From One Setup.
The Northwest Instruments NTS03 is a 2 arc-second reflectorless total station built for contractors and civil engineers who need real survey capability without a survey-house budget. It measures horizontal and vertical angles to 2″ with an absolute encoder, measures distance up to 3,000 m (9,843 ft) to a prism and 300 m (984 ft) with no target at all, computes coordinates on board, and stores 20,000 points — or feeds a data collector running SurvCE.
Northwest Instruments documents this instrument as the NTS03R; the trade generally calls it the NTS03. They are the same total station, and every specification on this page is taken from the manufacturer’s own NTS03R Quick Start Guide.
Typical work, in Northwest Instruments’ own words: topographic surveys, construction project layout, leveling, data collection and cadastral surveying.
Plenty of digital theodolites have a laser — a bright beam out of the lens for marking and aligning. It does not measure anything. You still get angles only, and you still need a tape, a rod or a second instrument for distance.
The NTS03 has the laser and an EDM behind it, so it returns an actual distance: 300 m (984 ft) off a bare surface with no target at all, 600 m (1,969 ft) to a reflector sheet, and 3,000 m (9,843 ft) to a prism. Angles, distances and coordinates from one setup — that is the whole difference between a theodolite and a total station.
NWI NETH503 5″ digital theodolite — angles only, far cheaper, if you do not need distances or coordinates.
NWI NETH503K theodolite kit — the NETH503 with a contractor-grade tripod.
Sokkia 8.5 ft prism pole and 360° prism systems — what you need to reach the full 3,000 m.
The instrument and case configuration. If you need a tripod as well, the NTS03K kit includes a SitePro ALQR20 heavy-duty aluminium tripod for less than buying one separately.
- NTS03 2″ reflectorless total station
- Hard carrying case
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery and charger
- Tools and rain cover
Priced for Contractors.
Including RS-232C.
Most current total stations and theodolites have dropped the RS-232C serial port. We take calls about this constantly — a crew has a perfectly good data collector, a serial cable and office software that all still work, and the new instrument they just bought has no way to talk to any of it.
The NTS03 keeps RS-232C and adds every modern option alongside it. So it works with what you already own and with whatever you move to next.
Not sure your data collector will talk to it? Tell us what you are running — collector, cable and software — and we will confirm it before you order. 1-877-866-5721.
Reflectorless range is the most misquoted number in this category. An instrument does not have one range — it has a different range for every kind of target. Here are all three, from Northwest Instruments’ own NTS03R Quick Start Guide.
| Ranging mode | Measuring distance | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Normal conditions, with prism | 3,000 m | 9,843 ft |
| Reflector sheet | 600 m | 1,969 ft |
| Reflectorless | 300 m | 984 ft |
| Ranging mode | Standard deviation | Measuring time |
|---|---|---|
| Precision measuring, prism | ±(2 mm + 2 ppm · D) | < 1.2 s |
| Mini prism | ±(3 mm + 2 ppm · D) | < 0.5 s |
| Reflector sheet | ±(3 mm + 2 ppm · D) | < 1.2 s |
| Reflectorless | ±(3 mm + 2 ppm · D) | < 1.2 s |
Read this before you compare listings. Several sellers quote a single “reflectorless” figure of roughly 1,970 ft for this instrument. That is the reflector-sheet number (600 m), not the reflectorless one. The manufacturer’s reflectorless figure is 300 m / 984 ft. We would rather publish the number you will actually get. As with every reflectorless EDM, achievable range depends on the colour, texture and incidence angle of the surface you are shooting — a white flat wall reads much further than dark, rough or oblique stone.
| Angle measurement | |
| Angle accuracy | 2″ (2 arc seconds) |
| Measuring method | Absolute encoder |
| Minimum display | 1″ / 5″ / 10″, selectable |
| Detection method | Level radial, vertical radial |
| Telescope | |
| Magnification | 30x |
| Field of view | 1°20′ |
| Resolving power | 4.0″ |
| Minimum sight distance | 1.5 m (4.9 ft) |
| Distance measurement (EDM) | |
| EDM type | Coaxial |
| Reflectorless / laser pointer class | Class 3R / IIIa |
| Range with prism | 3,000 m (9,843 ft) |
| Range, reflector sheet | 600 m (1,969 ft) |
| Range, reflectorless | 300 m (984 ft) |
| Automatic correction | Meteorological, atmospheric refraction, earth curvature |
| Compensation & plummet | |
| Compensation method | Electronic, automatic |
| Compensation range | ±3′ |
| Compensation resolving power | 3″ |
| Laser plummet accuracy | ±0.8 mm at 1.5 m |
| Laser plummet class | Class 2 / IEC 60825-1 |
| Data, power & environment | |
| Display | LCD, 6 lines × 12 characters |
| Internal memory | 20,000 points |
| Data ports | I/O, RS-232C, USB, Bluetooth, Micro SD, SD card, USB stick |
| Data collector software | Works with SurvCE |
| Operating time | 8 hours |
| Battery | Rechargeable lithium-ion |
| Weatherproof rating | IP55 (IEC 60529) |
| Operating temperature | −20 °C to +50 °C (−4 °F to +122 °F) |
| Warranty | Up to 3 years against manufacturer defect |
Specifications from the Northwest Instruments NTS03R Quick Start Guide. Level-vial sensitivity figures are omitted because the manufacturer’s printed values are ambiguous — ask us and we will confirm them with Northwest Instruments rather than guess.
Straight From the Guide.
Everything below is from the manufacturer’s Quick Start Guide, so you know what the first ten minutes out of the case look like.
- Power onPress the power key.
- Choose the data portPress menu, then 8 — select RS-232 or Bluetooth.
- Choose where data savesPress menu, then 9 — select Flash, SD or USB.
- Measure an anglePower on, press the angle key, navigate the angle menu with F4.
- Measure a distancePower on, press the distance key, navigate with F4.
- Measure a coordinatePower on, press the coordinate key, navigate with F4.
What is the reflectorless range of the Northwest Instruments NTS03?
Is the NTS03 the same instrument as the NTS03R?
How accurate is the NTS03 total station?
Does the NTS03 work with a data collector?
How long does the battery last on the NTS03?
Is the NTS03 weatherproof enough for a job site?
Does the Northwest Instruments NTS03 have an RS-232C serial port?
What is the difference between a total station and a theodolite?
My old theodolite had a laser. Is that the same as the NTS03's laser?
Does the NTS03 have a laser plummet?
- ✓ 2″ reflectorless total station
- ✓ Hard carrying case
- ✓ Lithium-ion battery & charger
- ✕ Tripod not included
- ✓ 2″ reflectorless total station
- ✓ Hard carrying case
- ✓ Lithium-ion battery & charger
- ✓ SitePro ALQR20 HD tripod
