Another Javad convert
Whoooo boys and girls! I have arrived! I am getting used to my new Javad LS and 1M base and am getting things done in a new workflow pattern that is blowing my socks off. Like most surveyors, I have always been very meticulous about field procedures, and resisted using GNSS because of the endless horror stories I kept stumbling across with pins being 5′ off or more. Whenever I needed some points tied to the center of the spinning earth and a solid reference frame, I would subcontract some points from another company. My S6 occasionally disproved those control points presumably set with care.
After years of research and learning everything I could, I made the leap. My Javad rep, Matt Sibole has provided the finest support I could imagine which greatly reduced the learning curve. When I call with a question, I could enable “Support” on my unit and he could take control of it from wherever he happened to be, answer my questions and show me what to do by actually doing it with the exception of walking the ground. What a great concept.
Most importantly, Matt is a boundary survey like myself and set the parameters high enough that bad shots are nearly impossible. The unit ticks audibly when it gets a good fix from at least two computing engines simultaneously and with upsampling, can get 5 shots a second to compare. There is a lot of data to look at and give you the warm and fuzzy feeling or not while it is cooking. I have tested lots of points and verified with conventional shooting and the Javad system has never let me down. In my area, VRS is available for free nearly everywhere which is what most surveyors are using, but with what I know, I believe using the base is getting me better and safer results. For those that haven’t seen one, the Javad receiver head is its own data collector with a touch screen and buttons. There is no unwieldy data collector on the side to get in the way of shots close to a fence or to get hooked on every branch and vine when going through the woods. It also comes with a non-magnetic collapsible rod. My “Eureka!” moment came on a recent job that was in thick brush that would have taken a day and a half to chop through to find and shoot a dozen pins. I carried a metal detector and a shovel in a bag on my back and this lightweight short rod and receiver in one hand and followed rabbit runs and deer trails hunched over because it was way too thick to stand upright. In about an hour, I had found and shot every pin. They each checked with the record plat by at most a tenth and a half which is probably as good as they were set. I set up the receiver in serious bush country and that happy little clicking noise would start that tells me all is well and good with the signals coming in. What an awesome way to survey. I need to make sure that my billing reflects my new productivity. So far, I am the only guy with this product in my area, but I believe it will be on the rise soon. Javad has also pledged to support the surveying program at our local college with some equipment as well. Without a bricks and mortar shop nearby, I wasn’t sure how customer support would be, but it is better and quicker than anything I could have expected. I have even helped out some surveying friends getting shots that just wouldn’t take with their equipment. I couldn’t be happier.
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