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1<h3>BKG Ntrip Client (BNC) Version 1.6</h3>
2
3<p>
4The BKG Ntrip Client (BNC) is a program for simultaneously retrieving, decoding and converting real-time GNSS data streams from NTRIP broadcasters like <u>http://www.euref-ip.net/home</u> or <u>http://www.igs-ip.net/home</u>.
5</p>
6
7<p>
8BNC has been developed for the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) within the framework of EUREF's Real-time GNSS Project (EUREF-IP, IP for Internet Protocol) and the Real-Time IGS Pilot Project (RTIGS).
9</p>
10
11<p>
12BNC has been written under GNU General Public License (GPL). Binaries for BNC are available for Windows, 32-bit Linux, 64-bit Linux (compiled using option -m32), Solaris, and Mac systems. We used the MinGW Version 5.3.1 compiler to create the Windows binary. It is likely that BNC can be compiled on other systems where a GNU compiler and Qt Version 4.3.2 are installed.
13</p>
14
15<p>
16Please ensure that you have installed the latest version of BNC available from <u>http://igs.bkg.bund.de/index_ntrip_down.htm</u>. We are continuously working on the program and would appreciate if you could send any comments, suggestions, or bug reports to [euref-ip@bkg.bund.de] or [igs-ip@bkg.bund.de].
17</p>
18
19<h3>Contents</h3>
20<p>
21<h4>
22<a href=#purpose>1. Purpose</a><br>
23<a href=#resources>2. Resources</a><br>
24<a href=#options>3. Options</a><br>
25<a href=#limits>4. Limitations</a><br>
26<a href=#authors>5. Authors</a><br>
27<a href=#annex>8. Annex</a><br>
28</h4>
29</p>
30
31<p><a name="purpose"><h3>1. Purpose</h3></p>
32
33<p> The purpose of BNC is to
34
35<ul>
36<li>retrieve real-time GNSS data streams available through NTRIP transport protocol,</li>
37<li>generate high-rate RINEX Observation and Navigation files to support near real-time GNSS post-processing applications, and/or</li>
38<li>generate ephemeris and synchronized observations epoch by epoch through an IP port to support real-time GNSS engines, and/or</li>
39<li>generate clock and orbit corrections to broadcast ephemeris through an IP port to support real-time Precise Point Positioning on GNSS rovers, and/or</li>
40<li>monitor the performance of a network of real-time GNSS reference stations to generate advisory notes, and/or</li>
41<li>check RTCM streams for incoming message types and their repetition rates.</li>
42</ul>
43</p>
44<p>
45BNC supports the following GNSS data formats:
46</p>
47<p>
48<ul>
49<li>RTCM Version 2.x containing message types 18 and 19 or 20 and 21 together with 3 and 22 (GPS and GLONASS), </li>
50<li>RTCM Version 3.x containing message types 1002 (GPS, SBAS) or 1004 (GPS), 1010 or 1012 (GLONASS), 1019 or 1020 (broadcast ephemeris), 4056 and 4057 (premature messages for orbit and clock corrections to broadcast ephemeris)</li>
51<li>RTIGS containing GPS record types 200 (observations) and 300 (ephemeris).</li>
52</ul>
53BNC allows to by-pass its decoding and conversion algorithms, leave whatever is received untouched and save it in files. Although BNC is a real-time tool, it can be run offline for post processing of data made availabe from a file.
54</p>
55<p><a name="resources"><h3>2. Resources</h3></p>
56<p>
57Unless in offline mode, BNC
58<ul>
59<li>requires access to the Internet with a minimum of about 2 to 6 kbits/sec per stream depending on the stream format and the number of visible satellites. You need to make sure that the connection can sustain the required bandwidth.<li>
60<li>requires the clock of the host computer to be properly synchronized.</li>
61<li>has the capacity to retrieve hundreds of GNSS data streams simultaneously. Please be aware that such usage may incur a heavy load on the NTRIP broadcaster side depending on the number of streams requested. We recommend limiting the number of streams where possible to avoid unnecessary workload.</li>
62</ul>
63</p>
64
65<p><a name="options"><h3>3. Options</h3></p>
66<p>
673.1. <a href=#file>File</a><br>
683.2. <a href=#help>Help</a><br>
693.3. <a href=#proxy>Proxy</a><br>
703.4. <a href=#general>General</a><br>
71&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.4.1. <a href=#genlog>Logfile</a><br>
72&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.4.2. <a href=#genapp>Append Files</a><br>
733.5. <a href=#rinex>RINEX - Observations</a><br>
74&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.5.1. <a href=#rnxname>File Names</a><br>
75&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.5.2. <a href=#rnxdir>Directory</a><br>
76&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.5.3. <a href=#rnxinterval>File Interval</a><br>
77&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.5.4. <a href=#rnxsample>Sampling</a><br>
78&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.5.5. <a href=#rnxskl>Skeleton Extension</a><br>
79&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.5.6. <a href=#rnxscript>Script</a><br>
80&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.5.7. <a href=#rnxvers>Version</a><br>
813.6. <a href=#ephemeris>RINEX - Ephemeris</a><br>
82&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.6.1. <a href=#ephdir>Directory</a><br>
83&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.6.2. <a href=#ephint>Interval</a><br>
84&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.6.3. <a href=#ephport>Port</a><br>
85&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.6.4. <a href=#ephvers>Version</a><br>
863.7. <a href=#syncout>Synchronized Observations</a><br>
87&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.7.1. <a href=#syncport>Port</a><br>
88&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.7.2. <a href=#syncwait>Wait for Full Epoch</a><br>
89&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.7.3. <a href=#syncfile>File</a><br>
90&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.7.4. <a href=#syncsample>Sampling</a><br>
913.8. <a href=#correct>Ephemeris Corrections</a><br>
92&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.8.1. <a href=#corrdir>Directory</a><br>
93&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.8.2. <a href=#corrint>Interval</a><br>
94&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.8.3. <a href=#corrport>Port</a><br>
95&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.8.4. <a href=#corrwait>Wait for Full Epoch</a><br>
963.9. <a href=#advnote>Monitor</a><br>
97&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.9.1. <a href=#obsrate>Observation Rate</a><br>
98&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.9.2. <a href=#advfail>Failure Threshold</a><br>
99&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.9.3. <a href=#advreco>Recovery Threshold</a><br>
100&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.9.4. <a href=#pause>Pause</a><br>
101&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.9.5. <a href=#advscript>Advisory Script</a><br>
102&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.9.6. <a href=#perflog>Performance Log</a><br>
1033.10. <a href=#messtypes>RTCM Scan</a><br>
104&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.10.1. <a href=#messmount>Mountpoint</a><br>
1053.11. <a href=#mountpoints>Mountpoints</a><br>
106&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.11.1. <a href=#mountadd>Add Mountpoints</a><br>
107&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.11.2. <a href=#mounthost>Broadcaster Host and Port</a><br>
108&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.11.3. <a href=#mountuser>Broadcaster User and Password</a><br>
109&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.11.4. <a href=#mounttable>Get Table</a><br>
110&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.11.5. <a href=#mountdelete>Delete Mountpoints</a><br>
111&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.11.6. <a href=#mountedit>Edit Mountpoints</a><br>
1123.12. <a href=#start>Start</a><br>
1133.13. <a href=#stop>Stop</a><br>
1143.14. <a href=#cmd>Command Line</a><br>
115&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.14.1. <a href=#nw>No Window</a><br>
116&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 3.14.2. <a href=#post>Offline</a><br>
117</p>
118
119<p><a name="file"><h4>3.1. File</h4></p>
120
121<p>
122The 'File' button lets you
123<ul>
124<li>
125select an appropriate font.<br>
126Use smaller font size if the BNC main window exceeds the size of your screen.
127</li>
128<li> save selected options.<br>
129Note that on Windows systems options are saved in register BKG_NTRIP_Client. On Unix/Linux systems options are saved in file ${HOME}/.config/BKG/BKG_NTRIP_Client.conf.
130</li>
131<li>
132quit the BNC program.
133</li>
134</ul>
135</p>
136
137<p><a name="help"><h4>3.2. Help</h4></p>
138
139<p>
140The 'Help' button provides access to
141<ul>
142<li>
143help contents.<br>
144You may keep the 'Help Contents' window open while configuring BNC.
145</li>
146<li>
147a 'Flow Chart' showing BNC linked to a real-time GNSS engine such as RTNet.
148</li>
149<li>
150general information about BNC.<br>
151Close the 'About BNC' window to continue working with BNC.
152</li>
153</ul>
154</p>
155<p>
156BNC comes with a help system providing online information about its functionality and usage. Short descriptions are available for any widget. Focus to the relevant widget and press Shift+F1 to request help information. A help text appears immediately; it disappears as soon as the user does something else. The dialogs on some operating systems may provide a "?" button that users can click; they then click the relevant widget to pop up the help text.
