Can anyone share your experience with Leica AP20 Auto Pole? Happy with the performance? Do you think that investment worthy??ÿ
To use AP20 we need to change our whole setup including Robotic Total Station, Data Logger, Field Software & even the Prism Pole which are expensive. We're going to use it for Cadastral, Feature, as built and occational Construction Setouts with RTS TS16. I feel like TS16 is a bit slower and noisier than the current set up but it has gained a lot of credibility in my part of the world.
Can't help with the ap20 but what is the TS 16 slower than? Seem to turn pretty fast to me.
TS16 uses Standard DC Servos and has 45 deg/sec (Please correct me if I'm wrong) speed. Leica MS60 with Piezo drives is much faster but I'm not sure if we could afford them at this point. The SOKKIA IX1000 series that we're using has 150 deg/sec (Simillar Topcon GT 180 deg/sec). I have noticed it's rotation and changing between faces is quicker. Speed is not the only matter but the tripod stability is an another matter to consider to get the expected productivity.?ÿ Thanks.
Interesting to know, I'm used to TS15 and the TS16 seems to search much faster. Not sure a sokkia/Topcon is anything like on the league of the Lecia/Trimble robot offerings.
I was using a Leica 1203+ which is the same 45 degs per second as the ts16...now I'm using a Trimble s5....sure the s5 can spin really fast (especially when you're trying to sight something manually and don't want to turn fast) but all the speed turning is a waste when you have to use the clunky and somewhat unresponsive joystick to get a lock. I didn't realize "Leica powersearch" wasn't just marketing lingo until I found out how bad the Trimble search is. There is nothing like pressing a button to tell the robot which way to turn towards you and finish centering and levelling the pole while it turns and locks on you. With Trimble I'm spending that time trying to get it pointed close enough to me that it will actually find me. A $5500 prism and it doesn't know where I am? GPS search works jn 20% of my situations and yes I know that I am supposed to walk in a big arc for it to even work at all.?ÿ
I also used a sokkia ix-503 before the Leica. It's issue was the one thing the Trimble doesn't have problems with... keeping a lock. It would lose it constantly. That and hardware failures were it's down fall.?ÿ
I kind of want to ask the boss if I can just use the old Leica until it dies but someone else has to use the s5 lol.?ÿ
@lukenz?ÿ
I got to demo a ts16 and it seemed very similar to the 1203+ but I was able to hold the prism ridiculously close to the ts16 and swing it back and forth and not lose lock. I didn't think the old one was that bad as I can gently walk past very closely to it and if will get a shot at less than half a meter away....but the ts16 was definitely better that way.?ÿ
The one downfall with the old 1203+ is in really bright sun it sometimes tries to lose a lock (usually regains it immediately) the ts16 is supposed to be better in that way. It also seemed to work fine with fieldgenius which is what I was using on the old one.?ÿ
@350rocketmike Thanks for sharing your experience with Leica 1203+ & TS16. Also good to know about S5. Feedback from a user is worth million times than a sales ref. ???? ?ÿ
