I'm mulling over a job offer I received and would like some input. I'm currently a survey manager doing layout, building models for machine control, and doing quantity takeoffs. I'm currently using scs900 and trimble business center. The contractor that offered me the job is using pocket 3d in the field and agtek for modeling and takeoffs. They are just getting into machine control and need someone to spearhead the advance. How steep of a learning curve am I looking at going from TBC to agtek? Also the pocket 3d appears similar to scs900, but I would like to hear from someone who has firsthand knowledge of both softwares.
Thanks
Matt
Im not real sure, but my gut tells me that if you figured out Trimble, Topcon will be a cake walk.
What part of the country are you in if you dont mind saying.
I'm kinda with Roadie on this one. Trimblese is basically New Zealand. Topcon is basically East Asia somewhere. Topcon is seamless. Where do our shirts and shoes come from?
I was trained early on with just a K & E, a plumb bob & steel tape. Then went to Wild (soon to become Leica - Swiss I believe). Then went to Topcon. Started my own gig and went to Trimble for some stupid reason (I think it was $$$$ related).
I don't know why, so just shoot me in the head. They just put things in the wrong order and keep changing the programing so you have to buy more stuff. But if you can speak Trimblese, then you can speak any language. I'm still using TGO and never bought into the TBC world.
Good luck and don't be nervous. Walk in the park....
Thanks for the feedback guys. To answer your question roadie I'm in west Texas right now doing mostly oilfield work with some commercial sprinkled in here and there. The new job would be deep east tx
If youre interested in staying in W.Texas drop me an email, I am about to be looking for those skill sets that you mentioned (TBC,SCS) really soon in ElPaso.
Sent you one. If you don't ge let me know and ill get my contact info to you.
Matt
why would you sacrifice the precision of a Wild instrument and go to a Topcon? Price?
Twice in my career I have lucked into positions that put me on the bleeding edge of GPS. THe first 10 years of that were all trimble. I did the right of passage trim net to TSO then TGO. In 2003 I changed jobs and dropped back L1 only aashtech. Soon after that we purchased Leica 1200s with Carlson. Now we have Topcon.
I now have LGO, Magnet, Star net and TBC. None of them work as well as TGO. It appears I left Trimble at the right time.
Topcon should be an easy learn for you. Get ready to step back in time about a decade. You cannot rely on the Office software AT ALL. It will occasionally compute a 1/CSF about 3000 ppm off. Worse are the ones that are 100 ppm off. They do not use standard terminology and refuse to acknowledge that nearly EVERY surveyor in North America uses the current iteration of NAD83. I get more bad inits in one month than the 3 years before with leica. The list goes on. Other than that it's awesome..,
I for one will tell you that Agtek is fine for modeling and much easier to use than any of the Trimble products. I have been making models with Agtek earthwork 3d and using them in Trimble machines and rover units for 10+ years
We are contemplating leaving Topcon for Leica...
> We are contemplating leaving Topcon for Leica...
I haven't personally used Topcon in 20 years, but...This company that I've just started working for was a Topcon shop for many years until recently. The story goes that they became disenchanted with Topcon's data collection software. Now going with Spectra Precision, which has plenty of Trimble DNA on it.
