90964 GPS\GLONASS Receiver

INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL

Verison1.0

© Copyright 2001 Thales GeoSolutions Group Limited

Master Register Number: OM-087

Dated: May 2001
Issue No: 0
90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Amendment Record Sheet

AMENDMENT RECORD SHEET

Issue No Date Revised Section(s) Revised Page No(s) Authorised
0 May ’01 N/A N/A T. Just

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page i

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Contents

CONTENTS
Page No
AMENDMENT RECORD SHEET..............................................................................................................i
CONTENTS .......... ................................................................................................................................... ii
1. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION.................................................................................................... 1
1.1. FRONT PANEL......................................................................................................... 1
1.1.1. Status LEDs.................................................................................................... 1
1.2. REAR PANEL ........................................................................................................... 2
1.2.1. Serial Ports ..................................................................................................... 2
1.2.2. Antenna Connections ..................................................................................... 2
1.2.3. Power Supply Input ........................................................................................ 2
2. CONFIGURATION WITH MULTIFIX 3 ............................................................................... 3
2.1. RTCM CORRECTIONS............................................................................................ 3
2.2. ANTENNA CONNECTIONS ..................................................................................... 3
2.3. DATA OUTPUTS ...................................................................................................... 3
3. RECEIVER SET UP............................................................................................................ 5
3.1. CONNECTION TO THE RECEIVER ........................................................................ 5
3.2. CONFIGURING THE RECEIVER............................................................................. 8
3.2.1. Changing the RTCM Station........................................................................... 9
4. RECEIVER MONITORING ............................................................................................... 10
APPENDIX A – INITIALISATION FILES ............................................................................................... 11
THALES 90964 UNIT........................................................................................................ 11
GG24 BASE UNIT............................................................................................................. 12
APPENDIX B – CONTROL CABLE WIRING DIAGRAM ...................................................................... 13

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page ii

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL System Description

1. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
The Thales 90964 is provided to give users a combined GPS/GLONAS position solution.

Housed in a 19” rack mount case, it contains an Ashtech GG24 OEM board and an antenna splitter that
allows the unit to share an antenna with other GPS receivers. Either 110V or 220V DC can power the
90964.
On the back panel there are 3 RS232 ports. The back panel also has the antenna input and output
connections.
The 90964 can only take GPS\GLONASS corrections from a single station.
The first time the system is operated it will need to be set up by using the Ashtech Evaluate control
software, see Section 3 on page 5. (Thereafter the configuration is stored in the receiver’s memory).

1.1. FRONT PANEL

90964 GPS/Glonass
Tracking
Power
Status
Reset
Receiver

The front panel simply shows the power and tracking status of the unit. There is also a hard reset button
for the internal GG24 OEM board.

1.1.1. Status LEDs

Power Indicates that power is being supplied to the internal GG24 board
Tracking Status Upon power-up, the status LED lights red and continues to flash red, indicating
the unit is operational but no satellites have been acquired. When the GG24's
automatic search results in a satellite acquisition, the status LED flashes green
between red flashes. Every satellite lock-on produces a green flash, where a
short green flash indicates the satellite is locked but not being used; and a long
green flash indicates that the satellite is being used. Once the GG24 locks to
enough satellites to compute a position, the red flash turns into a longer flash,
indicating a position computation. To differentiate between locked GPS and
GLONASS satellites, the LED blinks first green for each locked GPS satellite,
then it blinks yellow once and blinks green for each locked GLONASS satellite.

GPS satellite GPS satellite Glonass Glonass satellite Glonass satellite Rx Operational
Rx Operational tracked tracked and used satellite tracked tracked and used position solution
no position solution but not used in position solution indicator but not used in position solution formed

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90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL System Description

1.2. REAR PANEL

1.2.1. Serial Ports

The rear panel of the unit 3 has RS232 ports. The Control port is a female DB-9 connector and is
connected to the internal port A of the GG24 board. The RTCM input port and the Data Output ports are
both connected to the internal port B of the GG24. Both are female DB-25 connectors.

1.2.2. Antenna Connections

The outer most of the two N-type antenna connectors on the back panel needs to be connected to the
nd
antenna. The 2 N-type antenna connector allows the antenna signal to be split to an external GPS
receiver like the Trimble MS750 dual-frequency GPS receiver or the Trimble 4000DS, Trimble BD112 or
Trimble DSM212 single-frequency GPS receivers
Note – a secondary unit sharing the GPS antenna will continue to operate if the power is removed from
the 90964 unit.

1.2.3. Power Supply Input

A filtered IEC mains inlet connector with integrated on/off switch and fuse is fitted to the rear
panel of the 90909/2403 units.

Fuse type: 1.25A, 20 x 5mm quick acting

AC Input: 85-264V AC 47-440 Hz
Power: 18W typical

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 2 of 13

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Configuration with MultiFix 3

2. CONFIGURATION WITH MULTIFIX 3

The 90964 unit is designed for integration with a standard SkyFix spread. The data output and RTCM
input ports are designed to plug directly into a digiboard cable.

