User's Manual

8 Troubleshooting
128 GeoExplorer 6000 Series User Guide
Recommended GNSS settings for maximum precision and
productivity
The following table lists some of the factors that affect the precision of your data, and
describes how to minimize the effect of atmospheric interference and poor satellite
geometry.
Factor Description To maximize precision and productivity
Satellite shadow Satellite shadow is when the line of sight
between the GNSS receiver and satellites is
partially or fully blocked by obstructions such
as buildings, trees, or land masses. The effect
of satellite shadow is a reduction in the
number of satellites that the receiver is able
to track. In general, the quality of your data
increases with the number of satellites being
used to calculate the position.
Tracking more satellites can help to improve
satellite geometry and thereby improve
accuracy.
Activate the Floodlight satellite shadow
reduction technology option. See Activating
the Floodlight technology and the NMEA
output options, page 74.
Ensure the integrated GNSS receiver gets a
clear view of the sky as possible. Keep your
body mass as far from the receiver as practical
and do not crowd over the handheld.
Use an external antenna if needed to elevate
the position of the antenna.
Multipath Multipath is when GNSS satellite signals are
reflected off nearby objects, such as buildings
or cars, causing an erroneous signal to be
received by the GNSS antenna. This can cause
errors of several meters.
To reduce multipath, where possible collect
data in an open environment away from
large reflective surfaces and with a clear view
of the sky.
Activate the Floodlight technology option on
your handheld to increase the total number
of satellites visible to the receiver, and reduce
the risk of multipath affecting your solution.
See Activating the Floodlight technology and
the NMEA output options, page 74
Weak satellite
signals
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) is a measure of
the strength of the satellite signal relative to
the background noise. GNSS quality degrades
as the signal strength decreases. Weak signals
may be caused by signals coming through
vegetation, multipath signals, or low satellite
elevation.
Use smart settings with Trimble field software
to allow the receiver to determine maximum
precision positions regardless of available
satellite signal strength. See Using Smart
Settings, page 71.
Activate the Floodlight technology option on
your handheld to increase the total number
of satellites visible to the receiver, and reduce
the risk of weak satellite signal affecting your
solution. See Activating the Floodlight
technology and the NMEA output options,
page 74.
Poor satellite
geometry
Dilution of Precision (DOP) is a measure of the
quality of GNSS positions, based on the
spread (geometry) of the satellites in the sky
that are used to compute the positions. When
satellites are widely spaced relative to each
other, the DOP value is lower, and in general
position accuracy is greater. If the view of the
sky is partially affected by satellite shadow, or
if all of the satellites are in one area of the
sky, the geometry and DOP may be poor.
Use smart settings with Trimble field software
to allow the receiver to determine maximum
precision positions regardless of available
satellite geometry. See Using Smart Settings,
page 71.
Activate the Floodlight technology option on
your handheld to increase the total number
of satellites that the receiver can track, and
reduce the risk of poor satellite geometry
affecting your solution. See Activating the
Floodlight technology and the NMEA output
options, page 74.