Read the GPS Info window
Tap the GPS badge to see everything the GPS is reporting: source, fix, satellites, HDOP, PDOP, correction age, Wi-Fi signal and link speed, position and elevation. What normal looks like, and what to do when a row is amber or red.
In the app GPS badge (top of the map) › GPS Info
The GPS badge at the top of the map shows your fix and satellite count at a glance. Tap it and a window called GPS Info opens, listing everything the GPS is reporting.
It's the first place to look when elevations look wrong, the position jumps, or the badge won't leave FLOAT. It tells you whether the problem is the receiver, the corrections or the Wi-Fi link.
Open it
Time: a few seconds. It works on every map screen (survey and grade).
Tap the GPS badge
On every map screen there's a white bar across the top. The GPS badge is in it, to the right of the numbers: a rounded box with a target symbol, a word for the fix (here RTK), the satellite count and a small ⓘ. Tap anywhere on it.
- GPS badge. RTK in green, 22 satellites. Tap anywhere on it.
Read the window
The GPS Info window opens in the middle of the screen. Top half: where the position comes from and how good it is. Bottom half: the position and elevation.
What normal looks like: Status RTK in green, plenty of satellites, a low HDOP. (This one is from the app's simulator, so the source reads Simulator; yours names your module or receiver, and shows more rows.) Close it
Tap the X in the top right corner of the window, or tap anywhere outside the window.
- X. Closes the window.
A receiver with every row
A source that sends its messages straight to the app (here an Emlid Reach in Ditch Assist Lite) shows more rows. This one also shows a problem: a plain GPS fix, so no corrections are arriving.
- Source and Status: an Emlid Reach RS3 on a plain GPS fix (orange). Only a green RTK is good enough to work on.
- Correction Age 0.0 s: what this Reach reports even with no corrections at all, so always read it together with Status.
- Wi-Fi Signal and Link Speed in green: the tablet's link to the Reach is fine. The problem is the corrections, not the Wi-Fi.
Every row
Rows only appear when the source reports that value, so the window looks a little different for each kind of source.
| Row | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Source | Where the position comes from: Ditch Assist Control Module, DIG Module, Emlid Reach RS3 / RS4, Bluetooth GNSS, Simulator, or Not connected. Normal: The source you meant to use. Shown for: Always |
| Status | The fix: RTK, FLOAT, DGPS, GPS, NO GPS (also PPP, SIM, N/A), in the badge's colour. The app's simulator reports RTK. Normal: RTK in green. Shown for: Always |
| Satellites | Satellites the receiver is tracking. Normal: Steady, not dropping suddenly. A sudden drop means something is blocking the sky. Shown for: Always |
| HDOP | Horizontal dilution of precision: how well spread the satellites are. -- if the receiver doesn't send it. Normal: Under 1.0 is excellent; over 5.0 is poor. On RTK Sensitivity Mid, grading holds above 1.2 and releases at 0.9; on High, holds above 0.9 and releases at 0.7; Low ignores HDOP. Shown for: Always |
| PDOP | The same, in three dimensions. Normal: Low, like HDOP. Shown for: The control module |
| Correction Age | Seconds since the rover last got an RTK correction, to a tenth, exactly as the receiver reports it. Normal: Low and steady. On Pre-Flight Checks the same figure is green up to 2 s, amber to 10 s, red beyond. An Emlid Reach can report 0.0 s while it gets no corrections at all; only Status RTK (or FLOAT) proves corrections are arriving. Shown for: Sources that send NMEA straight to the app: DIG, Emlid Reach, Bluetooth. Not the control module. |
| Wi-Fi Signal | The tablet's signal from the module or Reach hotspot, in dBm (a negative number: the closer to zero, the stronger), with a word. Normal: See Wi-Fi rows below. Shown for: Control module, DIG, Emlid Reach |
