Learning Center

Grading holds by itself, or won't start

What every HOLD, RTK LOST and GUIDANCE PAUSED banner means, which ones clear by themselves, why Resume sometimes does nothing, and why Start can be greyed out.

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

In the app Grade screen; Settings › SURVEY › RTK Sensitivity

The app holds the blade whenever the position isn't good enough to grade on. Automatic holds (HOLD — No RTK Fix, HOLD — GPS Stale) release by themselves once the fix is back and steady; you don't tap anything. Only a hold you started yourself with Hold needs Resume, the orange button that takes Hold's place.

Before you start

  • Stop the machine if a hold lasts more than a few seconds.
  • Read the exact words on the pill at the top of the grade guide (the tall column next to the sidebar), or on the red or orange bar over the map. Find the same words in the symptoms below.
  • RTK Fixed is the most accurate GPS position: the GPS badge shows a green RTK. HDOP is a number for how well the satellites are spread across the sky; lower is better.

Time: 1 minute to read the screen. Most automatic holds clear by themselves within seconds.

Quick checks first

  • Read the pill at the top of the grade guide: it says which hold it is.
  • Look at the GPS badge: a bright (not faded) green RTK means the automatic holds will clear.
  • If an orange WAITING FOR HDOP bar shows all day, set RTK Sensitivity to Low (steps).
Grade screen on hold: the orange HOLD — Manual Control pill at the top of the grade guide, the green RTK badge in the top bar, and the red Stop and orange Resume buttons at the top of the sidebar.
Also look at the GPS badge in the top bar: it must be a bright green RTK for automatic holds to clear.
  1. The pill. At the top of the grade guide. Says which hold is on: Manual Control, No RTK Fix or GPS Stale.
  2. Resume. Under the red Stop button. Only for a hold you started with Hold. Greyed out while an automatic hold is on.

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.

Grading stops and the pill says HOLD — No RTK Fix“HOLD — No RTK Fix” · “RTK LOST - AUTO HOLD (Ns)”

Full Automation and Guidance Only Kits (Ditch Assist Lite shows GUIDANCE PAUSED instead). The fix dropped below RTK Fixed (or HDOP went over the RTK Sensitivity limit), so the app stopped sending new targets. After 5 seconds a red RTK LOST - AUTO HOLD (Ns) banner counts up over the map.

The hold is right: the fix really dropped Most likely

Check: Look at the GPS badge in the top bar. Anything other than a green RTK means the hold is correct.

Fix:

  1. Stop the machine if the hold lasts more than a few seconds.
  2. Check the antenna and the base.
  3. Wait. The hold releases by itself when RTK Fixed is back and steady. You don't tap anything.

If it keeps happening, see RTK keeps dropping.

The receiver reports RTK as DGPS

Check: John Deere StarFire: its own display says RTK, but the Ditch Assist badge says DGPS.

Fix: See DGPS instead of RTK.

Badge says RTK, but an orange bar keeps the hold on“AUTO HOLD - WAITING FOR HDOP ≤ 0.9 (NOW 1.05) - SENSITIVITY MID”

The hold is waiting for the fix to settle before it lets go, so the valve doesn't chatter on and off at the edge. In Ditch Assist Lite the bar starts with GUIDANCE PAUSED instead of AUTO HOLD.

  • … WAITING FOR HDOP ≤ N (NOW N) - SENSITIVITY …: waiting for HDOP to drop to the release level. Wait. If HDOP sits at 1.0 or more all day, set RTK Sensitivity to Low (below).
  • … WAITING FOR RTK FIX TO SETTLE - SENSITIVITY …: on Mid or High, waiting for most recent fixes to be RTK Fixed. Wait a few seconds.
  • … WAITING FOR STEADY RTK FIXED: on Low, waiting for about 1 second of RTK Fixed in a row. If it keeps flipping, check the base and the sky view.

RTK Sensitivity is stricter than your setup can hold Most likely

Check: Read the last word of the orange bar (LOW, MID or HIGH). It's the RTK Sensitivity setting:

  • Low: holds when RTK Fixed is lost; ignores HDOP. Releases after about 1 second of steady RTK Fixed.
  • Mid: also holds when HDOP goes above 1.2. Releases at HDOP 0.9 or less once the fix has settled.
  • High: also holds when HDOP goes above 0.9. Releases at HDOP 0.7 or less once the fix has settled.

Fix: if your receiver sits at HDOP 1.0 or higher all day (common when the base sends fewer constellations than the rover tracks), set RTK Sensitivity to Low. It still holds whenever RTK Fixed is lost.

  1. Tap the red Stop button near the top of the right-hand column, under Home. Settings won't open over automatic grading without asking.
  2. Tap Settings, the fourth button down the right-hand column.
  3. Scroll down to the SURVEY box, about a third of the way down (how to scroll).
  4. In the last row, RTK Sensitivity, tap Low. It turns orange.
  5. Tap Grade, the third button down the right-hand column.
  6. Tap Start, the big green button near the top of the column.
Settings scrolled to the SURVEY box. The last row, RTK Sensitivity, has three buttons: Low, Mid (selected, orange) and High.
  1. RTK Sensitivity. The last row of the SURVEY box.
  2. Low, Mid, High. The orange one is chosen (Mid here). Tap Low.
Everything dims and the pill says HOLD — GPS Stale“HOLD — GPS Stale”

No new position arrived for longer than GPS Delay Timeout (5 seconds unless changed). The chevrons and the grade guide fade; the numbers are frozen. It releases by itself when fresh GPS returns. After 10 seconds with no data, the connection drops.

