Synonym???

[WWS TEXAS]

Rollup garage doors use cable about that size.

[dpb]

FSA (Farm Service Agency) also have field units that are quite precise; I don't know what they actually cost nor absolute precision but are in the neighborhood of the commercial ag precision guidance systems of a few inches absolute.

They're who does the compliance checking when do...so far I've been close enough excepting for one time when I somehow (that I still can not figure out what I did mentally) accurately measured the wrong distance...

...

My understanding is those are all WAAS-based which is only 3m (10 ft) reliable precision??? That's somewhat consistent with the other link someone posted that had a measurement of a location off by 66 ft which may be good enough to keep from getting lost but won't help for field layout purposes.

I had not seen that particular one before, no, thanks for the link. Unfortunately, there seems no link to any backup data on just what it is capable of online. I sent in info request; we'll see what they actually say they can and do do...

[dpb]

On 4/1/2018 9:42 AM, WWS TEXAS wrote: ...

That's just steel cable tension, though, not roll-wound torsion-transmitting cable such as speedo cable that is needed for this app.

[Dean Hoffman]

How accurate are laser range finders nowadays? We had one at work years ago that mounted on a tripod and used reflectors. It would measure up to about a half mile. It was supposedly accurate to within hundredths of a foot or something silly. I can't remember the brand. It wasn't a total station. It just measured distance.

[Terry Coombs]

How about this one ? Bit spendy ...

[Terry Coombs]

And here's another that might have what you need .

[rbowman]

My receiver is WAAS capable but I haven't seen a noticeable improvement. The WAAS system uses geosynchronous satellites and I'm at 47 degrees north which doesn't help. Also I'm usually in mountainous terrain and/or under tree canopies. On the whole I would say 10m is good accuracy, sometimes more, sometimes less depending on how much of the satellite constellation it can see.

I geocache which consists of someone hiding a small container and posting the coordinates on geocaching.com. Consumer grade GPSr's aer good enough to find an ammo can 5 miles from nowhere after a bit of searching.

The first GPS I bought was prior to Clinton removing selective availability. Those strictly were for not getting lost. As an experiment I would find a corner marker and try to locate the other markers on the section. If there were bearing trees you had some chance but if the marker was a ground level stake, good luck.

[Dean Hoffman]

Some of these range finders in the bottom row are supposedly accurate to plus or minus 1.5'. Potential tax deduction if you hunt deer.

[dpb]

On 4/1/2018 2:12 PM, rbowman wrote: ...

We're at 32N and it's flat and nary a tree in sight so that's not an issue. But, 10m on a half-mile run would be almost a 2A error which is what ever kept me from thinking would be suitable for the purpose.

[dpb]

On 4/1/2018 1:42 PM, Terry Coombs wrote: ...

Ah'll be dag-nabbed!!! 'Tis the product, indeed! Being landlocked out here, I'd never a thunk of boat-prop cable, but they're the ticket, indeed. I did later find a manufacturer w/ 100-ft rolls of either LH/RH roll; thought come Monday I might see if I could beg an offcut of a foot and a couple crimp fittings...

If nothing else comes through, I'd certainly buy one of these and just put the rest in the shop chest that has all other kinds of odds 'n ends for various things...some that haven't had on the place in 70 or more years, now...but, ya' never know when some strange thing may come up and they're just the ticket! :)

[Terry Coombs]

  Tell me about it . I was just out perusing my collection of - er, ahem - usable materials since next Saturday is the annual free day at to local waste facility . Now I *KNOW* most of that stuff is just plain trash to most people , but who knows when I'll be needing a small piece of light gauge stainless (cheap burned out tabletop gas grill)or a foot or 2 of rebar (yesterday , to make an extended 1/4" bit to drill a locator hole in the roof for a vent stack). I have a stack of dimensioned cherry lumber sitting out in the weather , came from the closets of a house we gutted . Not nice enough for finish work , but it makes great shelving - yesterday also , in the window for some seedling trays . I know I need to clean up , but where do I start ? Every piece I pick up I can think of a use - maybe I just need to hide it from the wife better ...

[rbowman]

Need a better wife... I had a friend and every time we went to the dump she'd find more treasures to take home than we were getting rid of. Driving a pickup and having a girlfriend that is attracted to shiny objects like a magpie isn't a good combination.

[rbowman]

No, and not like it's a fixed error. My Garmin has an arrow like a compass but if you stand in one place it's saying "20 feet over there. No, make that 10 feet in the other direction. Hold, on, let me calculate." If you look at the distance from the target coordinates it is always changing. That gets annoying when you're on a steep side hill and it can't make up its mind.

Car GPS systems are the same. One of the roads to town is at the base of a steep ridge. Depending on the satellite constellation it can show me having a little off road adventure or the speed might go crazy.

[rbowman]

Right. I think my old Redfield Raider 550 will get 'er done just fine.

[Terry Coombs]

  Oh *HELL* no ! I've got nearly 45 years (met her 4/11/73) invested in this one , I ain't starting over - she understands my need to ride and that alone makes her a keeper . I really do need to clean up though , there's still a good bit of construction trash around , and some of my junk really is just junk .

[dpb]

My experience other than the other ag systems is only the (now pretty old) Garmin car GPS system the wife bought when she was in Cincy area w/ son when they'd first moved and she was having trouble learning way around...it is ok on highway around most places if well traveled but isn't precise enough readout to be useful even if it did have the accuracy internally (which I'd always doubted and what you're confirming) but when get off the main drags it has no klew where you're going on the county roads to take a direct route somewhere; it'll send you to heavens knows where instead that might be 50 mi out of the way just to have a paved road it "knows"...pretty-much useless in rural areas.

[dpb]

...

Wouldn't be too bad if had something for target; out in just bare field with nothing to aim at would have to either set up a target and walk away from it or have helper...not terribly practical for the particular application I think altho the technology is adequate, agreed.

[rbowman]

Better that it stickes to paved roads it knows...

There have been several non-fatal incidents around here. Many of the roads are not maintained in the winter but are snow free at lower elevations. As you gain elevation to go over the pass you start hitting snow. The first patches might be just short and not deep so people motor on. It gets worse but the keep going, figuring it will get better soon. It seldom does.

This time of year it's sort of a sport to see if you can be first over a pass but that's done by guys with 4WD trucks and plenty of beer. I had a friend who had to call for an extraction when he realized he couldn't go forward and trying to back up was putting him closer and closer to a drop off.

[rbowman]

I've got a tree line out about 300 yards and it's still fairly accurate for that. Much further and it can't get a lock. I don't remember how much I paid for it but I wasn't expecting miracles. It's handy for learning to estimate distances better than a wild guess.

[dpb]

On 4/1/2018 1:42 PM, Terry Coombs wrote: ...

Just for the record, here's the outfit that makes the cables and other instruments....being in MI presume they must be one of the OEMs for the Big 3...

I sent them a begging e-mail this AM to see if they'd help a fella' out with just a sample chunk and a compression fitting or two...