157</p>
158
159<p><a name="proxy"><h4>3.3. Proxy - for usage in a protected LAN</h4></p>
160
161<p>
162If you are running BNC within a protected Local Area Network (LAN), you might need to use a proxy server to access the Internet. Enter your proxy server IP and port number in case one is operated in front of BNC. If you don't know the IP and port of your proxy server, check the proxy server settings in your Internet browser or ask your network administrator.</p>
163<p>
164Note that IP streaming is often not allowed in a LAN. In this case you need to ask your network administrator for an appropriate modification of the local security policy or for the installation of a TCP relay to the NTRIP broadcasters. If these are not possible, you might need to run BNC outside your LAN on a host that has unobstructed connection to the Internet.
165</p>
166<p><a name="general"><h4>3.4. General</h4></p>
167
168<p><a name="genlog"><h4>3.4.1 Logfile - optional</h4></p>
169<p>
170Records of BNC's activities are shown in the Log section on the bottom of the main window. These logs can be saved into a file when a valid path is specified in the 'Log (full path)' field. The message log covers the communication status between BNC and the NTRIP broadcaster as well as problems that may occur in the communication link, stream availability, stream delay, stream conversion etc. All times are given in UTC. The default value for 'Log (full path)' is an empty option field, meaning that BNC logs will not saved into a file.
171</p>
172
173<p><a name="genapp"><h4>3.4.2 Append Files</h4></p>
174<p>
175When BNC is started, new files are created by default and any existing files with the same name will be overwritten. However, users might want to append existing files following a restart of BNC, a system crash or when BNC crashed. Tick 'Append files' to continue with existing files and keep what has been recorded so far. Note that option 'Append files' affects all types of files created by BNC.
176</p>
177
178<p><a name="rinex"><h4>3.5. RINEX - Observations</h4></p>
179<p>
180Observations will be converted to RINEX if they come in either RTCM Version 2.x, RTCM Version 3.x, or RTIGS format. BNC's RINEX Observation files generally contain C1, C2, P1, P2, L1, L2, S1, and S2 observations. In case an observation is unavailable, its value is set to zero '0.000'. Note that the 'RINEX TYPE' field in the RINEX Observation file header is always set to 'M(MIXED)' even if the file does not contain any GLONASS or SABAS data.
181</p>
182
183<p><a name="rnxname"><h4>3.5.1 RINEX File Names</h4></p>
184<p>
185RINEX file names are derived by BNC from the first 4 characters of the corresponding mountpoint (4Char Station ID). For example, data from mountpoints FRANKFURT and WETTZELL will have hourly RINEX Observation files named</p>
186<p>
187FRAN{ddd}{h}.{yy}O<br>
188WETT{ddd}{h}.{yy}O
189</p>
190<p>
191where 'ddd' is the day of year, 'h' is a letter which corresponds to an hour long UTC time block and 'yy' is the year.
192</p>
193<p>
194If there are more than one stream with identical 4Char Station ID (same first 4 characters for their mountpoints), the mountpoint strings are split into two sub-strings and both become part of the RINEX file name. For example, when simultaneously retrieving data from mountpoints FRANKFURT and FRANCE, their hourly RINEX Observation files are named as</p>
195<p>
196FRAN{ddd}{h}_KFURT.{yy}O<br>
197FRAN{ddd}{h}_CE.{yy}O.
198</p>
199<p>
200If several streams show exactly the same mountpoint name (example: BRUS0 from <u>www.euref-ip.net</u> and BRUS0 from <u>www.igs-ip.net</u>), BNC adds an integer number to the file name leading i.e. to hourly RINEX Observation files like</p>
201<p>
202BRUS{ddd}{h}_0.{yy}O<br>
203BRUS{ddd}{h}_1.{yy}O.
204</p>
205<p>
206Note that RINEX file names for all intervals less than 1 hour follow the file name convention for 15 minutes RINEX Observation files i.e.</p>
207<p>
208FRAN{ddd}{h}{mm}.{yy}O
209</p>
210<p>
211where 'mm' is the starting minute within the hour.
212</p>
213
214<p><a name="rnxdir"><h4>3.5.2 Directory - optional</h4></p>
215<p>
216Here you can specify the path to where the RINEX Observation files will be stored. If the specified directory does not exist, BNC will not create RINEX Observation files. Default value for 'Directory' is an empty option field, meaning that no RINEX Observation files will be written.
217</p>
218
219<p><a name="rnxinterval"><h4>3.5.3 File Interval - mandatory if 'Directory' is set</h4></p>
220<p>
221Select the length of the RINEX Observation file generated. The default value is 15 minutes.
222</p>
223
224<p><a name="rnxsample"><h4>3.5.4 Sampling - mandatory if 'Directory' is set </h4></p>
225<p>
226Select the RINEX Observation sampling interval in seconds. A value of zero '0' tells BNC to store all received epochs into RINEX. This is the default value.
227</p>
228
229<p><a name="rnxskl"><h4>3.5.5 Skeleton Extension - optional</h4></p>
230<p>
231Whenever BNC starts generating RINEX Observation files (and then once every day at midnight), it first tries to retrieve information needed for RINEX headers from so-called public RINEX header skeleton files which are derived from sitelogs. A HTTP link to a directory containing these skeleton files may be available through data field number 7 of the affected NET record in the source-table. See <u>http://www.epncb.oma.be:80/stations/log/skl/brus.skl</u> for an example of a public RINEX header skeleton file for the Brussels EPN station.
232</p>
233<p>
234However, sometimes public RINEX header skeleton files are not available, its contents is not up to date, or you need to put additional/optional records in the RINEX header. For that BNC allows using personal skeleton files that contain the header records you would like to include. You can derive a personal RINEX header skeleton file from the information given in an up to date sitelog. A file in the RINEX 'Directory' with a 'Skeleton extension' is interpreted by BNC as a personal RINEX header skeleton file for the corresponding stream.
235</p>
236<p>
237Examples for personal skeleton file name convention: RINEX Observation files for mountpoints WETTZELL, FRANKFURT and FRANCE (same 4Char Station ID), BRUS0 from <u>www.euref-ip.net</u> and BRUS0 from <u>www.igs-ip.net</u> (same 4Char Station ID, identical mountpoint stings) would accept personal skeleton files named</p>
238<p>
239WETT.skl<br>
240FRAN_KFURT.skl<br>
241FRAN_CE.skl<br>
242BRUS_0.skl<br>
243BRUS_1.skl</p>
244<p>
245if RINEX 'Skeleton extension' is set to 'skl'.
246</p>
247<p>
248Note the following regulations regarding personal RINEX header skeleton files:
249<ul>
250<li>If such a file exists in the 'RINEX directory', the corresponding public RINEX header skeleton file is ignored. The RINEX header is generated solely from the contents of the personal skeleton.</li>
251<li>Personal skeletons should contain a complete first header record of type</li>
252<br>- &nbsp; RINEX VERSION / TYPE
253<li>They should then contain an empty header record of type</li>
254<br>- &nbsp; PGM / RUN BY / DATE
255<br>BNC will complete this line and include it in the actual RINEX file header.
256<li>They should further contain complete header records of type</li>
257<br>- &nbsp; MARKER NAME
258<br>- &nbsp; OBSERVER / AGENCY
259<br>- &nbsp; REC # / TYPE / VERS
260<br>- &nbsp; ANT # / TYPE
261<br>- &nbsp; APPROX POSITION XYZ
262<br>- &nbsp; ANTENNA: DELTA H/E/N
263<br>- &nbsp; WAVELENGTH FACT L1/2
264<li>They may contain any other optional complete header record as defined in the RINEX documentation.</li>
265<li>They should then contain empty header records of type</li>
266<br>- &nbsp; # / TYPES OF OBSERV
267<br>- &nbsp; TIME OF FIRST OBS
268<br>BNC will include these lines in the final RINEX file header together with an additional
269<br>- &nbsp; COMMENT
270<br>line describing the source of the stream.
271<li>They should finally contain an empty header record of type</li>
272<br>- &nbsp; END OF HEADER (last record)
273</ul>
274<p>
275If neither a public nor a personal RINEX header skeleton file is available for BNC, a default header will be used.
276</p>
277
278<p><a name="rnxscript"><h4>3.5.6 Script - optional</h4></p>
279<p>
280Whenever a RINEX Observation file is saved, you might want to compress, copy or upload it immediately via FTP. BNC allows you to execute a script/batch file to carry out these operations. To do that specify the full path of the script/batch file here. BNC will pass the RINEX Observation file path to the script as a command line parameter (%1 on Windows systems, $1 on Unix/Linux systems).
281</p>
282<p>
283The triggering event for calling the script or batch file is the end of a RINEX Observation file 'Interval'. If that is overridden by a stream outage, the triggering event is the stream reconnection.
