FJD Trion EG10 | Wireless Excavator GPS Guidance System

Dug a trench twice because the pegs got knocked? Kept a labourer in the hole with a staff all day? The FJD Trion EG10 is a wireless excavator GPS guidance system built for that work. FJD designed the sensors to go on and come off without modifying the machine, so the kit can follow you to the next one. It suits owner-operators, plumbers and drainers, and civil and farm contractors who want GPS guidance without the cost and complexity of a permanently installed system.

What Changes on the Job

• No pegs or string lines. The target lives on the tablet, so a knocked peg stops costing you a re-dig.
• No grade checker on every pass. You see how far off grade you are from the seat.
• Less dig, check, trim. Dig to the number on the screen instead of digging, checking, trimming and checking again.

EG10, EC100 or a Laser Kit?

We sell all three, so here's the straight answer.

• Laser and machine receiver kits: the simplest way to dig to one grade, but you need a laser on site and you work to a single plane, with no design files.
• FJD Trion EG10: GPS guidance to levels, lines, slopes and designs with no laser on site, in a portable kit for more than one excavator or a machine that doesn't need guidance every day.
• FJD Trion EC100 (formerly G31 Pro): a dual-antenna full 3D system with sensors installed on the machine, for a machine that works to design every day.

How This Excavator GPS Guidance System Works

The GNSS receiver (GPS plus the other satellite systems) sits on a magnetic holder on the side of the stick, and the wireless IMU (a tilt sensor) sits in a quick-release base on the bucket linkage. The FJD T10 tablet in the cab shows left, middle and right cut/fill at the teeth, with front, side and 3D views. The receiver links to the tablet over Wi-Fi and the IMU over Bluetooth, so no cables run back to the cab. It's guidance: you still drive the machine.

The receiver needs a clear view of the sky, so tall buildings, heavy tree cover and deep, narrow excavations can affect it. It doesn't replace your surveyor where the job needs one; it gets the design into the cab and keeps you on it.

FJD says its TerraMind cloud platform lets you manage projects and equipment, send design data remotely, review work results and generate as-built reports. Ask us what's involved.

Guidance Modes for Real Jobs

• Levelling: one target height for house pads, shed sites, paddocks and land levelling.
• Line guidance: a straight A-B line and target level keep drainage, sewer and stormwater trenches, farm drains and channels on line and on depth for the dig. Check final pipe fall with a pipe laser or level as usual.
• Slope formation: set the fall along a trench or drain, or cross slopes for batters, embankments, channel banks and road formation.
• Field design on the tablet: point and direction, two points, plane, cross-section, surface and road designs, built in the cab.
• AR camera guidance: FJD also lists an AR view that uses a camera to overlay bucket paths, design lines and measurements.

Fitting, Calibration and Moving Between Machines

FJD quotes about 10 minutes to fit and 25 minutes to calibrate. You calibrate each machine: measure the stick and linkage with the supplied tape and plumb bobs, follow the steps on the tablet, and save the machine and its buckets to the vehicle library. After that, FJD says you don't recalibrate at every start-up while the bucket and boom set-up stays the same. You still confirm an RTK fixed solution and check against a site benchmark at the start of each day. In FJD's set-up routine, once the solution is fixed, you slew slowly left and right until the tablet shows a good status. Moving the kit back onto a machine that's already in the library, or refitting the receiver after survey use? Ask us what the refit involves.

The receiver (about 15 hours as a rover) and the IMU (84 hours continuous) run on their own rechargeable batteries. Those are FJD figures, and real-world life varies with temperature and use. FJD doesn't publish a runtime for the tablet.

Corrections: What ±3 cm Actually Needs

The ±3 cm rating needs RTK corrections from one of two sources:

• NTRIP over 4G: the receiver has a built-in 4G modem and works with NTRIP correction services. In Australia these include subscription networks and Geoscience Australia's free AUSCORS single-base streams (registration required; accuracy drops off the further you are from the base station). With 4G coverage on a network the receiver supports, you don't need a base of your own. You supply the Nano-SIM and data plan.
• Your own UHF base (not included): for sites out of coverage, the receiver's built-in UHF radio takes corrections from a separate GNSS base receiver set up on site. In Australia, a transmitting 400 MHz base needs an ACMA apparatus licence.

