Managing Mixed Fleets of AeroPoints

Two distinct versions of the AeroPoint smart ground control products exist—AeroPoint 1s and AeroPoint 2s. If you plan to add or replace AeroPoints in your fleet, it’s important to understand how the different versions will function together. Before laying out the best practices for using AeroPoint 1s and AeroPoint 2s together, please review the differences between the two versions.

Using an AeroPoint 2 as the first point down is necessary when surveying with drones equipped with modern, high-accuracy GPS systems, such as the DJI Mavic 3E, Matrice 4E, or Matrice 300/350/400 series.

AeroPoint 1s

AeroPoint 1s require at least 45 minutes of GPS data capture time to produce an accurate survey.  

If you currently use the Propeller PPK workflow, we recommend your drone fly for a minimum of 10 minutes, and AeroPoints are left to collect data for 45 minutes.  

For AeroPoint 1s, the required GPS data capture and drone flight times are the same whether you use the known point method or the Propeller Corrections Network to correct your data.

	Minimum GPS Fix Time:	45 minutes
	Minimum PPK Drone Flight Time:	10 minutes
	Number of Constellations Observed:	up to 3
	Baseline Distance:	40 km (~25 mi)
	Maximum Capture Time:	5 hours
	AeroPoints App	no

AeroPoint 2s

If you only use AeroPoint 2s to capture survey data, the required GPS data capture and drone flight times differ slightly for between the known point and Propeller Corrections Network processing methods.

Propeller Corrections Network

The drone's minimum GPS capture time is 10 minutes, and your AeroPoint 2s need to be left to collect data for a minimum of 10 minutes.

	Minimum GPS Fix Time:	10 minutes
	Minimum PPK Drone Flight Time:	10 minutes
	Number of Constellations Observed:	up to 5
	Baseline Distance:	40 km (~25 mi)
	Maximum Capture Time:	8 hours
	AeroPoints App	yes

Global Survey Benchmark/Local Site Survey Benchmark

The drone's minimum GPS capture time is 2 minutes, and your AeroPoint 2s need to be left to collect data for a minimum of 10 minutes.

	Minimum GPS Fix Time:	10 minutes
	Minimum PPK Drone Flight Time:	2 minutes
	Number of Constellations Observed:	up to 5
	Baseline Distance:	40 km (~25 mi)
	Maximum Capture Time:	8 hours
	AeroPoints App	yes

Mixed fleet of AeroPoints 

If you are using both AeroPoint 1s and AeroPoint 2s for your survey, we recommend using the minimum capture times for AeroPoint 1s. We also recommend that an AeroPoint 2 is used as the first point down and/or known point on any surveys using a mixed fleet of AeroPoints. 

	Propeller Corrections Method	Known Point Method
Minimum GPS Fix Time:	45 minutes	45 minutes
Minimum PPK Drone Flight Time:	10 minutes	10 minutes
Number of Constellations Observed:	AeroPoint 1: up to 3 AeroPoint 2: up to 5	AeroPoint 1: up to 3 AeroPoint 2: up to 5
Baseline Distance:	40 km (~25 mi)	40 km (~25 mi)
Maximum Capture Time:	AeroPoint 1: 5 hours AeroPoint 2: 8 hours	AeroPoint 1: 5 hours AeroPoint 2: 8 hours
AeroPoints App:	AeroPoint 1: no AeroPoint 2: yes	AeroPoint 1: no AeroPoint 2: yes

Power Considerations

AeroPoint 2s have a dedicated charging port in addition to the solar charging functionality, unlike AeroPoint 1s, which can only be charged by solar.

AeroPoints should be charged every few days during regular use. If you’re not regularly using your AeroPoints, you should charge them at least once every 30 days to maintain battery health and performance.   

Leap Frogging Mixed Fleets

When leap-frogging your AeroPoints for larger surveys or linear projects it is important to consider the minimum and maximum capture times of each AeroPoint version.

If you are confident that the survey can be completed in less than 5 hours, we recommend using an AeroPoint 1 as the reference point. This frees up your AeroPoint 2s to leapfrog across the site, where you can make use of their shorter minimum capture time.

If your survey will take more than 5 hours to complete, use an AeroPoint 2 as the reference point since it has a longer maximum capture time of 8 hours.

For example:

• Lay down your AeroPoint 1 as the reference, and turn it on.

• Lay down your AeroPoint 2s in the area of your first drone flight.

• Once the AeroPoint 2s have hit their 10-minute minimum, and you've completed your flight of that area, stop those AeroPoints from recording and move them to the next location. 

I still can't do it!

We wrote these articles to equip you with everything you need to get the job done on your own, but we understand that sometimes this isn't sufficient.

If you're stuck, the Propeller hardware support team may be able to help. You can contact them by emailing hardwaresupport@propelleraero.com.au.