284</p>
285<p>
286As an alternative to initiating file uploads through BNC, you may like to call an upload script or batch file through your crontable or Task Scheduler (independent from BNC) once every 2 or 3 minutes after the end of each RINEX file 'Interval'.
287</p>
288
289<p><a name="rnxvers"><h4>3.5.7 Version - optional</h4></p>
290<p>
291The default format for RINEX Observation files is RINEX Version 2.11. Select 'Version 3' if you would like to save observations in RINEX Version 3 format.
292</p>
293
294<p><a name="ephemeris"><h4>3.6. Ephemeris</h4></p>
295<p>
296Broadcast ephemeris can be saved as RINEX Navigation files when received via RTCM Version 3.x as message types 1019 (GPS) and 1020 (GLONASS) or via RTIGS records type 300. The file name convention follows the details given in section 'RINEX File Names' except that the first four characters are 'BRDC' and the last character is
297</p>
298<ul>
299<li>'N' or 'G' for GPS or GLONASS ephemeris in two separate RINEX Version 2.11 Navigation files, or</li>
300<li>'P' for GPS plus GLONASS ephemeris saved together in one RINEX Version 3 Navigation file.
301</ul>
302
303<p><a name="ephdir"><h4>3.6.1 Directory - optional</h4></p>
304<p>
305Specify the path for saving broadcast ephemeris data as RINEX Navigation files. If the specified directory does not exist, BNC will not create RINEX Navigation files. Default value for Ephemeris 'Directory' is an empty option field, meaning that no RINEX Navigation files will be created.
306</p>
307
308<p><a name="ephint"><h4>3.6.2 Interval - mandatory if 'Directory' is set</h4></p>
309<p>
310Select the length of the RINEX Navigation file generated. The default value is 1 day.
311</p>
312
313<p><a name="ephport"><h4>3.6.3 Port - optional</h4></p>
314<p>
315BNC can output broadcast ephemeris in RINEX Version 3 ASCII format on your local host (IP 127.0.0.1) through an IP 'Port'. This function is introduced in order to support i.e. the 'BKG Ntrip Sate Space Server' (BNS) which transforms IGS clocks and orbits into corrections to broadcast ephemeris. Specify an IP port number to activate this function. The default is an empty option field, meaning that no ASCII ephemeris output via IP port is generated.
316</p>
317<p>
318The source code for BNC comes with an example perl script 'test_bnc_eph.pl' that allows you to read BNC's ASCII ephemeris output from the IP port.
319</p>
320
321<p><a name="ephvers"><h4>3.6.4 Version - optional</h4></p>
322<p>
323Default format for RINEX Navigation files containing broadcast ephemeris is RINEX Version 2.11. Select 'Version 3' if you want to save the ephemeris in RINEX Version 3 format.
324</p>
325<p>
326Note that this does not concern the broadcast ephemeris output throug IP port which is always in RINEX Version 3 format.
327</p>
328
329<p><a name="syncout"><h4>3.7. Synchronized Observations</h4></p>
330<p>
331BNC can generate synchronized epoch by epoch observations from all stations and satellites. The output can be in either a plain ASCII format and/or a binary format. It comprises the following observations where available:</p>
332<p>
333StatID, SVPRN, GPSWeek, GPSWeeks, C1, C2, P1, P2, L1, L2, S1, S2, SNR1, SNR2
334</p>
335<p>
336Note that SNR stands for the signal-to-noise ratio 'S' mapped to integer numbers 1 to 9. In case an observation is not available, its value is set to zero '0.000'.
337</p>
338
339<p><a name="syncport"><h4>3.7.1 Port - optional</h4></p>
340<p>
341BNC can produce synchronized observations in binary format on your local host (IP 127.0.0.1) through an IP 'Port'. Specify an IP port number here to activate this function. The default is an empty option field, meaning that no binary output is generated.</p>
342<p>The binary output is a continuous stream in the following order:</p>
343<pre>
344begEpoch
345begObs
346Observation
347begObs
348Observation
349begObs
350Observation
351...
352endEpoch
353begEpoch
354...
355</pre>
356<p>with the corresponding structures defined as follow:</p>
357<pre>
358const char begEpoch = 'A';
359const char begObs = 'B';
360const char endEpoch = 'C';
361struct Observation {
362 int flags;
363 char StatID[20+1];// Station ID
364 char satSys; // Satellite System ('G' or 'R')
365 int satNum; // Satellite Number (PRN for GPS NAVSTAR)
366 int slot; // Slot Number (for Glonass)
367 int GPSWeek; // Week of GPS-Time
368 double GPSWeeks; // Second of Week (GPS-Time)
369 double C1; // CA-code pseudorange (meters)
370 double C2; // CA-code pseudorange (meters)
371 double P1; // P1-code pseudorange (meters)
372 double P2; // P2-code pseudorange (meters)
373 double L1; // L1 carrier phase (cycles)
374 double L2; // L2 carrier phase (cycles)
375 double S1; // L1 signal-to noise ratio
376 double S2; // L2 signal-to noise ratio
377 int SNR1; // L1 signal-to noise ratio (mapped to integer)
378 int SNR2; // L2 signal-to noise ratio (mapped to integer)
379} ;
380</pre>
381<p>
382The source code for BNC comes with an example program called 'test_bnc_qt.cpp' that allows you to read BNC's binary observation output from the IP port (hard-coded to 1968) and save the observations in file 'obs.txt'.
383</p>
384<p>
385Note that any socket connection of an application to BNC's Synchronized Observations Port is recorded in the Log section on the bottom of the main window together with a connection counter, leading to log records like 'New Connection # 1'.
386</p>
387
388<p><a name="syncwait"><h4>3.7.2 Wait for Full Epoch - mandatory if 'Port' is set</h4></p>
389<p>
390When feeding a real-time GNSS engine waiting for input epoch by epoch, BNC drops whatever is received later than 'Wait for full epoch' seconds. A value of 3 to 5 seconds could be an appropriate choice for that, depending on the latency of the incoming streams and the delay acceptable for your real-time GNSS product. Default value for 'Wait for full epoch' is 5 seconds.
391</p>
392<p>
393Note that 'Wait for full epoch' does not effect the RINEX Observation file content. Observations received later than 'Wait for full epoch' seconds will still be included in the RINEX Observation files.
394</p>
395
396<p><a name="syncfile"><h4>3.7.3 File - optional</h4></p>
397<p>
398Specifies the full path to a 'File' where synchronized observations are saved in plain ASCII format. The default value is an empty option field, meaning that no ASCII output file is created.
399</p>
400<p>
401Beware that the size of this file can rapidly increase depending on the number of incoming streams. This option is primarily meant for testing and evaluation.
402</p>
403
404<p><a name="syncsample"><h4>3.7.4 Sampling - mandatory if 'File' or 'Port' is set</h4></p>
405<p>
406Select the observation output sampling interval in seconds. A value of zero '0' tells BNC to send/store all received epochs. This is the default value.
407<p>
408
409<p><a name="correct"><h4>3.8. Ephemeris Corrections</h4></p>
410<p>
411</p>
412RTCM is in the process of developing new Version 3 messages to transport satellite clock and orbit corrections in real-time. Based on the latest available proposal, the following premature messages currently under discussion have been implemented in BNC:
413<ul>
414<li>Message type 4050: GPS orbit corrections to Broadcast Ephemeris</li>
415<li>Message type 4051: GPS clock corrections to Broadcast Ephemeris</li>
416<li>Message type 4052: GPS code biases</li>
417<li>Message type 4053: GLONASS orbit corrections to Broadcast Ephemeris</li>
418<li>Message type 4054: GLONASS clock corrections to Broadcast Ephemeris</li>
419<li>Message type 4055: GLONASS code biases</li>
420<li>Message type 4056: Combined GPS and GLONASS orbit corrections to Broadcast Ephemeris</li>
421<li>Message type 4057: Combined GPS and GLONASS clock corrections to Broadcast Ephemeris</li>
422</ul>
423<p>
424RTCM Version 3 streams carrying these messages may be used i.e. to support real-time Precise Point Positioning (PPP) applications.
425</p>
426
427<p><a name="corrdir"><h4>3.8.1 Directory - optional</h4></p>
428<p>
429Specify a directory for saving Ephemeris Corrections in files. If the specified directory does not exist, BNC will not create Ephemeris Correction files. Default value for Ephemeris Corrections 'Directory' is an empty option field, meaning that no Ephemeris Correction files will be created.
430</p>
431<p>
432The file name convention for Ephemeris Correction files follows the convention for RINEX files except for the last character of the file name suffix which is set to "C".
433</p>
434
435<p><a name="corrint"><h4>3.8.2 Interval - mandatory if 'Directory' is set</h4></p>
436<p>
437Select the length of the Ephemeris Correction files. The default value is 1 day.
