TRACE for Windows User Guide
TRACE brings receiver connection, NTRIP correction delivery, live NMEA and RTK status, signal views, and session logging into one Windows workspace.
What TRACE does
One Windows workspace for a GNSS session.
TRACE opens a serial connection, reads the connected receiver’s NMEA output, forwards RTCM corrections from an NTRIP service, and makes the live session easier to inspect and record. The receiver calculates the position and reports its solution state; TRACE monitors the session and forwards corrections.
Open the receiver stream
Select the serial port and baud rate, then verify readable NMEA data.
Deliver corrections
Use NTRIP to forward RTCM corrections to the connected receiver.
Validate the session
Read RTK state, inspect signal views, and retain the logs needed for review.
Workspace overview
One view for the receiver session
The Connection workspace keeps the session’s important checks in one place: serial state, correction state, current solution, live data counters, and the views used to inspect receiver output.
Connection workspace
Connection and correction delivery
Select the Windows COM port and the baud rate used by the connected receiver. TRACE then displays the serial state in the upper-right session area and begins counting received NMEA data when readable receiver output is available.
The NTRIP panel is where the correction service address, port, mountpoint, and account details are entered. When a service is connected, TRACE receives RTCM correction data and forwards it through the active serial connection.
Serial connection
A readable receiver stream is the first requirement. If NMEA is empty or unreadable, resolve the COM port or baud rate before checking corrections.
RTCM received
This counter confirms that TRACE is receiving correction data from the selected NTRIP service.
RTCM forwarded
This counter confirms that received correction data is being sent through the active receiver connection.
Live session data
Read live data and RTK status
The Live terminal position area summarizes the receiver’s reported solution: position, satellite count, HDOP, correction age, RMS, serial state, correction state, and data rates. The Live NMEA tab retains the incoming sentence stream for direct inspection.
How to read the status: TRACE displays the solution state reported by the connected receiver; it does not calculate that state. The labels below typically correspond to the receiver’s NMEA GGA quality report. Exact wording and available states can vary by receiver model, firmware, and configuration.
| Reported state | What it means | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| No Fix (0) | The receiver is not reporting a valid GNSS position. | Check the antenna environment, receiver connection, and live NMEA. |
| Standalone (1) | A normal GNSS position is available without a differential or RTK solution. | Check the NTRIP session and RTCM received / forwarded counters. |
| Differential (2) | The receiver reports a code-differential solution. It is correction-assisted, but it is not an RTK fixed solution. | Check the correction source and quality; use RTK Float or RTK Fixed when your workflow requires carrier-phase RTK. |
| RTK Float (5) | The receiver is using RTK corrections, but carrier ambiguities are not fixed. | Allow time, check sky visibility, correction age, correction continuity, and satellite geometry. |
| RTK Fixed (4) | The receiver reports a fixed RTK solution. This is the target state for centimeter-level work when a fixed solution is required. | Use the monitoring and logging tools when you need session evidence. |
| Inertial / DR (6) | On supported RTK+DR configurations, the receiver may report an inertial or dead-reckoning-assisted solution during degraded GNSS conditions. It is not the same as RTK Fixed. | Check the product configuration, initialization and motion conditions, and whether GNSS visibility and corrections have recovered. |
Signal and stability review
Inspect signal visibility and position stability
TRACE provides two focused views beyond the status label. Skyplot helps explain the visible satellite geometry and signal levels. Scatter View helps review the distribution of static position samples during a stable session.
Skyplot: satellite visibility and signal strength
Use Skyplot when the session needs context beyond its solution label. It shows the distribution of tracked satellites by elevation and azimuth, together with signal-strength bars grouped by constellation.
Scatter View: static position distribution
Use Scatter View for stationary checks after the receiver has reached a stable solution. The plot keeps the sample distribution, RMS, and CEP statistics together, so the session can be reviewed as more than one status value.
Session evidence
Save logs and review events
The Logging page keeps the files needed to review a test later or provide useful evidence to support. Select only the log types needed for the session, choose a save location when required, then apply the setting before recording.
- NMEA text log: receiver output with timestamps.
- Raw RTCM3 binary log: correction data received from the NTRIP service.
- Application event log: serial, correction, reconnection, and forwarding messages.
Logging: save the evidence you need
Configure the files before a test starts. TRACE can record receiver output, correction traffic, and software events separately, so the saved record matches the question being investigated.
Events: review the connection timeline
The Events tab records serial, correction, reconnect, and forwarding messages in time order. Use it when a disconnected or incomplete session needs an explanation beyond the current status label.
Help and related setup
Use the right guide for the problem
TRACE is designed to make the Windows-side session visible. Start by resolving the serial connection, then correction delivery, then receiver solution state. Events and session logs are the most useful records when a deeper review is needed.
For a Kalmix SCOUT or SCOUT PRO receiver, the hardware-specific Windows guide covers USB connection, Device Manager checks, driver guidance, product baud rates, and the completed RTK workflow.