Need some guidance in finding the right robotic instrument.

rlsdobbins Much has been written here and over on rpls.com

over the years.

You will find that most of the owner users only know their model so hard to get comparisons from same user.

For the record I am an unashamed Leica fan!

I suspect that you should be comparing price, distance range for target recognition. Weight , battery size weight, finding lost lock by physically getting supplier to demo or better still leave the TS for a day or two for you to use on a real job.

Need to try in traffic, pedestrian walkways, work in vegetated areas, backgrounds of water, glass, vegetation. This to determine how finds target after interference. Technology has come along way. Do they come with a bipod stand? or is extra, length pole, is it extendable? etc . all Qs.

The reality with solo surveying is that it requires time and expereince to determining your own routines.

Finally the determining factor could be reliability with after sales service and ease of back up assistance to answer the pesky Qs that will arise.

BTW had my first Leica Solo set up in 1999, I guess you could say a pioneer as had first in S OZ.

RADU

rlsdobbins Much has been written here and over on rpls.com

My Topcon 802 has proven as reliable an instrument as I could hope for. Paired with Haye's bantam radios it is a worker. It has never let me down in 10+- years. That's a pretty good pull in my book.

I agree with JB on the Topcon. I used one for several years and at the time we also had an old Trimble robot. I thought the Topcon was a superior machine at the time. Fast forward a couple of years. We purchased a Trimble S8 last week and I was truly impressed. It really depends on what type of work you are doing. If you are mainly boundary and topo, then I would recommend the Topcon as its autolock feature is great in the woods compared to what the Trimble 5600 has. If you are into structural deformation surveys such as dam instrumentations or bridge monitoring then I would definitely recommend the Trimble S8. We bought the 1/2 second model and a TSC3 with Access software that has a monitoring feature although it is a little pricey at around $60,000.

Price and support are two major factors in choosing a robot, I would consider support the most important.
I first had a Geodimeter 600 series (basically the same as a Focus 10 or Trimble 5600). The active tracking on the prism was very nice, but the lack of an internal battery in the instrument and a rod with a radio, data collector, and cables running from prism to D.C. and from radio to D.C. were too much for me. When I would leave the office I had three boxes of stuff to lug around.
The instrument I have now is a Topcon 8005a with a FC-2500 D.C. with a built in radio. The more I use it, the more I love it. I have found I can be just as efficient with the RC-2 finding the prism, as I was with the Trimble active prism. The gun is fast and accurate and prismless is a must. I first had a few hiccups with the Topcon, but the support provided from Hayes Instruments was first class. Wes, Troy, and Curtis helped me through any problem I had with great patience. I am wireless at the rod, and carry only one box out of the office now.
I cannot comment on quality of any other instrument, only the two I have used.

Good stuff everyone!! Very much appreciated! Anyone ever used the Topcon 8205, I have heard bad things but, don't know if it is reliable info.

The 8205 is the updated version of the 8005 I use, with a longer range reflectorless. I am %100 pleased with the setup I use.

I believe that I will be in the market for one too, within a few months. Now that the GPS is paid off I need to upgrade my Leica TCR 1105 to robot, to bad the 1105 is a museum piece now!

I have made a lot of money with my 802A over the last 10 years...

I have been using robotics since 1998 or was it 1997, I am a firm believer in the Geodimeter/Trimble brand (I did look at Lieca at the time and Topcon was not worth looking at back then).
One thing to consider is the weight of the instrument, the Rod and no cables.
I had a chance to use Steve Provenson's Topcon (it was an older model) it was bulky and weighed a ton.
I have been using a 2" S6 since 2006 with a smart target and I would like to know from other users what would make a Lieca, Topcon or Sokkia equal or better then my S6?

I do believe most of us develop loyalty to a certain brand and stick with it, some of us more so

Taso

I don't think there is a better machine out there than Trimble has right now. The only down side is the price. If price isn't an issue then Trimble is definitely the way to go. I haven't touched an S6 but the S8 is impressive. I am sure the S6 is as well. Most surveyors don't NEED all the bells and whistles the S8 has. If I was going to purchase one myself, it would probably be the S6. On a side note, their GPS equipment is top notch as well and the new office software, Trimble Business Center has come a long way from TGO but we still just use it to post-process GPS.

Not sure why price is such an issue to many users. If you figure out how much it is used, how much it will save you (in most cases one person less), then the actual price of the instrument is often insignificant in the overall picture.

I have had an S6 for 5 years now, wouldn't buy anything else (except maybe an S8).

If you want new, Demo a Focus 10. It's a continuation of the Geodimeter600/Trible5600 line. Obviously, there are newer (more expensive) models with more features, but for the price, I think the Focus 10 is a work horse at a great price.

I got a flyer in the mail from forestry supply, and in it is a new Topcon 9005 robotic package with D.C., prism and rc-3, all for $17,500, which seems to be a good price if you are looking t Topcons.

There's a couple of nice Topcon robots listed in our Buy/Sell/Trade category. 🙂

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