Learning Center

Connected, but no GPS in the app

The module connects but the GPS badge says NO GPS, the numbers stay at --, or the badge goes dim and freezes. Start at the receiver: if it isn't sending the right messages, nothing in the app can fix it.

  • Full Automation Kit
  • Guidance Only Kit
  • DIG™ Kit
  • Ditch Assist Lite

In the app GPS badge in the stats bar, or Home › Pre-Flight Checks

On the Full Automation and Guidance Only Kits the GPS receiver feeds the control module over the RS-232 cable, and the module passes positions to the tablet. On DIG™ the receiver feeds the DIG module. Ditch Assist Lite reads the Emlid Reach over its own Wi-Fi. If the tablet is connected but has no position, the problem is almost always between the receiver and the module.

Before you start

  • The tablet is connected: the Wi-Fi icon at the top of the Ditch Assist screen is green. If it won't connect at all, go to The app won't connect instead.
  • You can get to the GPS receiver and to the control module (or DIG module) on the machine. The key is on.

Time: 2 minutes for the quick checks. Allow 15 minutes if the receiver's settings need changing.

Quick checks first

  • The receiver has power and a clear view of the sky. On implement kits the module powers the receiver through the GPS cable.
  • The Status 2 light on the control module blinks. Blinking shows data is arriving. It doesn't prove the settings or the rate are right.
  • The receiver sends NMEA GGA (5 or 10 Hz) and VTG at 38,400 baud, with everything else off.
Reading the Status 2 light Two lights on the Ditch Assist control module, drawn as lamps because no source shows where they sit on the module: the Operating Status light is on when the module has power, and the Status 2 light blinks whenever data arrives from the receiver, valid or not. Three patterns: blinking means data is arriving, so the cable, pins and receiver output work; bursts with pauses mean data is arriving unevenly, and the cable and output still work; no blinks means nothing is arriving, so check the cable, pins, power and the receiver's output. Blink speed is not the GPS rate: check GGA at 5 or 10 Hz in the receiver's own settings, and the fix in the app. Two lights on the control moduleOperatingStatusOn: the modulehas powerStatus 2Blinks whendata arrives BlinkingData is arriving: the cable, pinsand receiver output work. Bursts, then pausesData arriving unevenly. The cableand receiver output still work. No blinksNothing arriving: check the cable,pins, power and receiver output. Blink speed isn’t the GPS rateCheck GGA at 5 or 10 Hz in thereceiver’s own settings. The appshows the fix, satellites andcorrection age.
The Status 2 light on the control module blinks when data arrives from the receiver, good or bad. No blinking means nothing is arriving: check the cable, pins, power and the receiver's output. Blinking with no GPS in the app means a setting is wrong: baud rate, messages or rate.

Find your symptom

Tap the line that matches what you see. It opens with the causes, most likely first. Check tells you how to spot the cause. Fix tells you what to do, one step at a time.

The badge says NO GPS and the numbers stay at --“No GPS signal detected”

After you tap Connect, the System Check window shows GPS Signal with Waiting for signal.... After 10 seconds it turns red: No GPS signal detected. Continue stays grey. In Pre-Flight Checks, the GPS row reads Waiting for fix, and Lat, Lon and Elevation show --.

System Check window: Controller Connected with a green tick (Ditch Assist DIG); GPS Signal with a red cross, No GPS signal detected; GPS Accuracy, Waiting for fix; the Continue button is grey. 1 2
  1. Controller Connected. Green: the Wi-Fi side works.
  2. No GPS signal detected. Red: no position is coming from the receiver. Look at the receiver side.

The receiver isn't sending GGA and VTG, or the baud rate is wrong Most likely

Check:

  1. Find the control module on the machine.
  2. Look at the light marked Status 2.
  3. Blinking means data is arriving, but it can still be wrong. A wrong baud rate, or GGA switched off, still makes it blink. Check the receiver's settings (below).
  4. Not blinking means nothing is arriving. Check that the receiver's output is on, then the power and cable causes further down.

DIG™ Kit: there's no Status 2 light. Open the DIG web page and look for Data Received.

Fix: Set the receiver's serial port to:

  • NMEA output, 38,400 baud
  • GGA at 5 or 10 Hz, and VTG
  • every other message off
  • Talker ID GP, if the receiver offers that setting

Step-by-step pages for each receiver: John Deere StarFire, Trimble and Case IH, Emlid Reach, Outback and others.

Emlid Reach cabled to the module: the app can program it for you.

