exclude blocks where time stamp is invalid
-v Verbose mode, progress displayed
-V Program version

Table 12.7-1: sbf2gpx Arguments

12.8 sbf2rin
The RxTools installation contains the sbf2rin utility software. sbf2rin converts a binary
SBF file to the widely used RINEX ASCII format. RINEX v2.10, v2.11 and v3.02 are supported.

The following RINEX file types can be generated:

• Observation file (extension ’.yyO’);

• GPS navigation file (extension ’.yyN’);
• GLONASS navigation file (extension ’.yyG’);
• Galileo navigation file (extension ’.yyL’);
• SBAS navigation file (extension ’.yyH’);
• BeiDou navigation file (non-standard extension ’.yyI’);
• SBAS broadcast data (extension ’.yyB’);
• Meteo file (extension ’.yyM’).

In order to generate a RINEX file, the following procedure is recommended:

1. Use the setAntennaOffset, setMarkerParameters and setObserverParame-

ters commands to specify the contents of the ReceiverSetup SBF block. The con-
tents of this block is used to generate the RINEX observation header.

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The receiver has to be instructed to output the SBF blocks needed for the generation
of the RINEX file. The necessary SBF blocks depend on the type of RINEX file:

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RINEX file type Mandatory and optional SBF blocks

MeasEpoch (mandatory)
PVTCartesian or PVTGeodetic (optional: if not avail-
able, the "APPROX POSITION XYZ" line will be absent from
the RINEX header)
Observation ’O’ ReceiverSetup (optional: if not available, a default
header will be generated, with most fields replaced by "un-
known")
Comment (optional: if available, user comments can be in-
serted in the RINEX file).
GPSNav (mandatory)
GPSIon (optional: needed only if the header should con-
GPS Navigation ’N’ tain the alpha and beta Klobuchar parameters)
GPSUtc (optional: needed only if the header should con-
tain UTC related data).
GLONav (mandatory)
GPSUtc or GALUtc (mandatory : without at least one
GLO Navigation ’G’
GPSUtc or GALUtc block in the file, sbf2rin is unable to
generate a GLONASS navigation file).
GALNav (mandatory)
Galileo Navigation ’L’ GALIon (optional)
GALUtc (optional)
SBAS Navigation ’H’ GEONav (mandatory)
BeiDou Navigation ’I’ BDSNav (mandatory)
SBAS Broadcast ’B’ GEORawL1 (mandatory)
Meteo file ’M’ ASCIIIn (mandatory)

2. Use RxControl or any suitable communication program to log the raw bytes coming
from the receiver. Make sure that no character translation is applied by your logging
program. Let’s call the log file LOG.SBF. It is possible that LOG.SBF does not only
contain SBF blocks, since the receiver may output other data in between two SBF blocks
(replies to user commands, NMEA sentences). This is not a problem: the SBF header
allows identifying the SBF blocks in the raw stream from the receiver.

3. The command below generates a RINEX v2.11 observation file (default) from the file
LOG.SBF:
sbf2rin -f LOG.SBF <CR>
Note that the size of the SBF file must not exceed 2GBytes.

Invoking sbf2rin without argument prints the list of options and their usage:

sbf2rin -f input_file [-o output_file][-i interval]

[-b startepoch][-e endepoch][-n type][-MET][-s][-D]
[-v][-R3][-R210][-x systems][-a antenna][-V]
-f input_file (mandatory) Name of the SBF file.
-o output_file Name of the RINEX file.
If not provided, the RINEX convention is applied
(ssssdddf.yyt). With the "-o copy" option, the name of
the RINEX file is a copy of the name of the SBF file,
with the last character being set to O, N, G or L
according to the RINEX file type.
With the "-o copybase" option, the name of the RINEX
file is a copy of the name of the SBF file, with the last
3 characters being set to yyt (2-digit year and type)

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according to the RINEX convention.

-R3 Generate a RINEX version 3.02 file instead of version 2.11.
-R210 Generate a RINEX version 2.10 file instead of version 2.11.
-i interval Interval in the RINEX obs and meteo file, in seconds
(by default, the interval is the same as in the SBF file).
-b startepoch Time of first epoch to insert in the RINEX file.
Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss.
-e endepoch Last epoch to insert in the RINEX file
Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss or hh:mm:ss.
-s Add the Sx obs types for the SNRs in dB-Hz.
-c Allow comments in the RINEX file (from the Comment block)
(only applicable for RINEX v2.11 and v2.10)
-C commentstr Add the specified comment string to the RINEX obs header.
The comment string must not be longer than 240 characters.
Enclose the string between quotes if it contains whitespaces.
-D Add the Dx obs types for the Doppler in Hz.
-x systems Exclude one or more satellite systems from the obs file.
systems may be G (GPS), R (Glonass), E (Galileo), S (SBAS),
C (BeiDou), J (QZSS) or any combination thereof.
For instance, -xERSC produces a GPS-only observation file.
-n type Generate a RINEX navigation file (default is observation).
type may be N for GPS, G for GLONASS, E for Galileo (v3
only), H for GEO, I for BeiDou (v3 only) or B
for broadcast SBAS.
-MET Generate a RINEX meteo file.
-a antenna Convert data from the specified antenna (antenna is 1, 2
or 3). The default is 1, corresponding to the main antenna.
-ma Insert a "start moving" event right after the header if
the RINEX file contains kinematic data.
-mf Force inserting a "start moving" event right after the
header.
-S Automatically increase the file sequence character in
the output file name. This is useful when
converting several SBF files collected on the
same day and on the same marker. For each file to be
converted, first call sbf2rin to make the .O file, then
call it again with the option -nN (if needed), then again
with the option -nG (if needed), then with the option -nE,
and finally with the option -nI. When the .O, .N,
.G, .L and .I files are ready from the first SBF file,
repeat the same sequence for the second SBF file
to be converted, and so forth.
The "-S" option has no effect if the "-o" option is used.
-v Run in verbose mode.
-V Display the sbf2rin version.

12.9 sbf2ismr
The sbf2ismr program converts a binary SBF file containing 50 or 100-Hz raw correlation
and phase data into an ASCII ISMR file containing ionospheric scintillation and TEC indices. In
addition, sbf2ismr can also produce an ASCII file containing the unprocessed 50 or 100-Hz
raw correlations and phase data.

sbf2ismr is a command line tool. Both a Windows and a Linux version are provided. Typi-
cally, sbf2ismr is automatically started from RxLogger at the end of every hourly file, but it
can also be manually called at any time to get an instant overview of the scintillation indices,
or to reprocess the raw high-rate data.

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• The maximum SBF file size supported by sbf2ismr is 2Gbytes.

The output ISMR file contains comma-delimited ASCII records for all satellites in view and
for every minute. A example of an ISMR data is shown below and more information can be
found in the PolaRxS Application Manual.

Invoking sbf2ismr with the -h option prints the help screen, including the definition of all
the fields (or columns) in a record:
sbf2ismr is a utility to convert the data in a SBF file into ASCII ionospheric
scintillation monitoring records. The SBF file needs to contain the following
SBF blocks at at least the specified interval:
IQCorr, 20ms
MeasEpoch, 1s
MeasExtra, 1s
ReceiverStatus, 10s
ChannelStatus, 10s
ReceiverSetup, 10s
GPSNav, OnChange

Command line options:

sbf2ismr -f InputFile [-o ISMRFile][-p PreviousFile][-x Systems][-c DetFreq]

[-n NoCols][-S][-r RawFile][-b StartEpoch]
[-e EndEpoch][-V][-h]

-f InputFile : (mandatory) Name of the input SBF file.

