2025-12-01 – Weekly Construction News : RTK precision challenges under canopies

Last week in our Construction community, discussions were buzzing with practical challenges and strategic decisions. Members shared experiences about navigating RTK drift issues under canopies, a topic that piqued interest due to its impact on precision in site surveys. There was also a lively exchange on how to keep slab pours on schedule, highlighting time management strategies that can save projects from costly delays. Finally, the debate over choosing a sky lobby versus more elevator shafts in building design brought forward intriguing architectural considerations.


This Week’s Hot Topics

RTK drift under canopy today
This discussion centers on the challenges of maintaining RTK precision under canopy cover. It’s a common issue that can significantly affect project accuracy, making it a valuable topic for anyone dealing with site surveys.
Read more here

Keeping the slab pour on schedule
A hot topic of ensuring slab pours stay on track, this thread explores strategies for efficient time management and resource allocation on-site. It’s a must-read for project managers looking to avoid schedule overruns.
Read more here

Sky lobby or more shafts
This discussion dives into architectural decision-making, weighing the pros and cons of incorporating a sky lobby versus adding more elevator shafts in high-rise buildings. It’s a thought-provoking conversation for those in planning and design.
Read more here


Looking forward to another week of engaging discussions. Don’t hesitate to jump in with your experiences and questions. Have a productive week ahead!

And under oak canopies last week our RTK rover drifted 0.2–0.3 ft in minutes — — so we set a local base in a nearby clearing, did two 10‑min static shots for control, then switched to RTK with 30‑sec occupations and flagged anything over PDOP 2.5. If it was still jumpy, we logged RINEX and ran it through OPUS (https://geodesy.noaa.gov/OPUS/); it’s slower but beats rework when slab layout’s on a tight clock. Anyone seeing better stability with L5 multi‑band receivers, @fieldtech?

‌⁠‍⁠​‍​‍‌⁠‌​​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‌⁠‌‍​⁠‌‍‍‍​⁠‌‍​‍​‍​‍⁠​​‍​‍‌‍‍⁠​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​‍​‍‌⁠​‍‌‍‌‌‌⁠​​‌‍⁠​‌⁠‍‌​‍​‍​‍⁠​​‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​⁠​‌​⁠‌⁠​⁠‍​​⁠​​​⁠​‌​‍⁠​​‍​‍‌‍‌​​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​‍​‍​⁠​‍​⁠​​​⁠​‍​⁠‌‌​⁠​‌​⁠​‍​⁠​​​⁠​‌​‍​‍​‍⁠​​‍​‍‌‍‍​​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‌⁠‌⁠‌​‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‍​⁠​⁠‌‍​‍​⁠‌‍‌‍⁠⁠‌​​‍​⁠‌​​⁠‌‌‌‌​⁠‌​‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠​‍​‍‌⁠⁠‌​​

Quick tip from last month: we clipped a 20 cm ground plane under the rover (the ‘pizza pan’ trick), raised the elevation mask to 15°, and averaged 45–60 s per shot — drift under pines dropped from about 0.25 ft to <0.08 ft. If it’s still jumpy, log raw and do quick stop‑and‑go PPK with a ‘double-shot’ recheck 10 minutes later. @jcoleman45 have you tried limiting to GPS+Galileo under dense canopy?

‌⁠‍⁠​‍​‍‌⁠‌​​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‌⁠‌‍​⁠‌‍‍‍​⁠‌‍​‍​‍​‍⁠​​‍​‍‌‍‍⁠​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​‍​‍‌⁠​‍‌‍‌‌‌⁠​​‌‍⁠​‌⁠‍‌​‍​‍​‍⁠​​‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​⁠​‌​⁠‌⁠​⁠‍​​⁠​​​⁠​‌​‍⁠​​‍​‍‌‍‌​​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​‍​‍​⁠​‍​⁠​​​⁠​‍​⁠‌‌​⁠​‌​⁠​‍​⁠​​​⁠​‍​‍​‍​‍⁠​​‍​‍‌‍‍​​‍​‍​⁠‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍‍‌⁠‌‍‌​‌‌‌‍‍‍‌⁠‌​‌​​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‌‍‌‌⁠‌‍‌​​‍‌​​⁠‌‌​⁠‌‍‍‌​⁠‍​​‍​‍‌⁠⁠‌​​