TDR 300 - STEP Systems GmbH
Contents
1. Com serial pin Therefore when the Test el ee paper clip Port Test 1 Disconnect the serial cable from the meter Test Port Now Cancel 2 To bring up the Port Selection screen click on the Com Port Button select the com port to be tested and click the Port Test button Click the Test Port Now button If the message Connection OK is displayed another device such as a modem is probably connected to that port If the message No Connection is displayed this port may be the one connected to your serial cable and you can proceed to the next step 3 Place a paperclip on the end of the serial pin so that it touches both the tip of the pin and the metal area between the two black rings Again click on the Test Port Now button If the message Connection OK now appears this is the com port connected to your serial cable paper clip or wire gt IH NOTE The dataloggers do not short circuit the serial pin Therefore when the Test Port button is clicked while the meter is connected the No Connection message will be displayed 8 METER OPERATION The ON switch turns the meter datalogger on and off When the meter is turned on it will display the battery status for 3 seconds For the next 3 sec onds it will display how much logger memory has been used and if the logger was enabled in the software whether the GPS signal was f2. Correction 0 3 4 5 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 City Dublin Lisbon London Rio de Janeiro Montevideo Asuncion Atlanta Indianapolis New York Ottawa Bogota Montreal Toronto Guatemala City Houston New Orleans Chicago Mexico City Winnipeg Phoenix Denver Edmonton San Francisco Los Angeles Vancouver Anchorage Honolulu Wellington Adelaide Melbourne Sydney Vladivostok Brisbane Seoul Tokyo Beijing Hong Kong Manila Singapore Taipei Hanoi Jakarta Vientiane Calcutta New Delhi Kabul Islamabad Tehran Abu Dhabi Dubai Moscow Nairobi Kampala Riyadh Ankara Athens Helsinki Istanbul Cairo Johannesburg Harare Amsterdam Barcelona Berlin Geneva Paris Prague Rome Brussels Madrid Stockholm Warsaw Lagos WARRANTY The Field Scout TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 1 year from the date of original purchase During the warranty period Spectrum will at its option either repair or replace products that prove to be defective This warranty is void if the product has been damaged by customer error or negligence or if there has been an unauthorized modification Returning Products to Spectrum Before returning a failed unit you must obtain a Returned Goods Authorization RGA number from Spectrum You must ship the product s properly packaged against further damage
3. back to Spectrum at your expense with the RGA number marked clearly on the outside of the package Spectrum is not responsible for any package that is returned without a valid RGA number or for the loss of the package by any shipping company 25 26 27 Spectrum Technologies Inc 12360 S Industrial Dr East Plainfield IL 60585 800 248 8873 or 815 436 4440 FAX 815 436 4460 E Mail info specmeters com www specmeters com
4. RWC of 67 because 35 is 2 3 between 25 and 40 If the soil s volumetric water content is out side the range of the set points it is possible to get a negative RWC or an RWC greater than 100 If the volumetric water contents for field capacity and permanent wilting point are the wet and dry set points respec tively the RWC value will be equivalent to Plant Available Water PAW A general rule of thumb is to recommend irri gation when the soil has reached 50 of the PAW Also included on the first line is the Water Deficit The Water Deficit is the amount of rain or irrigation water necessary to raise the soil water content to the wet set point This calculation applies to a soil depth equal to the probe rod length The water deficit can be extrapolated further into the profile if the porosity and water holding characteristics are similar to the volume of soil sampled by the probe The second line of the LCD gives the Average A of all readings taken the Number N of readings taken and the 5 symbol name given to this soil type in the Meter Settings screen see p 14 20 SPECIFICATIONS Measurement Units Resolution Accuracy Range Power Logger Capacity Display Weight Probe Head Dimensions Rod Dimensions Percent volumetric water content 0 1 3 0 volumetric water content with electrical conductivity lt 2 dS m 046 to saturation Saturation is typically around 50 volumetric water
