BASIC SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS

MAGNETIC COMPASS

A magnetic compass consists

principally of a circular compass card,
usually graduated in degrees, and a
magnetic needle, mounted and free to
rotate on a pivot located at the center
of the card. The magnetic compass
is the most commonly used and
simplest instrument for measuring
directions and angles in the field.

THEODOLITE

A THEODOLITE IS ESSENTIALLY A TRANSIT OF

HIGH PRECISION. IT COME IN DIFFERENT
SIZES AND WEIGHTS AND FROM DIFFERENT
MANUFACTURERS. THE THEODOLITE IS A
COMPACT, LIGHTWEIGHT, DUSTPROOF,
OPTICAL READING INSTRUMENT. THE SCALES
READ DIRECTLY TO THE NEAREST MINUTE
OR SECOND WHICH DEPEND ON ITS
PRECISION. THEY ARE ILLUMINATED BY
EITHER NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL LIGHT.

DUMPY LEVEL
DUMPY LEVEL IS THE MOST COMMONLY
USED INSTRUMENT IN LEVELING. IN THIS
LEVEL THE TELESCOPE IS RESTRICTED
AGAINST MOVEMENT IN ITS HORIZONTAL
PLANE AND TELESCOPE IS FIXED TO ITS
SUPPORT. A BUBBLE TUBE IS PROVIDED
ON THE TOP OF THE TELESCOPE. THE
TELESCOPEIS INTERNAL FOCUSING
TELESCOPE. IT IS A METAL TUBE
CONTAINS FOUR MAIN PARTS SUCH AS
OBJECTIVE LENS, NEGATIVE LENS,
DIAPHRAGM AND EYEPIECE.
 Q

WYE LEVEL
Y LEVEL OR WYE-LEVEL CONSISTS
Y-SHAPED FRAMES WHICH
SUPPORTS THE TELESCOPE.
TELESCOPE CAN BE REMOVED
FROM THE Y-SHAPED SUPPORTS
BY RELEASING CLAMP SCREWS
PROVIDED. COMPARED TO DUMPY
LEVEL, ADJUSTMENTS CAN BE
RAPIDLY TESTED IN Y-LEVEL. BUT,
THERE MAY BE A CHANCE OF
FRICTIONAL WEAR OF OPEN PARTS
OF LEVEL.

TILTING LEVEL CONSIST A

TELESCOPE WHICH ENABLED FOR
THE HORIZONTAL ROTATION AS
TILTING LEVEL
WELL AS ROTATION ABOUT 4
DEGREE IN ITS VERTICAL PLANE.
CENTERING OF BUBBLE CAN BE
EASILY DONE IN THIS TYPE OF
LEVEL. BUT, FOR EVERY SETUP
BUBBLE IS TO BE CENTERED WITH
THE HELP OFTILTING SCREW. THE
MAIN ADVANTAGE OF TILTING LEVEL
IS IT IS USEFUL WHEN THE FEW
OBSERVATIONS ARE TO BE TAKEN
WITH ONE SETUP OF LEVEL.
COOKE'S REVERSIBLE LEVEL

COOKE’S REVERSIBLE LEVEL IS

THE COMBINATION OF DUMPY
LEVEL AND Y-LEVEL. IN THIS
INSTRUMENT, THE TELESCOPE CAN
BE REVERSED WITHOUT ROTATION
THE INSTRUMENT. COLLIMATION
ERROR CAN BE ELIMINATED IN THIS
CASE BECAUSE OF BUBBLE LEFT
AND BUBBLE RIGHT READING OF
TELESCOPE.

AUTOMATIC LEVEL

THE SELF-LEVELING LEVEL, ALSO

CALLED AUTOMATIC LEVEL, IS A
PRECISE, TIME-SAVING DEVELOPMENT IN
LEVELING INSTRUMENTS. IT DOESN’T
HAVE TUBULAR SPIRIT LEVEL. IS LIKE
THE DUMPY LEVEL. IN THIS CASE THE
TELESCOPE IS FIXED TO ITS SUPPORTS.
CIRCULAR SPIRIT CAN BE ATTACHED TO
THE SIDE OF THE TELESCOPE FOR
APPROXIMATE LEVELING. FOR MORE
ACCURATE LEVELING, COMPENSATOR IS
ATTACHED INSIDE THE TELESCOPE.
ABNEY HAND LEVEL

THE HANDLEVEL, LIKE ALL SURVEYING

LEVELS, IS AN INSTRUMENT THAT
COMBINES A LEVEL VIAL AND A
SIGHTING DEVICE. IT IS GENERALLY
USED FOR ROUGH LEVELING WORK. A
HAND LEVEL IS USEFUL FOR
EXTENDING APPROXIMATE ELEVATIONS
OFF THE CONTROL SURVEY LINE
BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE
INSTRUMENTS.

