April 1, 2013
6:48 pm
by: surveyNB

Topcon Tesla Data Collector

Tesla

Topcon Tesla

Topcon has introduced a new data collector with a large touch screen. This new data collector known as “Topcon Tesla” runs Windows Mobile 6.5.3. The Tesla can come equipped with a 3G modem and internal GPS. Using these features it is possible to show your real time position on the screen using Bing Maps. It is also possible to send and receive emails using the 3G modem and a subscription to a cellular provider. There is a 3.2 MP camera that is included in the Geo and Geo 3G versions. This camera is a very handy tool for taking pictures of complex objects found while surveying. The screen can easily be changed from landscape to portrait with just a push of a button making it easy to have what you need on the screen.

The Tesla works great with “LongLink” to control Topcons PS series robotic total stations. It is possible to stay connected at 300+ metres from the total station Continue reading →

Posted in Global Navigation Satellite System, Surveying, Technology Tagged , , , , ,

December 7, 2012
7:31 pm
by: surveyNB

New Robotic Total Station

I just received my new Topcon PS robotic total station.  I have tried it out inside the office today and it seems to work nicely.  This robot uses the Tesla data collector with the new Topcon software. “Magnet”.  The Tesla data collector seems to be very responsive compared to the Topcon FC 2500 and FC 200 using TopSurv.  It looks as though Topcon just changed the name on TopSurv and called it Magnet as it has the exact same menus and layouts as the old TopSurv.  The Tesla will hook to the RC5 with blue tooth and the RC5 talks to the Topcon PS via radio.  The range is said to be around 400 to 600 metres.  With Tesla’s built in GPS receiver so can use it like a hand held and actually take shots within Magnet.  This is nice if you just need to get a rough coordinate on something and you don’t have your RTK GPS with you.  I did notice that there is bad lag using the internal GPS.  Watching my position on the map I see that it is about 2 minutes behind where I am.  I actually figured the map might just be slow and the coordinates would be right, so I tested it.  I took a 1 second shot and it stored where it showed me on the map.  I was probably 40 or 50 metres away and then I could watch the pointer on the map gradually come to me and it followed the same route I walked.  Hopefully I will figure out how to fix this issue.

The robotic total station came with Magnet software installed in the unit, but apparently it is not activated.  They wanted another 1500 or so to activate the software so I could use it as a stand alone unit.  As it is, it will allow me to use Magnet in the demo mode and is limited to 100 points.  Thanks a lot Topcon Smilie: :(.  The Magnet software is not exactly the same as TopSurv in that TopSurv you can update as much as you want.  They make changes and you simply get the new package and install it.  Now with Magnet the license is only good for a year and then you can’t get any more updates, unless you pay.  I bet all of you who that are using TopSurv figure you just wont switch, well that isn’t going to be an option if you want updates, because TopSurv is being discontinued.

There is a nice feature on the Topcon PS making it so if someone steals the unit you can deactivate it.  This would make the unit almost worthless.

 

Posted in Global Navigation Satellite System, Surveying, Technology Tagged , , , , ,

September 27, 2012
11:15 pm
by: surveyNB

Surveying property lines with RTK GPS

There are many brands of RTK GPS for land surveyors.  Trimble, Topcon, Leica and spectra precision are just a few brands that come to mind.  I have used both Trimble and Topcon RTK GPS and both have their advantages/disadvantages.  Trimble and Topcon both have their own data collector software.  Trimble uses Trimble Access which integrates surveying equipment with office software easily from the field.  It makes it possible to upload and download from and to the data collector, from the office.  This saves time by keeping your crews files up to date and allowing access to collected data almost immediately.  Trimble gives the user plenty of control in the field to manipulate coordinates with localizations.  They are simple to do and work very well.  If you make a mistake it is as simple as Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

September 27, 2012
9:47 pm
by: surveyNB

Levelling your instrument using the vertical angle

It is possible to level the total station using the vertical angle if it is equipped with a compensator.  What you need to do is set the vertical angle to 90.  Now just Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged , , , ,

September 4, 2012
12:23 am
by: surveyNB

Surveying Evidence Gone Wild!