438</p>
439
440<p><a name="corrport"><h4>3.8.3 Port - optional</h4></p>
441<p>
442BNC can output epoch by epoch synchronized Ephemeris Corrections in ASCII format on your local host (IP 127.0.0.1) through an IP 'Port'. Specify an IP port number to activate this function. The default is an empty option field, meaning that no Ephemeris Correction output via IP port is generated.
443</p>
444<p>
445The source code for BNC comes with an example perl script 'test_bnc_eph.pl' that allows you to read BNC's Ephemeris Corrections from the IP port. In case of a stream carrying message types 4056 and 4057, the script produces ASCII records containing the following set of parameters:
446</p>
447<p>
448<ul>
449<li>GPS Week</li>
450<li>Second in GPS Week</li>
451<li>GNSS Indicator and Satellite Vehicle Pseudo Random Number</li>
452<li>IOD refering to Broadcast Ephemeris set</li>
453<li>Clock Correction to Broadcast Ephemeris [m]</li>
454<li>Radial Component of Orbit Correction to Broadcast Ephemeris [m]</li>
455<li>Along-track Component of Orbit Correction to Broadcast Ephemeris [m]</li>
456<li>Cross-track Component of Orbit Correction to Broadcast Ephemeris [m]</li>
457<li>Mountpoint</li>
458</ul>
459</p>
460<p>
461The following is an example output from two RTCM Version 3 streams (CLCK1 and CLCK4) containing message types 4056 and 4057:
462<pre>
463...
4641490 115710.0 R17 18 -1.903 2.348 -1.343 -1.403 CLCK1
4651490 115710.0 R10 18 -4.131 2.416 -0.646 -1.054 CLCK1
4661490 115710.0 G27 97 5.291 1.201 -1.964 0.821 CLCK4
4671490 115710.0 G26 14 -11.247 1.003 -1.168 0.074 CLCK4
468...
4691490 115711.0 R17 18 -1.902 2.349 -1.342 -1.403 CLCK1
4701490 115711.0 R10 18 -4.131 2.415 -0.647 -1.052 CLCK1
4711490 115711.0 G27 97 5.288 1.200 -1.964 0.820 CLCK4
4721490 115711.0 G26 14 -11.246 1.004 -1.168 0.074 CLCK4
473...
474</pre>
475</p>
476
477<p><a name="corrwait"><h4>3.8.4 Wait for Full Epoch - mandatory if 'Port' is set</h4></p>
478<p>
479When feeding a real-time GNSS engine waiting epoch by epoch for synchronized Ephemeris Corrections, BNC drops (only concering IP port output) whatever is received later than 'Wait for full epoch' seconds. A value of 2 to 5 seconds could be an appropriate choice for that, depending on the latency of the incoming Ephemeris Corrections stream and the delay acceptable by your application. A message such as "COCK1: Correction overaged by 5 sec" shows up in BNC's logfile if 'Wait for full epoch' is exceeded.
480</p>
481
482<p><a name="advnote"><h4>3.9. Monitor</h4></p>
483
484<p>
485At various times, the incoming stream might become unavailable or corrupted. In such cases, it is important that the BNC operator and/or the stream providers become aware of the situation so that necessary measures can be taken to restore the stream. Furthermore, continuous attempts to decode corrupted stream(s) can generate unnecessary workload for BNC. Outages and corruptions are handled by BNC as follows:
486</p>
487<p>
488<u>Stream outages:</u> BNC considers a connection to be broken when there are no incoming data detected for more than 20 seconds. When this occurs, BNC will attempt to reconnect at a decreasing rate. It will first try to reconnect with 1 second delay, and again in 2 seconds if the previous attempt failed. If the attempt is still unsuccessful, it will try to reconnect within 4 seconds after the previous attempt and so on. The wait time doubles each time with a maximum wait time of 256 seconds.
489</p>
490<p>
491<u>Stream corruption:</u> Not all bits chunk transfers to BNC's internal decoders return valid observations. Sometimes several chunks might be needed before the next observation can be properly decoded. BNC buffers all the outputs (both valid and invalid) from the decoder for a short time span (size derived from the expected 'Observation rate') and then determines whether a stream is valid or corrupted.
492</p>
493<p>
494Outage and corruption events are reported in the Log file/section. They can also be passed on as parameters to a shell script or batch file to generate an advisory note to BNC operator or affected stream providers. This functionality lets users utilise BNC as a real-time performance monitor and alarm system for a network of GNSS reference stations.
495</p>
496
497<p><a name="obsrate"><h4>3.9.1 Observation Rate - mandatory if 'Failure threshold', 'Recovery threshold', 'Pause' and 'Advisory Script' is set</h4></p>
498<p>
499BNC can collect all returns (success or failure) coming from a decoder within a certain short time span to then decide whether a stream has an outage or its content is corrupted. This procedure needs a rough a priory estimate of the expected observation rate of the incoming streams.</p><p>An empty option field (default) means that you don't want an explicit information from BNC about stream outages and incoming streams that can not be decoded and that the special procedure for handling of corrupted streams is by-passed (decoding attempt will never get paused).
500</p>
501
502<p><a name="advfail"><h4>3.9.2 Failure Threshold - optional</h4></p>
503<p>
504Event 'Begin_Failure' will be reported if no data is received continuously for longer than the 'Failure threshold' time. Similarly, event 'Begin_Corrupted' will be reported when corrupted data is detected by the decoder continuously for longer than this 'Failure threshold' time. The default value is set to 15 minutes and is recommended so not to innundate user with too many event reports.
505</p>
506<p>
507Note that specifying a value of zero '0' for the 'Failure threshold' will force BNC to report any stream failure immediately. Note also that for using this function you need to specify the 'Observation rate'.
508</p>
509
510<p><a name="advreco"><h4>3.9.3 Recovery Threshold - optional</h4></p>
511<p>
512Once a 'Begin_Failure' or 'Begin_Corrupted' event has been reported, BNC will check for when the stream again becomes available or uncorrupted. Event 'End_Failure' or 'End_Corrupted' will be reported as soon as valid observations are again detected continuously throughout the 'Recovery threshold' time span. The default value is set to 5 minutes and is recommended so not to innundate users with too many event reports.
513</p>
514<p>
515Note that specifying a value of zero '0' for the 'Recovery threshold' will force BNC to report any stream recovery immediately. Note also that for using this function you need to specify the 'Observation rate'.
516</p>
517
518<p><a name="pause"><h4>3.9.4 Pause - optional</h4></p>
519<p>
520In case of a corrupted stream, the decoding process can be paused and decodings are then attempted again at decreasing rate. BNC will first attempt to decode again after a 30 second lag and if unsuccessful, make another attempt within 60 seconds after the previous attempt. If it is still unsuccessful, it will make another attempt to decode within 120 seconds after the previous attempt and so on. Each decoding attempt doubles the wait time since the previous attempt. The maximum wait time between attempts is limited to 960 seconds. Tick 'Pause' to activate this function. Note that it is only effective if an 'Observation rate' is specified.
521</p>
522<p>
523Do not tick 'Pause' if you want to prevent BNC from making any decoding pause. Be aware that this may incur an unnecessary workload.
524</p>
525
526<p><a name="advscript"><h4>3.9.5 Advisory Script - optional </h4></p>
527<p>
528As mentioned previously, BNC can trigger a shell script or a batch file to be executed when one of the events described are reported. This script can be used to email an advisory note to network operator or stream providers. To enable this feature, specify the full path to the script or batch file in the 'Script' field. The affected mountpoint and type of event reported ('Begin_Outage', 'End_Outage', 'Begin_Corrupted' or 'End_Corrupted') will then be passed on to the script as command line parameters (%1 and %2 on Windows systems or $1 and $2 on Unix/Linux systems) together with date and time information.
529</p>
530<p>
531Leave the 'Script' field empty if you do not wish to use this option. An invalid path will also disable this option.
532</p>
533<p>
534Examples for command line parameter strings passed on to the advisory 'Script' are:
535<pre>
536FFMJ0 Begin_Outage 08-02-21 09:25:59
537FFMJ0 End_Outage 08-02-21 11:36:02 Begin was 08-02-21 09:25:59
538</pre>
539Sample script for Unix/Linux systems:
540<pre>
541#!/bin/bash
542sleep $((60*RANDOM/32767))
543cat | mail -s "NABU: $1" email@address &lt;&lt;!
544Advisory Note to BNC User,
545Please note the following advisory received from BNC.
546Stream: $*
547Regards, BNC
548!
549</pre>
550</p>
551<p>
552Note the sleep command in this script which causes the system to wait for a random period of up to 60 seconds before sending the email. This should avoids overloading your mail server in case of a simultaneous failure of many streams.
