Learn Total Station Surveying Basics

Total Station is an all in one Surveying instrument. If you are here you already know the importance of Total Station. So without wasting your time let’s get started and learn the basics of total station.

There are 5 functions that form the basics of Total Station, these are TILT, Station Orientation, Observation, Resection and Setting Out. 90 percent of the time you will only  use these five features. If you learn these basic functions you are good to go.

Basics of Total Station

Tilt : Before you do anything with the total station you have to make sure it is levelled Total Station measures distance electronically so an unlevelled instrument can give inaccurate results. Just like you use a bubble level on other surveying instruments in total station we use a digital bubble level. With TILT function we can access a digital bubble level and with the help of levelling screws we can level the instrument

Station Orientation : Total Station must know where it is and its own coordinates before it can tell coordinates of any other point on the site.If you already know the coordinates of the point above which you are setting up your total station you use Station Orientation to enter those coordinates. 

Observation : Now that you know where your instrument is you can find out the coordinates of any point on the site, the function that you use for this is known as Observation.

Resection : If you know coordinates of a few points on the site(TBM Temporary Bench Mark) you can use them to find out the coordinates of your total station, this process of finding out total station coordinates by looking at already known points is known as resection.

SettingOut : If you already have some coordinates from your working drawing but you don’t know where these coordinate are on the actual sites you will use Setting Out.

You can never learn total station by reading instructions on the internet, to learn a total station you have to use it. Luckily we live in 21st century, you can download a Total Station Tutor app, it’s like having a total station on your phone.

I highly recommend you download Total Station Tutor App

Apple AppStore Link: Click here to download

Google Play Store Link: Click here to download

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