I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me. I have this issue with my instrument I use at work, it's a Leica TCP1201+ and I use Carlson software on a Surveyor 2 data collector.
I'm trying to find someone who is really techy about this stuff lol but I'll do my best to explain. So basically I've had some rotational issues. Sometimes but not always, when I do an asbuilt and take a ton of shots, zero gets reset randomly and messes up all of the shots.
I'll be taking a ton of shots asbuilting something, and when I stake out the backsite to check it turns to a completely different angle other than 0/360. I'll then stake out some of the shots I took and they're all fucked. This happens even if I never leave the "store points" screen. I know my routine and my job very well and it's maddening that this happens and makes me look like a fool. We thought it was the instrument so we got a new one but it happened again today.
I'm wondering if it's my human error, or something with the data collector? I just was wondering if anyone has ever heard anything like this. It only happens with this instrument and party chief, I switch between 5 chiefs as the companies only instrument operator journeyman. That's why I'm having issues proving if it's me, or proving that it isn't me. Thank you so much.
Something similar happened to me years ago with?ÿ Pentax TS and using the Hp48 running SMI. Every so often the gun would start giving 'bad shots' and never a large enough error to visually pick up. The gun was sent out and found to be operating correctly and I was ragged on for wasting time and money on a 'phantom' problem. I even ended up leaving that company only to find out they replaced the instrument with Leica equipment. I use a 1205+ running SurvCe 4 on the Mini2, which is similar to your setup, and have not run across the problem you describe. With that many crews, instruments and DC's I am guessing you have been able to swap every conceivable combination of equipment and/or personnel before replacing too much stuff?
Mixing & matching TS / DC manufacturers can cause issues, although SurvCE was pretty reliable when I used it in the past.
Your raw data file should, in theory, tell you if the instrument is setting zero (or an azimuth) during the setup. But not always. I used to run Leica instruments with Trimble DCs, and from the DC's point of view there was no way to tell if someone switched a prism constant or re-zeroed from the instrument itself during a setup.
So I would first check the instrument to ensure there's not something going on there, before the data even gets to the collector.
After that, look for a pattern. Does this happen only on certain types of setups, after certain types of shots (offsets or the like), or is it totally random? There could be a connection issue between the DC and the TS - it might be dropping the connection briefly, then setting zero when it reconnects....
?ÿ
I have had that problem and it is human error, touching (sometimes twice) the wrong button or place on the screen. It is not devastating because when you download raw data the backsight bearing gets listed and you can correct your angle right shots. Usually it matches the previous sideshot before your fat finger did you in. Carlson is just to anxious to rezero and update the setting you think you are happily using. But then again I sometimes also got near the rezero button on the instrument.
Paul in PA
I have had that exact issue. This was at least 8 years ago. I was using a TCR305 and a Carlson Surveyor 2.?ÿ I blamed my I-man so he made me run the gun and it happened again. We were both certain it wasn't us. We started to always take one shot and then check the backsight. It seemed to be almost always on the first shot. It kept happening every week or so. We had it happen with the spare gun. We had it happen with a spare cable. It wasn't setting zero to a shot - it seemed to be random, a few minutes or many degrees. It was the Data Collector or the software. Then it went away.
My first thought is that your BS zero isn't set at zero, but something else.?ÿ So when you go to check the BS and it's at something else, and then you re-zero to zero, nothing will check.
Then again, the DC should still adjust the stake-out angles for whatever your BS angle is, and the net angle should still be the same.
Sounds like some weird stuff going on