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Setup Journey: From Unboxing to Evaluation

This page is the starting point for LEO100 setup. Follow it from top to bottom to go from an unopened box to a working evaluation of LEO100 outputs against your target application.

The process is organized into six phases. The first three follow a fixed sequence. The next two depend on your deployment and are organized as decision-driven menus. The final phase focuses on selecting a production path. Relevant pages from the PpRx reference manual are linked throughout.

tip

Already have a host computer from Locus Lock? Software is pre-installed. You can skim Phase 1, skip Phase 2, and start at Phase 3.

Phase 1. Understand the data path​

Goal: before plugging anything in, build a mental model of how a GNSS signal becomes a position fix on your host computer.

Knowing the four-stage flow (antenna, RF front end, PpRx, your application) is what makes every later choice obvious instead of arbitrary. Which output to enable, where to put middleware, what to record for debugging: all become easier when the flow is clear.

You're done with Phase 1 when: you can sketch the four stages and name which LEO100 component owns each one.

Go to Information Flow Overview →

Phase 2. Install the software​

Goal: get PpRx and the Locus Lock GUI running on your host machine.

Skip this phase if you purchased LEO100 with a host computer. Everything is pre-installed.

You're done with Phase 2 when: pprx --version returns a real version string and the Locus Lock GUI launches.

Go to Software Installation →

Phase 3. Beginner Tutorials​

Goal: verify the hardware, capture your first RF dataset, configure PpRx, and produce a position fix on both recorded and live data.

This is a fixed, linear sequence of four short tutorials meant to be completed in order. By the end, LEO100 stops being a box of components and becomes a working receiver on your bench.

Reference (PpRx tab): PpRx Display explains what the diagnostic readouts in the last tutorial actually mean. Keep it open in a tab the first few times you run PpRx.

You're done with Phase 3 when: PpRx reports a position fix on both your post-processed .bin and a live RadioLion stream.

Go to Beginner Tutorials →

Phase 4. Advanced Tutorials​

Goal: evaluate LEO100 against the specific requirements of your deployment.

This phase is a menu, not a sequence. Unlike the Beginner Tutorials, you don't need to follow all of these. You pick the ones that match your use case and skip the rest. The right selection drives a low-friction end-to-end evaluation: a recorded or simulated RF input flowing through PpRx into a stub of your target application, without yet committing to production hardware or a real platform.

Before opening the menu, scope your platform​

Write down the major attributes of your platform and test plan. This determines which tutorials are relevant. Some common platform considerations are:

  • Antenna setup
  • Signal environment
  • Vehicle or platform characteristics and dynamics
  • Required PpRx operating mode
  • Desired software outputs and interfaces
  • Host computer and middleware constraints

Pick what fits​

Open the Advanced Tutorials page and pick from the menu. Use the table below to decide which ones apply to you:

If you need to...Follow
Plan which of NMEA, GBX, RINEX, KML, .log, or .mat your application consumesConfigure PpRx Outputs in the GUI
Inspect or convert receiver output filesAnalyze and Convert GBX Files
Wire PpRx outputs into an external application in real timePorting GBX to Other Applications
Run PpRx headless or embeddedRun PpRx from the CLI
Have PpRx start automatically with the hostSet Up a PpRx Service
Cut time-to-first-fix with ephemeris/almanac preloadingWarm Start PpRx
Discipline the host clock to GNSS timePpRx as NTP Server

Run the evaluation​

A typical evaluation, built from the tutorials you picked, includes:

  • Bench testing. Any of:
    • Live testing on simulated RF (LEO100 connected to a signal simulator)
    • Post-processing of representative .bin datasets you captured in Phase 3
    • Testing against example .bin datasets from Locus Lock
  • A lightweight parser or wrapper that pulls PpRx outputs (GBX, NMEA, etc.) into a stub of your application.
  • Optional limited field testing. Static or ground-vehicle, jamming/spoofing experiments.

Reference (PpRx tab) for evaluation work:

You're done with Phase 4 when:

  • a recorded or simulated RF input flows through PpRx and is consumed by a stub of your target application.

At this point, you have proof that LEO100 fits the use case, which is what justifies Phase 5's investment.

Go to Advanced Tutorials →

Phase 5. Prototype on the real platform​

Goal: move from the bench to a non-production version of your actual platform, in conditions that closely represent real operation.

This phase typically includes:

  • Moving from bench evaluation to platform-level integration
  • Designing interfaces and building middleware between LEO100 outputs and the target application
  • Evaluating receiver performance on production hardware (RF and/or host computer)
  • High-fidelity field tests in representative or challenging conditions

During this phase the PpRx reference tab becomes your primary working document. The pages you'll lean on most:

  • PpRx Tuning Tips. The actual knobs that move receiver performance on a real platform. This is where most of your iteration time will go.
  • PpRx Display. Diagnostic readout reference, for interpreting what's happening in long field runs.
  • GBX Protocol Description and GenericType Mapping. Required when middleware needs to parse PpRx output streams.
  • PpRx as NTP Server. For platforms that need the host clock disciplined to GNSS time.
  • PpRx Intro. Top of the reference section if you want to browse the full set.

You're done with Phase 5 when: LEO100 runs end-to-end on your real platform hardware, in representative conditions, meeting your performance bar.

Phase 6. Choose a production path​

Goal: decide how LEO100 will ship in production. Most deployments fall into one of two paths:

  1. Standard deployment. Use LEO100 largely off the shelf, with minor modifications or support as needed.
  2. Custom deployment. Engage Locus Lock to adapt and integrate PpRx for your specific platform requirements. This may include deploying PpRx on custom RF hardware, host processors, operating systems, middleware stacks, or application architectures, as well as implementing custom receiver features or interfaces.

This phase usually involves closer coordination with Locus Lock engineering to optimize the solution for your final target platform and use case. Depending on your requirements, the resulting deployment may use the complete LEO100 platform or PpRx integrated directly into your existing hardware and software ecosystem.

You're done with Phase 6 when: a production deployment path is selected and the corresponding engineering work is scoped.

After the journey​

At this point, you’ve completed the evaluation and deployment planning process. The references you'll keep coming back to are all reachable from the PpRx tab in the top bar:

When you need help​

If you hit a blocker at any phase, reach out via Get Support. Support is particularly useful when selecting output formats, planning middleware and application integration, evaluating deployment architectures, or deciding between a standard LEO100 deployment and a custom PpRx integration on your own hardware platform.