553</p>
554
555<p><a name="perflog"><h4>3.9.6 Performance Log - optional </h4></p>
556<p>
557<u>Latency:</u> Latency is defined in BNC by the following equation:
558</p>
559<pre>
560 UTC time provided by BNC's host
561 - GPS time of currently processed epoch
562 + Leap seconds between UTC and GPS time
563 --------------
564 = Latency
565</pre>
566<p>
567 BNC can average the latencies per stream over a certain period of GPS time, the 'Performance log' interval. Mean latencies are calculated from the individual latencies of at most one (first incoming) observation or correction to Broadcast Ephemeris per second. Note that computing correct latencies requires the clock of the host computer to be properly synchronized.
568</p>
569<p>
570<u>Statistics:</u> BNC counts the number of GPS seconds covered by at least one observation. It also estimates an observation rate (independent from the a priory specified 'Observation rate') from all observations received throughout the first full 'Performance log' interval. Based on this rate, BNC estimates the number of data gaps when appearing in subsequent intervals.
571</p>
572<p>
573Latencies of observations or corrections to Broadcast Ephemeris and statistical information can be recorded in the Log file/section at the end of each 'Performance log' interval. A typical output from a 1 hour 'Performance log' interval would be:
574</p>
575<pre>
57608-03-17 15:59:47 BRUS0: Mean latency 1.47 sec, min 0.66, max 3.02, rms 0.35, 3585 epochs, 15 gaps
577</pre>
578<p>
579Select a 'Performance log' interval to activate this function or select the empty option field if you do not want BNC to log latencies and statistical information.
580</p>
581
582<p><a name="messtypes"><h4>3.10. RTCM Scan</h4></p>
583<p>
584When configuring a GNSS receiver for RTCM stream generation, the setup interface may not provide details about RTCM message types. As reliable information concerning stream contents should be available i.e. for NTRIP broadcaster operators to maintain the broadcaster's sourcetable, BNC allows to scan RTCM Version 3.x streams for incoming message types and printout some of the contained meta-data. The idea for this option arose from 'InspectRTCM', a comprehensive stream analyzing tool written by D. Stoecker.
585</p>
586
587<p><a name="messmount"><h4>3.10.1 Mountpoint - optional</h4></p>
588<p>
589Specify the mountpoint of an RTCM Version 3.x stream to scan it and log
590</p>
591<ul>
592<li>numbers of incoming message types</li>
593<li>Antenna Reference Point (ARP) coordinates in ITRF reference system</li>
594<li>antenna height.</li>
595</ul>
596<p>Logged time stamps refer to message reception time and allow to understand repetition rates. Enter 'ALL' if you want to log this information from all configured streams. Beware that the size of the logfile can rapidly increase depending on the number of incoming RTCM Version 3.x streams.
597</p>
598<p>This option is primarily meant for testing and evaluation. Use it to figure out what exactly is produced by a specific GNSS receiver's configuration. An empty option field (default) means that you don't want BNC to print the message type numbers carried in RTCM Version 3.x streams.
599</p>
600
601<p><a name="mountpoints"><h4>3.11. Mountpoints</h4></p>
602<p>
603Each stream on an NTRIP broadcaster is defined using a unique source ID called mountpoint. An NTRIP client like BNC access the desired data stream by referring to its mountpoint. Information about mountpoints is available through the source-table maintained by the NTRIP broadcaster. Note that mountpoints could show up in BNC more than once when retrieving streams from several NTRIP broadcasters.
604</p>
605
606Streams selected for retrieval are listed under the 'Mountpoints' section on BNC's main window. The list provides the following information extracted from source-table(s) produced by the NTRIP broadcasters:
607
608<table>
609<tr></tr>
610<tr><td>'mountpoint' &nbsp;</td><td>NTRIP broadcaster URL, port, and mountpoint.</td></tr>
611<tr><td>'decoder' &nbsp;</td><td>Type of decoder used to handle the incoming stream content according to its format; editable.</td></tr>
612<tr><td>'lat' &nbsp;</td><td>Approximate latitude of reference station, in degrees, north; editable if 'nmea' = 'yes'.</td></tr>
613<tr><td>'long' &nbsp;</td><td>Approximate longitude of reference station, in degrees, east; editable if 'nmea' = 'yes'.</td></tr>
614<tr><td>'nmea' &nbsp;</td><td>Indicates whether or not streaming needs to be initiated by BNC through sending NMEA-GGA message carrying position coordinates in 'lat' and 'long'.</td></tr>
615<tr><td>'bytes' &nbsp;</td><td>Number of bytes retrieved.
616</table>
617
618<p><a name="mountadd"><h4>3.11.1 Add Mountpoints</h4></p>
619<p>
620Button 'Add Mountpoints' opens a window that allows user to select data streams from an NTRIP broadcaster according to their mountpoints.
621</p>
622
623<p><a name="mounthost"><h4>3.11.2 Broadcaster Host and Port - required</h4></p>
624<p>
625Enter the NTRIP broadcaster host IP and port number. <u>http://www.rtcm-ntrip.org/home</u> provides information about known NTRIP broadcaster installations. Note that EUREF and IGS operate NTRIP broadcasters at <u>http://www.euref-ip.net/home</u> and <u>http://www.igs-ip.net/home</u>.
626</p>
627
628<p><a name="mountuser"><h4>3.11.3 Broadcaster User and Password - required for protected streams</h4></p>
629<p>
630Some streams on NTRIP broadcasters may be restricted. Enter a valid 'User' ID and 'Password' for access to protected streams. Accounts are usually provided per NTRIP broadcaster through a registration procedure. Register through <u>http://igs.bkg.bund.de/index_ntrip_reg.htm</u> for access to protected streams on <u>www.euref-ip.net</u> and <u>www.igs-ip.net</u>.
631</p>
632
633<p><a name="mounttable"><h4>3.11.4 Get Table</h4></p>
634<p>
635Use the 'Get Table' button to download the source-table from the NTRIP broadcaster. Pay attention to data fields 'format' and 'format-details'. Keep in mind that BNC can only decode and convert streams that come in RTCM Version 2.x, RTCM Version 3.x, or RTIGS format. RTCM Version 2.x streams must contain message types 18 and 19 or 20 and 21 while RTCM Version 3.x streams must contain GPS or SBAS message types 1002 or 1004 and may contain GLONASS message types 1010 or 1012, see data field 'format-details' for available message types and their repetition rates in brackets. Note that in order to produce RINEX Navigation files RTCM Version 3.x streams containing message types 1019 (GPS) and 1020 (GLONASS) are required. Select your streams line by line, use +Shift and +Ctrl when necessary.
636</p>
637<p>
638The contents of data field 'nmea' tells you whether a stream retrieval needs to be initiated by BNC through sending an NMEA-GGA message carrying position coordinates (virtual reference station).
639</p>
640<p>
641Hit 'OK' to return to the main window. If you wish you can click on 'Add Mountpoints' and repeat the process again to retrieve mountpoints from different casters.
642</p>
643
644<p><a name="mountdelete"><h4>3.11.5 Delete Mountpoints</h4></p>
645<p>
646To remove a stream from the 'Mountpoints' list in the main window, highlight it by clicking on it and hit the 'Delete Mountpoints' button. You can also remove multiple mountpoints simultaneously by highlighting them using +Shift and +Ctrl.</p>
647
648<p><a name="mountedit"><h4>3.11.6 Edit Mountpoints</h4></p>
649<ul>
650<li>
651BNC automatically allocates one of its internal decoders to a stream based on the stream's 'format' and 'format-details' as given in the source-table. However, there might be cases where you need to override the automatic selection due to incorrect source-table for example. BNC allows users to manually select the required decoder by editing the decoder string. Double click on the 'decoder' field, enter your preferred decoder and then hit Enter. The accepted decoder strings are 'RTCM_2.x', 'RTCM_3.x', and 'RTIGS'.
652</li>
653<li>
654In case you need to log the raw data as is, BNC allows users to by-pass its decoders and and directly save the input in daily log files. To do this specify the decoder string as 'ZERO'. The generated file names are created from the characters of the mountpoints plus two-digit numbers each for year, month, and day. Example: Setting the 'decoder' string for mountpoint WTZZ0 to 'ZERO' and running BNC on March 29, 2007 would save the raw data in a file named WTZZ0_070329.
655</li>
656<li>
657BNC can also retrieve streams from virtual reference stations (VRS). To initiate these streams, an approximate rover position needs to be sent in NMEA format to the NTRIP broadcaster. In return, a user-specific data stream is generated, typically by a Network-RTK software. This stream is customized to the exact latitude and longitude as shown in the 'lat' and 'long' columns under 'Mountpoints'. These VRS streams are indicated by a 'yes' in the 'nmea' column under 'Mountpoints' as well as in the source-table.
