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weeping for our profession (or: observations from the other side of the curtain)
a-harris replied 7 years, 8 months ago 21 Members · 75 Replies
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I just felt a disturbance in the cadastral fabric, like a billion Land Surveyors screaming at once, someone went around a description backwards.
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Dave Karoly, post: 404072, member: 94 wrote: I just felt a disturbance in the cadastral fabric, like a billion Land Surveyors screaming at once, someone went around a description backwards.
Was the scream “who cares it doesnt matter which way the survey goes”?
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Dave Karoly, post: 404072, member: 94 wrote: I just felt a disturbance in the cadastral fabric, like a billion Land Surveyors screaming at once, someone went around a description backwards.
I had a description the other day that was nonsensical when read clockwise; when I read it backwards it said: “Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont”
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James Fleming, post: 404078, member: 136 wrote: I had a description the other day that was nonsensical when read clockwise; when I read it backwards it said: “Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont”
Yes, if you run a description backwards you might receive a message from Satan!
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I had a boss who wanted all the bearings on the ROS to be “North XX XX XX East” or “North XX XX XX West”. Never mind anything about the direction of the line or traverse, label everything “north-something”. Platted lots, mostly, so not following any metes or bounds. Lot X in Block Y. Said his customers wanted it that way, and the map checkers should be smart enough to flip the bearings for a closure.
Some guys describe things counterclockwise because that way they are turning smaller angles-right in the field. Less confusing for the new guys. One less step transforming fieldwork into description. *shrug*. Saving money on pencil lead.
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The Olivetti Programma needed plat checks to be run counter clockwise otherwise it gave a bad area. I hated that machine but my boss at the time could make it sing. I was using the HP 9815 which didn’t have a map check option. I still have files full of strips of paper with numbers on them that only I can decipher.
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Some guys like having all “interior” angles because they can check the angular closure by using (n-2)180=(the summation of the Interior Angles) where “n” is the number of sides. What wasn’t published as much was that the summation of exterior angles was (n+2)180. If you are adding with a calculator, it was no extra big deal to add the exterior vs. the interior. (however, that has nothing to do with writing legal descriptions since they are typically written with bearings and not angles)
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Daniel Ralph, post: 404086, member: 8817 wrote: I still have files full of strips of paper with numbers on them
Most of the old HP machines used a thermal paper that fades. Are you sure you can still read them?
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Having done my time in the trenches as a plat reviewer, which btw was one of the best possible educations I could have received, one of the things I noticed was the level of sophistication and attention to detail dropped off the further out into the hinterland the particular surveyor’s market was. Not all of course, some were excellent. I caught one guy who was doing work under his fathers license. While the father was still alive, he was apparently suffering from Alzheimer”s. The sons field notes and plats were completely incomprehensible. A handful of surveyor’s work I grew to cringe when seeing their name because it was blatently obvious they were counting on me to review their work and made no effort to check it themselves before submitting. Seemed like they were playing the system by having me point out all the glaring inconsistencies.One in particular was so bad a review could take days and not hours and was like peeling an onion, each layer revealing more mistakes. Can’t say I miss it.
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My dad used to fire up an old air force generator. Then, the Olivetti, then they’d start cussing the magnetic strip reader, or magnetic strips, and then after careful cleaning, it’d work. They’d crunch a bunch of numbers.
I reckon the year to be 1972, to 1974 or thereabouts.
The monroe hand crank did alot afterwards.
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James Fleming, post: 404078, member: 136 wrote: I had a description the other day that was nonsensical when read clockwise; when I read it backwards it said: “Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont”
That’s funny…mine said “Remember to drink your Ovaltine”.
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Bill93, post: 404088, member: 87 wrote: Most of the old HP machines used a thermal paper that fades. Are you sure you can still read them?
The Olivetti was not thermal paper but you are right about the HP. I still have the HP machine (and several rolls of paper) if someone wants it. I got up to tape 14 full of data. It appears that as long as the paper is in a file in a drawer where it does not get hot or wet it has retained its data quite nicely. I even find a list of coordinates stapled in a field book from time to time that is perfectly legible.
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Daniel Ralph, post: 404109, member: 8817 wrote: The Olivetti was not thermal paper but you are right about the HP. I still have the HP machine (and several rolls of paper) if someone wants it. I got up to tape 14 full of data. It appears that as long as the paper is in a file in a drawer where it does not get hot or wet it has retained its data quite nicely. I even find a list of coordinates stapled in a field book from time to time that is perfectly legible.
I may well be interested in that HP. Drop me a line at jplsidaho at Gmail if you’re serious..
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Nate The Surveyor, post: 404011, member: 291 wrote: Well, CCW vs CW, as I heard it, (so this is not necessarily FULLY fact), A long time ago, there was an old HP program, that had to run CW, to give you correct acreage. It did weird thing, when run CCW. I don’t remember what. It was before my time.
But, if that’s true, then this custom is antiquated.
But, I thought you might know more than me about it.
Again, don’t let em pound you down!
NAs a rule of thumb, my mentors taught me to run traverse CCW
and to compute DMD sheets and COGO and show bearings on drawings and write property descriptions CWStill try and do the same as a matter of habit…………..
:manhole:
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flyin solo, post: 404044, member: 8089 wrote: do you flag control one color and boundary another? is one always pink and the other always blue? why are ww lines always marked green? when was the last time you went to the supply store and said “give me a bundle of random 2′ long cylindrical ferrous objects i can drive into the dirt.”?
I only use flo orange flag, paint, etc.
At end of project, my control points will be buried and not visible and any flagging and/or paint marking visible objects will have something to do with monument and boundary location.
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