A new addition to The DDSM Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas
The Wild T0 Compass Theodolite is a compact lightweight instrument, which can be used either for observing and setting-out magnetic bearings or as a normal theodolite for measuring or turning-off angles. It is particularly useful for rapid traversing, based on magnetic bearings, especially in areas where visibility is limited and the traverse legs likely to be short. The T0 can also be used for photogrammetric ground control surveys, low-order detailing, on building sites or as a recon- naissance instrument. The compass theodolite has a spring lever which to be moved to lower the compass circle onto its pivot. As this lever returns to its original position when released, thus raising the circle, the pivot can be damaged only as a result of particularly careless mishandling. Horizontal (i.e. Compass) Circle readings are of unusually high accuracy for an instrument of this type and size, because of the coincidence setting of the diametrically-opposite parts of the circle. Horizontal and vertical circle readings are made to the nearest minute. The telescope has a magnification of 20x.
:beer: 
DDSM
Does my name appear in your will?
That's intended as a compliment very nice gun!
Dan B. Robison, post: 381818, member: 34 wrote:
Okay, so have you figured out how to mount that Disto on the T0 or will you just hold it alongside the instrument as Arkansas surveyors with compasses do?
The T0 I have is one that I bought from a surveyor in Arkansas who claimed to have mounted a Sokkia Red-mini on the one he actually used, so the Disto would be the obvious improvement.
Kent,
I'll just use stadia or a Nubian pioneer chain tape for now. I think I know the Arkie surveyor you bought yours from...he has been known to embellish...
DDSM
Did lots of topo with a wild (T1) and stadia. Worked great for reservoir topos, back then we just got a total station but it was difficult to hold the mirror towards the gun long enough to get the shot,,,,
Much easier to read stadia....worked great, kinda miss the hands on surveying.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2783425715037934&id=199098633470668
This instrument does not measure the hotness circle.
DDSM
:clink:
Dan B. Robison, post: 381838, member: 34 wrote: Arkie surveyor you bought yours from...he has been known to embellish..
Dan, isn't "Arkie" the Latin for "embellish"?
I used a T0 in 1976 on a USFS crew. Running p line for logging roads our standard kit was a staff compass. They brought the T0 out for one day so we could tie a nearby govt. corner to our (staff compass) p-line since it defined private lands. Big excitement on the crew that day.
I've always wanted a T0, but I have no use for one, so I haven't been able to justify the cost. They seem to command a price far in excess of their capabilities; I don't know if that's because they're rare or just really cute!
Jim Frame, post: 381885, member: 10 wrote: I've always wanted a T0, but I have no use for one, so I haven't been able to justify the cost.
What is the going price for a T0 these days?
Kent McMillan, post: 381887, member: 3 wrote: What is the going price for a T0 these days?
Dan Robinson can probably give you a better answer than I can, but I've rarely seen them advertised for less than $1,000 (and more often like $2,500). And the low numbers have usually been from foreign sellers of dubious reliability.
In contrast, I paid less than $300 for a T1a in good operating condition and typical field-use cosmetic condition. It's a far more versatile instrument, but of course lacks a compass.
Jim Frame, post: 381888, member: 10 wrote: Dan Robinson can probably give you a better answer than I can, but I've rarely seen them advertised for less than $1,000 (and more often like $2,500). And the low numbers have usually been from foreign sellers of dubious reliability.
In contrast, I paid less than $300 for a T1a in good operating condition and typical field-use cosmetic condition. It's a far more versatile instrument, but of course lacks a compass.
Jim,
I have the Wild North seeking needle for my T1a that I purchased new in 1975.
Ed
I never used the Wild T0,but the Wild T1-A was my everyday transit.Reading stadia with inverted image.I also miss the hands on of surveying.
I had to run a cal on one of those at Table Mountain in CO a million years ago. http://geomag.usgs.gov/monitoring/observatories/boulder/BOU%20History.pdf
I
pmoran, post: 383195, member: 8922 wrote: I had to run a cal on one of those at Table Mountain in CO a million years ago.
Cool story, I never knew there was that much effort put into studying the magnetic fields.
I ran a T0 for about a year on a seismograph crew. While working in Eastern Tennessee near Greenville, I got caught out in a heavy rain. We were all a long ways from home and had a 4 day weekend coming up. The plan was to go to Myrtle Beach for a few days. I had to get the line tied in so me and a rodman stayed behind to finish and were planning to join the rest of the crew the next day.
On the very last leg,I was setup where I could see my tie-in point on the next hill but the rodman took the truck around by road to the point. By the time he got there, he couldn't see me for the rain so he held the stadia rod on the point long enough for me to get the shot and then some, then came back. This was 1980, before radios were common on crews and long long before cell phones. I never got the shot, we put everything in the truck and waited for hours. We ended up going back to the office and planned on hitting it early the next morning to get the last shot and then head out to the beach.
The next day, I got the T0 out of the bullet case and it was completely fogged up. I had sealed it up and forgot to dry it off and air it out at the office. We spent the rest of the day trying to dry it out and get the last shot. Didn't work. Never made it to Myrtle Beach. Found out two days later that the whole crew got locked up for public intoxication. Still planning on going to Myrtle Beach someday. Every time someone mentions a T0, I think of Myrtle Beach.
James
Kent McMillan, post: 381829, member: 3 wrote: Okay, so have you figured out how to mount that Disto on the T0 or will you just hold it alongside the instrument as Arkansas surveyors with compasses do?
The T0 I have is one that I bought from a surveyor in Arkansas who claimed to have mounted a Sokkia Red-mini on the one he actually used, so the Disto would be the obvious improvement.
...and a built-in magnetic locator to replace the old schonstedt....don't forget that.
The T0 I have was given to me by a mentor of mine who also became one of my closest friends, so I will never part with it. He purchased it from a family of a deceased surveyor along with other equipment, and it supposedly was used during the survey of the Homochitto National Forest by Walt Robillard and Carl Hammerstrom, or at least that is what Walt told me after I told him the Serial Number (long story, Walt tried to buy it from me for years). Since then it appears to have been been used by someone who didn't take great care of their instrument and is not in a serviceable condition and is not in nearly as good of condition as the one pictured above. I have thought about trying to get it restored but have never followed through with trying to find someone that would be able to do it. A sticker on the inside of the case states that the instrument was repaired by E. Phil Harris Company, Inc. of Birmingham, AL on July 13, 1970.
Iceman, post: 381905, member: 579 wrote: I never used the Wild T0,but the Wild T1-A was my everyday transit.Reading stadia with inverted image.I also miss the hands on of surveying.
Howdy,
Not really a reply but your note prompted me to recollect the fact that the NGS Instrumentation and Methodologies Branch facility near Fredericksburg, Va is an important geomagnetic research and measurement observatory. See: http://geomag.usgs.gov/monitoring/observatories/fredericksburg/
There are links to some of the other sites on the link. Some of the linked papers are interesting including one on the Boulder Observatory here: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20151125
Note that the USNGS has an important gravity facility on Table Mountain.
The USC&GS was originally responsible for magnetism during various government reorganizations it was transferred to the USGS.
Hope this contributes,
DMM