658<br>The default 'lat' and 'long' values are taken from the source-table however in most cases you would probably want to change this according to your requirement. Double-click on 'lat' and 'long' fields, enter the values you wish to send and then hit Enter. The format is in positive north latitude degrees (e.g. for northern hemisphere: 52.436, for southern hemisphere: -24.567) and eastern longitude degrees (example: 358.872 or -1.128). Only mountpoints with a 'yes' in its 'nmea' column can be edited. The position must preferably be a point within the service area of the network. RINEX files generated from these streams will contain an additional COMMENT line in the header beginning with 'NMEA' showing the 'lat' and 'long' used.
659<br>Note that when running BNC in a Local Area Network (LAN), NMEA strings may be blocked by a proxy server, firewall or virus scanner.
660</li>
661</ul>
662
663<p><a name="start"><h4>3.12. Start</h4></p>
664<p>
665Hit 'Start' to start retrieving, decoding, and converting GNSS data streams in real-time. Note that 'Start' generally forces BNC to begin with fresh RINEX which might overwrite existing files when necessary unless the option 'Append files' is ticked.
666</p>
667
668<p><a name="stop"><h4>3.13. Stop</h4></p>
669<p>
670Hit the 'Stop' button in order to stop BNC.
671</p>
672
673<p><a name="cmd"><h4>3.14. Command Line</h4></p>
674<p>
675Command line options are available to run BNC in 'no window' mode or let it read data from a file in 'offline' mode.
676BNC will then use processing options from the configuration file ${HOME}/.config/BKG/BNC_NTRIP_Client.conf (Unix/Linux, see Config File example in the Annex) or from the register BKG_NTRIP_Client (Windows). Note that the self-explaining contents of the configuration file or the Windows register can easily be edited.
677</p>
678
679<p><a name="nw"><h4>3.14.1 No Window - optional</h4></p>
680<p>
681On all systems BNC can be started as a batch job with the command line option '-nw'. BNC will then run in 'no window' mode, using processing options from its configuration file. Terminate BNC using Windows Task Manager when running it in 'no window' mode on Windows systems.
682</p>
683<p>
684Example:<br><br>
685./bnc -nw
686</p>
687
688<p><a name="post"><h4>3.14.2 Offline - optional</h4></p>
689<p>
690Although BNC is a real-time tool, it can be run in 'offline' mode to read data from a file for post processing purposes. Enter the following two command line options for that:
691</p>
692<p>
693<ul>
694<li>'-file &#060;<u>file</u>&#062;' to enter the full path to an input <u>file</u> containing data in RTCM Version 2.x or Version 3.x or RTIGS/SOC format, and</li>
695<li>'-format &#060;<u>format</u>&#062;' to enter one of the file <u>format</u> describing strings 'RTCM_2', 'RTCM_3' or 'RTIGS'.</li>
696</ul>
697<p>
698Example:<br><br>
699./bnc -file FFMJ.dat -format RTCM_3
700</p>
701<p>
702Note that when running BNC in 'offline' mode, it will use options for file saving, interval, sampling etc. from its configuration file.
703</p>
704
705<p><a name="limits"><h3>4. Limitations</h3></p>
706<ul>
707<li>
708In Qt-based desktop environments (like KDE) on Unix/Linux platforms it may happen that you experience a crash of BNC at startup even when running the program in the background using the '-nw' option. This is a known bug most likely resulting from an incompatibility of Qt libraries in the environment and in BNC. Entering the command 'unset SESSION_MANAGER' before running BNC may help as a work-around.
709</li>
710<li>
711Currently BNC only handles GPS, SBAS and GLONASS data. Galileo is not yet supported.
712</li>
713<li>
714BNC currently will only handle C1, C2, P1, P2, L1, L2, S1, and S2 observations. Which observables are available on a particular stream will depend on the setup of source receiver and the data format used. RTCM Version 2.x streams do not carry signal-to-noise ratio 'S' values while RTCM Version 3.x streams can only transport one code observable per frequency. Note that signal-to-noise ratios 'S' are also logged mapped to integer numbers 1 to 9.
715</li>
716<li>
717Using RTCM Version 3.x, BNC will properly handle message types 1002, 1004, 1010, and 1012. Note that when handling message types 1001, 1003, 1009 and 1011 where the ambiguity field is not set, the output will be no valid RINEX. All values will be stored modulo 299792.458 (speed of light).
718</li>
719Concerning the length of data fields in RTCM Version 3.x premature message types 4056 and 4057 (corrections to Broadcast Ephemeris), a decision is not yet available. Note the what's implemented in BNC is just a temporary solutions.
720<li>
721Using RTCM Version 2.x, BNC will only handle message types 18 and 19 or 20 and 21 together with position and the antenna offset information carried in types 3 and 22. Note that processing carrier phase corrections and pseudo-range corrections contained in message types 20 and 21 needs access to broadcast ephemeris. Hence, whenever dealing with message types 20 and 21, make sure that broadcast ephemeris become available for BNC through also retrieving at least one RTCM Version 3.x stream carrying message types 1019 (GPS ephemeris) and 1020 (GLONASS ephemeris).
722</li>
723<li>
724Streams coming in RTIGS format carry only GPS data.
725</li>
726<li>
727BNC's 'Get Table' function only shows the STR records of a source-table. You can use an Internet browser to download the full source-table contents of any NTRIP broadcaster by simply entering its URL in the form of http://host:port. Data field number 8 in the NET records may provide information about where to register for an NTRIP broadcaster account.
728</li>
729<li>
730EUREF as well as IGS adhere to an open data policy. Streams are made available through NTRIP broadcasters at <u>www.euref-ip.net</u> and <u>www.igs-ip.net</u> free of charge to anyone for any purpose. There is no indication up until now how many users will need to be supported simultaneously. The given situation may develop in such a way that it might become difficult to serve all registered users at the same times. In cases where limited resources on the NTRIP broadcaster side (software restrictions, bandwidth limitation etc.) dictates, first priority in stream provision will be given to stream providers followed by re-broadcasting activities and real-time analysis centers while access to others might be temporarily denied.
731</li>
732<li>
733We experienced a limitation of the Standard Version of Microsoft Windows related to socket communication where sockets are not always handled properly. Since BNC makes intensive use of communication through sockets, we recommend to use the Server Version of Microsoft Windows when running BNC continuously for extended on a Windows platform.
734</li>
735<li>
736The source code provided by NRCan for decoding RTIGS streams is 32-bit dependent. Hence the BNC executable generated for 64-bit Linux systems would only run when compiled using the -m32 compiler option.
737</li>
738<li>
739Once BNC has been started, its configuration can not be changed as long as it is stopped. A reconfiguration on-the-fly is not implemented.
740</li>
741<br>
742</ul>
743<p><a name="authors"><h3>5. Authors</h3></p>
744<p>
745The BKG Ntrip Client (BNC) Qt Graphic User Interface (GUI) has been developed for the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) by Leos Mervart, Czech Technical University Prague, Department of Geodesy. BNC includes the following GNU GPL software components:
746<ul>
747<li> RTCM 2.x decoder, written by Oliver Montenbruck, German Space Operations Center, DLR, Oberpfaffenhofen</li>
748<li> RTCM 3.x decoder, written for BKG by Dirk Stoecker, Alberding GmbH, Schoenefeld</li>
749<li> RTIGS decoder, written by Ken MacLeod, Natural Resources, Canada.</li>
750</ul>
751</p>
752<p>
753Georg Weber<br>
754Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG)<br>
755Frankfurt, Germany<br>
756[euref-ip@bkg.bund.de] or [igs-ip@bkg.bund.de]
757</p>
758<p>
759<b>Acknowledgements</b><br>
760BNC's Help Contents has been proofread by Thomas Yan, University of New South Wales, Australia.<br>
761Scott Glazier, OmniSTAR Australia, included the decoding of broadcast ephemeris from RTIGS streams and has been helpful in finding BNC's bugs.<br>
762James Perlt, BKG, helped fixing bugs and redesigned BNC's main window.<br>
763Andre Hauschild, German Space Operations Center, DLR, revised the RTCMv2 decoder.<br>
764Zdenek Lukes, Czech Technical University Prague, Department of Geodesy, extended the RTCMv2 decoder to handle message types 3, 20, 21, and 22 and added loss of lock indicator to RINEX output.<br>
765</p>
766
767<p><a name="annex"><h3>8. Annex</h3></p>
768<p>
7698.1. <a href=#history>History</a><br>
7708.2. <a href=#rtcm>RTCM</a><br>
771&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 8.2.1 <a href=#ntrip>NTRIP</a><br>
772&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 8.2.2 RTCM <a href=#rtcm2>Version 2.x</a><br>
773&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 8.2.3 RTCM <a href=#rtcm3>Version 3.x</a><br>
7748.3. <a href=#rtigs>RTIGS</a><br>
775&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 8.3.1 <a href=#soc>SOC</a><br>
7768.4. <a href=#config>Config File</a><br>
7778.5. <a href=#links>Links</a><br>
778</p>
779
780<p><a name=history><h3>8.1 History</h3></p>
781<table>
782<tr></tr>
783<tr><td>Dec 2006 &nbsp;</td><td>Version 1.0b &nbsp;</td><td>[Add] First Beta Binaries published based on Qt 4.2.3.</td></tr>
784<tr><td>Jan 2007 &nbsp;</td><td>Version 1.1b &nbsp;</td><td>[Add] Observables C2, S1, and S2<br>[Add] Virtual reference station access<br>[Bug] RTCM2 decoder time tag fixed<br>[Mod] Small letters for public RINEX skeleton files<br>[Add] Online help through Shift+F1</td></tr>
785<tr><td>Apr 2007 &nbsp;</td><td>Version 1.2b &nbsp;</td><td>[Bug] Output only through IP port<br>[Bug] Method 'reconnecting' now thread-save<br> [Add] ZERO decoder added<br> [Mod] Download public RINEX skeletons once per day<br> [Mod] Upgrade to Qt Version 4.2.3<br> [Mod] Replace 'system' call for RINEX script by 'QProcess'<br> [Add] HTTP Host directive for skeleton file download<br> [Add] Percent encoding for user IDs and passwords<br> [Bug] Exit execution of calling thread for RTCM3 streams<br> [Bug] Signal-slot mechanism for threads</td></tr>
786<tr><td>May 2007 &nbsp;</td><td>Version 1.3 &nbsp;</td><td>[Add] Source code published.
