They’ve really pulled it together this decade and put together a formidable GNSS product line-up. So this year will be the beginning of the battle between Trimble/Spectra and Topcon/Sokkia. It will be interesting to see how the Topcon/Sokkia merger addresses that. They just never got any momentum going in the GNSS business. The challenge for Sokkia is not one of technical specifications, but one of product distribution and reputation. I was just comparing the system specifications. I haven’t used either one so don’t take that as a stamp of approval. When compared side-by-side with the Spectra Epoch 35 GNSS, the Sokkia system looks pretty favorable. GLONASS is standard in the GSR2700 ISX and it supports modernized GPS signals (L2C and L5), so it’s not affected by the impending (albeit twelve years from now) Civil P/Y phase-out. On the subject of Sokkia, their GNSSS products appear to offer a very good value.
#Trimble survey controller and epoch 35 plus#
I could see Sokkia being the entry-level RTK brand that addresses basic RTK functionality while Topcon would provide leading-edge GNSS technology plus other sensor integration such as laser, gyro, inertial navigation, etc. It makes a lot of sense since they are already positioned in the market that way. Topcon will address the premium, high-end market while Sokkia will address the entry-level, low-end market. Topcon/Sokkia will be the new Trimble/Spectra Precision. Maybe they’ll make the transition transparent … imagine what the local Topcon dealer would do if, all of the sudden, the local Sokkia dealer was selling “Topcon Inside” products with a Sokkia label? I’m sure the Topcon/Sokkia marketing bobble-heads have put some thought into that transition already.Īlso, I’ve written this before and I still believe it. First of all, you’ll see Sokkia products starting to ship with Topcon GNSS technology. In 2009, I think you’ll see that starting to change. We haven’t seen the fallout of the Sokkia/Topcon merger yet.Īt this point, Sokkia products are still using Novatel (now owned by Leica) GNSS technology via their joint venture called Point Inc. As RTK system manufacturers attempt to hold the pricing on high-end systems, I think you’ll see more and more features packed into those premium systems, while the low-end systems also become more powerful.
Last year’s model is still offered, but at a lower selling price. With notebook computers, each year they are faster, brighter, and packed with new features. High-precision RTK systems are going to follow the path of notebook computers with respect to price and features. The reduction of pricing for RTK systems is going to happen no matter what the economy does (granted the economy may accelerate the trend). The trend is heading downward, and it’s not just due to the economy. I think what it’s showing us is the trend of high-precision RTK system pricing. The Epoch 35 GNSS system price is “only” U.S. Something’s going to give at some point if they keep adding features to the low-end RTK systems. It significantly narrows the feature gap between Trimble’s high-end and Spectra/Trimble low-end RTK systems. What makes this interesting is the addition of GLONASS to their low-end RTK system. It adds a few features like GLONASS, Bluetooth, internal radio, and all-around better packaging. Just last week, Spectra introduced the Epoch 35 GNSS system. One of the ways to create a differentiation between products is to not offer as many features on the low-end product (eg. Trimble uses the Spectra brand to address the low-price market so they can hold the prices on the Trimble branded systems like the R8 GNSS. Granted, the Epoch 25 doesn’t offer GLONASS support or support for GPS L2C or L5, but for the price, you couldn’t really argue. $19,000, including UHF radios for a base/rover configuration. I featured it because it was being offered at a very low price (comparatively speaking) at approximately U.S. One of the products I featured was the Spectra Precision Epoch 25. throughout the year and occasionally report on them.īack in my November 2008 column, I discussed the huge price disparity between various real-time kinematic (RTK) systems on the market. I try to stay current on all the business happenings, product introductions, etc.
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