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NOTE: To get off this list, send email to majordomo@aqua.ccwr.ac.za with the body of the message containing the line: unsubscribe sowacs Scott, Zero readings occur if the alligator clamps or ends of the wires are allowed to brush against each other. We have eliminated that by fixing the alligator clamps at a distance apart and connecting the loose wires from the Watermarks onto terminal strips. Brian Anderson, Clearwater Supply, is marketing another logging system. 1086 S. 1st Avenue P.O. Box 584 Othello, WA 99344. (509) 488-5793 1-888-750-8141 Clint Malheur Experiment Station, OSU Clinton.Shock@orst.edu owner-sowacs@aqua.ccwr.ac.za wrote: > NOTE: To get off this list, send email to majordomo@aqua.ccwr.ac.za > with the body of the message containing the line: > unsubscribe sowacs > > Dear sowacs members, > > I work for a small agricultural consultant company where we utilize > gravimetric sampling, WaterMark and TDR sensors to monitor soil water in > crops. The WaterMark sensor seems to be a fairly reliable, inexpensive > alternative for farmers and consultants and we have seen an increase in its > use. We have been using these sensors for a couple of years and have been > comfortable with their use. Although I have noticed that occassionally we > will get some values that don't seen quite right and when grafted show that > an error occured, usually a value of "0". The trend that is formed is > sometimes interupted by a quick drop to zero and then back up to the > expected trendline. All of these readings were taken with the handheld > meter and I was wondering if anybody has ever experienced this problem and > what is the cause. I am wondering if I am getting a bad connection between > the cable and the meter, as sometimes I can get the meter to give me several > different numbers by 'wiggling' this connection? Is their a simple way to > test to see if this connection is not working correctly? > > I also would like to get some comments on data loggers that can be used with > the watermark sensors. I am aware of some of the products out there such as > WatchDog, Onset Hobo, and MK Hansen. The cheapest of these is the Onset > Hobo rugged logger that is a four channel waterproof logger for $169. I am > curious to know if there were any other loggers that could be used in-field, > with overhead irrigation that would fall into this price range. For our > purposes the logger would only have to take readings a couple of times a > day. I don't really know how important it is to have a waterproof logger as > I have no experience with them. > > I have noticed that Spectrum is selling the WaterMark sensor with a plug end > that can be directly inserted into the WatchDog logger. Is this a > requirement for all of these loggers and if it is can I easily attach a plug > end on by own that would work effectively? > > Thanks for all of the good discussion. > > Scott Stephen > ________________________ > Scott Stephen > Agrimanagement, Inc. > Phone: 509-453-4851 > FAX: 509-452-6760 > > Web Site: http://www.agrimgt.com > Email: sstephen@agrimgt.com