787<tr><td>Jul 2007 &nbsp;</td><td>Version 1.4 &nbsp;</td><td>[Bug] Skip messages from proxy server<br> [Bug] Call RINEX script through 'nohup'</td></tr>
788<tr><td>Apr 2008 &nbsp;</td><td>Version 1.5 &nbsp;</td><td>[Add] Handle ephemeris from RTCM Version 3.x streams<br> [Add] Upgrade to Qt Version 4.3.2<br> [Add] Optional RINEX v3 output<br> [Add] SBAS support<br> [Bug] RINEX skeleton download following stream outage<br> [Add] Handle ephemeris from RTIGS streams<br> [Add] Monitor stream failure/recovery and latency<br> [Mod] Redesign of main window<br> [Bug] Freezing of About window on Mac systems<br> [Bug] Fixed problem with PRN 32 in RTCMv2 decoder<br> [Bug] Fix for Trimble 4000SSI receivers in RTCMv2 decoder<br> [Mod] Major revision of input buffer in RTCMv2 decoder</td></tr>
789<tr><td>Oct 2008 &nbsp;</td><td>Version 1.6 &nbsp;</td><td>[Mod] Fill blanc columns in RINEXv3 with 0.000<br> [Add] RTCMv3 decoder for clock and orbit corrections<br>[Add] Check RTCMv3 streams for incoming message types<br> [Add] Decode RTCMv2 message types 3, 20, 21, and 22<br> [Add] Loss of lock and lock time indicator in RINEX output<br> [Bug] Rounding error in RTCMv3 decoder concern. GLONASS height<br> [Mod] Accept GLONASS in RTCMv3 when transmitted first<br> [Add] Leap second 1 January 2009<br> [Add] Read data from file, offline mode</td></tr>
790</table>
791</p>
792
793<p><a name="rtcm"><h4>8.2. RTCM</h4></p>
794
795<p>
796The Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM) is an international non-profit scientific, professional and educational organization. Special Committees provide a forum in which governmental and non-governmental members work together to develop technical standards and consensus recommendations in regard to issues of particular concern. RTCM is engaged in the development of international standards for maritime radionavigation and radiocommunication systems. The output documents and reports prepared by RTCM Committees are published as RTCM Recommended Standards. Topics concerning Differential Global Navigation Satellite Systems (DGNSS) are handled by the Special Committee SC 104.
797<p>
798Personal copies of RTCM Recommended Standards can be ordered through <u>http://www.rtcm.org/orderinfo.php</u>.
799</p>
800
801<p><a name="ntrip"><h4>8.2.1 NTRIP</h4></p>
802
803<p>
804'Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol' Version 1.0 (NTRIP) stands for an application-level protocol streaming Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data over the Internet. NTRIP is a generic, stateless protocol based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol HTTP/1.1. The HTTP objects are enhanced to GNSS data streams.
805</p>
806
807<p>
808NTRIP Version 1.0 is an RTCM standard designed for disseminating differential correction data (e.g. in the RTCM-104 format) or other kinds of GNSS streaming data to stationary or mobile users over the Internet, allowing simultaneous PC, Laptop, PDA, or receiver connections to a broadcasting host. NTRIP supports wireless Internet access through Mobile IP Networks like GSM, GPRS, EDGE, or UMTS.
809</p>
810
811<p>
812NTRIP is implemented in three system software components: NTRIP clients, NTRIP servers and NTRIP broadcasters. The NTRIP broadcaster is the actual HTTP server program whereas NTRIP client and NTRIP server are acting as HTTP clients.
813</p>
814
815<p>
816NTRIP is an open none-proprietary protocol. Major characteristics of NTRIP's dissemination technique are:
817<ul>
818<li>Based on the popular HTTP streaming standard; comparatively easy to implement when having limited client and server platform resources available.</li>
819<li>Application not limited to one particular plain or coded stream content; ability to distribute any kind of GNSS data.</li>
820<li>Potential to support mass usage; disseminating hundreds of streams simultaneously for thousands of users possible when applying modified Internet Radio broadcasting software.</li>
821<li>Considering security needs; stream providers and users don't necessarily get into contact, streams often not blocked by firewalls or proxy servers protecting Local Area Networks.</li>
822<li>Enables streaming over mobile IP networks because of using TCP/IP.</li>
823</ul>
824</p>
825
826<p>
827The NTRIP broadcaster maintains a source-table containing information on available NTRIP streams, networks of NTRIP streams and NTRIP broadcasters. The source-table is sent to an NTRIP client on request. Source-table records are dedicated to one of the following: Data Streams (record type STR), Casters (record type CAS), or Networks of streams (record type NET).
828</p>
829
830<p>
831Source-table records of type STR contain the following data fields: 'mountpoint', 'identifier', 'format', 'format-details', 'carrier', 'nav-system', 'network', 'country', 'latitude', 'longitude', 'nmea', 'solution', 'generator', 'compr-encryp', 'authentication', 'fee', 'bitrate', 'misc'.
832</p>
833<p>
834Source-table records of type NET contain the following data fields: 'identifiey', 'operator', 'authentication', 'fee', 'web-net', 'web-str', 'web-reg', 'misc'.
835</p>
836<p>
837Source-table records of type CAS contain the following data fields: 'host', 'port', 'identifier', 'operator', 'nmea', 'country', 'latitude', 'longitude', 'misc'.
838</p>
839
840
841<p><a name="rtcm2"><h4>8.2.2 RTCM Version 2.x</h4></p>
842<p>
843Transmitting GNSS carrier phase data can be done through RTCM Version 2.x messages. Please note that only RTCM Version 2.2 and 2.3 streams may include GLONASS data. Messages that may be of some interest here are:
844</p>
845
846<ul>
847<li>
848Type 1 message is the range correction message and is the primary message in code-phase differential positioning (DGPS). It is computed in the base receiver by computing the error in the range measurement for each tracked SV.
849</li>
850<li>
851Type 2 message is automatically generated when a new set of satellite ephemeris is downloaded to the base receiver. It is the computed difference between the old ephemeris and the new ephemeris. Type 2 messages are used when the base station is transmitting Type 1 messages.
852</li>
853<li>
854Type 3 and 22 messages are the base station position and the antenna offset. Type 3 and 22 are used in RTK processing to perform antenna reduction.
855</li>
856<li>
857Type 6 message is a null frame filler message that is provided for data links that require continuous transmission of data, even if there are no corrections to send. As many Type 6 messages are sent as required to fill in the gap between two correction messages (type 1). Message 6 is not sent in burst mode.
858</li>
859<li>
860Type 9 message serves the same purpose as Type 1, but does not require a complete satellite set. As a result, Type 9 messages require a more stable clock than a station transmitting Type 1 's, because the satellite corrections have different time references.
861</li>
862<li>
863Type 16 message is simply a text message entered by the user that is transmitted from the base station to the rover. It is used with code-phase differential.
864</li>
865<li>
866Type 18 and 20 messages are RTK uncorrected carrier phase data and carrier phase corrections.
867</li>
868<li>
869Type 19 and 21 messages are the uncorrected pseudo-range measurements and pseudo-range corrections used in RTK.
