Acutime 360 Smart Antenna - User - Guide

User Guide
Acutime™360
Multi-GNSS Smart Antenna
For use with:
Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna (P/N 106406-XX)
Acutime™360 Starter Kit (P/N 106222-XX)
Firmware Version 1.03 and above
Version D2
April 2018
Part Number 107467-00
Legal Notices development of a current product line. Trimble reserves the right
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Release Notice
This is the Revision C of the Acutime™360 multi- GNSS smart Warranty Exclusions and Disclaimer
antenna User Guide, part number 107467-00-. This Product limited warranty shall only apply in the event and to
the extent that (a) the Product is properly and correctly installed,
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set forth in this limited warranty. TRACKING SATELLITE SIGNALS FROM SATELLITE BASED AUGMENTATION
SYSTEMS (SBAS) (WAAS/EGNOS, AND MSAS), OMNISTAR, GPS, MODERNIZED
GPS OR GLONASS SATELLITES, OR FROM IALA BEACON SOURCES: TRIMBLE IS
Software Updates NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATION OR FAILURE OF OPERATION OF ANY
During the limited warranty period you will be entitled to receive SATELLITE BASED POSITIONING SYSTEM OR THE AVAILABILITY OF ANY
such updates to the Product software that Trimble releases and SATELLITE BASED POSITIONING SIGNALS.
makes commercially available and for which it does not charge
separately, subject to the procedures for delivery to purchasers THE FOREGOING LIMITED WARRANTY TERMS STATE TRIMBLE’S ENTIRE
of Trimble products generally. If you have purchased the Product LIABILITY, AND YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES, RELATING TO THE TRIMBLE
from an authorized Trimble dealer rather than from Trimble PRODUCT. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, THE
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ACUTIME™360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |3

Europe
This product has been tested and found to comply with the
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Notices
Class B Statement – Notice to Users. This equipment has been 935 Stewart Drive
tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are Sunnyvale, CA 94085-3913
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful United States
interference in a residential installation. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if +1-408-481-8000
not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communication. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a declare under sole responsibility that the product:
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful Acutime™360 multi-GNSS Smart Antenna Starter Kit complies
interference to radio or television reception, which can be with Part 15B of FCC Rules.
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of
the following measures: Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this
device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this
– Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. device must accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation.
– Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
– Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from
that to which the receiver is connected.
– Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Changes and modifications not expressly approved by the

manufacturer or registrant of this equipment can void your
authority to operate this equipment under Federal
Communications Commission rules.
Canada
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio
noise emissions from digital apparatus as set out in the radio
interference regulations of the Canadian Department of
Communications, ICES-003.
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits

radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils
numériques de Classe B prescrites dans le règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des
Communications du Canada, ICES-003.
ACUTIME™360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |4

Safety Information
Warnings and Cautions
An absence of specific alerts does not mean that there are no safety risks involved. Always follow the
instructions that accompany a Warning or Caution. The information they provide is intended to minimize
the risk of personal injury and/or damage to the equipment. In particular, observe safety instructions
that are presented in the following formats:
WARNING – A Warning alerts you to a likely risk of serious injury to your person and/or damage to the
equipment.
CAUTION – A Caution alerts you to a possible risk of damage to the equipment and/or loss of data.
Operation and storage

WARNING – Operating or storing the Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna outside the specified temperature
range can damage it. For more information, see the product specifications on the data sheet.
Routing any cable

CAUTION – Be careful not to damage the cable. Take care to avoid sharp bends or kinks in the cable, hot surfaces
(for example, exhaust manifolds or stacks), rotating or reciprocating equipment, sharp or abrasive surfaces, door
and window jambs, and corrosive fluids or gases.
ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |5

Contents
Safety Information ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Warnings and Cautions ............................................................................................................................. 5
Operation and storage .............................................................................................................................. 5
Routing any cable...................................................................................................................................... 5
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 13
Features of the Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna..................................................................... 14
Hardware features .............................................................................................................................. 14
Interface protocols .............................................................................................................................. 14
Standard timing software features ..................................................................................................... 15
Operation ................................................................................................................................................ 15
Starter kit ................................................................................................................................................ 16
Use and care............................................................................................................................................ 16
Related information ................................................................................................................................ 16
Technical assistance ............................................................................................................................... 16
Setting up the Acutime™360 ...................................................................................................................... 17
System requirements .............................................................................................................................. 18
Hardware ............................................................................................................................................ 18
Computer ............................................................................................................................................ 18
System software.................................................................................................................................. 18
Installing and using the software ............................................................................................................ 18
Trimble VTS software .............................................................................................................................. 19
Data fields ............................................................................................................................................... 20
TSIP...................................................................................................................................................... 20
NMEA-0813 ......................................................................................................................................... 20
Acutime™360 starter kit ......................................................................................................................... 21
Universal Interface Module (UIM) .......................................................................................................... 22
Power converter (AC/DC)........................................................................................................................ 23
Setting up the starter kit ......................................................................................................................... 23
Starter kit components ........................................................................................................................... 24
Hardware integration.................................................................................................................................. 25

Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna .......................................................................................... 26
Performance Specifications ................................................................................................................ 26
Environmental specifications .............................................................................................................. 27
Physical characteristics ....................................................................................................................... 27
Interface cables ................................................................................................................................... 27
Power requirements ........................................................................................................................... 28
Serial port interfaces ........................................................................................................................... 28
Pulse-Per-Second (PPS) ....................................................................................................................... 29
Timing pulse connections ................................................................................................................... 29
Serial ports .......................................................................................................................................... 29
Port B................................................................................................................................................... 29
Port A .................................................................................................................................................. 30
Event Input .......................................................................................................................................... 30
System Operation ....................................................................................................................................... 31
Operation ................................................................................................................................................ 32
Start-up ............................................................................................................................................... 32
Port B configuration ............................................................................................................................ 33
Port A configuration ............................................................................................................................ 33
Operating modes ................................................................................................................................ 35
PPS output options ............................................................................................................................. 36
Serial data communication ..................................................................................................................... 36
GNSS timing ............................................................................................................................................ 37
GNSS Constellation Configuration .......................................................................................................... 38
Timing operation ................................................................................................................................. 38
Customizing operations .......................................................................................................................... 39
Configuration parameters................................................................................................................... 41
Configuration parameters................................................................................................................... 41
Port A and B Configuration ................................................................................................................. 41
PPS Configuration ............................................................................................................................... 42
Position information ........................................................................................................................... 42
Self-survey configuration .................................................................................................................... 42
NMEA 0183 protocol and data output options ...................................................................................... 43
Trimble Standard Interface Protocol .......................................................................................................... 45

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 46
Interface scope.................................................................................................................................... 46
Packet structure ...................................................................................................................................... 46
Physical interface characteristics ............................................................................................................ 47
Nomenclature ..................................................................................................................................... 47
Protocol capabilities............................................................................................................................ 47
Primary port features – port B ............................................................................................................ 48
Secondary port features – port A ....................................................................................................... 48
Event Input .......................................................................................................................................... 48
Packets output at startup ....................................................................................................................... 48
Receiver warm-start................................................................................................................................ 49
Default background packets (Port B) ...................................................................................................... 49
Default automatic position and velocity reports .................................................................................... 49
Automatic primary and supplemental timing reports ............................................................................ 50
Low-latency timing packets ................................................................................................................ 50
Satellite data packets .......................................................................................................................... 51
Customizing receiver operations ............................................................................................................ 52
Customizing receiver output for the application ................................................................................ 52
Customizing receiver operation .......................................................................................................... 52
Command Packets: User to Acutime™360 ............................................................................................. 53
Report packets: Acutime™360 to User ................................................................................................... 54
Packet descriptions ................................................................................................................................. 55
Command Packet 0x1C-01: Firmware Version ................................................................................... 56
Report Packet 0x1C-81: Firmware component version information .................................................. 56
Command Packet 0x1C-03: Hardware component version information............................................ 56
Report Packet 0x1C-83: Hardware component version information ................................................. 57
Command Packet 0x1E: Initiate Cold or Factory Reset ....................................................................... 57
Command Packet 0x1F: Request Software Version ............................................................................ 57
Command Packet 0x21: Current Time Request .................................................................................. 58
Command Packet 0x23: Initial Position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF) Command ........................................... 58
Command Packet 0x24: Request GNSS Satellite Selection ................................................................. 58
Command Packet 0x26: Health Request ............................................................................................. 58
Command Packet 0x27: Request Signal Levels ................................................................................... 58

Command Packet 0x2B: Initial Position (Latitude, Longitude, Altitude) ............................................. 58
Command Packet 0x2F: UTC Parameters Request ............................................................................. 59
Command packet 0x30: Set UTC Date and Time for future roll over date ......................................... 59
Command Packet 0x31: Accurate Initial Position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF) Command ........................... 60
Command Packet 0x32: Accurate Initial Position (Latitude, Longitude, Altitude) ............................. 60
Command Packet 0x35: Set or Request I/O Options .......................................................................... 61
Command Packet 0x37: Request Status and Values of Last Position ................................................. 62
Command Packet 0x38: Request/Load Satellite System Data ............................................................ 62
Command Packet 0x39: Satellite Attribute Database Command ....................................................... 63
Command Packet 0x3A: Request last raw Measurement .................................................................. 64
Command Packet 0x3B: Satellite Ephemeris Status Request (for GPS only) ...................................... 65
Command Packet 0x3C: Request Current Satellite Tracking Status ................................................... 65
Command Packet 0x7A: Set or Request NMEA Interval and Message Mask ..................................... 65
Report Packet 0x31: Accurate Initial Position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF)................................................... 66
Report Packet 0x32: Accurate Initial Position (Latitude, Longitude, Altitude) ................................... 66
Report Packet 0x41: GPS Time Report ................................................................................................ 67
Report Packet 0x42: Single-precision Position Fix .............................................................................. 67
Report Packet 0x43 Velocity Fix, XYZ ECEF ......................................................................................... 67
Report Packet 0x45: Software Version Information ........................................................................... 68
Report Packet 0x46: Health of Receiver Report ................................................................................. 68
Report Packet 0x47: Signal Level for All Satellites Tracked ................................................................ 69
Report Packet 0x4A: Single Precision LLA Position Fix ........................................................................ 70
Report Packet 0x4B: Machine/Code ID and Additional Status Report ............................................... 71
Report Packet 0x4F: UTC Parameters Report ..................................................................................... 71
Report Packet 0x54: Bias and Bias Rate Report .................................................................................. 72
Report Packet 0x55 I/O Options ......................................................................................................... 72
Report Packet 0x56: Velocity Fix, East-North-Up (ENU) ..................................................................... 72
Report Packet 0x57: Information about Last Computed Fix ............................................................... 73
Report Packet 0x58: Satellite System Data/Acknowledge from Receiver .......................................... 73
Report Packet 0x59: Satellite Attributes Database Report ................................................................. 77
Report Packet 0x5A: Raw Data Measurement Data ........................................................................... 77
Report Packet 0x5B: Satellite Ephemeris Status Report (GPS only) ................................................... 79
Report Packet 0x5D: Satellite Tracking Status .................................................................................... 79

Report Packet 0x6C: All-in-View Satellite Selection............................................................................ 81
Report Packet 0x7B: Set NMEA Message Output ............................................................................... 81
Report Packet 0x83: Double Precision XYZ ......................................................................................... 81
Report Packet 0x84: Double Precision LLA Position Fix and Bias Information ................................... 82
Command Packet 0xBB: Set Receiver Configuration .......................................................................... 83
Report Packet 0xBB Data Format........................................................................................................ 83
Command Packet 0xBC: Set Port Configuration ................................................................................. 84
TSIP Superpackets ................................................................................................................................... 86
Command packet 0x8E-02 Request UTC Information ........................................................................ 86
Command Packet 0x8E-0B: Request or Configure Superpacket Output ............................................ 86
Command Packet 0x8E-20: Request Last Fix with Extra Information ................................................. 86
Command Packet 0x8E-26: Write Receiver Configuration to Non-volatile Memory (Flash) .............. 87
Command Packet 0x8E-41: Request Manufacturing Parameters....................................................... 87
Command Packet 0x8E-42: Stored Production Parameters ............................................................... 87
Command Packet 0x8E-4A: Set PPS Characteristics ........................................................................... 87
Command Packet 0x8E-4D: Automatic Packet Output Mask ............................................................. 88
Command Packet 0x8E-4E: Set PPS output option ............................................................................. 88
Command Packet 0x8E-4F: Set PPS Width.......................................................................................... 89
Command Packet 0x8E-A2: UTC/GNSS Timing ................................................................................... 89
Command Packet 0x8E-A5: Packet Broadcast Mask........................................................................... 90
Command Packet 0x8E-A6: Self-Survey Command ............................................................................ 91
Command Packet 0x8E-A9: Self-Survey Parameters .......................................................................... 92
Command Packet 0x8E-AB: Request Primary Timing Packet.............................................................. 92
Command Packet 0x8E-AC: Request Supplemental Timing Packet .................................................... 93
Command Packet 0x8E-AD: Request or Configure Superpacket Output............................................ 95
Report packet 0x8F-02: UTC Information ........................................................................................... 95
Report Packet 0x8F-0B: Comprehensive Time.................................................................................... 95
Report Packet 0x8F-20: Last Fix with Extra Information (binary fixed point) ..................................... 97
Report Packet 0x8F-26: Save Receiver Configuration to Non-volatile Storage Memory ................... 98
Report Packet 0x8F-41: Stored Manufacturing Operating Parameters.............................................. 98
Report Packet 0x8F-42: Stored Production Parameters ..................................................................... 98
Report Packet 0x8F-4A: Set PPS Characteristics ................................................................................. 99
Report Packet 0x8F-4D: Automatic Packet Output Mask ................................................................... 99
ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 10

Report Packet 0x8F-4E: PPS Output.................................................................................................. 100
Report Packet 0x8F-4F: PPS Width ................................................................................................... 100
Report Packet 0x8F-A2: UTC/GPS Timing ......................................................................................... 100
Report Packet 0x8F-A5: Packet Broadcast Mask .............................................................................. 101
Report Packet 0x8F-A6: Self-Survey Command ................................................................................ 101
Report Packet 0x8F-A9: Self-Survey Parameters .............................................................................. 101
Report Packet 0x8F-AB: Primary Timing Packet ............................................................................... 102
Report Packet 0x8F-AC: Supplemental Timing Packet ...................................................................... 103
Report Packet 0x8F-AD: Primary UTC Time ...................................................................................... 107
Unused or miscellaneous packets......................................................................................................... 109
Report Packet 0x13: Unparsable Packet ........................................................................................... 109
Report Packet 0x13: Data Format ..................................................................................................... 109
NMEA 0183 Protocol................................................................................................................................. 111
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 112
NMEA 0183 communication interface.................................................................................................. 112
NMEA 0183 message structure ............................................................................................................ 112
Field definitions..................................................................................................................................... 113
NMEA 0183 message options ............................................................................................................... 115
NMEA 0183 message formats ............................................................................................................... 116
GGA-GPS Fix Data.............................................................................................................................. 116
GLL - Geographic Position - Latitude/Longitude ............................................................................... 116
GSA - GPS DOP and Active Satellites ................................................................................................. 117
GSV - GPS Satellites in View .............................................................................................................. 117
RMC - Recommended Minimum Specific GPS/Transit Data ............................................................. 118
VTG - Track Made Good and Ground Speed ..................................................................................... 118
ZDA - Time & Date............................................................................................................................. 119
AH - Almanac Health ......................................................................................................................... 119
AL - Almanac Page ............................................................................................................................. 120
AS - Almanac Status .......................................................................................................................... 121
CR - Configure Receiver..................................................................................................................... 122
EM - Enter Monitor Mode................................................................................................................. 122
EP - Ephemeris .................................................................................................................................. 123
IO - Ionosphere ................................................................................................................................. 125

KG - Set Initial Position ...................................................................................................................... 125
NM - Automatic Message Output ..................................................................................................... 126
PS - PPS Configuration....................................................................................................................... 127
PT - Serial Port Configuration ............................................................................................................ 128
RT - Reset .......................................................................................................................................... 128
TF - Receiver Status and Position Fix ................................................................................................ 129
UT - UTC ............................................................................................................................................ 130
VR - Version ....................................................................................................................................... 130
ZD – Extended Time and Date........................................................................................................... 132
Exception behavior ............................................................................................................................... 133
Interruption of GNSS signal............................................................................................................... 133
Acutime 360 GPS only variant ................................................................................................................... 135
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 136
Default communication interface ......................................................................................................... 136
PPS pulse width ..................................................................................................................................... 136
Default constellations ........................................................................................................................... 137
Default messages .................................................................................................................................. 137

CHAPTER
1
Introduction
In this chapter: The Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart

antenna User Guide describes how to install,
Features of the Acutime™360 setup and use the Trimble® Acutime™360
multi-GNSS smart antenna multi-GNSS smart antenna and timing
receiver (“Acutime™360”)
Operation The Acutime™360 integrates the latest
multi-GNSS technology into a rugged, self-
Starter Kit contained antenna unit that provides
optimal GNSS timing performance, in all
Use and care weather conditions, with continuous
operation, long- term reliability, ease of
Technical assistance operation, and simple installation.
The Acutime™360 provides an accurate one

pulse-per-second (PPS) output to
synchronize and time broadband wireless,
cellular base stations, Time Difference of
Arrival (TDOA) applications, and many other
Supervisory and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
applications.
For more information on GPS, go to

http://www.trimble.com/gps/index.shtml.

Features of the Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna
Hardware features
The Acutime™360 contains the following in a sealed, weatherproof housing:
 An active patch multi-GNSS antenna with a proprietary pre-amp design and integrated band-
pass filtering providing excellent performance against jamming signals.
 A connector that supports both the power and data interface connection.
 Two user-configurable RS-422 I/O communication ports.
The Acutime™360 operates with a 5 to 36 VDC power supply with protection against reverse polarity.
Internal circuitry reduces the power to operate the receiver at 3.3 VDC.
When power is applied, the Acutime™360 initializes by itself, acquires satellite signals, and begins a
self-survey, which culminates in a transition from the Positioning Mode to an Over-determined Clock
Mode.)
Interface protocols
You can select the protocol for the Acutime™360. There are two options:
• Trimble Standard Interface Protocol (TSIP) is a binary packet protocol that allows the system
designer maximum configuration control over the GNSS receiver for optimum performance in
timing applications. TSIP supports multiple commands and their associated response packets
for use in configuring the Acutime™360 receiver to meet your requirements. See Appendix A,
Trimble Standard Interface Protocol.
• NMEA 0183 (National Marine Electronics Association) is an industry standard protocol
common to marine applications. It provides direct compatibility with other NMEA- capable
devices such as chart plotters and radar. The Acutime™360 supports the ZDA NMEA message
for GNSS timing. You can select other NMEA messages and output rates as required. See
Appendix B, NMEA 0183.

Standard timing software features
• Automatic self-survey
• Over-determined (OD) Clock Mode
• Single-satellite Timing Mode
• Timing Superpackets
• Timing Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (T-RAIM)
• Position integrity (P-RAIM). When the receiver detects a position difference greater than 100
meters from its stored position, it will restart the self-survey.
• Cable delay compensation
Operation
When the Acutime™360 is turned on, it runs a self-survey process and then switches into the Over-
determined Clock Mode. In this mode, the reference position from the self-survey is retained in
memory and the receiver solves only for clock error and clock bias. This mode also provides for T-RAIM,
which allows the receiver to remove a satellite that provides incorrect information from the timing
solution. If a receiver is moved more than
100 meters from its surveyed location, a new self-survey ensures position integrity by automatically
initiating and correcting the reference location.
The first time that the Acutime™360 is turned on, it searches for satellites from a cold start with no
almanac, time, ephemeris, or stored position. The Acutime™360 begins to compute position and time
solutions within the first 46 seconds, but it must track satellites continuously for approximately 15
minutes to download a complete almanac and ephemeris. Do not interrupt the initialization process.
The Acutime™360 generates a 1 PPS output, synchronized to GPS or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
or GLONASS time within 15 ns (one sigma). This level of accuracy is obtained using an Over-determined
Clock solution and T-RAIM. The 1 PPS output and data signals conform to the RS-422 standard and
support very long cable runs. The Acutime™360 outputs a comprehensive time packet after each 1 PPS
on a dedicated serial port, it can accept an external event input, and report time stamps in response to
an event signal.
Note – The delay inherent in the cable from the antenna to the receiver can be overcome by
determining the length of the cable and then entering the offset based on information from the cable
manufacturer about the specific cable type.

Starter kit
The Acutime™360 Starter Kit contains all the components required for a high-performance, cost-
effective reference time source that uses GPS technology to precisely synchronize computers, servers
and Internet applications for evaluation and engineering purposes. It is quick and easy to install.
Use and care

The Acutime™360 is a high-precision electronic instrument and should be treated with reasonable
care.
CAUTION – There are no user-serviceable parts inside the Acutime™360 and any modification
to the unit by the user voids the warranty.
Related information
An electronic copy of this manual is available in portable document format (PDF). Use Adobe Reader to
view the file.
Contact your local sales representative or Trimble Support for more information about the support
agreement contracts for software and firmware
Technical assistance
If you have a problem and cannot find the information you need in the product
documentation, contact the Trimble Technical Assistance Center at 800-767-4822 or email
[email protected].

