Learning Center

Mount the GPS antenna on the implement

Mount the antenna on the implement you are controlling, on a part that moves up and down with the cutting edge, high enough to see open sky in every working position.

  • Full Automation Kit
  • Guidance Only Kit

Ditch Assist® controls the height of whatever the GPS antenna is bolted to. So the antenna goes on the implement you are controlling, on a part that moves up and down with the cutting edge or blade.

It also needs a clear view of the sky in every working position, not only in transport.

Before you start

  • The implement lowered to the ground
  • The tractor engine off and the key out
  • Some receivers can only be set up while they are connected to the tractor's own display (John Deere, Trimble and Case IH, for example). If yours is one, set its output there first (What your receiver must send), then move it to the implement.

You need: the GPS receiver (your own, or the one bundled with the kit), the GPS breakout harness for your receiver (or the DB9 cable), a mast or raised mount if the frame or tractor blocks the sky, bolts or clamps, and cable ties.

Time: about 15 minutes, plus time to make a mast if you need one.

Where to mount the GPS antenna Side views of a pull-type scraper and a land leveler behind a tractor, with numbered markers. 1: on each, the GPS antenna sits on a rigid mast on the implement itself, so it rises and falls with the cutting edge, marked with a green tick. 2: dashed green lines rising 15 degrees from the antenna on both sides show it needs clear sky above 15 degrees all round, even with the implement at full working depth. 3: an antenna on the tractor cab roof and 4: an antenna on the tongue are crossed out in red, because those parts do not follow the cutting edge. Pull-type scraper15°1234Land leveler1234

Where the antenna goes on a pull-type scraper and on a land leveler:

  1. On the implement itself, on a rigid mast, so it rises and falls with the cutting edge.
  2. Clear sky above 15° all the way round, even with the implement at full working depth.
  3. Not on the tractor cab. The cab doesn't follow the cutting edge.
  4. Not on the tongue. The tongue doesn't follow the cutting edge either.

Steps

  1. Find a part that moves with the cutting edge

    On a land leveler: the top of the implement. On a pull-type scraper: a part of the bowl or frame that rises and falls with the cutting edge.

    Not the tractor cab, and not a tongue or frame that stays put while the blade moves.

  2. Lower the implement to its deepest working position

    The working position can be a lot lower than transport, so judge the sky view with the implement down where it works.

  3. Look around the spot you picked

    Nothing should stick up higher than about 15° above the horizon, all the way round: no frame, bowl, cab or tree line. Stay away from steel that can bounce signals into the antenna.

    • Pull-type scraper: usually needs a mast to keep the antenna above the metal around it at full lower.
    • Land leveler: raise the antenna on a mount if parts of the implement hang over it, or if the tractor blocks its view of the sky.

  4. Bolt or clamp the mast so it can't shake

    Fix the mast (or the antenna's own mount) solidly to the implement with bolts or clamps. A mount that shakes on rough ground can make the receiver lose its RTK fix.

    GPS antenna on a rigid mast The GPS receiver sits on top of a steel mast, above the metal around it, with open sky from about 15 degrees above the horizon all round. 1: the receiver on top of the mast. 2: the mast bolted to a base plate on the part of the implement that moves with the cutting edge, so it cannot shake. 3: the cable tied to the mast, with a loop of slack at the bottom before it runs to the main harness. 15° clear sky above the green lines part that moves with the cutting edge 123
    1. Receiver on top, above the metal around it, with clear sky above the green lines.
    2. Mast bolted or clamped solid to the part that moves with the cutting edge.
    3. Cable tied to the mast, with a loop of slack at the bottom.

    Check it: shake the mast hard by hand. It should not move.

  5. Put the receiver on the mast

    Fit the receiver on top of the mast, the way its own mount is made to fit.

  6. Plug the GPS breakout harness into the receiver

    Push the receiver end of the GPS breakout harness (the end made for your brand) into the receiver.

    The GPS breakout harness The GPS breakout harness is a 258 inch (21 and a half foot) cable. One end plugs into the GPS connector on the main harness. The other end is made for your brand of receiver and plugs into it. The cable carries power out to the receiver and the receiver's position messages back to the Control Module. For receivers without their own Ditch Assist harness there is a DB9 cable, which plugs into the DB9 port on the receiver maker's own harness. Main harness end into the GPS connector 258 in. (21½ ft) carries power out and GPS messages back Receiver end made for your brand of receiver Other receivers a DB9 cable, into the DB9 port on the maker's harness
    The GPS breakout harness. The Control Module powers the receiver through it, and the receiver's position comes back down it.

  7. Run the harness to the main harness

    Run the other end down the mast and along the frame to the GPS connector on the main harness. You plug it in on Connect all cables.

  8. Tie the cable down with slack where it moves

    Cable-tie it to the mast and frame. Leave a loose loop wherever the implement raises, lowers or turns, so the cable never pulls tight.

  9. Set the receiver's output

    The receiver must send NMEA GGA at 5 or 10 Hz and VTG, at 38,400 baud over RS232, with every other message off. Brand-by-brand steps: What your receiver must send.

  10. Set blade height

    Set Blade Height in the app for this implement. Blade height is how high the cutting edge sits above the ground with the implement raised in transport position.

    Auto Measure takes it from GPS with the implement up, then down on the ground, so do it with the antenna in its final spot. Steps: Set blade height.

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 blinks when data arrives from the receiver, good or bad. Blinking, even in bursts with pauses, means data is arriving: the cable and output work. No blinking means nothing is arriving. The blink speed isn't the GPS rate: check GGA at 5 or 10 Hz in the receiver's own settings. Blinking doesn't prove the settings are right: the GPS badge in the app does.

Common mistakes

  • The antenna on the tractor cab or on the tongue, where it doesn't follow the blade.
  • A mast tall enough in transport but blocked by the bowl at full lower.
  • A loose mast that shakes on rough ground.

If it doesn't work

Next: Mount and power the tablet.

Related

Did this answer your question?

Still stuck? Talk to a product specialist. 1-833-DITCH-AS · support@ditchassist.com · Monday to Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Central.

Calling about a problem? Send your app logs first so support can see what happened.