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Spectrum Technologies Field Scout TCM 500, Manual

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Spectrum Technologies Field Scout TCM 500 Manual Download Page 22

22 

Frequently Asked 

Questions 

 

I have new batteries.  Why doesn’t my initial startup 
screen read “Battery at 100%”? 

The battery strength indicator is set to accurately 
detect the strength of alkaline batteries.  The 
displayed battery strength of NiCad batteries will be 
less than 100%. 

 

Does the TCM 500 transmit any light to the target? 

Yes.  The TCM 500 meter has an internal light 
source to illuminate the sample.  It senses the light 
being reflected from the target.  

Summary of Contents for Field Scout TCM 500

Page 1: ...Technologies Inc Spectrum Catalog 2975NDVI ...

Page 2: ...Port 6 Initial Startup 7 Connecting to a GPS Unit 8 Keypad Operation 10 Standard Reading Mode 12 Field Scout Software Toolbar 14 Meter Settings 16 Data Files 17 Meter Indexes 18 Specifications 19 ERROR messages 20 Appendix 1 Time Zone Corrections 21 Frequently Asked Questions 22 Service and Support 23 ...

Page 3: ...lity led to the need for a more objective evaluation technique To answer this need researchers have developed the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index NDVI The Field Scout TCM 500 NDVI Turf Color Meter measures reflected light from turf grass in the red 660 nm and near infrared 850 nm NIR spectral bands Because chlorophyll absorbs the red band 660 nm of incoming radiation the reflectance at that...

Page 4: ... three forms Percent reflectance 0 0 to 99 9 of Red and NIR NDVI 0 000 to 1 000 and Grass Index ie 1 00 to 9 00 GPS DGPS can be used requires GPS DGPS cable item 2950CV5 A running average is calculated and displayed as multiple readings are taken Data is stored in comma delimited text files They can be opened and processed with any spreadsheet graphing statistical or word processing program ...

Page 5: ...S unit The meter must be turned off before attempting communication with the 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 16 The Com Port Meter Type Downloa...

Page 6: ...he unit will then proceed to the standard reading mode In order to record data and global positioning system GPS coordinates the data logger must first be enabled through the software See p 16 If the data logger has been enabled battery strength and the amount of remaining memory Memory __ FULL will be displayed If GPS data is being recorded as well the meter will display the status of the GPS sig...

Page 7: ...t 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...

Page 8: ...PS 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 Reading GPS ERR before returning to measurement mode In this case the data will be recorded without lat...

Page 9: ...r 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 computer interface cable GPS Unit Spectru...

Page 10: ... for 10 minutes it will automatically turn off to conserve power When the meter is powered off either with the ON OFF button or due to inactivity the AVG and N values are reset to zero see Standard Reading Mode p 12 ON BATTERY AT 85 V7 0 Battery status screen LOGGER 28 FULL NO GPS FOUND LOGGER 35 FULL GPS YES DGPS YES Logger and GPS status screens When the DELETE CLR AVG but ton is pressed and imm...

Page 11: ... meter is turned off the meter will display AVG See Stan dard Reading Mode p 12 for more details Read The MODE key selects which of three data formats will be displayed on the LCD The mode can be changed after a measurement to view measurement val ues in different formats The TCM500 has three display modes RED NIR NDVI and Grass In dex See Meter Indexes p 18 NDVI The equation for NDVI computation ...

Page 12: ...uds conditions The TCM 500 has its own internal light source allowing measurements to be made any time When measuring taller grass it may be necessary to press down on the meter sample such that ambient light is blocked out Excessively bright ambient or reflected light will saturate the light sensors and thereby cause invalid readings When the light sensors near the saturation point an LCD message...

Page 13: ...eadings can be taken beyond the maximum N value of 250 But N will not continue to increment unless the entire current data series is cleared resetting N to zero Logging Data The data logger must be enabled in order to download data to a PC In the Field Scout software clicking a button entitled Meter Settings will display a screen that has Enable Meter s Logging Function as an option The box associ...

Page 14: ...elect the Com Port that is assigned to the computer data port See Identifying the Correct Com Port p 6 for instructions on how to de termine which port to select Meter Type Select the TCM 500 NDVI Type option from the list of available Field Scout meters Field Scout Software Toolbar ...

Page 15: ...he data file is stored as a comma delimited text file and may be viewed in text editor or spreadsheet software Clear Memory The logger continuously adds to its memory until the logger is manually cleared by the Field Scout software Data is not automatically removed from the logger mem ory after a download The Clear Memory button initiates the clear memory sequence The software then warns you that ...

Page 16: ...me zone correc tion should be entered in the third box Appendix 2 lists time zone corrections for several cities The Meter Settings screen in the Field Scout software is used to configure the meter and data logger for your spe cific application It is accessed by clicking the Meter Set tings button or selecting Edit Logger s Name and Set tings from the Logger menu The fields are described below Met...

Page 17: ...ssions 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 The data file is separated into 6 fields Latitude and Lon gitude blank if a GPS unit was not connected sample number Red reflectance Near Infrared ...

Page 18: ...eflectance in the band of 660 5 nm 2 Grass Index The Grass Index has a scale of 1 to 9 and approximates the rating a visual observer would assign to the turf grass This provides a more objective value for this generally very subjective parameter The Grass Index is calculated as follows Grass Index NDVI X 6 6 2 26 3 Reflectance Values The percent of incident light of each wavelength band that is re...

Page 19: ...VI 0 000 to 1 000 c Grass Index 1 00 to 9 00 Measurement Interval One second per measurement without GPS Two to four seconds per measurement with GPS Repeatability 5 of measurement Download File Format Comma delimited text file Temperature Range 32 to 104 F 0 to 40 C Environmental Sealing Dust proof Power Conservation Automatically turns off after 10 minutes of inactivity Battery 9 V Battery Appro...

Page 20: ...reached Download the data and clear the memory LOW BATTERY This error message begins to flash when the alkaline battery level reaches 20 Turn the meter off and re place the batteries ABOVE CALIBRATION The optical sensor is out of calibration Meter should be sent in for service BELOW CALIBRATION SENSOR SATURATION There may be damage to the internal light source Meter should be sent in for service ...

Page 21: ...nchorage 10 Honolulu 11 Wellington 13 Adelaide Melbourne Sydney 14 Vladivostok Brisbane 15 Seoul Tokyo 16 Beijing Hong Kong Manila Singapore Taipei 17 Hanoi Jakarta Vientiane 18 Calcutta New Delhi 19 Kabul Islamabad 20 Tehran Abu Dhabi Dubai 21 Moscow Nairobi Kampala Riyadh 22 Ankara Athens Helsinki Istanbul Cairo Johannesburg Harare 23 Amsterdam Barcelona Berlin Geneva Paris Prague Rome Brussels ...

Page 22: ...ngth indicator is set to accurately detect the strength of alkaline batteries The displayed battery strength of NiCad batteries will be less than 100 Does the TCM 500 transmit any light to the target Yes The TCM 500 meter has an internal light source to illuminate the sample It senses the light being reflected from the target ...

Page 23: ...pectrum Technologies Inc Please indicate that you need Technical Support for the TCM 500 meter 1 Write down the events that led to the problem Have you changed anything in your computer recently Are you doing anything differently 2 Provide details on the hardware and software configuration of your computer including manufacturer model number peripherals and versions of the operating system 3 Compl...

Page 24: ...This warranty is void if the Spectrum products have 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 back to Spectrum at your expense with the RGA numb...

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