Clearly nobody here has ever tried squishing a fly! In any case the locomotive buffers will meet first, before the loco bodies collide. At 20mph that...

We keep a thermometer and a barometer in the instruemnt case. It might not make much of a difference on most jobs, but the entries appear on the print...

Even a relatively small increase in the height of the aerial makes a huge difference to the "line of wave sight". Depending on terrain you might get a...

In which case @angel you have the full support of everybody on this site - keep Wendell under your thumb!!

Field book for collection of non-automated data has one great advantage. Once done the data is there forever - no need to refresh, move to new modern ...

The trouble is that this can apply so often that nearly everything will upset somebody. Before leaping to the keyboard everyone should take a moment t...

1) You don't know it all: neither do they but they've learnt that the hard way, so listen. 2) The more letters after the clients name the less they h...

Lots of manufacturers used to supply a pouch in the case. It won't do any harm. Even if the instrument is wiped down if it gets damp there is always s...

That just gets worse in a recession - the neighbours have now't else to do!

This is one of the times that a Tick-sheet is worth making compulsory - and it ensures that you know exacttly what went to site so you can check what ...

Those are called Toes!

@richard-imrie?ÿ That's a big one; and mechanical. The star drills I used were hand held drills with a star shaped cutting end and were about 8" lon...

I.m not familiar with the detailed operation of theTS16, but I've seen this sort of problem in the past when somebody tries to use an instrument in wa...

@peter-lothian?ÿ Not quite as simple as that! But Wendell won't thank me if I write a whole text book on here. UK does have some determined boundari...

You haven't said if this is for setting out or for as-built survey. I'm assuming you are working in the UK. (US readers stop here - in the UK there ar...

@larry-scott?ÿ Kern lightweight? - just relative to the Wild centre-rod version GST70, which has wooden legs. I still have 4 of the Wild version. Ver...

Actually not such a daft comment. I had to do something like that once with a spirit level, where there was a higher level platform just wide enough t...

The bubble only relates to the rod section on which it is mounted. If the extended section is not true then perhaps you should get a different rod. W...

Those old Kerns were wonderful, self reducing tacheometers, lightweight tripods. Set up, level up, working in 20 seconds (if you were slow).