John Deere urged to fix Starfire receiver problems
© Tim Scrivener Farmers have asked John Deere to provide urgent solutions following reports of signal problems with Starfire (SF) GPS satellite receivers.
Several farmers have contacted Farmers Weekly to report technical issues with SF 3000 domes and early iterations of the current SF 6000 receivers.
Rumours that the problems are connected to signal interference with the rollout of 5G technology in the countryside are false, according to John Deere UK & IE.
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Instead, a company spokesman said newly introduced 4G mobile phone network frequencies are behind the issues (see “John Deere UK & IE company response”, below).
Robert Smith, a farm manager based near Bampton, Oxfordshire, said John Deere representatives visited his farm on 27 February and told him an upgrade needed to be carried out on his SF 3000 receiver as it was losing connection with the satellites.
GPS down
A fortnight later, Mr Smith took his JD 6190, equipped with the receiver, into a field to apply fertiliser on the 243ha farm, but he found the GPS technology no longer worked.
“I ran the GPS system on this tractor for seven years, but after February, it packed up,” said Mr Smith.
Although he can sometimes receive a GPS signal of 100%, the accuracy can vary from between 0-80% within a 30min period. This causes the tractor to lose its autosteer ability.
Mr Smith said John Deere had offered to buy back his SF 3000 receiver, but it does not go anywhere near meeting the cost of upgrading to a new SF 6000 receiver.
His local dealership has tried to help, but is also struggling to get answers.
Farmers bought the John Deere equipment in good faith that it would last many years and they deserved better treatment, he added.
With harvest approaching, he fears more farmers with older John Deere domes on combines may not work.
Swapping receivers
Chris Strange, a mixed farmer based near Witney, Oxfordshire, is having to swap his SF 3000 and SF 6000 domes on his tractors depending on the job location.
“The capability of our SF 6000 dome is affected, but not as much as our SF 3000,” he said.
“Most areas are fine, but whenever we go near RAF Brize Norton, we have issues.
“With an SF 3000 dome, it takes a couple of hours to reboot before we can go elsewhere.”
Mr Strange said he knew several farmers who had bought tractors 18 months ago who were now unable to use the dome they had bought it with.
“John Deere needs to do something about this. It’s causing real headaches for us all,” he added.
John Deere UK & IE company response
John Deere UK & IE said a very small number of its customers had identified some interference issues with Starfire 3000 and older Starfire 6000 satellite receivers.
The reported cases are located within various regions in the UK and The Netherlands and have been caused by the newly introduced 4G mobile phone network frequencies, said the company in a statement.
The new 4G frequencies are similar to the Starfire radio correction signal, which causes the interference.
John Deere emphasised that neither the 5G network nor any software changes are the reason for these issues.
The latest Starfire 6000 satellite receivers are equipped with newer technology that resolves this problem.
Customers who experience signal issues should contact their local John Deere dealer immediately, who will take all necessary diagnostic measures and offer solutions, based on the age of the Starfire equipment.
