I just got off the ladder - in winter - checking the antenna. It was tight and otherwise unchanged from when it was originall installed. No loosening observed.
Separately, I had purchased the antenna upgrade (clarified: higher gain antenna, purchased via amazon) mentioned on this forum - so I replaced the original antenna and have these results below. An improvement from January, and very different from the past couple days:
Have you checked your CNR values on the DC recently? It’s possible it’s something firmware related but best to rule out anything else first. Under the diagnostics screen, there is a yellow details. Tap that and connect to the DC to check it.
Wow, those look fantastic!
Yarbo1 back in action!
Today’s RTK cnr using higher gain antenna upgrade (in semi-rural setting). Conditions: overcast w/ light snow (same as yesterday). Yarbo1: normal operation.
Those antennas need to be standard on the cores and DC’s. They work great and are so rugged and robust.
Fully agree. Will improve unecessary customer churn.
I plan to post again on a clear day at the same time period to demonstrate the potential effect that weather fronts may have on it - while not scientifically representative, it’s still data.
What antennas did you purchase?
I used these and replaced all 3 stock antennas. These were what YARBO sent another user- I went and got my own. Worth it. Not necessarily from this link but this model.
I just found this on AliExpress: $76.55 | GNSS Helix Antenna GNSS HA-609 Full Freq GPS GLONASS GALILEO For RTK UAV Drone UM980 UM982 UM981 ZED-F9P
@JNS confirmed by @ben.karrow is the model/specs. you can find a couple different stores selling (mostly out of China). They may be the same product with different labels - what matters is the RF specs.
edit: RF is mostly black magic. Increasing the gain in an area with tall structures may lead to increased signal noise and lower performance. So, to the question of ‘Should I get this?’ the answer is: maybe? it depends on your specific situation.
@ben.karrow when replacing the yarbo rtk antennas on both the rover and the DC with those you purchased, do they simply attach like the yarbo supplied rtk antennas? What I mean is, Do you also need to purchase some hardware adapters so the can attach to the rover and the DC?
They screw right on. Nothing extra needed. For the DC, depending on if you have the HaLow clip or the bar support will dictate if you need to modify something. You can get the DC adapter kit from bourbonyarbo.com and with the rubber grommet that goes underneath of the DC RTK antenna, the bar support will still be usable. If you have the old clip style support, you don’t need anything else.
Like @bryan.wheeler said. Not much is needed. Just screw it on.
@ben.karrow , Thanks, but, sorry, I still do not understand.
The antenna you link to from Aliexpress does not have a flared base with holes through which three screws will screw into the Yarbo rover core module. I’m not seeing how this antenna would be secured to the rover. See the attached screenshot. Maybe my display isn’t a good enough resolution, but I can’t see how the three screws are used to secure this antenna to the rover. It looks like there’s no way to put a screw through those holes, no access to the tops of those holes.
@bryan.wheeler , I currently have the Bourbon data center adapter installed on my data center. If I get the rtk antenna currently on the data center with the “improved” rtk antenna that @ben.karrow suggested from the Aliexpress web site, is that new rtk antenna too thick for the Bourbon data center adapter bar with the two loops on it slide over that new antenna?
You don’t use the screws. You just thread that onto the core’s or DC SMA cable like the current RTK antenna.
Right. I thought I read above that people also replaced the antennas on the rover with this antenna as well. That’s what I was asking about - It is perfectly secure merely from screwing onto just the rover’s cable?
The bar is secured by the big rubber washer. When you screw the RTK antenna down, it expands the rubber washer/grommet and holds the bar in place plus the RTK antenna puts pressure on the bar as well.
It is, you could modify something if you wanted to, but I have the same antennas and don’t have an issue. They work great on the flexible RTK mounts.
Oh, I see, I forgot, these antennas go on top of the mounts, I foolishly was thinking to attach them directly to the core. Thanks for the clarification.
