Radio Issues

Brad,
I would check your range at another site. A lot of municipal sites here in MS have a fair amount of interference, especially if there are electric transmission lines or automatic door openers on buildings.
Another range killer are the FAA radar sites.
 

Matt Johnson

Well-Known Member
5PLS
We had the same issue with the broken antenna connection at the ground plane a week or so ago. I disassembled the base of the antenna unsoldered and resoldered the cable back on. Then we secured the cable to the ground plane so we wouldn't have this issue again. I've checked the continuity through the antenna from the cable at the radio to the antenna whip and am getting a signal but once we are set up in the field, our RSSI is poor even at 600', with the 35W radio, in a wide open soccer field. Any suggestions? Or should we just get the new upgraded cord?

Did you make sure to get a good connection with the conducting shield surrounding that surrounds the inner conductor when you repaired it?
 

Phil

Active Member
Brad....I put duct tape on my cable and antenna to form a 90 degree angle to keep the cable from bending at the antenna connection and this solved the problem. I do not use the ground plane. Sometimes now, I will lose radio for a count of 12 or 13, but then it comes back, so that may be a interference problem. My old Allen Osborne GPS system had the pacific crest antenna which was bullet proof and easy to store. If I can make a suggestion to Javad team...it would be....to make a short durable antenna and durable cord similar to the pacific crest set up that would fit easily into the black Javad carrying case that I have may radio in. I do not unscrew my current cord from the antenna because I think I stripped the threads getting it on the first time as the threads were thin and the fit not good. As a surveyor I do not like customers always complaining or asking for freebees. Javad and the surveyors are doing what I think is a good job trying to please everyone, so overall I like my really like my system and have been waiting for something really serious to go wrong with it, but nothing serious so far. I took some shots the other day that I thought I would have to move the position of my base to get them but I was good with first base position. I was half mile away with large tree rows and big trees next to a large two story brick house and I was taking shots on all sides of the house at 5 feet offset from house corners...Phil
 

Matt Johnson

Well-Known Member
5PLS
Sometimes now, I will lose radio for a count of 12 or 13, but then it comes back, so that may be a interference problem.

If you have it setup to broadcast a call sign, that would be why. The radios stop broadcasting corrections while the call sign is being broadcast.
 

Brad Thompson

New Member
Did you make sure to get a good connection with the conducting shield surrounding that surrounds the inner conductor when you repaired it?
Matt: I believe that I do have a good connection with the conducting shield. I have ordered the new updated antennae and we will see what happens.
 

Phil

Active Member
Yesterday on a steep ridge with pine trees....now I got old pipes to measure on both sides of a steep ridge...my base is in the open away from steep ridge and I figure I can measure all the pipes on the west side of ridge and then will have move my base to top of ridge pipe for base to get the pipes on the east side of ridge...but I figure what the heck...let me see if I can get shots on the east side without moving my base, and I did get shots on them, so then I figure I can go further east to get some more shots in some pine trees down lower, and I got them too...now I am using 1 watt even though I can use 35 watt...my longest shot was 1670 feet so I was not measuring a mile away....but the terrain was rough...87' vertical going 167' horizontal between two pipes is a steep ridge even if top of ridge only 4100 elevation....I have been setting my radio 10 paces from my base which seems to work for me right now....so why all the information....I like what is posted on this website to help surveyors...I know that Trimble and Topcon can probably do these measurements, but can they do it for 21,500 dollars which is what I paid for my unit.....I still do not know all this LS thing can do...I am fixing on two engines and was getting 3 to 6 engines fixing before I would take the shot and the LS was realistic on the tough shots showing +/- 0.10 horizontal...the trees were 15 feet +/- spacing so I was not in super thick forest, but it was not in a place you could get a sunburn....also my experience in open country with 1 watt is that you pretty much have to have line of sight if you go past a mile....Phil
 

Matthew D. Sibole

Well-Known Member
5PLS
It is a real piece of art that is for sure. The one question are you using the consistency and confidence counters?

The reason I ask is when you state that you are waiting to get 3 to 6 engines to fix before accepting the shot. When using the confidence and consistency settings you can set the pole on the point, hit start and let it work. It will get the shot and make sure it is correct.
 

Phil

Active Member
I will pay closer attention to the counters...I have to go back out on same job and will check back into the pipes...I ran the North Line of this area a few years ago with a Total Station and all those points matched about dead on
 

Phil

Active Member
My tx light on my radio is not flashing and I have no communication this Wednesday morning. When I turned on my LS and tried to connect....it said "Invalid Index"..but I got past that screen, but of course it still would not communicate. I downloaded a update last night and I wonder if that may have something to do with this situation. I had no problems on Monday with communication.
 

Adam

Well-Known Member
5PLS
Oh sorry for calling you Phil, I just seen this post. I bet you were talking to Shawn when I called.
 

Shawn Billings

Shawn Billings
5PLS
In Base Rover Setup when he was attempting to connect to the Triumph-2, a message would pop-up and shown Invalid Index. He could hit OK and connect as normal. He cleared the NVRAM on the Triumph-2 and it seems to have cleared up the issue. I don't think there was any issue with the radio transmitting. He was looking at the Tx light before pressing "Start Base", so it wouldn't have been transmitting at that point.
 

Phil

Active Member
Shawn...it worked fine this afternoon after your help. My radio does seem to flash the tx light not long after it connects bluetooth to the Triumph-2 and before I press the start base button in the LS....Phil
 

Phil

Active Member
Having a bit of trouble again. When I press the Start Base button it does not do anything, so I cannot connect with Rover. I have selected the base coordinates, but when I press Start Base button, it will not go to the "Do you want to Start Base? screen.
 

Phil

Active Member
No..but I did turn everything off and then back on again. I cleared the NVRAM. The reason I was getting "invalid index" a few emails back was because I was not waiting for the the Triumph Base to show in the connect screen. The crazy thing about my unit is that before the down load this week..I never had to press the Start Base button.....the tx light was already transmitting and all I did was touch the screen and up popped a window saying..stop only...stop download ..and one other option....I would stop it...enter my coordinates and then ok and then it would go automatically to Do you want to Start Base? If I can figure out what I am doing wrong prior to touching the Start Base button assuming it will activate when I touch it, then I should be running again.
 
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