CHAPTER
2
Setting up the Acutime™360
In this chapter: Trimble recommends that you install the

Trimble VTS software before setting up the
System requirements Acutime™360, as this will enable you to
monitor the acquisition of satellites once you
Installing and using the software
start up the multi-GNSS antenna.
Acutime™360 starter kit A starter kit is available for testing,
evaluation, and engineering purposes. This
Setting up the starter kit
section describes the components of the
Starter kit components starter kit, and how to set it up.
The hardware integration is described in

Chapter 3, Hardware integration

System requirements
Hardware
• For evaluation or engineering purposes:

o The Trimble Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna starter kit, see later in this
chapter.
• For permanent installation:
o Trimble Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna
o Interface cable with DB-25 connector
o Universal Interface Module
Computer
• An office computer running a version of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system

(Windows XP or later)
System software
• Trimble VTS software. This is used to monitor the Acutime™360’s performance and to
assist system integrators in developing a software interface for the smart antenna. The
software is compatible with the Windows® operating systems. See Trimble VTS
software.
• Trimble Standard Interface Protocol (TSIP). This consists of command packets and report
packets. See Appendix A Trimble Standard Interface Protocol.
• NMEA-0183. See Appendix B NMEA 0183.
Installing and using the software

All software programs for the Acutime™360 starter kit are available online from the Trimble
website at http://www.trimble.com/Timing/Acutime-360.aspx. These programs enable you to
monitor the Acutime™360 and change its settings.
Tip – Install and set up the monitor program before turning on the Acutime™360—this allows
you to watch the timing process, from start up to fully functioning.

Trimble VTS software
CAUTION – Use only the Trimble VTS software with this product. Previous software versions
may not be compatible
To install the Trimble VTS software from the website:
1. Go to http://www.trimble.com/timing/acutime-360.aspx and then select Support for

TGS /Installation Files.
2. Select and then download Trimble VTS.exe to the computer’s hard drive.
3. To run the application, double-click the file. The Trimble VTS screen appears.
4. To specify the communications port and protocol for your office computer, right-click in
the bottom right of the Trimble VTS screen and then select the required COM port and
settings.
5. Connect the Acutime™360 antenna to the Universal Interface Module using the
provided antenna interface cable. Connect the 12-pin connector to the antenna, and the
DB-25 connector to the Universal Interface Module.
6. Connect one end of the USB cable to the USB port of the universal interface module.
7. Connect the other end of the cable to the USB port of your computer.
8. Turn on the DC power source or plug in the AC/DC converter and then turn on the
power.
The Tx and Rx in the lower left of the status bar indicate the following:
– If the Tx blinks, the computer is transmitting commands to the receiver.
– If the Rx blinks, the computer is receiving reports from the receiver.
9. The Acutime™360 automatically begins its self-survey. When this is complete and the
receiver achieves a position fix, the following information appears:
– position
– time
– satellites tracked
– GPS receiver status
Note – The receiver sends a health report every few seconds, even if satellites are not being
tracked.

Data fields
If the Trimble VTS software displays a question mark (?) in a data field, the receiver has not
reported a status for this field. If the question mark stays in place, the Acutime™360 may not be
communicating with the computer. Check the interface cable connections and verify the serial
port selection and settings.
If the communication fails, call the Trimble Technical Assistance Center (TAC) at
1 (800) 767-4822.
TSIP
The Trimble Standard Interface Protocol (TSIP) consists of command packets and report
packets, see Appendix A Trimble Standard Interface Protocol.
The TSIP is installed by factory default.
NMEA-0813
To convert to the NMEA protocol, please refer to and use the Trimble VTS software for serial
port protocol, Input/Output, message type output, and baud rate configuration

Acutime™360 starter kit
Acutime™360 Multi-GNSS Smart Antenna Universal Interface Module

(RS-422 to USB converter)
Power pin adapters
Power converter (24VDC to AC)

100 feet of interface cable
with DB-25 connector
USB Cable

Universal Interface Module (UIM)
The UIM that is included with the starter kit makes it easy to evaluate and develop software
when it is connected to the Acutime™360. It has a Type 2 USB interface to the Acutime™360
that is compatible with most computers.
• Network power (5 to 36 VDC) is supplied through the power connector on the front of
the module.
• The USB connector and interface cable allows for easy connection to a PC USB port.
Note – The Acutime™360 requires power separate from the USB.
• The motherboard has a switching power supply, which converts the prime voltage input
to the 24 V that is required to power the receiver over most available cable lengths.
• Connect the output device to the 1 PPS connector on the rear of the unit.

Power converter (AC/DC)
The AC/DC power converter provides an alternative power source for the interface unit and
enables you to run the module from network power.
It converts 110 or 220 VAC to a regulated +24 VDC that is compatible with the UIM. The AC/DC
power converter output cable is terminated with a standard DC power connector that is
compatible with the power connector on the metal enclosure.
Setting up the starter kit
1. Mount the Acutime™360 on a 1" OD marine pipe or 3/4” ID pipe, with 14 threads per
inch.
2. Connect the antenna cable to the Acutime™360. Allow for the cable to maintain a "drip-
loop" to prevent water intrusion and to allow for flex on the antenna to cable
connector.
3. Place the Acutime™360 so that it has the fullest possible view of the sky to ensure that
the maximum number of satellites is available.

4. Use the DB-25 connector to connect the antenna cable to the rear of the UIM.
CAUTION – Be careful not to damage the cable. Take care to avoid sharp bends or kinks in the
cable, hot surfaces (for example, exhaust manifolds or stacks), rotating or reciprocating
equipment, sharp or abrasive surfaces, door and window jambs, routing near high EMI / EMF
(Electro-Magnetic Induction / Field) transformers or equipment, and corrosive fluids or gases.
5. When using the TSIP protocol, connect one end of the USB interface cable to the USB
port of the interface unit. Connect the other end of the cable to USB port on a
computer.
Note – The receiver supports the TSIP or NMEA protocols. Dual ports support either the
input/output of TSIP messages or the output of NMEA messages.
6. To connect the power connector to the UIM, do one of the following:

– Use the DC power cable. Connect the terminated end of the power cable to the
power connector on the UIM. Connect the red lead to DC positive voltage (+12 VDC
to +24 VDC) and the black power lead to DC ground. The yellow wire is not used.
– Use the AC/DC power converter. Connect the output cable of the converter to the
power connector on the UIM. Use the appropriate 3-pin power adapters to connect
the converter to mains power (110 VAC or 220 VAC).
7. Switch on the DC power source or turn on the mains power.
To integrate the multi-GNSS smart antenna, into your system, see Chapter 3, Hardware
integration.
Starter kit components

The Acutime™360 is available as part of the starter kit, or as an individual item. The starter kit
includes all the components necessary to quickly test and integrate the receiver.
Product Part Number

Acutime™360 multi-GNSS timing module (Default: GPS & GLO) 106406-00
100’ Acutime™360 cable 60155 (included in Starter kit)
Acutime™360 Universal Interface Module Available with SK only
AC/DC power supply module Available with SK only
Interface cable (USB/USB) Available with SK only
Note – Part numbers are subject to change. Confirm part numbers with your Trimble
representative when placing your order.

CHAPTER
3
Hardware integration
In this chapter: The setup procedures for the Acutime™360

multi-GNSS Smart antenna are described in
Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart
Chapter 2, Setting up and Running the
antenna Acutime™360.
Interface cables This chapter describes the hardware

components, to assist you when you
Power requirements integrate the Acutime™360 into a system.
To integrate the Acutime™360 multi-GNSS

Smart antenna into your system you must:
• Connect to a standard serial interface

port on the host system
• Design a circuit to read the electrical

1PPS
• Develop a software interface
The setup procedures for the Acutime™360

multi-GNSS Smart antenna starter kit are
described in chapter 2.
ACUTIME-360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 25

Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna
12-pin
connector
Side View
Bottom View
Performance Specifications
General GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou frequencies, continuous tracking

receiver, static Over-determined Clock Mode
Update rate 1Hz

Event Update rate 5Hz / Second (max)
Accuracy horizontal position <6 meters (50%)
<9 meters (90%)
Accuracy altitude position <7 meters (50%)
<10 meters (90%)
Velocity 0.06 m/sec
Time to first fix No stored position: <46 s (50%), <50 s (90%)
Stationary with stored position (for example, recovery after a
power outage): <14 s (50%), <18 s (90%)
Reacquisition after 60s signal loss <2 s (90%)

Dynamics Velocity: 500 m/s maximum
Acceleration: 4 g (39.2 m/sec2)
Jerk: 20 m/s3
PPS output Physical interface: RS-422

Width: 10 milliseconds (default); user programmable from 1
millisecond to 500 milliseconds
On-time edge: Rising edge on time (default); user
programmable rising or falling resolution :<32 nanoseconds
Accuracy: UTC 15 nanoseconds (static), UTC 90 nanoseconds
(dynamic, TDOP ≤ 3)
ACUTIME™360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 26

External event capture Interface: RS-422
Resolution: <500ns
Minimum pulse width 1 0 milliseconds, rising edge-on-edge

Reporting mechanism TSIP packet
Environmental specifications
Operating temperature -40°C to +85°C (-40°F to 185°F)

Storage temperature -55 °C to +105 °C (-67°F to 221°F)
Vibration 0.008 g2/Hz 5Hz to 20Hz
0.05 g2/Hz 20Hz to 100Hz
-3 dB/octave 100Hz to 900Hz
Operating humidity 95% RH, non-condensing at 60°C (140°F) EMC

EMC CE, FCC Class B
Ingress protection IP 67
Physical characteristics
Power consumption 50mA @ 12V

0.6W (typical), < 1W maximum
Dimensions 95mm (depth) x 72.5mm (height) (3.74" x 2.85")
Connector 12-pin round, waterproof
Weight 154g (5.4oz)
Mounting 1” - 14” straight thread or 3/4” pipe thread
Interface cables
The Acutime interface cable is twisted-pair technology, 22 American Wire Gauge (AWG), 6 pair/12
conductors, shielded, and protected with a PVC-U/V outer sheath.
Acutime™360 interface cables are available in the following standard lengths:
• 15m (50 feet)

• 30m (100 feet)
• 60m (200 feet)
• 120m (400 feet)
For custom-length cables of up to 550m (1800feet), contact Trimble.

All cables are terminated on the antenna end.
For a list of part numbers, see http://www.trimble.com/timing/acutime-360.aspx.
Power requirements
The Acutime™360 multi-GNSS receiver is designed for static timing applications and requires a
nominal +12VDC to +24VDC input (a range of +5VDC to +36VDC is possible). You can apply
power to the Universal Interface Monitor using one of two options: the DC power cable, or the
AC/DC power converter.
Tip – Some voltage drop will occur over the cable run. If feed voltage is limited to +5VDC, the
cable length is limited to 30 feet. When the cable is 100 feet or longer, the feed voltage must be
at least +12VDC. Trimble recommends +24VDC for most runs.
The red wire (Acutime™360 pin 1) and the black wire (Acutime™360 pin 9) on the interface
cable support power and ground connections, respectively. The Acutime™360 features a linear
power supply, which supports +5 to +36 VDC. The Acutime™360 is protected against reverse
polarity and brief over voltage conditions, however, extended over-voltage conditions may
cause permanent damage.
Power consumption of the Acutime™360 is less than 80mA at 12 VDC.
Serial port interfaces
The pin-out descriptions and color codes for the standard un-terminated cables and DB-25
interface cable are as follows:
Acutime™360Wire Color Function DB-25 Protocol

Connector Interface
Pin 1 Red DC Power Pin 1 +5VDC to +36VDC
Pin 2 Violet Port B: Receive - Pin 25 TSIP RS-422
Pin 3 Orange Port B: Receive + Pin 13 TSIP RS-422
Pin 4 Brown Port B: Transmit - Pin 11 TSIP RS-422
Pin 5 Yellow Port B: Transmit + Pin 23 TSIP RS-422
Pin 6 White Port A: Receive - Pin 24 Event Input
Pin 7 Gray Port A: Receive + Pin 12 Event Input
Pin 8 Green Port A: Transmit - Pin 10 NMEA / TSIP RS-422
Pin 9 Black DC Ground Pin 7 Ground
Pin 10 Blue Port A: Transmit + Pin 22 NMEA / TSIP RS-422
Pin 11 Orange w/ white stripe 1 PPS Transmit + Pin 21 RS-422
Pin 12 Black w/ white stripe 1PPS Transmit - Pin 9 RS-422

Pulse-Per-Second (PPS)
The Acutime™360 provides a 10ms wide, RS-422, Pulse-Per-Second (PPS) on antenna connector
pins 11 and 12. The pulse is sent once per second and the leading edge of the pulse is
synchronized to UTC, GPS, or GNSS time.
The pulse shape is affected by the distributed capacitance of the attached cabling and input
circuit. The pulse's trailing edge should not be used for timing applications. An accurate timing
pulse is available only when the Acutime™360 is operating in the static
Over-determined Clock Mode with a timing accuracy of <15 nanoseconds (one sigma) to UTC,
GPS, or GNSS time.
The PPS output can be programmed to provide an even-second output using TSIP packet 0x8F-
4E.
Timing pulse connections
The Acutime™360 outputs a timing pulse for timing and synchronization applications. The
timing pulse is generated using an RS-422 line driver circuit (connector pins 11 and 12). The
leading edge of the PPS output pulse is synchronized to UTC. The width of the pulse's leading
edge is 20 nanoseconds or less. The exact width and shape of the pulse depends upon the
distributed capacitance of the interface cable.
Serial ports
The Acutime™360 has two RS-422 communication ports. The functions of these ports (B and A)
are described below.
Port B
Port B is the primary serial port for the Acutime™360. Using this port, you can:
• Send commands and receive command responses.

• Query for and receive satellite data (for example, ephemeris, tracking information, and
signal levels).
• Receive timing packets that are synchronized with the PPS output.
• Enable TSIP timing packets 0x8F-AB and 0x8F-AC (which output automatically after the
self-survey has been completed) or 0x8F-AD using command packet 0x8E-A5.
• Configure Port B to transmit NMEA packets.
The Acutime™360 automatically sends a range of satellite data packets on Port B. You may not
need these data packets—to disable them, use command packet 0x8E-A5. This ensures that

only the timing packets are sent. You can also choose to receive the timing packets on Port A,
and use Port B to only send commands and receive satellite data.
Port A
Port A serves as a dedicated transmit port for timing packets and is also used by default to
receive external event inputs..
The user can select NMEA output on port A, with TSIP in / TSIP out on port B.
Event Input
The Acutime™360 accepts an external event input in the shape of an RS-422 pulse. The external
event pulse input is supported on Port A (pins 6 and 7). The Acutime™360 transmits a TSIP time
packet (0x8F-0B or 0x8F-AD) in response to the event input. The TSIP packet increments the
event count field for each event received. The event time stamp is generated within 500ns of its
arrival at the Acutime™360 interface connector.
Note: The event capture feature is design for low frequency events 1PPS or longer.

CHAPTER
4
System Operation
In this chapter: The Acutime™360 receives the amplified

GNSS signals through the antenna feed line
Start-up
connector and passes them to the RF down-
converter. A highly stable crystal reference
Timing receiver performance
oscillator is used by the down-converter to
Communicating with receiver produce the signals used by the digital signal
processor (DSP). The DSP tracks the GNSS
Serial data communication signals and extracts the carrier code
information as well as the navigation data at
GNSS timing 50 bits per second.
Operation of the tracking channels is

Customizing operations
controlled by the navigation processor. The
software tracking channels track the highest
twelve satellites above the horizon. The
navigation processor then uses the optimum
satellite combination to compute a position.
The navigation processor also manages the
ephemeris and almanac data for all of the
satellites, and performs the data I/O.
ACUTIME-360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 31

Operation
Start-up
On startup the receiver automatically runs a self-survey process and then provides an over-
determined timing solution.
The first time that the Acutime™360 is turned on, it begins searching for satellites from a cold
start with no almanac, time, ephemeris, or stored position. The receiver starts computing
position and time solutions within the first 46 seconds, but the receiver must continuously track
satellites for approximately 15 minutes to download a complete almanac and ephemeris. Do
not interrupt the initialization process.
During the satellite acquisition phase, the Acutime™360 outputs periodic TSIP messages on Port
B. These status messages confirm that the receiver is working.
Note – the Acutime™360 has no provision for external backup power and always begins
operation from a cold start unless a warm start is forced by uploading almanac data and time.
Timing receiver performance

The receiver and patch antenna contained in the Acutime™360 are in a single board format.
The board has been adapted for timing applications where reliability, performance, and ease of
integration are required.
The receiver features Trimble's improved signal processing code, a high-gain RF section, and RS-
422 line drivers to deliver a differentially driven 1 PPS output for timing and synchronization
applications.
Timing applications are assumed to be static. The specialized timing software used within the
Acutime™360 configures the unit into an automatic self-survey mode at start up. The receiver
will average position fixes for a specified time (one per second) and at the end of this period,
this reference location is used to solve for time. The receiver goes into an Over- determined
Clock Mode and no longer solves for position but only for clock error and clock bias using all of
the available satellites. This procedure will provide an accuracy of less than 15 ns (one sigma) to
GPS, UTC, or GNSS time for the 1 PPS output.
To change the default port parameters and NMEA settings, issue the appropriate TSIP
command and then store the settings in the receiver's non-volatile (flash) memory. The settings
are retained when mains power is removed, without the need for battery backup. The factory
default setting for Port B, the primary I/O port, is bi-directional TSIP at 115,200 baud, 8 data
bits, odd parity, and 1 stop bit.

Note – When customizing port assignments or characteristics, confirm that your changes do not
affect your ability to communicate with the receiver.
Communicating with the receiver

Communication with the receiver is through an RS-422 compatible serial port. The port
characteristics can be modified to accommodate your application requirements. Port
parameters are stored in flash memory, which does not require back-up power. The default
port characteristics are:
Parameter Factory Default

Input baud rate 115,200
Output baud rate 115,200
Parity Odd
Data bits 8
Stop bits 1
Input protocol TSIP input
Output protocol TSIP output
Note – The Acutime™360 also supports the NMEA message protocol.
Port B configuration
The factory default protocol on Port B is TSIP in and out at 115,200-odd-8-1.
The serial port can be changed and stored in flash memory. The receiver protocol can be re-
configured using TSIP command packet 0xBC, Timing Receiver, Trimble VTS software, or a user-
written serial interface program.
C-source code examples for TSIP commands are also provided in Appendix A Trimble Standard
Interface Protocol. When used as software design templates, this source code can significantly
speed up code development.
The protocol settings and options are stored in Random Access Memory (RAM). They can be
saved into the flash memory using command packet 0x8E-26.
Port A configuration
Port A is a dedicated port for outputting comprehensive timing packets. Messages are output
after the PPS and after external events. The factory default setting is TSIP, output only, at
115,200-8-odd-1.
The host system receives both the PPS and the time packet identifying each pulse. Use packet
0x8E-A5 to determine which Timing Superpacket to output on this port.

Note – The Acutime™360 generates a packet in response to the external event input. The event count
field in packet 0x8F-0B (or 0x8F-AD) increments for each event received. This field resets after a power
cycle and rolls over at 65535. The event age messages are interleaved with the PPS messages. The PPS
tags are distinguished by a zero (0) in the event count field. The Acutime™360 accepts external events up
to a 5 Hz rate. Use packet 0x8E-A5 to configure this port to output the 0x8F-0B (or 0x8F-AD) packet in
response to external events.
Automatic operation
When the Acutime™360 has acquired and locked onto a set of satellites that pass the mask
criteria listed below, and has obtained a valid ephemeris for each tracked satellite, it performs a
self-survey. After a number of position fixes (configurable), the self-survey is complete. At that
time, the Acutime™360 automatically switches to a time-only mode (Over-determined Clock
mode).
Satellite masks
The Acutime™360 continuously tracks and uses up to 32 satellites in an over-determined clock

solution. The satellites must pass the mask criteria to be included in the solution.
The following table lists the default satellite masks used by the Acutime™360. These masks
serve as the screening criteria for satellites used in fix computations and ensure that solutions
meet a minimum level of accuracy. The satellite masks can be adjusted using the TSIP protocol
described in Appendix A, Trimble Standard Interface Protocol
Mask Setting Notes

Elevation 10° SV elevation above horizon
AMU 4 Signal strength
DOP 8 Self-survey only
Elevation mask
Generally, signals from low-elevation satellites are of poorer quality than signals from higher
elevation satellites. These signals travel farther through the ionospheric and tropospheric layers
and undergo distortion due to these atmospheric conditions
SNR mask
Low SNR values can result from low-elevation satellites, partially obscured signals (for example,
dense foliage), or multi-reflected signals (multipath).
Multi-reflected signals, also known as multipath, can degrade the position and timing solution.
Multipath is most commonly found in urban environments with many tall buildings and a
preponderance of mirrored glass. Multi-reflected signals tend to be weak (low SNR value), since
each reflection diminishes the signal.

