Using the WatchDog Sprayer Station
Contents
1. 4 Watchboo Sprayer Station PRODUCT MANUAL Item 3349SS WIND GUST 9 mph Ap Wind N at 19 mph Gust 25 Temp 15 RH 43 Bar 29 5 GPS 8 sat 212726 E20 CONTENTS Introduction 3 Components 3 Installing the Station 4 Installing SpecWare Mobile Software 13 Configuring the WatchDog Weather Station 14 Using the WatchDog Weather Station 20 Logging Weather and GPS Data 25 Log File Format 27 Troubleshooting 28 How the Sprayer Station Works 31 Specifications 35 Copyright 2008 Spectrum Technologies Inc Updated Feb 19 2008 for 2nd Generation Connector Box INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing the WatchDog Sprayer Station The Sprayer Station is designed to provide an accurate indication and record of the environmental conditions around a vehicle whether it is stationary or in motion It allows for real time measurement of weather data before during and after a field operation COMPONENTS Your WatchDog Sprayer Station package should contain the following components e Sensor Unit e Mounting Post e Cable Assembly e Vehicle Power Adapter e Hook amp Loop Fastener Strips 2 e SpecWare Mobile CD e User Guide INSTALLING THE STATION Caution The blue metal plate and the blue film found in the wind channel of the Sensor Unit are essential to its operation Be careful not to scratch the plate puncture the film or damage them in any way Choosing the Mounting Location The Sensor Unit must be mo2. Open the connector box either by sliding the battery cover to remove it first generation or by inserting a screwdriver in the slots on the side and twisting to sepa rate the top and bottom halves second generation 2 Using a small screwdriver 2 mm 2 5 M mm or 1 10 blade a small electronics screwdriver has a 1 8 blade which will not fit loosen the SIX Screws and remove the wires from the terminal block 3 Loosen the outer nut on the strain relief first generation or cut the wire tie holding the cable second generation and pull the cable out of the connector box To reassemble the Cable Assembly 1 Fora first generation box thread the cable end through the strain relief it can help to remove the outer strain relief nut completely slipping it over the cable and reattaching it after the cable has been threaded through the strain relief 2 Thread the six wires into the holes on the side of the termi nal block and tighten the screws to secure the wires The wire colors should be matched to the marked terminals as e TD A or TDA Yellow e TD B or TDB Orange e RD A or RDA White e RD B or RDB Blue e GND Black e 412VDC or 12 Red 3 Hand Tighten the outer strain relief nut first generation or secure the cable with a wire tie through the two holes on the circuit board second generation 4 Slide the battery cover back onto the connector box first generation
3. a Sprayer Log txt file The file is in text format with tabs separating the values This for mat can be easily imported into Excel using the text im port wizard or other programs The first record of the file is a header record identifying the columns By default all log records are written to a single file named Sprayer Log txt This is indicated by the One Log File option in Configure Logging If you want to have a separate file for each field application with full control of the file names stop SpecWare Mobile and use File or Windows Explorer to rename the file Restarting logging will create a new log file Alternatively selecting New Log File Each Day in Configure Logging places all log records in files by day named Sprayer Log yyyymmdd txt Similarly the Configure Logging option New File Each Log creates a new file each time logging is started using the Log button The files are named Sprayer Log yyyymmdd hhmm txt Sprayer Snap txt When the SnapShot button is pressed a record is written to the Sprayer Snap txt file The format is the same as the Log file Similar to the Log files checking New Snapshot File Each Day in Configure Logging saves any snapshots in daily files named Sprayer Snap yyyymmdd txt Sprayer Raw txt If the Log raw data box is checked in Configure Log ging NMEA 0183 sentences from the Senso
