GNSS Handbook

GNSS Handbook

The Kalmix GNSS Handbook explains how satellite positioning actually works, from first principles to the protocol layer. It covers the GNSS pseudorange equation and receiver clock bias, signal bands and constellations, the RTCM correction protocol that RTK depends on, and the coordinate-system pitfalls that can put a perfect fix off the map. Written for engineers integrating GNSS into robotics, AGV, agriculture, and field-automation hardware.

10 articles Engineering series GNSS / RTK resources
Overview Kalmix GNSS Handbook is a free engineering series covering GNSS fundamentals, satellite ranging, pseudorange, satellite geometry, L1/L2/L5 signal bands, constellations, RTCM correction protocols, and geographic coordinate systems including WGS84 datum issues for developers building RTK-based machines.
The RTK Trick: How Does Carrier Phase RTK Reach Centimeter Accuracy

Carrier phase RTK reaches centimeters by reducing shared errors, resolving integer ambiguity, and checking whether a Fixed solution remains trustworthy.

Jun 28, 202616 min read
RTK GPS Demystified: What It Takes to Reach Centimeters

RTK GPS adds correction data to ordinary GNSS for centimeter positioning, but the receiver, correction source, antenna, and workflow all matter.

Jun 14, 202617 min read
GNSS Errors Mapped: Why a Perfect Satellite Still Lands You Off by Meters

GNSS error budgets start in space, pass through the atmosphere, and end at the antenna, marking which residuals a receiver can model and which require RTK.

Jun 04, 202614 min read
How GNSS Works: One Equation, Four Satellites, End of the $100,000 Clock

How GNSS receivers turn satellite timing into pseudorange measurements, solve four unknowns with four satellites, and output position, velocity, and time.

Apr 17, 202616 min read
GNSS Signals Explained: Why Your Receiver Ignores Most of the Sky

Frequency support, antenna bandwidth, firmware, and corrections explain why two GNSS receivers can see the same sky but use different satellites.

Apr 14, 202613 min read
RTCM Unpacked: The Binary Protocol Your RTK Fix Actually Depends On

RTCM is the correction stream behind RTK fixes; reliable deployment depends on frame sync, MSM choices, base coordinates, MT1230, and correction age.

Apr 06, 202613 min read
Beyond WGS84: Why a Perfect GNSS Fix Can Still Put You Off the Map

A perfect GNSS or RTK fix can still appear shifted when your receiver, correction service, map layer, and software use different coordinate frames.

Mar 28, 202619 min read
Inside NTRIP: Why Seven Lines of Code Can Unlock Centimeter Accuracy

NTRIP delivers RTK correction streams over the internet, but reliable fixes still depend on caster access, mountpoints, RTCM payloads, and correction age.

Mar 07, 202615 min read
Mastering NMEA 0183: Why Your Device Needs to Read Between the Commas

A practical NMEA 0183 parsing tutorial: checksum logic, serial-stream failure modes, and RTK status decoding, distinct from the AN-001 field dictionary.

Feb 14, 202624 min read
GNSS Accuracy Decoded: Why Positioning is a Game of Probabilities

Read GNSS accuracy through CEP, RMS, R95, DOP, fix mode, correction source, antenna setup, and field-test conditions before trusting a claim.

Feb 03, 202614 min read
Back to Engineering Notes →