German giant Claas has added a new RTK Field Base, a fresh in-cab terminal and more telematics wizardry to its high-tech kit range.

First off is a new version of its RTK Field Base for farmers who want to have top-notch accuracy.

Normally, operators would need a stationary mast or a mobile signal, but Claas says its RTK Field Base (which uses both the American GPS system and the Russian Glonass satellites) can provide 2-3cm accuracy over a distance of 3-5km.

See also: Simple guide to combine telematics and performance monitoring

RTK Field Base can provide 2-3cm accuracy over a distance of 3-5km

It’s quick to set up – typically three minutes – and will be available this month. The cost is £7,900 for the unit and there’s no subscription involved.

Latest terminal

The latest version of Claas’s S10 terminal goes a stage further with TC Basic for task management, TC Geo for recording variable-rate data and TC SC for things like section controls on sprayers.

As well as using auto-turn at ends of bouts, it can plug straight into an implement, whether it’s a sprayer, fertiliser spreader or plough.

It also uses the latest industry-wide Isobus Isoxml system that allows users to bring up individual fields on the screen, name them and transfer them from one vehicle to another.

It automatically detects which field the operator is in, so there’s no danger of spraying Home Field instead of Wood Field. That should make life easier for contractors in particular.

Crucially, the system is compatible with Farmplan’s popular Gatekeeper farm management and record-keeping software, so as users go round the outermost headland, the system will import all the information that normally sits in the computer on the desk in the farm office.

Wondering how to include non-Isobus implements (like cultivators) in your system? You can do now this by using the Bluetooth iBeacon telematics app on a smartphone instead of hooking up to the telematics system built into the tractor.

For managers, there’s also a big extra benefit in being able to look at your phone and see how much the combine, mower, plough or baler has done.