Dispatch Messages

Firmware:

This feature is available only on 7.09.06 firmware.

Dispatch messages communicate subscription and software model information (see Receiver Features: Authorization and Subscriptions) from the NovAtel eCommerce system to the OEM7 receiver.

By default these messages are transmitted over L-band satellite links and the NTRIP streams alongside TerraStar, Oceanix and Veripos PPP corrections. Any OEM7 receiver tracking the L-band signals will receive dispatch messages addressed to it (even if it does not have a subscription or model for PPP). The message is transmitted immediately after you make a purchase or any change to any subscription or software model upgrade and then repeated regularly for several days thereafter. You can also request the message be retransmitted through the NovAtel eStore (insert link to eStore resend here) or the Subscription Information page in NovAtel Application Suite. The receiver must be on and tracking L-band or receiving the NTRIP stream through an NTRIP client to receive the message.

The DISPATCHMESSAGES log or DISPATCHRECEIPT log will report the currently installed dispatch messages. Only one message of each type is present – a new message completely replaces any previous one of that type. Messages are uniquely identified by the PSN, Type and Sequence Number fields.

Dispatch messages can also be requested from the eCommerce system and installed at the OEM7 command line. In the NovAtel eStore Receiver Details page for your receiver, copy the entire Dispatch String including PSN and send DISPATCHSET ADD <string> as a command to the receiver.

Integrators may use this method to automate delivery of dispatch messages when the receiver is ready, rather than coordinating having the receiver on and tracking at purchase time. A controller connected to the receiver can make a dispatch request over IP to the NovAtel M2M API to check for updates, receive any new subscription message as a URL-safe ASCII string and apply it to the receiver with the DISPATCHSET command. Contact NovAtel Support at novatel.com/support for details.

The offline dispatch message string is in the form: <psn>=<Base64url string>, where <psn> is the Product Serial Number of the receiver in ASCII, an “=” as a separator and the rest of the message encoded as a URL-safe ASCII string using Base64url. The message is case sensitive.

Example: DISPATCHSET ADD BMHR17090005=bNYWJjZGVmZ2hpamtsbW5vc_HFyc3R1-dnd4eXpBQkNEhp=

Dispatch messages are sequenced and digitally signed to ensure they cannot be corrupted or assigned to the wrong receiver. If the string is truncated or changed in any way, the command will reject it. Include any trailing equal signs. A message with an older sequence number will be rejected.

Dispatch Messages were introduced in OEM7 firmware version 7.09.06, Jan 2026. Older firmware versions continue to be supported through Activation messages for legacy services. When upgrading from a pre-7.09.06 firmware version, if you have a current service, a new dispatch message is needed. See Upgrading from Activation to Dispatch.