The New units are going to be delievered on the 13th. The sales guy is spending a day with us training.

What are the suggestions of this group as how to best use and make these little babies productive in a rural boundary setting.

Tips or pointers on what to watch out for? What do the guys mess up with them requiring reoccupation?

Are these things good for recon PLSS corners?


Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

learn spc's if you don't know them already. be able to go from one system (grid) to the other (ground) and vice versa. don't just inverse and say "wow a .10' on that line" because you just ignore the scale factor.

don't let the gorillas on the crew run them. there are delicate connections.

on hi measure ups record (on paper) the hi in feet and meters. apply the conversion to the meters and check your foot measure. this is if you don't use fixed height tripods.

they are great for recon, some will say 1-2 meters. could be if you are in the open and the unit has been on for a while (seems to make a difference if it has been logging waas for 15 min or so, so you may want to let it run on the way to the job.) typically I would say you can expect sub 20 feet but not always.

and the biggest tip I would give to a new user is to hit known points and see how you do. GPS traverse from harn to harn. this way you can see what to expect. if you have a city wide control done with gps that you feel was done properly, this can be an awesome playground.

shawn

I agree with everything that Shawn said, but would add.
Check and double check everything until you are completely comfortable with the system. Check into known points often and then double check them. Measure ups for HI are the easiest error to make and an incorrect value will throw everything into a cocked hat.
Use your SPC system, it is the best system made possible by GPS.

FIxed Height Rods with By Pods, are the answer to the HI Problem.

I am really looking forward to get this going.

I decided to buy 4 extra fixed height (well screw together) rover rods and bought two cheapo hard cover gun cases to carry them around (2 poles or 4 sections in each case) and the seco type Pole Tripods instead bipods. I still put my base station on a regular tripod and tribrach though.
Modified By Jon C. on 2/4/2004 at 9:20 PM

We use the SECO precise GPS tripods, which cost about $650 when we bought them. You can set HI at 1.5, 1.8, or 2.0 meters. These seem to be the best answer. Does anyone else use them?

Rambling thoughts from a solo operator

1. Set up a grid of 15 to 20 points in a parking lot area. Survey the points with your robot then again with the stop-n-go option on your Promarks. Try a couple of sets with differing recording intervals. Comparing results will give you a feel for GPS accuracy. You may want to have this setup ready for your training session. Set a couple of points for a static session also.

2. Buy rechargeable AA's and charger. You will burn through a lot of batteries just getting familiar with the equipment. Keep a stockpile of lithium’s for long setups.

3. Use fixed height rods for the rovers and base. This will help eliminate elevation blunders.

4. Look for visible or secure locations near your work sites for base setups if your working solo.

5. Get a set of cable extensions for use when you need a higher antenna setup.

6. Use quick disconnects for your antennas. Saves setup and takedown time. With a mag mount on the roof of the vehicle you can drive in the open to recon or topo without losing lock.

7. Use a laptop in the field. You can process the data before you leave the site.

8. Get leg weights for the light weight tripods. You will need them for windy days, smooth pavement and frozen ground. Don’t use a bipod for a base setup.

9. Get a back pack large enough to store all the Promark gear. This will keep the equipment organized and all in one place. A separate bag for the bipods/tripods also helps.

10. Keep a good book and a few magazines in the chariot. There will be a lot of times you will "hurry up and wait" when doing static sessions. Oh, I forgot. You’re in the Army, aren't you. You have practice doing that.

A couple of things I have found, most failed points are either poor conditions (too much tree cover) or not long enough occupation (don't get impatient, 15 minutes may very well cost you a return trip). The only way I can get that warm fuzzy feeling is ocupying every point twice, time consuming, but a great check. I still don't feel I have mastered the software after having the stuff for a year, try to get some good training on it, the field units are simple to operate.

For those of you having trouble with the short life of the AA batteries on the PM2, I have adapted an external 2 D sze battery
pack to mine. I get 16-20 hours of life from them. Even as their power depletes after many recharges they get 16 hours.
And the good part is no buckets of old AA batteries and no wondering if the unit 2 miles away is still going.