Calibrate Levels

[Nate The Surveyor]

How often should we calibrate the LS?
How important is it to "keep it calibrated"?
What are the effects, of failing to do so?

Setting it on RIGHT and LEFT sides, require placing it on a ring, or lid, to keep it perpendicular to the surface it is on. Does it hurt, if you try to HOLD it steady, instead of using a ring, or lid, (something with a cavity, for the protrusions, on the side of the LS)

What about the Compass?
Same questions.
How often, How important, and how much potential error is introduced, by not doing it regularly?

I know some of this may be addressed in the manual... but the manual is not always current, and things do change, over time, including calibrations....
Another thing, is on the ACTION SETUP screen, under "ONLY RTK FIXED", there are two settings.
One is "Maximum Corrected Tilt Angle".
And the other is "Maximum Uncorrected Tilt Angle".
Can we now tilt the LS over at 30°, and take a shot? (This would be good for taking a center of creek shot, where we don't want to get our feet wet...) IF I am understanding it.
Talk to us, help us stay up, with development!
Thank you!
And, one more comment. It BLOWS my mind at the CONSISTENT VERIFIED shots I am able to take, and at the amount of development going into the LS program. "Thanks" does not seem to be an adequate expression of how happy I am with my LS!

Nate

 

[Shawn Billings]

I hold the LS steady for calibrating levels. If you are not using tilt calibration it doesn't matter. If you are, then you absolutely MUST perform tilt calibration AND level offset. It only needs to be done if the tilt values are no longer accurate. Check against a bubble from time to time to make sure the calibration is good. If my tilt values exceed 0.2° when the pole is plumb, then I recalibrate.

The compass is easy. Turn the LS until the display indicates that it is turned North (0°), then use the front face of the LS to find an object perpendicular to the LS (East), then turn the LS to the object. See if the display is within a few degrees of East. Then do this again. Look for an object perpendicular to the LS (South) and then turn the LS to that object. See if it shows within a few degrees of South. Then repeat for the West. If the compass calibration is off, you will see a quadrant missing or off by a substantial amount, recalibrate. If it hits within a few degrees of each cardinal direction as you rotate the LS, the calibration should be fine. It's not something where you lose a few degrees in accuracy, it's going to lose a quadrant.

Yes, the tilt value settings in the Position Accuracy screen allow you to set how much you want to allow the LS to be tilted when you take a shot.