If you are still in your office, please go outside. Look for a place where there are no obstacles that could negatively influence the GNSS reception. That is, somewhere that has a large view of the sky.

1) Mount and connect cable

Mount the 3D ImageVector on the camera. First, place the Camera add-on on the hot shoe of your camera. The LED on the ImageVector should face toward you.

Tighten the screw gently

Connect the cable to logger

•    Rotate the push-pull connector gently until it locks automatically.

All LEDs blink for a short moment.

After which the “On/Off Trigger” LED should remain on permanently which indicates that the system is running and starts initialising. 

If this is not the case (e.g. if it is flickering), please contact support. 

2) GNSS and IMU initialisation process

IMU: rotate the camera slowly by pointing into each cardinal directions. The roll/pitch axis should be rotated by 45° degrees slowly.

GNSS: After IMU calibration, place the camera somewhere steady and at least 1m above the ground, to ensure the initialisation process can complete. Your car roof, tables, benches, and tripods are examples of suitable places to leave it.

Wait until the LED labelled “#Satellites” starts to blink periodically (this can take up to 5 minutes). The number of consecutively blinks in each cycle indicates the number of satellites available for positioning. You should have at least 8 satellites available before you proceed to the next steps.

Be particularly aware of trees and buildings that may interfere with reception.
 

3) Check Correction data

PPK: 

If you are using the 3D ImageVector in PPK modus, there is nothing additional to set up. Be sure either a local base station is running recording RINEX data or you have access to a base station network where RINEX data can be downloaded.

RTK  with WLAN:

1. As soon as the satellites LED indicates 8+ satellites, activate the hotspot on your mobile device
2. The WLAN LED should change from slowly flashing to a steady light. The connection is now active.
3. After a few seconds (up to a maximum of one minute), the continuously lit up WLAN LED should contain a very slight flicker. These flickers confirm the sending and receipt of correction data.
4. With good satellite reception, the RTK/status LED should either blink, indicating a float solution, or light up steadily, which indicates a fix solution
5. Continue to recording images

Troubleshoot:

If one of the 5 steps above is not working, please double check the WLAN hotspot configuration guide: https://redcatch.freshdesk.com/a/solutions/articles/103000254369

If you have a Bluetooth 3D ImageVector: RTK correction can be turned on by starting the Lefebure App on your Android phone and connect to broadcaster. To configure Bluetooth and App, please visit:

4) Start capturing images

System warm-up time

In PPK Mode only, before taking the first photo, you should wait a minimum of 8+ minutes to receive the current GNSS almanac and allow for better postprocessing results. In many cases you should wait longer, up to 15 minutes if you have significantly changed location since last using the ImageVector or if you have not used the equipment for an extended period (e.g. 1 week). If in doubt, always allow the full time.

In RTK mode, you can start as soon you have a FIX GNSS Solution available, indicated by the LEDs

Think of image recording strategy for your object

Use additional time to plan a good image capturing strategy for your object!

Refer to our photogrammetry guidelines for ideas on how to go about this. https://redcatch.freshdesk.com/a/solutions/categories/103000168817/folders/103000415069?view=all

Important Reminders

• After turning on the 3D ImageVector, do not move the camera abruptly. Use smooth movements.
• Do not rotate the camera (tilt and roll) more than 40° from horizontal while recording. The GNSS signal will be lost and you will have to wait another minutes for it to re-initialise. This can easily happen while picking up the camera for the first time after GNSS initialisation process.
• While walking keep the camera at an approximately constant height, eg. in front of your face. Do not lower the camera between taking photos.

The FIRST image

It is suggested that you begin recording by taking a photo of your hand, as this will serve as a reminder that it is the first image corresponding to the log file.

IMPORTANT: 

Check the trigger LED while taking the first image! 

The "On / Trigger" LED on the logger should blink off briefly each time you take a picture. 

At camera add-on: the LED-5 on the camera add-on should blink as well. 

These LEDs must blink every time you take a photo. If not, your data is not being recorded! 

If the device is mounted correctly but the LEDs are still not blinking, please contact the RED-catch support team https://redcatch.freshdesk.com/support/tickets/new

Take the photos

Begin taking the images for your survey. You should not take more than one photo per second and should only use single-shot mode.

Ending taking photos

... for PPK mode: After taking photos, wait for at least 3 minutes before unplugging the ImageVector, as this will allow you to get better results from postprocessing. As before, keep the camera upright and at least 1m above the ground during this time.

... for RTK mode: You can immediately disconnect the camera add-on from the logger

• Unplug the camera add-on from the logger by pulling the aluminium sleeve backwards. DO NOT pull the cable!
• Unscrew the camera add-on and remove it from the hot shoe. 
• Place everything back inside the carry case.

5) Back in office

Troubleshooting: At least one LED should blink. If not, please check the connection or try another USB port. If there are still no LEDs blinking, give extra power to the logger by plug-ging in the camera add-on cable (in the same way as during surveys).

A mass-storage device is detected by your operating system. It can take 10 seconds or more until the new drive letter is shown in Windows Explorer, please be patient.

Save the correct log file on your hard disk, noting that:

• The log files are named according to the format “year month day”.000 and *.000.ubx. Eg. 20221209.000 is a file from 9th of December 2022,
• The *.000 file contains a standard NMEA GNSS file RTK information
• *.000.ubx is the RINEX file for PPK postprocessing.

When you save files to your PC, remove them from the logger. This will avoid confusion on future projects.

Unplug the logger from your PC and recharge it

6) Geotagging

Save images from your camera on your hard disk.

Perform postprocessing and geotagging using the REDtoolbox software www.REDcatch.at/REDtoolbox