Base station configuration

U-center software suite

The Avular Stellar Base Station utilizes a Ublox GNSS-RTK module for high-precision positioning. To configure and manage the settings of the GNSS module, you will need to use the Ublox software suite named U-center. This software provides a comprehensive set of tools for monitoring and configuring the GNSS module to ensure optimal performance.

Operating systems & installation

The U-center software suite is officially supported only for Windows users. However, Linux users can opt to emulate the U-center software suite using Wine. Please note that this alternative method is not officially supported and should be used at your own discretion, as the user interface may not scale properly and could result in a suboptimal experience.

Windows

Download the u-center software from the official website.
- Note: ensure you download "u-center" and not "u-center 2", as the latter is not compatible with the base station.
Navigate in File Explorer to the .zip file and extract it.
Open extracted folder and double-click the .exe file.
Follow the instructions of the installer to complete the installation of u-center.

Linux

You're proceeding with the install on an unsupported operating system.

Install Wine on Linux
- Open a terminal
- Run sudo apt update && apt install wine
Download the u-center software from the official website.
- Note: ensure you download "u-center" and not "u-center 2", as the latter is not compatible with the base station.
In a terminal navigate to the zip-file you just downloaded, i.e.
```
cd /path/to/your/zipfile
```
Install Unzip and unpack the file, replace <XX.XX> with the latest downloaded version:
```
sudo apt install unzip
unzip u-centersetup_vXX.XX.zip
```
Use Wine to start the installation of U-center of a Linux device, replace <XX.XX> with the latest downloaded version
```
wine u-center_vXX.XX.exe
```
Follow the instructions on the screen to install U-center.
U-center can now be openend like any other app on your Linux device.

U-center user guide

Explained here are some basic features of the u-center software. However, for more detailed instruction please refer to the official user guide of u-center. You can download it with the following link.

When you open U-center on the laptop, you will see the following startup screen.

communication toolbar

Connect to the base station

To connect to an Avular RTK base station, follow these steps:

Ensure the base station is powered on.
Connect the base station and laptop using a USB-C cable.
Open U-center on the laptop.
Locate the communication toolbar
List the available devices by clicking the dropdown menu of the "Port selection" button.
Select one of the numbered COM devices. If multiple COM devices are available, you have try until you're connected to the base station. You can verify a connection if activity on the main screen is visible or by an increasing UTC time (see bottom left indicator in the below image).
Once the base station is connected and receiving GNSS inputs from visible satellites, the screen will display the following. Note that the actual window may vary slightly depending on user configuration and arrangement.

Open message view and poll messages

In order to view real-time data from the base station you will have to enable the "messages view" in U-center and enable the polling of messages for the desired message. Follow the below instructions, for future reference the steps below to visualize the "SVIN (Survey-in)" message status are abbreviated in the manual with "messages view > UBX > NAV > SVIN (survey-in)".

Open U-center and connect to the base station.
In the "Standard menu bar" navigate to "View" and click on "Messages View" to enable a new window in the UI. Or simple press "F9".
Maximize the new window using the button to result in the following view.
In the left pane, double-click on "NMEA" to collapse the topic. For the Avular RTK base station, the relevant messages are under "UBX", double click on that to expand. You should see the following:
To enable the view of real-time data you need to "enable message" polling for a specific message. In this instruction, we will use the real-time "Survey-in" status of the base station. Follow these instructions:
1. Under "UBX" from the previous step, locate "NAV (Navigation)" and expand the view.
2. Next, locate "SVIN (Survey-in)", right-click on the name and click on "Enable Message" as depicted in the below image.
3. Now, you'll notice the message name "SVIN (Survey-in)" has turned to a black font rather than grey. The message polling is now enabled.
4. Next, click on "SVIN (Survey-in)" in the left pane to visualize the message. Note that in the top right corner of the "Message view" window you can see how much seconds have passed since a last message has been polled by U-center. You should now have something similar to the following image on you display.
From the above image you can determine the current status of the base station survey-in process. For example, this image depicts that status is "in progress", that is has been in survey-in mode for 70 seconds ("observation time"), and that the current position accuracy it has is roughly 3.29 meters. If for this case the "Normal mode" for the Survey-in mode is used it means, a minimum of 530 seconds of survey-in are remaining and that the target of 0.5 meter position accuracy has not been met yet. The survey-in mode is complete when both time and position accuracy criteria have been met. Please consult the different possible presets Avular provides here.

Upload preset configuration

For various use-cases, it may be beneficial to use different presets for the Avular RTK base station. For instance, you might want shorter measure-in times for off-site navigation or a more permanent setup for a base station installed on a building's roof. Follow the instructions to set the base station to a different configuration. If executed correctly, these settings will persist through power ON/OFF cycles.

First, you can download the required configuration files here, depending on which you would like to use. Note, by default the base station is set to "Normal mode". More information about the different configurations you find here.

Normal mode, Click to Download
Fast mode, Click to Download
Accurate mode, Click to Download

Follow these instructions carefully and with precaution to enable a different preset.

Open U-center and connect to the base station.
In the "Standard menu bar" navigate to "Tools" and click on "Receiver Configuration..." to enable a new window in the UI.
You will see the following window pop up.
In the "Load/Save Receiver Configuration" window (shown above), you have to navigate to the file you wish to upload using the "..."-icon. Select the desired config file.

For those who often change between settings, you can select the desired preset config from the dropdown menu. Configs files become available in this list once they have been opened using the "..."-icon
Once selected a configuration file, click on "Transfer file -> GNSS" as shown in the image below.

Warning

Be aware, do not click on the "Transfer GNSS -> File". This button can put the base station in a state in which an Avular employee has to reconfigure the device.
On clicking "Transfer file -> GNSS", the original window will disappear and the following progress window will be displayed. After completion, the progress window will disappear.
The final step is to ensure the new preset is persistent on reboot. In the "Standard menu bar" navigate to "Receiver", then "Action", and click on "Save Config" as depicted on the image below. The setting is now stored in the memory of the base station.
Now the following instruction show you how to verify the changed configuration of the survey-in mode. Follow the steps in opening message view to poll the message under "UBX" > "CFG (Config)" > "TMODE3 (Time Mode 3)". The following image depicts that the base station is set to an "minimum observation time" of 28800 seconds (8 hours) and a "required position accuracy" of 0.1 meter.