870</li>
871<li>
872Type 23 message provides the information on the antenna type used on the reference station.
873</li>
874<li>
875Type 24 message carries the coordinates of the installed antenna's ARP in the GNSS coordinate system coordinates.
876</li>
877</ul>
878
879<p><a name="rtcm3"><h4>8.2.3 RTCM Version 3.x</h4></p>
880<p>
881RTCM Version 3.x has been developed as a more efficient alternative to RTCM Version 2.x. Service providers and vendors have asked for a standard that would be more efficient, easy to use, and more easily adaptable to new situations. The main complaint was that the Version 2 parity scheme was wasteful of bandwidth. Another complaint was that the parity is not independent from word to word. Still another was that even with so many bits devoted to parity, the actual integrity of the message was not as high as it should be. Plus, 30-bit words are awkward to handle. The Version 3.x standard is intended to correct these weaknesses.
882</p>
883<p>
884RTCM Version 3.x defines a number of message types. Messages that may be of interest here are:
885</p>
886<ul>
887<li>Type 1001, GPS L1 code and phase.</li>
888<li>Type 1002, GPS L1 code and phase and ambiguities and carrier to noise ratio.</li>
889<li>Type 1003, GPS L1 and L2 code and phase.</li>
890<li>Type 1004, GPS L1 and L2 code and phase and ambiguities and carrier to noise ratio.</li>
891<li>Type 1005, Station coordinates XZY for antenna reference point.</li>
892<li>Type 1006, Station coordinates XYZ for antenna reference point and antenna height.</li>
893<li>Type 1007, Antenna descriptor and ID.</li>
894<li>Type 1008, Antenna serial number.</li>
895<li>Type 1009, GLONASS L1 code and phase.</li>
896<li>Type 1010, GLONASS L1 code and phase and ambiguities and carrier to noise ratio.</li>
897<li>Type 1011, GLONASS L1 and L2 code and phase.</li>
898<li>Type 1012, GLONASS L1 and L2 code and phase and ambiguities and carrier to noise ratio.</li>
899<li>Type 1013, Modified julian date, leap second, configured message types and interval.</li>
900<li>Type 1014 and 1017, Network RTK (MAK) messages (under development).</li>
901<li>Type 1019, GPS ephemeris.</li>
902<li>Type 1020, GLONASS ephemeris.</li>
903<li>Type 4088 and 4095, Proprietary messages (under development).
904</li>
905</ul>
906
907<p><a name="rtigs"><h4>8.3. RTIGS</h4></p>
908<p>
909RTIGS stands for a data format and transport protocol for GPS observations. It was defined by the Real-Time IGS Working Group (RTIGS WG). Its definition is based on the SOC format. Every RTIGS record has one of the following numbers:
910</p>
911<p>
912Station record number 100<br>
913Observation record (O_T) number 200<br>
914Ephemeris record (E_T) number 300<br>
915Meteorological record (M_T) number 400
916</p>
917<p>
918Every station has one of the following unique numbers:
919</p>
920<p>
9211-99 reserved for JPL<br>
922100-199 reserved for NRCan<br>
923200-299 reserved for NGS<br>
924300-399 reserved for ESOC<br>
925400-499 reserved for GFZ<br>
926500-599 reserved for BKG<br>
927600-699 reserved for GEOSCIENCE AUS<br>
928700-799 others<br>
929etc
930</p>
931<p>
932The number of bytes in each real time message includes the header as well as the data content, but NOT the pointer.
933</p>
934<p>
935For example:
936</p>
937<ul>
938<li>A station message is output once per hour and is 20 bytes.</li>
939<li>An observation message is output once per second. The header is 12 bytes long and the SOC data is 21 bytes per PRN. So a typical RTIGSO_T message will be 390 bytes if 8 sats are being tracked.</li>
940<li>An ephemeris message is output when the ephemeris is decoded by the GPS receiver. The time in the ephemeris header is the collected time. Only one ephemeris can be bundled in a RTIGSE_T message.<br>
941A RTIGSE_T message contains one eph. The message consists of 12 header bytes and 72 ephemeris bytes, for a total of 84 bytes.</li>
942<li>The RTIGSM_T (met) message should be issued once every 15 minutes. A basic met message consists of a 12 byte header and 3 longs (temp, press and relative humidity) for a total of 24 bytes.</li>
943</ul>
944<p>
945All records are related to a station configuration indicated by the Issue of Data Station (IODS). The IODS will enable the user to identify the equipment and software that was used to derive the observation data.
946</p>
947<p>
948Each record header contains the GPS Time in seconds which flows continuously from 6 Jan-1980 onwards.
949</p>
950<p>
951The data payload of each record consists of observations. The structures indicate a pointer to data but in fact the broadcast messages do not contain the pointer, only the data. Users will have to manage the data and the pointer is shown in order to illustrate where the data is located in the message and one possible data management option.
952</p>
953<p>
954All record data are in network byte order (Big Endian), i.e. IA32 users have to swap bytes.
955</p>
956<p>
957Visit <u>http://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/mail/igs-rtwg/2004/msg00001.html</u> for further details.
958</p>
959
960<p><a name="soc"><h4>8.3.1 SOC</h4></p>
961<p>
962The SOC format has been designed in July 1999 by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) to transport 1Hz GPS data with minimal bandwidth over the open Internet. SOC follows the 'little-endian' byte order meaning that the low-order byte of a number is stored in memory at the lowest address, and the high-order byte at the highest address. Because the transport layer is UDP, the format does not include sync bits, a checksum, or cyclic redundancy checksum (CRC). SOC allows to transport the GPS observable CA, P1, P2, L1, and L2, efficiently compressed down to 14 bytes with 1 mm range resolution and 0.02 mm phase resolution. SOC contains epochs for cycle slips, a stand-alone time-tag per epoch, a minimum representation of the receiver's clock solution, 3 SNR numbers, a unique site id, a modulo 12 hour sequence number and flags for receiver type and GPS health. SOC's simple structure comprises an 8 byte header, a 9 byte overhead for timetag, number of gps, etc., plus 21 data bytes per gps.
963</p>
964<p>
965Visit <u>http://gipsy.jpl.nasa.gov/igdg/papers/SOC_FORMAT.ppt</u> for further details.
966</p>
967<p>
968</p>
969<p><a name="config"><h4>8.4. Config File</h4></p>
970<p>
971The following is an example for the contents of a Unix/Linux configuration file ${HOME}/.config/BKG/BKG_NTRIP_Client.conf. It enables the retrieval of stream ACOR0 form www.euref-ip.net and FFMJ3 from www.igs-ip.net for the generation of 15 min RINEX files. RINEX files are uploaded to an archive using script 'up2archive' :
972<pre>
973[General]
974adviseFail=15
975adviseReco=5
976adviseScript=
977binSampl=0
978casterHost=www.euref-ip.net
979casterPassword=pass
980casterPort=80
981casterUser=user
982ephIntr=1 day
983ephPath=/home/user/rinex
984ephV3=2
985logFile=/home/user/log.txt
986makePause=0
987mountPoints=//user:pass@www.euref-ip.net:2101/ACOR0 RTCM_2.3 43.36 351.60 no, //user:pass@www.igs-ip.net:2101/FFMJ3 RTCM_3.0 41.58 1.40 no
988obsRate=
989outEphPort=2102
990outFile=/home/user/ascii
991outPort=2101
992perfIntr=
993proxyHost=proxyhost
994proxyPort=8001
995rnxAppend=2
996rnxIntr=15 min
997rnxPath=/home/weber/rinex
998rnxSampl=0
999rnxScript=/home/weber/up2archive
1000rnxSkel=SKL
1001rnxV3=2
1002waitTime=5
1003</pre>
1004</p>
1005
1006<p><a name="links"><h3>8.5 Links</h3></p>
1007<table>
1008<tr></tr>
1009<tr><td>NTRIP &nbsp;</td><td><u>http://igs.bkg.bund.de/index_ntrip.htm</u></td></tr>
1010<tr><td>EUREF-IP NTRIP broadcaster &nbsp;</td><td><u>http://www.euref-ip.net/home</u></td></tr>
1011<tr><td>IGS-IP NTRIP broadcaster &nbsp;</td><td><u>http://www.igs-ip.net/home</u></td></tr>
1012<tr><td>NTRIP broadcaster overview &nbsp;</td><td><u>http://www.rtcm-ntrip.org/home</u></td></tr>
1013<tr><td>EUREF-IP Project &nbsp;</td><td><u>http://www.epncb.oma.be/euref_IP</u></td></tr>
1014<tr><td>Real-time IGS Pilot Project &nbsp;</td><td><u>http://www.rtigs.net/pilot</u></td></tr>
1015<tr><td>Radio Technical Commission<br>for Maritime Services &nbsp;</td><td><u>http://www.rtcm.org</u>
1016</table>
1017
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