Where: UtilityScout, on the phone, Settings, then Pole measurement settings, plus the stick itself.
When you finish: the stick is assembled, placed correctly against a pole, and the app knows which target version and how many sections you are using. Get any of the three wrong and the numbers are wrong with no warning.
1. Assemble the stick
The bag holds four two-foot yellow sections, two targets that sit between them, a screw-on top piece, and a spacer that keeps the stick from bending. The stand comes in its own bag. The default build uses three of the four sections.
Using the fourth, bottom section? Set Bottom Pole Length to 2 in the app (step 3). It is usually added when vegetation at the base hides the bottom target. If that is still not enough height, use the two-known-points method in Measure a pole.
2. Place it on the pole
Stand the stick against the pole with the bottom touching the ground.
Kick the legs out, pull them back, and press the two quick-release buttons to lock everything.
Check both targets sit close to or touching the pole.
Stand back and confirm it is upright.
Both targets must be against the pole. One target away from the pole while the other touches reads a different tilt than the pole actually has. That is a real measurement error, not a tidiness issue. If risers keep a target from sitting flush, skip tilt and place the targets manually instead; see Measure a pole.
3. Match the app to the stick
Open Settings, then under Component Settings, Pole measurement settings. Stick version and Bottom Pole Length must match the physical stick. Tilt Zeroing is a separate phone setting for Standard poles.
Setting | Set it to | If it is wrong |
Select Your Accuracy Stick: Version 1 (Original design) or Version 2 (Updated design) | The plastic target bracket on your stick, not the fiberglass stick, which is the same in both kits. Most organizations onboarded after February 2026 are on Version 2 | Every measurement is off even with a perfectly placed stick. Check the bracket rather than assuming |
Tilt Zeroing (Standard poles only) | Hold the phone flat against a vertical wall and tap Calibrate Now. Current Zero Value updates. It stays saved on this phone until you tap Reset Zero, calibrate again, or delete the app; recalibrate after you change phones or cases. Reset Zero clears it to 0.00° | Tilt on Standard pole measurements is off. High Accuracy on most phones does not use this value, so skip it if your job is High Accuracy |
Bottom Pole Length: 1 or 2 | How many bottom sections you assembled | A mismatch shifts the calculated pole base by about two feet, for example leaving it at 1 with the fourth section attached |
On screen: Hold your phone against a vertical wall to calibrate the tilt for standard accuracy mode.
Measuring Standard poles without the stick? Follow Zero tilt for Standard Accuracy for the wall, countdown and zero-value checks.
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