SurvPC on a non Carlson Tablet w/bluetooth

Hi Gig,

I have had very good luck with a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet/SurvPC using Bluetooth only connection to run a Leica TCRP1203+ robotic with long range Bluetooth handle, out to 300' using only the regular built-in Bluetooth on the Surface Pro. Possibly may go even further, but have not needed to. Can also control the Leica robot with a Leica CS25 tablet and standard bluetooth/SurvPC.

To make everything fit on the screen try this:

Right-click on the desktop, then select "Screen resolution", then
Select to change the size of all items. The idea is to make everything smaller so it will all fit on the screen. I had to do this with the Surface Pro in order to have access to all the SurvPC buttons. Very frustrating otherwise.

Just remembered...I used to have a Topcon QS1 (robotic), and it was always problematic keeping the Surface Pro connected to the QS1. Never tried Sokkia however. Best of luck!

ubenhavin(?)

Thanks!

I didn't think about changing the icon and entity size. I had to go to smallest to make it work, but now it's ok.

Gig,

I keep reading this post. Like you, I have a Sokkia SRX and like you, I'm interested in using SurvPC on a tablet. I have a full license of SurvPC, which is currently on an old Panasonic Toughpad CF-U1, but I found this Panasonic machine to be dreadfully slow and clunky, and so haven't used the SurvPC at all. I'd like to make use of the software that I have, and I'm thinking that all I need is a Surface Pro tablet.

Have you had any luck moving forward with this?

Feel free to send me a private message.

Al

GigHarborSurveyor, post: 289761, member: 2863 wrote: Has anyone done this successfully yet?

I am replacing a TSC2 running SurvCE (SCE) and have been looking at various tablets. I have had some issues with SurvPC (SPC) and bluetooth (BT) connections no matter the platform. If it (the tablet) is directly connected to our SRX there are no problems recording data, but when we BT from either a tablet of PC (both windows 7 pro 32 bit) running SPC there are long waits for the data to record and then about every 6th shot we get an "error reading data" message and have to re-shoot. I have been told this is a Windows BT driver issue (not WinCE). Or more accurately, the way Windows (non CE) handles BT.

I am currently trying it on the Panasonic FZ-G1 but the SurvPC GUI is too large and I cannot figure how to make it smaller so it fits the screen. I did not have this problem on the other tablet I tried from Mobile Demand.

I am having a very hard time with Carlson Support. Even though they sell the software separately from a controller/collector, they basically will not support it unless it is on their hardware. I have called several times to try and get answers to problems I am having with my demo, only to be told that they have know idea and that I should just buy their 5lb $5K device so they have an easier time trying to trouble shoot any problems.

Thanks for any and all input!

I don't want to trivialize the importance of providing quality technical support but when it comes to the extremely wide variety of tablet PCs that are currently out on the market, technology and technical support providers such as Carlson can be quickly consumed by trying to figure out which models of a particular style tablet work vs. those that don't. For example, a quick search shows there are 853 configurations of the cited FZ-G1 with prices currently ranging from $2679 to $4669 and 110 configurations of the FZ-M1 (two of which are models that Carlson officially supports) with prices currently ranging from $1,429 to $4,129. Just within the Panasonic brand and two of their popular models, there are nearly 1000 different possible permutations of tablet configurations that would/could/should need to be validated (please note, the stated weight of the Carlson supported FZ-M1 tablet is just 1.2 pounds compared to the larger and heavier FZ-G1 tablet weight of 2.4 pounds). Consumers often think purchasing a relatively cheap version of a tablet model they buy (perhaps on-line) should result in the same performance to that of the more expensive models. Our internal research has shown this is typically not the case. We're all price sensitive and want the best value for our buck but not all tablets are made the same.

Having said all of this, it is my personal belief (and I must defer to the knowledge and experience of the Carlson technical support and programming teams) that the most important aspects a tablet should offer SurvPC users is an Intel-based processor and a supported Operating System (both of which the FZ-G1 appears to offer). However, I've also seen instances (for example, when using a SENA Parani UD-100 for extended BlueTooth connectivity) where an additional BlueTooth driver (such as its cited and required Bluesoleil driver) can interfere/conflict with the default BlueTooth driver offered by Windows. Once the Bluesoleil driver is removed, Windows BlueTooth connectivity returns to normal operation. In my experience with the UD-100, once you've told the tablet to use it, you essentially have to use it all the time. This may or may not be a culprit but is just one thing I've seen in my travels. This is one of the reasons Carlson continues to offer evaluation versions of its software products... so you can try before you buy.

Again, my intent here is to not cast aspersions on any particular manufacturer or brand of equipment that is used in the field nor pass the technical support burden to someone else. However, the traditional Windows CE/Windows Mobile operating systems and the handheld collectors that have been in the field for such a long time have provided a relatively consistent set of memory, processing and connectivity guidelines that has permitted the software to instruct the hardware devices on how to establish communication "handshaking." Even within the traditional mobile market, there are some devices Carlson does not support. However, Carlson's continued goal is to provide exemplary technical support and the most cost-effective way we can achieve this is by focusing our technical support services on hardware device configurations we've officially tested and validated.

I hope this information helps.

I just purchased a consumer grade tablet made by HP called the HP ENVY 8 Note. It runs Windows 10 out of the box, bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS, wifi, 4GLTE (Verizon only), front and rear cameras, a stylus, and an 8" diagonal screen. All for $329, delivered to my door. Amazing what you can get for your money in the consumer market.

I understand and respect Ladd's comments about Carlson not necessarily having the resources to troubleshoot the configuration of the thousands of different tablets now available.

I'm in the process of loading SurvPC onto this tablet to see what it might do for me. I'll share a few notes here, in case it might help others:

1. Download the latest version of SurvPC from Carlson's website.
2. Install SurvPC using the .exe file you downloaded in step 1.
3. When it is finished installing, reboot the computer. Failure to do this may result in an error upon opening the program.
4. Visit this page from Carlson's Knowledge Base for instructions on disabling scaling in Windows 10. This is a critical step, and failure to do it may cause SurvPC to extend beyond the limits of your tablet screen, rendering it unusable.
5. Restart SurvPC.

I now have what appears to be a functional installation of SurvPC on my new tablet....

I just purchased a consumer grade tablet made by HP called the HP ENVY 8 Note. It runs Windows 10 out of the box, bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS, wifi, 4GLTE (Verizon only), front and rear cameras, a stylus, and an 8" diagonal screen. All for $329, delivered to my door. Amazing what you can get for your money in the consumer market.

I understand and respect Ladd's comments about Carlson not necessarily having the resources to troubleshoot the configuration of the thousands of different tablets now available.

I'm in the process of loading SurvPC onto this tablet to see what it might do for me. I'll share a few notes here, in case it might help others:

1. Download the latest version of SurvPC from Carlson's website.
2. Install SurvPC using the .exe file you downloaded in step 1.
3. When it is finished installing, reboot the computer. Failure to do this may result in an error upon opening the program.
4. Visit this page from Carlson's Knowledge Base for instructions on disabling scaling in Windows 10.
5. Restart SurvPC.

I now have what appears to be a functional installation of SurvPC on my new tablet....