4. extension tube Double check to be sure the alignment tabs are still facing forward a f sensor unit alignment tabs _ wind channel face forward where air travels through the sensor magnetic mount Alignment Please note that for clarity the above diagram shows the sensor alignment tabs and the cable exit both facing forward it is un common for the cable to run forward from the sensor It would usually run to the rear or one of the sides and the cable exit should be aligned accordingly The sensor itself must face for Temporary Mount For temporary mounting of the Sprayer Station slip the cable through an open door or window Caution do not damage the cable when closing the door or window For doors avoid the area near the hinges as well as near the latch Both areas exert extremely high forces on the cable Permanent Mount The Cable Assembly will have to be disassembled in order to thread the cable through a hole in the wall or roof of the cab Although the cable will fit through a 4 hole a larger hole is recommended to fit a grommet to help ensure a watertight seal To disassemble the Cable Assembly There are two versions of the connector box on the end of the cable The first generation box is approximately the size and shape of a deck of cards and has a sliding battery cover The second generation box is smaller and is labeled as Item 3349CB 1
5. in the calculation For instance if the electronic compass is located near iron or a similar magnetic disturbance the heading will be incorrect and the true wind calculation will therefore be in error perhaps by quite a bit In another example the speed and course over ground SOG and COG provided by the GPS receiver are averaged over time If the vehicle is performing maneuvers changing speed and or direction then it will take a few seconds for the SOG and COG values to catch up The reported true wind values will therefore also be incorrect until the vehicle reaches a steady state condition traveling in a straight line at a constant speed About the Electronic Compass The Sprayer Station includes a pair of magnetoinductive sensors that measure magnetic field strength in two axes on the horizontal plane of the Sprayer Station From these measurements it calculates the resul tant magnetic heading angle thereby providing a built in electronic compass Like all magnetic compasses the Sprayer Station compass will be affected by any ferrous or magnetic materials in the vicinity such as metal structures motors speakers etc It will also be affected by nearby electric fields such as the wiring for lights These nearby sources of magnetic interference will distort the magnetic field and produce errors in the compass heading These errors are known as magnetic deviation Although the Sprayer Station compass is a 2 axis device th
6. in the number without the COM Next select the measurement system you wish to use English selects mph degrees Fahrenheit and in Hg Met ric selects km h or m s degrees Celsius and hPa mbar The Wind Alarm is set using the up down arrows 0 indicates no alarm For any other value if the true wind reaches or exceeds the Wind Alarm value the wind speed value on the main screen will have a bright yellow back ground sound alarms are seldom loud enough on PDAs to be heard over machinery Your Sprayer Station has been preset to send six specific data messages to the PDA or PC Under rare situations the Sprayer Station can forget those settings The Reset Station button is used to re educate the Sprayer Station Note The communications ports on some PDAs were de signed to omit key synchronization wires The Sprayer Station is so busy sending out weather data that it cannot notice a message from the PDA or PC without those wires In this case a PC would have to be used to reset the Sprayer Station Tap OK to save your selections and return to the main screen Tap Menu again and then tap Configure Logging to set your data logging preferences My Documents O SD Card CF Card Log Interval Snapshots and data logs One Log File can be stored in one of t7 New Log File Each Day three locations on a New File Each Log PDA these options are _ New Snapshot File Each
7. is no wind the pulse travels at the speed of sound from the sender to the receiver Whenever the wind is blowing in that direc tion the pulse will arrive sooner than if the air is still Similarly whenever the wind is blowing in the opposite direction the pulse will arrive later than if the air is still The four transducers take turns in sending and receiving pulses to cover all possible wind directions A microprocessor within the Sprayer Station then combines the meas urements from all four transducers to calculate the resultant wind speed and direction Throughout this process the sensor monitors the air temperature to compensate for the fact that the speed of sound in air changes with temperature Understanding True and Apparent Wind The Sprayer Station has the unique ability to display both true and apparent wind True wind is the actual motion of the air relative to the earth Apparent wind is the wind which an observer experiences while moving It is the result of two motions the actual motion of the air the true wind and the motion of the vehicle If the vehicle is not moving then the true and apparent wind will be the same There are two components to any wind measurement speed and di rection By convention the wind direction is an angle representing the direction from which the wind is blowing Consider the case of a vehicle proceeding at a speed of 15 mph in calm air An observer on board would experience a wind of
