How to Use a Total Station

••• Krugloff/iStock/GettyImages

A total station is an instrument used in surveying and archaeology that yields exact measurements of distance and location. While a total station is a complex instrument, the basics of setting it up and using it are straightforward.

    Set up the station. Extend the tripod legs, and position the top of the tripod so that it is exactly over the mark from where you wish to work. Adjust the tripod so that the top is more or less level. Push the legs slightly into the ground to stabilize the station.

    Mount the instrument onto the tripod. Use the plumb-bob to center the instrument over the mark. Make adjustments to the station and tripod position to get it over the mark.

    Adjust the base of the tripod by lengthening or shortening each tripod leg, until the circular level is even.

    Use the bubble level on the plate to level the station by adjusting two leveling screws until the level is between the two lines. Then turn the station a quarter of a turn, and use the third screw to make the final fine adjustment.

    Turn the station several times to make sure it stays level and centered in any direction.

Related Articles

How to Use a Bushnell Voyager Telescope
How to Read an Engineer Compass
Names of Tools Used to Measure Angles
How to Use a Tasco Telescope
How to Use a Meade Telescope
How to Draw Electron Dot Diagrams
How to Increase Resolution on Microscope
Glass Barometer Filling Instructions
How to Use a Bushnell Reflector Telescope
How to Make a Wind Spinner From a Bicycle Wheel
How to Make an Eyedropper Syringe
How to Calculate Abutment & Wingwall Length
How to Calibrate a Digital Caliper
How to Build a Wind Turbine as a School Project
How to Build a Micro-Hydro Turbine Generator
User Instructions for Strait-Line Laser Tape
How to Calculate a Point Load
How to Calculate the Thermocline
How to Convert Horizontal to Vertical Motion
How to Construct a Theodolite

Dont Go!

We Have More Great Sciencing Articles!