I recently purchased the R3 Pro V2 to move away from the DJI L1 sensor. The quality is definitely superior, and I’m happy with the results overall.
The issue is that almost every time I use the R3 Pro, I get the CHECK GNSS ERROR. I’ve tried restarting the sensor, repositioning the drone, and changing the takeoff area, but it’s still a frustrating experience.
Is anyone else going through the same thing? Is there any way to improve this? Honestly, it’s reached a point where I’m regretting not going for the DJI L2 instead.
Just to get the obvious questions out of the way:
Is the firmware updated to the latest version? Yes.
Are the takeoff areas clear and far from buildings or structures that could interfere with the GNSS fix? Yes.
Do you have more than 90% free space on the memory card? Yes.
When the unit fails the GNSS test, it creates a folder on the USB drive, and the sensor displays a red light briefly before reinitializing the test. Each time the test fails, a text file is generated with the message “GNSS test failed.”
My base station is a Trimble R10 paired with a TSC3 data collector. I first establish a point (180 epochs) and then use it as a known point to set up the base station.
The RINEX data is exported from the data collector after it’s transferred from the receiver.
I have no issues processing the data, it’s when I go out to collect it that I find myself thinking, is it going to work this time? sometimes it takes half an hour to pass the test. It eventually passes it, but I have to change take off position, restart the unit several times, format the USB drive (even if it’s almost 100% free) and carry the L1 as a backup plan all the time. So far, I have use the L1 only one time and it really defeat the point of upgrading the system.
I figured I’d comment here to see if I’m the only one experiencing this, or if it’s a common issue, maybe I have a faulty antenna or I need to try a different USB drive.
Yes, the unit is not damaged, and I’m quite crazy when it comes to cleaning. I keep all my hardware in excellent condition and handle the equipment with care all the time. There is no misalignment with the antenna.
Do you use Rock Pilot to collect data?
I’m glad to hear that the R3Pro V2 is working well for you.
I use DJI Pilot 2 to collect data, it seems more reliable, espcially when flying larger areas requiring battery hot swaps, although I don;t think this affects your issue.
The only other thing I can think of is either the lever arm connection or USB formatting?
Some details here:
Also, to get help from support:
If your R3 Pro V2 or R3 Pro continues to have issues with passing the GNSS test at start up, please follow these steps so that a hardware log is created the next time you power the LiDAR unit on.
Power the LiDAR unit on one more time to generate the hardware log.
You can then email the hardware log to ROCK (support@rockrobotic.com) with a description of the issue and all the troubleshooting steps that have been completed for further investigation.
Golky, this is Andrew with ROCK Support. Sorry to hear you are having issues with your unit passing the GNSS test. I would recommend following the instructions in the Knowledge Base article Jason linked above to get the logs from your R3 Pro (V2) unit. You can send them to me at support@rockrobotic.com. Also, in the email you can include some zoomed in pictures of the connection points so we can inspect them for damage or wear.
The other thing I would want to know is:
1.) Is the unit ever able to pass the GNSS test? Essentially does the GNSS test failure happen all the time, or is it sporadic?
2.) Has there ever been an instance of abrupt power loss to the R3 Pro unit? For example, have you powered off the drone before powering off the LiDAR unit?
3.) On the connection point at the base of your GNSS rod and antenna, there will be a visible center pin, and an outer connector that make up the connection point. Do you know if there has ever been any sort of shorting between these two components?
4.) Is the USB drive you are using the one that came with the unit?
If you want to answer all these questions in the email where you send your hardware log and photos that would be greatly appreciated.
Sounds like an antenna and lever arm issue. I had this problem for months on end. I had to purchase a new antenna and lever arm from Rock. It’s worked fine ever since. Extraordinarily frustrating.
I was already aware of the information and have followed the instructions provided.
I was wondering if you’ve been using Rock Pilot for data collection, since you mentioned having issues with Rock Desktop. Personally, I haven’t had much success with Rock Pilot. I haven’t tried the new update yet, but in the few instances I did use it, the point cloud colors came out shifted so I stopped using it.
For my workflow, I use UgCS for mission planning and Pilot 2 to execute the flights.
I’ll follow up with Andrew on this and keep you posted on the solution.
Hi @gbarrios,
I don’t use rock pilot. DJI Pilot 2 with built in terrain following works well for most sites.
If the area has a large amount of height difference, UGCS is great and also has the built in calibration routine which works really well.
I have issues with Rock Desktop, but it’s due to bugs in the app, not really related to the flight data.
I think @Jeff 's suggestion about the lever arm sounds like it could be your issue.
Andrew @ support will hopefully help you get to the bottom of it.
We had the GNSS fail and found that once the antenna was installed in the same direction, the symbol on top pointing to the same prop everytime, it worked. If not, loosen and then a small turn on the antenna to reseat helped.
