is on the way. Hopefully we will have the now antique, recently purchased, Reliance unit cranking at submeter RTCM by the end of the week. Maybe we can figure out how to twist all the wires together and still be able to stuff all that junk in the little blue back pack.

Hey, Phil.....will it work???

I will let you tell me.

I hooked my Reliance up to a DCS DGPS a bunch of years ago. It worked but sometimes I had to put my DCS antenna on a 25 foot pole.

I'm not sure what DCS DGPS is. I am under the impression that the signal from Thales/Land Star is of the same basic character as OmniStar, or at least somewhat equivalant. I have been made aware that the LandStar system is based on ITRF92 and is the system used by the entire world (however backward they may be) other than the U. S. But, the submeter data should be fairly easy to correct by batch processesing if necessary I would think. At the sub-meter level I would think a simple translation would suffice as I was told that the normal shift was something like .8 meters in the Houston area (I am a couple hundred miles North of Houston). I'm trying my best to make use of Thales "tools". Hope I made a good choice.

j.d.

The choice you made is the one I would make. If I sound uncertain it is because I never had the advantage of using LandStar. My beer budget let me get DCS and I often found a way to make it work. They probably did not charge enough because they went away.

You know where the proof is when it comes to knowing what results you are getting. I am anxious to hear how well it works. If Reliance will not handle the coordinate conversions well enough to suit you let me know. It may be something as simple as pushing the whole project over a half a foot or something.

I think this is something we can sort out.

My Reliance system also has a Mark IV Racal box and separate antenna for correction signals. Here in Northern Latitudes the signals are not as strong as you should see, JD. I use this occasionally, but do so more often with coast guard beacon corrections since I am within 30 miles of one..

I am putting the finishing touches on my personal Reliance base and rover setup using spread spectrum radios. I am dying to try it out..ONly 10 years after everybody else and 5 years after the real pros went to a better system :)

Oh well, better late than never..

As for ZMax, I wondered when the DSNP and other stuff would start making its way across the Atlantic to these balmy shores. A breath of fresh air might do us all some good. b

thanks to both of you. I was going to try to contact either or both of you tomorrow by phone to get your input. I can't think of any two better sources of knowledge concerning the subject. Both of your responses have made me feel much more comfortable about the decision to invest in the hardware and subscription to go officially "sub-meter". We do plan to thoroughly test our system on previously determined points in all types of conditions before even considering marketing any type of services. We do see a wide open market for the surveying community to explore though. What a time period to be alive!

thanks

j.d.

Aside from GIS inventory projects and wetlands delineation, I'm unfamiliar with submeter applications. What sort of services do you have in mind for your submeter gear?

GIS inventory is a big one as well as timber work and maybe others. But even at that you can fairly well use your imagination on boundary work (large boundaries and rough accuracy topo). Most all of our boundary work is on SPCS. At some point having real time sub-meter to search for previously determined coordinates of boundary corners or calculated coordinates of boundaries to adjoiners of previously determined tracts will be a big benefit in the field recon game. The ability to tie in private roads, ponds, creeks,etc. will also be very beneficial. The rigors of maintaining lock associated with stop and go work is eased a lot with the sub-meter capability. We'll see if it works out as well as we think it will, but we are of the mind that it will be able to be used pretty much all the time, even with out the special services we are hoping to hit being available all the time.

Shawn

The doors that open are tremendous.

Not only in field gathering but in updating databases using sub-meter solutions.

You guys ,(the Billings Industrial Navigation Company) have always been on the leading side and it's time to bank some of that hard earned sat/sun development time.

I charged $200 per hour for GIS work. It was fast and furious. They got good results because the hired a surveyor. I made a very good wage because I could produce not only the work, but could stand behind the solutions to my work.

We saved a few days using the Meridian doing a 160 acre survey for bore holes. Mike got close and every time he put up the rod based on the Magellan, he was in the scope. The WAAS isn't real good in our area, about 10-20 feet, but it was still much better than the old "raise the rod and I'll find you".. Mike was darned close on every point. I set on the hill and drank water until he said he was 'on point'..

tm

JD, really want to play ultimate GIS-MAN...???

1)
Set your Reliance to output GGA, GSV NMEA messages on PORT C (your computer download port) and get ArcPad or TDS SOLO attached there so you have real time positioning AND graphical (Raster or vector) moving map basis on your color screen;

2) Keep using the Reliance to control the job, too, so you are storing continuous raw data in memory. IF you really get clever, you can start your Reliance to log a point for 1 minute, then store the point in your SOLO system too...That way you get a backup if your real time results suck because of beacon or realtime differential problems;

3)
Hook a Criterion or LTI Impulse laser with MapStar module up to port 2 on your Husky so you can do laser offsets to multiple points while standing still!

4) Take a picture of yourself doing this and then watch TIN CUP, the movie with Kevin Costner, while he is wearing all the golf help paraphenalia...Compare you to him and ask what's different (other than your salary!)