Arkansas Spring ASPS conference

Well, we all got up at 4:30 yesterday, and left at 6:00 to go to the Arkansas Spring ASPS conference.
We had the normal problems of kids trying to leave without their socks, and with their shirts on backward.

Well, we found out that my GARMIN navigator does not know where the 4-h center is. So, we looked up an intersection near the 4h center, keyed that into it, and it got us there just fine.

Many of the usual offenders were there. Charlie Story, Amber Weida, and so many other faces, that I was happy to see. Even my old friend Jim Peddy was there. Said he was retired. So, I asked why he bothered to attend the conference, and he said that in case he wanted to go back into surveying. I guess he is just paranoid. I asked him if he got tired, then went back for more, and that was "retired". He said it was.

Well, my whole concept of attending these things has changed. For starters, I still need 30 PDH's to maintain my surveyors license. I sat through ONE 1 hr session, about GLO retracement.

I have abandoned bothering to try to get PDH's at these conferences. Why? Because technology has moved on so far, that: A Leica Data collector, will ONLY work with Leica equipment. A Topcon will only work with Topcon. Topcon is now Sokkia, as Topcon acquired bought up Sokkia. The Sokkia GPS units will talk to you. The new (Small) Topcon GPS units will work BLUETOOTH for 1000 feet. And, will also work with cell phones for some 5-8 miles. Maybe even more. Carlson Data collector software works in many different data collector boxes. It works in Rangers, and Tablets and all over the place.
So far, it appears that JAVAD will only work with CARLSON data collectors. So, that is why JAVAD is developing their own data collector. (The one on the GPS receiver one unit)
Technology is moving. Sort of apart now. That is nobody is working to build a data collector that works with every brand out there.

So, I spent much time, doing the exhibits. Dan Robison was there. He was fun to see, but I did not get to visit much with him. Because Charlie Story Rang that dang bell. (I later hid the bell, but that seemed to make Charlie Story unhappy, but that's another story).

Good news is that GPS recievers are getting SMALLER and LIGHTER. My current unit weighs 22.5 LBS, ready to work. (pole included) It also can run for 2 days or more, on one battery. Some of the modern ones are only good for 6 hrs.

Lots of fine equipment out there.

Right now, it looks like the LEICA RTK system is pretty cool. The salesman said that it only says FIXED if it is 99.9999 % certain. Then, he said that this means that one in 1000 shots might be bad. Whereas the other units could be bad, with 1 in 100. OK, he is mathematically challenged! But it still looks like a good unit. Very light weight too.

Anyway, I have abandoned the model of going to these things to get PDH's. I am gonna socialize, look at the exhibits, (Which my point above is that there is MUCH more complexity of equipment now, and takes MORE time.) I think if you buy over 10k in equipment, you should get FULL PDH's for attending. In my case, I got a copy of Carlson 2014, both the ACAD and the other one, that has a funny personality. And, a new copy of the one for the data collector. IF I learn all that stuff, surely that could count as 30 hrs of Continuing Education!!

Anyway, the wife caught me on the computer this morning, and says she is lonely. So, I gotta go. Maybe more later.

O yeah, and I plan to get my PDH's online. And use the conferences as social, and equipment shopping events. And the food at 4-H was good too. Durned. Now I am hungry!

Later.

Nate