-o ISMRFile : Name of the output file containing the ISMR records (see
format below).
This argument is optional. If not provided, the output file
name is the same as the input file name, with the extension
.ismr being added. See below the format of the ISMR file.
-p PrevFile : Name of the previous input file, i.e. name of the SBF file
logged just before input_file. The last epochs of the
previous file are used to initialize the detrending filters.
If there is no previous file, skip this option or use NA as
PrevFile.
-x Systems Exclude one or more satellite systems from the observation
file. Systems may be G (GPS), R (Glonass), E (Galileo),
S (SBAS), C (BeiDou), J (QZSS) or any combination thereof. For instance
-xERSCJ produces a GPS-inly observation file.
-c DetFreq : Cutoff frequency of the carrier phase detrending filter
(6th order high pass butterworth). Units of Hz. Valid values
range from 0.01 to 1.0 Hz, default 0.1Hz.
-n NoCols : Only output the first NoCols in the output file (see column
format below).
-S : Do not generate the ISMR file, but still print the status
screen.
-r RawFile : Name of the "raw file" containing the raw data
(carrier phase and correlations) in ASCII format. This
argument is optional. If not provided, the raw file is
not created. See below the format of the raw file.
-b StartEpoch Time of first epoch to parse from the SBF file (in GPS time
scale). Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss.
-e EndEpoch Time of last epoch to parse from the SBF file (in GPS time
scale). Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss.
-V : Display the version of sbf2ismr.
-h : Display this help screen.

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Format of the ISMR file:

Note: "Sig1" means L1CA for GPS/GLONASS/SBAS/QZSS, L1BC for GALILEO, B1 for BeiDou.
"Sig2" means L2C for GPS/GLONASS/QZSS, E5a for GALILEO, L5 for SBAS, B2 for BeiDou.
"Sig3" means L5 for GPS/QZSS or E5b for GALILEO.

Col 1: WN, GPS Week Number

Col 2: TOW, GPS Time of Week (seconds)
Col 3: SVID
Col 4: Value of the RxState field of the ReceiverStatus SBF block
Col 5: Azimuth (degrees)
Col 6: Elevation (degrees)
Col 7: Average Sig1 C/N0 over the last minute (dB-Hz)
Col 8: Total S4 on Sig1 (dimensionless)
Col 9: Correction to total S4 on Sig1 (thermal noise component only) (dimensionless)
Col 10: Phi01 on Sig1, 1-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 11: Phi03 on Sig1, 3-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 12: Phi10 on Sig1, 10-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 13: Phi30 on Sig1, 30-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 14: Phi60 on Sig1, 60-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 15: AvgCCD on Sig1, average of code/carrier divergence (meters)
Col 16: SigmaCCD on Sig1, standard deviation of code/carrier divergence (meters)
Col 17: TEC at TOW - 45 seconds (TECU)
Col 18: dTEC from TOW - 60s to TOW - 45s (TECU)
Col 19: TEC at TOW - 30 seconds (TECU)
Col 20: dTEC from TOW - 45s to TOW - 30s (TECU)
Col 21: TEC at TOW - 15 seconds (TECU)
Col 22: dTEC from TOW - 30s to TOW - 15s (TECU)
Col 23: TEC at TOW (TECU)
Col 24: dTEC from TOW - 15s to TOW (TECU)
Col 25: Sig1 lock time (seconds)
Col 26: sbf2ismr version number
Col 27: Lock time on the second frequency used for the TEC computation (seconds)
Col 28: Averaged C/N0 of second frequency used for the TEC computation (dB-Hz)
Col 29: SI Index on Sig1: (10*log10(Pmax)-10*log10(Pmin))/(10*log10(Pmax)+10*log10(Pmin)) (dimensionless)
Col 30: SI Index on Sig1, numerator only: 10*log10(Pmax)-10*log10(Pmin) (dB)
Col 31: p on Sig1, spectral slope of detrended phase in the 0.1 to 25Hz range (dimensionless)
Col 32: Average Sig2 C/N0 over the last minute (dB-Hz)
Col 33: Total S4 on Sig2 (dimensionless)
Col 34: Correction to total S4 on Sig2 (thermal noise component only) (dimensionless)
Col 35: Phi01 on Sig2, 1-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 36: Phi03 on Sig2, 3-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 37: Phi10 on Sig2, 10-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 38: Phi30 on Sig2, 30-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 39: Phi60 on Sig2, 60-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 40: AvgCCD on Sig2, average of code/carrier divergence (meters)
Col 41: SigmaCCD on Sig2, standard deviation of code/carrier divergence (meters)
Col 42: Sig2 lock time (seconds)
Col 43: SI Index on Sig2 (dimensionless)
Col 44: SI Index on Sig2, numerator only (dB)
Col 45: p on Sig2, phase spectral slope in the 0.1 to 25Hz range (dimensionless)
Col 46: Average Sig3 C/N0 over the last minute (dB-Hz)
Col 47: Total S4 on Sig3 (dimensionless)
Col 48: Correction to total S4 on Sig3 (thermal noise component only) (dimensionless)
Col 49: Phi01 on Sig3, 1-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 50: Phi03 on Sig3, 3-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 51: Phi10 on Sig3, 10-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 52: Phi30 on Sig3, 30-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 53: Phi60 on Sig3, 60-second phase sigma (radians)
Col 54: AvgCCD on Sig3, average of code/carrier divergence (meters)
Col 55: SigmaCCD on Sig3, standard deviation of code/carrier divergence (meters)
Col 56: Sig3 lock time (seconds)
Col 57: SI Index on Sig3 (dimensionless)
Col 58: SI Index on Sig3, numerator only (dB)
Col 59: p on Sig3, phase spectral slope in the 0.1 to 25Hz range (dimensionless)
Col 60: T on Sig1, phase power spectral density at 1 Hz (rad^2/Hz)
Col 61: T on Sig2, phase power spectral density at 1 Hz (rad^2/Hz)
Col 62: T on Sig3, phase power spectral density at 1 Hz (rad^2/Hz)

Format of the raw ASCII file (option -r):

Col 1: TOW, GPS Time of Week (seconds)

Col 2: SVID
Col 3: Signal type: 0=GPS_L1CA, 3=GPS_L2C, 4=GPS_L5,

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8=GLO_L1CA, 11=GLO_L2CA,
17=GAL_L1BC, 20=GAL_E5a, 21=GAL_E5b, 22=GAL_AltBOC,
24=GEO_L1CA, 25=GEO_L5
6=QZS_L1CA, 7=QZS_L2C, 26=QZS_L5,
28=CMP_B1, 29=CMP_B2
Col 4: Carrier phase (cycles)
Col 5: I correlation (dimensionless)
Col 6: Q correlation (dimensionless)

12.10 sbf2cggtts
The RxTools sbf2cggtts tool is a Windows Console Application that converts an SBF file to
a CGGTTS version 2E file.

The SBF file needs to contain the following SBF blocks at at least the specified interval:

• MeasEpoch at 30s
• ReceiverSetup at OnChange
• GPSNav at OnChange
• GLONav at OnChange
• GALNav at OnChange
• BDSNav at OnChange

Invoking sbf2cggtts the "-h" argument prints the list of options and their usage. The
possible options for sbf2cggtts are given in the table below:

Argument Value
Description
-f str1023 (Mandatory)Input SBF File
-px float X component of the ARP position in ITRF frame [m]
-py float Y component of the ARP position in ITRF frame [m]
-pz float Z component of the ARP position in ITRF frame [m]
-al1 float vertical offset of the GPSL1/GALE1 PC relative to ARP [m].
-al2 float vertical offset of the GPSL2 PC relative to ARP [m].
-ag1 float vertical offset of the GLOL1 PC relative to ARP [m].
-ag2 float vertical offset of the GLOL2 PC relative to ARP [m].
-ae5a float vertical offset of the GALE5a PC relative to ARP [m].
-ab1 float vertical offset of the BDSB1 PC relative to ARP [m].
-ab2 float vertical offset of the BDSB2 PC relative to ARP [m].
internal delay (rx+ant) of the GPS L1 signal [ns]. Default:
-dl1 float
0ns.
internal delay (rx+ant) of the GPS L2 signal [ns]. Default:
-dl2 float
0ns.
internal delay (rx+ant) of the GLONASS L1 signal [ns]. De-
-dg1 float
fault: 0ns.
Continued on next page

