Site selection and monumentation
A long-term site needs clear sky, low multipath, physical security, reliable access, and manageable lightning and radio risks. The monument must remain stable under temperature, wind, vibration, and future construction.
Antenna height, reference point, orientation, model, and radome are recorded using a repeatable method. Photographs and auxiliary marks support later inspection.
Temporary RTK bases use the same principles on a shorter timescale: stable setup, correct centering, measured height, and validated starting coordinates.
Coordinates and reference frame
Professional coordinates come from long observation sessions, network adjustment, or suitable precise processing. Frame, epoch, ellipsoidal or orthometric height, and transformations are explicit.
RTCM 1005 carries ECEF coordinates and 1006 adds antenna height. Monitoring may convert them to latitude and longitude, but geodetic meaning depends on the configured frame.
After antenna movement or replacement, coordinates and metadata are reviewed. Reusing an unchanged mountpoint with an undocumented new origin creates hard-to-detect offsets.
RTCM and NTRIP configuration
The receiver selects constellations, signals, messages, and intervals. Reference messages are sent periodically and observations often every second. Compatibility is verified with actual rover models.
The station authenticates to the caster with domain, port, mountpoint, and source password. The caster accepts only declared, unoccupied mountpoints.
RTCM antenna and receiver descriptors aid monitoring, but the official station log remains the authoritative inventory.
Monitoring and maintenance
Last-data age detects a silent station. Permanent-source alerts record outage and recovery. Coordinate and equipment events reveal unexpected configuration changes.
Maintenance covers power, modem, router, cables, surge protection, firmware, and site environment. Every intervention is recorded and followed by a verification.
RINEX archives provide quality control and PPK or PPP capability. File generation and retention are monitored separately from the real-time stream.
Reference station FAQ
What does CORS mean in GNSS?
CORS means Continuously Operating Reference Station: a stable GNSS station designed for continuous observations and, depending on the service, real-time correction broadcasting.
Is every CORS network an NRTK network?
No. A CORS network may only archive observations. It becomes an NRTK service when multiple stations feed a network engine that models spatial errors for rovers.
Why archive RINEX when RTCM is already streamed?
RINEX supports quality control, PPK, PPP, recomputation, research, and long-term coordinate analysis. It complements the live stream.