Spectra Precision Survey Pro v4.5 Recon and Nomad User Manual - Manual (Page 45)

Getting Started
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When you specify points to use for any reason within Survey Pro, the
software will read the coordinates for the specified points from the job
file. Whenever you store a new point within Survey Pro, the point is
added to this file.
A job file can be edited on the Survey Pro when using the Edit Points
screen. Since a job file is binary, it requires special software for
editing on a PC, such as TDS Survey Link. It can also be converted to
or from an ASCII file using Survey Link. (Refer to the Survey Link
documentation for this procedure.)
When a job file is converted to an ASCII file, the resulting file is
simply a list of points and coordinates. Each line consists of a point
name, northing or latitude, easting or longitude, elevation or elliptical
height, and a note where each value is separated by a comma.
Raw Data Files
A raw data file is an ASCII text file that is automatically generated
whenever a new job is created on Survey Pro and cannot be created
using any other method. It has the same file name as the current job
file (the job name), followed by the *.RAW extension.
A raw data file is essentially a log of everything that occurred in the
field. All activity that can create or modify a point is written to a raw
data file. Survey Pro never “reads” from the raw data file – it only
writes to the file. Since a raw data file stores all of the activity that
takes place in the field, it can be used to regenerate the original job
file if the job file was somehow lost. This process requires the TDS
Survey Link software.
Since a raw data file is considered a legal document, it cannot be
edited using any TDS software other than appending a note to it
using the View Raw Data screen. Editing a raw data file would
invalidate all of its contents and is not supported in any way by TDS.
When viewing a raw data file on a PC using a simple text editor or on
Survey Pro using the View Raw Data screen, the file is shown
unaltered, which can appear somewhat cryptic. When viewing the file
from within Survey Link, the codes are automatically translated on
the screen to a format that is easier to understand.