| Link Speed | The Wi-Fi speed the tablet last agreed with the module or Reach, in Mbps (megabits a second), with the Wi-Fi band (2.4 or 5 GHz). Normal: See Wi-Fi rows below. Shown for: Control module, DIG, Emlid Reach |
| Latitude, Longitude | Position to 7 decimal places (about 11 mm). Normal: Changing slightly even standing still on RTK. Stuck on exactly the same number for several seconds means the feed has frozen. Shown for: Always |
| Elevation (ortho) | Height above the geoid (roughly sea level), in your units. The elevation the whole app uses: survey, benchmarks, grading targets. Normal: Wanders a little (about 1–2 cm standing still on RTK). Shown for: Always |
| Geoid Separation, Elevation (ellipsoidal) | The receiver's geoid model offset, and the raw height above the WGS84 ellipsoid (ortho + separation). Normal: For checking a receiver's geoid setting when elevations are off by a fixed amount. You don't need them day to day. Shown for: Only when the source reports geoid separation |
| Speed | Ground speed in mph or km/h. -- when stopped. Normal: Matches the machine. Shown for: Always |
The Wi-Fi rows
Wi-Fi Signal and Link Speed are there to tell a Wi-Fi problem from a receiver problem. They only show for sources that use the tablet's Wi-Fi (control module, DIG, Emlid Reach), not for Bluetooth or the simulator. They're for diagnosis only: nothing in the app holds, stops or disconnects because of them.
| Wi-Fi Signal | Shows | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| −60 dBm or stronger | Strong Green | Fine. |
| −61 to −80 dBm | Good Green | Fine. A cab-mounted tablet rarely does better, and every stream the app carries is tiny. |
| −81 to −88 dBm | Fair Amber | Getting weak. Move the module or tablet closer, or clear metal from between them. |
| Below −88 dBm | Weak Red | Where drops actually happen. Fix the placement before you rely on it. |
| No connection | No Wi-Fi Red | The tablet isn't on a Wi-Fi network at all. |
Link Speed is green at any rate of 1 Mbps or more. Android reports the radio's last negotiated rate, not the data actually flowing, and an idle healthy link can sit at the band's floor: 6 Mbps on 5 GHz, 1 Mbps on 2.4 GHz (a control module). A Reach hotspot can run on either band; an RS3 here showed 52 Mbps on 2.4 GHz. All normal. The row shows -- while the first reading comes in or when Android reports no rate. Signal strength, not link speed, is the row that predicts a drop.
When the badge has faded
If no position arrives for longer than the GPS Delay Timeout (5 seconds unless someone changed it, in the DEBUG box of Settings), the badge fades and grading holds. You can still open the GPS Info window: it shows the last values that arrived.
So if the machine "isn't moving" in the app, open it. Latitude and longitude frozen on the same numbers mean no fresh positions are arriving, not a bad fix. See GPS Stale.
If a row looks wrong
- Status FLOAT, DGPS or GPS: Stuck on Float, or RTK keeps dropping. On a John Deere receiver showing DGPS: Shows DGPS instead of RTK.
- Status GPS with Correction Age 0.0 s: no corrections are reaching the receiver; the 0.0 is only what the Reach reports. Check the base or NTRIP link. Ditch Assist Lite: GPS only, no RTK.
- Correction Age climbing: corrections aren't getting through. Check the base and the radio or NTRIP link. Corrections troubleshooting.
- HDOP high, grading holding with
WAITING FOR HDOP
: poor sky view, or a base sending fewer satellite systems than the rover tracks. Clear the sky view. If HDOP sits at 1.0 or above all day, RTK Sensitivity Low ignores HDOP. See Survey settings. - Wi-Fi Signal amber or red, or No Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi keeps dropping.
- Source says Not connected, or the badge is dimmed: No GPS in the app.
- Elevation off by the same amount everywhere: the base moved or restarted, or the receiver's geoid model changed. Calibrate to your benchmark. Benchmarks and calibration.
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