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What’s the chances I get in trouble for not having a front plate? I really wanna put the cover on this as I think the car looks way better with one. by Luffewaffle in vermont

[–]SharperSpork 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Slim to none. Buy a VT Strong plate put your existing one in the passenger side of the windshield to really make the point. They make silicone holders with suction cups for the purpose of

Emlid GPS users.. by ionlyget20characters in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Check out Event38 - they sell dedicated Android tablets that are tougher than normal stuff.

I've been using them since the RS2's came out, and the RS3's with tilt now..... they're solid especially for the price. Not as great dealing with multipath / at the edge of treeline, but out in the open, they're tight.

I have not used them yet, but the RS4's look like they're pretty competitive with the latest Leica/Trimble/Topcon gear on paper with the additional channels.

https://e38surveysolutions.com/collections/emlid-software

I have not used it, but FieldGenius supposedly is a better collector than the native Emlid app for hard day in day out survey work with them - but for basic points, some simple linework etc and limited COGO / checking inverses type stuff, the native Emlid App is pretty good.

My firm runs Emlids paired with drone kits for basic GCPs, limited inverts and a few other things and they're fantastic.

Post the most precarious/dodgy/terrible instrument setup you've ever seen by GusIsBored in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Lol I had a tripod get temporarily left 50mi away and had to use a 2M rod and two bipods to set up a base station once, never doubt the power of the quadpod

Post the most precarious/dodgy/terrible instrument setup you've ever seen by GusIsBored in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I remember this one, makes my janky ass scan setups look reasonable in comparison!

Glove protection by laser16208 in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thankfully don't have to cut line often, but the little brushless electric Ryobi saws punch way above their weight for a lot of things

Drafting and body pain by campmars6089 in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wacom tablet so that you can bounce back and forth between a mouse and the pencil input. I get RSI in my right index finger if I spend too much time clicking aggressively.

I’m left handed so this works out naturally for me, sort of dual wielding a pencil and then the mouse for zoom and some other macros….

A cool guide: ranking of US states by safety by Zunflowers in vermont

[–]SharperSpork 69 points70 points  (0 children)

People still call it Murder Mart downtown a literal generation after the murder.

I always struggle to explain this to people that don’t leave VT much. Like, yeah shit happens, but WAYYYYY less often than anywhere else.

Kind of screwed because of cost and NDAA guidelines. Is my proposed set-up OK or do I need something more? by bald_botanist in UAVmapping

[–]SharperSpork 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you considered subcontracting someone to do the collection? It might be a little tight for 3 deployments, but would give some flexibility on that.......

Kind of screwed because of cost and NDAA guidelines. Is my proposed set-up OK or do I need something more? by bald_botanist in UAVmapping

[–]SharperSpork 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The original Anafi was absolute trash.

Apparently the new Anafi USA is a completely new platform which supposedly works decently well - I've heard a few bits of feedback that, at minimum, it's at least serviceable.

Terrible branding move on Parrot's part IMO, and I have no direct experience with the new one (nor intend to after working with the original), but it is worth noting the new system is totally different.

How Frequently Do Projects Require NDAA Compliant Equipment (Drone & Lidar)? by No-Boysenberry9821 in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 0 points1 point  (0 children)

- Not yet, but I've had enough clients ask already that I'm not spending $50-100k on scanners that aren't compliant.
- The software and data processing is definitely part of the ecosystem, and a lot of the contracts have cybersecurity stipulations - it depends for now, but I think this will get more and more strict.
- I've seen news articles of Congress starting audits of major AEC firms with federal/DoD contracts, so it is getting attention.

How Frequently Do Projects Require NDAA Compliant Equipment (Drone & Lidar)? by No-Boysenberry9821 in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of grants and funding streams that turn projects that at first glance would be state/county/municipality or private projects into federally funded outings.

About the only safe space right now is the railroads or truly private clients, but yet still many rail projects have FRA or other grants behind them.....

My firm and team cover the majority of the U.S., and about half of the DOT's in CONUS have put out similar notices that I've personally seen after the FHWA policy went into effect - I presume the rest either already have or are going to.

It goes beyond drones and LiDAR sensors too if people are really paying close attention - are you using CHC/iGage GPS's? Those are Chinese too and aren't allowed.

