TESSCO is Your Total Source® for all the non-John Deere components you need to build, operate, maintain and use the StarFire RTK system.

TESSCO Components Approved by John Deere for StarFire

	Base Antennas		Weatherproofing
	Mounting Structure		Lightening Protection
	RF Cable		Bidirectional Amplifier
	Connectors		Power Source

Base Antennas

The antenna broadcasts the sub-inch correction signal to all of the vehicles within a 12 mile line of sight radius. Omni-directional antennas are recommended because they put out equal signal in all directions. No matter how you set your SBS RTK Network up, the antenna should be mounted as high as possible to broadcast the correction signal to the vehicles below. All other components, including the RTK radio can be mounted near the ground.

RECOMMENDED SOLUTION
Enhance System Coverage Area With Vehicle Antennas

Increase signal reception and sensitivity with vehicle antennas.

Complete Antenna Kit, includes 5 dB Gain antenna and Magnetic Mount with 5 ft of cable with attached TNC Male Right Angle Connector

...Or Buy Separately

Antenna, 5 dB Gain with Magnetic Mount with 12 ft of cable and loose TNC connector

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Mounting Structure

All of these components are mounted on or near some type of structure. These structures could be radio/cell towers, water towers, grain elevators, buildings, or other tall structures. Due to their height, all of these options will need to be grounded and have lightning protection to protect the electronic equipment.

Note: If you mount the receiver on the structure itself, make sure it does not move or sway.

Tower Calculation Services

Stock Towers Designed for StarFire RTK System

TESSCO stocks towers from Trylon that can be configured to support a wide array of products. Tell us what you need to put up in the air, and we'll tell you how to get it there! Just fill out TESSCO's tower calculation form and TESSCO's technical experts will determine what style of tower will work best for your application. Most tower solutions ship from stock to arrive within 3-5 days of placing your order.

Rohn tower case study:
Only One Day Needed to Erect Direct-Imbedded Poles

If your upcoming tower installation has time, space and zoning restrictions and stringent safety requirements, a direct-imbedded tapered steel pole is an economical, efficient, quickly deployed alternative to small lattice structures. Read more...

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RF Cable (Low Loss Coaxial)

Coax cable transfers the radio signal from the RTK Radio to the antenna. Coaxial cable does lose signal power the greater the distance it is transferred. Y can compensate for this loss with a higher gain antenna and high quality low loss coax cable. When constructing your shared base station, antennas can be mounted at the top of the tower requiring a small coaxial cable or at the bottom of the tower requiring a longer coaxial cable. Remember, the longer the coaxial cable, the bigger it must be to compensate for the signal loss.

Cable Chart RTK 902-928MHz Cable Loss

3db = 1/2 of Power

Freq.	Attenuation dB/100ft
Mhz	LMR195	LMR400	LMR600	LMR900	LMR1200	LDF4-50A	LDF5-50A
						Heliax 1/2"	Heliax 7/8"
30	2.50	0.70	0.42	0.29	0.21	0.36	0.20
50	4.10	0.90	0.55	0.37	0.27	0.46	0.25
150	6.10	1.50	0.96	0.66	0.48	0.82	0.45
220	7.50	1.90	1.18	0.80	0.59	0.95	0.52
450	10.40	2.70	1.72	1.17	0.86	1.45	0.81
900	20.10	3.90	2.50	1.70	1.27	2.09	1.18

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Reverse Polarity Connectors

	Standard TNC male connector for LMR-400 cable (crimp / spring finger style)
Threads on the outside always Female or Jack no matter what the pin
	Standard TNC female connector for LMR-400 cable (clamp / solder style)
Threads on the inside always Male or Plug no matter what the pin
	Reverse polarity TNC male connector for LMR-600 (captivated).
Male or Plug has a hole in the center (Reverse from normal)
	Reverse polarity TNC female for LMR-600 (captivated)
Female or Jack has a pin in the center (Reverse from normal)

Connector Tips

Reverse Polarity or Reverse Gender = Reverse Center

TNC Connectors are 3/8-inch across | SMA Connectors are 1/4-inch across.

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Connection Waterproofing for RTK

1. Wrap connector with ¾" electrical tape sticky side out. (For easy removal at a later date.)
2. Wrap with one wrap of butyl tape make sure the putty molds into the cable.
3. Wrap with 4 wraps of ¾" electrical tape.
4. Wrap final wrap with 2" electrical tape make sure that the tape is shingled like the shingles on a house.

 Coax Sealing Tape

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Required Lightning Protection with PolyPhaser SX

The PolyPhaser SX patented DC-blocked filter design provides for the ultimate in equipment protection producing extremely low let-through voltage and throughput energy. Available in frequencies from 350MHz to 10GHz and various connector configurations. Multi-strike, maintenance free, and fully weatherized. Surge rating of 20kA. Elongated Female connectors allow mounting of units through a 1/4" bulkhead or grounding bar. Uses BFN or BFD adapters for flange mounting.

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Bidirectional Amplifier

Waterproof bi-directional pole-mounted amplifier for use with 928 MHz radio systems. Remote mounting allows the amplifier to be located right next to the antenna so full transmit power is right where it is most effective. Power is supplied via the coaxial cable using the included DC power injector. The injector is placed in a convenient indoor location.
ONLY FOR SALE AND USE WITH SYSTEMS CERTIFIED UNDER FCC TITLE 47, PART 15 RULES.

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TESSCO Power Source for John Deere RTK

A shared base station requires about 1- 3 Amps or 12 Watts of power continuously. Although the power requirement is small, it needs to be continuous, regulated, and consistent to provide good correction signal to the RTK vehicles. Any power surges or losses could disrupt the signal and cause line jumps or loss of signal.

John Deere recommends all shared base stations receive their power though a 12VDC battery system. There are two main powering solutions depending on the power availability at the shared base station site.

Power Availability at Shared Base Station Site		Solution
1.	120VAC or 240VAC	LinkUPS for Starfire RTK
2.	AC power is not available at the site	StarFire RTK Solar Power System

TESSCO LinkUPS for StarFire RTK Systems

LinkUPS™ Backup Power Systems for RTK Networks

The new VENTEV LinkUPS™ outdoor backup power system is specifically designed to provide both primary and uninterrupted, reliable standby power for critical RTK equipment in harsh environmental applications.

TESSCO Solar Power System for StarFire RTK

TESSCO's solar solutions have designed systems specifically for the John Deere StarFire RTK system and are available off-the-shelf and ready to ship.

Your Geographic Location:

North of Kansas City

South of Kansas City

View all Solar Modules and Components.

Battery Charger & Deep Cycle Battery Solution

Charger

Batteries

Temp Sensor

 

Contact TESSCO for More Details Existing TESSCO Customers call (800) 472-8065 or send us an email New to TESSCO? Call (866) 352-9671 or send us an email

 

JOHN DEERE and StarFire™ are trademarks of Deere & Company.