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continued from previous page

Argument Value
Description
internal delay (rx+ant) of the GLONASS L2 signal [ns]. De-
-dg2 float
fault: 0ns.
internal delay (rx+ant) of the Galileo E1 signal [ns]. Default:
-de1 float
0ns.
internal delay (rx+ant) of the Galileo E5a signal [ns]. Default:
-de5a float
0ns.
internal delay (rx+ant) of the BeiDou B1 signal [ns]. Default:
-db1 float
0ns.
internal delay (rx+ant) of the BeiDou B2 signal [ns]. Default:
-db2 float
0ns.
delay in RF cable/splitter/amplifier [ns] (CAB DLY in CG-
-dcab float
GTTS). Default: 0ns.
delay from PPS reference to measurement latching [ns]
-dref float
(REF DLY in CGGTTS).
Default: 0ns.
In the PolaRx5TR receiver, this is the delay from PPS refer-
ence to the PPSIN connector of the receiver.
-b str19 time of first epoch to process from the SBF file (UTC).
Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss. Default: all epochs are
processed.
-e str19 time of last epoch to process from the SBF file (UTC).
Format: yyyy-mm-dd_hh:mm:ss. Default: all epochs are
processed.
2-character laboratory code, used in the CGGTTS file name.
-labid str2
Default: " __".
2-character receiver identifier, used in the CGGTTS file
-rxid str2
name. Default: "__".
calibration identifier (CAL_ID header tag in CGGTTS). De-
-calid str30
fault: empty.
revision date of the calibration data (REV DATE header line
-revdate str30
in CGGTTSDefault: empty.
-tref str30 time reference (REF header line in CGGTTS). Default: empty.
user comment (COMMENTS header line in CGGTTS). De-
-comment str80
fault: empty.
GPS leap second value. This argument is optional as the
leap second value is by default derived from the data in the
-ls int
SBF file. The leap second value provided with the -ls argu-
ment overrides the value derived from the SBF file.
elevation mask in degrees. A 10-degree elevation mask is
-elm float
used by default if this option is not provided.
do not generate the CGGTTS file for the specified constel-
lations. The string argument may be G (GPS), R (GLONASS),
-x str4 E (Galileo), C (BeiDou), or any combination thereof. For in-
stance, -xREC will produce a CGGTTS file for GPS and ignore
all other constellations.
Continued on next page

185
 CHAPTER 12. SBF TOOLS

concluded from previous page

Argument Value
Description
do not follow the BIPM track schedule described in the CG-
GTTS version 2E standard, but use contiguous 13-minute
-C tracks instead. The first track starts at the first epoch of the
file, and the next tracks follow every 13 minutes without idle
time.
add the specified string as a suffix to the CGGTTS file
-suffix str30
names. Default: empty.
-v print a progress indicator during processing.
-V display the version of sbf2cggtts.
-h display this help screen.

Table 12.10-1: sbf2cggtts Arguments

Note 11. float refers to a floating-point value, int to an integer value, and strXX to a string of XX charac-
ters maximum. If the string contains whitespaces or parentheses, it must be enclosed with double quotes. The
arguments can be provided in any order, but there must be at least one whitespace between each of them.
Whitespaces are not needed (but are valid) between an argument and its value. The arguments are case sensi-
tive. All arguments are optional, except -f.
Note 12. If the position is not provided with the -px, -py, -pz arguments, it is derived from the SBF file. In
that case, the position accuracy depends on the positioning mode in the receiver.
Note 13. The offsets al1, al2, ag1, ag2, ae5a, ab1 and ab2 are positive when the PC is above the ARP.
Note 14. The RCVR, IMS and LAB fields of the CGGTTS file header are derived from the ReceiverSetup block
in the SBF file, and are set to "Unknown" if the SBF file does not contain any ReceiverSetup block.
Note 15. Up to four CGGTTS files are created, one for each of the supported constellations (GPS, GLONASS,
Galileo, BeiDou). If the SBF file does not contain data for a constellation (observable and navigation data), the
corresponding CGGTTS file is not created.
Note 16. The CGGTTS file naming convention prescribed in the CGGTTS version 2E standard (XFLLmodd.ddd)
is applied, where LL is given by the -labid argument and mo is given by the -rxid argument. It is possible to add a
suffix to all file names using the -suffix argument.

12.11 posconv
The RxTools installation contains the posconv tool which converts a given position between decimal degrees
(-d), radians (-r) and cartesian coordinates (-c).

For example, the command below generates the output given. Note that there should be no spaces between the
commas and the coordinates when using this tool.

posconv.exe -d 50.848,4.731,127.38 <CR>

DATUM : WGS84
Geodetic(d.d) : Lat: 50.84799957 Lon: 4.73099995 Alt: 127.37999725
Geodetic(rad) : Lat: 0.887465010597 Lon: 0.082571525980 Alt: 127.379997253418
Cartesian (xyz): X: 4021489.728496 Y: 332817.276668 Z: 4922984.447794

12.12 timeconv
186
 CHAPTER 12. SBF TOOLS

The RxTools installation contains the timeconv tool which converts a given time between GPS time, UTC,
TOW/WN and GPS seconds

Invoking timeconv without argument prints the list of options and their usage:

timeconv [-g gnsstime] [-d datetime] [-t tow] [-w wnc]

[-V]
-g gnsstime GNSS timestamp (seconds).
-d datetime Readable GNSS date time.
-u datetime Readable UTC date time.
-t tow Time of week (milliseconds).
-w wnc Weeknumber.
-V Version information.

At least one of the date formats is required.

The given time will then be converted into the other
date representations.
The TOW and WNc values depend on each other, so both need
to be provided.
If the datetime is provided it has to be in the following
format: YYYY/MM/DD-HH:MM:SS.

Examples:
timeconv -t 12345678 -w 1234
timeconv -g 865116018
timeconv -d "2007/06/07-9:37:12"
timeconv -u "2007/06/07-9:37:26"

C:\Program Files (x86)\Septentrio\RxTools\bin>timeconv -d "2014/09/06-14:15:43"

GNSS time (s) : 1094048143.000000
Date time (GNSS) : 2014/09/06-14:15:43
Date time (UTC) : 2014/09/06-14:15:27
TOW (ms) : 569743000
WNc : 1808
DOY : 249 of year 2014

For example, the command below generates the output given.

timeconv -d "2014/09/06-14:15:43" <CR>

GNSS time (s) : 1094048143.000000
Date time (GNSS) : 2014/09/06-14:15:43
Date time (UTC) : 2014/09/06-14:15:27
TOW (ms) : 569743000
WNc : 1808
DOY : 249 of year 2014

187
 APPENDIX A. NULL-MODEM CABLE

Appendix A

Null-modem cable

The Septentrio Receiver behaves as Data Terminal Equipment (DTE). For direct connection to a terminal or a PC,
a null-modem cable is needed. For the raw RS-232 serial connection via the Septentrio Receiver serial ports, no
handshaking is needed by default. Thus a simplified null-modem cable can be used, just crossing the transmit
data and receive data lines.

Please consult the Septentrio Receiver manual for more details on the RS-232 connectors and the cable configu-
rations that can be used to communicate with the receiver.

