Open your tripod and place it on level ground. All three legs should be firmly on the ground near your survey site. Unstable tripods can cause your transit level to tip over, damaging it. Raise the tripod legs to the proper height. Proper height for a transit is level with your nose.
Attach the transit to your tripod, placing the level on the tripod dock and securing it with the mounting screws or locks. Ensure that your transit is tightly secured and there is no movement whatsoever.
Adjust the calibration by turning the two calibration screws at the base of your transit. Turn the screws until the calibration bubble at the top of your level is centered.
Set your measurement rods on either side of your transit, 100 feet away. Your lens should be looking directly down the middle of your rods.
Read each measurement rod from 100 feet away by looking through the telescope lens on the transit. Write down your measurements and move your transit and tripod closer to the rods and take another measurement. This ensures the accuracy of your transit level. The measurements will match. If not, repeat calibration.