Epoch 50 - Any users?

Not sure how it works with what you mentioned, but I have used one and it works great. If I was going to buy a new receiver it is what I would buy. It is basically a Trimble R8 but in a blue case. I used it with a TDS Nomad and it worked flawlessly.

I have had one on loan for the last month and it works great. Quick time to fix and stays fixed. The rest would depend on what dc you use. I use it with a Ranger 3 running Survey Pro 5.2, which has many export options to be compatible with most office software.

The Epoch 50's are solid machines. R8's in a blue housing with a different internal radio. It does not work with Survey Controller/Trimble Access. It will work only with Survey Pro, and SurvCE, although limited.

As for TGO, you can pull a JOB, which will go in. The new TBO will accept the .survey file. It's just data...you can export it how you'd like and it will work with pretty much anything.

Pricing can't be beat on these things. Should be able to find a VRS, Rover and Data Collector rig for under $15k.

I currently own an Epoch 50 base and rover setup along with a Ranger-3 (w/ SurveyPro) and Scepter-10 (w/ SurvCE). The Epoch 50 is designed to be used kind of exclusively for SurveyPro and SPSO (Spectra Precision Survey Office = Trimble Business Center). However, recent versions of SurvCE (v2.61 and higher) now includes support for the unit but as I have found out it is not yet fully compatible. SurvCE is my preferred data collecting software so I really hope their next release will address those bugs successfully.

The best thing on the Epoch 50 is of course, it's price vs capability. It's basically a Trimble R8 Model-3 with half the price of an R8 Model-3. The board inside is a Trimble BD970 with 220 channels, GPS L1/L2E/L2C/L5, GLONASS L1/L2/L2P, SBAS L1/L5 and support for Galileo. It has an internal PacCrest ADL Foundation transmit / receive radio and Bluetooth connection as well. Accuracy is superb, I collected RTK shots a few kilometers from the base and found my coordinates to be at sub-centimeter level when checked against known control points. It also initializes quickly and tracks a good number of satellites most of the time, plus I like its dark blue and black color combination it looks kinda sporty.

On the other hand, the rubber seal around it seems to peel-off quite easily, it makes me wonder if that has an effect on its dust/water tightness. It doesn't have a serial port connection and does not have an internal GSM modem as well, so if you want to use Network RTK you have to use your data collector as an internet modem. Lastly, the internal batteries are good for about 2 hours each only on RTK-receive mode, ask your dealer for 3 or 4 batteries a piece for a day's work.

Overall, it's a nice piece of equipment capable to do what it needs to do and it's one of the better investments I've made so far.

As said above, they work great and are an outstanding value.

Let me know if I can help you with this.

Thanks for all the info and replies. I will definitely continue to consider it. Sounds like I need to rent one and try it out.

If anyone out there thinking of selling a used Epoch 50, I'm very much interested in buying. If you're interested, I can be contacted through my profile email address.