[Rn4]

thanks for all the input. Quite a few good points to consider for both. Guess I’ve got all winter to keep my eye out for something used. And if I can’t then seems like my next best option would be to find a light bar or something that has an auto steer upgrade/add on available.

 

[torriem]

Like I said, if you just want to try a light bar, you've got very little to lose with AgOpenGPS. A Windows tablet (several hundred $) and a cheap USB GPS receiver is all you need to try it. Or even an old laptop, though it's a bit hard to put a laptop in a cab in a convenient way. Plus you can demo it on a PC to see how it works. The software is freely available, built by a whole bunch of really smart farmers (much smarter than I am).

 

[farmertone]

Light Bar is ok if you have old crop lines to follow, so the light bar is really only telling you which stubble line to follow...
But for seeding, following a light bar is too hard... tried it once...

 

[Fast 440]

Wheelman Auto Steer is awesome. Wheelman | Hands Free Farm

Have 2 of these, use them for seeding / tillage / rolling ground.

 

[makar]

Light Bar is ok if you have old crop lines to follow, so the light bar is really only telling you which stubble line to follow...
But for seeding, following a light bar is too hard... tried it once...

I seed just fine with a lightbar.

 

[Chasbarry30]

Check out aggps.ca
Pretty simple systems and you can add auto steer. I’ve seen some low prices advertised by them.

 

[torriem]

aggps simply sells refurbished tablets preconfigured with the free and open-source AgOpenGPS software. However he does not mention that fact on the web site which is a huge red flag in my opinion.

And several people have had bad experiences with him when it comes to getting support for the failed hardware and software issues. So buyer beware as always. If anyone has had good experiences with aggps's technical support for their toughbooks and AgOpenGPS I would like to know!

If you're willing to do DIY things then you're better off buying your own refurbished tablet and install AgOpenGPS yourself. There are some really exciting things happening with the controller side of AgOpenGPS. Some smart guys have designed a really nice steering controller unit that can run either a motor like the EZ-Steer, or run many kinds of OEM hydraulic steering valve (including some CAN-controlled ones). Also a farmer in Europe has designed and built electronic hydraulic steering valves that can be added to any tractor. Still a long ways to go yet but exciting.

 

[phantom970]

Sounds like the cheap black texta mark on the window isn’t used any more............

 

[Geometer]

Hey!
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I can offer a unique GNSS receiver of its kind - GM SMART.

• This is a single frequency receiver that has a software coordinate smoothing filter designed for repeatable pass-to-pass accuracy at 15 cm (relative coordinates).
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If there is an available GNSS Base Station near you (up to 8 km), then you will be able to work with an accuracy of 1 inch.
- This receiver supports L2 frequency software unlocking, after which it becomes a professional dual-frequency receiver.
The cost of the basic version of the receiver is 800 USD with a mobile application for Android.
The cost of unlocking before receiving L1 / L2 frequencies is an additional 700 USD.

For 800 USD you will get a professional GNSS receiver GM Smart with 1 license for a geotrack mobile app for agricultural guidance.
You will install the app to any Android device (it is cheap) and connect the receiver by Bluetooth.
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And I can offer a complete professional kit - geotrack explorer plus.
Which has a rugged 7-inch monitor, Android OS, GSM/LTE, with IP 67, docking station with RS-232, RAM mount, geotrack app installed and a GM Smart receiver with a magnetic holder included.
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