STAR*NET V6 - Circe

Station Names
Chapter 5 Preparing Input Data
The data type code is normally followed by one or more station names. Depending on the
type of data line, there may be up to three station names. Multiple names are separated
by a dash. For example, in a distance observation line, the station name string
“TOWER-823” defines the FROM and TO stations of the distance observation. Or on a
data line that contains a horizontal turned angle, a station name string such as “TOWER-
805-823” includes an additional name which defines the backsight station.
Stations can have alphanumeric names up to 15 characters long although only 10
characters are shown in most of the listing reports for sake of space. You may use upper
or lower case letters. Case is significant, so “corner25” and “CORNER25” are
recognized as different station names. Although it requires some care, you can actually
mix upper and lower case to create unique station names, or include special characters
such as “/”, “+” or a decimal point in names for special identification purposes. Below
are a few examples of “distance” data lines using a variety of station naming schemes we
have seen in user’s data files:
D 231-257 1567.123
D R3052E-A0144W 1567.123
D NorthBridge-ChevronTank 1567.123
D N564.027-T582.033 1567.123
D NGSBM/CE31-RedBluff3 1567.123
D H16+50.80-4th&Dearborn 1567.123
Note that since the dash character is used as the separator between station names in
station strings, it should not normally be used within a station name itself. However, if
station names in your existing office records include the dash character, and it is
important to continue their use, a special “.SEPARATOR” inline option is available
which allows you to change the default separator character in your data file from the
default dash to some other character, perhaps a comma. See “Using Inline Options” later
in this chapter for details on the use of this inline option.
Enter station names in a From-To order for distances, zenith angles, delta elevations, and
bearings or azimuths. You can enter station names for horizontal angles either as At-
From-To or From-At-To depending on a setting in the Project Options/General dialog.
You can also use a special “.ORDER” inline option to change the order within the data
file so that you can easily include data that has been prepared perhaps by someone else
using a different order. See “Using Inline Options” later in this chapter for details on the
use of this inline option.
Avoid using the following characters within station names: comma, equal sign, the
number sign (#), single quote and double quote. They are reserved for other special
purposes. Also avoid using the name “DUMMYnnnn” where “nnnn” is a number. This
name string is reserved by STAR*NET for internal use as dummy stations that define
fixed backsight bearings.
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