When Measuring with a Total Station...
Angle Measurement Error
This will occur when shooting a measurement if the program does not receive an angle measurement from the instrument. The most common causes of this are:
- If you had been successfully taking measurments and all of a sudden you start getting this message, the instrument has most likely gone out of level. Level and compensate the instrument then try again. Note, it is strongly recommended that you run the Check Backsight routine after re-leveling your instrument.
- If you have not been able to take any measurements, check that the instrument's angle units are set to Degrees-Minutes-Seconds, that the instrument's vertical angle reference is set to Zenith (so that 0-degrees is straight up‚ and 90-degrees is straight ahead), and that the instrument's measurement screen is set to display a Horizontal Angle, Vertical Angle, and Slope Distance.
Distance Measurement Error
This will occur when shooting a measurement if the program does not receive a distance measurement from the instrument. The most common causes of this are:
- Shooting to a reflectorless surface with a non-reflectorless EDM mode set within the software. To select a reflectorless EDM mode, press the button with the green total station icon to access the instrument setting toolbar, then press the EDM Mode button. Select the appropriate EDM mode for taking reflectorless shots with your instrument.
- Shooting to a prism but not hitting it, either by missing the prism completely or if something has come between the instrument and prism such as leaves or even heat shimmer. Resight the prism and try taking the shot again.
- Shooting further than the instrument's EDM range allows. Try taking a closer shot, and traversing closer to the needed point.
- If you have not been able to take any measurements, check that the instrument's measurement screen is set to display a Horizontal Angle, Vertical Angle, and Slope Distance.
Out of Range
This will occur when shooting a measurement if your measurement distance is either greater than the maxium or less than the minimum distance values set in the EDM Settings screen within the program. To check or change these, go to the Main Menu | Settings | Instrument Selection | Edit Total Station Profile | EDM Settings. Set the maximum and/or minimum values as required, then try the measurement again.
When Measuring with GPS...
Poor Solution
This will occur when taking a measurement with GPS if your current solution type is less than what is specified in the Active Tolerance Mode. For example, if your tolerance mode specifies that an RTK Fixed position is required, but the receiver has lost its fix so it only has an RTK Float or Autonomous position, you will see this message. You can either wait for the receiver to reaquire the solution type specified in the tolerance mode. Or if you want to take the shot anyways, you can configure one of the 3 tolerance modes to allow for the looser solution type, and switch to that tolerance mode by pressing the Control button on the map screen.
High RMS
This will occur when taking a measurement with GPS if your current Horizontal or Vertical RMS values are higher than what is specified in the Active Tolerance Mode. FieldGenius tracks two different RMS values while taking a measurement: 1) the instantaneous RMS value being returned by the receiver - which can be too high due to multipath issues, and 2) an ongoing RMS value calculated throughout the entire duration of the measurement - which can be too high due to the antenna moving while the measurement is being taken. If your measurement consists of multiple observations or over multiple seconds, make sure the receiver and antenna are being held still throughout the entire measurement. If it is due to multipath, you can usually wait and watch the RMS values decrease to and level off at a more acceptable value. Or if you want to take the shot anyways then you can configure one of the 3 tolerance modes to allow for the looser RMS value, and switch to that tolerance mode by pressing the Control button on the map screen.
Insufficient SVs
This will occur when taking a measurement with GPS if the number of usable satellites in the sky is lower than what is specified in the Active Tolerance Mode. A satellite may not be usable if it is below the Elevation Mark in your Active Tolerance Mode, or if it is having technical problems and has been excluded from the satellite constellation. The use of Mission Planning software can help you determine when the satellite constellation is most conducive to GPS surveying needs in your local area. If there really are not enough satellites in the sky, you can either wait for them to move into better positions, or you can configure one of the 3 tolerance modes to allow for the fewer satellites and switch to that tolerance mode by pressing the Control button on the map screen. At a bare minimum, 4 satellites are required to calculate a position - but at least 5 or 6 is recommended to help resolve ambiguities in the calculated position.
High PDOP
This will occur when taking a measurement with GPS if the current PDOP value from the receiver is higher than what is specified in the Active Tolerance Mode. This is a measurement of the current quality of the satellite constellation, ie if the satellites are spread out nicely throughout the sky or if they are clustered together in one area of the sky - the lower the better, you typically will want it to be less than 6. The use of Mission Planning software can help you determine when the satellite constellation is most conducive to GPS surveying needs in your local area. If the current DOP really is too high, you can either wait while the satellites move into better positions, or you can configure one of the 3 tolerance modes to allow for the higher DOP, and switch to that tolerance mode by pressing the Control button on the map screen.
When Using the Program...
Codebase Error
A codebase error is usually followed by a series of additional codes and numbers. This type of message typically indicates a problem either writing or reading one of the project data files. The most common cause of this is that the storage card on the data collector is full. If your data collector runs Windows CE, please use the My Computer program to check the properties of your storage card folder to see the available space, and if required delete any old or unnecessary files to make additional space. If your data collector runs Pocket PC or Windows Mobile, please tap on Start | Settings | System | Memory to check the properties of your storage card to see the available space, and if required use the File Explorer program to delete any old or unnecessary files to make additional space. If it appears that you have plenty of available storage space, please contact MicroSurvey Technical Support with the exact error message you are seeing.
Brian Sloman
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