• Data Capture
• Position
• GPS Status
• Navigation
• Date & Time
• Configuration
• Data Transfer

Checking Critical Parameters
If you are not using the factory defaults, you should check the following critical parameters (these parameters are accessed under Configuration|Rover Options; the up-arrow and down-arrow are used to scroll and change values).

Feature Logging, Points: determines how often positions are recorded when mapping point features. Factory Default = 1 second.

Feature Logging, Line/Area: determines how often positions are recorded when mapping line and area features. Factory Default = 5 seconds.

Min Pos: sets the minimum number of positions required for a point feature. Factory Default = 120 (Note: you can collect less the Min Pos value - but a warning message displays).

Not In Feature Rate: determines how often positions are recorded when a feature is NOT being mapped (for example, when you are using a data dictionary and are moving from one feature to the next). Factory Default = All (meaning that positions are recorded continuously, even when you are not mapping a feature).

Pos Mode: determines whether you collect 2-D positions (e.g. latitude and longitude), 3-D positions (e.g. latitude, longitude and altitude) or both. Your choice affects the number of satellites used to calculate positions and the accuracy of your data. Manual 2-D mode uses only 3 satellites and depends on an accurate altitude being supplied by the user - it is not recommended. ODS 3-D mode (Overdetermined Solution Mode) uses the highest 4, 5 or 6 satellites to calculate positions - this increases accuracy; however, it can cause problems for differential correction, because the base station must have data from the same satellites used by the rover - possibly 6, which may not be the case. Auto2D/3D position mode calculates 3-D positions when possible, but switches to 2-D mode when PDOP becomes too high for 3-D mode (for example, when only 3 satellites are "visible") - not recommended, because the problems associated with 2-D mode. Manual 3-D mode uses the best 4 satellites to calculate position - there's a good chance that data will be recorded from the same satellites at nearby base stations, so this usually works well for differential correction - this is the factory default.

2-D Altitude: allows you to enter an altitude value to be used in conjunction with 2-D position mode. This IS critical when using 2-D position mode, but for reasons explained above, 2-D position mode is not recommended and normally should not be used.

Elevation Mask: sets the minimum angle above the horizon that satellites must reach before being used to calculate positions. Generally, the higher the angle the better the quality of the GPS signal (but the lower the number of satellites used). Factory default = 15.

SNR Mask: sets the minimum GPS signal strength that can be used to calculate positions (signal strength is affected by the atmosphere, trees, etc.). Factory default = 4.

PDOP Mask: sets the maximum PDOP (Position Dilution of Precision) value. When PDOP goes above this value, the GPS receiver stops recording positions. Factory default = 6.

PDOP Switch: sets the PDOP value that causes the receiver to switch from 3-D to 2-D mode when being used in Auto2D/3D position mode. Critical if using Auto2D/3D position mode, but as explained above, this is not recommended. Factory default = 6

Non-Critical Parameters:
These parameters affect display and data collection, but they are not critical for accurate data collection.

High Accuracy: This special function improves the accuracy of point mapping - but it requires special software and long collection times (e.g. 10 minutes+ for a single point). Factory Default = Off.

Antenna Ht: sets the height of the receiver antenna above the ground. The antenna is under the GeoExplorer logo on the top of the receiver. The default value is 1 m.

Log DOPs: allows you to choose whether or not to record dilution of precision values in the rover file. The default value is Off.

Velocity: allows you to choose whether or not to record velocity measurements in the rover file. The default value is Off.

File Prefix: sets the single letter prefix to aid in identifying rover files. The default is A.

Other parameters that can be configured (these are not rover options):

Configuration|Coordinates: sets the coordinate system that is used to display positions in the field (note: the down-loaded rover file can be displayed in a wide range of coordinate systems by the Pathfinder Office software). Default = Degrees, minutes and fractional minutes (latitude and longitude).

Configuration|Datum: sets the datum (reference earth model) that is used to display positions in the field (note: the GeoExplorer always uses the WGS-84 datum to calculate and store positions - regardless of the datum selected for display purposes). Default = WGS-84 datum.

Configuration|Units: sets the units that are displayed in the field. Default = Metric units.

Configuration|Date & Time: sets the time and date format displayed in the field (for example, time can be UTC (Universal Time Coordinated - approximates Greenwich Mean Time) or local time (12 or 24 hour format). These settings are for display only - they do not affect the rover file. Default = UTC.

Configuration|Communication: sets the parameters for the communication port used for down-loading or up-loading files to/from a PC. Default settings are:
Protocol = XMDM (XMODEM)
Baud = 9600
Parity = None
Data Bits = 8
Stop Bits = 1

Configuration|Satellite Health: if a satellite is malfunctioning, the DOD sets it to "unhealthy" and the GPS receiver does not use it to calculate positions. Configuration|Satellite Health allows you to override this convention - this is for advanced users only. Default = Ignore Health: None.

Configuration|Battery Usage: allows you to reset the battery timer to record how long a newly charged battery has been used.

Configuration|WPT Averaging: Waypoints (WPT) are points recorded by the receiver used mainly for navigation purposes. They are not normally used for mapping and should not require configuration.