Due to an increase in business 😀 we have promoted my instrument man of 3 years to crew chief. This was a well deserved promotion as he served his time in purgatory preforming and learning the reasons for all the double checks and note keeping in the field, but as they say that is another story. My problem is I now have an instrument guy who can function in the wide open, but is horrible at finding me and the prism in bushy conditions any time I have to step into the woods for a topo shot.
I was thinking of something like one of the wig-wag strobes on a chain to wear around my neck that I could turn on/off as needed. Anyone know of anything like that or any other ideas?
A simple mag-lite flashlight does the job.
The mirror from your compass works on a nice day too!
I thought that one of the companies made a prism with a strobe light in it. I think that it was centered so you could use it at long distances however it would be great in the woods too. My interest in it waned as I became a solo crew with my robot.
T.W.
Is his eyesight OK? As a near-sighted teenage instrument boy too vain to wear my glasses, I had exactly the same problem.
The best thing I have found in woods or brush is one of those small led flashlights with a strobe function. I carry a Fenix L1D (discontinued?) which uses a singe rechargeable AA Eneloop battery. If you can't see it flashing, you won't see the prism. They are so bright my instruemnt man would complain I blinded him, but he always found where I was.
At one point, I even attached another type of led light (with strobe) to the top of the pole, and that worked almost as well (it isn't quite as bright), but the prism with the strobe that Tom mentioned might be better.
Or, you can get yourself a Trimble 5600/Spectra Focus 10 with Autolock, and let the gun find you by itself. I have been amazed over the years at how much "stuff" can be in the way and the gun will still lock on to me.
take him out in the parking lot..
..give him a handful of rocks and blindfold him. Now walk and arc about 150' away, yell at him, and see if he can hit you with a rock. Once his ears are good, work on his eyesight. 😉
edit:
Seriously, if you see him monkeying with the objective focus, school him. Teach him how to focus "through" the brush and learn where his focal point is at. You can't see a 400lb. gorilla in the brush unless you're focused on him.
Thanks guys I did think about the led prism but we would never use it except for this until he gets his woodlands eyes on. About the longest average shot on any job in SC will be around 800 LF. I did not think about the strobe function on a mini flashlight, they sell them at most of the gas stores around here for $6 or less. I will pick one of them up and try that. Let you know how it works out.
I like the trick I read a while back here:
Instrument in reflectorless mode, leveling rod in the bush, instrument person aims where convenient along the rod, keys in the HT, shoots and records.
take him out in the parking lot..
You can't see a 400lb. gorilla in the brush unless you're focused on him.
:good:
wear one of those LED night headband lights for running, they really work for that. Keeps your hands free too.
:good: 🙂
Item One, Wear High Visbility Clothes
I have worn orange or green shirts in the field for at least 20 years. I occasionally help out a surveyor as I-man who complains when I cannot find his ordinary clothes in the woods or find the dirty plumb bob string against his dark pants. He complains "Why can't you see me? I can see you." It is easy to find his white beard but he is too casual with the peanut prism position as he does not center it on his person, but places it where it is comfortable, high, low, left right, no rhyme or reason. It is his dime so I stopped complaining to him years ago.
Paul in PA
'.
I use a red bicycle flasher which i Velcro to just below the prism for the last
2 years with our Leica robots in heavy bush. so i find a small hole in the bush jungle
for a smaller prism / flasher combo that i can just see the robot and the guy at the robot just points a couple of cm above the flasher and the flawless reliable Leica robot jumps onto the prism. Our production went up 50% and frustration dropped 100%.
As a side note now i am much happier now that i took a 2 pound hammer to my geodimeter 650
#79 what piece of junk = trimble 5600 series same crap different paint job.
Rest in land fill #79 650
PK
Cheap, Flashing, Water Proof, Bright, Rugged, Light.
To activate you just have to wet the bottom terminals (lick your finger and hold it on them works)
I use them for diving and they work really well. Have used them in thick scrub and it made it much easier to see, or be seen.
Just tie some pink flagging on the rod and leave nice long streamer to catch the breeze.
Also, you can do the guy a favor and just wear something bright orange or lime green.
It used to drive me nuts when I was on the gun and my partners would be off in the brush with browns and dark green colors. On a good windy day, no amount of waving the rod or anything works when everything in the woods is moving around.
I found it would help me if I'm told when you on the rod are to be on the move so I can get on scope and track you. That way I don't have to look for you again when you stop.
Don’t worry about me wearing bright clothing in the woods around here, as deer season opened up 2 Fridays ago here:-D . Till January 1, I can guarantee you I look like the biggest Clemson fan you will ever lay eyes on.
All great suggestions, and I have already ordered on of the bike tail lights suggested by FL/GA I am gonna try to mount it to the top section of the rod.
This guy is a nice guy but has never been out of the city in his life. At least he has learned (the hard way) when I say there are yellow jackets over there, it means “Don't go over there!”
Hard to believe that no one has mentioned this so far.
It really helps out the rod man a lot if the instrument man is highly visible as well. You would think pretty yellow tripod legs would be enough, but it isn't many times. The rod man's journey to his destination may involve many twists and turns plus ducking around various obstructions at all heights. So, when he turns to look for the instrument man, he may be facing the wrong direction. Another problem is dropping too low without realizing it.
:good:
Radio Traffic:
Rodman: Can you see this?
I-man: Where?
Rodman: I can see you...step behind the gun about 10 foot...come right about 3 foot...THE OTHER RIGHT...good...now lower your head about a foot and look over the top of the gun...SEE ME NOW???
I-man: Yeah...you can quit flashing me with your compass mirror.
:beer:
