GPSmate: F9P and RTK with DroneCAN® - Kickstarter

GPSMate F9P with DroneCAN® for Unmanned Vehicels

Launched on Kickstarter!

A next-gen, Made in Australia, plug & play RTK positioning solution with centimetre-level accuracy for your drone projects.

📞 1800 876 642

Global-Ready RTK — Designed and Manufactured in Australia

Drone developers, surveyors, and engineers struggle to find a compact and accurate GPS/RTk device setup that’s easy to integrate, works with open source flight controllers, and have to deal with hassle of finding and importin it from dodgy websites without much information on how to use. That’s why we built the GPSMate F9P RTK with DroneCAN® – engineered for precision, open-source control, and seamless integration with your autopilot stack.

What Is the F9P RTK with DroneCAN®?

This is a high-performance GNSS positioning module featuring u-blox ZED-F9P chip for centimetre-level accuracy and DroneCAN® support for seamless communication over CAN bus.

Unlike most RTK solutions on the market – which often rely on MAVLink hacks or serial adapters, this solution is natively designed for CAN bus, meaning faster integration, and greater reliability in professional UAV, robotics, and precision agriculture deployments.

Whether you’re flying with Pixhawk, Cube Orange, or any ArduPilot-compatible flight stack, this module is ready to elevate your drone’s capabilities.

Precision RTK You Can Trust — Built for Open Drone Ecosystems

Key Features
DroneCAN support – Faster communication and continuous feedback
TYPE C / UART – For quick integration with your system.
Centimetre-level accuracy with RTK FIX in <10s
Built for ArduPilot & PX4 – plug-and-play via CAN
Designed in Australia, TAA Compliant
Built-in status LEDs for RTK, Fix, CAN status
Tested with Pixhawk, Cube Orange, and ArduSimple boards
Field upgradeable – open-source firmware roadmap coming soon

Advantages of Dual GPS RTK vs Single GPS RTK:

1. Improved Heading Accuracy (Yaw without Magnetometer)

a. Paired with another GPSmate via UART, can calculate precise heading (yaw) by measuring the vector between two GPS antennas.
b. This eliminates or reduces reliance on magnetometers, which are often affected by magnetic interference (from motors, power lines, etc.).
c. Result: Stable, accurate heading, especially during slow movements or hover.

2. Better Accuracy in Challenging Environments

a. Paired with GPSmate RTK, you can cross-verify positions, reducing errors in complex environments like urban canyons, under tree cover, or near large metallic objects.

3. Orientation During GPS Drift or Multipath

a. Multipath errors (reflected GPS signals) can throw off position estimates.
b. With dual GPS, the system can detect inconsistencies and reject false data, improving robustness.

4. Improved Flight Stability and Navigation

a. More accurate and stable heading and position data contribute to better autonomous flight performance, smoother waypoint following, and improved landing precision.

5. Ideal for Mapping, Surveying & Heavy Payloads

a. In high-accuracy applications like photogrammetry, LiDAR, or agriculture, having consistent orientation and redundancy is crucial for data quality.
b. On large/heavy drones, magnetometer interference is a real problem — dual GPS provides a reliable alternative.

Using dual GPS RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) on a drone offers several advantages over a single GPS RTK system, especially in terms of positioning accuracy, reliability, orientation, and redundancy. Here’s a breakdown of the key advantages:

RTK System Features & Value Proposition

1. Cost-Effective by Design

Single-Board Implementation: STM32 microcontroller (e.g., STM32G473) running custom firmware handles all RTK logic — offers customisability, helps debug and promotes using it your own way.
Open-Source Compatible: Works with ArduPilot and PX4 — leverage existing software, avoid reinventing the wheel.
DroneCAN Protocol: Chooses CAN over UART for robust wiring, easy expansion, and cost-effective multi-device communication (no extra ports or converters).
Type C communication: Connect directly to your base station to use as RTK or connect to your drone, for easy plug n play.
Aussie Made: Designed and manufactured in Australia — adding prestige without premium mark-up. Local production slashes shipping/duty overhead, supports local ecosystem.

2. STM32-Powered RTK: Compact, Efficient, Powerful

Component	Purpose
STM32G473 MCU	Central RTK logic executor with enough flash & power efficiency.
U-blox ZED-F9P GNSS	Proven centimeter-level RTK accuracy (10 mm).
DroneCAN Interface	High-speed, noise-resistant bus at 1 Mbps, scalable and efficient.
Single-Board Base/Rover	Saves cost, simplifies logistics.
ArduPilot & PX4 Compatibility	Ready to plug in; minimal firmware overhead.

3. Proudly Australian-Made

All design, firmware development, and manufacturing — proudly happening in Australia.

No overseas dependencies for prototypes or production.
Faster iteration, lower shipping customs costs, and more adaptive innovation.
TAA Compliance lets you use it worry free without international restrictions.

