Spectrum Technologies Fieldscout TDR 350 Product Manual
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Spectrum Technologies Fieldscout TDR 350 Product Manual

Soil moisture meter
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TDR 350
Soil Moisture Meter
PRODUCT MANUAL
Item # 6435

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Joseph healey
February 6, 2025

Reading 8% when i know its almost 20 say the lowest 18%

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1 comments:
Mr. Anderson
February 10, 2025

The Fieldscout TDR 350 reading may be lower than expected due to several factors:

1. Soil Composition: High clay content or high electrical conductivity (EC > 2 mS/cm) can attenuate the high-frequency signal, affecting the volumetric water content (VWC) reading.
2. Organic Matter: Very high organic matter content can also impact the VWC reading.
3. Probe Connection: Ensure the probe block is securely plugged into the display, as a loose connection may cause incorrect readings.
4. Firmware Issues: If the firmware is outdated or corrupted, update it using a USB flash drive formatted in FAT or FAT32 with the firmware file in the root directory.

Checking these factors can help determine the cause of the discrepancy in readings.

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Summary of Contents for Spectrum Technologies Fieldscout TDR 350

  • Page 1 TDR 350 Soil Moisture Meter PRODUCT MANUAL Item # 6435...

  • Page 2: General Overview

    General overview Thank you for purchasing the Field Scout TDR 350 soil moisture meter. This manual describes the meter's general features and operation. Soil moisture is a critical, and potentially highly varia- ble, component of the soil environment. Time domain reflectometry is a proven technology for quickly and accurately determining volumetric water content (VWC) in soil.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    CONTENTS General Overview Specifications Product Dimensions Button Functions Display Screens Meter Operation Meter Care Maintenance: Display and Battery Removal Maintenance: Display and Sensor Replacement Data Logs Field Scout Mobile App/SpecConnect Pairing TDR350 with FieldScout Mobile App VWC Measurements Electrical Conductivity Optional Accessories Appendix 1: Soil Specific Reading Correlation Appendix 2: Troubleshooting...

  • Page 4: Specifications

    Specifications Measurement Percent volumetric water content (VWC) Units Period (raw sensor reading) Resolution, VWC: 0.1% increment ±3.0% @ < 2 mS/cm Accuracy and 0% to Saturation (Saturation is typically around Range 50% volumetric water) EC: 0.01 increment ; ± 0.1 mS/cm; 0 - 5 range Temperature: 0.2 ˚F (0.1 ˚C) increment ;...

  • Page 5: Product Dimensions

    Product dimensions The following are the dimensions of a fully extended TDR 350. It is possible to reduce the length of the meter to 23” (58.5 cm) by adjusting the lower half of the shaft.

  • Page 6: Button Functions

    Button Functions ON/OFF or BACK button Press briefly to power on. − Press and hold to stay on logo screen. − Press for 2 seconds to power off. − Press briefly within a menu to return to prior − screen. MENU or SELECT button Press to enter available menus.

  • Page 7: Display Screens

    Display Screens The TDR 350 has 3 main display screens; - Startup Information (shown on previous page) - Reading (figure 1) - Settings Menu (see p. 8) Startup Information screen Initially displayed after first powered on. - Displays firmware version information. - Press and hold ON/OFF|BACK button to remain on this screen.
  • Page 8 Settings Menu screen Used for changing device features, setting rod length and working with log files. Use arrow buttons to move to the desired option. The Select button toggles through option choices. Clear Average*: Clear the current average and resets the counter. Rod Length: Select the Rod length See page 4 for options.
  • Page 9 Moisture Type: Volumetric water content (VWC%), raw sensor reading (Period), or TDR 300 mode. - VWC%: displays the volumetric water content with temperature and EC compensation. - Period: displays the raw sensor reading - for troubleshooting or soil-specific calibration. - TDR 300: displays VWC output without temperature or EC compensation EC Units: EC value (mS/cm) or Salinity Index (see p.

  • Page 10: Meter Operation

    Meter Operation Figure 1. Shaft, fastening bolt, and rods Setting up the meter 1. Adjust the length of the collapsible shaft (fig. 1) by removing the fastening bolt and either extending or retracting the shaft to its new position, re-insert the fastening bolt, and hand tighten. 2.

  • Page 11: Meter Care

    Meter Care The FieldScout TDR meter will function properly under normal conditions experienced in field use. The sensor block is sealed and will not be damaged by immersion in water. The display is not waterproof, so it should not be used during heavy rainfall or left exposed during irrigation events.

  • Page 12: Maintenance: Display And Battery Removal

    Maintenance Figure 1. Sensor cable con- Figure 2. Shaft interface nection to board. Display and Sensor Removal: 1. Remove the rods. 2. Flip the TDR display over. 3. Remove the 4 screws at each corner. 4. Gently separate the display module from the base plate. Note: The sensor cable is attached in the center and should be pulled slightly out of the base plate for battery, sensor, or display replacements.

