HydroSense II Soil Moisture Measurement System
9
4
Setup and First Use
The steps to setup the HydroSense II are as follows:
Remove the HydroSense II display from the carry case.
Remove the blue protective strip from the display window and discard.
Remove the probe from the carry case.
Connect the probe to the display by mating the connector on the cable
to the connector at the bottom of the display.
Please note that the connector is a push-pull type with locators to align the
connectors. The connectors can be damaged if the user attempts to screw or
unscrew them. To mate the connectors, simply bring them together and turn until
you feel that they are aligned, then applying firm pressure, slide them together
until they click. To disconnect, pull back on the connector collar with the thumb
and forefinger and pull the two connectors apart.
The HydroSense II stores time, date and positional information with any stored
measurements. To take advantage of this, it is recommended to use the
HydroSense outdoors with a clear view of the sky. Measurements can be made
and data stored without a
GPS
signal, however it is important to note that the
software will be unable to group and display data geographically later.
The steps to taking a measurement are as follows:
Ensure that the HydroSense II is turned on. Start up the HydroSense II
by holding the
Menu/PWR
button for 3 seconds.
In order to store data with positional information, it may take up to 1
minute to establish GPS synchronisation. When the GPS icon is
displayed, synchronisation has been successful.
Insert the probe into the soil ensuring that the probes are fully inserted.
To take a measurement, press the
Read/OK
button. The measured VWC
and period are shown on the screen.
5
Measurements
5.1
Measurement Display
The HydroSense II can display two different sets of data on the
main screen
. The
main data set contains volumetric water content (VWC) in percent and period (in
μsec). This is termed the Water Content Display and it is shown whenever a
successful measurement is made.
The second data set represents Water Deficit. This is helpful for irrigation
planning because it provides an estimate of the soil water content relative to the
pre-selected “wet” and “dry” reference levels and the amount of rain (in mm)
required to return the soil to the “wet” level.
By default, only Water Content data is shown on the
main screen
, however using
the
configuration menus
Water Deficit can be enabled if desired.
5.2
Water Content Display
The water content data set displays the volumetric water content (VWC) and
period (PER) retrieved from the CS658/9 sensor. The soil moisture sensor uses a
proprietary technique to determine water content over widely varying soils while
correcting for a range of bulk electrical conductivity.
