PPK mapping with centimeter accuracy. Use fewer GCPs

Why camera synchronizations is so important

Usually autopilot triggers the camera and records the coordinate it has at that moment.  When the drone is flying at 20 m/s and GPS works at 5 Hz, that means your autopilot will have position reading only each 4 m, which is not suitable for precise georeferencing.  In addition, there is always a delay between the trigger and the actual moment the photo is taken.

Reach eliminates the delay

Reach solves the problem of positioning by connecting directly to the camera hot shoe port, which is synced with the shutter.  The time and coordinates of each photo are logged with a resolution of less than a microsecond.  This method allows GCPs to be used only to check your accuracy.

 1.  Connect Reach to a hot shoe port 

Every time a photo is taken camera produces a pulse on a flash hot-shoe connector which is synced to a shutter opening.

 

  2.  Fly a drone, Reach will record photo events

Reach captures flash sync pulses with sub-microsecond resolution and stores them in a raw data RINEX log in the internal memory.

 3.  Download logs from Reach and base station

After the flight, get the RINEX logs from your airborne Reach module and a base station (Reach RS, CORS or another receiver).  

  4.  Process logs and get a file with geotags 

Process RINEX files using free RTKLIB software.  The produced file with precise coordinates of the photos can be used for georeferencing. 

NTRIP or another Reach as a base station

To calculate centimeter-precise coordinates in PPK and RTK, Reach needs corrections from a base station.  It could be either another Reach receiver or an NTRIP service.  VRS is also supported.

Compatibility 

Reach M2 works seamlessly with other Reach receivers over any link and are compatible with any other receiver that supports RTCM3 and NTRIP.

Reach M2 
and Reach RS2

Provides robust performance and quick initialization.  Allows working on long baselines.  

RTK

| Up to 60 km

PPK

| Up to 100 km

Time to get fix

| 5 sec

Frequency bands

| Multi-band-band

RINEX logging update rate

| Up to 20 Hz

Comes with an app

Emlid Flow is the most user-friendly software for data collection that is available both for Android and iOS.  With Emlid Flow, you can control all the features of Reach receivers, such as setting up a base station, logging RINEX data, configuring NMEA output, and monitoring data.

Camera 
control

Reach is able to trigger cameras as well as register events.  The event mark feature is a must for aerial mapping as it allows the precise time when the shutter was activated to be registered.

Simple log 
management

Logs are automatically recorded directly to RINEX in the internal memory.  View a list of the logs and download them using the Emlid Flow app. 

  

Monitoring 
data

Emlid Flow shows current satellite levels, your location on a map, and much more. 

Specifications Reach M2

Mechanical

• Dimensions: 15.4 x 45.3 x 14.6 mm

• Weight: 20 g

• Operating temp: -20 to 65 C

   

   

Electrical

• Input voltage on USB and JST GH 4.75 - 5.5 V

• Antenna DC bias 3.3 V

• Av. consumption @ 5V: 200 mA

   

   

Positioning

• Static horizontal 4 mm + 0.5 ppm

• Static vertical 8 mm + 1 ppm

• Kinematic horizontal 7 mm + 1 ppm

• Kinematic vertical 14 mm + 1 ppm

   

Connectivity

• LoRa radio (sold separately)

• Frequency range 868/915 MHz

• Distance Up to 8 km

• Wi-Fi / Bluetooth

   

   

   

Data

• Corrections NTRIP, RTCM3

• Position output NMEA, LLH/XYZ

• Data logging RINEX with events with update rate up to 20 Hz

• Internal storage 16GB

   

   

GNSS

• Signal tracked GPS/QZSS L1 C/A, L2CGLONASS L1OF, L2OFBeiDou B1l, B2l Galileo E1-B/C, E5b 

• Number of channels 184

• Update rates 10 Hz GNSS

• IMU 9DOF