If the Acutime™360 antenna has a clear view of the sky (outdoor antenna placement), an SNR
mask of 35 is recommended for optimal results. However, for indoor use or operation with an
obscured view of the sky, the mask must be low enough to allow valid weak signals to be used.
For indoor operation, an SNR mask of 4 AMU is recommended.
PDOP mask
Position Dilution of Precision (PDOP) is a measure of the error caused by the geometric
relationship of the satellites used in the position solution. Satellite sets that are tightly clustered
or aligned in the sky have a high PDOP and contribute to lower position accuracy. For most
applications, a PDOP mask of 8 offers a satisfactory trade-off between accuracy and GPS
coverage.
Note – PDOP is applicable only during self-survey or whenever the receiver is performing
position fixes.
Operating modes
The Acutime™360 operates in one of the following: Main modes:
• Self-survey mode (position fix operating mode)

• Over-determined Clock mode
After establishing a reference position in Self-Survey mode, the Acutime™360 automatically

switches to Over-determined (OD) Clock mode
Self-survey mode
At power-on, the Acutime™360 performs a self-survey by averaging 2000 position fixes. The
number of position fixes until survey completion is configurable using the 8E-A9 command.
The default mode during self-survey is 2D/3D Automatic, where the receiver must obtain a 3-D
solution. The very first fix in 2D/3D Automatic mode must include 5 satellites or more. After a
successful first fix only 4 satellites are required. If fewer than the required number of satellites
are visible, the Acutime 360™ suspends the self-survey. 3-D mode may not be achieved when
the receiver is subjected to frequent obscuration or when the geometry is poor due to an
incomplete constellation.
Over-determined Clock mode
Over-determined Clock Mode is used only in stationary timing applications. This is the default
mode for the Acutime™360 once a surveyed (or user input) position is determined. After the
receiver self-surveys its static reference position, it automatically switches to Over-determined
Clock Mode and determines the clock solution. The timing solution is qualified by a Time-

Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring algorithm, which automatically detects and rejects
faulty satellites from the solution.
Using the default Anti Jamming setting, a minimum of two satellites is required for a fix in Over-
determined Clock mode. When you power-up the receiver, or after a long fix outages (longer
than nine minutes), three satellites are required for the first fix.
In this mode, the Acutime™360 does not navigate or update positions and velocities, but
maintains the PPS output, solving only for the receiver clock error (bias) and error rate (bias
rate). If the Anti Jamming setting is disabled, only one satellite is required for a fix. To set Anti
Jamming, see Command Packet 0xBB: Set Receiver Configuration.
PPS output options
The PPS (Pulse Per Second) output is the primary timing output generated by the Acutime™360
and is provided through an RS-422 differential driver. Although an RS-422 differential receiver
provides the best noise immunity, you can use only one side of the differential signal for single-
ended applications.
To program the characteristics of the PPS, use the following TSIP packets:
 To set an accuracy criterion for the generation of the PPS signal, based on the number of
usable satellites, use packet 0x8E-4E.
The accuracy of the pulse-per-second output depends to some degree on the number of
satellites used in the solution. In some systems it is preferable to have the PPS
generated only when it meets the highest levels of accuracy and to leave it off if these
accuracy levels are not met.
 To set the width of the PPS from 10ms to 500 ms, use packet 0x8E-4F
Serial data communication

The Acutime™360 outputs TSIP Superpackets or NMEA messages.
On start-up, the Acutime™360 outputs TSIP packets 0x8F-AB, 0x8F-AC, and PPS. To enable or
disable timing packets and automatic output packets, use packet 0x8E-A5.
The factory default port setting is 115,200-odd-8-1 (in/out). To change the serial port setting
and store it in flash memory, use the appropriate TSIP command. The port can also be
configured to transmit timing packets, using packet 0x8E-A5.

GNSS timing
For many timing applications, such as time/frequency standards, site synchronization systems,
and wireless voice and data networks, the Acutime™360 can be used to steer a local reference
oscillator. The steering algorithm combines the short-term stability of the oscillator with the
long-term stability of the GNSS PPS. An accurate GNSS PPS allows the use of cost-effective
crystal oscillators, which have less stability than expensive, high- quality oscillators, such as
Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillators (OCXO).
The GNSS system consists of several GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and other regional
constellation orbiting satellites. Unlike most telecommunications satellites, GNSS satellites are
not geostationary1, so satellites in view are constantly changing. Each GNSS satellite contains
four highly-stable atomic clocks, which are continuously monitored and corrected by the GPS
control segment. Consequently, the GPS constellation can be considered a set of 24 orbiting
"clocks" with worldwide 24-hour coverage.
Note: - 1There are geo-stationary satellites for GNSS augmentation and regional coverage.
A Trimble multi-GNSS receiver uses the signals from the GPS satellites to correct its internal
clock, which is not as stable or accurate as the GPS atomic clocks. The Acutime™360 outputs a
highly accurate timing pulse (PPS) generated by its internal clock, which is constantly corrected
using the GPS or GNSS clocks. This timing pulse is synchronized to GPS/UTC/GLONASS time
within 15 ns (one sigma) after the survey is complete.
Note: - GLONASS time is supported when the unit is operating in GLONASS only mode.
In addition to serving as highly-accurate stand-alone time sources, GNSS timing receivers are
used to synchronize distant clocks in communication or data networks. This is possible because
all GNSS satellites are corrected to a common master clock. Therefore, the relative clock error is
the same, regardless of which satellites are used. For synchronization applications requiring a
common clock, GNSS is the ideal solution.
An accurate reference position is critical. A position error of 100 meters corresponds to a time
error of approximately 333 ns.
The GNSS receiver's clocking rate and software affect PPS accuracy. The Acutime™360 has a
clocking rate of 26 MHz, which enables a steering resolution of 40 ns (±20 ns). Using both the
rising edge and falling edge of the pulse enables a steering resolution of ±20 ns. Using software
algorithms such as an Over-determined Clock solution, the Acutime™360 mitigates the effects
of clock error to achieve a PPS accuracy within 15 ns (one sigma) to GPS//UTC after the survey
is complete..

GNSS Constellation Configuration
The Acutime™360 can be configured to use either just one GNSS system, such as GPS,
GLONASS, BeiDou, or Galileo, or a combination of these systems (see table below). The receiver
can use any combination of GNSS systems except where GLONASS and BeiDou are enabled
simultaneously. The receiver will automatically clear the BeiDou option when both
constellations (BeiDou & GLONASS) are enabled.
The table below shows the possible constellation options you can select
GPS Galileo GLONASS BeiDou QZSS

X
X
X
X
X X
X X
X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X
If a single constellation is chosen then the PPS and Time alignment will be set automatically to
the same constellation.
Timing operation
The Acutime™360 automatically outputs a PPS and time tag. With an accurate reference
position, the receiver automatically switches to an over-determined clock mode, activates its
TRAIM algorithm and outputs precise PPS. Using a simple voting scheme based on pseudo-
range residuals, the Acutime™360 integrity algorithm automatically removes the worst satellite
with the highest residual from the solution set if that satellite's residual is above a certain
threshold.
In addition to TRAIM, Acutime™360 implements position integrity checking on startup, in case

the receiver has been moved to a new location. When the receiver power up with a surveyed
(or user input) position in memory, it will compare fixes computed from the GNSS satellites to
the surveyed position. If it finds that the surveyed position is off by more than 100 meters
horizontally or vertically in the first 60 consecutive GNSS fixes, it will delete the surveyed

position from memory (including non-volatile storage) and restart the self-survey provided the
self-survey is enabled, and the "position save flag" is set to 1 using the 0x8E-A9 command.
The Acutime™360's default configuration provides optimal timing accuracy. The only item
under user or host control that can affect the receiver's absolute PPS accuracy is the delay
introduced by the antenna cable. For long cable runs, this delay can be significant (1.8 ns per
foot). TSIP packet 8Ex4A sets the cable delay parameter, which is stored in non-volatile
memory. For the best absolute PPS accuracy, adjust the cable delay to match the installed cable
length (check with your cable manufacturer for the delay for a specific cable type). Generally,
the cable delay is about 1.8 nanoseconds per foot of cable. To compensate for the cable delay,
use a negative offset to advance the PPS output.
Note – GPS time differs from UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) by a small, sub- microsecond
offset and an integer-second offset. The small offset is the steering offset between the GPS DoD
clock ensemble and the UTC (NIST) clock ensemble. The large offset is the cumulative number of
leap seconds since 1 January 1980, which, on 30 June.2015 was increased from 16 to 17
seconds. Historically, the offset increases by one second approximately every 18—24 months,
usually just before midnight on 30 June or 31 December. System designers should note whether
the output time is UTC or GPS time.
Customizing operations
The Acutime™360 provides a number of user configurable parameters that allow you to
customize the operation of the unit. These parameters are stored in non-volatile memory
(Flash) to be retained during loss of power and through resets. At reset or power-up, the
receiver configures itself based on the parameters stored in Flash. You can change the values of
these parameters to achieve the desired operations using a variety of TSIP packets. The
Acutime™360 configures itself based on the new parameter immediately, but the new
parameter value is not automatically saved to Flash. You must direct the receiver to save the
parameters to Flash.
To change the parameter values stored in Flash memory, send packet 0x8E-26 to direct the
Acutime™360 to save the current parameter values to the Flash. To save or delete the stored
position, use command packet 0x8E-A6. You can also direct the receiver to set the parameter
values to their factory default settings (and to erase the stored position) with packet 0x1E.
In brief, to customize the Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna operations for your
application:
• Configure the receiver using TSIP command packets until the desired operation is
achieved.
• Use TSIP packet 0x8E-26 to save the settings in nonvolatile memory (Flash).

• If the position was not automatically saved during the self-survey or if it was manually
entered, the position can be saved to flash memory using TSIP packet 8E-A6.
The new settings will control receiver operations whenever it is reset or power cycled

Configuration parameters
The following tables list the user configurable parameters. Each table lists the parameter name,
its factory default value, and the TSIP packet that sets or reads the parameter value (typically,
one TSIP packet sets or reads several related parameters).

Operating dimension 4 (Full Position 3D)
Dynamic code 1 (land)
Elevation mask 0.175 radians (10°)
Signal level mask 4.0 AMU
PDOP mask 8.0
PDOP switch 6.0
Foliage mode 0 (never)
Have reference altitude flag False
Reference altitude (meters) 0.0
Configuration parameters

Datum index WGS 84 Ellipsoid
Position 0x12
Velocity 0x02
Time 0x01
Auxiliary 0x02
Superpackets output mask (byte 1) 0x32
Superpackets output mask (byte 2) 0x21
Auto TSIP output mask 0xFFFFFFFC0
Port A and B Configuration

Input baud rate 115,200
Output baud rate 115,200
Parity Odd
Data bits 8
Stop bits 1
Input protocol TSIP input
Output protocol TSIP output

PPS Configuration

PPS enabled switch Enabled
PPS timebase UTC
Polarity True
PPS offset 0.0 seconds
PPS width 10e-3 seconds
PPS driver switch 3 ( at least 1SV)
Position information

XYZ coordinates Such that LLA coordinates are all zeros
Have position flag False
Self-survey configuration

Survey enable flag True
Survey length 2000
Survey save flag False
Survey operating dimension Full Position 3D

NMEA 0183 protocol and data output options
The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) protocol is an industry standard data
protocol, which was developed for the marine industry. Trimble has chosen to adhere
stringently to the NMEA 0183 data specification as published by the NMEA. The Acutime™360
multi-GNSS smart antenna also adheres to the NMEA 0183, Version 3.0 specification.
NMEA data is output in standard ASCII sentence formats. Message identifiers signify what data
is contained in each sentence. Commas within the NMEA sentence separate data fields. In the
Acutime™360 GNSS receiver, NMEA is an output-only protocol.
The receiver is shipped from the factory with the TSIP protocol configured on Port A and B. Port
A can be reconfigured for NMEA output through Port B using TSIP command packet 0xBC, in
conjunction with the Trimble VTS software, or a user-written serial-interface program.
The NMEA output messages selection and message output rate can be set using TSIP command
packet 0x7A. The default setting is to output the ZDA message at a 1-second interval, when the
receiver output protocol is configured to NMEA, using packet 0xBC.
To use NMEA permanently, use TSIP command 0x8E-26 to store the protocol configuration
(0xBC) and NMEA message output setting (0x7A) in the flash memory.
The industry standard port characteristics for NMEA are:
 Baud rate: 115.2 kbps

 Data bits: 8
 Parity: None
 Stop bits:1
 No flow control
Any standard serial communications program, such as Windows HyperTerminal or PROCOMM,

can be used to view the NMEA output messages.
TSIP is a binary protocol; it outputs raw binary serial data that cannot be read when using the
Windows HyperTerminal or PROCOMM applications.
CAUTION – When you use the TSIP protocol to change port assignments or settings, confirm
that your changes do not affect the ability to communicate with the receiver. For example, that
you have not inadvertently selected PC COM port settings that do not match the receiver
settings, or changed the output protocol to TSIP if you are not using the Trimble VTS software

APPENDIX
A
Trimble Standard Interface Protocol
In this chapter: The Trimble Standard Interface Protocol

(TSIP) provides commands that the system
designer can use to configure a GNSS
Introduction receiver for optimum performance in a
Physical interface characteristics variety of applications, and to customize the
configuration of a GNSS module to meet the
Packets output at startup requirements of a specific application.
Receiver warm-start TSIP is a simple bidirectional, binary packet

protocol used in a wide variety of Trimble
Default background packets (Port B)
GNSS receivers. TSIP offers a broad range of
Packet structure command packets and report packets that
provide the GNSS user with maximum
Packet descriptions control over the Acutime™360 receiver.
TSIP Superpackets This appendix describes how to use the
powerful TSIP features, enhance overall
system performance, and reduce the total
development time. The reference tables help
you determine which packets apply to your
application. For those applications requiring
customization, see Customizing receiver
operations, for a detailed description of the
key setup parameters. Application guidelines
are provided for each TSIP command packet.

Introduction
TSIP is a powerful and compact interface protocol which has been designed to allow the system
developer a great deal of flexibility in interfacing to a Trimble product. Many TSIP data packets
are common to all products which use TSIP. An example would be a single precision position
output packet. Other packets may be unique to a product. Custom packets are only used in the
products for which they have been created.
Interface scope
The Acutime™360 GNSS smart antenna has one configurable serial I/O communication port,
which is a bi-directional control and data port utilizing a Trimble Standard Interface Protocol
(TSIP). The data I/O port characteristics and other options are user programmable and stored in
non-volatile memory (Flash memory).
The TSIP protocol is based on the transmission of packets of information between the user
equipment and the GPS receiver. Each packet includes an identification code (1 byte,
representing 2 hexadecimal digits) that identifies the meaning and format of the data that
follows. Each packet begins and ends with control characters.
Packet structure
TSIP packet structure is the same for both commands and reports. The packet format is:
<DLE> <id> <data string bytes> <DLE> <ETX>
Where:
<DLE> is the byte 0x10
<ETX> is the byte 0x03
<id> is a packet identifier byte, which can have any value excepting
<ETX> and
<DLE> The bytes in the data string can have any value. To prevent confusion with
the frame sequences <DLE> <id> and <DLE> <ETX>, every <DLE> byte in the
data string is preceded by an extra <DLE> byte ('stuffing'). These extra <DLE>
bytes must be added ('stuffed') before sending a packet and removed after
receiving the packet.
Note – A simple <DLE> <ETX> sequence does not necessarily signify the end of the packet, as
these can be bytes in the middle of a data string. The end of a packet is <ETX> preceded by an
odd number of <DLE> bytes.

Multiple-byte numbers (integer, float, and double) follow the ANSI / IEEE Std. 754 IEEE Standard
for binary Floating-Point Arithmetic. They are sent most-significant byte first. You must switch
the byte order on Intel-based machines.
The data types used in the Acutime™360 TSIP are as follows:
Data type Description

U8 An 8- bit unsigned number (0 to 255)
S8 An 8-bit signed number (-128 to 127)
U16 A 16-bit unsigned number (0 to 65,535)
S16 An 16-bit signed number (-32,768 to 32,767)
U32 A 32-bit unsigned number (0 to 4,294,967,295)
S32 A 32-bit signed number (-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
Single - Float (4 bytes) (3.4x10-38 to 1.7x1038) (24 bit precision)
Double - Float (8 bytes) (1.7x10-308 to 3.4x10308) (53 bit precision)
Note – Default settings are 115,200-8-odd-1
Physical interface characteristics

The Acutime™360 uses high-quality serial I/O components to drive the available serial transmit
and receive channels.
The Acutime™360 is available in an RS-422 configuration. This section explains the capabilities
of each receiver.
Nomenclature
As with previous Multi-GNSS Smart antennas by Trimble, including the Acutis™, Acutime™, and
Palisade™ products, the Acutime™360 ports are referenced as "A" and "B", and conform to
standards established by the Palisade product line.
Function Label Internal

TSIP Port B Port 0
Timing Port A Port 1
Protocol capabilities
The I/O ports of the Acutime™360 are highly configurable. Port settings are stored in flash
memory, and are retained after power failures.
For systems with minimal bandwidth for processing serial data streams, the receivers can be
configured as silent devices, which generate I/O only when polled. The Acutime™360 receiver

can be configured to output various automatic report packets and protocols to satisfy
demanding real-time update requirements of complex monitoring systems.
Primary port features – port B
The Acutime™360 features a primary bi-directional port, which is factory configured for TSIP
input and output.
Secondary port features – port A
The Acutime™360 has a bi-directional, programmable secondary port that is designated as the
Timing port.
Event Input
The Acutime™360 features an event input, which can capture and report time stamps with the
same precision as the PPS signal.
Superpacket Length Description

0x8F-0B 74 Comprehensive time with LLA position
0x8F-AD 22 Primary UTC time with leap information
The receivers can output the event reports on any available TSIP port
Packets output at startup

The following messages are output by the receiver at startup. After completing its self- survey,
the receiver automatically outputs a series of packets that indicate the initial operating
condition of the receiver. Messages are output in the following order. Upon output of packet
0x84, the sequence is complete and the receiver is ready to accept commands.
Output ID Description Notes

0x46 Receiver health
0x4B Machine code / status
0x45 Software version
0x83 Double precision XYZ position If single precision is selected, packet 0x42 is output
0x84 Double precision LLA position If single precision is selected, packet 0x4A is output

Receiver warm-start
Once the Acutime™360 has completed its internal initialization and has output packet 0x84 (see
Packets output at startup), you can send the following commands to restart it
Output ID Description
0x2B/23 Initial position (LLA/ECEF)
0x38 (type 2) GPS almanac (for each SV)
0x38 (type 3) GPS almanac health
0x38 (type 4) Ionosphere page
0x38 (type 5) UTC correction
0x38 (type 6) GPS ephemeris
0x38 (type 7) GLONASS almanac
0x38 (type 8) GLONASS ephemeris
Default background packets (Port B)

Output ID Description Notes
0x41 GPS time Output approximately every 1.6 minutes if the receiver's GNSS
clock is set and the receiver is not outputting positions.
Output approximately every 2.5 minutes if the receiver is doing
position fixes.
0x46 Receiver health Output every second, if the receiver is not doing fixes.
Output approximately every 30 seconds if the receiver is doing
position fixes.
Whenever any bit in the health message changes, receiver health
is automatically output.
0x6C Mode packet Output approximately every 30 seconds or when a constellation
change occurs.
Note – The background packets listed in this table are automatically output. Background
packets can be turned off. See also Command Packet 0x8E-4D: Automatic Packet Output Mask.
Note – The packet 0x4B is always sent with report packet 0x46.
Default automatic position and velocity reports

The Acutime™360 automatically outputs position and velocity reports at set intervals. Report
intervals are controlled by packet 0x35.
Output ID Description
0x42 Single precision XYZ position
0x83 Double precision XYZ position
0x4A Single precision LLA position

0x84 Double precision LLA position
0x43 Velocity fix (XYZ ECEF)
0x54 Bias and bias rate1
0x56 Velocity fix (ENU)
1
When the receiver is in the Manual or Over-determined Clock Mode, it outputs packet 0x54 to provide
the computed clock-only solution.
Automatic primary and supplemental timing reports

Timing Packets 0x8F-AB and 0x8F-AC are automatically output at 1 Hz when enabled by packet
0x8E-A5. These packets are part of the low-latency packet series 0x8F-AB/AC/AD/OB.
Low-latency timing packets
The Acutime™360 features a sequence of high-priority Timing Superpackets, which are output
within a bounded period of time after the PPS.
The Superpackets that meet the LLTP criteria are shown below. Output of each packet can be
turned on/off by using the mask in packet 0x8E-A5, but the output order cannot be changed.
The packets may also be requested; please refer to the specific packet documentation for
details
LLT Packet ID Description Request packet ID

0x8F-AB Primary Timing 0x8E-AB
0x8F-AC Supplemental Timing 0x8E-AC
0x8E-AD Primary UTC 0x8E-AD
0x8F-0B Comprehensive Time & Position 0x8E-0B
The receiver will output all other TSIP packets after the transmission of LLT packet sequence is
complete.

Satellite data packets
Input ID Description Output ID

0x20 Request almanac 0x40
0x27 Request signal levels 0x47
0x28 Request GPS system message 0x48
0x29 Request almanac health page 0x49
0x2F Request UTC parameters 0x4F
0x38 Request/load satellite system data 0x58
0x39 Set/request satellite disable or ignore health 0x59
0x3A Request last raw measurement 0x5A
0x3B Request satellite ephemeris status 0x5B
0x3C Request tracking status 0x5D

Customizing receiver operations
Customizing receiver output for the application

0x23 Set Initial position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF)
0x24 Request receiver position fix mode 0x6C
0x26 Request receiver health 0x46 and 0x4B
0x27 Request satellite signal levels 0x47
0x2B Set Initial position (LLA)
0x35 Set input/output options 0x55
0x7A Set/request NMEA interval and message mask 0x7B
0xBB Set/request receiver configuration 0xBB
0xBC Set/request port configuration 0xBC
0x8E-4A Set/request PPS characteristics 0x8F-4A
0x8E-A5 Set/request packet broadcast mask 0x8F-A5
0x8E-A6 Issue self-survey command 0x8F-A6
Note – Output is determined by packet 0x35 settings (see Command Packet 0x35: I/O Option
Flags Command).
Customizing receiver operation

1
0x1E Clear memory reset
0x2D Request oscillator offset 0x4D
0x39 Satellite disable or ignore health 0x592
0xBB Set receiver configuration parameters 0xBB
0x8E-4A Set PPS characteristics 0x8F-4A
0x8E-4E Set PPS output option 0x8F-4E
0x8E-4F Set PPS Width (Acutime™360 only) 0x8F-4F
0x8E-20 Set Fixed Point Superpacket Output 0x8F-20
1
Output is determined by packet 35 settings. For packets 0x1E see Packets output at startup to
determine which packets are output at power-up.
2
Not all modes of packet 0x39 cause a reply (see the description for packet 0x39).