Local engineering support

Specifications

1. Mechanical - 3D Model – F9P RTK

Precision 3D rendering of the F9P RTK PCB, showing component placement, connector orientation, and mounting hole positions.
Useful for enclosure design, mechanical integration, and verifying spatial clearance in drone builds.
Mounting holes are placed at each corner for secure fixing in vibration-prone environments.
Connector layout ensures easy cable management and access in compact builds.
USB-C port positioned on one edge.
Multiple JST-GH connectors along the front side.
Central GNSS module with RF shielding.
STM32 microcontroller on the opposite side of the GNSS module.
Additional ICs, capacitors, resistors, and inductors distributed across the board.

2. Electrical

🔵 Pinout

J1 – CAN1 Connector (Top Left)
Primary DroneCAN port, connects to autopilot CAN_H & CAN_L.

J2 – CAN2 / UART Connector (Top Centre)
Configurable as secondary CAN port or UART interface.

J3 – UART Connector (Top Right)
Serial port for GNSS output, configuration, and debugging.

🔵 Pinout

USB-C Port (Bottom Left – USB1)

Main data/power interface for firmware updates, GNSS configuration, and logging.

J2 – JST-GH Connector (Bottom Right)

Debug port to configure Ublox f9p.

Test Pads (TP1, TP2, etc.)

Used for programming, debugging, or factory calibration.

Summary Table:

Feature	Single RTK GPS	Dual RTK GPS
Position Accuracy	High	High
Heading Accuracy (Yaw)	Low (needs magnetometer)	Very High (independent of mag)
Redundancy	No	Yes
Magnetometer Dependency	High	Low / None
Interference Resistance	Lower	Higher
Cost & Complexity	Lower	Higher

HOW IT WORKS ( Setup in Minutes. Not Hours. )

You shouldn’t need to be a firmware engineer to set up RTK. Our system is designed for plug-and-play simplicity:

Connect to your flight controller’s CAN port
Power the modules and wait for RTK Fix
Monitor satellite locks and baseline from Mission Planner or QGC
Enjoy centimetre-level accuracy and heading data instantly

Supports single and dual antenna configurations, and will be fully compatible with RTK base station corrections via NTRIP or external radios.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX (Pledge model for Kickstarter)

Explore our exclusive Kickstarter launch bundles. Whether you’re a developer, drone builder, or system integrator—there’s a plan that fits your needs.

Tier 1 :
Pledge to the Cause

$10 AUD

✔️ Receive an exclusive Skytronics Cup as a token of our thanks.

Tier 2 :
GPSmate with
Antenna

$475 AUD

✔️1 × DroneCAN F9P GPS module

✔️1 × GNSS antenna

✔️Preloaded with firmware, ready to integrate.

Tier 3 :
GPSmate for RTK Compassing

$875 AUD

✔️ 2 x GPS Mate

✔️ 2 x Helical Antenna

✔️ 2 x sets of cables

Tier 4 :
GPSMate for RTK compassing with RTK

$1275 AUD

✔️ 2 x GPSMate F9P

✔️1 x RTKMate

✔️3 x Helical antenna

Shipping: Worldwide. Regional pricing shown on Kickstarter.

Note:
You’ll also receive access to our setup documentation, firmware updates, and priority support via email & Portal.

Why We Built This Product

Hobbyists, Tinkers and drone manufacturers will benefit from GPSMate as its designed and manufacture Australia, Australia is a TAA complaint country and can be used anywhere in world for the most demanding applications. GPSMate can be supplied in two formats, Naked without case or standard with a case. 3D files are available so you can also make your own case

Drone survey and mapping

Achieve centimetre-level positional accuracy in aerial surveys, 3D terrain mapping, and construction site monitoring. With real-time baseline updates, our F9P RTK system ensures every pixel counts.

Precision agriculture

Enable autonomous tractors, smart irrigation, and soil analysis drones with pinpoint GPS precision. Reduce waste, optimise yields, and make your farm data-driven with RTK-grade performance.

Academic research

Built for researchers pushing boundaries in geospatial analysis, UAV navigation, and robotics. Our open-standard DroneCAN support ensures seamless integration with academic platforms like PX4 and ArduPilot.

Robotics and ground vehicles

Bring RTK accuracy to autonomous ground vehicles, delivery bots, and robotic platforms. Maintain reliable positioning even in dynamic environments — no hacks, no MAVLink converters, just plug & play.

And most importantly — we’re doing it with full transparency, no data lock-in, and no hidden firmware limits.

WHY KICKSTARTER?

We’ve already built working prototypes. Now we want to bring it to the community at scale — with your help.

Kickstarter allows us to:

Fund the first manufacturing batch

Lock in quality components & fast tooling

Launch at a lower price for early adopters

Grow the DroneCAN ecosystem together

This isn’t just a product drop. It’s a way to let the community guide our development and be part of something bigger — an open, independent drone future.

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