"collapsable aluminum stick that came with it"
What does this look like? Is it the old Trimble pole @jhframe was talking about maybe?
Thanks.
So, if a bipod wont work, how about a 2m fixed pole with tripod and Stedi Rest?
"For those that strictly use a fixed height rod, is that only on a hard surface or do you compensate somehow if you have to push feet into the ground?"
If you're talking about a fixed-height tripod, only the center pole is fixed-height, the legs are extendable, so you can mash the feet into soft ground.
I gave up on the fixed height tripods years ago. First, they never stay in adjustment. I would have to adjust the bubble each time I used them. Second, you still need to check the actual height on a regular basis. I think I get much better results with a well adjusted tribrach and careful height measurements.
@Timd1971, the ARP on most modern antennae is the bottom of the antenna. If you are using the Leica GRT146 carrier or the GRT144 w/GAD31 then the hook will measure to any APR. The 0.360 m offset is from the hook measurement point to the base of the threads.
Does the antenna and software not have a slant height measurement routine. Before the GPS fixed height rods all the antennas and antenna/receivers I have used over the years all had multiple places and ways to measure to them. Anytime I am in that situation I still have the tent pole measurement stick that goes back to the old 4000’s and old ground plane antennas. The old recommended measurements back then were to measure the slant height in 3 different places. The old ashtech and Trimble antennas had these slots labeled . So three measurements in meters. To make sure they all fell within a certain tolerance. And on to 2 in feet. As a check. They had spots on our observation logs to input all this. I am trying to remember say the old 5800 were to center of bumper. All of these had a diagram so you could compute the true height to the antenna reference point or antenna phase center.
I know they had those points to measure to. It was all kabuki theater back in those days. The elevations gleaned from GPS were very sketchy at best.
Today it's more valid to pay attention to the height measurement, Still, .01' is pushing any GPS measurement for heights and certainly for elevations; <1cm is a very good result.
Not to be a skeptic, but all the many, many miles of levels and GPS (RTK and Static) show the limitations of GPS heights and elevations. They have improved almost to the point of being useful for tight elevation control,,,,,,not quite there yet. I'm still not all that absorbed with measure up on a receiver, do it in feet, do it in meters and if those check it's only what the measure point in the DC is set to that seems to be an issue.
If its trimble, just measure to the specified Notch, extension, etc. etc. etc. Anyone challenging that, is wrong. They build it so idiots can make the measurments work, so if youre wasting time calculating slant height with trimble gear, youre also probably still turning the rover upside down to dump the satellites and not using the technology you paid for. And also, you should sell that stuff to me, I need some gear to do side gig work for unsuspecting consumers wanting their 'pins located' .... 😉
Bring it, I've got my aluminum underware on.
