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Using OnStation and Trimble GNSS Receiver

This article will be going over the usage of pairing a Trimble GNSS receiver with OnStation, which improves location accuracy in the field. This gives your team greater confidence in stationing, documentation, and decision-making during every phase of the project.

Why does this matter in the field? 

Using OnStation with a Trimble receiver helps with: 

  • Field inspections: know exactly what station you're at without second-guessing 
  • Documentation: tag notes, photos, and drops to precise locations for audit trails 
  • Issue resolution: confidently identify and report the exact location of problems 
  • Collaboration: everyone sees the same location data, based on real-world position

What you’ll need: 

To use a Trimble receiver with OnStation, make sure you have: 

  • A Trimble GNSS receiver (e.g., R1, R2, R12) 
  • A mobile device with Bluetooth and location services enabled 
  • The Trimble Mobile Manager app installed and connected 
  • OnStation installed and updated to the latest version 
  • A correction service (e.g., SBAS, RTK, RTX) if high-accuracy positioning is required

You’ll know it’s working when: 

  • The GPS icon in OnStation shows updated accuracy values 
  • Your location on the plan sheet is stable and precise 
  • The station shown in OnStation aligns with your physical position on-site 

What changes when you use a Trimble receiver? 

When connected through the Trimble Mobile Manager (TMM) app, OnStation pulls real-time, high-precision GPS location from the receiver instead of relying on your phone or tablet’s internal GPS. 

With a connected receiver, you’ll see: 

  • Increased GPS accuracy – often within a few inches depending on correction service 
  • Reliable positioning on plansheets – your location aligns more precisely with stationing 
  • Accurate location tagging – notes, photos, and map drops are logged with confidence 
  • Consistent results in poor signal environments – Trimble receivers maintain accuracy better than phones

How OnStation uses the receiver data: 

Once your receiver is connected and location sharing is enabled in the Trimble Mobile Manager app: 

  • OnStation automatically switches to use the external GNSS signal 
  • The app displays your updated GPS accuracy in real-time 
  • Stationing, measurements, and dropped pins use the Trimble-derived coordinates 
  • No additional setup is required in OnStation 

OnStation reads GPS data from the system level — so once Trimble Mobile Manager is connected, you're good to go.