:totalstation: Recently my boss consented to replace the troublesome robot I've been using with some new equipment.:-D
This Topcon PS-105A on a new tripod.:gift: 
With a fine 360 prism ( why yes, that is a 12' SECO carbon fiber rod with kickstand you are seeing there):clap: 
holding this lovely Carlson Surveyor + ( why yes, all the modules are unlocked, thank you for asking) running version 4.00.16.:-P 
You are correct in assuming that I feel very appreciated where I work.B-)
(Of course this also means I must pull more and larger rabbits out of my butt.):woot:
I really like my boss. He has made good on every promise he has made me. He is honest and has no tolerance for bull. The kind of guy that see's when you've gone that extra mile.
He finds the right man, gives him the right tools, says what he wants done then gets out of the way.
I've been with him since '09 so I guess he likes my work.
Before you say it, NO, he knows nothing about this site and will never see this.
Very nice 🙂
Do you have to use the that rc5 remote thingy on top of the prism ? or can it use GPS search to find the prism ? I ask as I saw something about it using Hybrid positioning on the web site for the instrument. Something about switching over to GNSS measurements seamlessly when having line of site issues.
Enjoy
The GPS search function in Carlson would work but that Surveyor+ does not have an internal GPS, which if it did, should be more than adequate for the task.
> why yes, that is a 12' SECO carbon fiber rod with kickstand you are seeing there)
Did you buy the kickstand/bipod new? I love mine, but when I last checked the SECO website, the closest thing I found was a 12" tripod for a short pole. They're similar, but with a 120° leg spread the tripod isn't really a suitable replacement for the 90° bipod, even with 1 leg removed.
The PS-105A does not have GPS capabilities per se. One CAN mount a rover on top of the 360 prism and a base on the PS-105A handle for a true "all condition" positioning system.
I didn't look very far into that because we have a functioning Trimble base and rover setup.
Yes. I got LUCKY and my supplier had one in stock. I don't know how I got along without it, it ROCKS!
I can't believe I forgot to mention before that I got all this cool gear at a good price from Lengemann of Florida. Steve Terry takes good care of us construction surveyors, you should give him a chance for your next order.
I am demoing the same piece of equipment right now from Lengemann and I do have to say it is nice!!! I'm running it with a ranger and spectra precision, however I prefer Carlson for data collection. How is the Carlson with that unit, my sales rep said they didn't have any with robotics when he dropped it off at my office.
Like they went to school together. No problems.
If you see the way they treat the Carlson in the company produced videos you will be impressed. This thing is tough and waterproof.
My life is no longer TeDiouS.:clap:
P.S. The Topcon web-site shows the PS-105 in the rain. I can affirm the claim after a few of our famous "pop-up" thunder storms caught me on the other side of the job site.:rain:
Every thing has been soaked and still works fine. Just take the standard drying steps when you get back to the office.
Yes, you can use the Hybrid positioning with the PS Robot, but you have to use the Topcon Magnet software.
The Hybrid lock uses GPS to quick-lock the robot to the prism.
You can also do a Hybrid resection where you take two GPS points in any coordinate system, and take your robotic shots on top of them and Magnet will scale everything to your coordinate system, GPS and Land together all in the same system with little effort.
AND, YES you can push one button to go from robot to GPS.
Thad King
I saw an ad today at Hayes Instrument for the Topcon PS. It showed a prism pole, and on top of the pole was a 360 degree prism and on top of that a Hiper (SR?) receiver. The ad was describing the benefits of "Hybrid Positioning".
It made me think about the possibilities of using my own equipment for same or similar function.
I've got a Sokkia SRX3 robot, which is typically either controlled directly by a data collector or indirectly from the data collector through the RC PR3 remote controller. As for data collectors, I am using one of three options (1) a Surveyor+ data collector, running SurvCE v.4, (2) a Juniper Mesa data collector (with internal GPS capabilities), running SurvCE v.4, or (3) an HP Note 8 tablet running SurvPC. I also have a pair of Topcon Hiper Pro receivers. Network RTK has recently become available through MassDOT, and so I may now have a chance to do something like "Hybrid Positioning" with my existing equipment. I'm not interested in dropping $40K to do it, though.
I called Carlson and spoke with my SurvCE rep about whether Carlson supports such a workflow, and the basic answer was not really. The rep pointed out that there may not be many actual practical applications for the Hybrid Positioning technology, as many jobs are either in the open, where GPS works well, or in the woods, where the TS works well. And, that carrying around the weight of a GPS receiver all day on the top of the pole might prove an unprofitable burden for an occasional shot. But, he also admitted that he didn't know the details of the system, and that Topcon does not play well with Carlson in terms of sharing their proprietary system information.
Nonetheless, he indicated that some sort of semi hybrid technology might be possible with SurvCE, but at this time would require existing out of the Survey screen and going into Equip to switch from TS to Rover. Also, points collected using GPS equipment would have to be in same coordinate system as TS points, which he suggested might be accomplished through a 2 point localization.
Certainly not the SEAMLESS ONE BUTTON approach that Topcon seems to be advertising.
Still, I'm interested in the potential and would be interested to hear any related experiences that you've had.
I can guarantee that similar to the TS being carried in a backpack and Tripod over my shoulder or in hand, my GPS antenna and Receiver may be turned on all day and hardly are they assembled throughout the day.
Placing a prism under or in place of the GPS antenna is done as needed at near every setup.
Attempting to keep equipment assembled together between setups puts too much stress on the equipment.
I would think that a seamless operation is the goal that surveyors are asking the equipment maker to provide.
My belief is that there is a link in their proprietary equation that needs to be broken for that to happen in the real world.
When 30yrs ago that SMI & TDS would hookup to any digital instrument made, the same should be true for today's genius to put a gadget for seamless operation in the field between GPS, TS, Collector and COGO and whatever we are collecting data from.
:gammon:
Thats a nice setup. Using a similar one but Sokkia. Essentially the same. I have some problems with my 360 prism. The glue came loose and the prism was wobbly. Had to change with my dealer 3 times within a couple of months.
Then on i used an old data collector clamp to clamp the RC unit instead of fixing on top of the prism.
Cheers
Jham, post: 283682, member: 3829 wrote: I am demoing the same piece of equipment right now from Lengemann and I do have to say it is nice!!! I'm running it with a ranger and spectra precision, however I prefer Carlson for data collection. How is the Carlson with that unit, my sales rep said they didn't have any with robotics when he dropped it off at my office.
If your rep happens to be Roger Wheeler he's a good cat, I used to work with him and we still keep in touch. He'll take care of you, as I'm sure all of the fine folks at Lengemann will.
JerryS, post: 283645, member: 205 wrote: The GPS search function in Carlson would work but that Surveyor+ does not have an internal GPS, which if it did, should be more than adequate for the task.
My Surveyor+ has internal GNSS and it works just as well as my Garmin 64st unit.
http://www.carlsonsw.com/support/knowledge-base/?action=display_topic&topic_id=953