8. over time allows the speed and course over ground to be calcu lated The course reported by a GPS is always with respect to true north The ability of the Sprayer Station to calculate true wind speed and direction depends on the presence of a GPS fix If the GPS receiver is not tracking at least three satellites then the Sprayer Station will be unable to provide true wind data Apparent wind data should always be available regardless of the status of the GPS receiver SPECIFICATIONS Wind Speed Range 0 6 114 mph 1 to 185 km h Wind Speed Resolution 0 1 mph 0 2 km h Wind Speed Accuracy 1 1 mph 1 9 km h or 4 Wind Direction Resolution P Wind Direction Sensitivity 1 5 Temperature Range 22 122 F 30 C 50 C Temperature Accuracy tT els CG Compass Sensing 1 typically Barometric Pressure Range 25 34 in Hg 850 1150hPa Barometric Pressure Accuracy 1 5 Relative Humidity Range 10 95 RH Relative Humidity Accuracy 5 RH Supply Voltage 10 16VDC nominal 12VDC Supply Current 0 5 amp Note The Sprayer Station s accuracy can degrade below 32 F 0 C Temperature and Humidity accuracy are with wind above 2 3 mph 3 7 km h This equipment has been manufactured for Spectrum Technologies Europe The Manufacturers DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY is on file at the above address and certifies conformity to the following Model Number 3349SS Description WatchDog Sprayer Station Direct
9. 15 mph from dead ahead This apparent wind would be due solely to the mo tion of the vehicle If a true wind of 15 mph was blowing from the rear an observer would experience dead calm no apparent wind That is because the vehicle is moving at the same speed and in the same direction as the surrounding air Now consider the more complicated situation of a vehicle proceeding at 15 mph with a true wind of 15 mph blowing from the side To an observer on board the apparent wind would be 21 2 mph blowing from an angle 45 off the front In order to calculate the true wind speed and direction when on board a moving vehicle it is necessary to know the apparent wind speed and direction the speed and course over ground of the vehicle the com pass heading and the local magnetic variation Note that heading and course are not the same thing heading is the direction the vehicle is pointing while course is the direction the vehicle is traveling On land heading and course differ only when the vehicle is stationary The Sprayer Station can provide true wind speed and direction only if all of the data is available The speed and course over ground must be provided by a GPS receiver either built in or networked The head ing may be provided by either the built in electronic compass or by an external networked compass Because true wind is calculated using the data from several sensors its accuracy depends on the accuracy of all the raw data used
10. Day omitted from the PC version as My Docu ments is the only H tes sas available option RMNcra rte e Choosing My Documents places the files in the same named folder in the main memory of the PDA In Micro soft ActiveSync checking Files on the Tools Op tions screen will cause ActiveSync to copy all files to a similarly named folder in My Documents on your PC Choosing SD Card places the files on an Secure Digital memory card inserted into your PDA The SD card can be removed and placed in a flash card reader on your PC Windows Explorer can be used to move the files onto your PC Similarly choosing CF Card places the files on an Compact Flash memory card inserted into your PDA The CF card can be removed and placed in a flash card reader on your PC Windows Explorer can be used to move the files onto your PC Some PDAs have slots for both types of flash memory cards others support one type or the other You can change the location at any point in the future but existing files will not be automatically moved from the old to the new location The WatchDog Sprayer Station can log location and weather data continuously at a specified interval Log ging is started and stopped via the Log button on the main screen If you want to disable logging choose No Logging Otherwise select a data recording interval By default all log records are written to a s
