Learning Center

Pre-flight checks before every job

The Pre-Flight Checks panel row by row: controller, GPS fix, satellites, DOP, position, corrections, update rate and Wi-Fi signal, what green, amber and red mean, the Raise / Lower hold-to-move test, and a checklist for the start of every job.

In the app Sidebar › Pre-Flight Checks

Pre-Flight Checks is one panel that tells you whether the machine is ready: what the tablet is connected to, how good the GPS is, how strong the Wi-Fi is, and, on a control module, whether the implement raises and lowers the right way. Open it at the start of every job, before you pick a workflow.

Open it

About 1 minute. Tap the orange Pre-Flight Checks button at the bottom of the column of big buttons down the right-hand side. It's there on Home, Settings and the Manual. A window opens. It stays open until you tap its X (top right) or press the tablet's Back button (Back button); a stray tap elsewhere doesn't close it.

Home screen with the Pre-Flight Checks panel open in the middle, reading OFFLINE with every row empty, and the orange Pre-Flight Checks button in the sidebar
  1. Pre-Flight Checks. Orange button, bottom of the right-hand column.
  2. The window. OFFLINE here: nothing connected yet.

Connect, Change and Disconnect

Not connected? The left button reads Connect. It runs the same auto-detect as a workflow card, with Manual Options but no Simulate or Bluetooth GPS (Ditch Assist Lite: Emlid Reach and Simulate; Connect). Once connected it reads Change, to pick a different source. Disconnect cleanly ends the connection, the simulator included. Both are locked while auto-grading is running.

Pre-Flight Checks, OFFLINE: Controller Not connected, GPS No source, Satellites, DOP, Lat, Lon and Elevation empty, Corrections Not reported, Updates empty; Connect and a greyed Disconnect 1 2 3 4
  1. OFFLINE / ONLINE. Whether a source is connected.
  2. X. Closes the panel. The tablet's Back button does too; a tap outside it doesn't.
  3. Connect. Reads Change once connected.
  4. Disconnect. Greyed until something is connected.

Read it row by row

Each row ends in a tick, a warning or a cross. Green tick: ready. Amber: works, but look at it before you rely on it. Red cross: don't survey or grade until it's fixed.

Pre-Flight Checks while simulating: ONLINE, Controller Simulator, GPS RTK, Satellites 22, DOP HDOP 0.80 / PDOP --, Lat and Lon of the simulator, Elevation in metres, Corrections Active, Updates Live / sim, Change and Disconnect 1 2 3 4
  1. Controller. What the tablet is connected to.
  2. GPS, Satellites, DOP. Fix quality.
  3. Lat, Lon, Elevation. Raw position from the receiver.
  4. Corrections, Updates. RTK corrections and how fresh the position is.
RowWhat it showsGreen / amber / red
ControllerControl Module, DIG Module, Emlid and the Reach model with Lite active or Not activated (Ditch Assist Lite), Bluetooth GNSS, Simulator, or Not connectedGreen: control module, DIG module or an activated Reach. Amber: Bluetooth GNSS or a Reach that isn't activated. Purple warning: simulator.
GPSThe fix: RTK, FLOAT, DGPS, GPS; or Waiting for fix, Stale data, No sourceGreen only on RTK. Amber on any other fix: wait for RTK. Red when the position has stopped updating or there's no fix.
SatellitesSatellites in the solutionGreen 14 or more, amber 8 to 13, red under 8
DOPHDOP 0.80 / PDOP --: satellite geometry, lower is better. PDOP shows only if the receiver sends it.Green HDOP 1.2 or less (PDOP 2.0 or less), amber up to HDOP 2.0 (PDOP 3.0), red above. -- if the receiver sends no HDOP.
Lat, LonFull-precision positionFor support calls. Ticked when there's a position, in the same colour as the GPS row (green on RTK)
ElevationThe receiver's raw elevation, before calibration or blade height. Always in metres, even when the app is set to feet.Use it to see that the number is steady, not to check grade
CorrectionsAge of the RTK corrections in seconds when the receiver reports it; otherwise Active (on an RTK fix) or Not reportedGreen 2 s or less, amber up to 10 s, red over 10 s: the base or radio link is struggling
UpdatesLive and the time of the last position, or how many seconds old it is; then how the position arrives (Hz poll for the control module, NMEA for DIG, Bluetooth and Reach, sim for the simulator)Live is good; seconds old means positions have stopped
Wi-Fi SignalSignal strength to the module or Reach in dBm and a word (control module, DIG and Reach only). No Wi-Fi in red if the tablet isn't on any Wi-FiStrong or Good (−80 dBm or better) green, Fair amber, Weak (below −88 dBm) red: move the tablet or check the module's antenna
Link SpeedWi-Fi link rate in Mbps and the bandGreen at 1 Mbps or more, which is plenty; red below 1 Mbps

The same GPS details, in the units you work in, are one tap away on the Survey and Grade screens: GPS Info popover. What each fix means: The fix ladder.

Test raise and lower (Full Automation Kit)

Connected to a control module, the panel adds Hydraulic Test - Hold to Move with big Raise and Lower buttons. Hold one and the valve moves the implement; let go and it stops.

The section sits under the GPS and Wi-Fi rows: a green Raise button, a red Lower button, and the reminder If Raise moves down or Lower moves up, reverse the valve connectors.

  1. Clear the area

    Nobody near the implement. It will move.

  2. Put the valve's remote in continuous flow

    Set the tractor remote lever that feeds the valve so it supplies oil all the time (continuous flow), not float.

  3. Press and hold Raise

    Put your finger on the green Raise button and keep it there. The panel says Press and hold Raise or Lower. Release to hold. The implement must lift. Let go and it stops.

  4. Press and hold Lower

    Do the same with the red Lower button. The implement must drop. Let go and it stops.

  5. Backwards? Swap the valve connectors

    If Raise lowers it, swap the two solenoid connectors on the valve. Never swap the hoses at the tractor. Connect and test raise and lower has the full test.

Before every job

  • Tablet on the module's Wi-Fi (or the Reach hotspot), panel reads ONLINE
  • Controller names your kit with a green tick
  • GPS reads RTK with a green tick
  • Satellites and DOP green (amber: expect more holds)
  • Corrections green and Updates reading Live
  • Wi-Fi Signal Good or Strong
  • Full Automation Kit: Raise lifts, Lower drops
  • Blade height right for the implement on the machine (Blade height)
  • Coming back to an older survey or design, or the base was moved? Calibrate first (Do I need to calibrate today?)

If something goes wrong

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