The John Deere RTK Radio 450 is designed maintain signal coverage to be used in areas with rolling hills or dense treelines to maintain signal coverage and RTK accuracy where the John Deere RTK Radio signal strength is not sufficient. Especially in the rolling and rocky ground of SW Wisconsin, the RTK signal with the 450 MHz radio has been exceptional.

The John Deere RTK Radio 450 is required to obtain RTK accuracy and be paired with a StarFire™ 3000 Receiver. It can be used on a base station or machine and can also serve as a repeater when paired with a StarFire 3000 Receiver.

The John Deere RTK Radio 450 requires a license for a dedicated frequency. While a license has to be paid for, the user owns that specific frequency. Unlike the John Deere RTK Radio 900 frequencies, wireless providers or anyone else cannot use that frequency, thus eliminating signal jamming.

The following is a simple way to think about the difference between a John Deere RTK Radio 900 and RTK Radio 450:

The John Deere RTK Radio 900 uses a frequency band that is like an interstate: it is free and open to the public. If only a few people are using the interstate, it moves fast; however, when everyone uses it at the same time, there is a traffic jam and it moves slowly. Conversely, the John Deere RTK Radio 450 is a private road. It costs to own, but you can drive as fast as you want whenever you want.

For all of the added benefits of the 450 MHz radio, Sloan Implement has decided to end date the 900 MHz radio in April 2015. We believe the benefits of the 450 MHz will make this transition worthwhile for farmer’s on the Sloan Implement RTK network in central Illinois and Wisconsin.

Sloan Implement charges $1000 for a 1 year subscription to their RTK network per radio. If you have multiple radios on the farm, then it is $2500 for all of the radios on a single farm. Please call your local AMS product support specialist to activate or renew your annual RTK network subscription.