188
 APPENDIX B. CONVERSION AND PROJECTION OF COORDINATES

Appendix B

Conversion and projection of coordinates

The textual display of coordinates in the POSITION INFORMATION PANEL (See Section 2.4.2.1 on page 25) or the
graphical display of coordinates in the PLANIMETRIC PLOT (See Section 2.5.4 on page 45) allow to switch between
different representations of the current position. The cartesian, geodetic and geocentric coordinates result
from coordinate conversions based on the current reference ellipsoid (See Section B.1). The cartographic pro-
jection is obtained by applying the forward mapping equations of the conformal direct Mercator projection (See
Section B.2 on the following page) while the topocentric coordinates are formed from a plane tangent to the
Earth’s surface fixed to a specific location (See Section B.3 on page 191).

All coordinate information shown in RxControl, except for the Position in Local Datum tab of the main window,
is expressed in the datum that is used by the receiver to calculate the position. Which datum this is, depends
on the positioning method used. If the receiver output also contains the position in another datum (via the
PosLocal block) (See Section B.4 on page 192), these coordinates are shown in an extra tab in the RxControl
main window.

B.1 Coordinate conversions on an ellipsoid

A point on or near the surface of the Earth can be represented by its cartesian or ECEF (Earth
Centered Earth
Fixed) coordinates (X, Y, Z), geodetic coordinates latitude, longitude and ellipsoidal height ϕ, λ, h or geocentric
coordinates latitude, longitude and geocentric distance (Φ, Λ, r). The conversion between these representations
is done on the ellipsoid of revolution which is the mathematical approximation of the Earth’s surface.

The ellipsoid is completely parameterized by its geodetic defining parameters1 semi-major axis a and flattening
f . From these parameters it is possible to derive the semi-minor axis b, the first numeric eccentricity e and the
second eccentricity e′ using the formulas in the following table.

Parameter Value

semi-minor axis b=a 1−f
2 1 − b2 2
first eccentricity squared e = = 2f − f
a2

′2 a2 f 2−f
second eccentricity e = 2 −1=
2
b 1−f

It is important to note the difference between the geodetic latitude ϕ and the geocentric latitude Φ. The geodetic
latitude ϕ is determined by the angle between the normal n of the ellipsoid and the plane of the equator, whereas
the geocentric latitude Φ is determined around the center of the ellipsoid (Figure B-1 on the next page).
1 1
The defining geodetic parameters for the WGS84 ellipsoid are a = 6 378 137,0 m and f
= 298,257 223 563

189
 APPENDIX B. CONVERSION AND PROJECTION OF COORDINATES

rotation axis
h

r
Φ
ϕ
equator plane
rn

ellipsoid

Figure B-1: Difference between geodetic latitude ϕ and geocentric latitude Φ

The direct and inverse conversion between cartesian and geodetic coordinates is done according to :
Z + e2 rn sin ϕ
  
arctan √
X 2 +Y 2
      
X (rn + h) cos ϕ cos λ ϕ   
Y  =  (rn + h) cos ϕ sin λ 

λ =  Y 
and arctan 

√ X 
Z ((1 − e2 )rn + h) sin ϕ h  
 X2 + Y2 
− rn
cos ϕ
a
where rn = √ is the local curvature of the ellipsoid along the first vertical.
1−e2 sin2 ϕ

The conversion between cartesian and geocentric coordinates follow the relations :
π Z
 
 
X

r cos Λ sin Φ
  
Φ −
 2 r 
Y  =  r sin Λ sin Φ  and  arctan Y
Λ =  

Z r cos Φ r
√ X 
X 2 + Y 2 + Z2

B.2 The conformal direct Mercator projection

The conformal direct Mercator cartographic projection displays the projected north N versus projected east E
coordinates obtained by applying the following projection formulae :

E = f 1 (ϕ , λ )
N = f2 (ϕ, λ)

As in all cylindrical projections, parallels and meridians are straight and perpendicular to each other. In ac-
complishing this, the unavoidable east-west stretching of the map, which increases as distance away from the
equator increases, is accompanied by a corresponding north-south stretching, so that at every point location,
the east-west scale is the same as the north-south scale, making the projection conformal.

A Mercator map (See Figure B-2 on the following page) can never fully show the polar areas, since linear scale
becomes infinitely high at the poles. Being a conformal projection, angles are preserved around all locations,
however scale varies from place to place, distorting the size of geographical objects, as can be seen by the
indicatrix of Tissot represented on Figure B-2 on the next page. In particular, areas closer to the poles are more
affected, transmitting an image of the geometry of the planet which is more distorted the closer to the poles. At
latitudes above N 70 ◦ or below S 70 ◦ , the Mercator projection becomes practically unusable.

The forward mapping for the applied Mercator projection are :


E = k0 × (λ − λ0 ) + fE

N = k0 × ln tan π4 + ϕ2 + fN
The scale factor k0 used is the semi-major axis of the WGS84 ellipsoid and the prime meridian is used as central
longitude λ0 . The origin is offset by applying a false east and north translation fE = fN = 25 000 km.

190
 APPENDIX B. CONVERSION AND PROJECTION OF COORDINATES

Figure B-2: The Mercator projection

B.3 The topocentric ENU coordinate system

In many applications the representation of a point M by its topocentric or local East, North and Up coordinates
(E, N, U) is much more intuitive and practical than its corresponding cartesian or geodetic representation. The
topocentric coordinates are formed in a plane tangent to the surface of the Earth fixed to the location of a
topocentric reference point R (See Figure B-3). The N-axis is tangent to the northern meridian of the topocentric
reference point while the U-axis is aligned with the local normal to the ellipsoid in the topocentric reference
point. The E-axis is in the local horizontal plane oriented towards east tangent to the first vertical.

z≡U
z
Z
M
x≡N s
A

R y≡E
h

Y
ϕ

X ellipsoide

Figure B-3: The topocentric ENU coordinate system

The conversion from geodetic coordinates to topocentric coordinates is done according to :

     
E − sin λ cos λ 0 XM − XR
N = − sin ϕ cos λ − sin ϕ sin λ cos ϕ × YM − YR 
U cos ϕ cos λ cos ϕ sin λ sin ϕ ZM − ZR

and        
X − sin λ − sin ϕ cos λ cos ϕ cos λ E XR
Y  =  cos λ − sin ϕ sin λ cos ϕ sin λ  × N + YR 
Z 0 cos ϕ sin ϕ U ZR

191
 APPENDIX B. CONVERSION AND PROJECTION OF COORDINATES

B.4 Coordinates in a local datum

In some cases, position has to be output in the coordinates of a local datum instead of the global or regional
datums that are used in the computation of the position. Under certain conditions, the Septentrio Receiver can
compute coordinates in the applicable local datum. For more information refer to the Firmware User Manual
section on Datum Transformation. None of the RxTools perform datum transformation.

If coordinates in a local datum are reported by the Septentrio Receiver in PosLocal SBF blocks, the coordinates
are shown in an extra tab named Position in Local Datum in the RxControl main window. All other places
where coordinates are shown, including the planimetric plot and the ENU Time plot, show coordinates that have
not been datum transformed.

192
 APPENDIX C. TROUBLESHOOTING

Appendix C

Troubleshooting

This section provides some troubleshooting tips in case there is a problem with RxControl and no error warning
is given. If a warning or error is shown, more information about it can be found in Appendix D on page 195.

C.1 The Septentrio Receiver specific menus

are not available in RxControl
If you don’t see the receiver specific menus you are probably experiencing one of the following situations:

1. there is no receiver connected which can result from:

(a) during the connection you specified the wrong PC serial port to which receiver is connected.
(b) the serial port settings of your application do not match the settings of the serial port of the Septen-
trio Receiver. This may be the case if the Septentrio Receiver serial port settings have been changed
before your session. If you are not sure about this, reboot the Septentrio Receiver, so that it returns
to its default settings.
(c) The Septentrio Receiver is turned off or is in a boot stage. You can check the LEDs receiver front
panel to see the status.
2. your receiver is an older version which is incompatible with the newer RxControl. If your receiver is
PolaRx2 then please use the GUI from the PolaRx Graphical Tools installer.
3. there is a connection bandwidth overload. This can happen when using a serial connection at a high
message interval. If this is the case you should see the SBF LED at the bottom left corner of the main
window blink red in stead of green. In this case please use a USB or TCP/IP connection (which provide a
higher bandwidth) or lower the message interval.

