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Equipment Care and Maintenance

Electronic Surveying Instruments

The source for mush of this information is the instruction manual provided with your total station, data collector, and radios. The remainder is from accumulated experience of technicians in the field.

Operation in the field

Always bring extra batteries for the instrument when going to the field to survey. Be sure the batteries are charged to full capacity.
Always setup where animals cannot access the instrument (ie: on the other side of the barnyard or pasture fence just out of reach of a cow’s tongue).
Never carry the instrument on the tripod when moving between instrument setup points. Disconnect the base plate from the tripod head and either carry the instrument by the handle or place it back in the case to carry. Never carry the instrument by the lens barrel.
Always place the instrument case in the horizontal position before opening. After removing the instrument, close the case to protect the inside from dust, dirt and moisture.
Never place the instrument directly on the ground.
Protect the instrument against strong sunlight and rain. When leaving the instrument unattended for short periods, place the cover over the instrument if provided. Use an umbrella or find another source of protection if you cannot avoid operating in strong sunlight or rain.
Do not leave the instrument unprotected in high temperatures.
Avoid a sudden change of temperature to the instrument, such as moving from a warm vehicle to a cold field.
Never point the telescope at the sun.
Never touch the glass surface of lenses with your fingers.
Before returning the instrument to the case, clean off dust with a brush, then wipe off with a soft, lint free cloth. Never wipe a lens with a dry cloth or with a material that will leave scratches. If no appropriate cleaner is available, breathe on the lens to fog it up before wiping. Always wipe the instrument lenses using a circular motion beginning at the center and moving outward. Do not use any strong chemical cleaners that may harm the plastic elements or optical coatings. This applies to the body of the instrument, the lenses, and the case.
When returning instrument to the case, match the manufacturer’s directions for positioning. Leave the horizontal and vertical clamps loosened. Do not force the case closed. Do not place the instrument in a dirty case, or soil case the with a dirty instrument.
If the instrument and/or inside of the case gets wet, blot up the water with a clean cloth before returning to the case for transport.
Avoid shocks and vibration during transport. Transport the instrument in the cab of the truck whenever possible.
Switch power off before disconnecting cables.

Specific to Sokkia equipment:

Always switch the power off before removing the battery.
Always remove the battery from the instrument before returning it to the case.

Storage

If the instrument gets even the slightest bit damp while in the field, remove it from the case upon return to the office and leave the instrument out with lens cap off overnight to allow it to dry thoroughly. Leave the case open to dry it out as well.
Keep plugs and cables clean and dry.
If you did not clean the lenses, instrument body and case while in the field, do it before you put everything away.
Completely discharge and recharge batteries at least once a month if the instrument is not in use for a long period of time.
Store the instrument in a place that is not subject to temperature extremes or large fluctuations.

Calibration

To maintain accuracy instrument must be serviced by a professional a minimum of once per year. Do not attempt to calibrate the instrument yourself. Additional calibration may be necessary if you notice a problem and have ruled out operator error.

Data Collector (Electronic Field Book)

Always plug and unplug the cable to external equipment (total station, computer, printer, external power source) with the data collector and other equipment shut off. This avoids causing damage to ports and other connections from electrical spikes.
Never submerge the data collector in water.
Avoid exposing the data collector to direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Long term exposure to heat will cause permanent damage to the LCD display or other components of the unit. If the LCD display begins to heat up, the display will fade. Adjusting the display contrast may temporarily improve visibility, but the heat will eventually make the adjustment ineffective. Returning the data collector to a cooler, shaded area will correct the condition.
Always carry a spare set of new 9-volt batteries with you when going to the field to survey.
To save on battery life when not in use, plug the data collector into an external power source. These units can be purchased from your local electronics supply store for less than $20, and result in big savings in batteries.
If the data collector is not being used for extended periods, download all the data it contains and remove both the 9-volt main batteries and the lithium backup batteries.

WARNING: When you remove lithium backup batteries, all your data in the collector will be lost.

Sokkia recommends that if you are having problems with the function of the data collector, try a warm boot, then if not solved, next try a cold boot. Be sure to download any data in the data collector before performing theses operations.

WARNING: Performing a cold boot will result in the loss of all data from survey jobs (See the data collector reference manual for specific instructions on how to perform warm and cold boots, pages 12 and 13 for the SDR33).

Sokkia recommends performing a cold boot on the data collector once a month to clear out the cobwebs. Read the warning above about data loss when performing a cold boot.

Sokkia recommends performing a cold boot on the data collector before using it after an extended period of storage.

OTHER SURVEYING EQUIPMENT

Prisms

Keep prisms clean and dry. Clean with a clean, soft, lint free cloth. Never wipe the prism optics when dry. Use either alcohol or fog with your breath. Always wipe the prism optics in a circular motion beginning at the center out and moving outward. Never touch the glass surface of the prism optics with your fingers.
Be especially careful when transporting to avoid scratches, cracks or breakage. Any disfigurement will effect the accuracy of the reading the instrument receives.
If a prism fogs up due to temperature extremes, allow it to adjust to ambient temperature by either placing it in your jacket or a vehicle. Wiping it off will not be sufficient.

Prism Poles

Bio-Security Issue! Clean prism poles after use before leaving the farm, especially when surveying around manure storages, calf pens, feed areas or fields where spreading has recently occurred. Refer to NRCS guidelines concerning proper cleaning of clothing and equipment used during farm visits.

Keep the threads on both the top and bottom clean. Small, plastic, chair leg caps work great for protecting threads from damage while the shoe is not attached.
Keep the prism pole shoes clean inside and out to avoid inaccurate height readings and prevent damage to the threads from dirt and dust.
Keep the locking mechanism snug to avoid slippage during use. Always check prior to use.
Avoid banging and other abuse to keep the prism pole plumb.
Never lean a prism pole against a vehicle or building. It will fall over as soon as you turn your back.

Tripod

Bio-Security Issue! Clean tripod legs after use before leaving the farm, especially when surveying around manure storages, calf pens, feed areas or fields where spreading has recently occurred. Refer to NRCS guidelines concerning proper cleaning of clothing and equipment used during farm visits.

Use the protective cover to keep tripod head and threads clean and to protect them from damage during transport.

Radios

Always bring extra batteries for the radios when going to the field to survey. Be sure the batteries are charged to full capacity.
Refer to your manual for proper battery charging. If not available, completely discharge battery before charging to avoid loosing battery capacity.
Periodically clean the battery contacts with a lint free cloth to maintain good electrical contact.
Avoid dropping or subjecting a radio to other physical abuse.
Do not carry a radio by the antenna.
To clean a radio, use a soft brush to dislodge large particles and dust. External surfaces may be cleaned with a mild solution of dishwasher detergent diluted in water. Apply the solution sparingly to prevent moisture from getting into cracks and crevices. Thoroughly dry with a soft, lint free cloth. Never use alcohol, solvents or spirits to clean a radio. Never submerge a radio in water.

Battery Disposal

Never dispose of batteries in the field. All batteries should be disposed of according to local regulations. Most offices have a disposal bin for batteries of all types.

Contact Information

You may send comments regarding this Web site to:

State Conservation Engineer

Peter E. Wright
Syracuse, New York
Telephone: 315-477-6538

If you encounter any problems with this page, have questions, suggestions, or find a broken link, please contact Gary Vandawalker at 315-477-6546.

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