TOTAL STATION

TOTAL STATION IS
DESIGNED TO SUPPORT
INTEGRATED SURVEYING
BY COMBINING GPS AND
OPTICAL SURVEY DATA
FROM THE FIELD INTO AN
ELECTRONIC FILE THAT CAN
USED WITH SOFTWARE FOR
PROCESSING. INTEGRATED
SURVEYING ENABLES YOU
TO MAXIMIZE THE BEST OF
BOTH SURVEYING
TECHNIQUES FOR OPTIMAL
EFFICIENCY IN THE FIELD.

WOVEN METALIC TAPE

Metallic tapes are generally used

for rough measurements, such as
cross-sectional work, road work slope
staking, side shots in topographic
surveys, and many others in the same
category.
NON METALIC TAPE
( 300 FT FIBER GLASS
TAPE)

NONMETALLIC TAPES ARE OF

SPECIAL VALUE TO POWER
AND UTILITY FIELD
PERSONNEL, ESPECIALLY
WHEN THEY ARE WORKING
IN THE VICINITY OF HIGH
VOLTAGE CIRCUITS.

STEEL TAPE

A STEEL TAPE IS SOMETIMES

EQUIPPED WITH A REEL ON WHICH
THE TAPE CAN BE WOUND,
ALTHOUGH A TAPE CAN BE, AND
OFTEN IS, DETACHED FROM THE REEL
FOR CONVENIENCE.

INVAR TAPE

NICKEL-STEEL ALLOY TAPES,

KNOWN AS INVAR, NILVAR, OR
LOVAR, THESE TAPES ARE USED
PRIMARILY IN HIGH-PRECISION
WORK. THEY MUST BE HANDLED IN
EXACTLY THE SAME MANNER AS
OTHER PRECISE SURVEYING
INSTRUMENTS.
TRIPOD

THE TRIPOD IS THE BASE OR FOUNDATION

THAT SUPPORTS THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT
AND KEEPS ITSTABLE DURING
OBSERVATIONS. ON ROUGH GROUND, THE
LEGS ARE ADJUSTED TO DIFFERENT
LENGTHS TO ESTABLISH A HORIZONTAL
TRIPOD HEAD OR TO SET THE
INSTRUMENT AT THE MOST
COMFORTABLE WORKING HEIGHT FOR THE
OBSERVER.

RANGE POLE & RANGING RD

A range pole, also called a lining

rod,is a wood or metal pole, usually
about eight feet long and about 1/2 to
one inch in diameter; it is has a steel
point or shoe and painted bands of
alternating red and white to
increase its visibility.

Spring balance and tension scale

THE TENSION SCALE IS

GRADUATED IN POUNDS OR KG. IT
IS CLIPPED TO THE EYE AT THE
END OF THE TAPE, AND THE
TENSION IS APPLIED UNTIL THE
DESIRED READING APPEARS ON
THE SCALE. A SPRING
BALANCE MEASURES THE WEIGHT
OF AN OBJECT BY OPPOSING THE
FORCE OF GRAVITY ACTING WITH
THE FORCE OF AN EXTENDED
SPRING.
Plumb bob, chord and target

the general purpose of determining the plumb line

from a point on the ground. Common weights for
plumb bobs are 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 24 oz;
the 12. and the 16. oz are the most popular. A
plumb bob is a precision instrument and you
must care for it as such. If the tip becomes
bent, the cord from which the bob is
suspended will not occupy the true plumb line
over the point indicated by the tip.

Different type of
stadia rods

A leveling rodalso known as stadia rod, is

a tape supported vertically and is used to
measure the vertical distance between a
line of sight and a required point above
or below it. This point may be a
permanent elevation (bench mark), or it
may be some natural or constructed
surface.

Chaining pin

A chaining pin (also called a taping

arrow) is a metal pin about one foot
long. It can be used for the
temporary marking of points in a
great variety of situations, but they
are used most frequently to keep count
of tape increments in the chaining of
long distances. 2.3.8.6 Stadia Rod
 Stadia Boards

To determine linear distance by

stadia, observe a stadia rod or stadia
board through a telescope containing
stadia hairs, and note the size of the
interval intercepted by the hairs.

Turning-Point, Pins and Plates

an intermediate point between

benchmarks which provides a
temporary point of known elevation
for a level circuit between two
benchmarks a long distance apart.

MAGNIFYING GLASS

A magnifying glass is used mainly

to aid the instrumentman in
reading graduations that are
provided with verniers, such as the
horizontal and vertical circle of a
transit.

ADJUSTING PINS

Like the magnifying glass, adjusting

pins should be carried in the pocket
and not left in the instrument box
while a survey is in progress. This will
save a lot of valuable time when you
need the pins. Do not use wires,
nails, screwdrivers, and the like, as
substitutesfor adjusting pins.
MACHETE

BRUSH HOOK

SINGLE BIT BELT AX

SINGLE BIT AX
The Brunton pocket
compass is a combination
compass and clinometer. It
can be mounted on a light
tripod or staff, or it may be
cradled in the palm of the
hand.