C.2 RxControl’s screens are not updated or

only partially updated
If you don’t see the normal display, you are probably experiencing one of the following situations:

1. No receiver is connected. Possible reasons are:

2. Some dialogs have N/A instead of values and the statusbar shows a red message (such as Not enough
measurements). The most typical reason is that the antenna is not connected to the receiver or the
visibility of the sky is too limited. In these cases, you will still be able to see the timing information in the
Time or RxClock tab (see Section 2.4.2.3.1 on page 29 or Section 2.4.2.3.2 on page 29). Most probably
the Satellite Status dialog (see Figure 2-11 on page 27) of RxControl will indicate the Search status
of some satellites, showing the corresponding satellite signal indicators in yellow (see Section 2.4.2.2 on
page 27). This situation could occur during a cold boot of the receiver. In this case the screen will gradually
become alive and position and velocity data will show up in several seconds.
3. The receiver has no permission to output the data for the particular screen. Check the permitted options
on the receiver via the ’Help’ menu of RxControl.

193
 APPENDIX C. TROUBLESHOOTING

C.3 Contacting Septentrio support

If you experience a problem which is not described in this or the following section or the provided solutions are
not working for you, Septentrio’s support team are always ready to help you. They can be contacted via email:
[email protected] or via the Help menu on any of the RxTools GUIs:

• Help | Support | RxControl support

• Help | Support | Receiver support

If you use these menus some of the fields will be pre-filled for you. Please provide as much detail as possible
about your problem. Please attach a diagnostic report which can be generated through (File | Display
Diagnostic Report. This report contains a summary of the receivers setting, permissions, any errors re-
ported etc. If you are experiencing problems related to the Septentrio Receiver’s commands then the Septentrio
Receiver’s MIB description file would be helpful in order to help you with your problem. This file can be retrieved
by selecting the File | Save MIB Description As.

194
 APPENDIX D. WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES

Appendix D

Warning and Error Messages

D.1 Serial port related Warning and Error Mes-

sages
[Port] is invalid or is already open:
The serial port with the name [Port] is invalid and does not exist on the system. This can happen when you
specify one of the virtual serial ports linked with the USB ports of the Septentrio Receiver and the USB cable is
not plugged in. Another cause can be that the port is already open in another program and thus not available
for RxControl.
Please:

(a) select another port

(b) connect the USB cable of the Septentrio Receiver.
(c) close the program that has the port currently in use

Receive overflow:
An overflow in the receiver buffer of the serial port has occured.
This can occur when the PC is heavely loaded and means that some of the bytes received from the receiver are
lost.

Transmit overflow:
An overflow in the transmit buffer of the serial port has occured.
This can occur when the PC is heavely loaded and means that some of the bytes transmitted to the receiver are
lost.

Retrieve current state:

There was an error while retreiving the current state of the serial port.

Setting the port settings:

There was an error while applying the settings needed for RxControl.

Setting up the serial port:

There was an error during the setup of the serial port.

Purging the device:

There was an error while trying to purge the serial port.

Invalid Baudrate:
The selected baudrate cannot be applied to the serial port.
Please select a valid baudrate.

Invalid number of databits:

The selected number of databits cannot be applied to the serial port.
Please select a valid number of databits.

195
 APPENDIX D. WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES

Invalid number of stopbits:

The selected number of stopbits cannot be applied to the serial port.
Please select a valid number of stopbits.

Invalid parity:
The selected parity cannot be applied to the serial port.
Please select a valid parity setting.

Invalid flowcontrol:
The selected flowcontrol cannot be applied to the serial port.
Please select a valid flowcontrol.

Searching Baudrate...:
The serial port is searching for the baudrate of the connected Septentrio Receiver.
During this process there is no communication possible with the receiver.

Automatic searching for the baudrate failed:

While searching for a connected Septentrio Receiver with every possible baudrate, none was found.
Check if a Septentrio Receiver is connected to the selected serial port.

It seems that [Port] is no longer present on the system:

The serial port RxControl was using has disappeared from the system.
This can happen if you use a USB to serial device or the virtual serial ports linked with the USB ports of the
Septentrio Receiver and unplug the USB from the PC.

D.2 TCP/IP port related Warning and Error

Messages
The connection was refused by the peer (or timed out):
The Septentrio Receiver refused the connection set up by RxControl or it timed out.
Please check your network settings.

The remote host closed the connection:

The connection between the Septentrio Receiver and RxControl has ended because the Septentrio Receiver has
closed the connection.
Please check if the Septentrio Receiver is still working and try to reconnect.

Host [Host] not found:

The specified hostname or IP-address for the Septentrio Receiver is not found on the network.
Please check:

(a) if the specified hostname or IP-address of the Septentrio Receiver is correct

(b) that the Septentrio Receiver is correctly connected to the network.

The local system ran out of resources (e.g., too many sockets):
There are to many network resources in use on your PC.
Please free up some network resources.

The socket operation timed out:

The socket operation has timed out before it was completed.

An error occurred with the network:

This error can occur if for example the network cable was accidentally unplugged.
Please check your network.

196
 APPENDIX D. WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES

D.3 SBF File Player related Warning and Error

Messages
The given SBF file does not exist:
The specified SBF file does not exist.
Please specify an existing SBF file.

There is already a SBF file connection open:

There is already a SBF file connection open and only one at a time can be opened.
Please close the other SBF file connection before trying to open another.

The SSN Stream has given an error:

There has been an error while parsing the SBF. This indicates an error in the SBF parser or an invalid SBF file.
Please select a valid SBF file.

D.4 RxControl data parser related Warning

and Error Messages
Wrong SNMP version:
A SNMP message with a wrong version number has been received.
This error can occur when something is wrong with the SNMP setup between the Septentrio Receiver and Rx-
Control or if there are communication problems leading to lost bytes.

a Please check the number of CRC errors by hooverig over the SBF LED (see Section 2.4.2.4 on page 31). If the
number of CRC errors is high there is a problem with the communication and bytes are lost leading to this
problem. So check your communication settings.
a If there are no CRC errors please restart RxControl after enabling the Delete the downloaded MIB
files at the next close of RxControl in the Preferences dialog (see Section 2.4.3.1 on page 33)
in order to refresh the SNMP setup.

A time out error occurred while retrieving a SNMP message from the receiver:
The Septentrio Receiver did not reply on a SNMP request of RxControl. This can happen if the Septentrio Re-
ceiver’s CPU load is too high. If this error is displayed when displaying one of the Septentrio Receiver settings
dialogs it can occur that the shown values on that dialog does not reflect the current status of the Septentrio
Receiver.
Please try

(a) to send the message again

(b) to change your Septentrio Receiver settings so that the CPU load decreases.

A time out error occurred while changing the Septentrio Receiver settings:
The Septentrio Receiver did not react on a request of RxControl to change it’s settings. This can happen if the
Septentrio Receiver’s CPU load is too high. If this error is displayed when displaying one of the Septentrio Receiver
settings dialogs it can occur that the shown values on that dialog does not reflect the current status of the
Septentrio Receiver.
Please try

(a) to send the message again

(b) to change your Septentrio Receiver settings so that the CPU load decreases.

An error occurred while initializing the MIB:

There has been an error while downloading the Septentrio Receiver’s capabilities. As a result the Septentrio
Receiver specific menus are not shown.
Please close the connection to your Septentrio Receiver and reopen it again.

There was an error while parsing the current receiver configuration:

RxControl requested a setting that is unknown or invalid for the Septentrio Receiver. It may be that the actual
configuration of the receiver is different than the expected one.