2.1. RTCM CORRECTIONS

Combined GPS\GLONASS corrections are available from selected SkyFix sites, via a standard SkyFix
decoder.

The 90964 can only use corrections from one reference station at a time. If combined GPS\GLONASS
corrections are provided and provided the GG24 is configured to MIX mode (see Appendix A), then a
combined GPS\GLONASS solution will be generated.

If a 2403 SkyFix decoder or a 90938 without a GPS board fitted is in use, it is possible to output different
correction lists on two of the available ports (1 and 2). Typically corrections are taken from port 2 for the
MultiFix PC. It is therefore recommended to output a single station on port 1. This output can be passed
into the 90964 via the port marked RTCM Input.

If a 90938 with a GPS board is in use, then RTCM data can only be output on Port 2, (Port 1 being
reserved for data output form the GPS board). Where the RTCM data from multiple Reference Stations
is required by another program such as MultiFix 3, the data from Port 2 will need to be split. The 90964
will only take the data from the Reference Station it is configured to use. In this circumstance the GGA
string output by the 90964 may report an incorrect reference station ID number.

2.2. ANTENNA CONNECTIONS

The 90964 is designed for use with a Trimble Dual frequency antenna although the GG24 itself does not
require dual frequency signals. The antenna cable should be plugged into the N-type connector marked
“GPS\GLONASS antenna”. A second GPS Rx (such as a Trimble MS750) can then be plugged into the
N-type connector marked “MS750”. If an external single frequency GPS receiver is being used the
system will also work with Trimble Compact Dome (shower head) and AD251 antennas.

2.3. DATA OUTPUTS

For operation with Position Viewer the output from the 90964 is to be a GGA string. This position can be
incorporated with MultiFix 3 position solutions. MultiFix 3 Ver1.26, and beyond, includes a version of
Position Viewer that can select and output the most stable position solution. Configuration of Position
Viewer for use with a 90964 can be done automatically using a wizard from within MultiFix 3. See the
MultiFix and Position Viewer manuals for more details.
OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 3 of 13
90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Configuration with MultiFix 3

Antenna

GPS Inline Amplifier

PORT 1 PORT 2 PORT 4

RTCM input

90964 GPS/Glonass
Tracking
Power
Status
Reset
Receiver

GPS Antenna input

from 90964 Control port for
configuration (optional)

MultiFix
III &
NMEA PosView
GGA RTCM

RT-17 TEST
message

OUTPUT TO NAV SYSTEM

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 4 of 13

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Receiver Set Up

3. RECEIVER SET UP
The Ashtech Evaluate software normally configures and monitors the Thales 90964. The software
connects through a PC com port to the Control Port on the 90964. The supplied control cable is simple
straight through cable connection, see APPENDIX B – CONTROL CABLE WIRING DIAGRAM. The
Control Port’s internal connection is to port A on the GG24 board.
The Ashtech Evaluate Software can be found on the Thales Glonass Solution CD, the Thales90964.GPS
file (also on the Thales Glonass Solution CD) should be copied to the Evaluate\Receiver folder once
installation is complete.

3.1. CONNECTION TO THE RECEIVER

After installing the Evaluate software, start the program by clicking the Ashtech Evaluate icon in the start
menu. The user will be asked to choose a start up option. Select ‘Connect to GPS Receiver’ and click
[OK].

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90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Receiver Set Up

In the Connection Parameters dialogue select the PC Port, tick the “Initialize from file:” box, remove the
tick from all other boxes and select and the preferred initialisation. The correct file to use is the “Thales
90964.GPS” which can be found on the Thales GLONASS solution CD. This file needs to be copied to
the Evaluate\Receiver folder. If this file is not available, create a text file as per appendix A.. Re-name it
with a .gps extension and place it in the above folder. The benefit of using an initialisation file is that all
configuration commands are sent to the receiver in a preferred sequence and can be followed by a
command that saves all these settings in the battery backed-up memory of the receiver. The contents of
the configuration file are described

On clicking [Connect], the software will try to establish connection with the recever.

If the PC Com port settings do not match the port setting of the internal port on the GG24 receiver,
Evaluate will report that the GPS receiver is not responding.

By selecting the [AutoSelect], Evaluate will cycle through all possible Com port settings and will report if
it finds the current receiver port settings. Evaluate will then connect with the newly found settings.

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 6 of 13

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Receiver Set Up

Installing the Thales configuration file will reset the values to 9600, or a manual command can be sent to
reset the port, see the GG24 manual.
If no matching port settings are found, investigate all cable connections and make sure that the
GPS/Glonass unit is powered on. If the problem persists the ‘Reset Rcx’ button on the 90964
GPS/Glonass unit can be pressed to force the receiver settings back to default.

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 7 of 13

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Receiver Set Up

3.2. CONFIGURING THE RECEIVER

Once a connection is made to the receiver, initialisation will start and all configuration commands
(starting with $PASHS) will be transmitted automatically . Each command should be acknowledged by a
$PASHR,ACK*3D report.

Once complete the unit is configured for use.

The terminal window in Evaluate can be used to send individual commands to change the configuration.
See the Ashtech GG24 manual for further details.

