The rodman must hold the leveling rod properly in order to sight on it or read it accurately. This is the rodmans responsibility. The actions of a rodman in positioning and holding the rod will affect the speed and accuracy of the leveling operation, so if you are the rodman, use extreme care. It is also the rodmans responsibility to take care of the rod during and after the leveling operation. Your duties as a rodman are as follows:

1. Clean the base (or shoe) of the rod before setting the rod on any point. Also, clean the top of the point to ensure good contact between the rod and the point.

2. Place the rod firmly on the point; then stand facing the instrument and slightly behind the rod; hold the rod in front of you with both hands (fig. 14-5). Space your feet about 1 ft apart for a comfortable stance. Also, make sure that the graduations of the rod are right side up and are turned towards the instrumentman.

3. Hold the rod as nearly vertical as possible, then place a rod level against the rod, and move the top end of the rod until the bubbles are centered. If you do not use a rod level, balance the rod by using your fingertips to prevent it from falling. A properly balanced rod will stand for several seconds before starting to fall. This process of balancing the rod vertically is known as PLUMBING THE ROD.

4. Plumb the rod and hold it as steady as possible during strong winds. When this condition exists, the instrumentman may call for you, as the rodman, to WAVE THE ROD. Wave the rod by pivoting it on its base and swinging it in a slow arc toward the instrument and away. Keep the shoe firmly seated during this operation. The motion of the rod permits the instrumentman to read the rod when it reaches a vertical position at the top of the arc and when the lowest reading appears on the rod. Before or after the rod is in this vertical position, the rod reading is greater.

5. Set the turning pin or pedestal firmly in contact with the ground when setting a TP. Any unfirm footing can sag under the weight of the rod and result in incorrect readings between the FS and BS. During freezing and thawing weather conditions, the ground surface can heave in a comparatively short time. Pins and pedestals can be affected by the heave between the FS and the following BS. For higher order of accuracy surveys, you should be aware of this possibility and select firm locations.

6. Extend the leveling rod to its maximum length when the instrumentman calls for extending the rod. The standard Philadelphia leveling rod can be read to 7.100 ft or 2.164 meters when collapsed and 13.000 ft or 3.962 meters when extended. An extended leveling rod is called a LONG ROD.

A leveling rod is a precision instrument and has to be treated with care. Most rods are made of carefully selected, kiln-dried, well-seasoned hardwood and have metal scale faces on which the scale graduations are painted. Unless a rod is always handled with great care, the painted face will become scratched, dented, or damaged in other ways. Accurate readings on a rod that is damaged are difficult.

Letting an extended rod close "on the run" by allowing the extended upper section to drop tends to damage both sections of the rod and to displace the vernier. Always close an extended rod by easing down the upper section.

A rod will read accurately only if it is perfectly straight, so you must avoid anything that might bend or warp the rod. Do not lay a rod down flat unless it is supported throughout on a flat surface. Do not use a rod as a support or as a lever. Store the rod in a dry place to avoid any possible warping and swelling from dampness, and always wipe a wet rod dry before stowing it away.

If there is mud on the rod, rinse it off, but do not scrub it. If you have to use a soap solution to remove grease, use a mild solution. Repeated washings with strong soap solutions will eventually cause the painted graduations to fade.