  1. Join the Reach's own Wi-Fi hotspot (password usually emlidreach) in the tablet's Wi-Fi list.
  2. In Ditch Assist, tap Settings, the fourth button down the right-hand column.
  3. Scroll down to the very bottom of Settings (how to scroll).
  4. Tap the Emlid Diagnostics button. The app reads the receiver for a moment.
  5. Tap Configure, bottom right of the window.
  6. Tap Rover (the middle card). Check the LoRa frequency (MHz) matches your base.
  7. Tap Program receiver. Wait about 15 seconds for Programmed as Ditch Assist Rover.
  8. In the tablet's Wi-Fi list, rejoin the module's network (DitchAssist…).
  9. In Ditch Assist, tap Home at the top of the sidebar.
  10. Tap your workflow card. The Connect window opens.
  11. Tap the green Connect button.
The bottom of the Settings screen, with an Emlid Diagnostics button at the very bottom, under the ABOUT, DIG Module Firmware and Dealer Code boxes.
  1. Emlid Diagnostics. The button at the very bottom of Settings.
Emlid Diagnostics, Configure: three cards to pick from, Base, Rover (selected) and Lite Rover, each with a short description; a LoRa frequency (MHz) box reading 902.000; Back and Program receiver buttons.
  1. Rover. For a receiver cabled to the control module or DIG module. The LoRa frequency (MHz) box under the cards must match your base station's radio.
  2. Program receiver. Writes the settings. Takes about 15 seconds.

The receiver has no power

Check:

  1. Look at the receiver's lights or display. Dark means no power.
  2. Check the power harness: fuses pushed fully into their holders, the harness straight to the tractor battery, every connector clicked together.

Fix:

  1. Restore the power.
  2. Give the receiver a minute to start and find satellites.
  3. To reconnect, tap Home at the top of the Ditch Assist sidebar.
  4. Tap your workflow card. The Connect window opens.
  5. Tap the green Connect button.

An Emlid Reach cabled to the module must turn on by itself when the module powers it: Turn on automatically when powered via EXT port on, in Emlid Flow. Programming it as Rover (above) sets that for you.

The receiver has no satellite fix yet

Check: The receiver's own display or lights say it's still searching. Did it just get power? Is the machine parked under trees or beside a building?

Fix: Move to open sky and wait for the receiver to get a position.

A connector pin isn't seated

Check: Unplug and look at both ends of the GPS breakout cable, and the GPS connector on the main harness. Look for pins pushed back into the plug.

Fix: Plug each connector back in firmly, then watch Status 2. It should start blinking.

Transmit and receive are swapped on a DB9 cable

Check: The receiver is set up right and has power, but Status 2 still doesn't blink.

Fix: Swap pins 2 and 3 at the GPS connector, or fit a null-modem adapter. See Status 2 not blinking. Not comfortable re-pinning a plug? Call support first.

The badge goes dim and the numbers freeze“GPS: STALE — position not updating”

No new position arrived within GPS Delay Timeout (5 seconds unless someone changed it). The GPS badge fades. Pre-Flight Checks shows Stale data. The survey card says GPS position has not updated for Ns. Check the receiver, or drive a few feet., and grading holds with HOLD — GPS Stale. If nothing arrives for 10 seconds, the connection is dropped.

The GPS feed stopped Most likely

Check:

  1. Tap the GPS badge, the box at the top of the screen that shows the fix and the number of satellites. The GPS Info window opens.
  2. Watch Latitude and Longitude for a few seconds. They should change a little, even when you're parked. Numbers that don't change at all mean the feed froze.
  3. Close the window with the X at its top right.
  4. Look at the Status 2 light on the control module. Is it still blinking?
The badges at the right of the top bar: the GPS badge reading RTK 22 with a small info icon, then BM, a green Wi-Fi icon and a wrench.
  1. GPS badge. Tap it for GPS Info. When the position stops updating, it fades to about half brightness.
GPS Info window: Source Simulator, Status RTK, Satellites 22, HDOP 0.80, then Latitude 47.2540381, Longitude -97.3494824, Elevation (ortho) 810.314 ft and Speed 3.0 mph.
  1. Latitude and Longitude. In the lower half of the window.
  2. The numbers. The last digits change every second or so. Frozen numbers mean a stale feed.

Fix:

  1. Check the receiver has power and its cable is plugged in firmly.
  2. If the position doesn't come back within 10 seconds, the app drops the connection. To reconnect, tap Home at the top of the sidebar.
  3. Tap your workflow card. The Connect window opens.
  4. Tap the green Connect button.

The tablet left the module or Reach Wi-Fi

Check: Open the tablet's Wi-Fi list (how) and read the network marked Connected.

Fix: Tap the module's (or the Reach's) network to rejoin it. To stop it happening again, see The connection keeps dropping.

The receiver sends too slowly

Check: Open the receiver's own settings and read the GGA rate. It must be 5 or 10 Hz. The Status 2 light blinks for any data, so it can't tell you the rate.