Command Packets: User to Acutime™360
The table below summarizes the packets that can be input by the user. The table includes the
input packet ID, a short description of each packet, and the associated output packet.
Input ID Packet Description Output ID

0x1C-01 firmware version 0x1C-81
0x1C-03 hardware component information 0x1C-83
1
0x1E initiate cold reset or factory reset
0x1F software version 0x45
0x21 Current GPS time 0x41
0x23 Set initial position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF)
0x24 request GPS satellite selection 0x6C
0x26 Receiver health 0x46, 0x4B
0x27 request signal levels 0x47
0x2B Set approximate initial position (LLA)
0x2F UTC parameters 0x4F
0x30 Set UTC Date and Time for future roll over date
0x31 Accurate initial position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF) 0x31
0x32 set accurate initial position (LLA) 0x32
0x35 set/request I/O options 0x55
0x37 status and values of last position and velocity 0x57 3
0x38 load or request satellite system data 0x58
0x39 Satellite enable/disable and health heed/ignore 0x59 4
0x3A request last raw measurement 0x5A
0x3B Satellite ephemeris status 0x5B
0x3C request current satellite tracking status 0x5D
0x7A NMEA Set/Request 0x7B
0xBB set receiver configuration 0xBB
0xBC set port configuration 0xBC
0x8E-02 Request UTC information 0x8F-02
0x8E-0B Request or configure superpacket output 0x8F-0B/0x8F-A5
0x8E-20 Last fix (fixed point) 0x8F-20
0x8E-26 save configuration
0x8E-41 request manufacturing parameters 0x8F-41
0x8E-42 request production parameters 0x8F-42
0x8E-4A set PPS characteristics 0x8F-4A
0x8E-4D Packet Output Mask 0x8F-4D

Input ID Packet Description Output ID
0x8E-4E PPS output option 0x8F-4E
0x8E-4F Set PPS width 0x8F-4F
0x8E-A2 UTC/GPS timing 0x8F-A2
0x8E-A5 packet broadcast mask 0x8F-A5
0x8E-A6 self-survey commands 0x8F-A6
0x8E-A9 self-survey parameters 0x8F-A9
0x8E-AB Set/request primary timing packet 0x8F-AB
0x8E-AC Set/request supplemental timing packet 0x8F-AC
0x8E-AD 0x8F-AD output configuration 0x8F-A5 / 0x8F-AD
1
Output is determined by packet 0x35 settings. See Packets output at startup, page 44 to determine
which messages are output at power-up.
2
Entering 1SV mode initiates automatic output of packet 0x54.
3
Output is determined by packet 0x35 settings.
4
Not all packet 0x39 operations have a response. See packet 0x39 description
Report packets: Acutime™360 to User

The table below summarizes the packets output by the Acutime™360. The table includes the
output packet ID, a short description of each packet, and the associated input packet. In some
cases, the response packets depend on user-selected options.
Output ID Packet Description Input ID

0x13 unparsable packet error
0x1C-81 firmware version 0x1C-01
0x1C-83 hardware component information 0x1C-03
0x31 Accurate initial position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF) 0x31
0x32 Set accurate initial position (LLA) 0x32
0x41 GPS time 0x21
0x42 single precision XYZ ECEF position fix 0x35
0x43 velocity fix (XYZ ECEF) 0x37, auto
0x45 software version 0x1E,0x1F, power up
0x46 Health of receiver 0x26
0x47 signal level for all satellites 0x27
0x4A single precision LLA position 0x37, auto
0x4B Machine code/status 0x26
0x4F UTC parameters 0x2F
0x54 One-satellite bias and bias rate 0x54

Output ID Packet Description Input ID
0x55 I/O options 0x35
0x56 velocity fix (ENU) 0x37, auto
0x57 status and values of last position and velocity 0x37
0x58 GPS system data acknowledge 0x38
0x59 Satellite enable/disable and health heed/ignore 0x39
0x5A last raw measurement 0x3A
0x5B Satellite ephemeris status 0x3B
0x5D current satellite tracking status 0x3C
0x6C All-in-view satellite selection 0x24
0x7B NMEA message output 0x7A
0x83 double precision XYZ 0x37, auto
0x84 double precision LLA 0x37, auto
0xBB receiver configuration 0xBB
0xBC port configuration 0xBC
0x8F-02 UTC information 0x8E-02
0x8F-0B Comprehensive time Auto / Event
0x8F-20 Last fix with extra information (fixed point) 0x8E-20
0x8F-26 save configuration 0x8E-26
0x8F-41 stored manufacturing parameters 0x8E-41
0x8F-42 stored production parameters 0x8E-42
0x8F-4A set PPS characteristics 0x8E-4A
0x8F-4D Automatic packet output mask 0x8E-4D
0x8F-4E PPS output option 0x8E-4E
0x8F-4F Set PPS width 0x8E-4F
0x8F-A2 UTC/GPS timing 0x8E-A2
0x8F-A5 packet broadcast mask 0x8E-A5
0x8F-A6 self-survey commands 0x8E-A6
0x8F-A9 self-survey parameters 0x8E-A9
0x8F-AB primary timing packet auto
0x8F-AC supplemental timing packet Auto
0x8F-AD UTC event time Auto / Event
Packet descriptions
Command packets are sent from an external device, such as a computer or terminal, to the
receiver when requesting report packets, setting receiver parameters, or performing receiver
command operations such as resetting the receiver. Many command packets have a

corresponding report packet, which is sent to the external device in response to the command
packet. Some commands perform discrete operations and have no matching report packet
Command Packet 0x1C-01: Firmware Version
The command packet 0x1C: 01 may be issued to obtain the firmware version. The product
name is Acutime™360. The packet format is defined in the following table:
Byte Item Type Value Meaning
0 Packet ID U8 0x1C Packet ID 0x1C
1 Sub-code U8 0x01 Sub-code 0x01 for software component
version information request
Report Packet 0x1C-81: Firmware component version information

1 Sub-code U8 0x81 Sub-code 0x81 for software
component version information report
2 Reserved U8 Any Reserved
3 Major version U8 Any Firmware major version
4 Minor version U8 Any Firmware minor version
5 Build number U8 Any Firmware build number
6 Month U8 1-12 Firmware build month
7 Day U8 1-31 Firmware build day
8…9 Year U16 Any Firmware build year
10 Length of first module U8 Any The length of the product name (L1)
name
11… (10+L1) Product name U8 String Product name in ASCII
Command Packet 0x1C-03: Hardware component version information
• The command packet 0x1C: 03 may be issued to obtain the hardware component
version information.
• The report packet is of variable length, depending on the length of the hardware ID.
• The serial number, build date fields, and the hardware ID are programmed into the
Acutime™360 at production.
• The hardware code for the Acutime™360 is 3032.
• ID for Acutime™360 is Acutime™360.

The packet format is defined in the following table:
1 Sub-code U8 0x03 Sub-code 0x03 for hardware component
version information request
Report Packet 0x1C-83: Hardware component version information

1 Sub-code U8 0x83 Sub-code 0x83 for hardware component
version information report
2–5 Serial number U32 Any Board serial number
6 Build day U8 1-31 Day of the board's build date
7 Build month U8 1-12 Month of the board's build date
8…9 Build year U16 Any Year of the board's build date
10 Build hour U8 0-23 Hour of the board's build date
11…12 Hardware code U16 0xBD8 Hardware code associated with Hardware ID
13 Length of HW ID U8 Any The length of the Hardware ID (L)
14... (13+L) Hardware ID U8 String Hardware ID string in ASCII
Command Packet 0x1E: Initiate Cold or Factory Reset
This packet commands the Acutime™360 to perform either a cold reset, or a factory reset:
• A cold reset will clear the GNSS data (almanac, ephemeris, etc.) stored in RAM and is
equivalent to a power cycle.
• A factory reset will additionally restore the factory defaults of all configuration
parameters stored in flash memory.
Byte Item Type Value Response

0 Reset U8 ’K’ (0x4B) Cold reset
’F’ (0x46) Factory reset
’N’ (0x4E) Clear navigation data and cold reset
Note – The factory reset command will delete the stored position and cause self-survey to
restart.
Command Packet 0x1F: Request Software Version
This packet requests information about the version of software in the Acutime™360. This
packet contains no data. The Acutime™360 returns packet 0x45.

Command Packet 0x21: Current Time Request
This packet requests current GNSS time. This packet contains no data. The Acutime™360
returns packet 0x41.
Command Packet 0x23: Initial Position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF) Command
This packet provides the GNSS receiver with an approximate initial position in XYZ coordinates.
This packet is useful if you have moved more than about 100 meters since the previous fix.
Note – The GNSS receiver can initialize without any data from the user; this packet merely
reduces the time required for initialization.
This packet is ignored if the receiver is already calculating positions.
The origin is the earth’s center. The X-axis points toward the intersection of the equator and
the Greenwich meridian, the Y-axis points toward the intersection of the equator and the 90°
meridian, and the Z-axis points toward the North Pole. The cold-start default LLA (not XYZ)
position is 0, 0, 0.
Byte Item Type Units

0-3 X Single Meters
4-7 Y Single Meters
8-11 Z Single Meters
Command Packet 0x24: Request GNSS Satellite Selection
This packet requests a list of satellites used for the current position/time fix. This packet
contains no data. The Acutime™360 returns packet 0x6C.
Command Packet 0x26: Health Request
This packet requests health and status information from the Acutime™360. This packet contains
no data. The Acutime™360 returns packets 0x46 and 0x4B.
Command Packet 0x27: Request Signal Levels
This packet requests signal levels for all satellites currently being tracked. This packet contains
no data. The Acutime™360 returns packet 0x47.
Command Packet 0x2B: Initial Position (Latitude, Longitude, Altitude)
This packet is used for A-GPS (GPS only) to set an approximate initial WGS-84 position (Latitude,
Longitude, and Altitude coordinates) for the receiver. This packet is useful if the user has moved

more than about 1,000Km since the previous fix. The GNSS receiver returns report packet 0x2B,
which indicates if the position was accepted by the receiver.
Note – The GNSS receiver can initialize itself without any data from the user; this packet merely
reduces the time required for initialization.
This packet is ignored if the receiver is already calculating positions. The data format is shown in
the table below.
Command Packet 0x2B Data Format (Double Precision)
Byte Item Type Units Description
0 Packet ID UINT8 0x2B
1-8 Latitude DOUBLE Radians + for north, - for south
9-16 Longitude DOUBLE Radians + for east, - for west
17-24 Altitude DOUBLE Meters
Default:30K Range: 0 ~
25-28 Horizontal Uncertainty SINGLE meters
3000Km
29-32 Vertical Uncertainty SINGLE meters Default:500 Range: 0 ~ 500m
Command Packet 0x2B Data Format (Single Precision)

0 Packet ID UINT8 0x2B
1-4 Latitude SINGLE Radians + for north, - for south
5-8 Longitude SINGLE Radians + for east, - for west
9-12 Altitude SINGLE Meters
13-16 Horizontal Uncertainty SINGLE meters Default: 30000
17-20 Vertical Uncertainty SINGLE meters Default: 500
Command Packet 0x2F: UTC Parameters Request
This packet requests the current UTC-GPS time offset (leap seconds). The packet has no data.
The receiver returns packet 0x4F.
Command packet 0x30: Set UTC Date and Time for future roll over date
This packet changes the Base week, to extend out the last valid WNRO number which would
normally be based on the firmware build date.
Byte Item Type Description
0 Packet ID U8 30
1-2 Year U16 Four Digits of the year
3 UTC:Month U8 1-12
4 UTC:Day of Month U8 1-31

5 UTC:Hour U8 0-23
6 UTC:Min U8 0-59
7 UTC:Sec U8 0-59
NOTE: Do not use a date earlier than the current firmware date.
Command Packet 0x31: Accurate Initial Position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF) Command
This packet is identical in content to packet 0x23; it provides an initial position to the
Acutime™360 in XYZ coordinates. However, the GNSS receiver assumes the position provided in
this packet to be accurate. This packet is used for satellite acquisition aiding in systems where
another source of position is available and in time transfer (one-satellite mode) applications.
For acquisition aiding, the position provided by the user to the Acutime™ 360 in this packet
should be accurate to a few kilometers. For high-accuracy time transfer, position should be
accurate to a few meters. T-RAIM flags come on if this position is not accurate enough.
Entering an accurate position sets the self-survey completion state to 100%. The Acutime™360
returns report packet 0x31, which indicates if the position was accepted by the receiver. The
uploaded position is not stored in flash memory unless it is stored with command packet 0x8E-
26. The input position is reported by packet 0x8F-AC.
Command Packet 0x31 Data Format (Single Precision)

0 Packet ID UINT8 0x31
1-4 X-axis SINGLE Meters
4-8 Y-axis SINGLE Meters
9-12 Z-axis SINGLE Meters
Command Packet 0x31 Data Format (Double Precision)

1-8 X-axis DOUBLE Meters
9-16 Y-axis DOUBLE Meters
17-24 Z-axis DOUBLE Meters
Command Packet 0x32: Accurate Initial Position (Latitude, Longitude, Altitude)
This packet provides an accurate initial position to the Acutime™360 in latitude, longitude, and
altitude coordinates. Either the single precision or the double precision version of this packet
may be used, however, we recommend using the double precision version for greatest
accuracy. The Acutime™360 returns report packet 0x32, which indicates if the position was

accepted by the receiver. The GNSS receiver uses this position for performing time-only fixes. If
a survey is in progress when this command is issued, the survey is aborted, and this position
data is used immediately. The coordinates entered must be in the WGS-84 datum. The
Acutime™360 will automatically switch to the over-determined timing mode. Note that this
position is not automatically saved to flash memory. If you want to save this position, first set
the position, wait at least 2 seconds and then use packet 8E-A6 to save the position.
Note – When converting from degrees to radians use the following value for PI:
3.1415926535898
Single precision data format

0-3 Latitude Single Radians, north
4-7 Longitude Single Radians, east
8-11 Altitude Single Meters
Double precision data format

0-7 Latitude Double Radians, north
8-15 Longitude Double Radians, east
16-23 Altitude Double Meters
Command Packet 0x35: Set or Request I/O Options
This packet requests the current I/O option states and allows the I/O option states to be set as
desired.
To request the option states without changing them, the user sends this packet with no data
bytes. To change any option states, the user includes 4 data bytes with the values. The I/O
options, their default states, and the byte values for all possible states are shown below. These
options can be set into non-volatile memory (flash ROM) with the 0x8E-26 command. The
Acutime™360 returns packet 0x55.
These abbreviations apply to the following table:

ALT (Altitude)
ECEF (Earth-centered, Earth-fixed) XYZ (Cartesian coordinates)
LLA (latitude, longitude, altitude)
HAE (height above ellipsoid)
WGS-84 (Earth model (ellipsoid))
MSL geoid (Earth (mean sea level) mode) UTC (coordinated universal time)

Byte Data Type Bit Value Meaning Associated Packet
0 Packet ID 0x35
1 Position 0 0 ECEF off 0x42 or 0x83
1 ECEF on
1 0 LLA off 0x4A or 0x84
1 LLA on
2 0 HAE (datum) 0x4A or 0x84
1 MSL geoid (Note 1)
3 0 reserved
4 0 single-precision position 0x42 / 4A 0x83 / 84
1 double-precision position
5-7 reserved
2 velocity 0 0 ECEF off 0x43
1 ECEF on
1 0 ENU off 0x56
1 ENU on
2-7 reserved
3 timing 0 0 Reserved 0x42, 0x43, 0x4A, 0x83,
1 Now use 0x8E-A2 0x84, 0x56,
4 Reserved 0-7 reserved
Note – When using the MSL altitude output, the current datum must be set to WGS-84.
Command Packet 0x37: Request Status and Values of Last Position
This packet requests information regarding the last position fix (normally used when the GNSS
receiver is not automatically outputting fixes). The Acutime™360 returns the position/velocity
auto packets specified in the 0x35 message as well as message 0x57. This packet contains no
data.
Command Packet 0x38: Request/Load Satellite System Data
This packet is used for A-GPS (GPS only). This packet requests current satellite data (almanac,
ephemeris, and so on) or permits loading initialization data from an external source (for
example, by extracting initialization data from an operating GNSS receiver unit through a data
logger or computer and then using that data to initialize a second GNSS receiver unit). The
Acutime™360 returns packet 0x58.
Note – The Acutime™360 can initialize itself without any data from the user; it merely requires
more time.

To request data without loading data, use only bytes 0 through 2; to load data, use all bytes.
Before loading data, observe the caution notice below. The data formats are located in Report
Packet 0x58.

0 Packet ID U8 0x38
1 Operation U8 1 Request data from GPS receiver
2 Load data into GPS receiver
2 Type of data U8 2 Almanac
3 Health page, T_oa, WN_oa
4 Ionosphere
5 UTC
6 Ephemeris
3 Sat PRN# U8 02 Data that is not satellite - ID specific
1-32 Satellite PRN number
4 Length (n) U8 Number of bytes of data to be loaded
5 to n+3 Data U8 Satellite data
WARNING – Loading all satellite data at once sends a lot of bytes to the unit, which could
overwhelm the unit’s serial receive buffer. Always wait for the acknowledge packet before
sending the next data block.
Command Packet 0x39: Satellite Attribute Database Command
Normally, the GNSS receiver selects only healthy satellites (based on transmitted values in the
ephemeris and almanac) that satisfy all mask values for use in the position solution. This
packet allows you to override the internal logic and force the receiver to either
unconditionally disable a particular satellite or to ignore a bad health flag. The GNSS receiver
returns packet 0x59 for operation modes 3 and 6 only.
Byte Item Type Value Description

0 Operation BYTE 1 Enable for selection (default)
2 Disable for selection
3 Request enable or disable status on byte 1 selection
4 Heed health on satellite
5 Ignore health on satellite
6 Request heed or ignore health on byte 1 selection
1 SV Type BYTE 0 All SVs
1 GPS
2 GLONASS

3 BeiDou
4 Galileo
5 QZSS
6 SBAS
2 SVID BYTE If byte 1 value:
0 then 0 All SVs
1 then 1-32 GPS
2 then 65-96 GLONASS
3 then 201-237 BeiDou
4 then 97-133 Galileo
5 then 193-195 QZSS
6 then 33-54 SBAS
NOTE: Send a WARM start command (0x1E 0x0E) after setting new values.
Command Packet 0x3A: Request last raw Measurement
This packet requests the most recent raw measurement data for one specified satellite. The
Acutime™360 returns packet 0x5A if data is available.

0 Packet ID UINT8 0x3A
1 Satellite PRN UINT8 0 All SVs in current tracking list
Convert values 1-32 GPS
to Hexadecimal 65-96 GLONASS
97-133 Galileo
183,192,193,200 QZSS
201-237 BeiDou

Command Packet 0x3B: Satellite Ephemeris Status Request (for GPS only)
This packet requests the current status of satellite ephemeris data. The Acutime™360 returns
packet 0x5B, if data is available.

1 Satellite # BYTE 0 All satellites for which ephemeris data is available
1-32 Required satellite
Command Packet 0x3C: Request Current Satellite Tracking Status
This packet requests the current satellite tracking status. The GNSS receiver returns packet
0x5D if data is available.
0 Packet ID UINT8 0x3C
1 Satellite PRN UINT8 0 All SVs in current tracking list
Convert values 1-32 GPS
to Hexadecimal 65-96 GLONASS
97-133 Galileo
193,194,195 QZSS
201-237 BeiDou
Command Packet 0x7A: Set or Request NMEA Interval and Message Mask
The NMEA message determines whether or not a given NMEA message will be output. If the bit
for a message is set, the message will be sent every "interval" seconds. To determine the NMEA
interval and message mask, use the values shown below. While fixes are being generated the
output order is: ZDA, GGA, GLL, VTG, GSA, GSV, RMC.
Byte Bit Item Type Value Meaning

0 Packet ID U8 0x7A
1 Subcode U8 0
2 Interval U8 1-225 Fix interval in seconds
3 Reserved U8 0
4 Reserved U8 0
5 0 RMC Bit 0 Off
1 On
1-7 Reserved Bit 0
6 0 GGA Bit 0 Off
1 On
1 GGL Bit 0 Off

1 On
2 VTG Bit 0 Off
1 On
3 GSV Bit 0 Off
1 On
4 GSA Bit 0 Off
1 On
5 ZDA Bit 0 Off
1 On
6-7 Reserved Bit 0
Report Packet 0x31: Accurate Initial Position (XYZ Cartesian ECEF)
This packet is sent in response to command packet 0x31. The packet indicates if the receiver
accepted the accurate initial position.

0 Status U8 0 Position accepted
1 Position not accepted
1 Reserved U8 0 Reserved
Report Packet 0x32: Accurate Initial Position (Latitude, Longitude, Altitude)
This packet is sent in response to command packet 0x32. The packet indicates if the receiver
accepted the accurate initial position.

0 Status U8 0 Position accepted
1 Position not accepted

Report Packet 0x41: GPS Time Report
Legacy packet, use 0x8F-AB or 0x8F-AC instead.

This packet provides the current GNSS time of week and the week number. The GNSS receiver
sends this packet in response to packet 0x21.

0-3 GNSS time of week Single Seconds
4-5 GNSS week number Integer Weeks
6-9 UTC offset Single seconds
Report Packet 0x42: Single-precision Position Fix
This packet provides current GNSS position fix in XYZ ECEF coordinates. If the I/O "position"
option is set to "XYZ ECEF" and the I/O "Precision-of-Position output" is set to single-precision,
then the GNSS receiver sends this packet each time a fix is computed and at start-up. The data
format is shown below.
Byte Item Type Value/Units

0 Packet ID U8 0x42
1-4 X Single meters
5-8 Y Single meters
9-12 Z Single meters
13-16 Time of fix Single seconds
The time-of-fix is in GNSS time or UTC as selected by the I/O "timing" option in command
packet 0x35. Packet 0x83 provides a double-precision version of this information.
Report Packet 0x43 Velocity Fix, XYZ ECEF
This packet provides current GNSS velocity fix in XYZ ECEF coordinates. If the I/O "velocity"
option (packet 0x35) is set to "XYZ ECEF", then the GNSS receiver sends this packet each time a
fix is computed or in response to packet 0x37. The data format is shown below. The time-of-fix
is in GPS, GLONASS or UTC as selected by the I/O "timing" option.

0 Packet ID U8 0x43
1-4 X velocity Single meters/second
5-8 Y velocity Single meters/second
9-12 Z velocity Single meters/second
13-16 bias rate Single meters/second
17-20 time-of-fix Single Seconds

Report Packet 0x45: Software Version Information
This packet provides information about the version of software in the Acutime™360. The GNSS
receiver sends this packet after power-on and in response to packet 0x1F.

