02
Apr
Budget GPS guidance: what it actually costs now
This post used to carry the neat little “under fifty dollars” line. That was too tidy. Bare receiver boards can look cheap, but a useful …
guidanceOpen farm tech from South Australia
Practical farm software, built from real field work
FINN started as a laptop-based guidance tool and is growing into a separate-but-connected farm system: tractor guidance, implement logging, RTK base station work, mapping, operator interface, and field data analysis.
Where the project stands
The useful part is separating what works now from what is still being proven.
1
Usable entry point
Finn Guidance is the public starting point: a Rust guidance app for a Windows laptop and USB GPS receiver.
2
Field prototype
The tractor work is moving toward LC29H BA direct-to-laptop guidance with a motor controller inner loop.
3
System build-out
FINN Pilot, Base, Core, Interface, and Copter are separate projects that connect through offline-first contracts.
The FINN stack
Each part has its own job so field tools can keep working even when the rest of the network is offline.
GPS
Finn Guidance
The tractor and cab app. Public lightbar use is the entry point; BA-based steering work remains field-prototype territory.
PIL
FINN Pilot
The implement-awareness stack for outside-tine GPS, shaft speed, safety switches, camera capture, and future coverage authority.
RTK
FINN Base
The LC29H BS base-station project for local RTK correction service through NTRIP. It is optional for basic guidance.
HUB
FINN Core
The hub for field-run records, worker nodes, analysis tasks, memory, dashboard views, and cross-project contracts.
UI
FINN Interface
The voice, display, presence, and operator interaction node. Useful later, but not part of the tractor control loop.
MAP
FINN Copter
The mapping and future drone-work project. First role: imagery and map layers that can refresh FINN Core's farm state.
From the paddock
Build updates, farm tech tips, and the occasional yarn.
01
Apr
Why I built my own GPS guidance system
I’ve been farming with my father in Jamestown, South Australia for years. Mixed operation, cropping and livestock. Like every broadacre farmer, …
guidance