11. OA 29 854 1 1 011 8 7 7 C 43 9 3 8 Cre20005 SWIMWD 4550957 40 SWwIMWy T V 7C SwIMwy 214 8 R 3 0 N A 2F SwIMWy 211 3 R 3 1 N A4 20 SGPRMCS sViasbeaseneM as 2 Use menu option View Station Counts All six record types should have counts within one of each other If one or more types have counts of 0 or double the usual number then the Sensor Unit needs to be reset using the Reset Sta tion button in Station Configuration If Reset Station doesn t reset the station 1 If you have a second generation connector box watch the TX LED after you click Reset Station It should blink about once per second as commands are sent to the station 2 Some PDAs do not have the necessary wire connections to get the attention of the Sensor Unit Use the PC program on a laptop instead HOW THE SPRAYER STATION WORKS About the Ultrasonic Wind Sensor The ultrasonic wind sensor an ultrasonic anemometer measures ap parent wind speed and direction The Sprayer Station contains four ultrasonic transducers visible through the four holes in the top of the sensor s wind channel These transducers operate in pairs one trans ducer injects a pulse into the air and the other directly opposite to 1t listens for the arrival of that pulse Each pulse bounces off the metal plate at the bottom of the wind channel and is carried by the wind to arrive at the opposing transducer a short time later When there
12. ay view as shown on Page 22 The standard display view screen is updated once every 5 seconds averaging the data received during that time The above image shows weather data without GPS infor mation This will be displayed until the GPS obtains a position fix The GPS time to first fix is one minute Note that a GPS fix will not be possible when there is not a clear view of the sky such as indoors or in a heavily forested location The standard display view consists of the following information Wind Direction The wind direction is displayed in the upper left corner using eight compass points If GPS data is available the true wind will be computed and displayed otherwise the apparent wind will be displayed and the indicator Apparent displayed below Apparent wind is the wind a person riding on the vehicle would feel True wind is the wind that would be meas ured if the vehicle were stationary It is computed from the apparent wind and the GPS provided course and speed Wind Speed The wind speed is displayed in the upper right corner The units are as were specified in the Station Configura tion Either apparent or true wind speed will be displayed using the same rules as wind direction Wind Gust The apparent or true wind gust is displayed on the first text line Apparent Wind The apparent wind direct speed and gust is displayed on the second text line Apparent WIND GUST 5 mph Ap Wind SE a
13. ct the Hardware tab Select Device Manager Select Ports Look for a COM port which includes USB in its name If you have a second generation connector box ensure that the RX light is blinking this is the signal from the sensor module Otherwise open the battery cover on the con nector box and check the screw terminals with a voltmeter to confirm that e 4 12VDC to GND is 12VDC nominal e RD B to RD A cycles once per second between 4 5VDC and OVDC this is the signal from the sensor module For further investigation reference the diagram on the next page e If the prior checks show power but not signal remove the sensor module from the cable and check that hole 1 marked with a small dot to hole 2 clockwise next to hole 1 reads 12VDC nominal als fo iB E le I Le aY la x 5 f i r par a CONNECTIONS TO OTHER NMEA DEVICE Fi y f ve li RED 4 ye v 2 BLACK x n Av QUT 3 WHITE A IN 4 SHIELD ima i 6 i Af gt IN YELLOW Af QUT Bs IN S DRANGE 4 l B DUT B DUT o ave B7 IN SHIELD Disconnect the power cable from the connector box and use a continuity tester to check that all wires are intact between the sensor module connector and the screw terminals in the connector box If Step 4 above shows that signal is present but it is
14. e added to provide a se rial port Documentation provided with these cards will identify their port number If you are uncertain of the COM port on your PC follow the steps below 1 If you are using a USB to Serial converter plug it into your PC 2 From the Start menu or on the Desktop right click My Computer Select Properties Select the Hardware tab Select Device Manager Click on the to the left of Ports COM amp LPT A built in serial port will be labeled Communications Port A USB converter will generally have USB to Se rial in its name In either case the communications port will be in parentheses as in COM1 ON ee Once you have identified the communications port you are using you must configure the station parameters in SpecWare Mobile Using your stylus tap Menu in the lower left corner On a PC click Menu in the upper left corner Your menu options are displayed on the next page ey 8 20 ok No data SpecWare Mobile for the WatchDog Sprayer Station Version 1 0 Build 7 Tap or click on Configure Station The following Spec Mobile et 8 21 bk Configure Station Com Port COMI Units English Metric km h Metric m s Wind Alarm g On a PDA a pull down box will list the available commu nications ports Select the one you are using On a PC there is a text box to type
