Benchmarking For Beginners?

[+natepen]

Hello,

Anyone know if there's an Intro To Benchmarking page made up or something to help me out? I've seen a few like "8205 U" or "1929 ADJ NO. 19" and I'm confused what that means. I started last week and found a few but today I found 5 on a bridge and only one have your typical ID number. The others are exactly the same and I'm not sure how to log them.

Thanks for your help.

Nate

[kayakbird]

Hello,

Anyone know if there's an Intro To Benchmarking page made up or something to help me out? I've seen a few like "8205 U" or "1929 ADJ NO. 19" and I'm confused what that means. I started last week and found a few but today I found 5 on a bridge and only one have your typical ID number. The others are exactly the same and I'm not sure how to log them.

Thanks for your help.

Nate

 

Welcome to benchmarking, natepen. You are in a target rich location there!

 

First off, read the "pinned" 'Me First' topic (second down) on this page. That should answer most of your questions, and I bet that LSUFan will be in shortly with a link to a tutorial that he has written.

 

Looks like all of your activity has been with MNDOT marks. I see on the Nearest to your last - PP0621 that one of the 1898 Mississippi River Commission pipe with cap (PP0489) is just 0.90 miles and was recovered in 1988 so there is a good chance it is still there. They (MRC points) are always on my wish list when ever I get along the river.

 

Photos and at least approximate Lat/Longs are always good if you have questionable ones. There are regular contributors on here that can do amazing things (I can't) with overlays of old maps and aerial photos.

 

Happy reading and hunting. kayakbird

 

Photos

[+LSUFan]

I bet that LSUFan will be in shortly with a link to a tutorial that he has written.

 

 

That's Mike putting the pressure on me. LOL

 

Yes, the 'me first' topic is great, as is the pinned topic by George about the triangulation stations.. Jennifer also has a good beginners guide on her site:

 

http://surveymarks.pbworks.com/w/page/14246997/FrontPage

 

I took a lot of different info from all the great people here and kinda combined it into intro topics on our local geocaching forums which are pinned here: I would advise to read the first 5 forums that are pinned....especially the part about scaled vs adjusted coordinates. Copies of George and Jennifers tutorials are included in these five.

 

http://www.nelageo.net/index.php/forum/13-benchmarking-and-related-topics

 

Welcome to the fun, and feel free to ask (and I personally ask a LOT) questions as you need. Everyone here is great and will go out of their way to help you.

Edited August 22, 2011 by LSUFan

[+natepen]

Thanks for all the help! I actually was able to match up two of the benchmarks as ones that are already on GC.com but the other three that are exactly the same I added to the Waymark sight under U.S. Benchmarks.

 

Is there any reason why there would be three of them that are exactly the same in different locations? This seems like it would screw up anyone using them.

 

Thanks

Nate

[kayakbird]

 

---are exactly the same in different locations?

 

 

Nate,

 

Please explain what you mean by exactly. Are the cast/factory letters and the added, field stamped, names the same down to the last -Alpha and year date if they have one?

 

Full disclosure is highly desirably in this forum. Crisp photos of the point in question can be scabbed onto a nearby PID for easy attachment here. Also give the Lat/Long in you first message. Bench marks are meant to be easy to find so that the professionals can save a customer a few bucks.

 

kayakbird