Practise with the simulator

Tap Ditching

On the Home screen, tap Ditching. It's the first big square, top left, with a picture of a winding ditch.

A window opens called Ditching — Connect.

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If a window called Start New Session? opens instead, something from an earlier session is still loaded. Tap Start New at its bottom right. Saved files are not deleted.

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If the window asks What would you like to do? straight away, the simulator is already running. Go to Part 2.

Tap Simulate

Tap Simulate. It's the second button in the window, under the big green Connect button. It's white, with blue writing and a small bug symbol.

The window changes to System Check. The app now pretends it is connected to a machine.

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Tapped Connect by mistake? The app looks for a machine for a few seconds. Then a red box says Could not detect a Ditch Assist module. Connect tablet WiFi to the module and try again. That is expected: nothing is connected. Tap Simulate. It's now the second button under the red box.

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Ditch Assist Lite shows Emlid Reach at the top of this window instead of Connect. Simulate is the button under it.

Wait for three green rows

Don't tap anything for about 10 seconds. The pretend GPS goes through the same stages as a real one.

At first the bottom row, GPS Accuracy, reads FLOAT — grading accuracy reduced in orange. FLOAT is a GPS position that is close, but not exact yet.

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Tap Continue

Tap Continue, the long green button at the bottom of the window.

The window now asks What would you like to do?

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Tap New Survey

Tap New Survey, the first of the three choices. It has a small green NEW symbol.

The window closes and the Survey screen opens.

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Tapped Load Survey or Load Design by mistake? A list of saved files opens. Close it with Cancel or the X, tap Ditching on Home again and choose New Survey.

If a Set Blade Height window appears, tap Enter Manually

The first survey on a tablet asks for the blade height: how high the cutting edge sits off the ground with the implement raised. Tap Enter Manually, the button on the left.

No window? The blade height is already set. Go to step 5.

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Don't tap Auto Measure on the simulator. It measures a real implement going up and down, so here it gives a meaningless number.

Type 36

A box appears, and number keys open along the bottom of the screen. Tap 3, then 6. (Typing on the tablet.)

For practice any number works. In the field you type the height you measured.

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Tap Save

Tap Save, the green button to the right of the box. The window closes.

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Check the Ready to Survey window

A dark window sits in the middle of the map, called Ready to Survey.

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Tap START SURVEY

Tap START SURVEY, the big bright green button in the dark window. The window disappears and recording starts.

In the field, line up on one end of the ditch first, with the implement raised.

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Let it drive for a minute or two

Don't tap anything. The pretend machine drives by itself. You don't steer.

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Tap STOP

Tap STOP. It's the red button in the small dark bar at the bottom of the map, next to the point count.

A window opens called Save Survey?

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Type the name Practice 1

The keyboard opens with a name already in the box, such as Survey 10-17 1539 (Ditching).

Press and hold the delete key until the box is empty. The delete key is at the top right of the keyboard, marked with an arrow and a cross. Then type Practice 1.

Starting practice names with "Practice" makes them easy to find and delete later.

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Tap Save

Tap Save, the big green button under the name. You don't need to close the keyboard first.

A Slope-IQ™ window opens with a question.

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Tapped Discard? That throws this survey away. No harm done: tap START SURVEY and let it drive again.

Tap Yes, that's correct

The first question is Water Flow Direction. It shows where you started (START, marked INLET) and where you stopped (END, marked OUTLET).

Tap Yes, that's correct, the green button.

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In the field, if you drove from the outlet end, tap No, it's reversed instead.

Tap Continue

The second question is Minimum Grade. 0.05% is standard for surface drainage, so leave it. Tap Continue.

The − and + buttons beside the number change it in steps of 0.01%.

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Tap Create Design

Tap Create Design, the green button. The design appears.

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Look at your design

The chart shows the ground you drove as a dashed green line. The thick orange line is the design: the bottom of the finished ditch. The brown striped area between them is the soil to cut.

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Tap + under DEPTH OFFSET, twice

DEPTH OFFSET is the first box in the row of boxes under the chart, on the left. Tap its + button twice. Each tap lowers the whole design by half an inch.

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Tap − under DEPTH OFFSET, twice

Tap the − button in the same box twice, to put it back to 0.0". Most first ditches need nothing changed.

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Tap Implement Slope

Tap Implement Slope, the bright green button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

A small window opens called Save Design.

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Tap Save & Implement

The name is filled in for you: Practice 1 (Ditching). The keyboard opens too, but you don't need to type.

Tap Save & Implement, the dark green button.

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If the small window disappears, you tapped outside it. Tap Implement Slope again.

Tap Enable Auto-Nudge

A wide window opens called Auto-Nudge Mode. Auto-Nudge™ splits a deep cut into passes, so the blade never takes more than Max Cut Per Pass at once: 2.0 inches here.

Tap Enable Auto-Nudge, the green button on the right. The Grade screen opens.

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Tapped Use Manual Nudge? No harm. On the Grade screen, tap the Auto Nudge switch in the bar across the top to turn it on.

Look at the Grade screen

Down the right-hand side: a big green Start button, then Reset, then an AUTO-NUDGE group that shows which pass you're on.

Left of those buttons is the depth guide. The tip of the black triangle is your cutting edge.

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Tap Start

Tap Start, the big green button at the top of the right-hand column, with a ▶ symbol.

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Watch it grade

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Tap Hold

Tap Hold, the grey button under Stop.

