I need to survey some things: mediaeval boundaries and longhouses, prehistoric enclosures and nineteenth century mining pits. Having done preliminary plotting using a handheld leisure GPS receiver, for this work I would like to use a combination of GPS and Total Station instruments.
Hire costs don’t seem to unreasonable: from £65 for a basic Total Station, £200 for a robotic model and £400 for a GPS rover-and-base kit.
However, hire companies require you to set up a trade account with them; I’m not a commercial entity so that’s hurdle number one.
Hurdle number two is insurance. I could set myself up as an archaeological society or club and take out a suitable policy for a few hundred pounds. But there’s an excess of £1,000.
If I were to win the lottery I wouldn’t be off to the Porsche dealer, I’d be filling my old car with Leica’s shiniest, fanciest kit.