1 Application UNIT8 Major version number of application
2 Layer of the UNIT8 Minor version number of application
3 firmware UNIT8 Month
4 UNIT8 Day
5 UNIT8 Year number minus 2000
6 GNSS Core UNIT8 Major revision number of GNSS core
7 Layer of the UNIT8 Minor revision number of GNSS core
8 firmware UNIT8 Month
9 UNIT8 Day
10 UNIT8 Year number minus 2000
Note – Bytes 0 through 4 are part of the application layer of the firmware, while bytes 5 through
9 are part of the GNSS core layer of the firmware.
Report Packet 0x46: Health of Receiver Report
This packet provides information about the satellite tracking status and the operational health
of the receiver. The receiver sends this packet after power-on or software-initiated resets, in
response to packet 0x26, during an update cycle, when a new satellite selection is attempted,
and when the receiver detects a change in its health. Packet 0x4B is always sent with this
packet. The data format is shown below:

0 Status code Byte 00 hex Doing position fixes
01 hex Do not have GPS time yet
03 hex PDOP is too high
08 hex No usable satellites
09 hex Only 1 usable satellite
0A hex Only 2 usable satellites
0B hex Only 3 usable satellites
0C hex The chosen satellite is unusable
BB hex Have GPS time fix (OD mode)
1 Error codes Byte See Report Packet 0x46

The error codes in Byte 1 of packet 0x46 are encoded into individual bits within the byte. The
bit positions and their meanings are shown below:
Error code bit position Meaning if bit value = 1

0 (LSB) Unused, always returned as ‘1’
1 Unused
2 Unused
3 Unused
4 Antenna feed line fault (open or short)
5 Antenna is shorted
6 Unused
7 (MSB) unused
Report Packet 0x47: Signal Level for All Satellites Tracked
This packet provides received signal levels for all satellites currently being tracked or on which
tracking is being attempted (i.e., above the elevation mask and healthy according to the
almanac). The receiver sends this packet only in response to packet 0x27. The data format is
shown below. Up to 14 satellite number/signal level pairs may be sent, indicated by the count
field. Signal level is normally positive. If it is zero then that satellite has not yet been acquired.
The absolute value of signal level field is the last known signal level of that satellite.
Byte Item Type

0 Packet ID U8
1 count U8
2 satellite number 1 U8
3-6 signal level 1 Single
7 satellite number 2 U8
8-11 signal level 2 Single
(etc.) (etc.) (etc.)
Note – The signal level provided in this packet is a linear measure of the signal strength after
correlation or de-spreading. Units are in dB-Hz.

Report Packet 0x4A: Single Precision LLA Position Fix
The packet provides current GNSS position fix in LLA (latitude, longitude, and altitude)
coordinates. If the I/O position option is set to "LLA" and the I/O precision of position output is
set to single precision, then the receiver sends this packet each time a fix is computed. The data
format is shown below:

0-3 latitude Single radians: + for north, - for south
4-7 longitude Single radians: + for east, - for west
8-11 altitude Single meters
12-15 clock Bias Single meters (always relative to GPS)
16-19 time of fix Single seconds
The LLA conversion is done according to the datum selected; the default is WGS-84. Altitude is
referred to the datum or the MSL Geoid, depending on which I/O LLA altitude option is selected
with packet 0x35. The time of fix is in GPS, GLONASS time or UTC, depending on which I/O
timing option is selected.
CAUTION – When converting from radians to degrees, significant and readily visible errors will
be introduced by use of an insufficiently precise approximation for the constant π (pi). The
value of a constant π as specified in ICDGPS-200 is 3.1415926535898.
CAUTION – The MSL option is only valid with the WGS-84 datum. Do not use other datums.

Report Packet 0x4B: Machine/Code ID and Additional Status Report
The Acutime™360 transmits this packet in response to packet 0x26 and following a change in
state. This packet identifies the receiver and may present error messages. Packet 0x46 is always
sent with this packet. The machine ID can be used by equipment communicating with the
receiver to determine the type of receiver to which the equipment is connected. Then the
interpretation and use of packets can be adjusted accordingly.
Byte Item Type Meaning

0 Machine ID BYTE 32
1 Status 1 BYTE See below for the Status 1 codes
2 Status 2 BYTE Superpackets are supported
The status codes are encoded into individual bits within the bytes:
Status 1 Bit Position Meaning if bit value = 1

0 (LSB) Not used
1 Not used
2 Not used
3 The Almanac stored in the receiver is not complete & current
4-7 Not used
Report Packet 0x4F: UTC Parameters Report
This packet is sent in response to command packet 0x2F and contains 26 bytes. It reports the
UTC information broadcast by the GPS system. For details on the meanings of the following
parameters, consult ICD-200, Sections 20.3.3.5.2.4, 20.3.3.5.1.8, and Table 20-IX.
On the simplest level, to get UTC time from GPS time, subtract ΔTLS seconds. The other
information contained in this packet indicates when the next leap second is scheduled to occur.
Byte Value Type

0-7 A0 Double
8-11 A1 Single
12-13 ΔTLS Integer
14-17 TOT Single
18-19 WNT Integer
20-21 WNLSF Integer
22-23 DN Integer
24-25 ΔTLSF Integer

Report Packet 0x54: Bias and Bias Rate Report
The receiver sends this packet to provide the computed clock-only solution when the receiver is
in the manual or automatic Over-determined Clock Mode or Time Only (1-SV) Mode.
0-3 Bias Single Meters
4-7 Bias rate Single Meters/second
8-11 Time of fix Single seconds
The bias is the offset of the receiver internal time clock from GPS time. Bias is expressed as
meters of apparent range from the satellites, and corrects the 1 PPS output. Bias rate is the
frequency error of the receiver internal oscillator. It is expressed as apparent range rate. Time-
of-fix is in GPS or UTC time as selected by the I/O “timing” option in packet 0x35.
CAUTION – For accurate interpretation of the propagation delay, the precise constant for the
speed of light must be used. The ICD-200 value for the speed of light is 299,792,458 m/s.
Report Packet 0x55 I/O Options
This packet provides the current I/O option states in response to packet 0x35 request. The data
format is the same as for packet.
Report Packet 0x56: Velocity Fix, East-North-Up (ENU)
If East-North-Up (ENU) coordinates have been selected for the I/O "velocity" option, the
receiver sends this packet under the following conditions:
• Each time that a fix is computed

• In response to packet 0x37 (last known fix) The data format is shown below.

0 Packet ID U8 0x56
1-4 East Velocity Single m/s; + for east, - for west
5-8 North Velocity Single m/s; + for north, - for south
9-12 up velocity Single m/s; + for up, - for down
13-16 clock bias rate Single m/s
17-20 time-of-fix Single seconds
Note – The time-of-fix is in GPS or UTC time as selected by the I/O "timing" option.

Report Packet 0x57: Information about Last Computed Fix
This packet provides information concerning the time and origin of the previous position fix.
The receiver sends this packet, among others, in response to packet 0x37. The data format is
shown below.

0 Packet ID U8 0x57
1 source of info U8 0 Old fix
1 New fix
2 Tracking mode U8 0 No previous fix
1 Time only -SV
2 Not used
3 2D
4 3D
5 over-determined clock
6 Not used
3-6 time of last fix Single seconds GPS time
7-8 week of last fix U16 weeks
Report Packet 0x58: Satellite System Data/Acknowledge from Receiver
This packet provides GPS data (almanac, ephemeris, and so on). The receiver sends this packet
in response to Packet 0x38 (acknowledging the loading of data). The data format is shown
below.
Data Format
Byte Item Type Value Definition

0 Packet ID U8 0x58
1 Operation U8 2 Data out
3 No data on SV
2 Type of data U8 1 Not used
2 Almanac
3 Health page, T_oa, WN_oa
4 Ionosphere
5 UTC
6 GPS Ephemeris
3 Sat PRN # U8 0 Data that is not satellite ID-specific
1 to 32 Satellite PRN number

Byte Item Type Value Definition
4 Length (n) U8 Byte count
5 to n+4 Data nBytes
Almanac parameters
Byte Item Type Definition / ICD-GPS-200

5 t_oa_raw U8 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
6 SV_HEALTH U8 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
7-10 e Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
11-14 t_oa Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
15-18 i_o Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
19-22 OMEGADOT Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
23-26 sqrt_A Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
27-30 OMEGA_0 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
31-34 OMEGA Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
35-38 M_0 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
39-42 a_f0 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
43-46 a_f1 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
47-50 Axis Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
51-54 n Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
55-58 OMEGA_n Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
59-62 ODOT_n Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
63-66 t_zs U16 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2, see Note 2.
67-68 weeknum U16 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
69-70 WN_oa U16 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.2
Note – All angles are in radians. If data is not available, t_zc is set to -1.0.
Satellite health

5 week number for health U8 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.3
6-37 SV health U8 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.3
38 t_oa for health U8 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.3
39 current t_oa U8 units = seconds/2048
40-41 current week # U16

Ionosphere parameters

5-12 not used
13-16 α0 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.9
17-20 α1 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.9
21-24 α2 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.9
25-28 α3 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.9
29-32 β0 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.9
33-36 β1 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.9
37-40 β2 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.9
41-44 β3 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.9
UTC parameters

5-17 not used
18-25 A0 Double Sec 20.3.3.5.1.8
26-29 A1 Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.8
ΔtLS S16 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.8

30-31 tot Single Sec 20.3.3.5.1.8
32-35 WNt U16 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.8
36-37 WNLSF U16 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.8
38-39 DN U16 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.8
40-41 ΔtLSf S16 Sec 20.3.3.5.1.8
Ephemeris data

5 SV number U8 SV PRN number
6-9 t_ephem Single time of collection (note, if data is missing or
invalid, t_ephem will be negative)
10-11 week number U16 GPS week number 0 thru 1023
12 codeL2 Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
13 L2Pdata Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
14 SV accuracy raw U8 Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
15 SV health U8 Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
16-17 IODC U16 Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I

18-21 tGD Single Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
22-25 toc Single Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
26-29 af2 Single Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
30-33 af1 Single Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
34-37 afo Single Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
38-41 SV accuracy Single Sec 20.3.3.3, Table 20-I
42 IODE U8 Sec 20.3.3.4
43 fit_interval U8 Sec 20.3.3.4
44-47 Crs Single Sec 20.3.3.4
48-51 Δn Single Sec 20.3.3.4
52-59 M0 Double Sec 20.3.3.4
60-63 Cuc Single Sec 20.3.3.4, radians
64-71 e Double Sec 20.3.3.4
72-75 CUS Single Sec 20.3.3.4, radians
76-83 sqrt(A) Double Sec 20.3.3.4
84-87 toe Single Sec 20.3.3.4
88-91 Cic Single Sec 20.3.3.4
92-99 OMEGA_0 Double Sec 20.3.3.4
100-103 Cis Single Sec 20.3.3.4
104-111 io Double Sec 20.3.3.4
112-115 Crc Single Sec 20.3.3.4
116-123 OMEGA Double Sec 20.3.3.4
124-127 OMEGADOT Single Sec 20.3.3.4
128-131 IDOT Single Sec 20.3.3.4
132-139 Axis Double = (sqrt_A)2
140-147 n Double derived from delta_n
148-155 r1me2 Double = sqrt (1.0-e2)
156-163 OMEGA_n Double derived from OMEGA_0, OMEGADOT
163-171 ODOT_n Double derived from OMEGADOT

Report Packet 0x59: Satellite Attributes Database Report
This packet is returned in response to packet 0x39 if operation mode 3 or 6 is used with
packet 0x39.
Normally the GNSS receiver selects only healthy satellites (based on transmitted values in the
ephemeris and almanac) that satisfy all mask values, for use in the position solution.
Packet 0x59 indicates whether or not each satellite is allowed to be selected for use in the
position solution, and whether each satellite’s health is to be heeded or ignored.
Note – When viewing the satellite disabled list, the satellites are not numbered but are in
numerical order. The disabled satellites are signified by a 1 and enabled satellites are signified
by a 0.

0 Operation BYTE 3 Request enable or disable status on byte 1 selection
6 Request heed or ignore health on byte 1 selection
1 SV Type BYTE 1 then 1-32 GPS
2 then 65-96 GLONASS
3 then 201-237 BeiDou
4 then 97-133 Galileo
5 then 193-195 QZSS
6 then 33-54 SBAS
1 byte per SV (depends
2~38 SVID BYTE
on byte 0 value)
0 Enable SV selection or head SV health
1 Disable SV selection or ignore SV health
Report Packet 0x5A: Raw Data Measurement Data
Packet 0x5A provides raw GNSS measurement data. If the packet 0x35 auxiliary option byte bit
1 is set, this packet is sent automatically as measurements are taken.

0 Packet ID U8 0x5A
1 SV PRN number Single
2-5 Sample length single milliseconds
6-9 Signal level single dB-Hz
10-13 Code phase single 1/16th chip
14-17 Doppler single Hertz @ L1
18-25 time of measurement double seconds
Note – The sample length is the number of milliseconds over which the sample was averaged.

Note – The code phase value is the average delay over the sample interval of the received C/A
code, and is measured with respect to the receiver's millisecond timing reference.
Signal level
The Signal Level (byte 6) is a linear approximation of C/N0 which is stated in antenna amplitude
measurement units (AMUs), a Trimble devised unit.
The C/N0 is affected by five basic parameters:
• signal strength from the GPS satellite

• receiver/antenna gain
• pre-amplifier noise figure
• receiver noise bandwidth
• accumulator sample rate and statistics
Codephase
The codephase (byte 10) value is the average delay over the sample interval of the received C/A
code and is measured with respect to the receiver's millisecond timing reference. Thus, it
includes all receiver, satellite, and propagation biases and errors. It is expressed in 1/16th of a
C/A code chip.
Doppler
The Doppler (byte 14) value is apparent carrier frequency offset averaged over the sample
interval. It is measured with respect to the nominal GPS L1 frequency of 1575.42 MHz,
referenced to the receiver's internal oscillator. Thus, it includes all receiver and satellite clock
frequency errors. It is expressed in Hertz at the L1 carrier.
Time of measurement
The time of measurement (Byte 18) is the center of the sample interval adjusted by adding the
receiver-supplied codephase (modulo mS) to a user-determined integer number of mS between
receiver and satellite.
The receiver codephase resolution is 1/16th of a C/A code chip. This corresponds to:
1/16 × C/A code chip ≈ 977.517ns/16 ≈ 61.0948 ns
≈ 61.0948 × speed of light, m/s
≈ 18.3158 meters
The integer millisecond portion of the pseudo-range must then be derived by utilizing the
approximate receiver and satellite positions. Rough receiver position (within a few hundred

kilometers) must be known; the satellite position can be found in its almanac/ephemeris data.
Each mS integer corresponds to:
C/A code epoch × speed of light = 1 ms × speed of light m/s
≈ 300 km (approximate)
≈ 299.792458 km (precise)
The satellite time-of-transmission for a measurement can be reconstructed using the code
phase, the time of measurement, and the user-determined integer number of milliseconds.
Report Packet 0x5B: Satellite Ephemeris Status Report (GPS only)
This packet is sent in response to packet 0x3B and optionally, when a new ephemeris (based on
IODE) is received. It contains information on the status of the ephemeris in the receiver for a
given satellite.

0 Packet ID U8 0x5B
1 Satellite PRN number Byte
2-5 Time of Collection Single seconds
6 Health Byte
7 IODE Byte
8-11 toe Single seconds
12 Fit Interval Flag Byte
13-16 SV Accuracy (URA) Single meters
The satellite PRN number is in the range 1–32. Time of Collection is the GPS time when this
ephemeris data was collected from the satellite. Health is the 6-bit ephemeris health. IODE, toe,
and Fit Interval Flag are as described in ICD-GPS-200. SV Accuracy (URA) is converted to meters
from the 4-bit code as described in ICD-GPS-200.
Report Packet 0x5D: Satellite Tracking Status
The receiver sends this packet in response to command packet 0x3C.

0 Packet ID U8 0x5D
1 SV PRN number U8
2 channel number UINT8 Channel number minus1
3 acquisition flag UNIT8 0 never acquired
1 acquired
2 re-opened search

4 SV used in Position or UNIT8 0 Not used
Time calculation 1 Used
5-8 signal level SINGLE dB-Hz

9-12 time of last SINGLE seconds GPS TOW
measurement
13-16 elevation angle SINGLE radians
17-20 azimuth angle SINGLE radians
21 old measurement flag U8 0 Flag not set
>0 measurement is old
22 integer msec flag UINT8 0 Don’t know msec
1 Known from subframe
2 Verified by bit crossing
3 verified by good fix
4 Suspect msec error
23 bad data flag UINT8 0 Flag not set
1 Bad parity
2 Bad ephemeris health
24 data collection flag UINT8 0 Flag not set

>0 Collection in progress
25 Used flags Bit field Bit 0 Satellite used in timing fix
Bit 1 Satellite used in position fix
Bit 2-7 reserved
26 SV Type UINT8 0 GPS

1 GLONASS
2 BeiDou
3 Galileo
4 Reserved
5 QZSS
6 Reserved
7 Reserved

Report Packet 0x6C: All-in-View Satellite Selection
This packet provides a list of satellites used for position or time only fixes by the GNSS receiver.
The packet also provides the PDOP, HDOP, and VDOP of that set and provides the current mode
(automatic or manual, 3-D or 2-D, over-determined, clock, etc.). This packet has variable length
equal to 17+nsvs where "nsvs" is the number of satellites used in the solution.
The GNSS receiver sends this packet in response to packet 0x24 when the selection list is
updated. If enabled with packet 8E-A5, the receiver will send this packet whenever the
selection is updated. The data format is shown below.

0 Packet ID U8 0x6C
1 0-2 fix dimension bit field 3 2D fix
4 3D fix
5 OD clock fix
3 fix mode bit field 0 auto
1 manual
2-5 PDOP Single PDOP
6-9 HDOP Single HDOP
10-13 VDOP Single VDOP
14-17 TDOP Single TDOP
18 No. of SV in fix U8 Count
19-n SV PRN U8 1-224 PRN
Report Packet 0x7B: Set NMEA Message Output
This packet is sent in response to command packet 7A and has the same data format as packet
7A.
Report Packet 0x83: Double Precision XYZ
This packet provides current GNSS position fix in XYZ ECEF coordinates. If the I/O "position"
option is set to "XYZ ECEF" and the I/O double position option is selected, the receiver sends
this packet each time a fix is computed. The data format is shown below.

0 Packet ID 0x83
1-8 X Double meters
9-16 Y Double meters
17-24 Z Double meters

25-32 clock bias Double meters
Note – The time-of-fix is in GPS, GLONASS time or UTC, as selected by the I/O "timing" option.
Packet 0x42 provides a single-precision version of this information.
Report Packet 0x84: Double Precision LLA Position Fix and Bias Information
This packet provides current GNSS position fix in LLA coordinates. If the I/O "position" option is
set to "LLA" and the double position option is selected (see packet 0x35), the receiver sends this
packet each time a fix is computed.

0 Packet ID U8 0x84
1-8 latitude Double radians; + for north, - for south
9-16 longitude Double radians; + for east, - for west
17-24 altitude Double meters
25-32 clock bias Double meters
Note – The time-of-fix is in GPS, GLONASS time or UTC time as selected by the I/O "timing"
option.
CAUTION – When converting from radians to degrees, significant and readily visible errors will
be introduced by use of an insufficiently precise approximation for the constant p (PI). The
value of the constant PI as specified in ICDGPS-200 is 3.1415926535898.

Command Packet 0xBB: Set Receiver Configuration
In query mode, packet 0xBB is sent with a single data byte and returns report packet 0xBB in
the format shown below:
Data Format (Query Only)
Byte Item Type Value Meaning Default

0 Packet ID U8 0xBB
1 Subpacket ID U8 0x00 Query mode
TSIP packet 0xBB is used to set GNSS Processing options. The table below lists the individual
fields within the 0xBB packet.
Report Packet 0xBB Data Format

0 Packet ID U8 0xBB
1 Subpacket ID U8 0x00 Receiver configuration block
2 Receiver mode U8 0 Automatic #0
1 Time only (1SV)
3 Horizontal (2D)
4 Full Position (3D)
5 Reserved
6 Reserved
7 Over Determined Clock
3 reserved U8 N/A
4 reserved U8 N/A
5 reserved U8 N/A
6-9 Elevation Mask Single 0-π/2 Lowest satellite elevation for fixes 0 degrees
(radians).
only whenThe
theelevation
receiver ismask is usedin
operating
the Over Determined Clock mode.
10-13 AMU Mask Single 0-55 Min. signal level for fixes. Used when 4.0
receiver is operating in OD mode.
14-17 PDOP Mask Single Maximum PDOP for fixes 6
18-21 PDOP Switch Single Unused, value ignored
22 reserved U8 N/A
23 Anti-jamming U8 0 Disabled
mode 1 Enabled 1
24-25 reserved U8 N/A

26 Measurement U8 0 1 Hertz 1Hz
rate
27 Position Fix rate U8 0 1 Hertz 1Hz
28 Constellation Bit 0 GPS See note
1 GLONASS
2 Reserved
3 BeiDou
4 Galileo
5 QZSS
6 Reserved
7 Reserved
29-40 reserved U8 N/A
Note – Byte 27 is used for constellation setting. For GPS only mode 1st bit position is set to 1
(0001), for GLONASS only mode 2nd bit position is set to 1 (eg. 0010) and for GPS & GLONASS
mode both 1st and 2nd bits are set to 1 (0011).
Note: The only limitation on satellite selection is that both GLONASS and BeiDou cannot be
enabled at the same time. If they are both enabled then the unit will disable BeiDou and use
GLONASS only
CAUTION – The operation of the Acutime™360 can be affected adversely if incorrect data is
entered in the fields associated with packet 0xBB. Know what you are doing.
Note – When sending packet 0xBB, fields that are specified as "do not alter" or if you do not
want to alter a specific field, send a value of 0xFF for U8 types and a value of - 1.0 for floating
point types. The Acutime™360 will ignore these values.
Command Packet 0xBC: Set Port Configuration
TSIP packet 0xBC is used to set and query the port characteristics. In query mode, packet 0xBC
is sent with a single data byte and returns report packet 0xBC:
Note – The input and output baud rates must be the same.

