Field Guide

Plumbing a Survey Rod: Check the Bubble or Lose the Point
A pole plumbed to a bad bubble hands you a clean-looking point that is off by the lean. Here is the start-of-day check and how to adjust your own rod. Read more...
Setting Up Fast and Dead-Level Over a Point
Fast setups are not rushed, they are ordered. The same sequence every time gets you centered and dead-level without chasing the bubble. Read more...
Prism Constants and Offsets, Explained
Almost every hard survey point is an offset. Here is how to keep the prism constant and every offset a known number instead of a hidden bias. Read more...
The Two-Peg Test: Checking Your Level's Collimation
A quick field check that makes your level prove its line of sight is truly horizontal, before a collimation error biases a whole day of grades. Read more...
Checking and Adjusting a Tribrach
A bad tribrach throws off every setup. Here is the three-position method to check and adjust the plummet, and why a true level has to come first. Read more...
Setting Control Points That Actually Hold
Control is the foundation every measurement hangs on. Here is how to set points that are accurate the day you set them and still there when you come back. Read more...
How to Run a Closed-Loop Traverse the Right Way
A closed traverse proves its own work. Here is how to run one right, from planning stations to closure checks and a least squares adjustment. Read more...