[time-nuts] L1/L2 RX

[Mark Sims]

About the only way for a civilian to make use of L2 is with a carrier phase surveying receiver.  They can be had in the $1000 range.  Perhaps the most common/useful unit you are likely to find is the Ashtech Z12 or one of its many cousins.  Leica also makes some good units that show up regularly.

As mentioned,  watch out for data and power cables.  They can be hideously expensive.

Not mentioned is to make sure you can talk to the unit,  download from it,  and produce a RINEX file.  Software can be prohibitively expensive.

Also make sure the unit has the proper firmware installed for L2 operation.  Some manufacturers make units with the same model number that don't have L2 or carrier phase enabled.

Once you have a RINEX L1/L2 file with carrier phase data you can uploaded it to the NGS OPUS system (for free).  It will crunch the numbers and email you a report with your position info.  If all goes well,  you can get fixes in the sub-centimeter range. 		 	   		  
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