Trimble Applanix has introduced a smart antenna enclosure option for the Trimble PX-1 RTX solution designed to provide robust positioning and heading for commercial drone delivery applications.
The new hardware integrates a Calian jam-resilient antenna element with the Trimble PX-1 RTX in a compact enclosure. This “drop-in” configuration allows integrators to bypass complex board-level integration and testing, which traditionally involves managing radio frequency interference and mechanical noise. By streamlining these development cycles, manufacturers can significantly accelerate their speed to market for advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
Joe Hutton, Director of Applanix airborne products at Trimble, said, “Bypassing lengthy development cycles provides an edge in today’s highly dynamic UAV landscape. Removing board level integration challenges like RF interference and mechanical noise, and incorporating a high performance, state-of-the art GNSS antenna element from Calian, this drop-in positioning solution enables our customers to integrate real-time centimeter positioning into their products in weeks instead of months.”
Technically, the Trimble PX-1 RTX utilizes CenterPoint RTX corrections alongside high-performance GNSS-inertial hardware. This combination delivers real-time, centimeter-level positioning and precise true heading, which is essential for maintaining tight control during takeoff and landing in constrained or obstructed environments. The system also offers increased redundancy to reduce risks associated with sensor issues or magnetic interference.
The integrated antenna technology is based on the Calian AC4990ECF full band Accutenna 4 (AC4) Antenna. It features eXtended Filtering (XF) to mitigate radio frequency out-of-band signal interference from sources such as LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Ligado by applying deep filtering around the GNSS bands to -80 dB. Furthermore, the XF+ technology isolates the upper and lower band gain paths, ensuring that signal jamming in one path does not saturate the entire antenna.
The smart antenna enclosure option for the Trimble PX-1 RTX is expected to be available through Trimble Applanix sales channels in the third quarter of 2026.
Visit Trimble Applanix at Xponential 2026, May 11-14 in Detroit, Booth 27000, to learn more about this latest technology.