0 Packet ID U8 0xBC
1 Port Number U8 0 Port A (standard)
1 Port B
FF Current Port

Field data format
The table below lists the individual fields within the packet 0xBC when used in the set mode
and when read in the query mode:

0 Packet ID U8 0xBC
1 Port to Change U8 0 Port A (standard)
1 Port B
0xFF Current port
2 Input Baud Rate U8 6 4800 bps
7 9600 bps
8 19200 bps
9 38400 bps
10 57600 bps
11 115200 bps
3 Output Baud Rate U8 As above As above
4 # Data Bits U8 2 7 bits
3 8 bits
5 Parity U8 0 None
1 Odd
2 Even
6 # Stop Bits U8 0 1 bit
1 2 bits
7 Flow Control U8 0 none
8 Input Protocols U8 2 TSIP
4 NMEA
9 Output Protocols U8 2 TSIP
4 NMEA
10 Reserved U8 0

TSIP Superpackets
Several packets have been added to the core TSIP protocol to provide additional capability for
the receivers. In packets 0x8E and their 0x8F responses, the first data byte is a subcode which
indicates the superpacket type. For example, in packet 0x8E-A6, A6 is the subcode that
indicates the superpacket type. Therefore the ID code for these packets is 2 bytes long followed
by the data.
Command packet 0x8E-02 Request UTC Information
This packet allows the user to query UTC Information. The module responds to a query with
packet 0x8F-02
0 Packet ID UINT8 8E
1 Subpacket ID UINT8 02
2 Type of data UINT8 01 GPS
02 BeiDou
03 Galileo
Command Packet 0x8E-0B: Request or Configure Superpacket Output
The 0x8E-0B packet is identical in function to the 0x8E-AD packet. If the 0x8E-0B byte sequence
is sent with no data, the receiver will return a 0x8F-0B packet on Port B. The time reported by
the 0x8F-0B packet on Port B is always the beginning of the current second.
Command Packet 0x8E-20: Request Last Fix with Extra Information
This packet requests packet 0x8F-20 or marks it for automatic output. If only the first byte (20)
is sent, a 0x8F-20 report containing the last available fix will be sent immediately. If two bytes
are sent, the packet is marked / unmarked for auto report according to the value of the second
byte.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8E
1 Sub-packet ID BYTE 0x20
2 Mark for Auto- BYTE 0 = do not auto-report
report 1 = auto-report
Note – Auto-report requires that Superpacket output is enabled. See Command Packet 0x35: I/O
Option Flags Command. This packet must also be enabled with packet 0x8E-A5.

Command Packet 0x8E-26: Write Receiver Configuration to Non-volatile Memory (Flash)
This command packet causes the current configuration settings to be written to non- volatile
storage. This packet contains only a single byte: the sub-packet ID. Upon receiving the
command, the receiver will write the configuration and send a report packet 0x8F-26 when the
operation is completed. It typically takes about 1 second to write the user configuration.
CAUTION – If the user application needs to power down the receiver after issuing this
command, it must wait until 0x8F-26 report packet is received.
Command Packet 0x8E-41: Request Manufacturing Parameters
This packet is used to request the manufacturing parameters stored in nonvolatile memory.
Send this packet with no data bytes (don't forget the subcode) to request packet 0x8F-41.
Command Packet 0x8E-42: Stored Production Parameters
This packet is used to request the production parameters stored in nonvolatile memory. Send
this packet with no data bytes (don't forget the subcode) to request packet 0x8F-42.
Command Packet 0x8E-4A: Set PPS Characteristics
This packet allows the user to query (by sending the packet with no data bytes) or set the
Acutime™360 PPS characteristics. The Acutime™360 responds to a query or set command with
packet 8F-4A.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8E
1 Subcode U8 0x4A Always
2 PPS driver switch U8 0 off
1 on
3 Reserved U8 Reserved
4 PPS polarity U8 0 positive
1 negative
5-12 PPS offset or cable delay Double seconds
13-16 Reserved Reserved
Note – Negative offset values advance the PPS, and are normally used to compensate for cable
delay.

Command Packet 0x8E-4D: Automatic Packet Output Mask
This packet is used to disable automatic output of packets on Port B.
• To request the current mask, send this packet with no data bytes except the subcode
byte. The receiver returns packet 0x8F-4D.
• To set the automatic packet output mask , send this packet with 4 data bytes. This mask
only disables automatic packet output. Packets generated in response to TSIP set or
query commands will always be output by the receiver.
Bit Output Default When output Meaning

packet A2K
0 (LSB) 0x40 0 After Decode Almanac data collected from satellite.
1 0x58, 0x5B 0 After Decode Ephemeris data collected from satellite.
2 0x4F 0 After Decode UTC data collected from satellite.
23 0x58 0 After Decode Ionospheric data collected from satellite.
4 0x48 0 After Decode GPS Message.
5 0x49 0 After Decode Almanac health page collected from satellite.
6 Reserved 1 Reserved
8 0x41 1 New Fix Partial and full fix complete and packet output
timer has expired.
11 6D, 46, 4B, 1 Constellation New satellite selection
12-29 82
Reserved 1 Change, New Fix Reserved
30 42, 43, 4A, 1 New Fix Update Kinetic and Timing information. Output must be
54, 56, 83, enabled using I/O options
84, 8F-20
31 5A 1 New Fix Raw Measurement Data Output must be
enabled using I/O options
Command Packet 0x8E-4E: Set PPS output option
This command packet sets the PPS driver switch to one of the values listed in Table A-52. The
current driver switch value can be requested by sending the packet with no data bytes except
the subcode byte. The response packet is 0x8F-4E.
Driver switch values 3 and 4 only make sense in Over-determined Timing mode. In any position
fix mode the effective choices are always on or during fixes which you get if you set the driver
switch to 3 or 4.

The Acutime™360 can also be configured to generate an Even Second pulse in place of the PPS
pulse by setting the value as shown in the table below.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8E
0 Subpacket ID U8 0x4E
1 PPS driver switch U8 2 PPS is always on. PPS is generated every second
3 PPS is output when at least one satellite is tracking.
PPS is generated every second
4 PPS is output when at least three satellites are
tracking. PPS is generated every second
130 PPS is always on. PPS is generated every even second
PPS is output when at least one satellite is tracking.
PPS is generated every even second
131 PPS is output when at least three satellites are

tracking
132 PPS is generated every even second
Command Packet 0x8E-4F: Set PPS Width
This command packet sets the PPS width to a value in the range of 10 milliseconds to 500
milliseconds. The receiver returns packet 0x8F-4F. The current PPS width can be requested by
sending this packet with no data bytes except the subpacket byte.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8E
1 Subcode U8 0x4F
2-9 PPS width U16 seconds
Command Packet 0x8E-A2: UTC/GNSS Timing
Command packet 8E-A2 sets the UTC/GNSS timing mode (time and date fields) in packet 0x8F-
AB, and the temporal location of the Acutime™360 output PPS. Send packet 8E-A2 with no data
to request the current settings. The Acutime™360 replies with response packet 8F-A2.
Byte Item Type Bit Value Description

0 Packet ID UINT8 0x8E
1 Subpacket ID UINT8 0xA2 Subpacket ID
2 Time Flag Bit 0 0 GPS time (Default)
Field 1 UTC or GNSS time
1 0 GPS PPS (Default)

1 UTC or GNSS PPS
2 - Reserved
3 - Reserved
4-5 0 UTC (USNO) time
1 GLONASS time
2 BeiDou time
3 Galileo time
6-7 0 UTC (USNO) PPS
1 GLONASS PPS
2 BeiDou PPS
3 Galileo PPS
Command Packet 0x8E-A5: Packet Broadcast Mask
Use command packet 8E-A5 to set the packet broadcast masks or to request the current mask
settings. The Acutime™360 replies to requests with response packet 8F-A5. The broadcast mask
is bitwise encoded to allow the user to turn on and off the broadcast of certain packets. For
those broadcast packets that have multiple format, the Acutime™360 will broadcast only one of
the formats. If more than one of the formats is masked on for broadcast, then the format with
the greatest precision of content masked on will be sent and the rest will not. For each bit in
the mask that is used, the coding is as follows:
0: Turn off broadcast of this packet
1: Turn on broadcast of this packet

0 Subpacket ID UINT8 0xA5 Subpacket ID
1-2 Mask 0 Bit Field 0 1 8F-20 on Port B
1 0 Reserved
2 0 Reserved
3 0 Reserved
4 0 Reserved
5 1 Enable auto TSIP outputs
0x8F-AB 6 0 0x8F-AB Primary timing packet output
0x8F-AC 7 0 0x8F-AC Supplemental timing packet output
0x8F-0B 8 0 Synchronous 0x8F-0B (1Hz) on Port A
0x8F-0B 9 1 Event output of 0x8F-0B on Port A
0x8F-0B 10 0 Event output of 0x8F-0B on Port B
0x8F-0B 11 0 Synchronous 0x8F-0B (1Hz) on Port B

0x8F-AD 12 1 Synchronous 0x8F-AD (1Hz) on Port A
0x8F-AD 13 1 Event output of 0x8F-AD on Port A
0x8F-AD 14 Event output of 0x8F-AD on Port B
0x8F-AD 15 Synchronous 0x8F-AD (1Hz) on Port B
3-4 Mask 2 Bit Field Reserved
Command Packet 0x8E-A6: Self-Survey Command
Use command packet 8E-A6 to issue a self-survey command, to save the current position in
flash or to delete the position saved in flash. The GNSS receiver returns report packet 0x8F-A6,
which indicates the result of the requested operation.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8E
1 Subpacket ID U8 0xA6
2 Self-survey command U8 0 Restart self-survey
1 Save position to Flash
2 Delete position from Flash

Command Packet 0x8E-A9: Self-Survey Parameters
Use command packet 8E-A9 to set the self-survey parameters or to request the current
settings. The Resolution SMT 360 replies to requests with response packet 8F-A9.
Data fields
 Self-Survey Enable: Use this field to enabled or disabled the self-survey mechanism.
0: Disable the self-survey mechanism
1: Enable the self-survey mechanism
 Position Save Flag: Use this field to tell the self-survey mechanism to automatically save
(or to not save) the self-surveyed position at the end of the self-survey procedure.
0: Don't automatically save the surveyed position when the self-survey is complete
1: Automatically save the surveyed position when the self-survey is complete.
 Self-Survey Length: Use this field to specify the number of position fixes that are to be
averaged together to form the self-surveyed position used for clock-only fixes.
Limits: 1 to (232 - 1) fixes
 Uncertainty threshold. An index from 1 to 100. The smaller the number the higher
degree of certainty of the self-survey fix will be used to fix the position of the unit for
OD mode. Depending on the constellation and position of the satellites a small index
number can lead to survey times of many hours as the unit may only qualify a small rate
of fixes to complete the designated survey length (default 2000).

0 Subcode UINT8 0xA9
1 Self-Survey Enable UINT8 0 Disabled
1 Enabled
2 Position Save Flag UINT8 0 Don't save position
1 Save self-surveyed position at the end of the
survey
3-6 Self-Survey Length UINT32 see above Number of fixes
7-10 Horizontal Uncertainty Float >0<=100 Horizontal position uncertainty. Default: 100
11-14 Vertical Uncertainty Float >0<=100 Vertical position uncertainty. Default: 100
Command Packet 0x8E-AB: Request Primary Timing Packet
Use this command packet to request the Primary Timing packet 0x8F-AB. By default, the
Acutime™360 automatically sends packet 0x8F-AB once per second so it is not necessary to

request it. To receive 0x8F-AB information by request only, use packet0x8E-A5 to disable the
automatic output.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8E
1 Subpacket ID U8 0xAB
2 Request Type U8 0 Send 0x8F-AB immediately
1 Send 0x8F-AB on-time next second
2 Send 0x8F-AB and 0x8F-AC on-time next second
The Request Type item determines how the Acutime™360 will reply to this command:
Type Description
0 The most current primary timing values will be sent in packet 0x8F-AB immediately
1 The response is not sent immediately. Instead packet 0x8F-AB is sent after the next PPS
output. This is the same time that the packet would be automatically sent if enabled
2 Same as type 1 except that both 0x8F-AB and 0x8F-AC are sent after the next PPS output
Command Packet 0x8E-AC: Request Supplemental Timing Packet
Use command packet 0x8E-AC to request the Supplemental Timing packet 0x8F-AC. By default,
the Acutime™360 automatically sends packet 0x8F-AC once per second so it is not necessary to
request it. To receive 0x8F-AC information by request only, use packet 0x8E-A5 to disable the
automatic output.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8E
1 Subpacket ID U8 0xAC
2 Request Type U8 0 Send 0x8F-AC immediately
1 Send 0x8F-AC on-time next second
2 Send 0x8F-AB and 0x8F-AC on-time next second
The Request Type item determines how the Acutime™360 will reply to this command:
Type Description
0 The most current primary timing values will be sent in packet 0x8F-AC immediately
1 The response is not sent immediately. Instead packet 0x8F-AC is sent after the next PPS
output. This is the same time that the packet would be automatically sent if enabled
2 Same as type 1 except that both 0x8F-AB and 0x8F-AC are sent after the next PPS output

Command Packet 0x8E-AD: Request or Configure Superpacket Output
If the 0x8E-AD byte sequence is sent with no data, the receiver generates an 0x8F-AD packet on
port B. The time reported by the 0x8F-AD packet on port B is always the beginning of the
current second.
Output of the 0x8F-AD Primary UTC timing packet on Port A is configured by sending a 3- byte
message 0x8E-AD n, where n ranges from 0 to 3, as defined below. The receiver returns the
0x8F-A5 Superpacket Output Mask.
Byte Item Type Value Default Meaning

0 Subcode Byte AD Required Superpacket ID
1 Flag Byte 0 3 Disable packet output on port A
1 Output packet on port A only at PPS
2 Output packet on port A only at event input
3 Output at both event input and PPS
Report packet 0x8F-02: UTC Information
This packet is sent in response to 0x8E-02.
Byte Item Type Value GPS BeiDou Galileo
0 Packet ID UINT8 8F
1 Subpacket ID UINT8 02
2 Constellation UINT8 1 2 3
3-10 A_0 Double
11-14 A_1 Single
21-22 WN_t UINT16 NA/0
23-24 WN_LSF UINT16 NA/0
25-26 DN UINT16
27-18 Delta_t_LSF SINT16
Report Packet 0x8F-0B: Comprehensive Time
The output of the packet is synchronized with the PPS. Report packet 0x8F-0B provides easy
identification of each timing pulse and contains all the information required for most timing
and synchronization applications. Output of this packet can be disabled and configured using
the 0x8E-A5 packet on Port B. If output of the 0x8F-AD packet is also enabled, the 0x8F-0B
packet will always be output after the 0x8F-AD packet.

0 Packet ID U8
1 Subpacket ID U8 Subcode 0x0B
2-3 Event Count INTEGER Zero for PPS.
4-11 UTC/GPS TOW DOUBLE UTC/GPS time of week (seconds)
12 Date BYTE Date of PPS or event
13 Month BYTE Month of PPS or event
14-15 Year INTEGER Year of PPS or event
16 Receiver Mode BYTE Receiver operating dimensions
0: Horizontal (2D)
1: Full Position (3D)
2: Single Satellite (OD)
3: Automatic (2D/3D)
4: N/A
5: Clock hold (2D)
6: OD clock mode (default)
17-18 UTC Offset INTEGER UTC offset value (seconds)
19-26 Reserved DOUBLE Reserved
27-34 Reserved DOUBLE Reserved
35-38 Reserved SINGLE Reserved
39-42 Reserved SINGLE Reserved
43-50 Latitude DOUBLE Latitude in radians
51-58 Longitude DOUBLE Longitude in radians
59-66 Altitude DOUBLE Altitude according to current datum, meters
67-74 Satellite ID 8 BYTES Identification numbers of tracking and usable
satellites
Bytes 67 through 74 identify the tracking and usable satellites. A tracked satellite is
distinguished from a usable satellite by a negative sign (−) appended to its PRN number.
In this Superpacket, time is referenced to UTC to correspond to the default PPS timebase. To
configure the receiver to output time relative to GPS, the PPS must be characterized
accordingly. Command packet 0x8E-4A enables the PPS to be re-defined at run-time and stores
the new settings in flash memory.
Note – Leap seconds cannot be predicted in advance using only the 0x8F-0B packet. A leap
second can be identified by observing that the date does not increment once 86400 seconds
have elapsed in the current day. The date rollover is delayed for the duration of the leap second,
and the day/month/year count reported does not increment to the next day until the beginning

of the second following the leap event. Decoding of the 0x8F-AD packet provides complete leap
status information.
The UTC offset is incremented at the beginning of the first second following the leap second.
Report Packet 0x8F-20: Last Fix with Extra Information (binary fixed point)
This packet provides information about the time and origin of the previous position fix. This is
the last-calculated fix; it could be quite old. The receiver sends this packet in response to Packet
0x8E-20; it also can replace automatic reporting of position and velocity packets. Automatic
output of 0x8F-20 must also be enabled by setting bit 5 of byte 0 in command packet 0x0x35
and bit 0 of bytes 1-2 in command packet 0x8E-A5

0 Subpacket ID Byte ID for this subpacket (always 0x20)
1 Key Byte Byte N/A
2-3 east velocity Integer Units 0.005m/s or 0.020m/s (see Byte 24). Overflow =0x8000
4-5 north velocity Integer Units 0.005m/s or 0.020m/s (see Byte 24). Overflow =0x8000
6-7 up velocity Integer Units 0.005m/s or 0.020m/s (see Byte 24). Overflow = 0x8000
Unsigned
8-11 Time of Week GPS Time in milliseconds
long
Latitude, units = 2^31 semicircle, according to current datum. Range = -2^30 to
12-15 Latitude Long integer
2^32
Unsigned Longitude east of meridian, units = 2^31 semicircle, according to current datum.
16-19 Longitude
long Range = 0 to 2^32
20-23 Altitude Long integer Altitude above ellipsoid, mm, according current datum.
24 Velocity scaling When bit 0 is set to 1, velocities in bytes 2-7 have been scaled by 4
25 Reserved 0
26 Datum Datum index + 1
27 Fix Type Byte Type of fix. This is a set of flags.
0 (LSB) 0: Fix was available
1: No fix available
1 0: Fix is autonomous
1: N/A
2 0: 3D fix
1: 2D fix
3 0: 2D fix used last-circulated altitude
1: 2D fix used entered altitude
4 0: Unfiltered
1: Position or altitude filter on
5-7 Unused (always 0)
28 Num SVs Byte Number of SV used for fix. Zero if no fix was available.
29 UTC Offset Byte Number of leap seconds between UTC time and GPS time.
30-31 Week INTEGER GPS time of fix (weeks)

32-
Fix SVs Fix SVs
115 Repeated groups of 2 bytes, one for each satellite. The bytes are 0 if group N/A.
Byte 0: PRNX Byte Satellite number and IODC-IODE. PRN = lower six bits of PRNX
Byte 1: IODE Byte IODC = (PRNX/64)x256 + IODE
116-
Iono Param 8 Bytes
123 The broadcast ionospheric parameters
Report Packet 0x8F-26: Save Receiver Configuration to Non-volatile Storage Memory
This packet is sent in response to command packet 0x8E-26. The packet indicates whether the
receiver configuration has been successfully saved to non-volatile memory.

0 Sub-code U8 0x26 Packet sub-code
1-4 Status U32 0 successfully stored receiver
1 failed to store receiver configuration
Report Packet 0x8F-41: Stored Manufacturing Operating Parameters
This packet is sent in response to a command 0x8E-41.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8F
1 Subpacket ID U8 0x41
2-3 board serial number prefix S16
4-7 Board serial number U32
8 Year of build U8
9 Month of build U8
10 Day of build U8
11 Hour of build U8
12-15 Reserved Single
16-17 Reserved U16
Report Packet 0x8F-42: Stored Production Parameters
This packet is sent in response to 0x8E-42.

0 Packet ID 0x8F
1 Subpacket ID U8 0x42
2 Production options prefix U8
3 Production number extension U8

4-5 Case serial number prefix U16
6-9 Case serial number U32
10-13 Production number U32
14-15 Reserved U16
16-17 Machine identification number U16
18-19 Reserved U16
Report Packet 0x8F-4A: Set PPS Characteristics
This is sent in response to a query by packet 0x8E-4A. See the corresponding command packet
for information about the data format.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8F
1 Subpacket ID BYTE 0x42
2 PPS Driver Switch BYTE 0: Off
1: On
3 Time Base BYTE 0: GPS
1: UTC (default)
4 PPS Polarity BYTE 0: Positive (default)
1: Negative
5-12 PPS Offset or Cable Delay DOUBLE seconds
Report Packet 0x8F-4D: Automatic Packet Output Mask
This packet provides information on the automatic packets that may be output by the receiver.
This packet is sent in response to 0x8E-4D query, or is set

0 Packet ID U8 0x8F
1 Subpacket ID BYTE ID for this sub-packet is always 0x4D
2-5 Bit Mask ULONG Bits in the mask enable output packets
• A “0” in the bit position means that automatic output of the associated packets is
disabled/
• A “1” in the bit positions means that the associated packets can be automatically
output.

