Topcon’s New Guidance Solutions
Brian Sorbe, VP and GM Americas for Topcon, says the “why” for precision agriculture hasn’t change in the 20 years Topcon has been developing precision ag products.
“it all starts with repeatable and dependable sensors,” he says. But he says the importance for the ac-curacy has increased.
“The reason any farmer–regardless of size or complexity of operation–can’t afford to buy low cost guidance is much of the automation of today’s machinery depends on positioning accuracy. A GPS er-ror can wreak a lot of havoc on machines that are becoming increasingly complex. You can’t afford to go cheap,” he says. “And the data derived from these systems is becoming more critical and more valuable. The data has got to be geo spatially accurate.”
He adds, “When you start to consider the opportunity, it’s clear. The automation gets more complex, sensors become more sophisticated and demand for quality data is ever increasing.”
Topcon is offering new correction services with Topnet Live cellular, satellite and bridging correction services: Realpoint, Starpoint, and Skybridge.
Sorbe shares Topcon has a range of services and products to fit any farm, which is being aided by the introduction of new products.
Two of those new products are next-generation GNSS receivers, which are equipped with progressive reception and tracking capabilities, and the option of manual guidance or complete autosteering.
AGS-2 receiver and steering control
Two key features of this product are:
- 26 unique universal tracking channels. “You are less likely to have drop offs. More satellite sig-nals means you’re able to make a more refined positing calculation,” Sorbe says.
- Skybridge which is RTK assist. “If operators have an area of field where RTK isn’t available, the Skybridge can drop back to a lower grade of correction and keep steering engaged and the line accurate and not interrupt the farming process,” Sorbe says.
AGM-1 receiver
Two key features of this product are:
- Reliable positioning data and manual guidance
- Stable, pass-to-pass accuracies with TruPass Technology