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 8 of 13

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Receiver Set Up

3.2.1. Changing the RTCM Station

To change the RTCM station from the current Thales default (888), the GPS Receiver Terminal dialogue
will be needed. This can be accessed in Evaluate under GPS\Terminal <Ctrl>+<T> option, or by clicking
the terminal window on the task bar.

To send the command the COMMANDS radio button must be changed from Menu to Type. The
Command (below) can then be entered by hand :

$PASHS,RTC,STI,xxx

Where xxx is the required RTCM station ID.

Click the send: button to configure the GG24 card.

An ACK response should be received, to acknowledge the change.

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 9 of 13

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Receiver Monitoring

4. RECEIVER MONITORING
The tracking of the receiver can be monitored by opening the Sky Chart window via View/Sky chart
(Shift+S). A Sky Plot appears with the location of the satellites as well as a table with an overview per
channel of the SV Number. The numbers in red are the GPS, and the pink are the Glonass satellites.
The Azimuth, Elevation, Signal to Noise ratio and the status of use in the position calculation are all
displayed for each SV.

The status of the positioning can be monitored by opening the Position window via View/Position
(Shift+P). This window can be used to verify the position stability in the Departure Plot (center is fixed on
the first position fix) and to look at the DGPS status of the derived solution (bottom of screen).

Further functionality including the download of Almanac information can be found in the Evaluate V5.1
Manual.

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 10 of 13

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Appendix A – Initialisation Files

APPENDIX A – INITIALISATION FILES

THALES 90964 UNIT

A 90964 Unit should be configured with the following commands. The commands starting with $PASHS
(note: without the command descriptions at the end of each line!) should be saved as a text file with the
extension *.GPS (e.g. Thales90964.gps). This file then has to be placed in the existing sub-directory
‘receiver’ in the Evaluate programs directory. The *.GPS initialisation file will then be available to
Evaluate in the edit control slot of the Connection Parameters dialogue.

$PASHS,RST - reset the receiver to default

$PASHS,SYS,MIX - set the receiver to GPS+Glonass mode
$PASHS,SNR,DBH - set the SNRs to be computed in dB/Hz
$PASHS,PEM,10 - set the elevation mask to 10 degrees
$PASHS,PDP,7 - set the PDOP mask to 7
$PASHS,PMD,0 - set the position mode to 3D mode with a min 4 satellites
$PASHS,RTC,REM,B - set the unit to Remote using port B
$PASHS,RTC,MAX,50 - set the maximum latency to 50sec.
$PASHS,RTC,AUT,Y - set the receiver to auto differential
$PASHS,RTC,STI,0888 - set the RTCM input ID to 888 only
$PASHS,NME,ALL,A,OFF - Disables all existing NMEA outputs on Port A
$PASHS,NME,ALL,B,OFF - Disables all existing NMEA outputs on Port B
$PASHS,NME,GGA,B,ON - enable the NMEA GGA string on port B
$PASHS,NME,PER,1.0 - set the NMEA output interval to 1 sec.
$PASHS,SPD,B,5 - set the Baud rate for Port B to 9600 8-n-1
$PASHS,SAV,Y - save all current settings to memory

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90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Appendix A – Initialisation Files

GG24 BASE UNIT

The following information is supplied for information purposes only. It is only required if the GG24 is
being set up as a Reference Station.

A GG24 Base Station Unit should be configured with the following commands. The commands starting
with $PASHS (note: without the command descriptions at the end of each line!) should be saves as a text
file with the extension *.GPS (e.g. Base.gps). This file then has to be placed in the existing sub-directory
‘receiver’ in the Evaluate programs directory. The *.GPS initialisation file will then be available in
Evaluate in the pull down menu of the Connection Parameters dialogue.

$PASHS,RST - reset the receiver to default

$PASHS,SYS,MIX - set the receiver to GPS+Glonass mode
$PASHS,SNR,DBH - set the SNRs to be computed in dB/Hz
$PASHS,PEM,10 - set the elevation mask to 10 degrees
$PASHS,RTC,BAS,B - set the unit to Base using port B
$PASHS,RTC,STI,0888 - set the RTCM ID to 0888
$PASHS,POS,2223.97278,S,04149.012645,W,34.411 - accurate Base Station position
$PASHS,RTC,TYP,1,2 - set the Type 1 output interval to 2 sec.
$PASHS,RTC,TYP,3,3 - set the Type 3 output interval to 3 min.
$PASHS,RTC,TYP,31,2 - set the Type 31 output interval to 2 sec.
$PASHS,RTC,TYP,32,3 - set the Type 32 output interval to 3 min.
$PASHS,RTC,SPD,8 - set the speed of the RTCM port to 1500bps
$PASHS,SPD,B,3 - set the port B baud rate to 2400
$PASHS,SAV,Y - save all current settings to memory

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 12 of 13

90964 INSTALLATION AND OPERATORS’ MANUAL Appendix A – Initialisation Files

APPENDIX B – CONTROL CABLE WIRING DIAGRAM

90964 Control port PC Com port

2 2
3 3
5 5

9pin male
9pin female

OM-087- Issue 0 May 2001 Page 13 of 13