CloudBase RTK Resource Center
Everything you need to decide if CloudBase Cellular RTK is right for your operation — the honest comparison, the real math, and answers to the questions farmers actually ask us. Can't find your answer? Call or text 765-490-1824. A farmer answers, not a phone tree.
Compare your three RTK options
Every RTK system needs a correction signal sent to your cab. The only real difference between your options is how that signal gets there — and what it costs you.
| Radio RTK | John Deere SF-RTK™ | CloudBase Cellular RTK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the signal reaches you | Broadcast from a radio tower — like an FM station | Beamed down from the satellite | Over the same 4G network your phone already uses |
| What causes interference | Trees, hills, and distance — radio needs a straight shot to the tower | Very little — until you stop paying. Then it's gone. | Only a true cell dead zone — no line-of-sight needed |
| What you pay | A radio on every machine, plus a dealer network fee — commonly around $2,000/yr in our area | $1,500 per receiver, per year, forever. Run 4 receivers? $6,000 every year. | $2,000 once per machine, then $499/yr — or own a base station ($10,000 one-time): no network rent, just $499/yr per modem support |
| Who owns it | You own the radios — the dealer owns the tower | Nobody — you're renting a signal | You do. The modem is yours. Add our base station and you own the whole network. |
| Runs other colors | Sometimes — depends on the dealer's network | John Deere equipment only | Yes — Deere, Case IH, Trimble, Raven, Ag Leader, all of it |
| After 5 years | ~$10,000 in network fees, and you still need the tower | $7,500 spent per receiver — own nothing | About $4,000 total per machine — and you keep the hardware |
Our pick: own your corrections
Between the three, CloudBase is the one you own. And within CloudBase, the setup that gives you the tightest accuracy and the best reliability is your own base station — sub-¼″ accuracy, a signal that doesn't drop, and a 30-mile coverage radius from your farm, with no network rent — just the $499/yr per-modem CloudBase support package — and we keep it monitored, updated, and running at peak performance. Free InCORS and our $499/yr network are great lower-cost ways in, but they won't match a base you own. If RTK uptime matters, or you run more than a machine or two, put a base on your ground.
The math, straight up
Run 1–2 machines? A CloudBase modem using Indiana's free InCORS network pays for itself in under two years. Five-year cost: $3,996 vs. $7,500 renting SF-RTK. You keep about $3,500 — per machine.
Run 3 or more — or want the best accuracy and reliability? Put your own base station on your farm. On a 4-receiver fleet ($10,000 base + four modems), your yearly cost after year one is $1,996 — four $499 modem licenses — against $6,000 every year renting SF-RTK. You're ahead of SF-RTK by year 4, then keep about $4,000 in your pocket every year after — roughly $24,000 over 10 years — and you get sub-¼″ accuracy across a 30-mile radius that no rented signal can match.
See it working
Frequently asked questions
Does this work with my StarFire 6000?
Yes — if it's an RTK-ready model. The CloudBase modem plugs into StarFire 3000, 6000, 7000, and 7500 receivers with RTK activation. Some models also need a John Deere mRTK license — we check your exact receiver for free before you order.
Do I need my own base station?
For the best accuracy and reliability, own your own base station — it delivers the tightest sub-¼″ accuracy, the most reliable correction stream, and a 30-mile coverage radius from your farm, with no network rent — just the $499/yr per-modem CloudBase support package — and we keep it monitored and supported. Free InCORS or our $499/yr network are solid lower-cost ways in and work well for many 1–2 machine farms, but they won't match a base you own. If RTK uptime matters, or you run more than a machine or two, put a base on your ground.
How is this different from radio RTK?
Radio RTK needs line-of-sight to a tower — trees, hills, and distance cause dropouts, and you're typically paying a dealer around $2,000/yr for network access. CloudBase sends corrections over the same 4G network your phone uses. No line-of-sight, no tower fees, and it works anywhere you have cell service.
How is this different from John Deere SF-RTK?
SF-RTK is excellent — we sell receivers that run it. But it's $1,500 per receiver, per year, forever, and it only runs green equipment. CloudBase is $2,000 once, then $499/yr, and runs any color. If you'll farm the same ground more than a couple years, owning is cheaper.
What does it cost per year?
The modem is $2,000 — pair it with the correction source that fits your farm — your own provider subscription (~$400/yr), the CloudBase network ($499/yr), or your own base station. Run your own base station and there's no network rent — your only recurring cost is each modem's $499/yr license. Call us and we'll spell out exactly what your annual cost looks like for your setup.
What if my farm has weak cell coverage?
Call or text us — we do a free coverage check on your actual ground before you buy anything. That's the first thing we look at.
How accurate is it, really?
Better than a quarter inch, verified through six months of testing on working farms in central Indiana before we put our name on it. Repeatable year over year — your lines this fall are your lines in five years.
Will it run my Case IH / Trimble / Ag Leader equipment?
Yes. The Universal modem works with Trimble, Raven, Ag Leader, Case IH, and any RTK-ready receiver. Mixed fleets can run entirely off one CloudBase base station.
How hard is the install?
The modem is plug-and-play on RTK-ready receivers. The base station mounts at your shop: antennas, power, and an ethernet cable to your router. We're local to central Indiana and do on-farm installs — or walk you through it by phone wherever you are.
What range does the base station cover?
Up to 30 miles from the base — enough to cover distant fields that radio RTK towers can't reach reliably. Because corrections travel over cellular, terrain between you and the base doesn't matter.
What's the warranty and return policy?
Everything we sell is backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee, and every unit is tested on our own farm before it ships.
Can I try it before committing?
That's what the 60-day money-back guarantee is for. Put it on a machine, run it in your conditions, and if it doesn't perform, send it back.
Our honest advice
We sell all three kinds of RTK. We stock StarFire 7500 receivers that run SF-RTK, and it's a genuinely good system if you don't mind renting. But if you plan to farm the same ground for more than a couple of years, owning your corrections is simply cheaper — and nobody can raise the rent on you. And if you want the most accurate, most reliable RTK we sell, own your base station outright: sub-¼″ accuracy, a 30-mile radius, and no network rent — just the $499/yr per-modem CloudBase support package. Tell us your acres and how many receivers you run, and we'll tell you which setup pencils out.
Free coverage check on your ground: call or text 765-490-1824 · Frankfort, Indiana · Shop CloudBase RTK
Install guides and the modem operator's manual are available — ask and we'll send them over.
Ag Innovation LLC is an independent dealer, not affiliated with Deere & Company. John Deere, StarFire, and SF-RTK are trademarks of Deere & Company. Radio RTK network fees vary by dealer; SF-RTK pricing per John Deere published rates at time of writing. Coverage depends on local cellular service. Pricing current as of August 2026.