PART J - SURVEY COMMUNICATION
2-28. General. Survey party members may find themselves in a situation where they become
separated. The ability to communicate with each other could mean the difference between successfully
completing a section of work or not. Even at short distances (as in site surveys or leveling operations),
background noises can obscure direct voice contact. At longer distances, such as in EDM or direction-
measurement operations, direct voice contact is impossible. Alternative types of communication are
required.
2-29. Voice. On long lines, where hand signals are impossible, a radio must be used. Each theater of
operations or Army command has published communications-electronics operation instructions (CEOI)
that units must follow. Only frequencies obtained through the local signal officer may be used. All
personnel must be familiar with the CEOI and the unit's communications SOP before using a radio. All
radio communications must be kept as short and secure as possible.
a. Over shorter distances, during all types of site surveys, the AISI provides one-way voice
communication. Two-way communication is the preferred method for short distances. Most units have
some type of hand-held radios, although they are not TOE equipment. These radios should be able to
communicate up to 5 kilometers and should not be limited to line of sight only. Portability, ease of
operation, and frequency programmability should be considered when procuring this type of
communication equipment. Military hand-held radios are readily available in most military
communities.
b. TOE changes are resulting in frequency modulated (FM) radios being replaced with Single-
Channel Ground-to-Air Radio System (SINCGARS) radios. The need to communicate across large
distances is increasing in frequency. GPS surveys are conducted at distances of up to 25 kilometers and
depend upon synchronization between receivers during data collection. Any disruption from a single
station in a GPS network can result in a total loss of effort.
2-30. Digital. The primary focus of survey operations during wartime is to operate quickly over large
distances. This requires the ability to transmit data digitally over the battlefield. The type of data will
be largely or entirely GPS data. In order for a survey team to provide accurate positions where needed
and in a timely manner, they need to operate in real time without having to process out the error code
embedded in a GPS signal. The process of real-time GPS surveying begins with a base station receiver
that broadcasts corrections to the signals emanating from the GPS satellites. Army surveyors have two
means of transmitting this data.
a. Surveyors have an instrument known as a radio modem, designed primarily for broadcasting
DGPS corrections or raw GPS data from a survey base station to one or more roving receivers for real-
time differential or real-time kinematic (RTK) surveying. These radio modems require a line of sight
between each instrument. They can be set up in a series of repeating stations that extend across the
survey area. This system is effective only over a small, local area.
EN0593
2-16
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