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Rating: 
Summary: And What Of Your GPS After An H-Bomb Detonates ?
Review: All of this electronic stuff is fine and good, and on occasion it is microscopically accurate -- but nothing really beats the old fashioned way. A K&E transit, a Zeiss level, a good old chain, level rod, range pole and plumb bob -- with axes and stakes and hubs and tacks and hammers and brush hooks: THAT is land surveying. And, those old ways are all we'll be left with, after the magnetic pulse from a big bomb wipes out all your electronics, your distance meter and little azimuth beeper. Cutting a line through the woods, running cross-sections across fields of flagged laths, manually computing your cuts, fills, backsights, and deflections, THAT is was you can always put in the bank. Yeah, all this fancy equipment is lovely until the day you forget to charge the battery, or some moron leaves the truck window down and your satellite-powered theodolite gets all wet. The old ways, boys, those are the best, true and tested, most reliable ways. Give me a turn, it's time to move the instrument.
Rating:
Summary: And What Of Your GPS After An H-Bomb Detonates ?
Review: All of this electronic stuff is fine and good, and on occasion it is microscopically accurate -- but nothing really beats the old fashioned way. A K&E transit, a Zeiss level, a good old chain, level rod, range pole and plumb bob -- with axes and stakes and hubs and tacks and hammers and brush hooks: THAT is land surveying. And, those old ways are all we'll be left with, after the magnetic pulse from a big bomb wipes out all your electronics, your distance meter and little azimuth beeper. Cutting a line through the woods, running cross-sections across fields of flagged laths, manually computing your cuts, fills, backsights, and deflections, THAT is was you can always put in the bank. Yeah, all this fancy equipment is lovely until the day you forget to charge the battery, or some moron leaves the truck window down and your satellite-powered theodolite gets all wet. The old ways, boys, those are the best, true and tested, most reliable ways. Give me a turn, it's time to move the instrument.
Rating:
Summary: The GPS Primer - updated
Review: I found Mr. Van Sickle's 2nd edition book to be an expansion, correction and update of the 1st edition (previously reviewed). The book now has nine chapters and includes a new one on "real-time". Various corrections and updates have been placed into print which were greatly needed. The book "boils down" GPS into its basic components and explains difficult aspects in a more understandable fashion. The new, larger illustrations are generally more easier to see and of a better quality than before. Mr. Van Sickle has added questions and answers at the end of each chapter making the book more useful in the classroom. Generally, I liked the new book and would recommend it as a basic part of your GPS/Surveying library. I intend to use the book as a textbook for my upcoming semester and I know that the students will like it as much as I have, especially with the new self-checking questions and answers at the end of each chapter.
Rating:
Summary: The GPS Primer - updated
Review: I found Mr. Van Sickle's 2nd edition book to be an expansion, correction and update of the 1st edition (previously reviewed). The book now has nine chapters and includes a new one on "real-time". Various corrections and updates have been placed into print which were greatly needed. The book "boils down" GPS into its basic components and explains difficult aspects in a more understandable fashion. The new, larger illustrations are generally more easier to see and of a better quality than before. Mr. Van Sickle has added questions and answers at the end of each chapter making the book more useful in the classroom. Generally, I liked the new book and would recommend it as a basic part of your GPS/Surveying library. I intend to use the book as a textbook for my upcoming semester and I know that the students will like it as much as I have, especially with the new self-checking questions and answers at the end of each chapter.
Rating:
Summary: The GPS Primer - updated
Review: I found Mr. Van Sickle's 2nd edition book to be an expansion, correction and update of the 1st edition (previously reviewed). The book now has nine chapters and includes a new one on "real-time". Various corrections and updates have been placed into print which were greatly needed. The book "boils down" GPS into its basic components and explains difficult aspects in a more understandable fashion. The new, larger illustrations are generally more easier to see and of a better quality than before. Mr. Van Sickle has added questions and answers at the end of each chapter making the book more useful in the classroom. Generally, I liked the new book and would recommend it as a basic part of your GPS/Surveying library. I intend to use the book as a textbook for my upcoming semester and I know that the students will like it as much as I have, especially with the new self-checking questions and answers at the end of each chapter.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to an interesting topic
Review: I found Mr. Van Sickle's book to be very concisely written yet full of practical "how tos". The flow from concept to concept is well though out. He shows his vast experience and knowledge of the subject on nearly every page. There are however, some large scriveners errors which are too large to be considered typographical errors (sometimes a whole sentence or paragraph is unrecognizable). In some cases these errors detract greatly from the content since it hard to know what he is saying. One aspect of Mr. Van Sickle's style is his ability to explain a concept, albeit difficult for most to understand, using common words and phrases. Generally, I liked the book and would recommend it as a basic part of your GPS library. One should experience various aspects of a subject from all directions to be able to fully understand anything. I will confess to learning a number of things from Mr. Van Sickle's book mostly due to his easy literary style which I had not previously understood. I have used the book as a textbook for two semesters and will continue to do so. I only hope that there is a new corrected edition available soon.
Rating: 
Summary: A concise and practical treatise on GPS without alot of math
Review: I found Mr. Van Sickle's book to be very concisely written yet full of practical "how tos". The flow from concept to concept is well though out. He shows his vast experience and knowledge of the subject on nearly every page. There are however, some large scriveners errors which are too large to be considered typographical errors (sometimes a whole sentence or paragraph is unrecognizable). In some cases these errors detract greatly from the content since it hard to know what he is saying. One aspect of Mr. Van Sickle's style is his ability to explain a concept, albeit difficult for most to understand, using common words and phrases. Generally, I liked the book and would recommend it as a basic part of your GPS library. One should experience various aspects of a subject from all directions to be able to fully understand anything. I will confess to learning a number of things from Mr. Van Sickle's book mostly due to his easy literary style which I had not previously understood. I have used the book as a textbook for two semesters and will continue to do so. I only hope that there is a new corrected edition available soon.
Rating:
Summary: In depth coverage on topics for land surveyors
Review: Jan presents a very concise and complete book on the intricate details involved with all aspects of GPS, from the GPS satellite signal structure itself to the applications of the Land Surveyor in implementing this technology. This book is a great learning tool for Land Surveyors interested in learning more about the who,what,where,and why's on GPS Surveying.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to an interesting topic
Review: Jan, is a very talented individual. From his acting, to his recitals of Shakespeare, this book is a testament to his ability to distill the essence of a deeply scientific subject and reduce it to bite-size chunks of information, suitable for those lesser mortals. Apart from being an all-round good bloke, Jan has done an excellent job and I would highly recommend it to all readers wanting a deeper understanding of this technology, without their eyes glazing over with complex formulae and math. Well done Jan.
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