Hello all,
I have a TBC related question.
As you may or may not know, the Trimble machine control files must contain a .cal or .cfg created from a .dc calibration file. Our particular company subcontracts our control to be setup by a licensed surveyor. They then email me the TBC file with the control network and all applicable information (design etc). In a perfect world I can take the .dc file they generated setting up the site and convert it to a .cfg or .cal for our machines and walk away. However, the problem is this – the machines will not read anything with a Geoid. The suggested workflow from Sitech is summarized as follows “load up a .csv with grid coordinates into a new project, set up base over an unknown position (here point), tie the points from the .csv and calibrate” this method works well for smaller sites; however, the scope of our work is miles long with sometimes hundreds of control points. The data we receive is good data from a licensed surveyor that is also leveled. We are then introducing error by calibrating on top of it. I would like to figure out how to blow out the Geoid without removing the solution or changing any of the data we receive from the surveyor.
One way of doing this is to create a new TBC project, drop in the design, linework, csv (in grid), and then an xml or csv file in (lat long el) or keying in the lat long el for each point and calibrating the project manually in TBC – this in essence still uses the Geoid in building the control network however the .dc file it generates is simply a calibration lacking a geoid (What we need for the machines to read it).
Another way of doing this is to go out and use Sitech’s suggested workflow.
Please reach out to me with any and all suggestions, comments, questions so that I can create a successful, accurate workflow.
Sincerely, Sam