Which is a good outdoors laser for surveying???

[kellez]

Hello everyone,

I am about to start my very first own project as the structural engineer and site supervisor. There is a bit of earthwork required for the siting of a retaining wall that runs across the boundaries of the whole plot. The wall is about 3 meters high starting from its foundation and about 1.50m below ground.

I would like to make sure that the depth of the excavation is accurate, and i would also like to make sure the building is sited on the correct level relative to the main road.
There will also be some excavation and backfilling in order to form the base for the building in which it will sit on.

As you can see there will be a lot of recording of levels required therefore i am interested in buying a good laser that will allow me to take measurements by my self. I also need it to have a good range and strong laser light that will be visible outdoors. From your experience which do you think is a good laser for this application.

 

[IRstuff]

You seem to asking for more than what a simple laser can do. In order to "make sure the building is sited on the correct level relative to the main road," you'd need some sort of theodolite or transit. If your laser is part of a total station, then your "strong laser light" and "visible outdoors" requirements are moot, as your total station will have the laser boresighted to its reticle, and you only need to be able to see your reticle on the target through the theodolite.

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[kellez]

Hi,

I am not quite sure I understand why a simple laser is not enough to determine the height levels across a site.
Ok I think I may know why you said that, i must have missed a few details of the steps involved before I arrive at the point where I start taking measurements with the laser.

Assuming I already have 6 points marked on the site (boundary of plot) by a surveyor using a GPS satellite I can then use those 6 points to create a grid on the site indicating the points where I shall measure the level of the earth using my laser.

I can even mark the layout of the different parts of the building by just using those 6 points.

In simple words, assuming i know the boundaries of the base of the building, I can simple use the laser to take height measurements over the base right?

 

[dik]

I used to have a Hilti laser level that was just perfect for the job... easy to set up, good range, and I used to run the 'rod' myself, knowing where I wanted to take shots. I don't recall the model, but, the workmanship, reliability and toughness was there in a relatively compact device. As another poster observed, the level is used for establishing elevations only.

Dik

 

[IRstuff]

I suppose that depends on the laser. You need something that does autoleveling and has accurate angle measurements. For example, 1 inch over 100 ft is 172 arcseconds, which would be the required accuracy of your autolevel and angle measurements.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
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