Kress publishes RTK antenna setup and calibration guidance for KR282 owners
Kress issued updated RTK antenna installation and calibration documentation for the KR282, responding to owner-reported satellite convergence variability in the first mowing season. The guidance establishes clear siting requirements for clear-sky visibility and reinforces annual recalibration via the mobile app as a maintenance requirement. Watch for whether a firmware update addresses convergence time without requiring antenna repositioning.
Impact on Autonomy LIV held
- RTK convergence guidance reduces autonomous boundary drift risk from poor antenna placement.
- Clear-sky siting requirements documented; canopy obstruction identified as a loss-of-accuracy condition.
- Calibration procedure formalized; mowing accuracy after recalibration confirmed by manufacturer documentation.
Impact on Readiness Promising Progress held
- Antenna siting and seasonal recalibration confirmed as required maintenance steps, not optional.
- Setup documentation updated to flag obstructed-sky installations as unsupported configurations.
- Owners with heavy tree canopy over the installation zone may need to resite the antenna before the next season.
RTK accuracy is real but requires disciplined antenna siting and annual recalibration; owners who skip these steps will see degraded boundary precision.
RTK Antenna Siting Requirements
Kress updated installation documentation to specify that the RTK antenna receiver requires placement with at least a 30-degree clear-sky angle of elevation on all sides. Tree canopy, roof overhangs, and building walls within that cone are documented as signal-degrading obstructions. Owners with partially obstructed installations were directed to resite the antenna or accept reduced boundary accuracy.
Calibration Procedure
Annual calibration is performed through the Kress mobile app. The app connects to the fixed antenna and runs a satellite lock sequence; the process requires the mower to be stationary at the charging station during calibration. Manufacturer documentation recommends completing calibration at the start of each mowing season before the first scheduled run.
Convergence Time
First-lock satellite convergence on initial setup or after a long dormancy period is documented as taking up to 15 minutes. Subsequent daily sessions converge faster when the antenna has maintained lock. Cold-start convergence time in poor satellite conditions is not published.
Antenna Maintenance
Seasonal dome cleaning and 3-to-5-year dome replacement guidance published. Degraded dome material from UV exposure documented as a signal-attenuation risk. Replacement dome cost is manufacturer-estimated at $50-80 depending on regional pricing.