MicoAir MA-RTK-AIR-F9P RTK GNSS with compass

MicoAir MA-RTK-AIR-F9P is an RTK GNSS module for drones with an ArduPilot or PX4 autopilot, where centimeter-level position accuracy is required – mapping, photogrammetry, precision landing, or repeatedly flown autonomous missions. It works as a rover, meaning it receives RTK corrections from a ground base station or from the NTRIP network, and compared to a standard GPS module with meter-level accuracy, it achieves 1.0cm + 1ppm. Without corrections, it behaves like a standard GNSS module with an accuracy of around 1.5m.

The core is the u-blox ZED-F9P receiver, a long-proven dual-band chip that is among the most widely used RTK solutions in the drone world. Thanks to this, it has very good support in both ArduPilot and PX4 and behaves predictably in the field. It processes L1 and L2 bands from GPS L1C/A and L2C, BeiDou B1I and B2I, GLONASS G1 and G2, Galileo E1 and E5b, and QZSS L1 and L2, and tracks up to 32 satellites simultaneously. Two frequencies make it possible to calculate and remove ionospheric error, which shortens the time to RTK fix and keeps the fix more stable than with single-band modules.

The module includes an IST8310 magnetometer connected via the I2C bus. GNSS data is transferred via UART (3.3V LVTTL). The module supports UBlox and NMEA-0183 output protocols and operates with a navigation rate of 8Hz in RTK mode and 10Hz in standalone mode.

The data pins are on two connectors. The six-pin GH1.25-6P (GND, VCC, RX1, TX1, SCL, SDA) carries the main UART to the autopilot together with the I2C compass, while the four-pin GH1.25-4P (GND, VCC, TX2, RX2) adds a second UART, which can be used to feed RTK corrections into the module, for example from a telemetry modem. Two LEDs indicate the module status – PPS indication and RTK indication – so the fix is visible directly on the board. Power supply is 4-5V with a consumption of 350mW.

The dual-band antenna connects via an SMA connector. The module measures 44x29x14,7mm and weighs 13g without the antenna, so it is also suitable for smaller aircraft. 

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