197
 APPENDIX D. WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES

Please restart RxControl after enabling the Delete the downloaded MIB files at the next close
of RxControl in the Preferences dialog (see Section 2.4.3.1 on page 33) in order to refresh the SNMP setup.
If this does not help please contact Septentrio support.

There was an error while setting the receiver configuration:

RxControl changed a setting that is unknown or invalid for the Septentrio Receiver. It may be that the actual
configuration of the receiver is different than the expected one.
Please restart RxControl after enabling the Delete the downloaded MIB files at the next close
of RxControl in the Preferences dialog (see Section 2.4.3.1 on page 33) in order to refresh the SNMP setup.
If this does not help please contact Septentrio support.

A time out error occurred while retrieving a receiver message from the receiver:
RxControl has send a request to the Septentrio Receiver to which no reply has been received. This can happen
if the Septentrio Receiver’s CPU load is too high. If this error is displayed when displaying one of the Septentrio
Receiver settings dialogs it can occur that the shown values on that dialog does not reflect the current status of
the Septentrio Receiver.
Please try

(a) to send the message again

(b) to change your Septentrio Receiver settings so that the CPU load decreases.

Re-initialize communication because no data has been received for X milliseconds:

Since there has been no communication between RxControl and the Septentrio Receiver for X milliseconds Rx-
Control decides that the communication is broken. Therefore it tries to re-initialize the communication. This
warning dialog disappears from the moment the communication is re-established or when that fails it shows a
dialog to change the connection settings.
Please check the connection between your Septentrio Receiver and the PC running RxControl.

No communication with receiver:

Since there is no communication between RxControl and the Septentrio Receiver RxControl decides that the com-
munication is broken. Therefore it tries to re-initialize the communication. This warning dialog disappears from
the moment the communication is re-established or when that fails it shows a dialog to change the connection
settings.
Please check the connection between your Septentrio Receiver and the PC running RxControl.

Receiving invalid data:

RxControl has received data that it cannot parse. This can happen if there are communication errors between
the Septentrio Receiver and RxControl.
Please check the connection between your Septentrio Receiver and the PC running RxControl.

This version of RxControl does not support PolaRx2 receivers:

This warning is shown when using a version of RxControl that communicates with the receiver via the SNMP
protocol while the receiver does not support it.
Please use RxControl from the PolaRx Graphical Tools installer.

D.5 Logging related Warning and Error Mes-

sages
RxControl has no permissions to write to X:
The user has entered a destination directory X for the logger output that is not writable by RxControl.
Please select another destination directory or change the settings of the directory so that RxControl can write to
it.

Disk full:
The disk containing the destination directory for logging is full preventing further logging.
Please free up some space on the disk or enter another logging destination.

The startup script could not be read:

The script that should be sent to the Septentrio Receiver at start of the logging cannot be found or read.
Please provide a valid startup script.

198
 APPENDIX D. WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES

The scheduled start time is later than the stop time:

The entered time for starting the scheduled logging is later in time than the stop time.
Please provide a valid start and stop time for the scheduled logging.

The logger is not initialized:

An internal error in RxControl occured preventing the logger to be started.
Please restart RxControl and try again. If the problem is persisting please contact Septentrio.

Action X requires that the file naming convention is set to IGS24:

A logging post-process action (with the name X) has been defined that requires that the naming convention is
set to IGS24.
Please set the naming convention to IGS24 or disable the post-process action X.

Action X requires that the SBF logging is enabled:

A logging post-process action (with the name X) has been defined that requires SBF logging however SBF logging
is not enabled.
Please enable SBF logging or disable the post-process action X.

Action X requires that the NMEA logging is enabled:

A logging post-process action (with the name X) has been defined that requires NMEA logging however NMEA
logging is not enabled.
Please enable NMEA logging or disable the post-process action X.

D.6 Upgrade related Warning and Error Mes-

sages
Failed to open connection to receiver:
RxControl failed to open a connection to the Septentrio Receiver or your Septentrio Receiver is not running.
Please check:

(a) the connection between your Septentrio Receiver and the PC running RxControl
(b) that Septentrio Receiver is turned on.

The upgrade file seems to be corrupt causing the upgrade to fail:

The file containing the upgrade is corrupt or is not a valid Septentrio Upgrade File.
Please select a valid Septentrio Upgrade File.

There was a connection time out:

While connecting to the Septentrio Receiver there was a timeout. This can happen if there is no operating
Septentrio Receiver connected or if programName is connected to a serial port of the Septentrio Receiver that is
not capable of performing upgrades.
Please check if an operating Septentrio Receiver is connected and that the Septentrio Receiver’s serial port is
capable of performing upgrades.

Connection timed out:

While connecting to the Septentrio Receiver there was a timeout. This can happen if there is no operating
Septentrio Receiver connected or if programName is connected to a serial port of the Septentrio Receiver that is
not capable of performing upgrades.
Please check if an operating Septentrio Receiver is connected and that the Septentrio Receiver’s serial port is
capable of performing upgrades.

D.7 Receiver Diagnostics causing Errors

Following errors can be encountered in the RxControl’s log:

(a) lstInternalFile: Argument ’File’ is invalid

(b) advFlashInfo: Invalid command

This is normal behavior and is nothing to be concerned about.

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 APPENDIX D. WARNING AND ERROR MESSAGES

The error “lstInternalFile: Argument ’File’ is invalid” is triggered by the “Receiver Diagnostics” feature of RxCon-
trol. When storing the “Receiver Diagnostics”, RxControl tries to retrieve some files which aren’t available on all
Septentrio Receiver’s, but it is part of RxControl’s flow to try requesting these as part of the “Receiver Diagnos-
tics”. The absence of the files, which is normal, is reported.

The error “advFlashInfo: Invalid command” is also triggered by the “Receiver Diagnostics” feature of RxControl.
If the command is not available on your Septentrio Receiver this error reports the absence of this command.
Again, this is nothing to be concerned about.

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 APPENDIX E. CONNECTION SCRIPT FOR NTRIP CONNECTION USING DATA LINK

Appendix E

Connection script for NTRIP connection

using Data Link

• GET /FLEPOSVRS31GLO HTTP/1.1

• Host: ntrip.flepos.be
• Ntrip-Version: Ntrip/1.0
• User-Agent: NTRIP DataLink/2.3.11
• Authorization: Basic c2VwdGVudHJpby1hdXRvMDU6dWJpY2VudGVy
• Connection: close

201
 GLOSSARY

Glossary

–A–

AGC Automatic Gain Control is an adaptive system found in many electronic devices.
The average output signal level is fed back to adjust the gain to an appropriate
level for a range of input signal levels. For example, without AGC the sound
emitted from an AM radio receiver would vary to an extreme extent from a weak
to a strong signal; the AGC effectively reduces the volume if the signal is strong
and raises it when it is weaker.

ARP Antenna Reference Point.

ASCII The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a standard seven-
bit code. ASCII was established to achieve compatibility between various types
of data processing equipment. The standard ASCII character set consists of 128
decimal numbers ranging from 0 ... 127 assigned to letters, numbers, punctu-
ation marks, and the most common special characters. The Extended ASCII
Character Set also consists of another 128 decimal numbers and ranges from
128 ... 255 representing additional special, mathematical, graphic, and foreign
characters.

ASN.1 Abstract Syntax Notation One is a standard way to describe a message (a unit
of application data) that can be sent or received in a network. ASN.1 is divided
into two parts: (1) the rules of syntax for describing the contents of a message in
terms of data type and content sequence or structure and (2) how you actually
encode each data item in a message.

Azimuth The Azimuth angle of a satellite indicates the direction of the projection of the
line-of-sight onto the local horizontal plane measured from the geographic North
positive to the East.

–B–

BeiDou The BeiDou navigation system is a global satellite navigation system being de-
veloped by China. The name Compass has been replaced by BeiDou.

