Which Emlid receiver should you choose: Reach RS3, Reach RS2+, or Reach RX?

The range of field-ready Emlid RTK receivers has grown and now includes Reach RS2+, Reach RX, and Reach RS3. To help you find out which one is best for you and to clear up any doubts, we have highlighted the differences between them and tried to make your decision as informed as possible.

Key factors in choosing a receiver

All Emlid receivers are multi-band and provide you with centimeter precision in RTK and PPK.

Your choice will likely depend on a combination of the following factors that will directly address your workflow:

• Base or rover mode
• Correction source
• RTK and PPK techniques support
• Features: LoRa radio, UHF radio, cellular modem, tilt compensation

Let’s look at each receiver in the range and consider these factors.

Reach RX

Reach RX is a perfect choice if you work in an urban area. Survey sites in or near cities usually have good internet coverage, so Reach RX can access network corrections using the Internet connection on your smartphone or tablet.

To start surveying, just add your NTRIP credentials: it can be an NTRIP service available in your area, or you can stream corrections from your own base to your Reach via Emlid Caster. No other settings are needed—Reach RX is already configured to deliver the best possible results.

The pre-configured state of Reach RX also makes it the perfect choice if you need to equip the whole team. There is no need for training, and you can be sure that your team will collect reliable data in the shortest period of time.

Plus, Reach RX is compact and ultra-lightweight. It fits into a backpack pocket, making it easy to take with you wherever you go.

Reach RX is suitable for a wide range of applications. Surveyors and civil engineers use it to document utilities on the construction site, capture ground control points for accurate drone mapping, or even run their own NTRIP service. The service can be established with the help of Reach RS2+ as a base streaming corrections to the required number of RX rovers via Emlid Caster.

Check out Reach RX in the store, or explore our full range of GNSS receivers for detailed insights and product information.

Reach RS2+

Reach RS2+ is a versatile model suitable for various environments and applications. To start, the receiver can be easily integrated with the following equipment:

• RTK drones to increase the accuracy of drone surveying results;
• GPRs to monitor civil structures such as bridges, tunnels, and buildings;
• bathymetric equipment to capture the geospatial data of the coastline and shallow waters;
• tractors and other agricultural machinery to enable steering guidance.

RTK drones are the most popular among drone mappers: you can send NTRIP corrections from your Reach RS2+ base to your RTK drone via Emlid Caster over the internet or use the Local NTRIP option in Emlid Flow to set up RTK without an internet connection.

If you often survey in remote areas without internet coverage, Reach RS2+ will help you out—you can stream corrections to your Reach rover over the LoRa radio. Alternatively, you can log the data without the correction link in RINEX format to get points or a track of measurements later in post-processing software. Many surveyors also note that logging comes in handy when it’s necessary to determine the base position. They record logs to obtain accurate base coordinates using online post-processing services such as OPUS, AUSPOS, and others.

Reach RS2+ can also serve as a rover, which potentially expands the number of ways you can use it.

Order Reach RS2+ in the store.

Reach RS3

The latest model in Emlid’s range of field-ready receivers, Reach RS3, is enhanced with tilt compensation. This feature simplifies stakeout and provides survey-grade results even in hard-to-reach spots. Plus, you no longer need to worry about possible sources of interference—the receiver is equipped with an IMU tilt sensor that is immune to electromagnetic interference.

In addition to tilt compensation, Reach RS3 combines two radios in one housing, allowing you to mix and match your RTK receivers:

• LoRa radio, which will enable you to set up RTK communication between the Reach RS3 and any multi-band Reach model;
• UHF radio, which allows you to set up RTK communication between the Reach RS3 as a rover and a third-party base that also communicates via UHF radio.

Reach RS3 is the perfect choice for construction works. Civil engineers use it for a wide range of applications on the construction site: measuring the sides of a building, documenting utilities, and collecting other objects under an overhang or thick foliage in the field. Reach RS3 allows you to keep each of these measurements accurate.

Overall, Reach RS3 is a universal model that has all the features of Reach RS2+, including the ability to serve as a base, enhanced with tilt compensation and UHF radio.

Check out Reach RS3 in the store.

*It requires a 410-470 MHz antenna, which is sold separately.
**TRIMTALK is a trademark of Trimble Inc.

Summing it all up

Your choice of Emlid RTK receiver depends on the area you work in and the target application:

• If you’d like to survey in urban areas with good cellular network coverage, then the lightweight and easy-to-use network rover Reach RX is your choice.
• If you’d like to combine RTK and PPK and be more flexible in terms of the survey area conditions, pick the versatile Reach RS2+.
• If you need to collect data in hard-to-reach places at greater angles or need a connection to a third-party base, Reach RS3 is tailored for this.

When you choose the receiver that meets your needs, you can order Reach RS2+, Reach RX, and Reach RS3 from the Emlid online store. We offer worldwide shipping from our warehouses located in Hong Kong, the Netherlands, and the USA. Additionally, you can also buy the necessary receivers from our local dealers.

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