The Forgotten Survey

On Nov. 10, 1815, Prospect Robbins was surveying a north-south line that would become known as the fifth principal meridian. On that day, he crossed an east-west baseline that had been surveyed by a party led by Joseph Brown. The two lines crossed in a headwater swamp in east Arkansas. The National Park Service designated the area a National Historic Landmark in April 1993. "The official land survey of the Louisiana Purchase began in October 1815 when Robbins and Brown...Click here to read full story

LightSquared: The Saga Continues

Report: LightSquared Close to Transferring Ownership of Its Spectrum

 

The saga of LightSquared continues as the company now moves to transfer control of its spectrum to new owners.  LightSquared is close to having U.S. regulators approve a deal that would see JPMorgan Chase & Co., among others, take over ownership of its airwaves, according to a Bloomberg report. 

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has reportedly told regulators they should approved the deal, which is a significant part of LightSquared emerging from bankruptcy. 
LightSquared's plans for a hybrid terrestrial, sattelite network was killed by the FCC over fears that such a network would interfere with GPS systems. That decision eventually forced the company into bankruptcy. 

A final decision on LightSquared's plans remains on the FCC's docket but there is no timetable for action on the matter. 

In March of this year, a judge approved LightSquared's restructuring plans, which led to a $1.4 billion cash payment to Dish CEO Charlie Ergen for a portion of LightSquared's debt he purchased.

The way things have shaken out are a far cry from the company's original vision of launching a wholesale broadband network that would sell  data to third-party retailers, MVNOs and handset makers. 

Story from: http://www.wirelessweek.com/news/2015/11/report-lightsquared-close-transferring-ownership-its-spectrum
 

County Surveyors Seek to Preserve 19th Century Markers Following Central Oregon Wild Fire

The Deschutes County Surveyor's Office was at the scene of the Two Bulls Fire a week after the smoke had settled. Amongst the charred pine trees and brush, county workers searched in high temperatures for stones that had been marked and placed by federal land surveyors 143 years ago. Logging operations were about to harvest and salvage timber...Click here to read full story

New Issue of Nevada Traverse Now Online

Can't wait to get your copy of the Nevada Traverse?  The new issue is now available on the NALS Website. A few of the articles you will find inside this issue include:

• Interview With Jeff Flamini of Monsen Engineering
• Change Is In The Air
• Accuracy Of Elevations
• Overview Of Small UAS Notice Of Proposed Rule Making
• Update — FAA Drone Rules, Legal Issue
• Drones — Humorous News
• Interview With Patrick J. Tami, PLS
• Remote Sensibilities

 

Surveyor's Right of Entry in the News

Opponents of the line accuse surveyors of trespassing without the right of access. However, NPPD says county surveyors are following the law. They are locating survey corners on properties where NPPD has the right of entry, but sometimes, the county surveyor needs to find surrounding survey corners on nearby properties for reference, NPPD spokesman Mark Becker said.  Becker said the county surveyors are simply following their obligations under state statute to find the corners the public cannot locate. However, opponents say NPPD is playing loosely with the state statute. 

Click here to read the full story....

Surveyors in the News

County Preserves 143-year-old Stone Markers After Fire

The Deschutes County Surveyor’s Office was at the scene of the Two Bulls Fire a week after the smoke had settled. Amongst the charred pine trees and brush, county workers searched in high temperatures for stones that had been marked and placed by federal land surveyors 143 years ago. Logging operations were about to harvest and salvage timber that had not been completely destroyed by the fire, which began June 7, 2014. 

Mike Berry, the county surveyor, said his office was scrambling to make sure it maintained the exact location of section corner and quarter corner stones, which began being used in the late 1700s to divide and define vast federal land tracts. Preserving the original corner stones at the site of the fire was important...Click Here to Read the Full Story