John Deere is taking satellite-based guidance to higher levels of accuracy, repeatability, and signal pull-in speed with the StarFire 6000 receiver.

“The StarFire 6000 Receiver offers a full range of differential correction levels, from the base SF1 satellite-delivered signal to the premium RTK option,” says Mike Moeller with John Deere. “To optimize the performance of the StarFire 6000 receiver, we’re offering the all-new SF3 correction level, which delivers 40% greater pass-to-pass accuracy, new in-season repeatability, and 66% faster pull-in time than the previous SF2 correction level.”

The new receiver with the SF3 option allows farmers to get RTK accuracy without investing in an RTK system.

“StarFire 6000 with SF3 is a great solution when RTK is not available and customers want in-season repeatable accuracy to 1.2 inches,” explains Moeller. “SF3 customers can use the same guidance lines for multiple passes throughout the growing season, which allows precise placement of seed and nutrients without shifting lines or remapping boundaries.”

To help eliminate the frustrations and downtime that occur when a signal is dropped, the StarFire 6000 uses the latest navigation algorithms to track up to three StarFire satellite signals at once. The algorithm selects the signal that will deliver best and will automatically switch to another signal if the primary one is blocked.

When GNSS signals are lost due to shading from obstacles, an improved Rapid Recovery feature works to quickly return guidance. In addition, growers who use StarFire 6000 RTK will receive up to 14 days of RTK Extend, which allows machinery to keep operating with guidance even when the signal is lost.

A built-in USB port makes it easy to install software updates in about 3 minutes compared to more than 20 minutes with older receivers. The receiver has an 8-gb data-logger to capture and store data.

John Deere introduced its first StarFire guidance system 16 years ago. Over the years, improvements were made with StarFire iTC and StarFire 3000 receivers. Farmers who are using these systems can upgrade to the StarFire 6000 Receiver, which will be a factory installed option on MY17 sprayers, combines, tractors, and other pieces of equipment. The receiver is compatible with Deere’s current and former displays and other technologies that farmers are using on their equipment.