ABZ C10 Cleaning Drone: RTK NTRIP Setup

Connect the ABZ Innovation C10 cleaning drone to RTKdata using Network RTK in ABZ Control. NTRIP host, port 2101, mountpoint AUTO, plus facade multipath tips.

Connect the ABZ Innovation C10 cleaning drone to RTKdata.com's NTRIP correction service for centimeter-level positioning. The C10 is a tethered high-pressure cleaning platform used for facade, window, solar, roof and monument cleaning at working heights up to 60 m.

On a cleaning job, RTK does something different than on a mapping flight. It holds the lance at a constant standoff distance and a stable altitude while the drone works close to a wall, and it makes altitude hold GNSS based instead of barometric. That matters, because pressure changes and thermal updrafts along a building facade are exactly what makes a barometer drift.

The C10 accepts RTK corrections from two sources: an Emlid RS base station over LoRa radio, or Network RTK from an NTRIP caster. RTKdata is the Network RTK option. You do not need to buy, set up or re-survey a local base.

Requirements

• Aircraft: ABZ Innovation C10 with RTK positioning

• Controller: ABZ Innovation MK15 (Android based, runs ABZ Control). No other controller or app is permitted with the C10.

• Software: ABZ Control, updated to the latest version (check under Settings > Versions)

• Internet: Wi-Fi hotspot on 2.4 GHz only, or Bluetooth internet sharing from your phone

• RTKdata account: Active subscription with NTRIP credentials

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Step-by-step setup

1

Power on and connect the controller to the internet

Power on the C10 and the MK15 controller and wait for the link (the LED on the controller turns green).

Connect the MK15 to the internet in the Android settings, by swiping down from the top of the screen:

• Wi-Fi: works on 2.4 GHz networks only. A 5 GHz hotspot will not appear in the list.

• Bluetooth tethering: recommended if the controller does not see your phone's hotspot. Turn Wi-Fi off on the controller, enable Bluetooth internet sharing on your phone, pair both devices, then tap the gear icon next to the device name and switch Internet access on.

Leave the Ethernet connection enabled under Android Settings > Network & Internet, ABZ Control needs it to run properly.

2

Open the RTK menu in ABZ Control

In ABZ Control, tap the gear icon in the top-right corner to open Settings, then open the RTK menu.

3

Select Network RTK

Choose Network RTK as the correction source, not the LoRa base station option.

4

Enter your NTRIP connection settings

Select your region and enter the corresponding server details:

North America

• Host (domain): rtk.rtkdata.com

• Host (IP fallback): 13.56.117.10

• Port: 2101

• Username / Password: From RTK Credentials in your account dashboard, not your website login

• Mountpoint (ALL CAPS): AUTO (recommended), or AUTO_WGS84, AUTO_ITRF2020, AUTO_ITRF2014

Europe

• Host (domain): eu.rtkdata.com

• Host (IP fallback): 3.73.41.96

• Port: 2101

• Username / Password: From RTK Credentials in your account dashboard, not your website login

• Mountpoint (ALL CAPS): AUTO (recommended), or AUTO_WGS84, AUTO_ITRF2020, AUTO_ITRF2014

Australia

• Host (domain): aus.rtkdata.com

• Host (IP fallback): 54.206.56.130

• Port: 2101

• Username / Password: From RTK Credentials in your account dashboard, not your website login

• Mountpoint (ALL CAPS): AUTO (recommended), or AUTO_WGS84, AUTO_ITRF2020, AUTO_ITRF2014

The manual tells you to pick the station nearest to your job site. With RTKdata you do not have to: mountpoint AUTO assigns the closest reference station automatically, and it keeps working when you move to the next site. Stay on AUTO unless your project is tied to a specific reference frame. Mountpoint names are case sensitive, so enter them in ALL CAPS. Typing a local CRS name as a mountpoint results in no corrections.

5

Connect and verify before you rig the hose

Connect, then place the drone outdoors with clear sky view and watch the GPS status in the top bar of ABZ Control:

Status	Meaning
GPS Lock	Standard GNSS fix. No corrections applied yet.
GPS Lock, RTK float	Corrections are arriving and the solution is converging. Decimeter level.
GPS Lock, RTK fixed	Centimeter level accuracy is active.

Convergence to RTK fixed typically takes 30 to 90 seconds in open sky.

If you select an RTK source, the C10 will not arm unless the correction data is accurate enough for proper positioning. Verify the fix on open ground before you connect the pressure hose and stage the site, not after.

