John Deere Ag Management Solutions (AMS) was recently granted a patent on RTK (Real Time Kinematic) Extend, an industry-exclusive feature on the StarFire RTK guidance system.

"RTK Extend brings more consistency to the StarFire RTK guidance system," says Seth Crawford, marketing manager, John Deere AMS. "When the base station signal is interrupted and does not reach the vehicle receiver, RTK Extend sustains accuracy for up to fifteen minutes. The operator can continue running the vehicle accurately until moving past the signal impediment."

Temporary obstructions such as trees, hills, machine sheds, or other structures may cause RTK downtime. If the RTK signal is temporarily lost because of one of these obstructions, the operator has up to fifteen minutes to restore the signal in his vehicle before losing the RTK accuracy.

"The StarFire RTK guidance system is one of the most accurate in the industry," explains Crawford. "It is compatible with GreenStar™ AutoTrac and allows the operator sub-inch, repeatable accuracy when making passes through the field. StarFire Extend assures the operator more consistent vehicle operation, even when temporarily losing a signal because of obstructions in the field."