CloudBase Base Station — Installation Guide

From box to broadcasting in one afternoon. Call or text 765-490-1824 — we walk every install through by phone, free.

If you can mount a mailbox post and plug in a router, you can install a CloudBase base station. There are only four physical jobs — pick the spot, mount the antenna, plug in the internet, plug in the power — and then we get on the phone with you and handle the technical setup together. Most installs are broadcasting corrections the same afternoon the box is opened.

What you'll need

  • A mounting spot with clear sky — 360° open view above the antenna, nothing tall within 30 feet above antenna height. Bin roofs and machine-shed peaks are the classic winners.
  • Correct antenna orientation — receiver and cellular antennas mount with clear coverage all around, facing directly north. We confirm this during setup.
  • An Ethernet cable from your router to the base — a hardwired connection is the backbone of a reliable base; cellular can back it up.
  • Power that stays on — a standard 120V outlet is ideal. The base runs 24/7, and the included backup battery bridges short outages.
  • A stable, permanent mount — once surveyed, the antenna can never move. Even a fraction of an inch shifts every guidance line.
  • A phone or laptop on your home WiFi — used once, during the guided setup call.

What's in the box

CloudBase GNSS base receiver with built-in NTRIP broadcasting · survey-grade GNSS antenna · antenna cable · cellular modem with antennas (backup connectivity) · power supply · 12V backup battery · mounting bracket. Mounting pole and roof hardware are site-specific and not included — a 2-foot steel pole from the farm store does the job.

CloudBase base station enclosure

Step 1 — Pick the spot (10 minutes)

Walk your site and look up. You want the antenna to see the whole sky — a grain bin roof or shed peak with nothing tall within 30 feet is perfect. Higher is better. Avoid anything that moves or vibrates and anything under tree canopy. Stand where the antenna will go and turn a full circle: if you can see sky in every direction down to about 15° above the horizon, you've found your spot.

Step 2 — Mount the antennas (about an hour)

  1. Mount a short steel pole (2 feet or more above the roof) solidly to your spot — stainless hardware, zero flex.
  2. Thread the GNSS antenna onto the pole hand-tight only — no tools on the antenna connector.
  3. Check it with a bubble level, and orient the receiver and cellular antennas facing directly north with clear coverage on all sides.
  4. Route the antenna cable down to where the receiver will live, and seal any wall or roof penetrations with silicone.

Step 3 — Mount the receiver & connect the antenna (20 minutes)

Mount the receiver enclosure somewhere dry and reachable — a machine-shed wall or bin control room is typical. Connect the antenna cable to the receiver's antenna port, hand-tight. Important: connect the antenna before you ever power the unit on — running the receiver with no antenna attached can damage it.

Step 4 — Plug in the internet (5 minutes)

Run an Ethernet cable from your router to the base station and click it into the receiver's Ethernet port. The base uses your existing farm internet to broadcast corrections. If your router has a strict firewall, there's one setting to open (port 2101); we handle that with you on the setup call. No Ethernet at the site? The built-in cellular modem can carry the connection as a backup — but hardwired is what makes a base bulletproof.

Step 5 — Power on (5 minutes)

Plug the power supply into a protected outlet and watch two lights come on: a blue LED on the receiver and a green LED on the cellular modem. Both lit means the base is alive. From here it runs around the clock, and the backup battery rides through short power blips.

Step 6 — The setup call: we survey it in together (1–4 hours, mostly waiting)

Now the technical part — our job, not yours. On a scheduled call we log into the base with you and do three things: (1) survey the base onto its permanent position (the receiver averages satellite readings for 1–4 hours — go do chores while it runs), (2) turn on broadcasting and name your network, and (3) create the logins for each machine and any neighbors you're sharing with. One rule forever after: never move the antenna.

You're done when…

  • The base shows 8+ satellites and status reads Broadcasting.
  • Your tractor's display shows mRTK with corrections age under 5 seconds.
  • A test pass holds a sub-inch line — on your own network, with no annual base fee, just $499/yr per modem on the CloudBase Network.

If something's not right

What you see First thing to check
No LEDs lit Outlet has power, power cable seated, fuse intact, battery voltage.
Few or no satellites Antenna cable tight at both ends; antenna still has clear sky.
Tractor says No Base Base internet is up (Ethernet clicked in, router online); modem login matches the base exactly.
Base offline after a power outage Give it a few minutes to reconnect. Still down? Call us — usually a one-setting router fix.

And the check that beats all of them: call or text 765-490-1824. A farmer answers, not a phone tree — and we've stood in front of every one of these enclosures ourselves.

This quick-start guide accompanies the full CloudBase Base Station Installation Guide & Setup Manual. Ag Innovation LLC is an independent dealer, not affiliated with Deere & Company. John Deere and StarFire are trademarks of Deere & Company. Coverage depends on local site conditions. Specifications as of August 2026.