Latest News

NovAtel has released their latest firmware for OEM7 generation receivers. 7.09.01 for ag applications and 7.09.02 for all other markets.

• PPP positioning improvements in environments affected by ionospheric scintillation to improve availability of positioning
• PPP seeding improvements
• INS azimuth standard deviation reporting adjustments for non-ag profiles

The latest NovAtel firmware can be downloaded from https://novatel.com/support

Omnistar’s AMSAT beam will change to ARSAT on March 4, 2024. All users need to migrate to the new frequency to prevent service interruptions. Some receivers may automatically change to the new satellite, but other may require manually tuning.

AMSAT 1545.9375 at 1200 baud moving to ARSAT 1545.245000 at 2400 baud

OmniStar CONNA beam will be decommissioned and stop broadcasting on September 30, 2023. The AMSAT beam will take over for OmniStar VBS, XP, G2, and HP corrections services.

Depending on the receiver being used, firmware version, and/or configuration, the receiver may automatically switch to the AMSAT beam. If not, users will need to change the frequency to AMSAT (1545.9375) by September 30, 2023.

This move to the AMSAT beam for users of the VBS service will also experience a datum change from NAD83 to ITRF2020 (current epoch). This datum shift will result in a position shift of approximately 1 – 1.5 meters in North America. OmniStar XP, G2, and HP will not have a datum shift.

Should you have any questions, please contact us.

NovAtel has released 7.09.00 firmware for OEM7-based receivers. This is a general release applicable to OEM719, OEM729, OEM7700, OEM7600, OEM7720, OEM7500, CPT7, CPT7700, PwrPak7, PwrPak7D, GT7800.

New Features

• Precision Time Protocol (PTP)

NovAtel Inc has announced the end of life for the KVH-1750 IMU (p/n IMU-KVH1750, IMU-KVH1750-FP6, IMU-KVH1750-NC). This EOL is effective immediately due to a supplier part change.

It has been replaced with p/n IMU-P1750 and is form, fit, and function compatible. Support and repair will continue on the IMU-KVH1750 until February 29, 2025, or until parts are no longer available.

Contact us if you have any questions or are interested in the IMU-P1750.

This is a notification that Waypoint FTP and licensing servers will experience an extended outage for maintenance this weekend, from 7:00 AM on Saturday, February 12, 2022, to 5:00 PM on Sunday, February 13, 2022 (MST).

During this outage, Waypoint users will be unable to:

• Activate software licenses, return software licenses, or access the customer portal
• Access updates to the lists of public sources and coordinates for base stations, precise SP3/CLK files, antenna calibrations, error models, datum/grid parameters, and DCB updates provided via FTP
• Use the TerraStar NRT service on the “North America” server

For detailed information on this outage including impact and mitigation options, please see the complete bulletin here: https://www2.novatel.com/e/130511/d-licensing-server-outage-2022/2rg885/1665727484?h=Gi9U1mu71_lSGMTPc4VQLQhaUdaXCEEEJ9nQPHrRlaY

NovAtel has released 7.08.10 firmware for some OEM7 GNSS receivers. It is available for OEM719, OEM729, OEM7700, CPT7700, and PwrPak7. It is not compatible with dual antenna receivers.

This firmware release is primarily about TerraStar-C Pro improvements but does include additional updates/improvements. Improvements include an update to the WiFi package on PwrPak7 hardware and an increase to the idle time available.

Please be advised that the NGS/CORS FTP server will shut down as of August 16th, 2021 and replaced with HTTPS protocol.

Any attempt to access the FTP server after that date will fail. All Waypoint products currently do not support HTTPS and will therefore be unable to access the NGS/CORS RINEX data automatically.

An update to version 8.90 for all Waypoint products will be provided that will support HTTPS.

OmniSTAR satellite beams in North America will be transitioning to a single satellite beam. This will affect all North America users of OmniSTAR VBS, XP, G2, and HP services. The new frequency will be available starting on Jun 15 2021. Transition will need to be completed by Jul 26 2021.

Current Beams

New Beam

Users currently using Auto-tune setting in their receivers should update to the new frequency automatically if powered up during the transitioning period. Some users may require a manual tune to the new frequency due to configuration, hardware, or firmware limitation. Instructions for manually tuning your receiver can be found at https://www.omnistar.com/Support/ReceiverInformation.aspx

NovAtel has released OEM7 firmware version 7.08.00 for OEM719, OEM729, OEM7700, OEM7720, OEM7500, OEM7600, PwrPak7, CPT7. New features are support for tracking BeiDou B2b signal and new PwrPak7Q-E2 and PwrPak7DQ-E2. The new Q series offer the PwrPak7 without WiFi, but retains on-board data logging.

Kaarta has announced their Kaarta Cloud service. This service offloads the processing of your Kaarta Stencil, Contour, or Stencil Pro so that you can accomplish other important tasks.

You can upload your data directly from a Kaarta system or from your desktop. Kaarta Loud handles the data with their high-performance parallel-processed network.

The BRx7 all-in-one GNSS receiver and antenna is a multi-constellation, multi-communication unit in an IP67-rated enclosure. It tracks GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, IRNSS, and Atlas corrections.

Multiple communications options make this a versatile receiver for just about any application. It has Bluetooth, WiFi, Serial, USB, Cellular, UHF (410 – 470 MHz) or Spread Spectrum (902.4 – 928 MHz) for ultimate flexibility.

BRx7 Datasheet

For more information or pricing, contact us.

The Stencil Pro by KAARTA is now available. This 3D scanner is the top of the line with a number of features and rugged design. It is capable of producing 360 degree high resolution color point clouds. The IP65 rating makes the Stencil Pro perfect for a range of applications and environments.

High quality, high resolution KAARTA 3D scanning products are now available from Steve Lieber and Associates, Inc. These products allow you to make amazing 3D point clouds of outdoor or indoor areas for a variety of applications.

NovAtel has released version 8.90 of their Inertial Explorer, Inertial Explorer Xpress, GrafNav, and GrafNet post processing software packages. New feature PPP-AR (Precise Point Positioning Ambiguity Resolution) uses data from TerraStar-NRT to improve horizontal accuracy on short surveys up to 45%. You have the option to apply automated vehicle constraints when processing. This will be the last version to support 32-bit.

All Waypoint users with a current PCS qualify for this upgrade at no cost. Contact us for information on upgrading to 8.90.