Old rock wall

Here is an old rock wall used as survey evidence

As time goes by much of the original survey evidence becomes lost. In areas trees are marked (blazed) by surveyors at the time of a survey. Pits and mounds are also used to mark corners of properties. This evidence becomes old and will fade into the wilderness as times goes by. The trees with blazes will gradually fall down and rot. Erosion will gradually flatten the mounds and fill in the pits. Scribed wooden posts will rot at the bottom and fall down. Looking for this old evidence is essential in doing a survey. A wooden post that has rotted off will totally deteriorate but usually the pointed end that is in the ground lasts as it is not exposed to the air. Iron posts that have been placed at pits and mounds may get removed but often times there is still evidence of its location. I have found the original hole still in the clay under the overburden. Sometimes the hole is gone but there is still a rust mark from the years before when the iron was rusting from the elements.

In some areas the people that owned the land when it was surveyed or shortly after cleared their properties. They would cut the trees down and till the ground for farming. As they tilled the ground they would Continue reading →

Posted in Surveying, Technology, Uncategorized Tagged , , , , , , ,

September 2, 2012
9:19 pm
by: surveyNB

I Have a Hand Held GPS! I Can Survey my Land Myself!

Garmin Hand Held GPS“I’ve got a hand held GPS.  I can survey my land myself.”  How many times have you heard this?  This seems to be getting more and more common as hand held GPS receivers are becoming more popular.  Hand held GPS may be great for hunting/fishing/geocaching but shouldn’t be used to survey your property.

With recreational GPS sports such as Geocaching becoming more popular, people are pushing these units to the extreams.  Geocaching is a growing sport where people use their hand held GPS receivers to find hidden containers.  As this sport grows more people are purchasing hand held GPS receivers like a Garmin.  The idea of this sport is to enter a lat/lon coordinate into the receiver.  This is called a way point.  Once the way point is entered you would navigate to it.  Usually there is a container with some hidden treasures inside for you to take.  The idea is that you will take something and replace it with something different.

These hand held GPS receivers are fairly accurate in that you can locate these treasures.  Usually you can get within a couple metres of the cache.  Some people think that because it is easy to find these caches, then it must also be easy to survey your land.  All you really need is Continue reading →

Posted in Global Navigation Satellite System, hand held gps, Surveying, Technology Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

August 20, 2012
9:16 pm
by: Ed DeSaulniers

Cell Phone Photos For Surveyors

Smart Phone

Here is a sample smart phone. This is an Apple iPhone 4.

In today’s world, everyone has a cell phone. Most new cell phones(smart phones) are mini computers with a great built in camera. Taking pictures of the work you perform is a great addition to your field notes. It is so simple to just snap photos of anything that may be of interest. I usually take pictures of everything I can and ask my crews to do the same. Later on in the office it is great because I can look at the pictures of what was actually on the ground. These pictures should be extracted off the phone and saved in a spot where it can be found later. There are applications like “DropBox” that make this even easier. Hard copies can also be made and placed in the file.

Often when a client comes to pick up their plans, showing all of our hard work, the client sees the pictures that were taken at the time of the survey. These pictures are often of more interest to the client than the plans. They also come in handy to us when drafting the survey plans. If something is unclear in the field notes, a lot of the time you can figure out what is going on from the pictures.

There are also other great applications you can get that do panoramic photos. This way you can get a full 360 degree image. Images are also tagged with location information using the built in GNSS on the phone.

 

Posted in Global Navigation Satellite System, Surveying, Technology Tagged , , , , , , , ,

August 17, 2012
9:56 pm
by: Ed DeSaulniers

Don’t Get Sued. Be Redundant.

Ten seconds is all it takes to save your company.  When using GNSS, it is VERY important to take redundant shots on survey evidence.  Redundancy is used to prove the position of survey evidence land surveyors tie in or place.  Without redundancy land surveyors have no proof in court as to the actual position of survey evidence.  I have seen plenty of times when GNSS does not Continue reading →

Posted in Global Navigation Satellite System Tagged , , , , , , ,