Troubleshooting: Failure Reason: "MARKER NAME station ID contains invalid characters"

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📌 Problem

You may encounter the following error when processing a GNSS project:

Failure Reason:
Error in c8da9af5-b712-4577-a0ec-d34ecd79f3a3:
STDERR: "Southside\t\t MARKER NAME station ID contains invalid characters. Please rename station ID.
Batch error: project 'C260611_140649' failed to process, check log."

Processing fails because the station identifier (MARKER NAME) in the RINEX observation file contains invalid or unsupported characters.

🔍 Root Cause

GNSS processing engines (POSPac, DJI, CHCNav, RTKLib) require the station ID to conform to a strict alphanumeric format. The error occurs when the RINEX header contains spaces, tabs, special characters, lowercase text, or improperly formatted values in the MARKER NAME field.

🧠 What is... RINEX Header Formatting?

RINEX headers use a fixed-width format that must be preserved exactly.

Each header line is divided into:

• Columns 1–60: Value (station name)
• Columns 61–80: Label (e.g., MARKER NAME)

Visual representation:

Columns: 1         10        20        30        40        50       60|61       70        80
         |---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------||---------|---------|
SOUTHSIDE                                                              MARKER NAME

GNSS engines rely on this exact alignment. Even small formatting changes—such as shifting the label—will break parsing.

✅ Probable Resolutions

1. Correct the MARKER NAME Manually

Open the .obs or .rnx file in a text editor. Locate the MARKER NAME line and replace the value with a valid station ID.

Example:

Before:
Southside        MARKER NAME

After:
SOUTHSIDE        MARKER NAME

2. Preserve Column Alignment (Critical)

When editing the header, you must preserve the column structure:

• Do not move the MARKER NAME label
• Do not insert or remove spacing before the label
• Keep the value within columns 1–60

Correct:

Columns: 1.........60|61........80
BASE01                MARKER NAME

Incorrect (label shifted left):

BASE01 MARKER NAME

Incorrect (spacing altered):

BASE01     MARKER NAME

Misalignment can result in parsing errors, silent failures, or rejection by the processing engine.

3. Sanitize the Station ID Automatically

For multiple files, apply automated cleanup:

• Convert to uppercase
• Remove non-alphanumeric characters using: [^A-Z0-9]

Examples:

Southside → SOUTHSIDE
BASE-01   → BASE01

4. Re-export the RINEX File

If the file was generated from GNSS receiver software:

• Update the station name in the source system
• Re-export with a compliant station ID

📚 Additional Notes

This issue affects all GNSS processing engines (POSPac, DJI, CHCNav, RTKLib).

• Use uppercase alphanumeric station IDs only
• Avoid spaces, symbols, and descriptive names
• Keep naming consistent across files
• Validate files at ingest to prevent downstream failures

📬 Need Help?

If you're still stuck, please Contact Support for assistance.