Trimble Unveils Portfolio of GNSS Receivers for Construction Site Positioning and Machine Control

Trimble Innovation Improves Satellite-Based Positioning Performance in Challenging Construction Environments

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Apr 19, 2010, 06:31 ET

MUNICH, April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Trimble (Nasdaq: TRMB) today announced a new portfolio of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers for construction site positioning and machine control applications. The new GNSS receivers track positioning signal information from the GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellite constellations. Coupled with Trimble® Connected Site™ solutions for construction, the new GNSS portfolio delivers unmatched flexibility, performance, and productivity, even in challenging construction conditions.

The announcement was made today at Bauma 2010, the world's largest construction equipment exposition.

Trimble's new GNSS receivers include the Trimble SPS852 GNSS Modular Receiver and SPS882 GNSS Smart Receiver for site positioning and the Trimble MS992 GNSS Smart Antenna for machine control applications. The new construction receivers support a wide range of satellite signals, including GPS L2C and L5 and GLONASS L1/L2 signals. Trimble is committed to its plan to have Galileo-compatible products available for customers in advance of Galileo system availability. In support of this plan, the Trimble SPS882, SPS852, and MS992 are capable of tracking the experimental Galileo GIOVE-A and GIOVE-B test satellites for signal evaluation and test purposes.

The Trimble portfolio of site positioning and machine control receivers also includes the latest advancements in Trimble R-Track™ technology, designed to deliver reliable, precise positioning performance even in challenging areas for GNSS-based construction, such as near tree cover or with limited sky view. Trimble R-Track with Signal Prediction compensates for intermittent or marginal RTK correction signals, enabling extended precision operation after communication is interrupted. In addition, the enhanced technology includes innovative correction compression techniques in the new CMRx protocol to optimize communications bandwidth. With CMRx, RTK correction data for all the satellites and signals in view are transmitted from the base to the rover or base to earthmoving machine, allowing the Trimble GNSS receiver to provide reliable positioning performance. The advances in electronics and latest version of the Trimble RTK engine also offer at least a 25 percent improvement in the vertical accuracy performance of the construction GNSS portfolio.

Featuring the new Trimble Maxwell™ 6 chip, the Trimble Construction GNSS portfolio sets a new industry standard with more memory, more GNSS channels and the ability to track and provide corrections for up to 44 satellites.

Flexibility to Meet Precision Needs of Each Contractor

The Trimble site positioning and machine control GNSS receivers offer outstanding flexibility on the jobsite and are configurable to meet the needs of each individual heavy and highway or marine construction contractor. A contractor can choose to purchase a site positioning rover receiver with reduced accuracy performance for site supervisor or site inspection uses and later upgrade to higher accuracy, more constellations or base station and rover capability as required for precision applications such as grade checking and as-built measurements.

Upgradeable options also exist for the machine control receiver, such that a contractor can purchase a GPS-only machine control receiver and upgrade the receiver to full GNSS capability at a later date as jobsite and applications require.

The Trimble SPS882 GNSS Smart Antenna and MS992 GNSS Smart Antenna are available now. The Trimble SPS852 GNSS Modular Receiver is expected to be available in second quarter of 2010 through Trimble's worldwide Heavy and Highway Construction Distribution Channel.

About Trimble's Heavy and Highway Division

Trimble's Heavy and Highway Division is a leading innovator of productivity solutions for the heavy and highway contractor. Trimble's solutions leverage a variety of technologies, including Global Positioning System (GPS), construction lasers, total stations, wireless data communications, the Internet, and application software. As part of the Trimble Connected Site strategy, these solutions provide a high-level of process and workflow integration from the design phase through to the finished project—delivering significant improvements in productivity throughout the construction lifecycle.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

For more information, visit: www.trimble.com.

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SOURCE Trimble