Surveying tips and tricks thread...

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Woods Topo and Traversing

In addition to using a mirror, a camera flash can be used. In the winter red blinking led lights like cyclists use can be mounted on the rod to pick it out.

Traversing can be done with only one tripod to save on weight. This is done by sighting ahead to a pole or to string, and turning 180 to leave a back sight line on a lath in the vic of the gun.

The sanvic is a awesome tool somehow overlooked by many.

There are those in this world who will still take a compass read, along with a clinometer or hand level shot, ragtape in a distance and enter a topo shot into the dc by point in direction. There is a time and a place for such procedures even if they are being forgotten.

Signal Mirrors

Clear Cut was here a minute ago with the suggestion of employing a signal mirror. At his suggestion I googled it and found this 1943 US training movie:

Canned air for blowing off the top of dug out monuments so an accurate description can be got!

Stick on reflective tape targets for construction control. When I am doing my initial control I leave targets stuck on high permeate structures like light poles and buildings. Then resect off them for construction staking. I don't have to leave backsights and have plenty of checks depending on the site and forethought.

RTK Repeater radio on magnet. I temporally mounted on hood of truck so I could see the flashing receiving data light while driving to point. When it would quit flashing I would find high ground with reception and leave the repeater radio and continue on to point to be measured. Saves a lot of time. Not such a big deal now with real-time network bases. Jp

Use a plastic tent stake, to set temporarily at corners. Stake it, and then use the metal detector, and shovel, to search BEFORE setting another.

N

Use that same mirror to illuminate the inside of a deep dark manhole.

The One Foot Trick.

The One Foot Trick.

I needed a back sight, but there was a brand new power pole directly on line.

I had the rod man hold out a tape, perpendicular to the line, and using a plumb bob, he held zero over the hidden point and stretched out the tape (perpendicular to the line), I set zero degrees on the 1 foot mark and turned the little angle right to the 2 foot mark. Now I held the angle in the gun and re-sighted on the 1 foot mark, then I turned the angle back to zero.

I marked the power pole and did it again the other way for a double center.

Then I put a good permanent mark on the pole for future back sights.

:stakeout:

> Canned air for blowing off the top of dug out monuments so an accurate description can be got!
:good:

I like that...never even thought of it.

Me neither!:good:

If you are opening a ton of monument boxes and scraping the dirt out to get to the monument, bring along a cordless shop vac, and just vac them out. Works good for water filled ones in the spring too.

Once done, if it is a shallow cover and may get vibrated out and lost by large trucks, dump a little sand along the rim, tap with a hammer, and it will lock in tight, but you can still take it off later. Works good for a sewer manhole cover by the house that always rattles when a car drives over it too. Sift a little sand on the edge, no more rattling, crews can still open it, everyone is happy.

Thanks for getting 'er started, your-other-right! Love this stuff. Keep it coming, folks. 🙂

I have a pocket whisk broom made out of a few "whiskers/stake-chasers" taped together with duct tape. Comes in handy for sweeping off mons.

Back to work. :whistle:

Everyone has a tip or a trick. If it seems like it's taking too long, it probably is.

Best trick, sketch before you shoot.

when I locate buildings, I always put the rod on a 1' offset and code it for the direction off. It's a good check on my measured distances as well. I can pretty much eyeball the 1' off now but use the tape to verify.

I can use a negative number (or 0) for rod height (-0.25 on the Geo 360) to get elevations on building components above my head, or the AC pads.

With the blue top thread below, I'll add the pretty obvious one:

Shot at the location and get the fill amount. Measure from top of hub and mark with marker. Slam until the marker line was just at the ground level.

Occasionally you would have to pound it a little further in if the dirt around the hub lifted too much around the edges of the hub.

Another shot to verify elevation.

At the courthouse

Be nice to those who are nice to you. Someday you may want to ask for a little favor that will save you much time and mileage.

One thing I was taught a long time ago by an old timer,that most on here probably know, but should be told to the new guys. Know the intent of your survey. What is going to be done with the info you collect? A lot of time can be wasted doing things you dont need to, or you could blow a budget not getting it the first time. Are we building a bridge, or an outhouse here? That was his line.

Measuring inverts on particularly nasty manholes... don't want to stick a tape, prism pole or level rod into the invert? Duct tape a lath (pointed end down) to said tape, prism pole or level road at a premeasured 1.00' from tip. Don't forget to add said 1.00 foot to measure down.

Also (this might be kind of a silly one but it works good) I use an ice cream scoop to assist when excavating monuments in roads. It helps clean out the hole without making the hole HUGE.

Signal Mirrors

1943? cool. I got one just like that from the BLM in 1997. still have it.

So true!