Robotic Total Station

I think any of the main brands would meet your needs. Maybe hire each of the brands to see what suits. Most people here seem to prefer Leica or Trimble. I use Topcon myself and it is generally ok but if I was to upgrade I would be leaning to Leica.

JEFLS, post: 402265, member: 1771 wrote: I am just starting to search for a "Robot".
My needs are:
1) good working order
2) lowest price
3) capable of storing up to 1200 points
4) can down load to ascii text file, N,E,EL,DESCRIPTION
5) can upload from ascii text file, N,E, EL, DESCRIPTION

You seem easy to please. old geodimeter/Trimble robots can be had for a pittance. They might suit you. Buy one to use, and some junkers for spares. Don't know about the ascii thing though. You may need to do some formatting with a text editor. The older leica 1100 series may do an ascii import. Formatting into GSI format with a text editor would be a simple task.

Just about any robot made in last 15 years would take care of you.
For the ease of use the Trimble S series is great. You might find a used S3 rig for around 13k. If you're not looking to spend that much and don't mind all of the wires an older Trimble 5600 would work. And you could find an old TDS Ranger to pair up with it. But really just about any collector will work it. There is no support, or parts available for those though so buy a couple extras.

I love my new Leica but I never used the older Leica stuff so I have no opinion.

I started out with a used Topcon 802 robot. I tried 3 collectors (Ranger 200 with TDS, a Allegro with Carlson and a Trimble TSC2 with Microsurvey and Carlson). My favorite was the Ranger with TDS. The keyboard was far easier to use on the old Ranger.

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Don't look further than the focus 35.

Surveypro is super duper easy. I mean basic and super user friendly.

The 35 is a great robot for just that at a cheap price.

And that's the only way I go back and forth from carlson is by ascii/txt files.

My advice would be to just get a data collector with the right software, and then you could use pretty much any robot. I would not buy a 15-20 year old robot though. It seems like an unnecessary headache waiting to happen. Get something that you know will work without breaking down all the time.

Seems like data collectors create a lot of angst for you.

Did you have a bad experience?

Steve

Rich., post: 402374, member: 10450 wrote: Don't look further than the focus 35.

Surveypro is super duper easy. I mean basic and super user friendly.

The 35 is a great robot for just that at a cheap price.

And that's the only way I go back and forth from carlson is by ascii/txt files.

This is my plan whenever my time comes.

Rich., post: 402374, member: 10450 wrote: Don't look further than the focus 35.

Surveypro is super duper easy. I mean basic and super user friendly.

The 35 is a great robot for just that at a cheap price.

And that's the only way I go back and forth from carlson is by ascii/txt files.

I took a different approach. I went with the Geomax Zoom 90 and a Carlson data collector with Carlson software. This way, I have easy to use field software with Leica style hardware. I did this because I prefer the way Leica (Geomax) tracks the passive prism and the way the powersearch works.

First robot I had was a Trimble 5600, then I used a Leica 1205, then I used a Topcon 800 series, then back to Leica, and now Geomax, so I feel like I have used a lot of different styles and options and for me the best choice was either a Leica or Geomax robot with Carlson.

I feel like a focus with a ranger is equivalent but just a different style.

Dan Patterson, post: 402408, member: 1179 wrote: I took a different approach. I went with the Geomax Zoom 90 and a Carlson data collector with Carlson software. This way, I have easy to use field software with Leica style hardware. I did this because I prefer the way Leica (Geomax) tracks the passive prism and the way the powersearch works.

First robot I had was a Trimble 5600, then I used a Leica 1205, then I used a Topcon 800 series, then back to Leica, and now Geomax, so I feel like I have used a lot of different styles and options and for me the best choice was either a Leica or Geomax robot with Carlson.

I feel like a focus with a ranger is equivalent but just a different style.

Agreed, but if I remember correctly from a demo the Geomax has a far superior reflectorless capability compared to the Focus. Smaller beam, but shoots farther.

Plumb Bill, post: 402414, member: 226 wrote: Agreed, but if I remember correctly from a demo the Geomax has a far superior reflectorless capability compared to the Focus. Smaller beam, but shoots farther.

I wasn't aware of the comparison, but I have been blown away by some of the reflectorless results I've gotten. I don't know how much of a price difference there is between the two packages either.

Another point is that I've always used a data collector. I don't think I'd want to collect data on the instrument. I had an older Leica 1205 with the remote control that stored data on the CF card inside the gun, and I always thought it was a pain. You had to have the gun on to view the data....couldn't just take out the collector and sit in the truck doing calcs on it....

Rich., post: 402374, member: 10450 wrote: Don't look further than the focus 35.

Surveypro is super duper easy. I mean basic and super user friendly.

The 35 is a great robot for just that at a cheap price.

And that's the only way I go back and forth from carlson is by ascii/txt files.

What is a focus 35? Which company makes it? Who sells it? And is Surveypro software? or the manufacturer of the focus 35? or a data collector ?

JEFLS, post: 402427, member: 1771 wrote: What is a focus 35? Which company makes it? Who sells it? And is Surveypro software? or the manufacturer of the focus 35? or a data collector ?

spectra makes the focus. It's a division of trimble although they remain separate.

Surveypro is software on the collector.

I use carlson on the computer so I tried to switch to the carleson collector and geomax robot but I really didn't like the carlson software on the collector. Some people love it, I think it's whatever you are used to.

However I feel the surveypro software is much more user friendly and feels easier and uses terms that are simplified.

To put it lightly, I taught my 65 yr old father to use surveypro to collect data when he never even used a collector.

Dan Patterson, post: 402416, member: 1179 wrote: I wasn't aware of the comparison, but I have been blown away by some of the reflectorless results I've gotten. I don't know how much of a price difference there is between the two packages either.

Another point is that I've always used a data collector. I don't think I'd want to collect data on the instrument. I had an older Leica 1205 with the remote control that stored data on the CF card inside the gun, and I always thought it was a pain. You had to have the gun on to view the data....couldn't just take out the collector and sit in the truck doing calcs on it....

I do not perform calcs in the field.... My Nikon has an onboard data collector, which I think is easy to use for viewing the x,y,z information of the surveyed points. On occasion, I use the stakeout function to set stakes or rebars along a line, between located monuments. And I have even gone so far as to compute a resection, so I know where I am relative to found monuments.
Most of my surveys are small, 1/2 acres to 60 acres. Almost all of my surveys are in the woods, with very few sights more than 150 feet due to vegetation.

Rich., post: 402432, member: 10450 wrote: spectra makes the focus. It's a division of trimble although they remain separate.

Surveypro is software on the collector.

I use carlson on the computer so I tried to switch to the carleson collector and geomax robot but I really didn't like the carlson software on the collector. Some people love it, I think it's whatever you are used to.

However I feel the surveypro software is much more user friendly and feels easier and uses terms that are simplified.

To put it lightly, I taught my 65 yr old father to use surveypro to collect data when he never even used a collector.

Rich....
I will be right down...
I am 69 years old, and still remember using the log tables, and a book of trig functions...