  • Page 13: Maintenance: Display And Sensor Replacement

    Display Removal: 1. Follow steps for Display and Sensor Removal to access the display and cable connections. 2. Remove the foam spacer and unplug the sensor cable connect- or from the jack. If an IR temperature sensor is connected, disconnect this plug as well. Do not discard the foam spac- Display Installation: 1.

  • Page 14: Data Logs

    Data Logs Figure 1: Sample TDR 350 data file Downloading Data Data stored in the meter's internal memory can be transferred to your PC with a USB flash drive. 1. Connect the flash drive to the meter’s USB port. 2. Press the Menu/Select button on the bottom left of the display to open the Settings Menu.
  • Page 15 Managing Data The data is stored in comma-delimited text files. The file name will match the serial number of your meter. These files can be opened with text-editing software or spreadsheet software (fig. 1). The data is separat- ed into 15 fields. Column Description Date and time...

  • Page 16: Field Scout Mobile App/Specconnect

    Field Scout Mobile App/ SpecConnect The FieldScout Mobile App can be used to send data directly to the SpecConnect web interface. Data can be viewed on a Smartphone in two formats. In grid mode, the site is divided into a customizable 2-dimensional grid of 3 to 5 rows and 3 to 5 col- umns.
  • Page 17 Fig. 3. 2-D Contour Plot in SpecConnect Fig. 4. Trend Report...

  • Page 18: Pairing Tdr350 With Fieldscout Mobile App

    Pairing With The FieldScout Mobile App The internal Bluetooth radio must be paired with the smartphone running FieldScout Mobile. For some smartphone operating sys- tems, it may be necessary to manually enable Location Services. 1. Activate Bluetooth feature on the smartphone. 2.
  • Page 19 b. For Freeform mode, the app will immediately transition to the Take Reading screen (Fig. 3). 6. Tap the Connect FieldScout Device via Bluetooth button. If the Bluetooth feature has not been activated, you will be prompted to do so. 7.

  • Page 20: Vwc Measurements

    VWC Measurements Volumetric Water Content (VWC) The ratio of the volume of water in a given volume of soil to the total soil volume expressed as a decimal or a percentage. Three soil moisture levels of most importance can be defined as follows: Saturation: All soil pores are filled with water.

  • Page 21: Electrical Conductivity

    Electrical Conductivity Electrical Conductivity The FieldScout TDR uses EC readings obtained from the same probes used to measure VWC. To improve the VWC measurement accuracy, EC is factored out of the VWC reading. This is a key advantage over its pre- decessor.

  • Page 22: Optional Accessories

    Optional Accessories There are two optional items that can be used to expand the capabil- ities of the TDR350. Visit www.specmeters.com for more infor- mation and installation instructions. Infrared Temperature Sensor (item 6435TS) Provides an instantaneous and highly accurate tempera- ture reading as an alternative to the existing surface tem- perature sensor.

  • Page 23: Appendix 1: Soil Specific Reading Correlation

    Appendix 1: Soil-Specific Reading Correlation To improve accuracy, correlate TDR period readings with a soil-specific sample set. VWC data can be correlated by measuring the weight of a known volume of saturated soil as it is gradually dried, by gradually wetting a known volume soil with measured increments of water, or by using a neutron probe.

  • Page 24: Appendix 2: Troubleshooting

    Appendix 2 Troubleshooting Sensor Function Verification: Test readings can be taken in three standard environments; air, distilled water, and sand saturated with distilled water. It is important that any troubleshooting be done with distilled water. Readings taken in tap water can differ greatly from the expected results observed in distilled water.

  • Page 25: Appendix 3: Updating Device Firmware

    Appendix 3: Updating Device Firmware Firmware updates may be made available to add or improve the product features. The firmware can be updated using a USB flash drive. Firmware update files can be found on the Spectrum web- site. 1. Confirm the flash drive is compatible with the TDR meter: File system must be FAT based.

  • Page 26: Appendix 4: Calibration

    Appendix 4: Calibration The FieldScout TDR is fully calibrated at the factory. Further calibration is not required nor recommended. The meter has internal calibrations for standard, sand, and high-clay soil types which will work for many soils. Each meter will have a small difference in how it responds to identical soil conditions.
  • Page 27 Glossary GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System. Standard generic term for satellite navigation systems that provide autonomous geo- spatial positioning with global coverage. This term includes e.g. the GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou and other regional systems WAAS: Wide Area Augmentation System. Air navigation aid de- veloped by the Federal Aviation Administration to augment the Global Positioning System (GPS), with the goal of improving its accuracy, integrity, and availability.

  • Page 28: Warranty Info

    Spectrum is not responsible for any package that is returned without a valid RMA number or for the loss of the package by any shipping company. DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY Spectrum Technologies, Inc. 3600 Thayer Ct. Aurora, IL 60504 USA Model Numbers:...

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