It sort of tells you that you've been doing this old line of work for a long time.
Call came in today for a survey that will require dividing the southwest quarter of a Section 21 into a west half and an east half plus set some temporary markers along the quarter-quarter line to facilitate new fence construction. Five previous surveys that we have made over the years in four adjoining sections provide me with my own knowledge of six of the eight exterior corners of the section. However, this is the first job for us in Section 21. Access to the perimeter is no problem with one State highway and three county roads. Access to the center corner is also no problem because the client has a long existing driveway from the highway directly to the center corner and beyond. The highway underwent major improvements about 15 years ago and all corners of Section 21 were found or set at that time and a plat filed at the courthouse showing bearing and distance between all corners and handydandy State Plane coordinates for each corner. There are also multiple recoveries of most corners recorded with the State and county repositories.
This is the third survey for this particular client. Have also done work for his father and grandfather. In this case he is the buyer, but I've done work for the seller once before at a different location.
Surely something will come along and screw this up because right now it looks to be a stroll in the park compared to most other jobs we have scheduled. Between far too much rain followed by ice and a little snow we are up to our tails in mud. This project is on a somewhat rocky hilltop pasture that the client has been driving on every day feeding cattle so he assures me when can get to where we need to go and back again.
Question from someone in the metes and bounds states....
If the plat filed has the SPC of all the section corners, do you still go locate them yourself and then calculate the quarter quarter corners etc from your locations... or do you just calculate them based on the filed maps SPC and go straight to the site, set points in SPC with GPS and go right at it?
Rich., post: 352064, member: 10450 wrote: Question from someone in the metes and bounds states....
If the plat filed has the SPC of all the section corners, do you still go locate them yourself and then calculate the quarter quarter corners etc from your locations... or do you just calculate them based on the filed maps SPC and go straight to the site, set points in SPC with GPS and go right at it?
You would still verify them yourself. The SPCs serve as a reference to get you close. Coordinates fall very low on the hierarchy.
"Surely something will come along and screw this up because right now it looks to be a stroll in the park..."
Yesiree, that there's the best way to approach a job: Just bursting with optimism. 😉
You ran out of Udder Balm again, didn't you? :woot:
I have to agree... Something will come along and screw things up. Truck breaks down half way to center corner?
Rich.
You bet we find them all and connect the dots just like any other job. However, there are a few other surveyors out there who are doing precisely what you suggested. Sooner or later they will get to have an expensive chat with the Board of Technical Professions.
Holy Cow, post: 352080, member: 50 wrote: Rich.
You bet we find them all and connect the dots just like any other job. However, there are a few other surveyors out there who are doing precisely what you suggested. Sooner or later they will get to have an expensive chat with the Board of Technical Professions.
I recently finished one of those,,,,,,,a guy went out a few years ago tied two corners 1/2 mile apart, used them to breakdown two sections from an old 1960's era survey and set some 1/16th corners by calculating it all up.
The rancher thought he had a survey, as near as I can tell he got two new corners, one of which was laying loose on the ground so I ignored it, the other was only .6' from where I calculated it.........so I show it and used it, filed on it explaining why it was there and why I'm using it. Yeah, I can see lots of things that might happen for your new survey.
Rich., post: 352064, member: 10450 wrote: Question from someone in the metes and bounds states....
If the plat filed has the SPC of all the section corners, do you still go locate them yourself and then calculate the quarter quarter corners etc from your locations... or do you just calculate them based on the filed maps SPC and go straight to the site, set points in SPC with GPS and go right at it?
Remember that coordinates are derived from measurements, and of all the direct evidence that surveyors create, measurements are considered the least reliable. Coordinates and area, rather than being direct evidence or direct observations are derived from those observations and so are considered to have all the errors that do exist or potentially exist in the observations, plus any errors that may exist in the calculations due to mistakes or even due to rounding.
We make our own independent measurements to verify those reported by previous surveyors. There undoubtedly will be differences in the distances and angles between our measurements and previous records. If those distances are fairly small, then our recent survey and the older survey of record verify the quality of each other. But even the best surveyors make mistakes from time to time.
I'm sure that you're familiar with these principles and reasons from your work in colonial states. Measurement and quality of work principles are the same wherever you work.
So Master Cow, how muddy was it out there?
Muddy enough we have been avoiding all field work since Monday.