5. box If the data logger is enabled it will search for a GPS signal when the meter is turned on If a signal is found position data will be stored along with the soil moisture data If no GPS sig nal is available when the logger is turned on the logger will no longer look for one when measuring and re cording soil moisture data If the second box is checked the logger will store the GPS value only if it has been differentially corrected If the differential correction is not found only the soil moisture value 14 will be stored in the data file A time zone correction should be entered in the third box Appendix 2 lists time zone corrections for several cities Units When operating the meter in Relative Water Con tent mode the LCD can display the rod length options in English or metric units The meter will calculate and dis play the water deficit see Relative Water Content p 20 in the same unit system Relative Water Content Set Points Up to 2 Relative Water Content see p 20 modes can be programmed into the meter by entering the wet and dry set points into the appropriate boxes From the dropdown menus near the bottom of the screen select which VWC calibration Standard or High Clay should be used for each RWC mode Each of these modes can be given a descriptive name of 5 characters These names can be used to iden tify a certain field or soil type Finally for an RWC mode to be available it must be en abled by che
6. viewing the file The data file is stored as a comma delimited text file and may be viewed in text editor or spreadsheet software Clear Memory Data is not automatically removed from the logger mem ory after a download The Clear Memory button clears all data from the logger memory Meter Settings Click this button to configure the meter and data logger Refer to Meter Settings p 14 for more details 13 METER SETTINGS Meter Settings r Meter Info Serial 1 Model TDR 300 Firmware Version 5 0 Meter Name Test Max Length 32 Characters r Logger Settings 1 M Enable Meter s Logging Function Must Be Checked to Log Data V Set Meter to Record Only GPS Readings with Differential Correction 5 Enter Time Zone Correction Number i e 5 for USA Central Time Zone Units r Relative Water Content Set Points M Inches Type 1 Type 2 lan Enable Display Iv W Type Name 8 Chr Max Fid1 Fia4 Dry Set Point Zz 5 E Wet Set Point 35 Use Calibration Standard High Clay UNI The Meter Settings screen in the Field Scout software is used to configure the meter and data logger for your specific application The fields are described below Meter Name The name given the meter will be the title on the first line of the downloaded text file Logger Settings The data logger is enabled and dis abled by checking the first
7. 4 AAA alkaline batteries Approximately 12 month life 2700 readings without GPS 1250 read ings with GPS DGPS 16 character 2 line LCD 3 Ibs 1 4 kg 3 1 x 3 x 1 7 8cm x 7 5cm x 2 5em Length 3 7 6cm 4 7 12cm or 7 9 20cm Diameter 0 2 0 5cm Spacing 1 3 3 3cm The internal data logger and RS 232 port are compatible with GPS DGPS The data logger s LCD screen will display the data in one of three modes see Meter Opera tion p 9 1 Volumetric water content in Standard or High Clay mode 2 Relative water content up to 2 RWC modes can be established 3 Measurement period in microseconds 21 APPENDIX 1 SOIL SPECIFIC CALIBRATION For maximum accuracy you Period 0950 uS may choose to perform a NO015 soil specific calibration rather than use either of the internal Standard or High Clay soil calibrations coded into the TDR 300 s firm ware In these cases an independent soil moisture content measurement is required A relation can then be devel oped that relates the meter s period reading see MODE button p 11 to actual volumetric water content VWC This is most easily accomplished by doing a regression of one set of data against another VWC data can be obtained with a device such as a neutron probe by measuring the weight of a saturated soil column of known volume as it is gradually dried or by gradually wetting a known volume soil with the addition of known i
8. AR Spectrum Technologies File Logger Help FC F Meter Type Down Load Clear Memory Meter Settings Com Port The gray software cable connects the meter to the computer data port Select the Com Port that is assigned to the computer data port See Identifying the Correct Com Port p 8 for instructions on how to determine which port to select Port Selection r Default Port 9 Comi Com2 Com3 Com4 O Com5 Com6 O Com Com8 Meter Type TB j 208 308 Select the TDR option from the list TCM 500 NDVI Type of available Field Scout meters TCM 500 RGB Type sc 300 CM 1000 SPAD Logger pH 100 Meter Download EC 200 Meter Port Test Cancel Save Data As x Save in O FieldScout J ct fe FIELDS 1 HLP y FieldScout exe My Recent nm I7 ScoutDatt txt 3 Settings cfg E STAUNST LOG Desktop My Documents wow BE My Computer a MEN File name Places Save as type txt v Cancel 4 To download data from the internal data logger turn the meter off and connect the gray serial cable to the RS 232 port on the underside of the meter Click the Download button on the main software screen In the Save Data As screen give the file a descriptive name and select the loca tion where it will be saved When the file has been saved the software will give you the option of immediately