–C–

CGGTTS The Common GPS GLONASS Time Transfer Standard) format designed for inter-
national time transfer among the respective timing organizations, and reported
to the BIPM.

202
 GLOSSARY

CMR The Compact Measurement Record format contains packet framing and mes-
sage types for raw L1 and L2 carrier phase and pseudorange data, plus reference
station location and description messages.

C/N0 Carrier-to-Noise ratio expressed in [db-Hz].

COG Course Over Ground.

conformal A projection is conformal or angle-preserving when it preserves oriented an-

gles between curves. This means that the shape of infinitesimally small figures
are preserved, though their size is generally distorted. Tissot’s indicatrix is a cir-
cle in each projection point. Other local map properties are [equivalent??] or
equidistant.

CRC A cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is a type of function that takes as input a data
stream of unlimited length and produces as output a value of a certain fixed
size. The term CRC is often used to denote either the function or the function’s
output. A CRC can be used in the same way as a checksum to detect acciden-
tal alteration of data during transmission or storage. CRCs are popular because
they are simple to implement in binary hardware, are easy to analyze mathemat-
ically, and are particularly good at detecting common errors caused by noise in
transmission channels.

–D–

direct A projection is direct or normal when the axis of the auxiliary surface (cone,
cylinder or plane) is coincident with the polar axis. Other orientations are trans-
verse and oblique.

DNS The Domain Name Server is a distributed Internet directory service. A DNS is
used mostly to translate between domain names and IP addresses and to control
the Internet e-mail delivery.

DOP The Dilution Of Precision measures the relative degradation of the accuracy of
the navigation solution based on the constellation geometry. The reported value
can be multiplied by the uncertainty in the range measurements (assumed to
be the same for all transmitters) to provide the uncertainty in the navigation
solution.

–E–

EGNOS The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System is the European SBAS
system developed by ESA, European Commission and Eurocontrol. Its service
zone is the European continental airspace.

Elevation The Elevation angle of a satellite defines the angle between the local horizontal
plane and the direction to the satellite.

ENU The coordinates measured in the topocentric reference with respect to a refer-
ence position. The N-axis points to true geographic north, the E-axis is oriented
towards the east while the U-axis is along the local normal.

203
 GLOSSARY

–F–

FTP The File Transfer Protocol is used on the Internet for exchanging files and it is
based on the TCP/IP protocol. FTP is most commonly used to download a file
from a server using the Internet or to upload a file to a server.

–G–

Galileo The Galileo positioning system, referred to simply as Galileo, is a European

Global Navigation Satellite System, built by the European Satellite Navigation In-
dustries for the European Union (EU) and European Space Agency (ESA) as an al-
ternative to the United States operated Global Positioning System (GPS) and the
Russian GLONASS. Galileo is tasked with multiple objectives including the follow-
ing: to provide a higher precision to all users than is currently available through
GPS or GLONASS, to improve availability of positioning services at higher lati-
tudes, and to provide an independent positioning system upon which European
nations can rely even in times of war or political disagreement.

GIVEI Grid Ionospheric Vertical Error.

GLONASS The Russian Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System is a satellite based ra-
dionavigation system which enables unlimited number of users to make all-
weather 3D positioning, velocity measuring and timing anywhere in the world
or near-Earth space.

GNSS A Global Navigation Satellite System is a system of satellites that provides au-
tonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage.

GPS Global Positioning System (also NAVSTAR GPS)is a satellite navigation system
owned by the Department of Defence of the United States of America and de-
signed to provide instantaneous position,velocity and time information almost
anywhere on the globe at any time, and in any weather. NAVSTAR GPS stands for
the NAVigation Satellite Timing And Ranging Global Positioning System.

GPX GPS eXchange Format is an XML schema designed for transferring GPS data be-
tween software applications. It can be used to describe waypoints, tracks, and
routes.

GUI The Graphical User Interface gives the user a graphical way for controlling and
viewing the information of the receiver.

–H–

HAL Horizontal Alert Limit.

HDOP Horizontal Dilution Of Precision is a measure of the uncertainty of the navigation

solution in the local horizontal plane.

HERL The Horizontal External Reliability Level for the position used in RAIM statistics.

HMI Hazardously Misleading Information.

HPL Horizontal Protection Level.

204
 GLOSSARY

–I–

IGS The International GPS Service provides GPS orbits, tracking data, and other high-
quality GPS data and data products on line in near real time to meet the objec-
tives of a wide range of scientific and engineering applications and studies.

ILS Instrument Landing System facilities are a highly accurate and dependable
means of navigating to the runway. The ILS provides the lateral and vertical guid-
ance necessary to fly a precision approach.

IMU An Inertial Measurement Unit is a device that measures acceleration and rota-
tion. When the Septentrio Receiver is connected with an IMU, these measure-
ments can be used for determining position/velocity/attitude through a tech-
nique called integration.

indicatrix Tissot’s indicatrix, or ellipse of distortion, is a concept developed by French

mathematician Nicolas Auguste Tissot to measure and illustrate map distortions.
It is the theoretical figure that results from the projection of an infinitesimal circle
with unit radio, defined in a geometric model of the Earth (a sphere or an ellip-
soid), on the projection plane. Tissot proved that this figure is normally an ellipse,
whose axes indicate the two principal directions of the projection at a certain
point, i.e., the directions along which its scale is maximum and minimum. When
the Tissot’s indicatrix reduces to a circle it means that, at that particular point,
the scale is independent of direction. In conformal projections, where angles are
preserved around every location, the Tissot’s indicatrix are all circles, with varying
sizes. In equivalent or equal-area projections, where area proportions between
objects are conserved, the Tissot’s indicatrix have all unit area, although their
shapes and orientations vary with location.

integration Approach to determining the position/velocity/attitude, based on the combi-

nation of GNSS measurements together with measurements of other sensors,
such as an IMU.

IP The Internet Protocol is responsible for moving packets of data between Internet
nodes. IP forwards each packet based on a four byte destination address (the IP
number). The Internet authorities assign ranges of numbers to different organi-
zations. The organizations assign groups of their IP numbers to departments.

IRNSS The Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System is a regional satellite naviga-
tion system owned by the Indian government.

ITRF The International Terrestrial Reference Frame is a realization of the International

Terrestrial Reference System as defined by the International Earth Rotation Ser-
vice. These frames are materialized by tracking stations and related monuments.

–K–

KML KML is a file format used to display geographic data in an earth browser, such
as Google Earth, Google Maps, and Google Maps for mobile. A KML file is
processed in much the same way that HTML (and XML) files are processed by
web browsers. Like HTML, KML has a tag-based structure with names and at-
tributes used for specific display purposes. Thus, Google Earth and Maps act as
browsers for KML files.

205
 GLOSSARY

–L–

LAN A Local Area Network is a computer network that spans a relatively small area.
Most LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings. However, one
LAN can be connected to other LANs over any distance via telephone lines, radio
waves, among other ways.

L-Band L- Band Receiver.

LDAP The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, or LDAP, is an application protocol

for querying and modifying directory services running over TCP/IP.

LED Light-Emitting Diode. Light-emitting diodes are diodes that emit light when a
suitable voltage is applied, similar to a light bulb. RxControl simulates LEDs by
animated images.

–M–

MDB Minimum Detectable Bias based on probability of missed detection set by the
user.

Mercator Mercator was born Gerard de Cremere in the Flemish town of Rupelmonde. Mer-
cator is the Latinized form of his name. He constructed a new map projection
and first used it in 1569: it had parallel lines of longitude to aid navigation at sea,
as compass courses could be marked as straight lines.

MI Misleading Information.

MIB a MIB is a type of database used to manage the devices in a communications

network. The MIB contains information on the commands and on the target’s
objects (controllable entities or potential sources of status information).

