Cutting a line through the woods

Now that's what I call "Good Thinking". In the old days, we used mirrors, to reflect the sun, so the i-man could find us.
N

Any kind of flashing light works great. Well; unless you're using a robot...:totalstation::stakeout:

Doesn't take much. Human eye can pick out a candle flame at 30 miles, or so I'm told. Maybe 10 in my case.

I think it was SECO that used to make a strobe prism for use at night or in dark woods. I think it had the back corner of the glass ground off, with small light there to light up the glass. I don't recall it working so great. I'm sure it was no match for today's LEDs.

I picked up an amber safety strobe LED I velcro to the top of the active prism to find myself with the video in the thick. Only works when I set it to shine continuously as the strobe is nearly always out of sync with the video's frame rate.

You're using a robot, yes? Solo?
I'm solo, but no robot. I-man, Prism-man (at least when my wife's not with me), bushwhacker; I do it all.
No video needed; just eyeballs.

I've had to watch the rodman all the way to their setup at times. Blink and they have disappeared....and sometimes, they are simply behind a tree and can't see me either....
😉

We used those a few years in an underground mine. We found it was easier just to use a flashlight pointed at it from underneath the tripod.

We used to use mirrors. Of course you had to flash it when someone is looking but it works great.

Here's a little trick for running a random traverse through woods that might work well for what you're doing where your doing it rfc. For your traverse points, cut a small diameter tree (4-6" dia.) off about 3.5'-4' off the ground. Take a little flagging and either thread a nail through it or wrap it and set it in the stump leaving it sticking up 2-3" and use that for your traverse point setting up your instrument over the nail. Bit more tricky setting up because of the height. Then as you traverse on up to the next station, you have a ready made back sight and no need to go back to pick it up to move ahead. Downside, no distance back sight check, just line. If you're doing this solo, spares you having to lug a second tripod around for your back sights. If you have a second person at the gun to give you line on the back sight, you can nail a cross arm lath to a tree up high and have the instrument operator give you line to mark the lath with a ^ using a sharpie for the back sight. Another back sight involves using a 4' lath and a plumb bob to set a flagged nail in the top of the lath over your trav point on the ground. Not recommended if there's a strong wind blowing. Idea being no need to keep going back to move your back sight ahead. I miss long traverses through the forest. (Sigh).

Carry on.

Depends how client feels about his trees.

Yes it probably does, but since my wife is the "client", and we both agree there are so many #$@%@# trees we could probably cut half of them down and still have plenty left (and a lot of firewood), that wouldn't be a problem.

Now, just what would the centering error be on a mag nail in the top of a 4' poplar stump be, over time, or at least for 5 or 10 years until it either rots or grows sprouts around the base? I can't imagine it'd move much. I like the idea. Wouldn't need a metal detector to find it either.

Using good judgment goes without saying.

Williwaw:
You just gave me an idea:
If I occasionally needed distance, (which I would, if this became a station in my control network I'd use again),I could just drop a prism on a tribrach right on top of the stump over the nail (which I could drive nearly flush). At other times, I could just use these stumps as convenient back sights. Thanks for the ideas.

rfc, post: 342052, member: 8882 wrote: Yes it probably does, but since my wife is the "client", and we both agree there are so many #$@%@# trees we could probably cut half of them down and still have plenty left (and a lot of firewood), that wouldn't be a problem.

Now, just what would the centering error be on a mag nail in the top of a 4' poplar stump be, over time, or at least for 5 or 10 years until it either rots or grows sprouts around the base? I can't imagine it'd move much. I like the idea. Wouldn't need a metal detector to find it either.

Give a try before you use this practice. Centering a tribrach of a 4ft high object is a bit tricky for the novice. Most optical plummets don't focus closer than 1.5ft.

Also we would often use 'wood plugs' å±2in dia and å±2.5ft above ground with a #12 nail in the top, for traversing through the woods. Not something your gonna place a tribrach on as you describe.

Unless you are using a locust or cedar fence post, the wood plug is likely not gonna be there in 5 to 10 years. Especially with Vermont winters and snow pack. Again I'm talking about small diameter wood. I suppose if you cut off an 8" stump at 2.5ft, it may hold position for a few years. But this may be difficult setup the gun, and turn angles over the roots, cause trip hazards. Give it a try. We certainly have. Try traversing through a bog or swamp also, a good challenge.

rfc, post: 342060, member: 8882 wrote: Williwaw:
You just gave me an idea:
If I occasionally needed distance, (which I would, if this became a station in my control network I'd use again),I could just drop a prism on a tribrach right on top of the stump over the nail (which I could drive nearly flush). At other times, I could just use these stumps as convenient back sights. Thanks for the ideas.

I've used this method on wood fence posts before, using a small tack- very handy when the post is too tall to set up over (just make sure the post is reasonably plumb, depending on your needs).

Has anyone thought about actually cutting the line WELL so you don't lose the person?

One of the best surveyors in northern NH showed me something similar to what Williwaw described but a bit easier to set up on. After you shoot your foresight reverse the vertical angle only and set a tall riser (or whatever you prefer to call them) made from a fresh cut hardwood (striped maple works well) just behind your setup. Using your vertical crosshair, set a small tack in the top of the riser and voila, you have a five foot riser you can flag and a tack that can be used for an angle only backsight. With a little practice, setting the tack becomes an efficient process and it was explained to me that you will generate more error trying to set up over a high trav point than you will sighting the tack. Dry stakes warp quickly when exposed to moisture so it only works with green lathes or risers.

Another method to consider is setting target(s) in a tree or utility pole up as high as you can reach. I usually use a tack or mag nail with a wad of flagging. Sort of a vertical control point. Can't set up on it but you can use it for a back sight or resection in combination with another. I was following an old survey looking for one of these and found it, 15' up a utility pole! Thought to myself how the heck did he reach to set that target up so high? Apparently, there had been 10' of snow at the time. Had to go back and get a ladder to reach the darn thing for a shot.