Data Loggers for Remote Data Collection Systems: Which One to Choose?

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Jason Vine

cassette tape

I am a practising Professional Egineer who does A LOT of data collection applications, both for my clients as well as for the 150 or so employee needs within my own firm. When someone asks me what kind of data logger they should use, I always start by asking them where the data logger will be located, and what it will be used for. There are plenty of choices! Here’s a few of the systems and applications that are currently connected to FlowWorks.

Telog

We have some small water and sewer treatment plants that talk to FlowWorks using Telog’s wireless 1XRTT modem. We like the Telog products (particularly the 3307 and 3314), as these units are very reliable and they have some very flexible telemetry options (including dialup phone, wireless, and direct Ethernet connections).

ISCO

ISCO 2150 area-velocity meters in sanitary sewers come in via ISCO’s wireless 1XRTT system. The ISCO’s are purpose-built and hence not as flexible as the Telog wireless system, but the ISCO’s are compact units that generally get the job done well enough.

Marsh McBirney

There are a few Marsh McBirney FloDar’s connected to FlowWorks. These units were plugged into the Telog RU33 product, which acts as a data recording and telemetry module for the FloDar.

There is an ADS FlowShark connected to FlowWorks. We don’t have a lot of experience with these yet, but our client out East seems to be happy enough with the unit. It uses wireless 1XRTT just like the Telog and ISCO systems.

Satellite Stations

We have remote stations that use satellite because there is no other option where these sites are located. Right now we have Campbell Scientific and Unidata Neon systems connected. We know that Campbell Scientific systems have been around for a long time and have a proven track record. The Neons also seem to be holding up well.

The bottom line is that there are several ways you can do any particular data collection application. We are always doing new applications, and we keep on top of what’s out there on the market, what works well and what doesn’t. Feel free to ask us for a bit of advice the next time you are looking to do a new data collection application! We work with an expanding list of logger manufacturers, and we provide unbiased advice.

Using a Solar Panel on a Remote Climate Monitoring Station

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Jason Vine

Weather station solar panel

Are solar panels worth it?

There are a lot of hydrometric, sanitary, and rainfall/climate monitoring stations sending data into FlowWorks. Many of our clients have asked us if it’s worth putting a solar panel system on their stations to extend the run times between battery changes. I know there are people who will disagree with me, but my personal opinion is that generally the answer is No.

The main reason to have solar power on your station is to either eliminate or extend the run time between battery changes. There’s also a bit of a “green” look to them. But here’s my main arguments for not bothering:

Any station should be able to run for at least 2 or 3 months on battery power, including those that run on the wireless telemetry systems that Telog, ISCO, ADS, and other manufacturers make. You should be visiting a station to do other station maintenance more often then that anyway, so battery changes shouldn’t be the only reason to go to a site.
If the main reason you want solar is for the Green Theme, that’s great, but the station still needs a battery, which still has to be recycled eventually just like a non-solar station.
Any solar panel large enough to operate a station reliably is usually an easy vandal target. Solar panels are favorite and very expensive targets for guns.
If the panel is very small (like a trickle charger you can buy at an automotive store), you won’t get a huge benefit from it. But they are cheap enough that when they get vandalized you won’t miss the money as much.

Absolutely there are times when solar is a good idea. If you can secure the site against vandalism, or if the site is very remote (and hence not that likely to be vandalized), then if you can stomach the extra expense go for it. Solar panels are still fairly pricey, and they can add up to a large part of the bill for a typical monitoring station. Otherwise, save your money and put it towards more monitoring sites instead.

Telus Auto-Optimizer Rate Plan

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Jason Vine

Telus now has a sensible data optimization rate plan! Click here to go to the Telus webpage.

Essentially, if you have sites that vary quite a bit in their usage, you can switch to these plans which automatically adjust based on the amount of data traffic you use. This probably won’t help too much for many of your stations, as we usually already have Telus clients setup on what is now the cheapest rate plan ($30/500 MB). The only stations that risk going over 500MB/month are the video camera stations, so it may be worth asking your Telus representative to switch you to this plan for your camera stations. If you don’t have a Telus rep, you can always call Andy MacCormack at TAC Mobility who is very helpful (604-817-2224). Also, if you use laptop aircards with Telus, your organization may be able to save quite a bit of money by switching to this plan.