2. Total stations are used by land surveyors and
professional engineers to collect field data to
complete their projects.
There are many different brands of these
instruments, but all of them are mounted on three-
legged tripods and must remain completely level at
all times for the data to be accurate.
3. Extend all three tripod legs to a
comfortable height
Tighten the knobs (IMAGE 1)
Open up the legs to form a
triangle on the ground.
(IMAGE 2)
IMAGE 1 IMAGE 2
4. Using both hands at all times, place
the instrument on the top of the
tripod. (IMAGE 3)
Gently secure the instrument with
the tripod screw underneath.
(IMAGE 4)
IMAGE 3 IMAGE 4
5. Press all three tripod legs
firmly into the ground.
(IMAGE 5)
IMAGE 5
6. Raise and/or lower each of the tripod legs until the
bubble is roughly centered in the circular level.
7. For fine-tuning, rotate the instrument
until it is lined up horizontally with
leveling screws A and B (IMAGE 6),
and turn those same screws evenly in
opposite directions until the bubble in
the plate level is completely centered
(IMAGE 7).
IMAGE 6 IMAGE 7
8. Rotate the instrument 90°
(perpendicular) and repeat
Step 5, but using only the
third leveling screw
instead. (IMAGE 8)
IMAGE 8
9. Rotate the instrument 90° (perpendicular) back to the
first two leveling screws to double check that the bubble
is still centered in the plate level. (IMAGE 9)
IMAGE 9