15. e earth s magnetic field occurs in three dimensions That is part of the earth s magnetic field is oriented in the vertical direction The closer one s location is to the north or south pole the stronger this vertical compo nent becomes in comparison to the horizontal components The effect this has on the Sprayer Station is to introduce an error in the compass reading if the Sprayer Station is tilted from the horizontal plane Therefore it is important when installing the Sprayer Station to en sure the support pole is mounted vertically and not tilted to one side Also keep in mind that when your vehicle experiences pitch and roll the compass heading will be affected accordingly Because the compass heading is used in the calculations for true wind any errors in the compass heading will also produce errors in the re ported true wind speed and direction This is adjusted for in the Sprayer Station by using the GPS sourced course over ground when the vehicle is moving About Magnetic Variation and True Heading The earth acts like a giant magnet with a magnetic north pole and a magnetic south pole The axis of the magnetic poles is offset approxi mately 11 5 from the axis of the earth s rotation Therefore the earth s magnetic north and south poles are in different locations than the earth s geographic north and south poles In addition the earth s magnetic field is non uniform and changes over time Magnetic variation also known a
16. ingle file named Sprayer Log txt This is indicated by the One Log File option New Log File Each Day places all log records in files by day named Sprayer Log yyyymmdd txt New File Each Log creates a new file each time logging is started using the Log button The files are named Sprayer Log yyyymmdd hhmm txt Checking New Snapshot File Each Day saves snapshots in files named Sprayer Snap yyyymmdd txt instead of the default Sprayer Snap txt The Log raw data check box in the lower left corner will activate logging of the actual weather data messages being sent from the Sprayer Station Most people will not want to activate this option It can fill all available memory in a PDA in a short amount of time It 1s provided for re searchers who require the raw data and for problem reso lution Tap OK to save your selections and return to the main screen USING THE WATCHDOG SPRAYER STATION Start SpecWare Mobile using the menu or icon The No data screen below will display until the program re ceives weather data from the Sprayer Station Sensor Unit If this does not occur within 10 seconds please refer to the Troubleshooting section of this manual No data SpecWare Mobile for the WatchDog Sprayer Station Version 1 0 Build 5 Spectrum Technologies Inc Once enough data has been received the display will switch to the standard displ
17. installation process cab files are placed in the SpecWare installation directory this defaults to c SpecWare but can be overridden during the instal lation Once the SpecWare Mobile software is installed you are ready to begin using your Sprayer Station The current version of SpecWare Mobile software is available on the Spectrum Technologies web site at www specmeters com CONFIGURING THE WATCHDOG SPRAYER STATION Connect your PDA or PC laptop to the Sprayer Station using the cable you attached to the Connector Box earlier Ensure that the Sprayer Station is receiving power there is a pilot light on the side of the Vehicle Power Cable the light should be lit Start SpecWare Mobile using the menu or icon There are minor differences between the PDA and PC versions of SpecWare Mobile These will be pointed out as appropri ate in the following instructions All images are from the PDA version The first time you run SpecWare Mobile the following screen will be displayed Assign Port SpecWare Mobile for the WatchDog Sprayer Station Version 1 0 Build 5 Spectrum Technologies Inc The first step you must take is tell the PDA or PC where to find the Sprayer Station This is done by identifying the communications or serial port the Station is plugged into For most PDAs the serial port will be COM1 For PDAs such as the iPaq which do not have a built in serial port a card can b
18. ive EN 60945 1997 EMC Art 3 1b 00 05 CE Maritime Navigation and Radiocommunication Equipment and Systems Clauses 9 2 Conducted Emissions 9 3 Radiated Emissions 10 2 Conducted Low Frequency Interference 10 3 Conducted Radio Frequency Interference 10 4 Radiated Interferences 10 5 Fast Transients of Signal and Control Lines 10 8 Immunity to Power Supply Failure 10 9 Immunity to Electrostatic Discharge WARRANTY This product is warranted to be free from defects in material or workmanship for one year from the date of pur chase During the warranty period Spectrum will at its op tion either repair or replace products that prove to be de fective This warranty does not cover damage due to im proper installation or use lightning negligence accident or unauthorized modifications or to incidental or consequen tial damages beyond the Spectrum product Before return ing a failed unit you must obtain a Returned Materials Au
