South is a major GNSS equipment manufacturer with a wide and versatile selection of equipment for land surveying. The South G3/G7 probably has the best price/feature/quality ratio on the market.
G3 and its “big brother” G7 are 1598-channel GNSS receivers equipped with an Inertia Monitoring Unit (IMU). Combined with a new generation sensitive antenna, the G3/G7 achieves centimeter accuracy in seconds with GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU, GALILEO and QZSS signals. The GNSS unit of these is integrated into an advanced SoC (i.e. the entire function is integrated into one circuit). The advantage of the chip is high integration and low power consumption, effective attenuation of interference signals and better quality observation data from satellites. The body screen has a translucent, very strong panel with four colored indicator lights. The built-in precision automatic compensator (IMU) helps the user increase productivity by up to 30 percent. In addition, the IMU correction works from point to point without recalibration and the tilt angle can be up to 60°.
The difference between the G3 and G7 models is mainly that the G7 is also available with a 4G modem and is slightly larger in size, otherwise the devices are the same.
G3/G7 receives RTK GNSS correction data via the controller (H6) from the Internet or via its own “Farlink” radio directly from another GNSS device. In the G7, reception of the RTK correction signal is possible in three ways, via the GSM (4G) network with the device’s own modem or the built-in radio from another similar device or from the Internet using the GSM modem of the H6 (controller). In G3/G7, SOUTH’s self-developed digital radio “Farlink” with advanced protocol reaches 8km range. The transmission bandwidth of “Farlink” is variable, and it increases the sensitivity of radio signal interception, which perfectly solves the problem of transmitting large amounts of data. Power consumption can be reduced by about 60% in the same data transfer compared to traditional RTK. The new generation SoC platform makes the RTK more stable, with better performance and lower power consumption. The built-in 6800 mAh battery lasts for more than 15 hours of continuous operation. The USB-C type connector enables charging of the built-in batteries with a PD quick charger, and it enables power supply from a power bank for all-day work. With the Type-C connection, you can access both the internal memory and the web interface at the same time without changing the workspace. The SOUTH G7 is IP67 waterproof, can withstand being dropped with a measuring stick from a height of 2 m onto concrete, and the operating temperature range is -25 C to +65 C. The G3’s features are otherwise the same, but the operating temperature range is -45 C to +75 C.
The H6 controller can be used with devices of many brands equipped with a general-purpose measurement program, such as Aplitop TcpGPS or Microsurvey FieldGenius. H6 is a new generation professional Android controller. It is installed with Android 10 OS and can adopt a full mechanical keyboard with separate keys for 26 letters and numbers, which makes use in the field faster and is especially useful in cold weather. The device is waterproof (IP67) and 1.5 meter drop-resistant. The operating temperature range is -20 C to +60 C. Your data is protected and the reliability of the device is guaranteed in the most challenging environments. The built-in 9200 mAh Li-ion battery lasts a long time, the whole working day. Two nano-SIM cards support 4G network. Various sensors are integrated in the device, such as NFC, gyroscope, e-compass, G-sensor, etc. In the new generation Bluetooth V4.1, the working distance is more than 20 meters. The advanced WIFI module makes the working distance up to 30 meters.
As measurement software for South devices, we recommend Southi’s own Survstar as well as the Microsurvey FieldGenius Android program, which originates from Canada and is the market leader in the field. FieldGenius for Android™ supports the most common devices currently available on the market. Map-based data collection software is easy to use and intuitive, which reduces training time. The new information windows bring synchronized information to the map screen, which both skilled and new employees appreciate. MicroSurvey has used its decades of experience in data collection as a guide, applying its knowledge on the Android platform and improving established workflows to be more efficient and intuitive. Downtime is expensive; you can leverage your existing FieldGenius skills the next time you need to upgrade your hardware or switch manufacturers.
