WaterScout SM 100 Soil Moisture Sensor - Product Manuals

The sensor is made up of two electrodes that function as a capacitor, with the surrounding soil serving as the dielectric. An 80 MHz oscillator drives the capacitor and a signal proportional to the soil’s dielectric permittivity is converted to the output signal. The dielectric permittivity of water is much greater than air, soil minerals and organic matter. So, changes in water content can be detected by the sensor circuitry and correlated to the soil’s moisture content. The SM100, in conjunction with a Soil Sensor Reader or a WatchDog weather station, will give you a better idea of how fast soil water is being depleted in different areas of your field. By keeping track of your field’s soil moisture status between irrigations, you can better schedule irrigations and evaluate the effectiveness of rain and irrigation water. Regular monitoring will give you an accurate picture of this process over time. Download the accumulated data at your convenience. SpecWare will present data in graphical and tabular form. Use the software to view daily, monthly and yearly reports.