PTx Trimble IonoGuard Protects RTK From Solar Storms

PTx Trimble and Trimble have announced the new Trimble IonoGuard for precision agriculture. 

The IonoGuard is engineered to enhance RTK GNSS signal tracking and hardware positioning performance by maintaining signal integrity during challenging ionospheric conditions. IonoGuard is available now on the PTx Trimble NAV-900 guidance controller via the latest PTx Trimble Precision-IQ firmware release.

Ionospheric Disturbances

Solar activity can cause Ionospheric disturbances such as scintillation and signal noise that can result in unreliable positioning. High-precision RTK GNSS users, especially in equatorial regions, are impacted by solar activity year-round, inflicting costly interruptions on agricultural operations. 

Every 11 years, at the height of the solar cycle, the sun’s magnetic poles flip and the sun transitions into a stormy state. Solar Cycle 25, which began in 2024 and will continue through 2026, is expected to bring a solar maximum and increased disturbances globally, according to NASA. 

“During solar maximum, the number of sunspots, and therefore, the amount of solar activity, increases,” said Jamie Favors, director for the Space Weather Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in 2024. “This increase in activity provides an exciting opportunity to learn about our closest star — but also causes real effects at Earth and throughout our solar system.”

Product Testing

Trimble put IonoGuard to the test during a large solar storm in May 2024. The IonoGuard enabled uninterrupted work during the storm, based on feedback from Trimble’s beta testers, according to Andrew Sunderman, vice president for product and customer experience at PTx Trimble. 

“When a solar storm hits, work might be stopped due to signal loss, resulting in downtime, increased labor costs, and potentially wasted inputs during planting and spraying,” Sunderman said. “We’re extremely proud to offer a solution that truly minimizes this risk by decreasing downtime, reducing costs for the farmer and keeping the agriculture industry up and running all day, every day.”

In addition to the NAV-900, the update will also be available on PTx Trimble’s base stations that support the ProPoint GNSS positioning engine. For more information, visit ptxtrimble.com.