Microsurvey Star*Net CarlsonTDS Converter

> I feel absolutely not happy with its $195 price tag with only the C and the SS data types supported.

If true, that's pretty lame.

Which converter is it, Carlson or TDS? StarNet's website lists those as individual converters.

Hi Dave,

I would really appreciate if you post some StarCarlson output showing F1/F2, OFFSET, RESECTION lines in the .dat file.

Thank you.

Regards.

> Hello,
>
> The Carlson converter for MicroSurvey Star*Net converts Carlson style .rw5 files into the .dat format needed for Star*Net.
>
> The TDS converter converts TDS .rw5 and .raw files into .dat
>
> Both file conversions should bring all measurements into the .dat, including resection, traverse, etc.
>

> Hi Dave,
>
> I would really appreciate if you post some StarCarlson output showing F1/F2, OFFSET, RESECTION lines in the .dat file.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Regards.
>
>

Ain't happening we've gone through this before, F2 requires editing in resection. ( Maybe I'm off here and you're asking something different)

Ralph

Hi Dave@Microsurvey,

It would be more interesting if you post sample .dat file showing data types that support F1/F2, Offset, and resection using the carlson converter.

Your helpdesk in my experience is totally not working for me. I don't know what's the idea behind your highest-vote-gets-the-support.

Isn't a resection just a multi-set from an unknown station to multiple targets? I would think you just put that into the DAT file as M lines then process it. It may require a provisional coordinate for the unknown station. Using *** between the elevation and code lets StarNet know that is a free coordinate that can change as much as necessary.

I'm using the old TDS converter (pre-MicroSurvey). It converts RW5 files and is supposed to be able to create one M line from a multi-set but it doesn't work; it makes a series of SS records. I just change the SSs to Ms. Ron Sawyer's version of the manual says you can enter either one meaned observation (use a smaller standard error) or all of the set pointings individually (but use a larger standard error).

Usually the coordinates in my field created raw file are throw-away guesses which I edit later using a coordinate from OPUS or something like that. Some jobs deep in the forest don't have GPS so I will use a record bearing on one of the lines as a fixed bearing along with a fixed assumed coordinate.

I have never gotten a file out of the converter that I could use without some editing.

> Isn't a resection just a multi-set from an unknown station to multiple targets? I would think you just put that into the DAT file as M lines then process it.

If they're true resection observations they'll be angle-only, so an A record would be the appropriate type. M records are correct if they're angle+distance measurements.

> Using *** between the elevation and code lets StarNet know that is a free coordinate that can change as much as necessary.

Although the * symbol indicates a free (unconstrained) value for most observations, it's not necessary for C records. Coordinates with no expressed standard errors (i.e. spaces) are free to change as much as necessary.

I honestly don't like the converter to average redundant shots and convert it into M data type. In my opinion, Least Squares is for best fitting and not for averaging.

Offset shot shall be replaced with a single observation data type during the conversion process and not with a C data type.

This is a programming and not a bug issue. If this one gets into the Microsurvey Helpdesk, you pray to get the highest votes and be hopeful that it'll be addressed in the next release. 🙁