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RD8000+ Cable Locator Integration

Overview

Soarvo Mobile integrates directly with Radio Detection RD8K Bluetooth cable and pipe locators. Pair the RD8K to your Android device, configure Soarvo Mobile to receive readings, and your locator measurements flow straight into feature attributes.

⚠️ Availability: Available on Android only, in Soarvo Mobile app version 0.0.112+. Supported units include RD8100 and RD8200 (including the RD8200SG with built-in Bluetooth GPS).

Step 1 — Pair the RD8K to your Android device

On the RD8K unit (procedure varies slightly by model — consult your unit's manual):

  1. Set COM to on to enable Bluetooth communication.
  2. Set PROT (Protocol) to ASCII, version 2 if available.
  3. If a PHONE option exists, set it to ANRD.
  4. From your Android Bluetooth settings, pair the RD8K's Bluetooth device. Each unit has a different Bluetooth name — check your manual.
💡 Tip: If Bluetooth is enabled successfully, a Bluetooth icon appears on the RD8K's display.

Step 2 — Connect the RD8K to Soarvo Mobile

  1. Open Soarvo Mobile and go to the GPS management page.
  2. Open External Devices.
  3. Find the paired RD8K and enable the connection.
  4. Optionally select an RD8K Feature Type — the feature type to auto-start when you take a reading. If left blank, Soarvo looks for a feature type named RD8K.

The RD8K connection persists across app restarts — you should not need to re-enable it each time.

Step 3 — Record RD8K Data in a Feature

  1. Start a new feature of the configured RD8K feature type.
  2. Press the send measurement button on the RD8K. The Bluetooth icon will flash; the reading transfers to Soarvo Mobile.
  3. If the feature type has an attribute with default code !RD8K, the full NMEA data string is captured into that attribute.
  4. To extract a single value (e.g. depth), use !RD8K(n) where n is the 1-based index in the comma-separated NMEA string (e.g. !RD8K(13)).
ℹ️ Errors: If the reading fails, an error code appears on the RD8K's bottom-left display — check your unit's manual for code definitions.

RD8K Readings as Line/Polygon Nodes

When recording a linear or area feature, each RD8K reading adds a node at your current position. If your project contains a point feature type named RD8KNode, an RD8KNode point feature is also created at each measurement. RD8KNode feature types can also use !RD8K default codes.

RD8K Bluetooth GPS Receiver as Position Source

Some RD8K units (including the RD8200SG) include a separate Bluetooth GPS receiver capable of receiving RTK corrections.

  1. Pair the Bluetooth GPS receiver with your Android device (separate from the RD8K locator pairing).
  2. In Soarvo Mobile, use it as a Bluetooth GPS position source.
  3. Configure NTRIP corrections — use RTCM 3.x-compatible mountpoints for the RD8200SG.

On the RD8200SG, a flashing green LED indicates RTK Float quality; solid green indicates RTK Fixed.

What's Next?