> rated range 1,000 meters, the most i have personally ever tried was 1,000 ft (ga has lots of trees). i have heard 2,000 ft is pretty standard with the sd 1000.
2000 feet is pushing it if you want to work quickly, even with 9dBi antennas (about 8" long). I think there's enough signal loss at that distance that the transmitter has to do a lot of packet resends. I've gone over 2000 feet, but that was with a patch antenna at the gun and a 9dBi on the DC. I had no trouble at 1900 feet with 9dBi antennas on both ends, but I was just goofing around, not really trying to get serious work done. The 5dBi antennas (4" long or so) are limited to more like to 1200 feet. I wouldn't bother with the stubby antennas unless you never stray farther from the gun than you can throw a sack of hubs.
I'm happy with the 9dBi's in my daily work. They're hinged at the base, so you can fold them out of the way when navigating tricky passages (e.g. brush) and when storing them.
As others have noted, the Parani SD1000 is very nice and inexpensive (around $100 for a bare unit). It helps to have a DC that can issue BT commands to the serial port to set them up initially, but it can be done on a PC, too. It's a set-and-forget thing, unless the unit's NVRAM gets hosed for some reason.
A couple of cool features, you are right but I find the TSC3 is a little too bulky and the keys are better on the TSC2 for winter work. Overall, I prefer the TSC2 over the TSC3. I think the 2 is more rugged too.
I have no idea what you guys are talking about. (Don't even have a dumb phone). Guess I better stick to my onboard Nikon DC or maybe go back to a compass & rag tape.
There is short range and long range bluetooth , I have gotten over 1000' feet with my radios . Look into Parini bluetooth . Its easy to build your own radios.
We use the Trimble TSC2 Ranger with TDS. Before that we used the Recon. The Recon has the virtual keyboard which I would not want to go back to. Too many years of squinting into a dusty screen on a bright day trying to hit the right key or button. The keyboard on the ranger is a huge improvement IMHO. The TSC3 has a qwerty keypad which is a further improvement but I don't think the TSC3 is that much of an better than the TSC2.
We use the TSC2's with S6's so no bluetooth, they connect with a wifi radio link.
Neil
I also use a TSC2 with an S-6. No cables and no external radios is a fantastic way to survey. Light and fast. I've used the newer TSC3 but the audio prompts don't "ping" on those. It is someone talking, saying "shot taken" or something like that. I much prefer a ding. I never have to look at the screen when I get on roll. I understand and can hear the data collector prompts. The TSC3 is much quieter and harder and slower to hear.
In the past, I have used an SDR33, HP48s with SMI which is a great program, on a slow platform, HP48 with TDS software, and Recons. No keys sucked. My favorite software has been SMI and the best platform the TSC2. I have not tried the Carlson stuff. Matching up the gun to the collector it works best with may be something to look into.
we like the TSC2.
We were very happy with our 48's running either SMI or TDS for years but when we switch to the Ranger it boosted our production. We have two both running TDS and they are sturdy, battery life is good and and they have great tactile feedback and the keys are far enough apart to not fat finger a lot of stuff.
Our newest one is bluetooth and it's our favorite. We can put our Hiper on a 25' rod and get shots from the ground that were impossible before , or at least not near as easy. Great for tall privacy or metal fences.
You could probably use them to pound stakes and they might be heavier than some but that is because they are built rugged.
We use heavy coding in the field so the full keyboard was a must for us when we chose the Ranger over the units. We don't need to see the line work in the field and it does all that we need and both have been ultra dependable.
When we have shots up next to houses (under eaves) then we drop off a point with the GPS and keep on going. The other man sets up our Topcon TS and when ready we just plug the Ranger into it, change the equipment, take the shots and then it's back on the GPS 6' digitizer.
Deral
The other thing I've heard of now is the use of iPads in the field for certain kinds of things. With the really cheap Android pads available, you could almost buy them as throw-aways (when they break), considering the expense of industry-standard data collectors. Calling programmers!
But how do you see the screen or whats represented in it?
They are not sun friendly devices and IMO have no place in data recording unless at night or inside out of direct bright sunlight.
Fix the screen issue and I'd say yes.
A caveat would be on their ability to keep data and not to spit the dummy and lose all.
I would trust a modern data recorder over a smart phone at the moment in that area.
Anybody used the Champion Scepter or Scepter II? At $949 and $1200 +/-, these data collectors boast a pretty sizable list of features for a small fraction of the cost of other data collectors.
The Juniper Mesa is also interesting, but lacks the keyboard.