19. l Buttons The control buttons are large enough to be pressed by a fingertip The stylus should only be needed when config uring SpecWare Mobile View Button Pressing the View button cycles between the standard dis play a GPS oriented display and a record count display which is used for problem resolution Log Button Pressing the Log button will start and stop the logging function The logging interval is set in the Logging Con figuration The log button will appear different when the logging function 1s active SnapShot Button The SnapShot button records a snapshot of the currently displayed wind weather and GPS information Ok Button The ok button in the upper right exits SpecWare Mobile Use the red X button for the PC version LOGGING WEATHER AND GPS DATA SpecWare Mobile stores logged data in one of three loca tions as specified in the Logging Configuration These are My Documents SD Card and CF Card See the Configuration section for more details on these op tions Regardless of which location is specified a folder will be created with a name of SprayerStation This folder will contain the three types of log files These files will be added to until they are deleted or renamed and then a new file will be created Sprayer Log txt When a log interval has been specified in Logging Con figuration and logging is activated using the Log button records are written to
20. not ap pearing on the PDA screen 6 Use the PC program on a laptop to see if the problem is with your PDA or cable 7 Use Windows HyperTerminal on a laptop to eliminate Spec Mobile as a problem IMPORTANT Before starting HyperTerminal note the COM Port number that the Sprayer Station is connected to IMPORTANT You must close Spec Mobile to use Hyper Terminal with the Sprayer Station l a tS Pi From the Start menu select All Programs Accessories Communications Click HyperTerminal Enter an area code if prompted Select File then New Connection Name the connection then click OK Select the particular COM port that the Sprayer Station is connected to then click OK Set the bits per second to 4800 Do not change any other selection Click OK You should see the data sentences from the Sprayer Station scrolling on the screen similar to the following example W Lt 4 W NA i If a GPS position fix is not made after several minutes 1 Ensure you are outdoors with a clear view of most of the sky Being able to see some sky through the trees is usu ally not enough PAMTT weather Station model PBLOO PAMTT Copyright C 2005 AIRMAR Technology Inc PAMTT POST 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 PAMTT OV 44 800 1 2 0 051204022 1 001 1 003 1 000 Par Sree OL er ee Cissa Pe ee Se ee ee re 3 R 2 6 N A 23 SwIMWY 215 8 R 2 8 N A 27 SPR Vidars ri N aa SWIM
21. ont of the mounting post the side which will be pointing toward the front of the vehicle Assembling the Sensor Unit Cable and Mount 1 Gather the Sensor Unit Mounting Post and Cable Assem bly 2 With the nut assembly on the cable near the Sensor Unit connector slide the cable into the cable exit slot at the top of the Mounting Tube Leave several inches of cable topped by the connector above the nut assembly 3 Screw the nut assembly onto the top of the Mounting Tube Hand tighten only Do not over tighten Caution If you want to use a thread lock use plumber s tape Do not use a liquid thread lock as it may weaken the plastic causing it to swell and crack sensor unit connector alignment key nut assembly captive nut mounting post 4 Remove the protective cover from the connector and the warning label from the bottom of the Sensor Unit Plug the 7 pin connector into the Sensor Unit The alignment key on the connector fits into a notch in the base of the Sensor Unit 5 Be sure the alignment tabs on the Sensor Unit are facing forward and parallel to the centerline of the vehicle Re member to orient the front of the Mounting Post forward as well so the cable will exit in the correct direction Slide the captive nut upward and screw it onto the base of the Sensor Unit Hand tighten only Do not over tighten Be careful NOT to rotate the Sensor Unit or loosen the nut as sembly from the antenna mount
