@johnymal I believe your instrument has to have active tracking activated on the instrument to use the MT1000 as an active prism. It's a $2,365 option on the S5.
I believe your instrument has to have active tracking activated on the instrument to use the MT1000 as an active prism. It's a $2,365 option on the S5.
Check that with sales. The active track prism itself is a significant expense but I do not recall that there was anything on the gun itself that needed additional $$$. I could be wrong. Check it.
IN any case, I would not buy a Trimble without the Activetracking and I have been a long term Trimble aficionado.?ÿ Sure, it will work. But activetracking is what makes the Trimble worth the money.?ÿ No active tracking, I go with another brand - probably Leica or one its derivatives.?ÿ?ÿ
@gmpls GPS search works regardless of the type of prism in use or coordinate system in use.?ÿ I believe the primary requirement is that the DC has onboard GPS.?ÿ With my Yuma2's and my T7's I can be working on a 5000,5000 type coordinate job using a mini-360 prism without active track and after about 3-4 shots I will get a audible notice that GPS search is ready or available or whatever it says.
@stephen-ward You're right. I never had it until my current setup and assumed it was related to the MT1000. Sorry for the confusion.
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@gmpls GPS search works regardless of the type of prism in use or coordinate system in use.?ÿ I believe the primary requirement is that the DC has onboard GPS.?ÿ With my Yuma2's and my T7's I can be working on a 5000,5000 type coordinate job using a mini-360 prism without active track and after about 3-4 shots I will get a audible notice that GPS search is ready or available or whatever it says.
Agreed.?ÿ I have a network rover and the auto-localize option w/ Carlson Hybrid works quite well.?ÿ It auto snaps the RTS to you after you have walked by a number of view-blocking items or if you are in inclement weather.?ÿ The auto-check on points is also a nice touch.
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I have never used GPS search with any other company's gear, but I imagine it works similarly.?ÿ If you are going to get a network rover, it definitely makes sense to try it out.?ÿ It gives you quite a few options in the field.
I bought an S-6 14 years ago with active track and tracklight and have never looked back.?ÿ I've worked with some other surveyors using their equipment my favorite quote was, "I truly hate my gun".?ÿ As others have said, the active prism is critical for getting the most out of the gun.?ÿ Don't skimp there.?ÿ There may be fans of the video search function but I am very dependent on the tracklight.?ÿ Even on sunny days in the open you can see the red and green lights well but in the deep woods, the light stands out like a ringing church bell.?ÿ It is a great party trick to show kids how the light changes color by moving just an inch or two either way.
The economics of buying a robot are far different than with GPS.?ÿ My S-6 today, after 14 years is not functionally obsolete at all.?ÿ It is still at the top of the heap even.?ÿ I don't think there have been any technical innovations in the robotic world besides having video on screen which would be great for a peeping tom but minimal surveying use.?ÿ Robotic scanners are cool though not great for everyday use?ÿ GPS is an entirely different animal, making huge leaps and massive changes in the last ten years and old equipment is a doorstop.?ÿ A good robot will make money for a long time.
@tom-bushelman Trimble probably has a good reason, but the S-6 either came with the tracklight or video camera but not both.?ÿ My S-6 and S-7 came with video and I love it but there have been a few times on long distance shots or dark woods where I wish I had the tracklight as an option.?ÿ If I have to pick one or the other I'm sticking with the video.
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If I have to pick one or the other I'm sticking with the video.
Taking photos, and sometimes panoramas, with the instrument is a great benefit. Especially since we can look at station views in TBC and see observations and points overlaid on the image. Makes processing data far easier. Now if we could just get the crews to actually get in the habit of taking those photos, we'd be set...
I did like the tracklight, though.
When I first saw Vision on the Trimble S6 instruments, I envisioned it as a step towards the Garden of Eden of surveying where for something like reflectorless observations, one could retire to the sanctity of the chariot and view down the scope and control the instrument while reclining.
When I first saw Vision on the Trimble S6 instruments, I envisioned it as a step towards the Garden of Eden of surveying where for something like reflectorless observations, one could retire to the sanctity of the chariot and view down the scope and control the instrument while reclining.
With the S series? Not quite.
With the SX series? Oh yeah.
I have had a Focus 10 (2 of them), Focus 35 (2 of them), and am currently using a Sokkia ix 503.?ÿ The Sokkia is far superior to either of the focus instruments.?ÿ With the focus 35 I never had a problem with tracking but, both units we had ended up drifting off the point we would set up on as you rotated the instrument.?ÿ It was caused by a spacer that wore out over time and was really expensive to fix.?ÿ The ix503 has been a solid option over the few years that we have had it, it's RC-5 system locks the prism quickly when it gets lost.
@jmorgan?ÿ
Have you not had any motor failures on yours? Ours failed twice and I've heard of others that had more than that. I found the RC unit clumsy on the top of the rod (but no worse than the tsc7 and mt1000 I use now). At least you didn't have to use the joystick or point directly at the target to get a lock but I found it tricky when trying to get a lock over a fence where you couldn't see the ts. The window on the RC had to be perfectly pointed at the ts. It also lost lock way easier than the Leica or Trimble.?ÿ
The Leica is the best combination of them all imo, but if you're deep in the woods or in heavy rain the Trimble wins.?ÿ
And Geomax is Lecia level hardware at half the cost if you don't mind XPAD or you can use SurvPC and can make do without Lecias dedicated field controller.
@350rocketmike We had a motor making noise but they fixed it and no problems since, my only complaint is that the Topcon Magnet software in the data collector takes to much scrolling up and down to get the info I want.
