We have been fortunate enough this year that our small firm is looking to upgrade some of our field equipment. Currently our primary total station is a Nikon NPL-352 paired with a TDS Recon data collection system loaded with SurveyPro software. All of our planning, mapping, calculations and such are done using Autodesk Civil 2016. A large portion of our work is primarily Bridge/Road Construction Layout and Commercial Construction Layout. We wish to upgrade to a Robotic station suitable for our layout needs with a tablet style data collection system (Eyes are getting to old for the small recon screen, lol). We would like to also consider purchasing a separate basic enough GNSS enabled system with enough accuracy and precision to tie our projects into state plane control.
Our local dealer that we do most of our business with, is primarily GeoMax based. So, of course GeoMax equipment is what they are suggesting. We are searching for input, opinions and more to make the best possible choice for such a large purchase. Part of our concern is that GeoMax appears to be a sub of Leica and if so, why would we purchase GeoMax gear instead of Leica in this situation? We understand GeoMax is cheaper but does this mean an inferior product, service, higher maintenance and part costs? Anyone that can suggest suitable equipment brands, set-ups, approximate costs, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
I think the Geomax are just older technology Leica robots, nothing wrong with them it's just the newer Leica gear would well, be newer technology.
Topcon have a large tablet with their new robots, the FC-5000.
If your local dealer services GeoMax, you've got a winning situation. The price differential between GeoMax and Leica is more than substantial. Older tech, sure, but still very productive. I'm very happy with my Zoom80 robot.