The Base Station

To get centimeter-level accuracy, you need a fixed point of reference that knows exactly where it is. This base station observes the same satellites your rover sees, calculates the atmospheric and orbital errors, and sends those corrections out.

For our base, we are using the Arduino Uno Q, One of the easiest ways to handle serial data and pushing it to RTK2GO for casting. To turn this microcontroller into an RTK powerhouse, we are stacking the ArduSimple RTK2B directly on top of it as a shield (or "top hat"). The RTK2B is designed with Arduino headers. You simply click it into the Uno. No messy wiring, no breadboards and it can be powered by one USB C cable.

The RTK2B is powered by the u-blox ZED-F9P module, an absolute legend in the dual-band GNSS community. It supports L1 and L2 bands, making it highly reliable as a static base.

It is enclosed in a 3D printed case that I designed and built. Something simple that exposes the SMA for the antenna and the usb-c connector to power the two boards. To protect it from the element I covered it in a zip lock bag that is being held by a magnetic clip. The antenna itself is being held onto the rail on my balcony with a 3D printed mount.