I use Topcon GPT-9003 and PS-101 robots. Both are very easy to switch from Robotic to Conventional.
At any time while in robotic I can go behind the instrument turn and an angle manually, then take a reflector less shot.
This works great in stake out mode for embed plates on a wall.
I would never purchase an instrument without a display board on it.
Manual/Robotic Setup
It's unfortunate that you need to use the viva with the MS50 right now to get all the functionality out of it. I agree, they work easier with Carlson.
Yes we use it every day . Its an excellent tracker robot . We use on all jobs woods , stake out what ever . You can get it in a couple different flavors , ours is setup with out the dog whistle as we found we can find the prism fast using the guide lights . Plus coming from using a APL1A for 10 years you had to be good at that anyway . We also use the Topcon 9003 , its easy to use as a conventional gun but not ideal in the woods .
You can see the sokkia DNA in the DS, Its a good thing . I would say its not a Topcon product even though its yellow, but I am sold . I would trade my 9000 for another one in a heart beat .
We have tried Magnet software with and it works great with both guns but found it does not like large jobs and slows to a crawl and just cannot use it . So we are back on Carlson and its works well with both . Plus Carlson support is great .
I recommend calling Hayes and ask for Jerry Sheron , he is has honest as they come , hes helped me out more jams than I can count , good people.
I'll look into this. Thanks for the info. I don't know why I didn't think of that before...
The only superior evidence is that which you haven't yet found.
I definitely recommend the active prism; it's pricey but well worth the investment. My experience has been that it will typically track well in even the thickest vegetation. One of the keys is to understand all of the search options and know how to optimize them for the conditions that you'll be in.
As far as the GPS search goes, it usually works pretty well once it has had time to get a good solution. When I was in sales I often turned it off and didn't play it up because in the context of a demonstration that often wasn't the case. I always use it in 2D mode.
The thing is, the instrument is searching its entire field of view for the prism when it loses it, plus the entire search area you've defined if it goes into search mode. That's typically going to be a much greater area than whatever distance you might walk, and as soon as the gun sees the active prism it will snap to it. It works remarkably well.
What type of collectors are you using with that?
We found out that on a 2600 running magnet, even though we were not in the map mode the collector was trying to refresh the image and icons constantly. Turned off all the prompts on the map screen (which we don't use in layout mode anyway) and it made a huge difference in speed. That being said there are other Topcon issues but I think they all have their own unique issues. I'm glad you like the DS, I was on the fence about those but never went in that direction.
I have debated switching to Carlson which I believe will work on the 2600. We also just ordered a Panasonic 7" Toughpad so looking forward to trying that.
Juniper mesa