Connecting A Sparkfun RTK Facet L-Band To Diamond Maps

The Sparkfun RTK Facet L-Band is made in Colorado. It is popular among Diamond Maps customers because of its low up-front cost and its integration with a low cost satellite-based RTK service available everywhere in the lower 48 states of the US. If you are in a state that offers a free RTK correction service (and therefore don't need the L-Band) then you might want to consider purchasing the even lower priced RTK Facet.

Compatibility	Android	Apple	Windows
Diamond Maps Online (browser)
Diamond Maps Offline App
Works great  Some limitations  Not compatible

Using Diamond Maps Offline App with Android Device

• Power on the Facet
• See Facet configuration for instructions on setting up your Point Perfect subscription and Bluetooth settings.
• Note: The GNSS Master app is not needed for this type of interface. If it is running you will need to close it before continuing.
• On your phone or tablet go to the Bluetooth settings screen in the Settings app.
• If the Facet is not already in the list of paired devices then select it from the list of available devices.
• These instructions assume you already have a Diamond Maps account. If you don't then go to diamondmaps.com and start a free trial. See Video #201 for instructions on adding some layers to your map which you will need prior to proceeding.
• Go to your Google Play Store and install "Diamond Maps Offline". Open the app and enter your Diamond Maps user name and password. Then click the Download button to download one of your maps to your phone/tablet for offline use.
• Click on the map name to open the map in the offline app.
• Click the Menu button and choose GPS Status
• Click the select button on the GPS Source line and select Scan for Bluetooth devices. Select your Facet from the list.
• If you are using the satellite-based correction service that ships with the Facet (most likely you are), then set the datum setting to WGS84. But if you are connecting to a local or state-wide RTK network set the datum to Nad83. And if your Facet is mounted on a pole enter the pole height in the box provided. These settings will be remembered.
• If you see Lat, Lon, and Accuracy readings changing in the grey box then that confirms that Diamond Maps is connected to the Facet.
• Close the GPS Setup screen if you haven't done so already
• Setup is complete. Next see How To Use Your GPS To Mark A Point.

Using Diamond Maps Offline App with Apple Device

• Power on the Facet
• See Facet configuration for instructions on setting up your Point Perfect subscription and Bluetooth settings.
• These instructions assume you already have a Diamond Maps account. If you don't then go to diamondmaps.com and start a free trial. See Video #201 for instructions on adding some layers to your map which you will need prior to proceeding.
• Go to your Apple app store and install "Diamond Maps Offline". Open the app and enter your Diamond Maps user name and password. Then click the Download button to download one of your maps to your phone/tablet for offline use.
• Click on the map name to open the map in the offline app.
• Click the Menu button and choose GPS Status
• Leave the source datum set to WGS84 and if your Facet is mounted on a pole enter the pole height in the box provided. These settings will be remembered.
• Click the Select button next to GPS Source and click Scan for Bluetooth Devices. Then choose your Facet from the list.
• If you see Lat, Lon, and Accuracy readings changing in the grey box then that confirms that Diamond Maps is connected to the Facet.
• Close the GPS Setup screen if you haven't done so already
• Setup is complete. Next see How To Use Your GPS To Mark A Point

Running Diamond Maps in your browser on an Android device

• Facet Setup (first time setup)
  • Power on the Facet
  • See Facet configuration for instructions on setting up your Point Perfect subscription and Bluetooth settings.
  • On your phone/tablet, download and install an app called "GNSS Master" from the Google Play Store.
  • On your phone/tablet open your Settings app and go to Bluetooth. Find your Facet receiver in the list of available devices and connect to it.
  • Open the GNSS Master app.
  • Click the settings gear next to GNSS Receiver connection. Find your Facet Rover in the list of devices, click on it and click connect at the bottom.
  • Click the back button in your phone/tablet to return to the main screen of GNSS Master.
  • Leave the GNSS Master app running.
• Setup Mock Locations (first time setup)
  • Open the Settings app on your phone/tablet and select "Developer Options".  If you don't see this menu item then you may have to enable it by doing the following:
    • Go to Settings > About > Software Info. 
    • Locate the "Build Number" and tap it 7 times.
    • Now you should see "Developer Options" on your main Settings screen. 
  • On the Developer Options menu click on "Select mock location app" and select "GNSS Master".
  • Click the search button on the settings screen and search for "scanning". You should find settings for Bluetooth Scanning and Wi-Fi scanning. Turn both of these options off because they can have adverse effects on mock location. Turning these off will not affect your Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections.
  • Return to the GNSS Master app and slide the Mock Location slider to the on position.
• Diamond Maps Setup (each day)
  • Each time you use Diamond Maps you will need to power on the Facet, open the GNSS Master app, and connect the app to the Facet. Click the GNSS Master Logo in the upper left corner and go to GNSS Status to make sure that it is receiving all the information required from the Facet. and if you see that filling in then you are good to move on to Diamond Maps. Just leave the GNSS Master app running in the background
  • Login to your map in Diamond Maps in your browser. If you don't already have a home screen button to your map page then go to diamondmaps.com and click Sign In. If you don't yet have a Diamond Maps account you can sign up there for a 30-day free trial at diamondmaps.com .
  • On your map page click the Menu button and choose GPS Status.
  • Change the mode to "On" with "Device's Location" selected as the source.
  • Leave the Source Datum set to WGS84 and if your Facet is mounted on a pole enter the pole height. It will remember these settings.
  • Confirm that the GPS Status screen is reporting Latitude/Longitude coordinates.
  • Lastly it is important to confirm that Diamond Maps is tracking the Facet and not your phone/tablet's on-board GPS.  You will need to be outside to do this. Hold the Facet out at arms length to your left and then your right while keeping your phone/tablet stationary. If the yellow dot on the map moves to match your movements then you know its tracking the Facet.
  • You are all setup. Next see How To Use Your GPS To Mark A Point.
• Limitations: The above setup is not a direct connection but rather involves relaying the real-time location from the Facet to Diamond Maps via the Android operating system and thus is subject to some limitations. First, if there is an interruption in the Facet's view of the sky or the Facet's connection to the phone/tablet, then Android may switch to reporting it's onboard-gps location in place of the Facet location with no warning. Second, the Facet's accuracy reading may not get relayed through the operating system and therefore you will likely get a false reading as to the current accuracy of the Facet (the location of the yellow dot is still accurate, its just that the reported accuracy number is wrong). For these reasons we recommend using the Diamond Maps Offline app (instructions further below) in place of the online version when connecting to a Facet.

Notes:

• If you have any problems, call Diamond Maps support and let us help.
• For advanced instructions and troubleshooting see Sparkfun RTK Facet L-Band Hookup Guide.
• For more about renewing your Point Perfect correction service see subscription renewal
• See Also Product Manual.