Well, not so many since I have not really been in the business, but yet a few:
Done Leroy Lettering??ÿ Seen it done.
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Used a Lenker rod? I own one which someone gave me. Pretty beat up, but interesting to figure out.
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Carried a tack ball? Yes, briefly, while talking to (annoying?) some guys doing layout near my home.?ÿ Aren't they still considered common equipment?
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Hand generated contour lines interpolating between adjacent data points??ÿ Yes
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Watched a pen plotter in amazement as it plotted in what seemed like a random order? Yes
Yes to all.?ÿ Add eraser shields and electric erasers (with nasty solvent impregnated eraser sticks), sitckybacks until the County banned them, a Rhodes Reducing Arc for slope staking,?ÿ 10.5" reel to reel magnetic tape consoles for storage and overnight computation, Hollerith cards for road design, chain saw chaps, Curta peppermill calculators, a heliotrope (just once).?ÿ I could go on but my memory's fading.
ON NO, I was 15 for 15 "Used to, but not anymore", then the HP41 last one. I still use mine to run quick traverses. But I have stopped using the printer.?ÿ?ÿ
I have a tack ball now. Nothing old about that. Most of the other things I did in school (BCIT, 82-84) but have not done since.?ÿ Except pen plotters. Those where a thing until after I got my LSIT in '97.?ÿ?ÿ
Done everything there except draft on linen.
I have manually edited GPS files to remove cycle slips...
You are the first person I've ever found other than my Dad to use a Rhodes Arc!
Done Leroy Lettering??ÿno
Used a planimeter to "buggy" areas or calculated cuts/fills using average end areas??ÿyes
Used a Lenker rod??ÿno
Used a right-angle/90 degree prism for rough grade stakeout or station/offset work??ÿyes
Used a top mount or stand alone (HP3805/3810) EDM??ÿyes
Used a dip needle??ÿonce, for the experience.
Drafted on linen??ÿno
Carried a tack ball??ÿstill have one.
Used an "Acu-Arc" for drawing curves??ÿused a set of curves
Hand generated contour lines interpolating between adjacent data points? Used a rubber band to do it??ÿyes, had a cool divider to set the intermediate contours.
Avoided a "regen" in Autocad at all costs because of how long it took??ÿnot an Ac guy.
Started GPS baseline processing before leaving the office hoping it would be done when you got back in the morning? oh yes, used a Bernoulli drive. Remember using xcopy to move data around.
Did GPS observations at night because that was when enough satellites would be passing over??ÿyes, fell asleep on the last session at 2am.
Used hand signals to "talk" for things like cuts/fills for marking stakes??ÿall 10 digits by hand signals for cut fill amounts.
Watched a pen plotter in amazement as it plotted in what seemed like a random order??ÿused a HP and had a sight bullseye that replaced one of the pens. We could then register a drawing in the plotter and digitize data from the plan into cogo.
Used a HP-41c/cv/cx to traverse/inverse and watched the "goose" fly across the screen??ÿstill have two 41cx calculators, extended memory and math module so we could do matrix algebra for least square adjustments when I was?ÿ taking survey classes.
You are the first person I've ever found other than my Dad to use a Rhodes Arc!
Yup, super useful when staking logging road catch points in mountain severe side slopes after L-line has been calculated so centerline stakes are in place.?ÿ It involved a cloth tape for slope measurements and the procedure was?ÿ a guy below on the fill side that'd clamber down until there was a catch, then throw him the marked stake which he'd set with flagging at the final catch.?ÿ Best thing with the arc was calculations were instantaneous so adjustments, "further downhill, come back a bit" were easy.?ÿ On the cut side the reverse would occur, the staker would carry the stakes and mark them, and throw down the tape for measurements.?ÿ It was less unwieldy than carrying a transit or level.?ÿ Of course it was only accurate to a few feet but bulldozers aren't looking for tenths.
I probably staked 30 miles of logging roads using a Rhodes Arc and the surprising thing was the dozer guys would often completely ignore the stakes and venture way off line, avoiding bogs, hard rock and sloughing areas.?ÿ They considered us engineering idiots and our stakes as only guidelines to get to the road punched in where the loggers need one.?ÿ I respected them for that.
Interesting list. Done 'em all. Nothing like dating yourself.
Was thinking about a couple more, and came up with these... (sorry, no intention of taking over)?ÿ
Using a trig function book to every 10 seconds of arc, and did long hand multiplications for D.M.D. calculations. Then celebrated when a Monroe hand crank calculator put them on the bleeding edge.
Running out sections chaining with a 100 foot steel tape, and plumb bob.
Using a trailer tape, and abney level for obtaining horizontal distance when measuring up/down steep hills.
Remember purchasing a set of chaining pens.
Doing Polaris observations.
Learning to set up a transit using a fixed leg tripod.
Extended a straight line by double centering.
Wiggle in.
Being in awe the first time you saw a Gammon reel.
Winding angles.
Using a steel tape repair tool.
Yes to all except Lenker rod and acu-arc.?ÿ Have used a curve set and French Curves.
All but the baseline calculations and night time Gps.
@dougie I know you've heard of MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving.?ÿ Have you heard of DAM, Mothers Against Dyslexia??ÿ (grin).
One of the best engineers I ever worked with was dyslexic, but NEVER let him give you numbers over the radio or phone.
Andy
@dougie?ÿ
looks like that dude in the pic got buds instead of melons. ?????ÿ
Haven??t used Leroy or hp41
my accuarc broke 🙁
I'm left-handed.
Fun fact...Did you know there was only a 2% chance you were going to be left hand dominant when you were born?
My brother and my Grandpa on my father's side are both left handed.
"Only left handed people are in their right mind" Jerry Springer ?????ÿ