The meaning and packets output by each set bit is as follows:
Bit Output packet When output Meaning

0 (LSB) 0x40 After Decode Almanac data collected from satellite
1 0x58, 0x5B After Decode Ephemeris data collected from satellite
2 0x4F After Decode UTC data collected from satellite
3 0x58 After Decode Ionospheric data collected from satellite
4 0x48 After Decode GPS Message
5 0x49 Almanac health page collected from satellite
6 Reserved
7 Reserved
8 0x41 New Fix Partial & full fix complete and packet output
timer has expired
9 Reserved
10 Reserved
11 0x6C Constellation New satellite selection
change
12 Reserved
13-29 Reserved
30 4A, 8F-20, 42, 43, New fix update Dynamic and timing information. Output must be
54, 56, 83, 84 enabled with I/O option
311 0x5A New Fix Output must be selected with I/O options
1
A 1 in the bit mask indicates that output for the associated packets is ON; a 0 indicates that the
output is turned OFF
Report Packet 0x8F-4E: PPS Output
This report packet is output after the command packet 8E-4E has been executed. See the
corresponding command packet for information about the data format.
Report Packet 0x8F-4F: PPS Width
This report packet is output after the command packet 0x8E-4F has been executed. See Report
Packet 0x8F-4A: PPS Characteristics.
Report Packet 0x8F-A2: UTC/GPS Timing
This packet is sent in response to command packet 0x8E-A2. See the corresponding command
packet for information about the data format.

Report Packet 0x8F-A5: Packet Broadcast Mask
This packet is sent in response to 0x8E-A5 command and describes which packets are currently
automatically broadcast. A '0' in a bit field turns off broadcast, and a '1' in a bit field enables
broadcast. See the corresponding command packet for information about the data format.
Report Packet 0x8F-A6: Self-Survey Command
This packet is sent in response to command packet 0x8E-A6. The packet indicates the result of
the requested self-survey operation.
0 Packet ID U8 0x8F
1 Sub-code U8 0xA6 Packet sub-code
2 Self-survey command U8 0 Restart self-survey
1 Save position to Flash memory
2 Delete position from Flash memory
3 Status U8 0 Requested command successful
1 Requested command failed
Report Packet 0x8F-A9: Self-Survey Parameters
Packet 0x8F-A9 is sent in response to command packet 0x8E-A9 and describes the current self-
survey parameters. See the corresponding command packet for information about the data
format.

Report Packet 0x8F-AB: Primary Timing Packet
This automatic report packet provides time information once per second if enabled with
command packet 0x8E-A5. GPS week number, GPS time-of-week (TOW), UTC integer offset,
time flags, date and time-of-day (TOD) information is provided. This packet can be requested
with packet 0x8E-AB. This packet will begin transmission within 30 ms after the PPS pulse to
which it refers.

0 Packet ID UINT8 0x8F
1 Subpacket ID UINT8 0xAB
2-5 Time of week UINT32 GPS seconds of week or from 0x8E-A2 time selection
6-7 Week Number UINT16 GPS Week Number or from 0x8E-A2 time selection
8-9 UTC Offset SINT16 UTC Offset (seconds) from chosen constellation time
reference. Always = 0 when GLONASS time is
selected
10 Time Flag Bit Field Bit Value Description
0 0 GPS time (Default)
1 UTC or GNSS time
1 0 GPS PPS (Default)
1 UTC or GNSS PPS
2 0 Time is set
1 Time is not set
3 0 Have UTC info
1 No UTC info
4-5 0 UTC time
1 GLONASS time
2 BeiDou time
3 Galileo time
6-7 0 UTC PPS
1 GLONASS PPS
2 BeiDou PPS
3 Galileo PPS
11 Seconds UINT8 0-59 Seconds
12 Minutes UINT8 0-59 Minutes
13 Hours UINT8 0-23 Hours
14 Day of Month UINT8 1-31 Day of Month
15 Month UINT8 1-12 Month of Year
16-17 Year UINT16 Four digits of Year

The data fields are as follows:
• Time of Week This field represents the number of seconds since Sunday at 00:00:00
GPS, GLONASS and Galileo time for the current week. For BeiDou it is for the number of
seconds since Monday at 00:00:00. Time of week is often abbreviated as TOW.
• Week Number represents the current GNSS week number.
• UTC Offset
UTC (USNO) offset = GPS time - UTC (USNO) time.
UTC (INRIM) offset = Galileo time - UTC (INRIM) time.
UTC (NTSC) offset = BeiDou time - UTC (NTSC) time.
UTC (SU) offset = 0.
• Timing Flags are bitwise encoded to provide information about the timing outputs.
Unused bits should be ignored.
− Bit 0: When 0, the date and time fields broadcast in packet 8F-AB are in the GPS
time scale. When 1, these fields are in the UTC time scale and are adjusted for
leap seconds. Use command packet 8E-A2 to select either GPS or UTC time
scales.
− Bit 1: When 0, the PPS output is aligned to GPS. When 1, the PPS output is
aligned to UTC. Use command packet 8E-A2 to select either GPS or UTC PPS
alignment.
− Bit 2: When 0, time has been set. When 1, time has not yet been set.
− Bit 3: When 0, UTC offset information has been received. When 1, UTC offset
information is not yet known.
− Bit 4: When 0, time is coming from GPS/UTC. When 1, the Acutime™360 time is
coming from GLONASS.
− Bit 5: When 0, PPS output is aligned to GPS/UTC. When 1, the PPS output is
aligned to GLONASS.
• Time of Day is sent in hours-minutes-seconds format and varies from 00:00:00 to
23:59:59, except when time is in UTC and a leap second insertion occur. In this case the
time will transition from 23:59:59 to 23:59:60 to 00:00:00. Date is sent in day-month-
year format.
Report Packet 0x8F-AC: Supplemental Timing Packet
This broadcast packet provides supplemental timing information once per second. Information
regarding position, unit status and health, and the operational state of the unit is provided. This
packet cannot be requested. When enabled, this packet is transmitted once per second shortly
after packet 8F-AB.
The position sent in packet 8F-AC depends on the Receiver Operating Mode and on self-survey
activity. When a self-survey is in progress, the position sent is the running average of all of the

position fixes collected so far. When the self-survey ends or whenever the receiver is using a
time-only operating mode, then the position sent is the accurate position the receiver is using
to perform time-only fixes. When the self- survey is disabled or otherwise inactive and the
receiver is using a position fix operating mode, then the position sent is the position fix
computed on the last second.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8F
1 Subpacket ID U8 0xAC
2 Receiver Mode U8 0 Automatic (2D/3D)
1 Single satellite time
3 Horizontal (2D)
4 Full position (3D)
5 Not used
6 Not used
7 Over-determined Clock
4 Self-Survey Progress UINT 8 0-100 Percent completed
5-8 Reserved UINT 32 0 Reserved
9-10 Reserved U16 0 Reserved
11-12 Minor Alarms U16 0 Not used
1 Antenna open
2 Antenna shorted
3 Not tracking satellites
4 Not used
5 Survey-in progress
6 No stored position
7 Leap second pending
8 In test mode
9 Position is questionable
10 Not used
11 Almanac not complete
12 PPS not generated
13 GNSS Decoding Status U8 0x00 Doing fixes
0x01 Don't have GPS time
0x02 No Fix
0x08 No usable satellites
0x09 Only 1 usable satellite

0x0A Only 2 usable satellites
0x0B Only 3 usable satellites
0x0C The chosen satellite is unusable
15 PPS indication U8 0 PPS Good indication
1 PPS Not Good indication
16 Reserved U8 Reserved
17-20 PPS Offset Single ns
21-24 Clock Offset Single ppb
25-28 Reserved U32 Reserved
29-32 Reserved Single Reserved
33-36 Temperature Single °C
37-44 Latitude Double radians
45-52 Longitude Double radians
53-60 Altitude Double meters
61-64 Reserved 0 Always 0
Data fields
• Receiver Mode: This field shows the fix mode that the GNSS receiver is currently
configured for.
• Self-Survey Progress: When a self-survey procedure is in progress, this field shows the
progress of the survey as a percentage of fixes collected so far. The self-survey will be
complete when the self-survey progress reaches 100 percent.
• Minor Alarms: This field is bitwise encoded with several minor alarm indicators. A minor
alarm indicates a condition that the user should be alerted to, but does not indicate an
immediate (or necessarily any) impairment of functionality. For each bit, a value of 0
means that the condition is not indicated. Bits not described below should be ignored.
– Bit 1: When 1, indicates that the antenna input connection is open. More precisely,
this bit indicates that the antenna input is not drawing sufficient current.
– Bit 2: When 1, indicates that the antenna input is shorted. More precisely, this bit
indicates that the antenna input is drawing too much current.

– Bit 3: When 1, indicates that no satellites are yet usable. In order for a satellite to be
usable, it must be tracked long enough to obtain ephemeris and health data.
– Bit 5: When 1, indicates that a self-survey procedure is in progress.
– Bit 6: When 1, indicates that there is no accurate position stored in flash ROM.
– Bit 7: When 1, indicates that the GNSS system has alerted the Acutime™360 that a
leap second transition is pending.
– Bit 8: When 1, indicates that the Acutime™360 is operating in one of its test modes.
– Bit 9: When 1, indicates that the accuracy of the position used for time only fixes is
questionable. This alarm may indicate that the unit has been moved since the unit
completed the last self-survey. If this alarm persists, resurvey the position of the
unit.
– Bit 11: When 1, indicates that the Almanac is not current or complete.
– Bit 12: When 1, indicates that the PPS was not generated this second. This could
mean that there wasn't enough usable satellites to generate an accurate PPS output.
It could also mean that the unit is generating an Even Second output (see Packet 8E-
4E) and the unit did not output a PPS on the odd second.
• GNSS Decoding Status: This field indicates the decoding status of the GNSS receiver.
• Local Clock Offset carries the offset of the local clock relative to UTC or GPS as reported
by the GPS receiver in nanoseconds. Positive values indicate that the receiver’s local
clock is late relative to GPS or UTC. Also known as “bias”.
• PPS Indication: The "PPS good" indicator is composed of:
1. Unit has achieved a 'first fix'
2. Unit has resolved the millisecond ambiguity. This is done with a proprietary
algorithm.
3. The unit has at least one satellite that is has passed all Trimble proprietary timing
integrity checks (TRAIM). These include, but are not limited to:
– Satellite is in the constellation list of allowed timing sources
– Satellite millisecond ambiguity has been established
– Satellite signal strength is above the user setting for signal strength
– Satellite elevation is above the elevation mask
– Satellite tracking filter has settled

4. PPS has been generated for at least 4 seconds after GNSS system restart
• Latitude: This field carries the latitude of the position being shown. The units are in
radians and vary from -π/2 to +π/2. Negative values represent southern latitudes.
Positive values represent northern latitudes.
• Longitude: This field carries the longitude of the position being shown. The units are in
radians and vary from -π to +π. Negative values represent western longitudes. Positive
values represent eastern longitudes.
• Altitude: This field carries the altitude of the position being shown. The units are in
meters (WGS-84.)
• PPS Output Status identifies the status of the PPS output.
Report Packet 0x8F-AD: Primary UTC Time
The output of the 0x8F-AD packet is synchronized with the PPS. This packet provides accurate
time and date information for time stamping and time transfer. The leap flag provides complete
UTC event information, allowing implementation of sophisticated distributed systems intended
to operate synchronously with UTC time. This packet is always output first in a possible
sequence of up to four synchronous packets. Output of this packet can be disabled and
configured using the 0x8E-AD packet.

0 Packet ID U8 0x8F
1 Subpacket ID Byte 0xAD
2-3 Event Count Integer Zero for PPS.
4-11 Fractional Second Double Time elapsed in current second (seconds)
12 Hour Byte UTC Hour
13 Minute Byte UTC Minute
14 Second Byte Second (0-59; 60 = leap)
15 Day Byte Date (1-31)
16 Month Byte Month (1-12)
17-18 Year Integer Year (4 digit)
19 Receiver Status Byte Tracking Status (see definition below)
20 UTC Flags Byte Leap Second Flags (see definition below)
21 Reserved Byte Contains 0xFF
22 Reserved Byte Contains 0xFF

Tracking Status flag
This flag allows precise monitoring of receiver tracking status and allows a host system to
determine whether the time output by the receiver is valid. After self-survey has completed,
the receiver only needs to track one satellite to maintain precise synchronization with UTC. The
definitions are as follows:
Flag value Status Meaning

0 DOING_FIXES Receiver is navigating.
1 GOOD_1SV Receiver is timing using one satellite
2 APPX_1SV Approximate time
3 NEED_TIME Start-up
4 NEED_INITALIZATION Start-up
5 PDOP_HIGH Dilution of Precision too High
6 BAD_1SV Satellite is unusable
7 0SVs No satellites usable
8 1SV Only 1 satellite usable
9 2SVs Only 2 satellites usable
10 3SVs Only 3 satellites usable
11 NO_INTEGRITY Invalid solution
12 DCORR_GEN Differential corrections
13 OVERDET_CLK Over-determined fixes
Leap Second flag
Leap seconds are inserted into the UTC timescale to counter the effect of gradual slowing of the
earth’s rotation due to friction. The 0x8F-AD packet provides extensive UTC leap second
information to the user application. The definitions are as follows
Bit# Name Meaning if set to 1

0 UTC Flag UTC Time is available
1-3 Reserved N/A
4 Leap Scheduled Leap second date is not in the past.
5 Leap Pending 24-hour warning.
6 Leap Warning Set ± 6 hours before/after leap event.
7 Leap in Progress Leap second is now being inserted.
• The Leap Scheduled bit is set by the receiver, when the leap second has been scheduled
by the GPS control segment. The Control segment may schedule the leap second several
weeks before the leap second takes place.

• The Leap Pending bit indicates that the leap second will be inserted at the end of the
current day.
• The Leap Warning bit is set while GPS is operating in the leap exception mode specified
in ICD-200.
• The Leap in Progress bit is set to 1 at the beginning of the leap second, and cleared at
the beginning of the second following the leap event. The date rollover is delayed by
one second on the day the leap second is inserted. The date will not increment until the
beginning of the first second following the leap second
Unused or miscellaneous packets

Report Packet 0x13: Unparsable Packet
This packet is sent in response to a received packet that was unparsable. A packet is unparsable
if the packet ID is not recognized or if the length or content of the packet is not correct for the
packet ID.
Report Packet 0x13: Data Format
Byte Type Item

0 UINT8 Packet ID of unparsable packet
1-N UINT8 Packet data bytes of unparsable packet

APPENDIX
B
NMEA 0183 Protocol
In this chapter: This appendix provides a brief overview of

the NMEA 0183 protocol, and describes both
Introduction the standard and optional messages offered

by the Acutime™360.
NMEA 0183 communication
interface
NMEA 0183 message structure
Field definitions
NMEA 0183 message options
NMEA 0183 message formats
Exception behavior

Introduction
NMEA 0183 is a simple, yet comprehensive ASCII protocol which defines both the
communication interface and the data format. The NMEA 0183 protocol was originally
established to allow marine navigation equipment to share information. Since it is a well-
established industry standard, NMEA 0183 has also gained popularity for use in applications
other than marine electronics.
For those applications requiring output only from the GNSS receiver, NMEA 0183 is a popular
choice since, in many cases, an NMEA 0183 software application code already exists. The
Acutime™360 is available with firmware that supports a subset of the NMEA 0183 messages:
GGA, GLL, GSA, GSV, RMC, VTC, and ZDA. For a nominal fee, Trimble can offer custom firmware
with a different selection of messages to meet your application requirements.
For a complete copy of the NMEA 0183 standard, contact:
NMEA National Office

Seven Riggs Avenue, Severna Park, MD 21146
Phone: +1-410-975-9425 or 800-808-6632 (NMEA)
Fax: +1-410-975-9450
NMEA 0183 communication interface

NMEA 0183 allows a single source (talker) to transmit serial data over a single twisted wire pair
to one or more receivers (listeners). The table below lists the standard characteristics of the
NMEA 0183 data transmissions.
Signal NMEA Standard

Baud rate 115kpbs
Data bits 8
Parity None (Disabled)
Stop bits 1
NMEA 0183 message structure

The NMEA 0183 protocol covers a broad array of navigation data. This broad array of
information is separated into discrete messages which convey a specific set of information. The
entire protocol encompasses over 50 messages, but only a sub-set of these messages apply to a
GPS receiver like the Acutime™360. The NMEA message structure is described below.
$IDMSG,D1,D2,D3,D4,.......,Dn*CS[CR][LF]

Where:
$ Signifies the start of a message
ID The talker identification is a two letter mnemonic which describes the source of the
navigation information. The GP identification signifies a GPS source while GL will
signify a GLONASS source. In the event that the information in the sentence is agnostic
the ID will be GP.
MSG The message identification is a three letter mnemonic which describes the message
content and the number and order of the data fields.
, Commas serve as delimiters for the data fields.
Dn Each message contains multiple data fields (Dn) which are delimited by commas.
* The asterisk serves as a checksum delimiter.
CS The checksum field contains two ASCII characters which indicate the hexadecimal
value of the checksum.
[CR][LF] The carriage return [CR] and line feed [LF] combination terminate the message.
NMEA 0183 messages vary in length, but each message is limited to 79 characters or less. This
length limitation excludes the "$" and the [CR][LF]. The data field block, including delimiters, is
limited to 74 characters or less.
Field definitions
Many of the NMEA date fields are of variable length, and the user should always use the
comma delineators to parse the NMEA message date field. The following table specifies the
definitions of all field types in the NMEA messages supported by Trimble:
Type Symbol Definition

Status A Single character field: A=Yes, data valid, warning flag clear V=No,
data invalid, warning flag set
Special Format Fields
Latitude llll.lll Fixed/variable length field: Degreesminutes.decimal-2 fixed digits
of degrees, 2 fixed digits of minutes and a variable number of
digits for decimal-fraction of minutes. Leading zeros always
included for degrees and minutes to maintain fixed length. The
decimal point and associated decimal- fraction are optional if full
resolution is not required.

Type Symbol Definition
Longitude yyyyy.yyy Fixed/Variable length field: Degreesminutes.decimal-3 fixed digits
of degrees, 2 fixed digits of minutes and a variable number of
digits for decimal-fraction of minutes. Leading zeros always
included for degrees and minutes to maintain fixed length. The
decimal point and associated decimal- fraction are optional if full
resolution is not required.
Time hhmmss.ss Fixed/Variable length field: hoursminutesseconds.decimal-2 fixed
digits of minutes, 2 fixed digits of seconds and a variable number
of digits for decimal-fraction of seconds. Leading zeros always
included for hours, minutes, and seconds to maintain fixed length.
The decimal point and associated decimal-fraction are optional if
full resolution is not required.
Defined Some fields are specified to contain pre-defined constants, most
often alpha characters. Such a field is indicated in this standard by
the presence of one or more valid characters. Excluded from the
list of allowable characters are the following that are used to
indicated field types within this standard: "A", "a", "c", "hh",
"hhmmss.ss", "llll.ll", "x", "yyyyy.yy"
Numeric Value Fields
Variable x.x Variable length integer or floating numeric field. Optional leading
and trailing zeros. The decimal point and associated decimal-
fraction are optional if full resolution is not required (example:
73.10=73.1=073.1=73).
Fixed HEX hh Fixed length HEX numbers only, MSB on the left
Information Fields
Fixed Alpha aa Fixed length field of upper-case or lower-case alpha characters.
Fixed Number xx Fixed length field of numeric characters
Note –
 Spaces are only be used in variable text fields.
 Units of measure fields are appropriate characters from the Symbol column unless a
specified unit of measure is indicated.

