Ditch Assist was designed to be compatible with as many GPS brands and models as possible. We support both the NMEA 2000 message standard, which is a CAN-based communication, and the NMEA 0183 ‘serial port’ standard. Most GPS receivers output NMEA 0183 messages and can be used with Ditch Assist by setting them to output position messages via their serial port.
The following are example GPS models that are compatible with Ditch Assist:
Outback Smart Antennas A220/A320 (use Ditch Assist power/data cable JCA77-000003)
Outback MAX, STX, S3 (NMEA out via Outback Display – use Ditch Assist data cable JCA77-000017)*
Trimble Smart Antennas eg. 252, 262, 372 (use Ditch Assist power/data cable JCA77-000010)
Trimble FM750 FM1000 etc (NMEA out via Trimble display – use Ditch Assist data cable JCA77-000016)*
Hemisphere AtlasLink Smart Antenna (use Ditch Assist power/data cable JCA77-000003)
Hemisphere S320, S321 (use Ditch Assist data cable JCA77-000017)
Ag Leader GPS 6500 (if using TerraStar or RTK with relay use Ditch Assist power/data cable JCA77-000012, if using RTK without the relay please contact your dealer for correct cable)
John Deere SF3000 (use Ditch Assist power/data cable JCA77-000011)
John Deere iTC (use Ditch Assist power/data cable JCA77-000020)
Most ‘rover’ receivers (NMEA out via in-cab Display – typically use Ditch Assist data cable with 9-pin serial (DB9) connector JCA77-000017)*
*Note that ‘rover’ receivers will need to have a cable to connect them to your existing display, and Ditch Assist will receive the output via that display.
The performance of Ditch Assist depends upon the accuracy of the incoming GPS messages. If your GPS signal is inaccurate, your grades will be inaccurate. RTK GPS systems will deliver the best results and are recommended, however subscription-based corrections such as CenterPoint® RTX, TerraStar-C, and Atlas™ have been shown to deliver respectable accuracies for many applications, particularly on fields with more natural grade.