Read the Status 2 light on the control module

The control module has a light called Status 2. It blinks whenever data arrives from the receiver down the GPS cable, good data or bad. It's the quickest way to check the cable and the receiver's output, before you even pick up the tablet.

If Status 2 isn't blinking, nothing is arriving, and nothing in the app will fix that. If it blinks, data is getting through, but the settings may still be wrong. Check those in the app (see Status 2 blinks, but the app has no GPS). The module's other light, Operating Status, shows that it has power.

Before you start

Time: a minute to read the light; longer if you need the checks below.

• The receiver connected to the Ditch Assist GPS cable, and the cable plugged into the main harness
• The control module switched on (the Operating Status light is lit)
• The receiver given time to start up before you judge the light

What the patterns mean

The blink speed is not the GPS rate

Status 2 blinks for any data from the receiver, so how fast it blinks doesn't tell you how many positions a second arrive. Don't count blinks.

1. Check the rate in the receiver

   Open the receiver's own settings. GGA should be set to 5 or 10 Hz (5 or 10 times a second). Your receiver's page shows where: see What your receiver must send.

2. Check the fix in the app

   The GPS badge in the white bar at the top of the map shows the fix. Tap it to open the GPS Info window. It shows Satellites and Correction Age.

Status 2 not blinking: the checks

1. Is the receiver on?

   The module powers the receiver through the GPS cable. If the receiver shows no lights, check the power harness: fuses pushed in, power taken straight from the tractor battery (not a trailer plug, auxiliary block or cab power strip), every connector plugged in all the way. See Connect the power harness.

2. Is the receiver's output on, on the right port?

   The receiver must send RS-232 NMEA out of the port the cable is plugged into. If its output is switched off, or set on a different port, nothing arrives. See What your receiver must send and your receiver's page.

3. Is every connector plugged in all the way?

   Check both ends of the GPS breakout cable and the GPS connector on the main harness. Look for pins pushed back into the connector.

4. Tx and Rx (DB9 cables only: the 9-pin plug)

   If you're not comfortable re-pinning a connector, call Ditch Assist support before you do this step.

   With a DB9 cable, the receiver's transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) lines can be the wrong way round. The hardware manual's fix is to swap pins 2 and 3 (Tx and Rx) on the GPS connector of the main harness, or to disconnect the Tx pin (pin 3): some receivers loop back with it connected, and Ditch Assist® only needs Rx and signal ground.

Status 2 blinks, but the app has no GPS

A blinking light only means data is arriving. It doesn't mean the data is right. The light blinks even when the baud rate is wrong and the data is garbled.

So the blink tells you the cable, pins and receiver output work. The app tells you if the settings are right. After you tap Connect, the System Check window shows a GPS Signal row. If it stays on Waiting for signal... or turns red, check these in the receiver, one at a time:

1. Baud rate: 38,400

   The baud rate is the speed of the serial port. At any other speed the module gets garbled data. The light still blinks, but the app gets no position.

2. Messages: GGA and VTG on

   GGA (the position) and VTG (speed and direction) must both be on. Turn every other message off. If GGA is off, the light can still blink from the other messages, but the app gets no position.

3. Rate: 5 or 10 Hz

   Set GGA to 5 or 10 times a second (5 or 10 Hz) in the receiver's settings. The light can't show you the rate.

Each receiver's page shows where these settings are: see What your receiver must send. If the app can't connect to the module at all, the problem is the Wi-Fi, not the GPS: see The app can't connect. For more causes, see No GPS in the app.