The sokkia ix can't hold a lock to save it's life. But the search at least is good with the RC unit, like Leica powersearch except you can't tell it which direction to go and it always went the wrong way. Lol.?ÿ
Leica 1203+ tracking was very good and Trimble tracking is good but prediction not so good and search is a complete fail so hopefully you like using a joystick.?ÿ
@lukenz?ÿ
I'd go geomax with Fieldgenius based on my Leica 1200+ with fieldgenius experience. Fieldgenius does crash a lot but it loads extremely quickly and it's very intuitive so it kind of makes up for it.?ÿ
From what I've seen xpad is better than field genius and I value stable software for my sanity
@lukenz?ÿ
I tried to demo x pad but it doesn't work on the actual Leica hardware. It did look simple but I wonder if stuff is missing that I would frequently use?
Geomax = Leica tracking which I prefer overall to Trimble's approach.?ÿ No robot is as good as a person pointing to a prism in heavy bush in my experience. All robots need a clear line of sight in a way that a manual total station shooting to half a prism down the side of a trunk always beats. Robots also don't track as well in the rain (great excuse to sit out showers in the truck like the T2 days)
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From what I've read on this site Leica tracking is a little more precise than the Trimble active prism but can't back that up with side by side results so defer to others on that point.
No way Lecia are going to allow that! 100% Lecia or nothing.
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Xpad has all the setout/topo functionality I need and best selling point is super easy to use. Odd function is not there but had some extras ones too.?ÿ Can't customise every single variable the way Lecia allows but overall it's better value given so much cheaper than Lecia package.
@lukenz?ÿ
The Trimble has to have the active prism because it will lock onto anything shiny in passive mode. Working with another party chief the other day running his s5 manually (but with autolock on) I had to keep turning autolock off as it would rather follow his vest or random signs instead of his passive 360 prism.?ÿ
When you're searching the Leica has a fan beam that will see the prism even if it's not pointing vertically at it, unless you're up on a big hill it will see it. The Trimble has to be pointed almost perfect vertically or it will either search for a long time or just fail to see the prism right in front of it. Increasing the horizontal and vertical search area from the default 30 degrees seems to make things even worse so obviously there is a reason the default is that tiny 30 degree window.?ÿ
@lukenz?ÿ
Even fieldgenius is missing some features compared to Trimble, but overall easier to use. Leica doesn't have to have Leica software. I've never actually used Leica software on the Leica.?ÿ
When I demoed the ts16 it was with my own tablet and fieldgenius as well. If it has the geocom module it will run Carlson, fieldgenius etc, just not x pad as that seems to be locked to geomax only.?ÿ
If it was my $ though it would definitely be a geomax or a used Leica.?ÿ
Oh yeah the Leica will run on Trimble Access on my tsc7 too, but the joystick is barely functional (well it isn't very good with the s5 either lol) and the search doesn't work. Also switching between reflectorless and prism a couple of times caused a disconnect issue (I was using the Leica in a Trimble job because I needed a bunch of reflectorless shots and the s5 is not the machine for that job).
I have used the Leica 1200 series and Trimble s series. Now The S5 is the low end and just a every day workhorse. @350. Has had a lot of issues that I have not encountered. I have gained lock in active mode in spots you would have to be a darn good eye man to find a hole and it will burn through and get a distance. Now accuracy in active mode is not as good for vertical for precise work. But you can place it in semi active mode which it will not shoot until it??s tracking the sensor then goes passive mode for those situations. I would bet my paycheck that the leica is probably more accurate hands down and such. Now I would also bet my paycheck that i could beat the powersearch all day with the Trimble. It??s getting use to using the gps search track lights or video screen and joy stick etc. I have no problem with leica or Trimble they both have pros and cons. It??s really what you do and or want to do. I like Trimble because i can have 1 job file or raw file on a project and I can run the robot or gps or both at the same time. Now leica depending what you are use to their software or carlson field genius etc have pros n cons also. I do like field genius for one major reason and that is I don??t need my eye glasses on to read the screen. Its a simple software that gets the job done. I push Trimble Access very hard. I am not a points staker . I use surfaces dxf files etc. I am not in the field much these days but have been out the last couple weeks as a crew chief has been out. I do almost all my comps and create some daily deliverables right from Trimble access. It has a very good way of helping manage a project. I can locate anything stake out etc. and turn around and export by code numbers selection and about 10 more ways to a csv file sho kmz etc. for a client. Now most crews are not doing that all the time as it usually goes back to office first then to a client. Most people don??t use any data collector to its full potential. Or any technology. Heck the old sokkia 3bIi had remote elevation missing line and a number of other trig functions that saved breaking out a calculator and you didn??t need coordinates to do it. I would not reinvent the wheel if you have a good system you like now. But if you want to up your game I think you have to really look hard at the two top dogs which are leica and Trimble. Now carlson can or could play with leica on data collection side. I have heard good and bad about the new leica software. I think its just getting use to using it to its potential and being willing not to do the same thing or way and adapt. The S7 is the next level and it performs better than the S5. I know of several S6 that are still working from 2006 when they were bought new and have not missed a beat. Same with leica. Its all what you do and want to be able to do and what environment you are in. The old geodometers that Trimble bought out and made into Trimble 5600 are heavy slow but if you set up and stake from same point all day you can hook it to a tractor battery and it will take a beating. And it was 100% active and was bulletproof. But traversing with that thing was not fun. It weighed a ton and had a quarter ton of batteries. A million cables lol. If i were outfitting my self right ow. I would be looking at a javad and a small cheap robot. With many crews I prefer the management of Trimble one platform for any tool. Leica probably has caught up on that by now i am sure. But years ago i had a wild total station and Trimble gps. That was the bomb. Or ashtech. Now i can have 4 crews on same job and bring in rtk static robotic level and scanning data lidar all into one software and qa/qc and get it ready for drafting. ?ÿGood luck. Test them all hard and make sure you look at more than the numbers. Look at customer support and the big details as well the little details.?ÿ
