[wxsig] wxsig Digest, Vol 46, Issue 1

[John Bennett]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the note. The first significant amount of frozen precip may
come this next week. We did have about an inch of snow recently, but due
to a temperature variance once it falls below freezing the results were
not conclusive. I have some ideas on how to sort this out. I just need
the time - which I do not really have right now. I am the Chief Engineer
of a local television station and am pretty covered up between the
digital transition, the Sprint-Nextel 2GHz relocation project and the
fact we have to move to a new location by year's end. The manufacturer,
will soon have a new transducer that would be better suited for snow
measurement, so that is another consideration.

Your garage project sounds interesting. Using the MaxBotix EZ1 (same
sensor I am using in the snow depth sensor) and a comparator on the
analog output you could probably come up with a solution in an hour or
two.

Thanks for the info. I will take a look.

73, 

John

On Sun, 2009-01-18 at 09:37 -0600, Bob Stricklin wrote:
> John,
> 
> Have a look at http://www.edpcompany.com/sonaindex.html.
> This company makes ultrasonic sensors and is probably after
> automotive related applications mostly.
> 
> Tanners is an electronic surplus dealer in Farmers Branch, the Dallas 
> area. They had some of the sensors like the one shown at the url given. 
> I purchased one of them and had planed to use it to monitor the water 
> level in a cattle watering tub. Still on my ToDo list though. I also 
> thought I may be able to get a different signal when the water freezes. 
> When ice forms I could turn on a heater. Cows drink about 40 gallons of 
> water per day each so I have to keep an avilable water source.
> 
> As I recall the cost was about $12 to $20. The range is stated to be 6 
> to 10 inches but other models are available. Tanners does not do mail 
> order. However if you are interested I could try to get one for you and 
> mail it to you. Tanners typically has a limited inventory of items like 
> this and when they are gone there gone. I purchased the one I have about 
> a year ago. You may also want to talk with the manufacture.
> 
> Another application I have wanted to tackel is to place one of these on 
> my garage wall and turn on an LED when my car was at the ideal park 
> location.
> 
> I think your application is a good one and interesting. You may be able 
> to get different signatures of sound for different types of snow. You 
> may also be able to see it snowing with ultrasonics. The resolution of 
> the ultrasonic system design will drive the capabilty to do these things.
> 
> 73, Bob N5BRG
> 
> 
> 
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