9. USER S MANUAL CATALOG 6430FS I A Mt n S 7 ELD SG l l TDR 300 SOIL MOISTURE METER Spectrum Technologies Inc CONTENTS General Overview Shaft Dimensions Connecting to a Computer Changing Batteries Connecting to a GPS Unit Identifying the Correct Com Port Meter Operation Field Scout Software Toolbar Meter Settings Data Files Volumetric Water Content Measurements Relative Water Content Specifications Appendix 1 Soil Specific Calibration Appendix 2 Time Zone Corrections BEES This manual will familiarize you with the features and operation of your new Field Scout TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter Please read this manual thoroughly before using your instrument For customer support or to place an order call Spectrum Technologies Inc at 800 248 8873 or 815 436 4440 between 7 30 am and 5 30 p m CST FAX 815 436 4460 e mail info specmeters com www specmeters com Spectrum Technologies Inc 12360 S Industrial Dr East Plainfield IL 60585 GENERAL OVERVIEW Thank you for purchasing the Field Scout TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter This manual describes the fea tures and operation of the meter Soil moisture is a critical and potentially highly vari able component of the soil environment Time domain reflectometry is a proven technology for quickly and accurately determining volumetric water content VWC in soil The Field Scout s shaft mounted probe allows the user to
10. cking the Enable Display box If this box is not checked that RWC mode will not appear on the LCD during meter operation 15 DATA FILES S Troms oy x al A B Name Test Serial amp 1 Datum WGS 84 4 Longitude Latitude 0 Water Type Rod Length Logger Started 8 01 30 588 3582 41 31085 N 1 30 7 Standard VWC 7 9in 88 3582 41 31085 N 2 30 7 Standard VWC 7 9in 88 3582 41 31085 N 3 30 7 Standard VWC 7 9in 88 3613 41 31134 N 4 17 3 Standard VWC 7 Jin Logger Started 9 06 10 88 3595 41 31217 N 1 22 1 Standard VWC 4 7in 88 3595 41 31217 N 2 22 5 Standard VWC 4 7in 88 3595 41 31217 N 3 22 5 Standard VWC 4 7in 88 3595 41 31217 N 1 14 5 Hi Clay WC 4 7in 88 3595 41 31217 N 2 14 5 Hi Clay VWC 4 7in 88 3595 41 31217 N 3 14 5 Hi Clay VWC 4 7in Logger Started 1 27 Asnte 3 0in 2 31 Asnte 3 0in N 3 42 Asnte 3 0in 4 78 Asnte 3 0in Logger Started N 1 2750 Period uS 7 9in 2 2770 Period uS 7 8in 3 2780 Period uS 7 9in N 4 2760 Period uS 7 9in lt gt No T p I lt Sample data showing results of data collected with and without GPS activated Note GPS signal not found when recording data in lines 17 through 26 The data is stored in comma delimited text files These files can be opened with text editing software e g Micro Soft Word or spreadsheet software e g Excel The first two lines of the data file give the logger s name and serial number The third line i
11. easily and rapidly take many measurements The user can quickly transition between taking VWC read ings in standard and high clay mode The meter s built in data logger can record data from several sites and eliminates the need to record data manually Through the software the user can download the data change the logger settings as well as program the log ger to record relative water content at multiple sites SHAFT DIMENSIONS The following are the dimensions of a fully extended shaft It is possible to reduce the length of the meter by 2 Sem by adjusting the lower half of the shaft 8 re 14 4 p 2 gt Meter 16 20 a 3 0 p t 3 1 o gt 1 3 e COMPUTER INTERFACE CHANGING THE BATTERIES Software Installation Insert the CD for Field Scout software into your PC s disk drive If auto start is not enabled on your computer select Run from the Start menu and type D Setup exe Substitute the appropriate drive letter for your CD drive Click OK and follow the instructions on the screen TDR 300 data port The data port on the underside of the TDR 300 meter shown above can be accessed by removing the plastic screw It is through this port that the meter is connected to either a PC or to a GPS unit The meter must be turned off before attempting communication with the
12. fect on the reading but will decrease the chances the rods will be bent or broken Likewise it is best to avoid areas with rocks or other material that can cause the rods to deflect or bend Stndrd VWC 25 5 PL L N 06 A 23 4 The TDR 300 can be set to one of two VWC modes Stan dard or High Clay The Standard mode will be appropri ate for most mineral soils The High Clay mode will be more accurate for soils with higher clay contents 22740 In VWC mode the top line of the display shows the VWC mode and the water content The bottom line has the fol lowing information PL Probe Length Short Medium or Long rods N Number of readings included in the Average A Average of all readings taken since meter was turned on or DELETE CLR AVG button was pressed 19 RELATIVE WATER CONTENT MODE RWC 25 5 D 3 17in A 23 4 N 06 Asnte In addition to displaying volumetric water content VWC the meter can also display the relative water content RWC and Water Deficit see MODE button p 11 RWC is an index value calculated with respect to upper wet and lower dry VWC set points The set points are configured with the software refer to Meter Settings p 13 An RWC of 0 indicates the soil is at the dry set point while an RWC of 100 indicates the soil has reached the wet set point Example Assume the dry set point is VWC 25 and the wet set point is VWC 40 If the meter measured a VWC of 35 this would translate to a