22. or press the two case halves together making sure the LEDs are under the holes next to the label second generation TOA TOE RDA ROB GND 1200 SEBBES First Generation Connector Box Terminal Block top view end view Second Generation Connector Box Interior View with Terminal Block Connecting to your PDA or Laptop Connect your PDA cable to the 9 pin serial connector on the connector box If you are using a laptop or other PC the power cable will prevent a direct connection You must use either a 9 pin M F serial extension cable or if your laptop does not have a serial port a USB to Serial converter cable available from Spectrum Technologies as Item 3661USB If your cable has anchor screws use them to hold the cable se curely to the connector box However Murphy s Law states that it is more likely that your cable will have anchor nuts as in the photo below Pia Sa If you encounter this situation perform the following steps to connect your cable securely For a second generation connector box use a wrench or pliers to unscrew the anchor nuts No disassembly is required For a first generation connector box 1 With a Phillips screwdriver remove the four screws from the back of the connector box 2 Remove the back of the connector box 3 Using a screwdriver and a pair of pli ers remove the two nuts from the screws holding the 9 pin serial connec tor 4 Attach y
23. our cable to the 9 pin serial connector and tighten the two screws to securely hold your cable 5 Replace the back of the connector box and secure it with the four screws removed earlier In the Cab Attach the Vehicle Power Cable to the connector box Determine a location for the PDA that will provide the best visibility and access Next decide where the connec tor box will be mounted based on the length of the PDA cable and the distance to the nearest power outlet Use the provided Hook amp Loop Fastener Strips to secure the connector box and the PDA Coil and secure any excess cable INSTALLING SPECWARE MOBILE SOFTWARE Insert the SpecWare Mobile installation CD in your com puter s disk drive On most machines the software instal lation will begin automatically If it does not run the Setup exe program on the CD Follow the screen instruc tions to complete the installation A desktop icon and a Start menu entry will be created to run the PC version of SpecWare Mobile Two additional menu items will be created These will prepare to install the the Pocket PC Windows Mobile 2003 and the Windows Mobile 5 versions of SpecWare Mobile for the PDA Run whichever is appropriate for your PDA running the wrong install will not harm your PDA Windows will hold the install in anticipation of your connecting a PDA running the other version The actual installation is done by ActiveSync For those who wish to customize the
24. r Unit will be written to the Sprayer Raw txt file Most people will not want to activate this option It can fill all available memory in a PDA in a short amount of time It is pro vided for researchers who require the raw data and for problem resolution LOG FILE FORMAT The Log and SnapShot files contain the following data values separated by tabs Date and Time Temperature Relative Humidity Dew Point Barometric Pressure Apparent Wind Direction Apparent Wind Speed Apparent Wind Gust If a GPS position fix is available the records will also contain True Wind Direction True Wind Speed True Wind Gust Satellite Count UTC Latitude Longitude Course Speed TROUBLESHOOTING If the station does not seem to be working at all the display shows No data unless the view is changed or the temperature wind etc do not change from 0 Check that the pilot light is lit on the Power Adapter If you have a second generation connector box confirm that the PWR LED is lit Check that all connections are tight Verify that you are using the correct COM port for the sta tion If you are using a PDA the most likely ports are COMI1 for the built in connector or COM4 for a CF se rial card If you are using PC with a USB to serial adapter and are uncertain of the COM port number follow the steps below From the Start menu select Control Panels Select the System option Sele
25. s magnetic declination is the angle between magnetic north and true or geographic north at the observer s cur rent location A magnetic compass measures heading with respect to magnetic north To convert this magnetic heading to true heading that is head ing with respect to true north the magnetic variation must be added to the measured magnetic heading value Because magnetic variation changes with location and gradually over time it is necessary to calculate the magnetic variation using the user s present position and the current date Therefore it is necessary to have a GPS with a fix in order to provide magnetic variation and heading with respect to true north About the Air Temperature Sensor The Sprayer Station includes a built in negative temperature coefficient thermistor that measures the ambient air temperature This NTC thermistor is located in a thermally isolated region of the Sprayer Station housing that is open to the outside air About the Relative Humidity Sensor The Sprayer Station contains a capacitive cell humidity sensor that measures the relative humidity of the air Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor in the air Relative humidity is the percentage of saturation of the water vapor in the air It is the ratio of the mois ture content of the air to the saturated moisture level at the same tem perature and pressure About the Barometric Pressure Sensor The Sprayer Station contains a temperat
