I just got done with a 2 day topo and looking at my points I had a bad rod height for a few series of shots. I used the gun for the entire site and it had many obstacles and trees and cars causing me to change rod heights way more than usual.?ÿ
I??ve tried a few things to help keep track of rod height changes like writing in field book point number of changes and also taking an FYI shot and noting height in description. Both of these kind of break my?ÿrhythm and don??t seem entirely fool proof for me.?ÿ
Just wondering if anyone here has a tried and true method of keeping track.?ÿ
All the way down is the norm.?ÿ All the way up is labeled X.?ÿ Easy adjustment.?ÿ Works 99 percent of the time.
@holy-cow I typically use one of the four or five preset holes on the seco rod thus giving you a good chance of resolving without going back to the field. But if your trying to shoot through the only hole in a tree and gotta set the rod at some random height that??s where my problem lies with this particular topo.
I dream of a rod that has some sort of measuring device on the inside of the rod that communicates the current height via Bluetooth to the collector. Calibrate it monthly like the bubble. Maybe the next gen of rods.?ÿ
see https://surveyorconnect.com/community/surveying-geomatics/leica-ap20-auto-pole-experience/
traverse and backsight : all the way down
other points standard height = 2,000, other height only for limited series of points, turn back to 2,000 asap.
when you finish a station and are on a height <> 2.000 shoot 1 extra point on 2,000 to make clear you checked heights. That??s for once at the office when you start questioning what you did in the field. Check every station wth a checksot to a control point and store the results after you had a good look at it.
not sure what dc you have but don??t you have you rod height constantly on screen when ?ÿ ?ÿyou,re in measuring mode?
@ryancj31 Good point. Leica AP20 AutoPole does this. But only with Leica guns. Haven't had a chance to try it.?ÿ
https://leica-geosystems.com/products/total-stations/ap20-autopole/expert-insight
I call out every rod change vocally, if working with a helper I expect them to repeat it back, if alone I repeat it back to myself as I punch the numbers.?ÿ
I position the graduations so they face the bubble so that whenever I look at the bubble the rod height is looking at me.?ÿ
I do not book rod heights for topo shots.
Most expensive rod bust I have heard of was in the 300,000 dollar range.?ÿ
?ÿ
You just have to find what works for you.?ÿ I need the ability to use all increments of the rod in my work so all the way up or down isn't a good option. I've trained myself to change the rod height in the DC immediately after I physically adjust the rod.?ÿ I also have the DC setup so that I can review the data after the shot has been taken.?ÿ When I make the inevitable RH error, I fix it in the DC there and then. I tell crews to write down the bad shots and reshoot it without deleting or modifying which amounts to, rules for thee but not for me.
?ÿ
set the DC to query rod height on every shot
If at all possible, we use two rod heights, one high and one low, far enough apart to make it apparent when we screw up. So if we forget to note it, we know it has to be one or the other. Not always possible but it really helps when we can use that method.
@nimal I??m in love! But also disappointed that I was too slow to act on my million dollar idea.?ÿ
I also tell the party chief "Back down to 4.98.", or whatever, when the rodman lowers the rod all the way down. The party chief stays with the rodman and records rod height changes, and associated points numbers, on a piece of scrap paper. I don't set my DC to prompt for a rod height. If topo elevations are critical, like the $300K mistake mentioned above, break out the level and take spot shots along the route.
I've just forced myself to make the change in the DC before doing anything else after a height change
I also tell the party chief "Back down to 4.98.", or whatever, when the rodman lowers the rod all the way down.
Sounds like a 3 person crew here? Hey, 1988 called, they want their business model back.?ÿ
I do not book rod heights for topo shots.
Thank ****
I worked at places that did that when I came on-board, and put a stop to that foolishness.?ÿ
I predict that the 1st mfr to have "Auto Rod Heights" will make a fortune. There are a dozen ways to do this. A fiberglass tape inside the pole with a spring loaded reel comes to mind FIRST, but a laser, or an incremental encoder, on the rod, comes to mind as well. The disaster that comes from bad rod heights is pretty bad. Anyhow, it is a need. Who is going to go first?
N
"I predict that the 1st mfr to have"
Scared me for a couple of seconds, Nate.?ÿ Then, I realized you meant "manufacturer".?ÿ That wasn't what I thought you meant.
@nate-the-surveyor Leica has already done this with the AP20 AutoPole.
...... Just wondering if anyone here has a tried and true method of keeping track.?ÿ
These things happen when you get to juggling too many things at once. Getting and keeping the gun locked on, entering codes, entering rod heights, anticipating the next shots, all while trying not to get hit by passing cars and get to be to much, and something gets missed. So organize the operation to minimize the "noise".
- Before you start, look over the site very carefully and kind of simulate how you are going to get the shots you need to get
- Make use of resection to establish instrument positions that give you the least obstructions. Establish control points with a mind to using them to resection instrument positions.
- Walk through the site with a lumber crayon and mark off the points on the curbs that you intend to shoot, as a guide to cross sectioning.?ÿ ?ÿClear what brush you can before you start collecting points.?ÿ
- Shoot all points of a certain descriptor consecutively. ie/ shoot all the gutterline, then go back and get the top of curb. This reduces the number of things you need to be juggling. It means extra walking but a lot less data entry.
- Edges of pavements, curb lines, breaklines, and spot elevations are all key DTM data. Various utility features such as manhole and CB rims are key elevation features but not necessarily DTM data. They can be used as checks on the DTM. The elevations on most other features are irrelevant.?ÿ This data treatment may be outside of your sphere of influence in your office, but I think that it is best.?ÿ
- Slow down a little. It is more important to get it right than it is to get it fast.?ÿ