The bar turns orange and reads HOLD — Manual Control. The button now says Resume. In the field, the blade stops moving by itself and you can use the tractor lever.

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Tap Resume

Tap Resume, in the same place. The bar turns red again: Auto Grading Active.

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Tap Pass +

Tap Pass +, the blue button in the AUTO-NUDGE group. The counter goes to Pass 2 of 9: the target is now 2 inches deeper.

In the field, tap it at the end of each full pass.

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Tap Stop

Tap Stop, the red button at the top of the right-hand column. Grading stops.

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Tap BM

Tap BM, the small square in the bar across the top of the screen. It sits between the Wi-Fi symbol and the spanner.

A window opens called Calibrate Elevation.

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Tap Manage benchmarks

Near the bottom of the window, on the right, tap Manage benchmarks. It's green writing with a small flag.

Can't see it? Scroll down inside the window (how to scroll). A window called Benchmarks opens.

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Tap Set Benchmark here

Tap Set Benchmark here, the wide light-blue button. A small window asks for a name.

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Type the name Practice BM

The box shows a suggested name, such as BM 1. Hold down the delete key until the box is empty, then type Practice BM.

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Tap Save

Tap Save, at the bottom right of the small window.

In the field you'd park on the spot and lower the cutting edge onto the ground first.

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Keep still while it averages

The app averages 5 seconds of GPS: Averaging GPS position.... Don't tap anything.

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Tap Close

Tap Close at the bottom right of the Benchmarks window. You're back in Calibrate Elevation.

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Tap Close again, and wait a minute

Tap Close at the bottom right of Calibrate Elevation. The BM square in the top bar is now orange: a calibration is in use.

Wait about a minute. The pretend machine drives away from your benchmark.

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Tap BM

Tap the orange BM square again. Calibrate Elevation opens.

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Tap Practice BM in the list

Under CALIBRATE TO, tap the Practice BM row. The list puts the nearest benchmark first, so it may be first or further down. A card opens: Drive 104.7 ft to the benchmark. Your number will be different.

If the window opens straight on a Practice BM card, you're within about 165 ft of it. Go to the next step.

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Read the drive-to card

In the field you'd now drive to the benchmark. The card counts down as you go. Within about 10 ft it turns yellow: Almost there — 7.9 ft to the pin. Within about 1.5 ft it turns green: On the benchmark — lower blade and calibrate. Then you lower the cutting edge and tap Calibrate to Practice BM (5s avg).

You can't steer the pretend machine, so here you finish another way (next step).

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Tap Calibrate Anyway (5s avg)

Tap Calibrate Anyway (5s avg), the orange button in the card. A question window opens.

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Tap Calibrate

The window says how far you are from the benchmark and asks Continue?. Tap Calibrate at its bottom right. In real work you'd tap Cancel and drive to the benchmark.

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Tap I Accept All Risk & Liability

Tap I Accept All Risk & Liability, the long red button along the bottom of the safety warning. The Home screen opens.

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Tap Ditching

Tap Ditching, the first big square, top left. The Ditching — Connect window opens.

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Tap Simulate

Tap Simulate, under the green Connect button, as in Part 1.

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When all three rows are green, tap Continue

Wait about 10 seconds for RTK Fixed, then tap Continue.

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Tap the X

What would you like to do? has no choice for picking up a job. Tap the X in the top-right corner of the window.

The window closes. You're on Home, with Ditching marked ACTIVE.

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Tap Grade

Tap Grade, the third button down the right-hand column, with a small mountain symbol.

The Grade screen opens with No Slope-IQ Design Loaded.

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Tap Resume

Tap Resume, the orange button with a clock symbol, second in the right-hand column. A list opens called Resume Job.

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Tap Resume next to Practice 1

Your newest job is at the top: Practice 1 (Ditching) (Slope-IQ). Tap the Resume button on its row.

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Tap Skip

A window asks Calibrate GPS?: has the base station moved since this file was made?

On a real job on another day, tap Calibrate and calibrate on your benchmark, as in Part 5. For practice, tap Skip.

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Tap Enable Auto-Nudge

The Auto-Nudge Mode window appears again. Tap Enable Auto-Nudge.

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Tap BM

Tap BM, the small orange square in the bar across the top. Calibrate Elevation opens.

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Tap Manage benchmarks

Tap Manage benchmarks, in green near the bottom right of the window. The Benchmarks window opens.

The line at the top reads Restored from … in orange. That's normal after the app restarts: it put back your last calibration.

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Tap the three dots next to Practice BM

Each benchmark has three dots (⋮) at the right end of its row. Tap the three dots on the Practice BM row. A small menu opens: Rename and Delete.

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Tap Delete

Tap Delete in the small menu. A question window asks you to confirm.

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Tap Delete again to confirm

Tap Delete in the question window. Practice BM disappears from the list.

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Tap Close

Tap Close at the bottom right of the Benchmarks window. Practice BM is no longer in the list.

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Tap Close again

Tap Close at the bottom right of Calibrate Elevation. You're back on the Grade screen.

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Tap Home

Tap Home, the top button in the right-hand column.

If you're still grading, a window asks Stop Auto-Grading?. Tap Stop & Navigate.

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Tap Pre-Flight Checks

Tap Pre-Flight Checks, the orange button at the bottom of the right-hand column. A window opens with the connection and GPS details.

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Tap Disconnect

Tap Disconnect, the red-outlined button at the bottom right of the window. The simulator stops.

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Tap the X

Tap the X at the top right of the window to close it.

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