 Fixed length field definitions show the actual number of characters. For example, a field
defined to have a fixed length of 5 HEX characters is represented as hhhhh between
delimiters in a sentence definition.
NMEA 0183 message options

The Acutime™360 can output any or all of the messages listed in the table below. In its default
configuration (as shipped from the factory), the Acutime™360 outputs only TSIP messages.
Typically NMEA messages are output at a 1 second interval with the "GP" talker ID and
checksums. These messages are output at all times during operation, with or without a fix. If a
different set of messages has been selected (using Packet 0x7A), and this setting has been
stored in flash memory (using Packet 0x8E-26), the default messages are permanently replaced
until the receiver is returned to the factory default settings.
Note – The user can configure a custom mix of the messages listed in the table below. See TSIP
command packets 0xBC, 0x7A, and 8E-26 in Appendix A for details on configuring NMEA output.
CAUTION – If too many messages are specified for output, you may need to increase the unit's
baud rate.
Message Description
GGA GPS fix data
GLL Geographic position Latitude/Longitude
GSA GPS DOP and active satellites
GSV GPS satellites in view
RMC Recommended minimum specific GPS/Transit data
VTG Track made good and ground speed
ZDA Time and date

NMEA 0183 message formats
GGA-GPS Fix Data
The GGA message includes time, position and fix related data for the GNSS receiver.
$GPGGA,hhmmss.sss,llll.lll,a,nnnnn.nnnnnn,b,t,uu, v.v,w.w,M,x.x,M,,*hh <CR><LF>

Field Description
1 UTC of Position
2, 3 Latitude, N (North) or S (South)
4, 5 Longitude, E (East) or W (West)
6 GPS Quality Indicator: 0 = No GPS, 1 = GPS,
7 Number of Satellites in Use
8 Horizontal Dilution of Precision (HDOP)
9, 10 Antenna Altitude in Meters, M = Meters
11, 12 Geoidal Separation in Meters, M=Meters. Geoidal separation is the difference
13 between the WGS-84
Age of Differential GPSearth
Data.ellipsoid
Time in and mean-sea-level.
seconds since the last Type 1 or 9 update
14 Differential Reference Station ID (0000 to 1023)
hh checksum
GLL - Geographic Position - Latitude/Longitude
The GLL message contains the latitude and longitude of the present vessel position, the time of
the position fix and the status.
$GPGLL,llll.llllll,a,yyyyy.yyyyyy,b,hhmmss.sss,c,d*hh <CR> <LF>
Field Description
1, 2 Latitude, N (North) or S (South)
3, 4 Longitude, E (East) or W (West)
5 UTC of Position
6 Status, A=Valid, V=Invalid
7 Mode Indicator:
Mode A=Autonomous
Mode D=Differential
Mode E=Estimated (dead reckoning).
Mode M=Manual Input
Mode S=Simulated
Mode N=Data Not Valid
hh checksum

GSA - GPS DOP and Active Satellites
The GSA messages indicate the GNSS receiver's operating mode and lists the satellites used for
navigation and the DOP values of the position solution.
$idGSA,a,v,ww,ww,ww,ww,ww,ww,ww,ww,ww,ww, , ,x.xx,y.yy,z.zz*hh<CR><LF>
Where ‘id’ is GP or GL, dependent on if the sentence contains GPS or GLONASS satellites.
Field Description
1 Mode: M = Manual, A = Automatic. In manual mode, the receiver is forced to operate in
2 either
Current2DMode:
or 3D1mode. In automatic
= fix not available, 2mode,
= 2D, the
3 = receiver
3D is allowed to switch between 2D
3 - 14 and
PRN 3D modesof
numbers subject to the PDOP
the satellites and
used in satellite
the positionmasks
solution. When less than 12 satellites
15 are used,dilution
Position the unused fields are
of precision null
(PDOP)
16 Horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP)
17 Vertical dilution of precision (VDOP)
hh checksum
GSV - GPS Satellites in View
The GSV message identifies the GNSS satellites in view, including their PRN number, elevation,
azimuth and SNR value. Each message contains data for four satellites. Second and third
messages are sent when more than 4 satellites are in view. Fields #1 and #2 indicate the total
number of messages being sent and the number of each message respectively.
$idGSV,t,u,vv,ww,ww,www,ww,xx,xx,xxx,xx,yy,yy, yyy,yy,zz,zz,zzz,zz*hh<CR><LF>
Where ‘id’ is GP or GL, dependent on if the sentence contains GPS or GLONASS satellites.
Field Description
1 Total number of GSV messages
2 Message number: 1 to 3
3 Total number of satellites in view
4 Satellite PRN number
5 Satellite elevation in degrees (90° Maximum)
6 Satellite azimuth in degrees true (000 to 359)
7 Satellite SNR (C/No), null when not tracking
8, 9, 10, 11 PRN, elevation, azimuth and SNR for second satellite
12, 13, 14, 15 PRN, elevation, azimuth and SNR for third satellite
16, 17, 18, 19 PRN, elevation, azimuth and SNR for fourth satellite
hh checksum

RMC - Recommended Minimum Specific GPS/Transit Data
The RMC message contains the time, date, position, course, and speed data provided by the
GNSS navigation receiver. A checksum is mandatory for this message and the transmission
interval may not exceed 2 seconds. All data fields must be provided unless the data is
temporarily unavailable. Null fields may be used when data is temporarily unavailable.
$GPRMC,hhmmss.ss,a,llll.lllll,b,nnnnn.nnnnnn,c,x.xx,yyy,ddmmyy,,,d*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
1 UTC of Position Fix.
2 Status: A – Valid, V - Navigation receiver warning
3, 4 Latitude, N (North) or S (South).
5, 6 Longitude, E (East) or W (West).
7 Speed over the ground (SOG) in knots
8 Track made good in degrees true.
9 Date: dd/mm/yy
10, 11 Magnetic variation in degrees, E = East / W= West
12 Position System Mode Indicator
A - Autonomous
D - Differential
E - Estimated (Dead Reckoning)
M - Manual Input
S - Simulation Mode
N - Data Not Valid
hh Checksum (Mandatory for RMC)
VTG - Track Made Good and Ground Speed
The VTG message conveys the actual track made good (COG) and the speed relative to the
ground (SOG).
$GPVTG,xxx,T,,M,y.yyy,N,z.zzz,K,a*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
1,2 Track made good in degrees true.
3,4 Track made good in degrees magnetic.
5,6 Speed over the ground (SOG) in knots
7,8 Speed over the ground (SOG) in kilometer per hour
9 Position System Mode Indicator
A - Autonomous
D - Differential

Field Description
E - Estimated (Dead Reckoning)
M - Manual Input
S - Simulation Mode
N - Data Not Valid
hh Checksum
ZDA - Time & Date
The ZDA message contains UTC time, the day, the month, the year and the local time zone.
$GPZDA,hhmmss.sss,dd,mm,yyyy,,*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
1 UTC
2 Day (01 to 31)
3 Month (01 to 12)
4 Year
5 Unused
hh Checksum
Note – Fields #5 and #6 are null fields in the Acutime™360 output. A GNSS receiver cannot
independently identify the local time zone offsets.
CAUTION – If UTC offset is not available, time output will be in GPS time until the UTC offset
value is collected from the GPS satellites. When the offset becomes available, the time will
jump to UTC time.
Note – GPS time can be used as a timetag for the 1PPS. The ZDA message comes out 100–500
msec after the PPS.
AH - Almanac Health
Use this message to query or set almanac health data. Since the maximum number of bytes that
can be contained in a single NMEA sentence is less than the total almanac health length, the
almanac health must be sent in two parts that have to be sent or received together in the
correct sequence. After receiving the query, the receiver sends out two messages.
Message 1
$PTNLaAH,1,hh,hhhhhhhh,hhhhhhhh,hhhhhhhh,hhhhhhhh,hh*hh<CR><LF>

Field Description
a Mode
Q – Query
S – Set
R – Response
hh Week number for health, variable length integer, 4 digits maximum
hhhhhhhh Satellite 1 - 4 health, one byte for each satellite, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhhhhhh Satellite 13 - 16 health, one byte for each satellite, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hh Checksum
Message 2
$PTNLaAH,2,hh,hhhhhhhh,hhhhhhhh,hhhhhhhh,hhhhhhhh,hh*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
Q – Query
S – Set
R – Response
hh Week number for health, variable length integer, 4 digits maximum
hhhhhhhh Satellite 29 - 32 health, one byte for each satellite, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hh Checksum
AL - Almanac Page
Use this sentence to query or set almanac data for a specific satellite. The query format is:
$PTNLQAL,xx*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
xx Satellite ID
The set or response format is as follows:

$PTNLaAL,xx,x.x,hh,hhhh,hh,hhhh,hhhh,hhhhhh,hhhhhh,hhhhh h,hhhhhh,hhh,hhh*
hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
S – Set
R – Response
xx Satellite ID, 01-32.
x.x GPS week number, variable length integer, 4 digits maximum.
hh SV health, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh Eccentricity, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh t_oa, almanac reference time, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhh sigma_I,HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh OMEGADOT, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhhhh root_a, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhhhh Omega, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhhhh Omega_0, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhhhh M_O, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhh a_fO, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhh a_fl, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
AS - Almanac Status
Use this sentence to query or set almanac status. The query format is:
$PTNLaAS,hh,xxxx,hh,hh,hh,hh,hh*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
Q – Query
S – Set
R – Response
hh Time of almanac
xxxx Week of number of almanac
hh Reserved
hh Reserved
hh Reserved
hh Reserved
hh Almanac Status

Field Description
0 – almanac incomplete
1 – almanac complete and current
The corresponding response for the set is:
$PTNLRAS,a*hh<CR><LF>
where “a” is the action status: A = success; V= failure.
CR - Configure Receiver
Use this sentence to query or set NMEA receiver configuration information.
$PTNLaCR,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x,x.x,a,a,a*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
Q – Query
S – Set
R – Response
x.x Signal level mask in dB-Hz (default = 0 dB-Hz). The signal level mask is used only when
the receiver is operating in the Over Determined Clock mode
x.x Elevation mask in degrees (default = 0 degrees). The elevation mask is used only when
the receiver is operating in the Over Determined Clock mode.
x.x Reserved
x.x Reserved
x.x Reserved
A Receiver Mode
0 – automatic
4 – 3D mode
7 – over-determined clock
a Reserved
A Reserved
EM - Enter Monitor Mode
This sentence is used to set the Acutime™360 into Monitor mode. This is Set only, no query
supported. The sentence format is:

$PTNLSEM*hh<CR><LF>
This sentence is used by the Firmware Uploading Program.
EP - Ephemeris
Use this sentence to query or set ephemeris data for a specific satellite. Since the maximum
number of bytes that can be contained in a single NMEA sentence is less than the total
ephemeris data length, the ephemeris data must be sent in three sentences. The three
sentences have to be sent or received together in correct sequence. The query format is:
$PTNLQEP,xx*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
Q Query
xx Satellite ID
After receiving the query, the receiver should send out three messages.
Message 1
$PTNLaEP,1,xx,x.x,x.x,hh,hh,hh,hh,hhh,hh,hhhh,hh,hhhh,hh hhhh,x .x*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
S – Set
R – Response
1 Message number for EP, message 1 must be sent or received before message 2, and
message 2 must be sent or received before message 3, and all three messages must be
sent together with correct sequence
xx Satellite id
x.x T_ephem, This is a double precision floating point number.
x.x Week number for health, variable length integer, 4 digits maximum.
hh CodeL2, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh L2Pdata, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh Svacc_raw, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh SV_health, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhh IODC, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh T_GD, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhh T_oc, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.

hh A_f2, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhh A_f1, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhhhh A_f0, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200
Message 2
$PTNLaEP,2,xx,hh,hh,hhhh,hhhh,hhhhhhhh,hhhh,hhhhhhhh,hhh h,hhhhhhhh,hhhh*
hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
S – Set
R – Response
2 Sentence number for EP, sentence 1 must be sent or received before sentence 2, and
sentence 2 must be sent or received before sentence 3, and all three sentences must
be sent together
xx Satellite id
hh IODE, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hh Fit_interval, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh C_rs, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh Delta_n, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhhhhhh M_0, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh C_uc, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhhhhhh E, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh C_us, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
Message 3
$PTNLaEP,3,xx,hhhh,hhhhhhhh,hhhh,hhhhhhhh,hhhh,hhhhhhhh, hhhhhh,hhhh*hh< CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
S – Set
R – Response
3 Sentence number for EP, sentence 1 must be sent or received before sentence 2, and
sentence 2 must be sent or received before sentence 3, and all three sentences must
be sent together
xx Satellite id
hh C_ic, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200

hh OMEGA_0, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh C_ri, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh I_O, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhhhhhh C_rc, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh OMEGA, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhhhhhh OMEGA_DOT, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hhhh IDOT, Hex data conforming to GPS ICD 200
IO - Ionosphere
This sentence can be used to query or set ionosphere data.
$PTNLaIO,hh,hh,hh,hh,hh,hh,hh,hh*hh,<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
Q – Query
S – Set
R – Response
hh Alpha_0, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh Beta_0, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh Beta_3, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200
KG - Set Initial Position
Use this sentence to set initial position or time info data or both for accelerating navigation
startup:
• To set time only, send valid time fields and NULL position fields.
• To set position only, send valid position fields and NULL time fields. Query is not
supported.
$PTNLaKG,x.x,x.x,llll.lllll,a,yyyyy.yyyyy,a,x.x*hh<CR><LF>

Note – When uploading a position, it should be within 100 Km of the actual position and time
within 5 minutes of UTC.
Field Description
a Mode
S – Set
R – Response
x.x GPS week number, maximum 4 digits
x.x GPS time of week in milliseconds
llll.lllll Latitude
a N|S
yyyyy.yyyyy Longitude
a E|W
x.x Altitude from the sea level in meters (maximum 5 digits)
NM - Automatic Message Output
This sentence may be issued by the user to configure automatic message output. The Query
sentence format is:
$PTNLQNM*hh<CR><LF>
The Response to query sentence or Set sentence format is:

$PTNLaNM,hhhh,xx*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
Q - Query
S – Set
R – Response
hhhh Bit 0 -GGA Bit 1 -GLL Bit 2 -VTG Bit 3 -GSV Bit 4 -GSA Bit 5 -ZDA Bit 8 -RMC Bit 9 -TF Bit
10 -GST Bit 13 -BA
xx Automatic Report Interval (1 – 99)
Examples
GGA Only 0001

GLL Only 0002
VTG Only 0004

GSV Only 0008
GSA Only 0010
ZDA Only 0020
RMC Only 0100
TF Only 0200
GST Only 0400
BA Only 2000
GGA and GLL 0003
GGA and TF 0201
RMC and TF 0300
GGA, GLL and TF 0203
PS - PPS Configuration
This sentence can query or set PPS configuration data.
$PTNLaPS,b,x...x,6,x...x*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
Q – Query
S – Set
R – Response
b PPS mode, default is 1
0 – PPS_OFF (Always Off)
1 – PPS_ON (Always On or Early PPS)
2 – Reserved
3 – Reserved
x…x Reserved
c Output pulse polarity, default is 1: 0 -output pulse is active low 1 -output pulse is
active high
x…x Antenna Cable Length Compensation. Default = 0, Units in nanoseconds. Can be
positive or negative. Negative value will mean PPS comes out earlier, e.g. to
compensate for cable delay
Field value range is -100000000...100000000 (±100 milliseconds)

PT - Serial Port Configuration
This sentence may be issued by the user for configuring the current serial port. The Query
sentence format is:
$PTNLQPT*hh<CR><LF>
The Response to query or Set sentence format is:

$PTNLRPT,xxxxxx,b,b,b,h,h*hh<CR><LF>
When the Set is issued, the first Response sentence is sent using the old parameters and the
second response sentence is sent using the new parameters. If there is an error, an error
response is sent. If there is no error, no additional response is sent.
Field Description
a Mode
Q - Query
S – Set
R – Response
xxxxxx Baud rate (4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200). Default baud rate is 4800
b # of data bits (7 or 8)
b Parity (N - none, O - odd, E - even)
b # of stop bits (1 or 2)
h Input protocol, hex value (bit 0: reserved, bit1: TSIP, bit2: NMEA, bit 3: Reserved). Bits
h can be combined
Output to enable
protocol, hex multiple
value (bit input protocols.
0: reserved, bit1: TSIP,This field
bit2: may bit
NMEA, not3:bereserved).
0. It
is not recommended to combine multiple output protocols
hh Checksum
RT - Reset
This sentence can be used to Set the reset type. No query is supported.
$PTNLaRT,b,c*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
S – Set
R – Response
b Command
C = Cold software reset, Erases RAM including the customer configuration in RAM and
restarts

Field Description
F = Factory software reset. Erases the customer configuration, the almanac, ephemeris
and last position in Flash Memory and in SRAM
c (decimal Flash operation
integer)
0 - Do not do any Flash operation
1 - reserved
2 - store user configuration to Flash Memory
3 - reserved
4 - reserved
5 - Erase user configuration from Flash Memory
6 – reserved
hh Checksum
Note – A successful command is followed by a $PTNLRRT,A*3F response. An incorrect command

will be followed by a $PTNLRRT,V*28 response.
Note – To save user configuration to flash memory, send command $PTNLSRT,C,2*22.
TF - Receiver Status and Position Fix
This sentence may be issued by the user to get receiver status and position fix. The Query
sentence format is:
$PTNLQTF*hh<CR><LF>
The Response to query sentence format is:
$PTNLaTF,b,c,xxxxxx,xx,x,llll.lllll,d,yyyyy.yyyyy,e,xxxx x,x.x,x.x,x.x*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
Q - Query
R – Response
b BBRAM status on startup (A = valid; V = invalid)
c Almanac completion status (A = complete; V = incomplete)
xxxxxx GPS time of week (in seconds)

Field Description
xx Number of satellites in use, 00 - 12, may be different from the number in view.
x Position fix source (0 = no fix; 1 = Stationary Mode, 2 = 2D fix; 3 = 3D fix)

llll.lllll Latitude of the current position fix d
yyyyy.yyyyy Longitude of the current position fix
e E|W
xxxxx Antenna altitude re: mean-sea-level (MSL geoid, meters)
x.x 'East' component of ENU velocity (m/s)
x.x 'North' component of ENU velocity (m/s)
x.x 'Up' component of ENU velocity (m/s)
hh Checksum
UT - UTC
Use this sentence to query or set UTC data.
$PTNLaUT,hhhhhhhh,hhhhhh,hh,hh,hhhh,hhhh,hh,hh*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
a Mode
Q - Query
S – Set
R – Response
hhhhhhhh A_0, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhhhh A_1, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.

hh Delta_t_ls, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh T_oa, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhh Wn_t, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hhhh Wn_LSF, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh DN, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200.
hh Delta_t_LSF, HEX data conforming to GPS ICD 200
hh Checksum
VR - Version
This sentence may be issued by the user to get application version information. The Query
sentence format is:

$PTNLQVR,a*hh<CR><LF>
where a is S = Application firmware, H=Hardware information
The Response to query sentence format is:
$PTNLRaVR,b,c..c,xx.xx.xx,xx,xx,xxxx*hh<CR><LF>
Application firmware
Field Description
a Mode
Q - Query
R – Response
b Application firmware (S)
c..c Receiver Name
xx Major version
xx Minor version
xx Build version
xx Month
xx Day
xxxx Year
hh Checksum
Hardware version
Field Description
a Mode
Q - Query
R – Response
b Hardware information indicator (H)
xxxx Hardware ID
xxxxxxx Serial number
xx Build month
xx Build day
xxxx Build year
xx Build hour
hh Checksum

ZD – Extended Time and Date
This message reports extended time and date information - UTC, day, month, year, local time
zone and UTC to GPS leap second.
Setting the data is not supported.
This message is output automatically if selected in the NMEA message output mask.
Query format:
$PTNLQZD*hh<CR><LF>
Response to query format:
$PTNLRZD, hhmmss.s,dd,mm,yyyy,zh,zm,ls,lsp*hh<CR><LF>
Field Description
hhmmss.s Hours, minutes, seconds, sub-seconds of position in UTC.
dd Day (01 to 31)
mm Month (01 to 12)
yyyy Year
zh Local Zone Hour, offset from UTC to obtain Local time
zm Local Zone Minute

ls Current leap second offset between GPS and UTC time
lsp Pending leap second. If non-zero (+/- 1) then a leap second is scheduled to occur at
the end of the day. The sign indicates the direction of the leap second.
hh Checksum

Exception behavior
When no position fix is available, some of the data fields in the NMEA messages will be blank. A
blank field has no characters between the commas.
Interruption of GNSS signal
If the GNSS signal is interrupted temporarily, the NMEA will continue to be output according to
the user-specified message list and output rate. Position and velocity fields will be blank until
the next fix, but most other fields will be filled

APPENDIX
C
Acutime 360 GPS only variant
In this chapter: This appendix describes the difference
Introduction between the GPS only and the standard

Acutime 360 product.
Default settings
Messages

Introduction
The Acutime 360 provides the user with the ability to track multiple constellations. This ability
meant that some existing messages had to modified and extra messages added to deal with the
new constellation options. The default baud rate also had to be increased from 9600 to 115200
to allow for the extra data.
A “GPS only” version of the Acutime 360 is made available to customers who require a
replacement for the legacy Acutime Gold.
A user may need the “GPS only” variant if:

a) The customer host computer cannot be reprogrammed with the new message structure
b) The customer has to use a default baud rate of 9600 and cannot change either the host
or the standard Acutime 360 baud settings.
c) The customer hardware cannot use the faster communication baud rate.
Note that both the standard and GPS only Acutime 360 use identical hardware and firmware.
The differences described in this section are enabled at the factory. Once programmed the user
cannot change the parameter values of the default settings.
Default communication interface
Acutime 360 standard Acutime 360 GPS only Acutime Gold

106406-00 106406-05 55238-00
Port B 115200, 8, odd,1 9600, 8, odd, 1 9600, 8, odd, 1
Port A 115200, 8, odd,1 9600, 8, odd, 1 9600, 8, odd, 1
The user can still change the communication settings to other values and save them for later
use, after a power cycle for instance. However after a factory reset the unit will return to the
defaults listed in the table above.
PPS pulse width

106406-00 106406-05 55238-00
Minimum pulse width 10ms 10ms 10us (micro seconds)

Default constellations

106406-00 106406-05 55238-00
Default constellation GPS and GLONASS GPS only GPS only
The user can still change the constellation settings to other values and save them for later use,
after a power cycle for instance. However after a factory reset the unit will return to the
defaults listed in the table above.
Default messages
The messages in the table below are fixed to the part number of Acutime that the user
possesses. For instance a GPS only Acutime 360 will only output the 0x5C and 0x6D messages
no matter what constellation selection is selected.
Acutime 360
Acutime 360 GPS only Acutime Gold
standard
106406-00 106406-05 55238-00
Satellite Tracking Status request/response 0x3C/0x5D 0x3C/0x5C 0x3C/0x5C
Satellite Selection List request/response 0x24/0x6C 0x24/0x6D 0x24/0x6D

NORTH AMERICA EUROPE CHINA
Trimble, Inc. Trimble Navigation Europe Trimble Navigation Ltd,
Corporate Headquarters Phone: +46-8-622-12-79 China
935 Stewart Drive Phone: +86-10-8857-
Sunnyvale, CA 94085 KOREA 7575
+1-800-787-4225 Trimble Export Ltd, Korea
+1-408-481-7741 Phone: +82-2-555-5361
www.trimble.com

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User Guide

For use with:

Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart antenna (P/N 106406-XX)

Acutime™360 Starter Kit (P/N 106222-XX)

Firmware Version 1.03 and above

ACUTIME™360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |3

– Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from

that to which the receiver is connected.

– Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Changes and modifications not expressly approved by the

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits

ACUTIME™360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |4

Operation and storage

Routing any cable

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |5

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |6

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |7

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |8

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE Page |9

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 10

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 11

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 12

In this chapter: The Acutime™360 multi-GNSS smart

The Acutime™360 provides an accurate one

For more information on GPS, go to

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 13

The Acutime™360 contains the following in a sealed, weatherproof housing:

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 14

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 15

Use and care

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 16

In this chapter: Trimble recommends that you install the

The hardware integration is described in

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 17

• For evaluation or engineering purposes:

• An office computer running a version of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system

Installing and using the software

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 18

To install the Trimble VTS software from the website:

1. Go to http://www.trimble.com/timing/acutime-360.aspx and then select Support for

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 19

The TSIP is installed by factory default.

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 20

Acutime™360 Multi-GNSS Smart Antenna Universal Interface Module

Power pin adapters

Power converter (24VDC to AC)

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 21

Note – The Acutime™360 requires power separate from the USB.

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 22

Setting up the starter kit

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 23

6. To connect the power connector to the UIM, do one of the following:

Starter kit components

Product Part Number

ACUTIME™ 360 MULTI-GNSS SMART ANTENNA USER GUIDE P a g e | 24

In this chapter: The setup procedures for the Acutime™360

Interface cables This chapter describes the hardware