Out With the Old

“We ran them for about seven or eight years but got to a point where a change was needed,” he said. “They were failing and difficult to get serviced and it was apparent that future support for the software was in question as well. Technology is always a tough call in business — when do you cut your losses, sever ties with the old and ‘ring in the new?’ We felt we were at that point and needed to make some calls.”

Roger That

Actually, the only call Burgis made was to Roger Wheeler, sales associate for the Lengemann Corporation, Florida distributor of Topcon products. ECA already had a solid working relationship established with Lengemann and Wheeler — the result of purchases of total stations — including a Topcon PS-103 — and other survey equipment. Wheeler was quick to recommend Topcon FC-5000 field computers as a replacement for ECA’s aging data collectors. With Burgis’s approval, Wheeler brought one of the units out to Ray Howard in the field and, according to Howard, there was no turning back from that point.

“Roger came out to a jobsite we were working and brought along the FC-5000 running Topcon MAGNET Field software,” he said. “He showed me some of the basics of the unit and asked me to try it. The ease of use, the solid connectivity and the impressive degree of accuracy sold me on the spot. It probably only took half a day for us to learn this system and be productive. Mind you, I had never seen it prior to Roger’s visit, yet I used it that first day and told Daryl that we had to buy these.”

The object of Howard’s attention, the FC-5000, is a rugged tablet-like handheld computer designed to bring to the field many capabilities that were once relegated solely to the office. Offering a 7-inch display for ease of viewing — even in direct sunlight — ECA’s team can easily access or enter data using a finger, glove, or small tip stylus. Even Florida’s heat should be no match for the FC-5000 which is rated for optimum performance in temperatures as high as 122°F (50°C). With the press of a key, ECA crews can change the screen orientation from portrait to landscape for added visibility when viewing maps or drawings. The unit also uses an Intel “Atom“ Z3745 processor, ideal for driving ECA’s Topcon MAGNET Field software and for handling any large design files the firm generates.

It is that MAGNET Field software, in fact, that ECA’s Burgis cites as key to how quickly and completely his crews have embraced the newer technology.

“The MAGNET software that Roger recommended for use with the FC-5000 is almost entirely menu driven and so much more logical in all aspects,” he said. “‘User friendly’ is an overrated term, but in this case it definitely applies. Not only do our seasoned people praise it overwhelmingly, the people who are fairly new to this business seem to pick it up much quicker than with the old system. It’s really raised our game in that area. Once we used it and evaluated the difference in hourly, daily, even weekly productivity, we’re seeing that it more than pays for itself.”

Community Service

On a recent project to locate and mark assets in preparation for construction of a new Community Resource Center at Pensacola’s Bayview Park, Howard shot in excess of 3,000 points and got to prove out the advantages he was told the new technology could provide.

“The first thing I noticed was how easy it was to get up and running — and stay that way,” he said. “I simply readied the total station, turned the FC-5000 on and the controller started connecting by itself. There was none of the time I previously wasted trying to get it to lock onto me and connect; that alone was impressive. But you couple that with how easy the MAGNET software is to navigate and work for you and it’s like night and day. Hands down, this is the best controller I’ve ever used.”

One of the biggest selling points for the new technology, according to Howard is how much one man — with the robotic unit — is able to do now.

“Because of how easy and productive this system is, it just makes sense to send one man out whenever possible,” he said. “Granted, there are instances when you need more than one man — cutting line, for example — but, for the most part, this is as good as it gets for one person and the savings in manpower will be substantial.”

Exploring New Territory

Some of the features the new data collector offers have allowed Howard and his counterparts at ECA to perform functions that were not possible with the older system. The unit’s “Maps” feature, for example, got Howard’s attention early on the Community Center project.

“There were times when I needed to shoot a specific object such as a tree,” he said. “I simply went to the area on screen marked ‘EDM,’ selected ‘Non-Present,’ which essentially tells the unit to pause, and pointed the PS-103 to the middle of that tree. Once the shot was taken, the unit was immediately asking me where to store it and telling me on the map just where that tree is at — that’s a great feature to have. Shooting offsets is also so much easier and faster than before. Even though it’s simple triangulation, it gets to it so fast that there is a small time savings and those small increments all add up. At the end of the year, I think we’ll find that we’ve saved a lot of time.”

Tasks like the ability to easily edit points have also struck a chord with Howard as he’s grown comfortable with the new system. He counters that with the actions of a former crew member who had a peculiar way of saving points.

“He would put everything into blocks,” said Howard. “If he shot a stand of trees, he might call it ‘300-400,’ if he shot utilities, he might call those ‘400-500.’ However, if I shot four or five trees and then immediately shot several ground utilities without changing my numbers to match his system, things were off. I would then have to highlight each point in question, click ‘Add’ to create a duplicate point with the new number, then go back and delete the old, wrongly numbered points — it really drove me nuts. Now, I can simply select ‘Edit Points,’ on the menu which brings up a list of all my points, I highlight one, select ‘Edit,’ and the point number can be changed. Again, a small thing, but an important one.”

Keeps on Giving

At the Community Center project, Howard took shots that included trees, several utilities, manholes, corners and more in a range of varied settings. Despite the size of the area, the presence of trees and parked cars and the rolling terrain, he said connectivity between the total station and the data controller was never an issue.

“The system package that Roger sold us also included the RC-5 which has components in it to extend the range for prism tracking to about 600 meters,” he said. “Throughout the project, I was continually amazed with how solid the connection was and — if we did lose signal for a second because we went behind a tree or something — how quickly it reconnected to us. That made all the difference in the world. All told, I’d say the switch to the new system probably saved us about one week of surveying time out there. Roger really seemed to know how well it would all fit with our operation.”

That sentiment was shared by Burgis who, while a seasoned surveyor, says he is still impressed with the level of service Wheeler and Lengemann have provided.

“I am 33 years into my surveying career and, in that time, I’ve never met a product vendor more energetic, motivated, knowledgeable and accommodating, than Roger,” he said. “Actually, Lengemann's overall customer service and support has always been excellent, but somehow Roger manages to stand out even more. He knows his products and the technology, he communicates well, and he seems to enjoy the personal connection with his customers — that’s a great combination to have. His knowledge of our operation and what he felt we needed really benefited us and will continue to do so for years to come.”