–N–

NIS The Network Information Service or NIS is Sun Microsystems’ "‘Yellow Pages"’
(YP) client-server directory service protocol for distributing system configuration
data such as user and host names between computers on a computer network.

NIS+ NISPLUS or NIS+, is an enhanced version of the Network Information Service de-
veloped by Sun Microsystems. It is a UNIX lookup service detailing disk mounts,
users, computer nodes, etc. It is designed to eliminate the duplication of ta-
bles, called "‘maps"’, thereby easing system administration by storing such maps
on a master server rather than keeping separate copies on individual machines,
which is generally a sin. With the exception of NIS+ server, client & server ver-
sions of NIS & NIS+ have been ported to other UNIX platforms, notably Linux. MS
Windows can run NIS-Gina, but this is not common.

NMEA The National Marine Electronics Association has developed a standard to permit
ready and satisfactory data communication between electronic marine instru-
ments, navigation equipment and communications equipment when intercon-
nected via an appropriate interface. The standard implemented by the Septen-
trio Receiver is the NMEA 0183, version 2.30.

206
 GLOSSARY

–P–

PA A Precision Approach is an approved descent procedure, which uses a navigation

facility aligned with a runway where glide slope information is given.

PC mean antenna Phase Center.

PDOP Position Dilution Of Precision is the geometric DOP parameter.

PL SBAS systems generate in real time protection limits for the residual position
error in the differential correction to GPS. When the residual error exceeds the
protection limit, an alarm is raised notifying the user of a potential dangerous
situation.

PRN The Pseudo Random Noise refers to a code that is is apparently random al-
though it has been generated by means of a known process, hence the repeata-
bility of the code indicate by the prefix pseudo random. Each GNSS satellite has
its PRN number.

projection A map projection is any method used in cartography to represent the two-
dimensional curved surface of the earth on a plane. The term projection refers
to any function defined on the earth’s surface and with values on the plane, and
not necessarily a geometric projection. Since the sphere or revolution ellipsoid
are non-developable surfaces, a map projection cannot exist without distortions.
A map projection uses an intermediate surface (a cone, cylinder or plane) to
project the earth’s points onto, which is afterwards laid out on a plane.

PVT Position, Velocity and Time, meaning that the navigation solution computes the
current position, velocity and time clock bias of the receiver.

–Q–

QZSS The Quasi-Zenith Satellite System is a regional time transfer system and Satel-
lite Based Augmentation System for the Global Positioning System, that is being
developed by and receivable within Japan.

–R–

RAIM The Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring is a technology developed to as-

sess the integrity of GPS signals in a GPS receiver system. It is of special im-
portance in safety-critical GPS applications, such as in aviation or marine appli-
cations. RAIM ensures the integrity of the computed position solution, provided
that sufficient satellites are available. The RAIM algorithm consists in three steps:
detection, identification and adaptation, or shortly "D-I-A".

RGB Red Green Blue color model.

RINEX The Receiver INdependent EXchange format is data format independent of re-
ceiver type. RINEX can be seen as a standard exchange format for GPS data.

RS232 The RS-232 standard specifies signal voltages, signal timing, signal function, a
protocol for information exchange, and mechanical connectors for a serial con-
nection.

207
 GLOSSARY

RTCM Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services. The committee NO. 104 of
the RTCM recommended a standard for exchange of data for Differential GPS
service. The standard addresses both code-based and carrier-phase based posi-
tioning.

RTK GPS Real-Time Kinematic is a high-precision surveying method. RTK is based on

differential carrier-phase prunning with either float or integer phase ambigui-
ties. RTK requires a real-time data link to transmit correction data from the base
station to the rover.

–S–

SBAS A Space-Based Augmentation System is a regional augmentation systems for

GPS and/or GLONASS. An SBAS system is based on a networked ground seg-
ment and navigation payloads on-board of geostationary satellites whose main
purpose is to provide higher position accuracies, better availability and conti-
nuity of service and integrity messages to the users of space based navigation
systems. Currently existing SBASs are based on DO229 data exchange standard.

SBF The Septentrio Binary Format is a data format used by the Septentrio Receiver.
It arranges the data in so-called SBF blocks, identified by block IDs. The benefit
of SBF is compactness : large quantity of information with a high level of detail
can be transmitted over a low-bandwidth serial connection. This format should
be your first choice if you wish to receive detailed information from the receiver.

SNMP SNMP is used by network management systems to monitor network-attached

devices for conditions that warrant administrative attention. It consists of a set
of standards for network management, including an Application Layer protocol,
a database schema, and a set of data objects. SNMP exposes management data
in the form of variables on the managed systems, which describe the system con-
figuration. These variables can then be queried and sometimes set by managing
applications.

–T–

TCP/IP TCP/IP is a communication protocol and is composed of layers:

IP : is responsible for moving packets of data between Internet nodes. IP for-

wards each packet based on a four byte destination address (the IP number). The
Internet authorities assign ranges of numbers to different organizations. The or-
ganizations assign groups of their IP numbers to departments.

TCP : is responsible for verifying the correct delivery of data from client to server.
Data can be lost in the intermediate network. TCP adds support to detect errors
or lost data and to trigger retransmission until the data is correctly and com-
pletely received.

Sockets : A name given to the package of subroutines that provide access to

TCP/IP on most systems.

TDOP Time Dilution Of Precision is a measure of the uncertainty of the navigation so-
lution in the time determination.

208
 GLOSSARY

TOW GPS time is transmitted by a combination of the current Week Number and the
Time Of Week. The TOW represents the number of seconds into the week rang-
ing from [0 ... 604800[ seconds and is counted from midnight Saturday/Sunday
on the GPS time scale.

–U–

USB Universal Serial Bus is a specification to establish communication between de-

vices and a host controller (usually personal computers).

–C–

UTC Coordinated Universal Time is a time scale that couples Greenwich Mean Time,
which is based solely on the Earth’s inconsistent rotation rate, with highly ac-
curate atomic time. When atomic time and Earth time approach a one second
difference, a leap second is calculated into UTC. UTC was devised on January
1st, 1972 and is coordinated in Paris by the International Bureau of Weights and
Measures (BIPM). For most practical purposes associated with the Radio Regula-
tions, UTC is equivalent to mean solar time at the prime meridian (0◦ longitude),
formerly expressed in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The maintenance by BIPM
includes cooperation among various national laboratories around the world. The
full definition of UTC is contained in CCIR Recommendation 460-4. The GPS sys-
tem time is different from the UTC time by a whole number of leap seconds (15
at the time of this writting).

–V–

VAL Vertical Alert Limit.

VDOP Vertical Dilution Of Precision is a measure of the uncertainty of the navigation

solution in the vertical direction.

VERL The Vertical External Reliability Level for the position used in RAIM statistics.

VPL Vertical Protection Level.

–W–

WAAS The Wide Area Augmentation System is the American SBAS system developed
by the FAA. WAAS is designed to improve the accuracy and ensure the integrity
of information coming from GPS satellites.

WGS84 The World Geodetic System 84 is an Earth-fixed global reference frame. It is de-
fined by a set of parameters defining the shape of the earth’s ellipsoid, its angular
velocity, the earth mass and a detailed gravity model of the earth. These param-
eters are needed because WGS 84 is used not only for defining coordinates in
surveying, but, for example, also for determining the orbits of GPS navigation
satellites.

209
 GLOSSARY

WNc GPS time is transmitted by a combination of the current Week Number and the
Time Of Week. The week number represents the number of weeks elapsed since
the introduction of the GPS time scale on January, 6th 1980.

–X–

XERL The EXtErnal Reliability Levels give the opportunity to introduce a more strin-
gent application-specific integrity criterion. The positional solution is deemed
as passed an application-level integrity test if the XERLs are within user-defined
(and application-dependent) alarm limits. This comparison (and the definition
of alarm limits as well) takes place in a user application and is outside of the
receiver scope.

–E–

XML Extensible Markup Language.

210