How to Look After a Total Station
Total stations are the foundation of modern surveying. And as they continue to develop and...
Posts by: Chris Doohan
Chris Doohan got his start in the surveying industry in 2005 with an apprenticeship at Wigan & Leigh College, which saw him working for a mid-sized construction firm. But this wasn’t his first exposure to the fundamentals of surveying – he’d already spent summers helping his site engineer father with simple setting out tasks, getting to grips with theodolites and dumpy levels.
As part of his apprenticeship, Chris extended his knowledge by working with total stations like Topcon GTS-235W and early design software like AutoCAD 2000. He also had the chance to learn the essential skill of drawing up surveys by hand with rOtring isograph pens.
Chris joined SEP in 2006 as an AutoCAD technician and was soon performing his own basic site engineering jobs using a Nikon AC dumpy level and a Nikon DTM 332/352. For the next 8 years, he worked on everything from small houses to £60+ million jobs, using AutoCAD and 3D modelling software as well as various total stations and GPS kits.
In 2015, he became a Senior Site Engineer at SEP and began focusing more on Quality Assurance (QA), while still having a heavy hand in setting out and surveying. From 2019, he became a Project Engineer, with responsibility for on-site calibrations and QA on survey kit, establishing a tight control network to ensure everything was done with maximum precision.
He also began to develop specialist knowledge of Trimble Access and 3D modelling software, and this led to his shift to a technical support role in 2021. This move allowed Chris to explore his long-standing interest in the details of how software works and what the equipment is doing “behind the scenes”.
This new role also allowed Chris to engage directly with SEP’s vast array of clients, understanding their issues and providing the best solution possible. For Chris, this one-to-one engagement with engineers trying to navigate complex challenges is one of the most rewarding aspects of his work – as well as getting the feedback that the support he gives is first class, of course.
When he’s not working hard to help clients within challenging surveying and engineering projects, Chris has a range of hobbies. A lifelong tinker and technology enthusiast, he builds and customises PCs as part of his avid gaming habit, as well as rebuilding and riding motorbikes. Alongside his partner, he also cares for injured or sick wildlife before releasing them back into the wild.
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