The new StarFire 6000 GPS receiver, which is designed to give sprayer, combine and tractors-operators greater precision, has been launched in Australia.
It’s been 16 years since John Deere introduced the first StarFire guidance system, with improvements made in the following years with StarFire iTC and StarFire 3000 receivers.
The StarFire 6000 can track up to three satellite signals at once, intelligently choose the one that will deliver the best performance, and automatically switch to an alternate signal to help maintain accuracy and performance if the primary signal is blocked.
The satellite-based guidance system in the StarFire 6000 receiver and the new SF3 signal are highly advanced, according to John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group spokesperson Mike Moeller.
“The StarFire 6000 Receiver offers a full range of differential correction levels, from the base SF1 satellite-delivered signal to the premium RTK option,” Moeller says.
“To optimise the performance of the StarFire 6000 receiver, we’re offering the all-new SF3 correction level, which delivers 40 per cent greater pass-to-pass accuracy, new in-season repeatability and 66 percent faster pull-in time than the previous SF2 correction level.”
John Deere says the combination of the StarFire 6000 receiver and SF3 signal offers accuracy similar to Real Time Kinematic (RTK) systems, without having to invest in a RTK system.
“StarFire 6000 with SF3 is a great solution when RTK is not available and customers want in-season repeatable accuracy to 31mm,” he says.
“SF3 customers can use the same guidance lines for multiple passes throughout the growing season, which allows precise placement of seed and nutrients, without shifting lines or remapping boundaries.
“With 66 per cent faster pull-in time and faster recovery from shading, customers will experience more precision, accuracy and uptime with this new system.
“Current StarFire iTC and Starfire 3000 customers can also easily upgrade to the new StarFire 6000 Receiver and SF3 signal.”
An improved rapid recovery feature allows for a quicker return to high-accuracy performance if the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are lost due to shading from trees, buildings or terrain.
The receiver now has a built-in USB port to install software updates in about three minutes, compared to more than 20 minutes with the previous receivers.
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