13. ic con stant than air e 1 or soil solids e 3 7 is exploited to determine the VWC of the soil The VWC measured by TDR is an average over the length of the waveguide Electronics in the TDR 300 generate and sense the return of a high energy signal that travels down and back through the soil along the waveguide composed of the two replaceable stainless steel rods The sampling vol ume is an elliptical cylinder that extends approximately 3 cm out from the rods The high frequency signal informa tion is then converted to volumetric water content How ever high amounts of clay and high electrical conductivity EC22 dS m will attenuate the high frequency signal and affect the reading displayed by the meter Very high or ganic matter content will similarly affect the VWC read ing When taking a measurement it is important that the rods be fully inserted into the soil If not part of the sampling volume will be composed of air and the reading will be 18 inaccurately low For the same reason the probe should be inserted with a steady downward pressure If the rods are wiggled into the soil air pockets can be created adja cent to the rods that will result in low readings The probe should not be struck with a hammer or other blunt instru ment as this can cause damage to the internal electronics Also care should be taken to ensure the rods are inserted as parallel to one another as possible This will not have a large af
14. ncrements of water In most cases however the calibra tion will be done with gravimetric sampling This proce dure is briefly described below In the field establish a number of sites to sample Each site should be wetted to a different soil moisture content by adding varying amounts of water At each site a Field Scout TDR reading is taken followed by the extraction of a known volume of soil Ideally this would be an undis turbed soil core The wet weight of this soil must be de termined If the soil cannot be weighed immediately it should be stored in a plastic bag to reduce evaporation The soil is then oven dried 105 C for 48 hours is a com mon requirement and weighed again The volumetric water content is calculated as follows 22 VWC 100 Mya Mary Pw Vi Where Mwet May mass g of wet and dry soil respectively Vio total soil volume ml Pw density of water 1g ml An alternate but equivalent calculation can be obtained from the gravimetric water content and soil bulk density VWC GWC pypy Where GWC is the gravimetric water content and py is the bulk density GWC 100 Myyet Mary Mary Pb Maty Viot The final step is to plot the calculated the measured period values with the readings obtained from Field Scout TDR meter Regression analysis can then be performed on this data to develop an equation to convert from period to VWC 23 APPENDIX 2 TIME ZONE CORRECTIONS Time Zone
15. ndicates that latitude and longitude are referenced to the 1984 World Geodetic Survey datum The fourth line shows the column head ings for the rest of the data file Logging sessions are started and completed by turning the meter on and off The start of a logging session is indi cated by the data line Logger Started If a GPS signal was found at the start of a logger session a time stamp is included on the Logger Started line 16 The data is separated into 6 fields Latitude and Longitude blank if a GPS unit was not connected sample number value measurement type and rod length The measurement type data field indicates whether the read ing is volumetric water content relative water content or measurement period For volumetric water content data the calibration equation Standard or High Clay for that data point will also be included in measurement type 17 VOLUMETRIC WATER CONTENT MEASUREMENTS The volumetric water content VWC is the ratio of the volume of water in a given volume of soil to the total soil volume At saturation the volumetric water content expressed as a percentage will equal the percent pore space of the soil The underlying principal of TDR involves measuring the travel time of an electromagnetic wave along a waveguide The speed of the wave in soil is dependent on the bulk dielectric permittivity of the soil matrix The fact that water e 80 has a much greater dielectr