Fix: Set the receiver's GGA message to 5 or 10 Hz.

HOLD — GPS Stale only while the machine is parked

Control module on a very steady fix

Check: It happens only while you sit dead still, and clears as soon as you move. On the control module the stale timer only resets when the position changes.

Fix: Start moving before you tap Start. Leave GPS Delay Timeout (in the DEBUG box of Settings) alone unless support asks you to lengthen it.

Tapping Start does nothing but show a red message“No GPS fix”

Start needs a live position

Check: Look at the GPS badge at the top of the screen. NO GPS, or a faded badge, means there's no usable position.

Fix:

  1. Get the GPS feed back with the checks above.
  2. Wait until the badge reads RTK in green.
  3. Tap Start.

Badge shows FLOAT, DGPS or GPS? See Stuck on Float.

DIG connected but no position“DIG module is connected but sending no GPS data. Check power and the cable to the GPS receiver. Reconnecting…”

DIG™ Kit. The DIG Wi-Fi link is fine, but no GPS messages arrived for 10 seconds. The app keeps retrying every 2 seconds and reconnects by itself. Full walk-through with pictures from a real module: DIG connects, then drops with no GPS.

The receiver on the stick is off or its cable is loose Most likely

Check: Look at the receiver's power light. Follow its cable into the DIG main harness (it runs through the loop on the GPS mount).

Fix: Restore power or plug the cable in firmly. Leave slack so the pendulum mount can swing.

The receiver isn't sending GGA and VTG at 38,400

Check: The receiver has power, but still nothing arrives.

Fix: Program it: GGA at 5 or 10 Hz and VTG, 38,400 baud, everything else off. For an Emlid Reach, use Emlid Diagnostics and pick Rover (steps above).

24 V machine

Check: The DIG power cable passes the machine's voltage to the receiver.

Fix: Confirm your receiver runs on 24 V before you connect it to a 24 V circuit. Otherwise wire DIG to 12 V. See DIG module and cables.

Elevation is off by tens of feet before you even calibrate

The receiver outputs ellipsoid height, or uses a different geoid

Check:

  1. Tap the GPS badge at the top of the screen. The GPS Info window opens.
  2. Compare three rows near the bottom: Elevation (ortho), Geoid Separation and Elevation (ellipsoidal). The last two only show when the receiver sends them.
  3. In North America the geoid separation runs from about −50 m to +30 m (about −160 to +100 ft). An elevation off by about that much is a geoid difference.

Fix: Set the geoid in the receiver if you want true elevations. Either way, calibrate to your benchmark before you work: the benchmark offset lines the app up with your survey. See Benchmarks and calibration.

The machine icon freezes, then jumps to a new spot

The app threw out a jump as bad data

Check: Did it happen after a receiver restart or a bad fix? The app ignores a position that jumps more than 50 m in one update, and accepts the new spot once 5 positions in a row agree.

Fix: That's protection, not a fault. If it happens often, check the receiver and its corrections.

Bluetooth GPS won't connect“No Bluetooth devices found. Pair your receiver in Android Settings first.”

Bluetooth GPS is for surveying and field mapping only. It can't start grading, generate contours or unlock LiDAR & Mapping.

Bluetooth GPS window: Select a paired GNSS receiver. Pair new devices in Android Settings. In the middle, Scanning... with a spinner; a Cancel button at the bottom right. 1
  1. Paired receivers only. The list shows receivers already paired in the tablet's Bluetooth settings. When the scan ends, a Rescan button appears.

The receiver isn't paired in Android Most likely

Fix:

  1. Switch the receiver on and set it so other devices can find it (see its manual).
  2. Open the tablet's Settings app (where it is).
  3. Tap Connections.
  4. Tap Bluetooth. Turn Bluetooth on if it's off.
  5. Under the list of available devices, tap your receiver's name and confirm the pairing.
  6. Go back to Ditch Assist. In the Bluetooth GPS window, tap Rescan.
  7. Tap your receiver in the list.

Bluetooth permission refused

Check: The app says Bluetooth permissions denied. Go to Android Settings to grant access.

Fix:

  1. Open the tablet's Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. Tap Ditch Assist in the list of apps.
  4. Tap Permissions.
  5. Tap Nearby devices and choose Allow. Press Back (how).
  6. Tap Location and choose Allow only while using the app.
  7. Go back to Ditch Assist and tap Rescan.

Another device holds the receiver

Check: The app says Failed to connect to ….

Fix:

  1. Check the receiver is switched on.
  2. Turn Bluetooth off on any phone that might be connected to it.
  3. In Ditch Assist, tap Rescan in the Bluetooth GPS window.
  4. Tap the receiver in the list.

More: Bluetooth GPS.

Still not fixed?

Related

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