26. t 4 mph Gust 5 Temp 75 RH 22 Bar 29 56 No GPS Weather Values The current temperature relative humidity and baromet ric pressure are displayed on the third line Relative hu midity is displayed as a percent Temperature is displayed in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius and barometric pressure in inches or millimeters of mercury based on whether English or Metric units were specified in the Station Con figuration GPS Information GPS information is displayed on the fourth line Satellites The number of GPS satellites currently being received is displayed as a number on the right side of the fourth line A GPS position fix is not obtained until at least three sat i fg spe War NE WIND GUST 9 mph Ap Wind N at 19 mph Gust 25 Temp 15 RH 43 Bar 29 5 GPS 8 sat 212726 E20 ellites are being received and the more satellites the more accurate the position fix and the computation of the vehi cle and true wind speeds Monitor On the far right of the fourth line is a small letter a W on the previous screen image This letter should be fre quently changing during normal operation Each of the six data messages sent by the Sprayer Station Sensor Unit is assigned a letter which is displayed as it 1s received by SpecWare Mobile The data sentences are sent individu ally at one second intervals and at times different letters may be followed by a larger break and therefore be easier to see Contro
27. unted in clear air away from obstructions in any direction that will interfere with air flowing through the unit Ideally this would be on the roof of the cab or the tank If the Sensor Unit is not the highest point be sure to mount it far enough from any ob struction so there is no interference with the air flow Y Waiila Sprayer Station os y T Because the Sensor Unit has an electronic compass it should be at least 3 1 m away from strong magnetic fields from equipment such as radio transmitters Since it has a GPS be sure it is as far as possible from high powered transmitting antennas to avoid mutual interfer ence Similarly mount the Sensor Unit far enough from an existing GPS unit to avoid interference and to keep the Sensor Unit from blocking the GPS unit s view of the sky The Sensor Unit must be installed vertically NOT tilted to one side Tilting the unit will introduce an error in the compass reading If you are using the magnetic mount remember that you must have a steel surface to attract the magnet With a fiberglass roof this usually requires applying an adhesive steel plate as is used to provide a mounting point for GPS units The magnetic mount can also be removed and a standard 1 4 bolt can be used to attach the mounting post to the vehicle 9 Once you have decided on a location note which direction you want the cable to travel At this time you may wish to mark the fr
28. ure compensated silicon piezoresistive pressure sensor It measures atmospheric pressure for use as a digital barometer About the GPS The Sprayer Station has a built in Global Positioning System with its own antenna receiver and position determining electronics The GPS receiver receives radio signals from a constellation of orbiting satel lites maintained by the U S government By accurately measuring the time it takes for a transmission to travel from each satellite to the re ceiver the unit is able to determine the distance between the satellite and the receiver When the distance is known to three satellites the unit is able to calculate the latitude and longitude of the receiver This is known as a 2D 2 dimensional fix If the distance is known to four or more satellites then the unit is additionally able to calculate the altitude of the receiver This is known as a 3D or 3 dimensional fix On average the GPS receiver in the Sprayer Station takes approxi mately one minute to achieve a position fix after power is first ap plied This is known as the time to first fix The GPS receiver has 16 channels to track satellites and will use up to 12 satellites in com puting a position fix The GPS receiver synchronizes itself to the atomic clocks on board each satellite This allows the GPS receiver to accurately determine the date and time as well If the GPS receiver is mounted on a moving vehicle its changing po sition
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