ntrip-client

ntrip-client: NTRIP Client Tool

ntrip-client is a command-line tool for connecting to NTRIP (Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol) casters and streaming GNSS correction data.

Features

• NTRIP 1.0/2.0 Support: Compatible with both NTRIP protocol versions
• TLS/SSL Encryption: Secure connections with TLS support
• Authentication: Username/password authentication
• Automatic Reconnection: Handles connection drops gracefully
• Real-time Streaming: Streams correction data to stdout
• Source Table Support: Can retrieve and display source tables
• Configurable Coordinates: Specify receiver position for better corrections

Installation

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://gitlab.com/earthscope/gnsstools.git
cd gnsstools

# Build the tool
go build -o ntrip-client ./cmd/ntrip-client

# Install globally (optional)
go install ./cmd/ntrip-client

Prerequisites

• Go 1.19 or later
• Git

Usage

Basic Syntax

ntrip-client <command> [options]

Available Commands

• connect: Connect to NTRIP caster and stream correction data
• srctab: Retrieve and display NTRIP source table
• version: Show version information

Connect Command

ntrip-client connect --host <host:port> --user <username> --pass <password> [options]

Required Options:

• --host: NTRIP caster host and port (e.g., caster.example.com:2101)
• --user: Username for authentication
• --pass: Password for authentication

Optional Options:

• --mountpoint: Mountpoint name (default: ALIC00AUS0)
• --tls: Use TLS/SSL encryption
• --lat: Receiver latitude (default: 40.0)
• --lon: Receiver longitude (default: -105.0)
• --debug: Enable debug logging

Source Table Command

ntrip-client srctab --host <host:port> --user <username> --pass <password> [options]

Required Options:

• --host: NTRIP caster host and port
• --user: Username for authentication
• --pass: Password for authentication

Optional Options:

• --tls: Use TLS/SSL encryption
• --debug: Enable debug logging

Examples

Connect to NTRIP Caster

# Basic connection
ntrip-client connect \
  --host caster.example.com:2101 \
  --user myusername \
  --pass mypassword \
  --mountpoint MOUNT1

# With TLS encryption
ntrip-client connect \
  --host caster.example.com:443 \
  --user myusername \
  --pass mypassword \
  --mountpoint MOUNT1 \
  --tls

# With specific coordinates
ntrip-client connect \
  --host caster.example.com:2101 \
  --user myusername \
  --pass mypassword \
  --mountpoint MOUNT1 \
  --lat 40.123456 \
  --lon -105.123456

Get Source Table

# Retrieve source table
ntrip-client srctab \
  --host caster.example.com:2101 \
  --user myusername \
  --pass mypassword

Save Data to File

# Stream data to file
ntrip-client connect \
  --host caster.example.com:2101 \
  --user myusername \
  --pass mypassword \
  --mountpoint MOUNT1 > corrections.rtcm3

Debug Mode

# Enable debug logging
ntrip-client connect \
  --host caster.example.com:2101 \
  --user myusername \
  --pass mypassword \
  --mountpoint MOUNT1 \
  --debug

Output

• Correction Data: RTCM3 messages are streamed to stdout (connect command)
• Source Table: Source table is displayed to stdout (srctab command)
• Logs: Structured JSON logs are written to stderr

Error Handling

The client includes robust error handling:

• Connection Failures: Automatic reconnection with exponential backoff
• Authentication Errors: Clear error messages for invalid credentials
• Network Issues: Graceful handling of network interruptions
• Invalid Mountpoints: Proper error reporting for non-existent mountpoints

Common Use Cases

Real-time GNSS Corrections

# Stream corrections to a GNSS receiver
ntrip-client \
  --host caster.example.com:2101 \
  --user myusername \
  --pass mypassword \
  --mountpoint MOUNT1 | \
  socat - TCP:gnss-receiver:2101

Data Logging

# Log corrections with timestamp
ntrip-client \
  --host caster.example.com:2101 \
  --user myusername \
  --pass mypassword \
  --mountpoint MOUNT1 | \
  tee "corrections_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).rtcm3"

Testing Connectivity

# Test connection and get source table
ntrip-client srctab \
  --host caster.example.com:2101 \
  --user myusername \
  --pass mypassword

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Authentication failed"

• Verify username and password are correct
• Check if the account has access to the specified mountpoint

"Connection refused"

• Verify host and port are correct
• Check if the caster is running and accessible
• Ensure firewall allows the connection

"Mountpoint not found"

• Use ntrip-client srctab to see available mountpoints
• Verify the mountpoint name is correct

"TLS handshake failed"

• Ensure the caster supports TLS on the specified port
• Check if certificates are valid

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging to see detailed connection information:

ntrip-client connect --debug --host ... --user ... --pass ...

Related Tools

• gnss-inspect: Inspect and analyze GNSS data formats
• gnss-convert: Convert GNSS data between formats
• Other NTRIP tools: See the main project README for a complete list

Support

This tool is part of the GNSS Tools project and is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

For issues and feature requests, please visit the project repository.