can change, even becoming more obscure, over time. Small problems can often escalate into
larger ones due to cascading consequences.
Status Monitor is a key tool for identifying that a problem in the system exists (see
(p. 69) for guidance about using Status Monitor). Some common indicators that something is
wrong with a station are:
l
Scheduled (automatic) collection is not working as shown by the Status Monitor or Table
Monitor
l
Connection to the station does not work in the
LoggerNet
Connect Screen
l
Clock checks (Setup Screen) are not working
l
Manual collection via Collect Now or Custom Collect does not work
l
Station Status (such as Summary and Status tables) are unviewable
l
Station can communicate but collected data from that station has problems
Troubleshooting a part of the system that has never worked as desired is typically related to the
installation process.
When a problem arises in a system area that used to work but has recently stopped working, the
main question to ask is, “What changed?” What changed in the system to cause the station to
stop operating? When did the failure begin? Examine key aspects of the system and its recent
maintenance history to obtain clues about changes to the system. Sometimes a change to the
system that seems harmless or unrelated turns out to be the cause of the trouble.
Problems may be caused by acts of nature, such as lightning strikes, storms, animal intrusion or
by operational features of the station that worsened gradually and remained undetected until
they finally ceased to function, such as a bad battery. An on-site camera can be helpful if physical
problems occur with on-site equipment on a regular basis.
11.1 Using
LoggerNet
to remotely
troubleshoot problems
Sometimes you can still communicate with the CRVW3 station, but its measurements make little
or no sense or work only intermittently. In those cases, you can connect to the station and check
the spectrum to see if a sensor problem exists with sensor cabling, connectivity, operation, or
noise/interference to name a few examples. See
(p. 62) for details about
how this is done. Compare the current spectrum with a baseline spectrum saved during
maintenance or installation. A visit to the site may still be required; however, the spectral
information may give a clue about what has gone wrong.
CRVW3 3-Channel Vibrating-Wire Data Logger
68