[aprssig] River Gauging APRS setup

Sat Dec 18 01:30:29 UTC 2010

USGS does streams, generally

NOAA does tides / coastal waters.

GOES is one method of getting data. On the NOAA tide stations, they 
transmit at UHF (410.xxx) for 55 seconds, every 3 hours, on a time-slot 
assignment.

They may also have another radio (U or V) for more-frequent data, 
gathered locally. Some stations have modems or by now are probably on a 
network (I was involved in a Texas network of tide gauges some time ago).

The NOAA tide gauges use an ultrasonic sensor, takes a reading every 6 
minutes. Does 3 mins of 1 sample/sec and an averaging algorithm. These 
stations often have temp and wind sensors.

The tide gauge sensor will be accurately surveyed (height, coordinates) 
back to a stable bench mark and water levels can be pretty accurately 
compared to the bench mark. You often see these on piers.

USGS usually uses a diaphragm sensor to sense pressure change; these 
don't need so much stuff!

http://www.cbi.tamucc.edu/

Look on the left, Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network

At the bottom of that is a noaa link.

One key feature of the NOAA progarm is long, historical, accurate data 
collection.

On 12/17/2010 7:11 PM, Steve Noskowicz wrote:
> Hey!  Wait a minute...!   This is *already* done automaticlly and by 
> radio.
>
>   Cycling last spring on the bicycle path from Cristal Lake, IL to 
> south of Algonquin, IL the path crosses the Fox River.  What easily 
> caught my eye was the UHF beam, only feet from the path, pointing 
> toward Pluto.  There was a pretty big outdoor box, though I couldn't 
> see the water sensor.  I don't recall the detail, but it had a sign 
> and was a water montoring setup beaming obviously to a satellite.  The 
> sign had specifics and it may have been USGS, I just don't remember.  
> I had no pencil or I'd have Googled it back home.  Shoulda' used the 
> cell to leave a memo @ home.
>   The McHenry County Conservation District also recently drilled a 
> well on one vacant space near here and now there is a solar panel, a 
> box and another beam pointing at Pluto.  The sign there even has the 
> satellite name -  Geos - something or other and the beam still has the 
> frequency label.
>   They're just rebuilding our Thompson road bridge, but until recently 
> it had a box and what looked like something that could be 
> dropped/cranked down to the water, and I think had a USGS label.  
> Without any visible sub-space radio, I often wondered how they 
> actuated it from Pluto..  (;-).  Now I know.
> --
> 73, Steve,
> --- On *Fri, 12/17/10, Lee Mushel /<herbert3 at centurytel.net>/* wrote:
>
>     Gentlemen,
>     I find this to be a very interesting topic.   You see, next spring
>     I might get a phone call from the National Weather Service and
>     then I take the key and drive to the river gauge, open the
>     padlock, lower the "sensor" and read the value, then restore
>     everything and drive to the next gauge and then the next.   This
>     may take 45 minutes.   Then I email NWS my report---or I could
>     radio it to them but the email is preferred because it provides a
>     record that is easily handled.  Now, since there is that padlock
>     to be considered I hope that any plans would include provisions
>     for security---especially if I am paying for this!
>     But I must warn you that a suggestion by me that realtime
>     water/flood photos be "radioed" by ham radio to the hydrologist
>     was met with absolutely no enthusiasm.  Acceptance of new ideas,
>     even though they have merit, can be difficult!
>     73
>     Lee  K9WRU
>
>         ----- Original Message -----
>         *From:* Jim Tolbert
>         <http://us.mc386.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=jim@riverridge-wi.net>
>
>         *To:* TAPR APRS Mailing List
>         <http://us.mc386.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=aprssig@tapr.org>
>         *Sent:* Friday, December 17, 2010 6:29 AM
>         *Subject:* Re: [aprssig] River Gauging APRS setup
>
>         http://www.graphicartworks.net/xpondr_main/floodadvisor.html
>
>         On 12/17/2010 5:30 AM, Wes Johnston, AI4PX wrote:
>>         http://www.xpondr.com/041202/flood_advisor.pdf
>>         I just searched my email archives and this is what I found.
>>         Link doesn't work.  I do remember this thing though, it was
>>         in a PVC pipe and shot an ultrasonic transducer down the pipe
>>         to measure the distance to the water surface.  I think the
>>         guy that made it was in Florida.... but not sure.
>>
>>         Wes
>>         ---
>>         God help those who do not help themselves.
>>
>>
>>         On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 23:54, Daron Wilson <daron at wilson.org
>>         <http://us.mc386.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=daron@wilson.org>>
>>         wrote:
>>
>>             Somewhere I've seen plans for a simple river gauge setup
>>             with APRS, seems to
>>             me it was a micro power transmitter, the thing ran on
>>             several 6v lantern
>>             batteries, PVC conduit into the river for the sensing
>>             portion and an antenna
>>             on top of the PVC.  I can't find it, does anyone remember
>>             this and have the
>>             link or info on this?
>>
>>             Thanks,
>>
>>             Daron N7HQR
>>
>
>
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