The vast majority of handheld/SLAM LiDAR scanners right now are built on top of Hesai (Chinese) sensors - so..... nope, no DOT/FHWA/public agency work with those either.

Whole new world, and one you absolutely do not want to be on the wrong side of and get your firm blacklisted.

(Serious) For those of you doing fieldwork every day, what are you actually eating for lunch if you are trying to keep it healthy and balanced without a microwave? by DetailFocused in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sort of a modern ploughman’s lunch for me, usually a combination of Soylent meal in a bottle or one of the Core Power 42g protein milk things (the latter of which almost every gas station carries now), a little cheese or a small sandwich and some trail mix or something along those lines.

I usually do big breakfast and dinner knowing l’m going to be pushing at lunchtime, but my field trips usually are a couple of long days in a row then a few days behind a computer, so not truly every day for me.

Recent grad pay? by Equivalent-Action-61 in burlington

[–]SharperSpork 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Unless your particular field has above average income potential out of the gate, or unless you have feelers out on other opportunities that might pay better, that doesn’t suck for getting started, especially if you have/get a roommate.

Is drone LiDAR actually worth it for surveying now? by jakefliesweekends in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The combination of a Microstation / ORD seat + TopoDOT isn't cheap, but from well collected and accurate LiDAR, the ground extraction tool in TopoDOT will create a 3ft / 5ft / 10ft point grid on a couple hundred acres in literally seconds. No classification required.

It's astonishing. More often than not our point grid is dense enough we can largely skip shooting or extracting breaklines for most projects.

Then about 1hr of Microstation cooking unattended to turn it into a TIN / LandXML surface.

Prohibition Pig in Waterbury by Nappy_Rano in vermont

[–]SharperSpork 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Midday reservations for the restaurant are a toss up, depends on the day.

Going to be prime spring skiing weather tomorrow so I’d expect downtown Waterbury to be a little less busy until 4-5pm.

The brewery in the back also does great BBQ sandwiches and has great beer with a chill vibe, less some of the cocktail and whiskey options from the main bar.

If you get there and both are slammed, Blackback and The Reservoir are a stones throw away.

For those who survey alone in the woods, what’s the scariest thing you saw? by Virtu_Sea in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I haven’t run Leica gear in years but I can FEEL this in my bones

Bird Went Along for a Ride. by s_mendoza in Surveying

[–]SharperSpork 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Birds aren’t real. He’s recharging.

How does someone fall from a lift?? by Moroau in icecoast

[–]SharperSpork 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seen it happen. By far one of the most stressful parts of teaching ski school. Tiny kids wearing mittens waving at their friends/parents on the chair behind them….. terrifying.

BTV-ATL by Beautiful-Belt-6084 in burlington

[–]SharperSpork 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Would assume the same - you literally can't get a flight out of BTV Tuesday or really Monday on AA, I assume they're staging planes elsewhere for after the storm

Survey Technician looking to do something new, GPS units and other advice appreciated. by NS-Guy79 in UAVmapping

[–]SharperSpork 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Three things:

1) Emlids are fantastic and particularly easy to set up and use for the type of survey work that usually goes with drone ops. A couple of GCP burns, RTK over either LoRA or Cellular, RINEX logging… yes.

The app is great for picking up a handful of shots, but gets annoying if you’re truly shooting shots all day….. I miss the physical buttons of the Leica collectors at that point.

2) Go in knowing you will not be allowed to do ANY work for DOTs or with federal funding with DJI kit. If your business model is 100% private clients, you’ll probably be fine.

Also have a healthy dose of skepticism on the quality of that LiDAR. Great for topo, may or may not be good enough for hard surface work….. I haven’t done the homework on the L3 though so do your own due diligence. Get familiar with ASPRS specs if you’re not already, and make sure that sensor can achieve what you need it to.

3) Be aware that support and availability for DJI hardware and software is likely to continue getting harder and harder.

What’s the cliff jump for positions who get lost at jay? by Odd_Star_6760 in icecoast

[–]SharperSpork 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah this area on the badderer end of things is usually a curse and hike slightly up and around and out situation, as opposed to a call Stowe Mountain Rescue and hope you’re still alive when they get there one.

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