What is SF-RTK, and how does it improve GPS accuracy and repeatability?
Enjoy the addition of RTK without and RTK Radio through the StarFire™ 7000 Receiver. The latest John Deere StarFire™ 7000 Receiver offers faster pull-in times, season-to-season repeatability, and improved accuracy. Continue reading to learn how to include the new John Deere StarFire™ 7000 Receiver in your lineup of precision agriculture technology.
How does SF-RTK work?
SF-RTK is available through the StarFire™ 7000 Receiver and offers RTK Radio accuracy without additional hardware. The SF-RTK signal is pulled through a total of four satellite constellations, the two GPS satellite constellations (United States and Russia) and two additional satellite constellations (BeiDou and Galileo). The StarFire™ 7000 receives correction signals from the four satellite constellations through SF-RTK and works off the one delivering the best performance. Since the receiver constantly pulls from all four satellite constellations, if the delivering signal becomes blocked, the receiver automatically switches to another StarFire™ signal.
How does SF-RTK improve tracking compared to previous StarFire™ Receivers?
As technology continues to grow, so have the improvements in the StarFire™ Receivers. With the StarFire™ Receiver offering the latest advances in precision technology, it has improved tracking compared to previous StarFire™ Receiver models.
SF1 | SF-RTK | RTK | |
|---|---|---|---|
Documentation | X | X | X |
AutoTrac™ automated steering | X | X | X |
Section Control | X | X | X |
Overlap Control | X | X | X |
AutoTrac™ RowSense™ | X | X | X |
AutoTrac™ Turn Automation | - | X | X |
AutoTrac™ Vision Guidance | - | X | X |
Machine Sync | X | X | X |
In-Field Data Sharing | - | X | X |
AutoPath™ software | - | X | X |
AutoTrac™ Implement Guidance | - | X | X |
Land leveling | - | - | X |
StarFire™ 6000
With the John Deere StarFire™ 6000 Receiver, operators can track signals from up to three StarFire™ correction satellites simultaneously. Compared to the previous StarFire™ 3000 Receiver, this offers continuous tracking and less downtime if the signal from one satellite is lost.
StarFire™ 3000
The StarFire™ 3000 Receiver only tracks one StarFire™ signal at a time while taking up to 4 minutes to switch over to the next available signal when the original signal is lost. When operating a StarFire™ 3000 Receiver with SF2, operators can expect a +/- 5.10 cm, 15-minute pass-to-pass accuracy.
What kind of repeatability can I expect as a result of SF-RTK?
You can have confidence in your guidance lines and boundaries year to year, staying where they need to with up to 5 years of guaranteed repeatability from SF-RTK with the StarFire™ 7000 Receiver. This is an 85% increase in repeatability from previous StarFire™ generations. For season-to-season repeatability, you can expect to see +/- 2.5 cm accuracy where applicable.
How can precision ag technology such as SF-RTK save me money?
SF-RTK offers the features of RTK Radio without the need to purchase the hardware, just the license. You can also take advantage of lower precision technology investment costs by utilizing the shared signal feature of SF_RTK through the StarFire™ 7000 Receiver. Reduce your initial investment costs to use AutoTrac™, Active Implement Guidance™, MachineSync™, or AutoPath™ with the transmitted signal between a pair of receivers in your operation.
Additional cost-saving benefits of precision technology are lower input costs. With +/- 2.5-cm accuracy, you can be confident you are covering your ground effectively with reduced overlap, saving your input costs.
What configuration is the StarFire™ 7000 Receiver available in?
The StarFire™ 7000 Receiver is currently available as factory-integrated on newer model equipment or an interchangeable universal model.
What is the factory-integrated model, and when will it be available?
New precision technology fits seamlessly on new equipment from the factory. The factory-integrated StarFire™ 7000 Receiver will be available to order or the new Model Year 2023 X-Series John Deere combines and MY 2023 John Deere Sprayers. Contact your local Precision Ag Specialist for more details and timing.
What is the interchangeable universal model, and when will it be available?
If you would like to start seeing the benefits of the StarFire™ 7000 Receiver on equipment that you already own, John Deere will be offering an interchangeable universal model. Contact your local Precision Ag Specialist for more details and timing.
How does the receiver fit into my precision agriculture setup?
A GPS receiver is vital to any precision agriculture setup and provides proper mapping, precise locations for reviewing, and year-over-year repeatability. Including a receiver in your precision agriculture setup lets you get the most out of all your precision agriculture technology.
How does TCM improve AutoTrac™ system performance?
Not all terrain is the same. The integrated terrain compensation module (TCM) automatically calculates and adjusts the machine’s position by the terrain it is operating on. When paired with AutoTrac™ systems, the TCM adjusts for the pitch or roll of the land to improve your AutoTrac™ performance and results.
How do I contact an Optimization Specialist to learn more about StarFire™ 7000?
Koenig Equipment is staffed with trained Optimization Specialists who can help you with more information on the StarFire™ 7000 Receiver. From beginning conversations to installation and programming, you can rest assured that the Koenig Optimization Specialists are there to help you on your precision agriculture journey. Contact your local Koenig Equipment today to learn more.
Additional Resources:
Why Choose a John Deere StarFire™ Receiver as a Precision Agriculture Solution?
What is Precision Agriculture?
John Deere Precision Agriculture Display Comparison & Benefits