SBAS and Galileo HAS, which the receiver can also track, won't get you to centimetre guidance. Tell us where you work, your carrier and the service or base you plan to use, and we'll check them first.

Backed from Geelong

We're RedBack Lasers, laser and machine guidance specialists based in Geelong, in business since 2002 and an FJDynamics dealer already selling FJD's EC100 (formerly G31 Pro) and FJD Trion GNSS receivers. Call 1800 769 858 and you'll get a real person, not a call centre. We can help with set-up and training, and under warranty your first call is to us.

EG10 FAQs

Does the EG10 move the bucket for me?

No. The EG10 is guidance. The tablet shows where the bucket teeth are against your target and how much is left to cut or fill, and the operator runs the hydraulics as normal.

How accurate is the FJD EG10?

FJD says the EG10 can reach ±3 cm under specified conditions, including an RTK fixed solution with the receiver within 60° of vertical. An RTK fix needs corrections and a clear view of the sky. SBAS and Galileo HAS, which the receiver can also track, won't give centimetre guidance. Check against a site benchmark at the start of each day.

Can I use the EG10 without a base station?

Yes, with 4G coverage on a network the receiver supports and an NTRIP correction service; you supply the Nano-SIM and data plan. Out of coverage you'll need your own UHF base (a separate GNSS receiver, not included), and in Australia a transmitting 400 MHz base needs an ACMA apparatus licence.

Will the EG10 fit my excavator?

FJD says the EG10 is compatible with most excavator models on the market, and its compatibility chart covers mono, swing, two-piece (dual) and offset booms with standard or tilt buckets. A tilt bucket needs no extra sensor. The EG10 doesn't support tiltrotators. The machine needs a flat steel area on the side of the stick for the magnetic receiver holder and a spot on the bucket linkage for the IMU (on a tilt bucket, we'll confirm where the IMU goes). Running a mini? Stick width and room for the magnetic holder vary, so send us your make and model and we'll confirm with FJD. Same for tilt hitches, quick couplers or anything unusual.

How long does it take to fit and calibrate?

FJD quotes about 10 minutes to fit and 25 minutes to calibrate each machine, and the tablet saves each machine and its buckets in the vehicle library. After that first installation and calibration, FJD says there's no need to recalibrate at every start-up, provided the bucket and boom set-up stays the same. A new machine, or a changed bucket or boom set-up, needs setting up first. FJD's statement covers start-ups. Moving the kit back to a machine already in the library, or refitting the receiver after survey use? Ask us what the refit involves.

Is the EG10 a 2D or 3D excavator GPS guidance system?

It guides in 3D: the tablet knows where the bucket is on site and how high it is, not just its depth below a laser plane. It guides to levels, lines, slopes and designs built on the tablet, and to imported design files under FJD's optional Multi-Layer Support licence. It uses one receiver on the stick; for a dual-antenna system installed on a machine that works to design every day, look at the FJD Trion EC100.

Laser or GPS: which is better for an excavator?

If you mostly dig to one level within range of a laser, a laser and machine receiver kit is the simplest answer and may be all you need, but it works to a single plane. GPS guidance like the EG10 needs no laser on site and handles lines, slopes and designs, given a clear sky view and RTK corrections.

Can I use the EG10 receiver for surveying?

Yes. FJD says the receiver can come off the excavator for surveying with FJD's Trion Survey app. The app runs on a compatible Android device or controller (a survey controller isn't in the EG10 kit), so ask us what you'd need. The ±3 cm figure on this page is FJD's guidance rating, not a survey spec.

What software is standard, and what's optional?

Levelling, line guidance, slope formation and cut/fill display are standard. FJD also shows on-tablet field design and the vehicle and bucket library as part of the core app, and lists an AR camera view. FJD lists two optional licences: Multi-Layer Support imports DWG, DXF, SHP, KML and XML design files with layer management, and Global Coordinate Systems adds 6,000+ predefined coordinate systems, with grid and geoid models downloaded online. If your jobs come with design files or tie into survey control, ask us about including them, and tell us the coordinate system and height datum on your plans so we can check it's covered.

What warranty and support do I get?

You get a 12-month FJD manufacturer's warranty (some accessories carry shorter cover), plus your rights under Australian Consumer Law, and your first call is to us in Geelong on 1800 769 858.