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Application

GNSS for Inspection Drones and Patrol

GNSS for inspection drones must hold centimetre RTK and a true heading close to power lines, telecom masts and steel structures, where interference and magnetic disturbance are common. Eview receivers, powered by Septentrio modules, combine AIM+ anti-jamming, dual-antenna heading and 100 Hz output on the HB10 for line, pipeline, bridge and wind turbine inspection.

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0.15°
Heading at 1 m baseline
100 Hz
Output (HB10)
<10 ms
Latency (HB10)
0.6 cm
RTK accuracy + 0.5 ppm
What inspection drones need

What an inspection drone needs from its GNSS receiver

Resistance to interference
High-voltage lines, substations and telecom masts radiate RF noise that degrades GNSS tracking. Septentrio AIM+ detects and suppresses narrowband and wideband interference, so RTK stays available close to the asset. See anti-jamming receivers.
Heading without a compass
Currents in power lines and steel in bridges and turbine towers distort magnetometers. Dual-antenna GNSS heading gives 0.15° at 1 m antenna spacing, independent of magnetic fields and available at standstill. See dual-antenna heading.
Fast, low-latency output
Close-proximity flights along conductors, blades and girders need fresh positions. The HB10 outputs up to 100 Hz with less than 10 ms latency, giving the flight controller tight position and heading updates. See 100 Hz native GNSS.
Repeatable centimetre positions
Repeat inspections compare images and LiDAR across months. RTK accuracy of 0.6 cm + 0.5 ppm with about 7 s initialisation lets you return to the same viewpoints and locate defects precisely. See RTK positioning.
Tracking near steel structures
Lattice towers, bridge decks and turbine nacelles reflect signals and block part of the sky. Multi-constellation tracking with APME+ multipath mitigation keeps more usable satellites in the solution. See multi-constellation receivers.
Authenticated positions
Long patrols over remote corridors depend on a position that is genuine. Galileo OSNMA authenticates navigation messages on the HB10 and on mosaic-X5 and mosaic-G5 receivers. See OSNMA anti-spoofing.
Recommended products

Eview receivers and antennas for inspection drones

ProductBest forKey specs
HB10Power line and close-proximity inspectionAsteRx-m3 Pro+, dual-antenna RTK, 0.15° heading at 1 m, 100 Hz, <10 ms latency, AIM+, OSNMA
HB51Heading plus a backup compassmosaic-G5 P3H, 0.15° dual-antenna heading, RM3100 magnetometer, 20 Hz
HB52 / HB52HSmall inspection multirotorsmosaic-G5, 48 × 35 × 12.6 mm, USB-C, microSD; HB52H adds dual-antenna heading
HB6 ProHeading and attitude in a 45 g boxmosaic-H dual antenna, heading 0.15° / pitch-roll 0.25° at 1 m, 100 Hz measurements
EV210 antennaMulti-band antenna for inspection dronesΦ27.5 mm, 33 dB LNA, ±3 mm phase centre, IP67

All products are quote-based. For a complete datasheet, email sales@gnss-solutions.com. Browse all box receivers and GNSS antennas.

Use cases

Inspection and patrol applications

Power lines and substations
Fly along conductors and pylons with AIM+ against electrical noise and a heading that ignores magnetic fields. See drone GNSS.
Pipelines and corridors
Long linear flights over oil, gas and water pipelines with RTK in flight or PPK after landing. See RTK vs PPK.
Bridges and structures
Centimetre positions around decks, piers and cables, with multipath mitigation near steel. See structural monitoring.
Wind turbines and solar farms
Blade, tower and thermal panel surveys on repeatable flight lines, with 100 Hz position and true heading near large structures. See drone mapping receivers.
Railway lines
Corridor inspection of track, overhead lines and embankments, with images tied to centimetre positions along the route. See rail GNSS.
Industrial site patrol
Scheduled patrol flights over plants, ports and storage sites, where on-site radios make interference resistance essential. See high-interference environments.
Integration

Easy to integrate

Autopilots
UART output in NMEA and Septentrio SBF for ArduPilot and PX4, including GPS yaw from dual-antenna receivers. See our ArduPilot guide.
Corrections
RTCM v3 corrections from an NTRIP caster, a CORS network or your own base on site, such as the HB62 base station.
Logging and PPK
On-board microSD logging of raw SBF data, converted to RINEX for post-processing. Firmware and manuals on firmware downloads.
FAQ

Inspection drone GNSS: frequently asked questions

Why do drones lose GNSS accuracy near power lines?

High-voltage lines, substations and nearby telecom equipment radiate RF noise that can reduce signal quality, and the strong magnetic fields around conductors distort compass readings. Septentrio AIM+ suppresses interference on the GNSS side, while dual-antenna heading removes the dependence on the magnetometer for direction.

Is a magnetometer enough for heading on an inspection drone?

Close to power lines, steel towers, bridges and turbine nacelles, a magnetometer can give large heading errors. Dual-antenna GNSS heading gives 0.15° at 1 m antenna spacing regardless of magnetic fields. The HB51 combines dual-antenna heading with an RM3100 magnetometer as a backup source.

Which Eview receiver is best for power line inspection?

The HB10 is the first choice: AsteRx-m3 Pro+ with AIM+ anti-jamming, OSNMA, dual-antenna heading of 0.15° at 1 m, 100 Hz output and less than 10 ms latency. For smaller airframes, the HB52H or HB50H give dual-antenna heading at 20 Hz in a lighter package.

Do inspection drones need 100 Hz GNSS?

For close-proximity flight along conductors, blades or bridge girders, a higher update rate and low latency help the flight controller hold position precisely. The HB10 outputs up to 100 Hz with less than 10 ms latency. For mapping-style corridor flights, the 20 Hz mosaic-G5 receivers are usually sufficient.

Can I use PPK for long corridor inspections?

Yes. On long pipeline or railway corridors the correction link can drop. Eview receivers log raw data that you convert from SBF to RINEX and process after the flight, while RTCM v3 input still gives real-time RTK wherever a link is available.

Related reading

Resilient GNSS for inspection drones, AMRs and eVTOLHow AIM+ anti-jamming technology worksHow to choose a GNSS antenna for UAVs

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