What you see: the status says FloatA middle RTK status. Corrections are coming in but the math isn't finished, so you're only good to about a foot.Full definition and never turns to FIX, or it fixes for a few seconds and drops back. FLOAT means the rover is getting CorrectionsLive info from a base station about how far off the satellite signals are, so your rover can cancel out the error.Full definition, but it hasn't locked onto the exact count of wave cycles to each satellite yet, so it's only good to roughly a foot or so (fix vs float).
Check these, in order
- Sky view. Trees, buildings, trucks and even your own body block or bounce signals. Move to open sky and wait a minute. NGSNational Geodetic Survey. The part of NOAA that runs the official US coordinate system, CORS and OPUS.Full definition's real-time guidelines treat a clear sky and low MultipathWhen a satellite signal bounces off a wall, truck or water before it reaches you, like an echo. It throws off your position.Full definition (signals bouncing off things) as basic requirements for good RTKReal-time kinematic. A way to make GPS accurate to about an inch by getting live corrections from a nearby base station.Full definition.
- Distance to the base. The farther you are from the base or nearest network station, the harder it is to fix. Check it with the Nearest base station tool and read baseline length and accuracy.
- Age of corrections. If it's more than a few seconds and climbing, the problem is your internet link, not the sky. See age of corrections keeps climbing.
- Format and satellites. The Mount pointOne specific correction stream on a caster, like one channel on a radio. Each one comes from a certain station or network setup.Full definition must send a format your receiver can read (usually RTCMThe common format RTK corrections are written in, so different brands can understand each other.Full definition) and the satellite systems it tracks. A mount point that sends only some signals can keep you in FLOAT. Ask the operator which mount point to use.
- Restart the solution. Disconnect and reconnect the NTRIPThe standard way RTK corrections are sent over the internet. Think of it as internet radio for correction data.Full definition link, or power-cycle the rover, so it starts the fix over.
Never accept a FLOAT point as survey-grade. If you can't fix, mark the point and come back, or record raw data and use PPK later.
Sources (checked Oct 16, 2026):NGS User Guidelines for Single Base Real Time GNSS Positioning v2.1Emlid Flow docs: Glossary (age of corrections, mount point, VRS)Emlid Reach RS3 docs: RTK quickstartDiagrams are FixFinder illustrations. Always follow your equipment's current manual.