Short and Sweet

..........., that could run circles around younger and more confident technological adept surveyors?

> How many older surveyors do you know [who] abandoned ship during the birth of the development of modern day survey grade GPS,
> [who] choose to retire due to the complexity of gaining confidence in new technology, [who] missed the boat and could still be surveying, even at an advanced age?
>
> Is this common?

Ok, it's late and I'm tapping on a very small screen while trying to eat dinner. You get the idea, do you have any valuable contribution to the attempted digital conversation??

I have seen a few drop out rather than move forward, but the more common reaction is to hire people to run it and continue stamping products with no knowledge of how the tools work. The 2010 quote of the year for me was from one such 'PLS'. "I don't care how it works as long as it spits numbers". That was said as he dropped off a map showing a 1/16th corner 1.5 feet from all recent records...

I just got to thinking how much easier it is to do a more thorough job. The significant reduction in the physical labor required would be enabling to a "seasoned" surveyor in the field.

In other words the miles of traverse being eliminated in many cases. I realize GPS doesn't work everywhere, but you could pick and choose which jobs you accepted.

Just some rambling thoughts.

Probably a few out there around here. The big drop in numbers came in the early-nineties when the State started requiring continuing education. Lots of old duffs decided it wasn't worth the 'trouble' and hung it up.

What's funny about your question is the first private surveyor I personally knew that had his own static units was an elderly Bob Cartmill, LS85. Mid-nineties Bob-O invested heavily in some Trimble "yaller boxes" and did a bang up business.

He did more contract boundary work for others in five years than he had the previous 60 years of his career. He sold his gear around '99 or so and moved to the Lake. Sadly he passed away a few years back.

Definitely not "an old guy afraid of the digital age". He was a real pioneer.

The better paying projects are going to those that have RTK.

It is not saying that their surveying is being done better because of the technology, only faster.

I can name many that are too fast for their own good, they are in such a hurry they overlook the obvious and don't listen to their own past.

Too many are not doing a complete survey and reporting all the facts, they are not spending enough time on the ground to do that.

Their fault lies in the fact that they attend to obvious monuments and never search thoroughly for others and never travel along every boundary locating existing fences, walls and other man made features.

My 3 static units work very good and I have learned to rely upon them. When I purchased them was at a time a client ask me if I could keep up with all her work, I said yes.

After that investment, she never gave me another project. It was not because she did not appreciate what I had done, it was that I did not ignore little details like encroachments and overlapping descriptions and that I would point out the fact that her client did not have title to some of the land they were selling.

Several surveyors in my area have no GPS.

I may never have RTK and I don't have any plans to stop surveying.

B-)

My father is still active. He can play with some CAD (Carlson w/ embedded), he is great with research, proposals, invoicing and many other essential needs of the office. He won't touch the new equipment, but I sure like it.

Unfortunately I moved into the office about the time all the great technology came out and spent 17 years punching the CAD buttons. It took me about a year to get up to speed with GPS RTK, and if I were a younger man I could really have some fun with it. I still walk the lines and locate the fences but I sure can't do it as fast as I once did with antique equipment and somebody to talk to all day.

A surveyor, 60+ years old and one county over had to layoff his employees during the economic downturn 6 years ago. He did not know how to use his Trimble base and rover RTK, so he asked me to come help with a project when he was getting frustrated with it. We worked out a deal. I have his GPS in my truck to use whenever I want and go help him GPS about twice a month for a set hourly rate. I also generate the contours for any drawings that he needs. He is not ready to retire and it has been a great deal for us both.