The GPS feed or the Wi-Fi link stopped Most likely

Fix: See GPS stale and The connection keeps dropping. Parked dead still with a control module? See stale while parked.

The pill says HOLD — Manual Control“HOLD — Manual Control”
An orange pill with a pause sign: HOLD — Manual Control.
The pill at the top of the grade guide after someone taps Hold.

Someone tapped Hold

Check: The button under the red Stop button is orange and reads Resume. Valve commands are paused; the chevrons keep updating.

Fix: Tap Resume to hand the blade back to the app. The pill changes back to Auto Grading Active.

Resume is greyed out, or tapping it does nothing

An automatic hold is on top Most likely

Check: The pill says HOLD — No RTK Fix or HOLD — GPS Stale, or an orange WAITING FOR bar shows.

Fix: Wait. It clears by itself once RTK Fixed is back and steady.

No GPS fix, or GPS stale

Check: The GPS badge is faded or says NO GPS. Resume is refused without a message.

Fix: Get the GPS back (No GPS), then tap Resume.

Red banner while you run the blade by hand“RTK LOST - GPS UNRELIABLE (Ns)”

You're on manual hold and the fix dropped

Fix: Don't grade by the numbers on the screen until RTK Fixed returns. Check the receiver, the base and the correction link.

Ditch Assist Lite: guidance pauses“RTK LOST — GUIDANCE PAUSED” · “GPS STALE — GUIDANCE PAUSED”

Ditch Assist Lite never moves the blade, so instead of a hold the target freezes, so you don't chase bad numbers. A red RTK LOST - GUIDANCE PAUSED (Ns) banner counts up after 5 seconds.

The Reach lost RTK or stopped sending

Fix:

  1. Stop and wait. It clears by itself.
  2. If it happens often, check the correction link (LoRa or NTRIP) in Emlid Flow, or with the Emlid Diagnostics button at the bottom of Settings.
  3. Check the Reach's battery.

More: Ditch Assist Lite problems.

Excavation: amber banner about accuracy“GPS accuracy reduced — elevation readings may be unreliable”

The fix dropped below RTK Fixed

Check: Excavation sends no valve commands, so nothing stops, but the bucket elevation and cut/fill numbers may be off.

Fix: Check depth between cuts until the badge is a green RTK again. Check the base and the correction link.

Amber banner: you're off the survey line“… from survey line — accuracy may decrease”

You're more than 30 m (98 ft) sideways from the surveyed line

Check: The target comes from the nearest point on the line, which may not match the ground where you are.

Fix: Drive back onto the line, or check you loaded the right design for this place.

Start is greyed out

No design, target or grade set yet Most likely

Check: There's no design line on the chart, or the input bar along the bottom of the screen is still open (Leveling, Manual Grade, Excavation).

Fix: Set the target first:

  • Leveling: tap Use Current, or type a target and tap Set Target.
  • Manual Grade: type the grade and tap Set Grade. The Target Grade % box takes no minus sign; tap Downhill or Uphill instead.
  • Survey workflows: make and implement a design.

No connection or no GPS

Check: The Wi-Fi icon in the top bar is grey, or the GPS badge says NO GPS.

Fix: Connect and get a fix first. See The app won't connect or No GPS.

Tiling: the plow isn't down to depth

Check: A line under Start reads Lower N" to start, or Waiting for RTK fix.

Fix: Lower the plow to within about an inch of the design depth at the outlet. See Tiling problems.

Ditch Assist Lite: the receiver isn't activated

Check: Tapping Start opens the Activate Ditch Assist Lite window instead of grading.

Fix: See Activate the receiver.

Grading stopped by itself

The app went to the background or the screen turned off Most likely

Check: Did you open another app, press the tablet's Home button, or did the screen go dark? For safety the app stops automatic grading and halts the valve.

Fix:

  1. Open Ditch Assist again (its icon on the tablet's home screen).
  2. Tap Start.
  3. So the screen doesn't go dark: open the tablet's Settings app (where it is).
  4. Tap Display.
  5. Tap Screen timeout and pick the longest time.
  6. Keep the tablet on the cab charger.

You left the Grade screen

Check: The app asked Stop Auto-Grading? and you confirmed. Your progress is saved.

Fix:

  1. Tap Grade, the third button down the right-hand column.
  2. Tap Start.

Next time, tap Stay on that question to keep grading.

Send Commands is off

Check: A red Auto Grading (Commands OFF) pill shows at the top of the grade guide.

Fix: Turn Send Commands back on in the DEBUG box of Settings: steps with pictures.

Still not fixed?

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.