Why RTK matters on a cleaning job

The C10 holds a target standoff distance from the surface and follows a cleaning pattern. Two things change once corrections are active:

• Altitude hold switches source. With RTK correction, Relative Altitude Hold uses GNSS as the primary height reference instead of the barometer. Without RTK it falls back to barometric height, which drifts with weather and with the pressure changes along a heated or wind-loaded facade. On a 12 minute battery cycle that drift is the difference between an even cleaning pass and a visible band on the wall.

• Repeatable passes. Centimeter positioning keeps consecutive lanes at a consistent overlap, so you are not re-cleaning the same strip or leaving gaps that only show up once the surface dries.

Working close to a facade

RTK on a cleaning job is harder than RTK over an open field, and it is worth planning for:

• The building blocks half your sky. Standing 1 to 3 m off a tall facade, the wall masks a large share of the constellation. A solution that was fixed in the open can drop to float as you climb the wall.

• Multipath is real on glass and metal. Reflective curtain walls and metal cladding bounce signals. Expect the solution to be less stable on a mirrored high rise than on plaster or concrete.

• Acquire the fix in the open. Power up and converge to RTK fixed in the clearest spot on site, then approach the wall. Reacquiring while boxed in against a facade takes longer.

• Have a fallback for the shaded side. If one elevation of the building will not hold a fix, plan that elevation with barometric altitude hold and the radar standoff, and use RTK on the elevations where it holds. It is a better plan than fighting for a fix at 40 m with a live pressure hose.

• Radar standoff is your safety layer, not RTK. Distance to the surface is kept by the radar and the payload settings under Settings > Payload. RTK improves the flight path, it does not replace the standoff control.

Vertical reference (heights)

RTK corrections deliver ellipsoidal heights (height above the WGS 84 ellipsoid), not orthometric heights above mean sea level. For cleaning work this rarely matters, because the C10 holds altitude relative to the takeoff point. It matters if you export flight logs into a survey or BIM workflow, where you need to apply a geoid model.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
Drone refuses to arm	RTK source selected, correction quality insufficient	This is by design. Move to open sky, wait for RTK fixed, then arm. Check credentials and internet if the status never leaves GPS Lock.
No corrections received	Controller has no internet	Wi-Fi on the MK15 works on 2.4 GHz only. Switch to Bluetooth internet sharing if the hotspot is not listed.
No corrections received	Wrong credentials	Re-enter username and password from RTK Credentials in your dashboard. They are case sensitive and the username starts with rtk.
No corrections received	Drone has no satellite fix yet	The receiver must acquire satellites before it can send its position to the caster. Start outdoors, never indoors or under a canopy.
RTK drops to float at height	Facade masking or multipath from glass and metal	Expected close to tall or reflective buildings. Converge in the open, approach the wall afterwards, and plan shaded elevations without RTK.
Connection drops during the job	Weak or shared hotspot	Use a dedicated SIM or a stable hotspot. Correction traffic is tiny (roughly 1.5 to 2 MB per hour), latency is what hurts.
Corrections work, then stop when a second machine starts	Same credentials used twice	One set of credentials serves one connection at a time. Add a data stream per drone in your account dashboard.

Tips

• Two person crew. ABZ specifies operating the C10 with a team of two. Give the second operator the job of watching the RTK status and the hose, not the wall.

• Check the wind first. The C10 tolerates up to 10 m/s. RTK does not extend that limit, it only stabilizes the position inside it.

• Battery swaps. Flight time is around 11 to 12 minutes with payload. After a swap, allow 30 to 60 seconds for the solution to return to RTK fixed before you resume the pass.

• Emlid base owners. If you already run an Emlid RS base with the C10 over LoRa, you can keep it. Network RTK is the option that removes the base entirely, and it is what you want when the crew moves between sites daily.

• Accuracy versus distance. Best results within 30 km of the nearest reference station. Corrections remain usable up to roughly 50 km.

Related Guides

• NTRIP & GGA Essentials: why the caster needs your GGA position and how the AUTO mountpoint picks the nearest reference station

• Emlid Reach RS2+: setup for the Emlid base the C10 can also run over LoRa, if you keep one alongside Network RTK

• Emlid Flow: the app used to configure an Emlid unit and point it at RTKdata

• Understanding Heights: what the ellipsoidal height means when you export C10 flight logs into a survey or BIM workflow

• Drones & UAVs: all drone platforms with an RTKdata setup guide

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