Never liked them. never used them.
I use them regularly for monument ties and the occasional photo control point.?ÿ On pavement I like to use sand bags or other weight to make sure they don't blow over.?ÿ On bare ground I make sure the points are dug in as deep as possible.?ÿ Unlike Ben, I would rather have a foot step than the washer the Seco bi-pods come with.?ÿ Unless the legs are at a step angle the washers keep the points from getting a good bite.?ÿ Being from the great PNWet they do require regular maintenance but nothing more than a little silicone and lithium grease can handle.?ÿ I'm with Jim on the need for fine tuning.?ÿ When I'm setting control I go with a tri-pod and tribrach, I just don't think you can get nearly as accurate with a rod.
We work in the rain here in the PNW. And I use bipods routinely. So the bipods are soaking wet all the time. These things are made of aluminum and plastic so corrosion is not a problem, except for the threaded brass rod. I guess that is much of why I keep stressing the lubrication of the?ÿ threads.?ÿ?ÿ
I'm fully familiar with the various other means of propping up the rod, from just holding it steady to the 4 foot lath trick. To me, those are expedients to use when the bipods are impractical or unavailable for one reasons or another. I would not want to be without bipods for all my rods. Especially with robotic.?ÿ?ÿ
BTW - I have strapped 5/8" x 30" iron rods to each of my bipod legs. This to make the setup more stable - less likely to be blown over by a gust of wind.?ÿ Sure, it makes the thing a load to carry. But after several blowovers I thought it the right thing to do.?ÿ ?ÿ?ÿ
Seco's thumb release tripod is great for preventing blowovers. I use it for back-sights that need to be stable for long occupations and on surfaces or weather conditions where you just can't trust a bipod not to blow over.
After a blow over or two I switched to a pole tripod. I also switched to both a Leica bi-pod and pole tripod and they are made as well as the Leica prism poles, meaning I have never had to take them apart or adjust them or lube them, you know all the stuff you have to mess with all the time with the SECO's (I have one of those still someplace that I put out to pasture the day I bought the Leica versions). i rarely use the bi-pod, but there are times where it is the better way to go, 99% of the time I use the pole with pole tripod or a regular tripod.
SHG
After a blow over or two I switched to a pole tripod. .....
I have a pole tripod and use it, sometimes, for the GPS base station. But not really the thing for short term occupations of boundary points or running around the construction site setting hubs.?ÿ I have rods strapped to the legs of that pole tripod as well, BTW.?ÿ
A little anti-sieze goes a long way...
SI/Sokkia Raptor is my favorite
