I am just curious as to the market of these units. Is there a really huge market of buyers out there willing to drop the cash for an R10 RTK set-up or are most still more than satisfied running the likes of the R8 Model 3 and some older units? Just looking for a general consensus of both the good and bad.
My boss wasn't, even with trade in on our dead 5700-5800 system, it was way cheaper to buy JAVAD than Trimble.
P.S.,
I really like the LS.:-D
The R10 is worth the extra expense if you use all of the additional features. If you use it just like an R8 you're better off just buying an R8. The R10 gives much more realistic estimates of the precision, the InFill feature can be a real lifesaver when working on the fringe of your radio coverage, the automated tilt measurement can drastically speed up topo collection, especially on something like a grid for a DTM, the tilt sensors give you a level of traceability that you don't get with other receivers, and if everything is properly calibrated the tilt compensation can improve your accuracy and allow you to get shots that you wouldn't otherwise be able to. I haven't had a lot of luck with the tilt compensation though, it doesn't like most of the environments that we work in. The internal modem is a nice feature, but we don't use it. However, it enables you to do some pretty cool things, like set the R10 up as an NTRIP caster. The web GUI lets you set it up as a base or for static work using any device with WiFi; I found controlling it with the iPad to be easy and powerful. It's also a five device WiFi hub, so if you have the modem activated you can connect other devices to the internet through it. You also have the option of subscribing to RTX with the R10, which will give you real time 4cm accuracy anywhere in the world without a base.
If all of the above sounds like so much gibberish then go with the R8; we probably own at least 30 of them and they're rock solid.
The R10 is a lot to drop on a GNSS receiver for a smaller company. However, if I am going to drop any money on a new GNSS receiver I would want it to be Galileo capable. Which would put you at a R8 model 4 or higher. I would caution buying anything used older than an R8 model 3 due to the lack of parts.
tatsurveyman, post: 323911, member: 7673 wrote: The R10 is a lot to drop on a GNSS receiver for a smaller company. However, if I am going to drop any money on a new GNSS receiver I would want it to be Galileo capable. Which would put you at a R8 model 4 or higher. I would caution buying anything used older than an R8 model 3 due to the lack of parts.
I think the R8 3 is Galileo ready, if I remember correctly - I think it's a 256 channel board as well. I agree, I definitely wouldn't go with anything older than that - they had the R8-4 for a couple years, and now the R8s is the current. All of our R8s are model 2 or 3 (at least I think we sold off all the model ones by now).
Lee D, post: 323914, member: 7971 wrote: I think the R8 3 is Galileo ready, if I remember correctly - I think it's a 256 channel board as well. I agree, I definitely wouldn't go with anything older than that - they had the R8-4 for a couple years, and now the R8s is the current. All of our R8s are model 2 or 3 (at least I think we sold off all the model ones by now).
I'm fairly sure that the R8 model 3 will track Galileo but it won't use them in a solution. It was setup for testing and evaluation purposes.
Round here Trimble no longer sells the R8, its R10 or nothing.
I just inquired as to the price of an R8s, with a cell modem. About 22.5K. The R10 is about $3000 more. I would go with the R10.
22.5Ko.O that's more than a complete TLS, T2 and 35w radio system from Javad;-)
txsurveying, post: 323894, member: 9312 wrote: I am just curious as to the market of these units. Is there a really huge market of buyers out there willing to drop the cash for an R10 RTK set-up or are most still more than satisfied running the likes of the R8 Model 3 and some older units? Just looking for a general consensus of both the good and bad.
You can have my R10 when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!
We love it and use it on nearly every job, or as much as we can.
Ravelode, post: 324114, member: 9551 wrote: 22.5Ko.O that's more than a complete TLS, T2 and 35w radio system from Javad;-)
Fixed/Float is sooooooooooo 1994.
The R10 is spendy, but it's the best, kinda like buying a T2 back in the day
jim.cox, post: 323950, member: 93 wrote: Round here Trimble no longer sells the R8, its R10 or nothing.
What about the R8s? It is the new R8 version which consolidates all previous R4, R6 & I am guessing the R8-4 in the future.
We upgraded to the R10s from R8-3 last year. Ended up converting our R8-3s to base stations using the R10s as rovers. It's one sweet set up. No panacea but the rate of bad initializations we'd occasionally get from the R8s has dropped to near zero with the R10s. If I can't get a decent repeatable solution with R10, it's time to break out the TS.
Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
Sounds like I'm in the minority, but I found the R10 disappointing. There's a lot of features that I'd file under: Stuff I Didn't Ask For or Want or Use Everyday, e.g. the tilt function that requires endless calibrations. The proprietary quick-connect and batteries on the R10 are typical of Trimble but do not serve consumers well. What I liked most about the R10 was the lightness relative to the R8 -- which may be a big deal for the people holding them all day. "GPS rod arm" is a real thing.
I got 2 R10's, a TSC3, and a radio setup used for $26,000. I got a quote for brand new R-8 model 3 I presume to use as a base, A TSC3, and brand new R10 for $36,000 after rebates for trading in my old 5700/5800 gear. So far I think I've died and gone to Heavon. The calibration can be a pain when you're in a rush, but now that I know the routine, it's no problem. I like the no fix routine. You can evaluate the precession on your own and decide if it's good enough. A longer life on the battery used on the base would be the only improvement. I use my old cowbell when I'm going to be far away from the base all day. Pretty good setup I'd say.
I went with a new R10 last spring. It's a high cost for a small operator like me. I'm sure there are other GPS systems that would do the measuring just fine for me.
My main reason was to stay with Trimble software, the latest version of TBC. I have 20 years of data files all collected with Trimble 4700's. I used TerraModel and TGO. I'm getting up there in years, the R10 may be my last GPS system (I got 18 years service from the 4700's). Anyway, TerraModel was a great software but sort of went into stasis when Trimble bought it in 2001. It took a long time but TBC now will do most if not all what TerraModel would plus all that TGO did and more. I can import TerraModel files into TBC. You can do complete survey projects in TBC all the way to the delivered plats/maps. It's all in one file. It may not have all the things you can do in AutoCAD or MicroStation but you don't need all that stuff. TBC has more stuff than I can keep track of. I can do some good stuff.
So at near end of career, 25 years of legacy stuff in Trimble files, I stayed with Trimble and went with a R10. It's a great GPS receiver. If I switched to some other product I'd need to learn a whole new way of doing things and spend a lot of time converting files and cleaning all that up. I only deal with one CAD/survey software and it is TBC. No AutoCAD, MicroStation, whatever.