Anyone familiar with the Topcon GMT-100 total station. Seems to be a motorized total station produced in the late 90's after the APL-1A, but I can't find out if it will track or if it can be used robotically with the addition of radios?
Run don't walk away from it.
I tried a GMT-100L for a week about 10 years ago. At that time I could have bought it as a demo for 5k. It will track a prism. Basically a non-robotic version of the APL-1A; it shares the same thirst for batteries and weighs a ton. Using it as a regular total station with the servo "jog wheels" absolutely sucked, took forever to aim the thing.
That being said and 10 years of technological advancement later, perhaps the good thing about the GMT-100 is the lack of a built in (on) Satel radio; you might get it to communicate with one of the very small Parani/Lemos 2.4 Ghz radio setups to a data collector and have it track you and take a shot like a robot. However, you'd have to set it up to run a search pattern if it lost you as that is pre RC-2 technology---can't use the "dog whistle" to get it to find you. And even that is speculation on my part.
I wondered why I see them from time to time for next to nothing. I have a Leica TCRA 1105 I use everyday and love, but I wouldn't mind having a AP around for topo's once in a while since I've never found a robot since that possessed the sensitivity or tracking speed the AP's did. The laser in the AP's must of been burning holes in everyone retinas and they just didn't want to tell us or they got tired of the idiots that would put 50 shots on a tail light.
BTW - I use a pair of the Parani's BT radios with my Leica that I bought directly from them for about $250 and have never experienced better robotic communication, not to mention the days of battery life.
As for the RC2, I always thought that was a fix for the 800 series due to their poor tracking. The AP didn't need it, if it lost lock it would search and immediately find you. Pretty sure my few year encounter with the 802A has shortened my life.