16. ng GPS ERR before returning to measure ment mode In this case the data will be recorded without latitude and longitude During subsequent readings the meter will again search for a GPS GPS Setting Your GPS unit must be set for NMEA 0183 input output messages If the meter has trouble receiving the GPS sig nal check that it has the following settings Data bits 8 Stop bits 1 Baud rate 4800 bps Parity None Timing 1 second GGA data string Cable Connections A GPS DGPS cable item 2950CV5 is required to con nect the TDR 300 meter to a GPS unit This cable has a 9 pin male connection and a stereo pin that connects to the meter s data port You will also need a cable that allows the GPS unit to connect to a 9 pin male serial port If this cable doesn t come standard with your GPS unit it should be available from the manufacturer This cable is gener ally used to upload information from a computer to the GPS unit These components should be connected as shown in the figure below GPS Unit Spectrum GPS computer GPS DGPS interface cable Cable Connecting the TDR 300 meter to a GPS unit IDENTIFYING THE CORRECT COM PORT Pott Selection Th e computer Default Port 0 UK nnected can be identified by using a Communications Port to oc we EE ES which the PC 3 5 serial Ot cm poesie Cable is connected can be Com ithe Com Pot comestd to ou seal S Eine NET DN NIS identified by using a
17. ound If a GPS signal is found latitude and longitude data will be in cluded in the data file The screen will then display the most recently used MODE screen Logger 75 Full Logger 75 Full GPS Yes DGPS No No GPS Found Sample meter power up screens with datalogger enabled left screen indicates GPS signal was found If you are using GPS but the meter doesn t find the GPS signal when powering up the meter will not search for the GPS signal when taking readings Turn the meter off and on so it can look for the GPS signal Once the signal is found GPS information will be included in the data file until the signal is lost or the GPS unit is disconnected from the meter Note If the data logger is disabled see Meter Settings p 14 the meter will not seek the GPS signal when it is powered up It will instead proceed immediately to the most recently used mode see MODE button p 11 screen METER OPERATION CONT Press the READ button to read the robe and update the screen values READ Data values uns with GPS or DGPS information if applicable are sent di rectly to the data logger If the logger searches for but doesn t find a GPS signal an error message will briefly appear in the lower right corner In this case a data point will be stored without the GPS data The data point can be cleared from memory with the DELETE CLR AVG button below When the DELETE CLR AVG Delete button is pressed and immediatel
18. software Connecting to a PC The Field Scout software comes with a gray PC interface cable This cable connects to the 9 pin serial port of your computer and to the meter s computer port The meter s configuration can be modified by clicking on the Meter Settings button see Meter Settings p 14 The Com Port Meter Type Download Clear Memory and Me ter Settings buttons are explained in the Field Scout Soft ware Toolbar section p 12 Changing the batteries The battery compartment is accessed by removing the me ter s face plate The meter is powered by AAA batteries CONNECTING TO A GPS UNIT The data logger function must be enabled using the Field Scout software in order to record a GPS signal see Meter Settings p 14 The GPS unit must be plugged into the TDR 300 meter and working when the meter is first turned on If a GPS signal is found at startup the logger will search for a GPS signal for every reading If no GPS signal is found when the meter is first turned on the meter will not search for one when taking readings thereby saving time when tak ing readings In this case the LCD will display the No GPS Found message If the GPS signal is found while taking geo referenced readings the LCD will briefly display the message Reading GPS before displaying the measurement If the GPS signal is lost during a series of readings or if the specified differential correction is not found the LCD will read Readi
19. y Clr Avg released the last data point will be taken out of the logger file and removed from the running aver age Pressing and holding this button will reset the running average but will not affect data stored on the data logger 10 Pressing the MODE button allows the user to determine the type of measure MODE ment that will be taken or select the length of rods connected to the probe Data Collection Modes Available measurement options are volumetric water con tent VWC using the standard or high clay mode see p 18 up to two relative water content modes see p 20 or measurement period in microseconds Relative water content options will only appear if they are configured in the software see Meter Settings p 14 The period meas urement is available for users interested in performing soil specific calibrations see Appendix 1 Changing Rod Length ROD MED 4 7in HIT DEL To Chnge Rod Length Options Screen In order to get accurate volumetric or relative water con tent VWC or RWC readings the rod length setting must be correct In the VWC modes the currently selected rod length appears in the lower left corner of the LCD screen The options are Short 3 0 Medium 4 7 and Long 7 9 rods Press the MODE button until the LCD dis plays the rod length options screen Pressing the DE LETE CLR AVG button will allow you to toggle between the three choices 11 FIELD SCOUT SOFTWARE TOOLB
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