I would definitely take that bet about the search...as long as you use my gun and you can't walk 360s 100 feet around it to warm up the GPS search. The distance I'm usually working at GPS search is useless and there isn't good like of sight all the way around most of the time. The Leica will have its lock and you'll still be tapping on the joystick.?ÿ
The s7 with the video feed is much better but unfortunately I don't have that one.?ÿ
@350rocketmike wait now. I get to do it the way i want and how i would use it. I tell you what i get two shots all i need one I will do on my bs and the other of my choosing. Then i will allow you to point the gun wherever you like and we will stand wherever and i know when i hit the gos search that power search is going to be still looking. Two shots beside the bs but i will take a shot on bs or close to it. ?ÿThe biggest mistake most make is that darn thing will say gps search ready and we are standing by the gun 4 ft away. Just get out by your bs or away 100 ft or whatever distance and clear gps search and get it to lock on you in tracking mode and wait a few and allow it to go and you will have less issues. You can clear the gps search and make it start over. I have a rental tsc7 right now and have not even turned on the gps search and i have dump trucks hwy dump trucks off road. Excavators dozers bob cats and knuckle heads and hardly notice any issues. I did almost turn gps search on the other day as i hitched a ride and was like 180 degrees out and i just flopped face searched it got me flopped face again and started work. The s5 is a little finicky early in the morning. And about 1o45 to 11 on this site as sun is right in line with where i am looking. But not to bad i just manage and switch to my rtk work for 30 minutes or meet with contractors. Even if i were a eyeman standing behind the gun at those moments. It would be me telling crew chief. Smokem if ya gottem. Sun is kicking it right now. Now I know you have had some crazy issues for sure not the norm at all. I get more frustrated with the tsc7 than anything else. The job folders are so tiny my fat fingers keep selecting the wrong folder lol. Probably a way to fix that. I am still not as swift with the whole map screens though. We didn??t have those years ago. We had plans and the hood of a truck. Now I need a step ladder to even set my coffee on the hood of a truck. My everyday field days are numbered for many task. But today was a good day i had two young up and comers. One who I literally walked into the ground last week. I mean he worked harder last week than he ever has. Under any chief his words not mine. But we were busy and behind. Now today at lunch he said old man can I work under you more. I said why i don??t stop for lunch and you said i worked to hard and walked to fast. He said yes but you stop and teach me why and not just say do. He is a green horn and i have him doing some auto field codes and just letting him learn. Made me feel better about not stopping for lunch last week.
@350rocketmike oh my old brain just thought of something. I bet you are working in assumed coordinates system not say state plane. So you have like scale factor of 1.00000 job settings.?ÿ
if you were in a state plane. Gps search doesn??t need all the extra shots as much because it knows plus or minus the 20 feet the internal crappy gps is already. It does on assumed need a little help getting calibrated etc. ?ÿI try and work on grid sate plane as much as possible just makes life easier for me. Yes many times thats not possible but Sooner or later maybe it will not be an issue anymore.?ÿ
I'm usually working in UTM 18N, or a local site cal. Occasionally assumed coords but not as often. The issue with GPS search is you assume that you're actually able to give it the GPS info it needs to figure out where I am. I'll admit it does work sometimes, but only when I'm a ways away from the robot and I was able to walk a good arc around it (not typical).?ÿ
Today I pinned 2 townhouses over 100 corners total, I set up in the middle of them and walked around both pads to help the GPS search, but if course in this case I never needed it because nobody was there to get in my way. Often I try the GPS search first and when it starts looking 20 degrees away from me I have to hit cancel and then joystick it anyway.?ÿ
The joystick would be okay if it responded to a single click with the same amount of movement. I never know how far it's going to turn so it's not as quick as it should be to get it pointed just right. And like I said it's way too fussy about how close you need to have it pointed.?ÿ
It's improved from what it was as I started measuring HI all the time even when I'm only doing horizontal. But it's nothing great. Like I said if I have the r10 on top the search is great but then the pole weighs twice what it did with the Leica grz4 and the 7" Panasonic tablet and plastic mount, plus bipod. That was so much easier putting on slippery concrete nails that ended up not perfectly straight in the concrete. I end up using my hammer and my foot to keep the pole from sliding off and the weight of the tsc7 does not help with this.?ÿ
I've been using a Sokkia SRX for 11 years now without much problems with tracking, even in the rain. If needed the rc-pr4 unit will keep you on track.
All construction staking i do is only with prism and this works fine.?ÿ
I will be buying a new ix series by the end of the year and expect the same kind of tracking.
