Usage Report iSavi, TPLink Router, Intuicom Bridge and Leica 1200

Update after some usage.

The past two weeks I started working on a wide area post ID photo control collection, so far I have measured 13/20 points in five days of actual field work covering an area approximately 110 miles N-S and 90 miles E-W, remote areas inside the ORGN here in Oregon, BUT mostly outside of cell coverage. The 2.6 points/day may seem low production until you realize the distance between points, I need to check my mileage, but I believe it is around 1200 miles of driving to get those 13 points, 30 miles on gravel roads. Yesterday I ended collection 92 miles from home with a two lane road back home, some of it slow going. I have used the iSavi to connect to the internet on all but a couple of these points. The result is I have measured two five minute occupations of each point with the RTN.

Advantages:

Two shorter occupations vs longer occupations for OPUS (with sparse CORS coverage in NGS database in this area at least, 30 minutes minimum is needed for OPUS-RS if you want to be assured of a solution)

QC check in real time (important when the drive is long)

Availability of GLONASS in the solution

Reduced office processing time

Disadvantages:

Initial hardware purchase

Ongoing air time charges.

I will get a better feel for the airtime costs as I get bills, BUT my guess is around $5/each point for the 10 minutes of data now that I have some experience. At first I was burning a lot more air time learning the system, getting a few bugs worked out on procedure, etc. I am hoping the entire 20 point collection will come in under $400, even at $20/point it is a bargain as I am saving around an hour of time per point which of course is way more than $20.

So far happy, basically what this means is that anyplace inside a RTN coverage area I have a solution regardless of cell phone coverage (assuming I have a clear view to the Inmarsat satellite over the equator, around 140 degrees in azimuth at an elevation of around 30 degrees above horizon here in Central Oregon, there MUST be a direct clear line of sight!)

SHG