Spectrum Technologies WatchDog 3500 User manual

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WeatherTracker 300
Degree Day Traker
PRODUCT MANUAL
Item # 3500
®

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CONTENTS
This manual will familiarize you with the features and
operation of your new WeatherTracker. Please read this
manual thoroughly before using your instrument. For
customer support, or to place an order, call
Spectrum Technologies, Inc.
[phone] or [phone]
between 7:30 am and 5:30 p.m. CST
FAX at [phone]
E-Mail at [email protected]
General Overview 3
Specifications 4
Station Installation 5
Meter Operation 6
Getting Started 7
Archives 11
Screens 12
Degree Days/ Chill Hours 14
Warranty 15

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General overview
Thank you for purchasing a WeatherTracker. All
Weather Tracker models allow you to conveniently
monitor air temperature. Your model may also have
the ability to measure one additional sensor. Current
conditions and historical data are easily viewed on the
station’s LCD screen.
The internal electronics calculate Growing Degree
Days (GDD) for up to three degree day counters. For
example, one counter can be activated at planting while
another can track the development of insects. The sta-
tion also calculates Chill Hours, which is the total
amount of hours during which temperatures have been
below a specified low temperature. The arrow keys
allow you to scroll through the sensor readings, Degree
Day/Chill Hour calculations as well as set your tem-
perature ranges.

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Model # External
Sensors Measurement Range Accuracy
300
None N/A N/A
310
Temperature -22° to 212°F
-30° to 100°C
±1°F
±0.7°C
360
Rainfall maximum of 2” per hour ±4%
365
Temperature
- - - - - - -
Rainfall
-22° to 212°F
-30° to 100°C
- - - - - - - - -
maximum of
2” per hour
±1°F
±0.7°C
- - - - - - - -
±4%
Specifications
The air temperature sensor has a measurement range of
-4° to 158°F (-20° to 70°C) and an accuracy of ±1°F
(±0.7°C). The ranges and accuracies for the applicable
external sensors are listed in the following table.

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Station Installation
The WeatherTracker has
the versatility to be located
in any micro-climate for
recording weather data.
Hardware is included for
attaching it to a 1” to 1¼”
outside diameter mast
(pipe). Use a 5’ - 10’
length of conduit or pipe as
the mast mount. When
purchasing and/or cutting
the mast to size, plan on
placing 1½’ - 2’ of the mast
into the ground. It can also
be mounted to a wooden
post with the screws that
are provided.
The radiation shield pro-
tects the temperature sensor
from solar radiation and
other sources of reflected
heat. If other sensors are
included, secure the sensor
wires to the mast just below the display module with a
plastic tie. This will make the wires less vulnerable to
being accidentally severed during the season.
Figure 1: WeatherTracker
mounted on 1” conduit

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The WeatherTracker does not have a button or switch
for powering up and down. Instead, the device is op-
erational whenever the battery is installed. The battery
connection can be accessed by removing the face plate
(fig. 2). The cover may be difficult to remove. Exer-
cise care when replacing the plate to ensure the buttons
are not damaged. When replacing or reinstalling the
battery, the time and date must be reprogrammed (see
Setting Date and Time p. 6). The Current Conditions
screen is updated every 20 seconds.
Meter Operation
Figure 2: WeatherTracker Battery Compartment

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Getting Started
New meters, or meters that have been out of service,
must be configured before being placed in the field.
This section takes you through the configuration proc-
ess. After setting the time, unit system, or calculation
parameters, the display will revert to the Current Val-
ues screen (see Screens, p.12)
Install Battery (see Meter Operation pg. 5) for in-
structions on installing the battery.
Setting Date and Time:
1. Press Display.
2. Press Set.
3. Press the down arrow key once to reach the Time &
Date screen.
4. Press Set.
5. Press Set.
6. Enter the month using the arrow keys.
7. Press Set.
8. Enter the day.
Select Parameter
To Be Set (↑↓)
TIME & DATE
Press SET
09-22-03 11:45AM
Press SET
**-22-03 11:45AM
Press SET

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2. Use arrows to scroll to display units.
3. Press Set.
4. Use the arrow keys to choose the desired units.
5. Press Set.
DISPLAY UNITS
Press SET
9. Press Set.
10. Enter the year.
11. Press Set.
12. Enter the hour.
13. Press Set.
14. Enter the minutes.
15. Press Set.
16. Enter AM or PM.
17. Press Set.
Setting Display Units:
If the display is off, press Display to turn it on.
1. Press Set.
Select Parameter
To Be Set (↑↓)

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1. Press Set.
2. Scroll to Degree Day Counter #1 screen.
3. Press Set.
4. The counter will say DISABLED.
5. Press Set.
6. Use arrow keys to scroll to “Start Now” option.
This will start the degree day counter. The other
option is DISABLED.
7. Use arrow keys to scroll to BASE.
8. Press Set.
9. Choose the base temperature using the arrow keys.
10. Press Set.
11. Choose the upper temperature limit using the arrow
keys.
12. Press Set.
Counter: DISABLED
BASE=55 UPPER=55
Setting Degree Day Counters:
Caution: Be careful when entering a parameter update
screen for a degree day counter when that counter is
enabled. If the Set key is pressed, the counter status
will become modifiable and the archives WILL BE
ERASED. If this is not desirable, press one of the ar-
row keys instead of the Set key to exit the screen.
If the display is off, press Display to turn it on.
Select Parameter
To Be Set (↑↓)
DEG DAY COUNT #1
Press SET

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Setting Chill Hour Counter:
Caution: Be careful when entering a parameter update
screen for a chill hour counter when that counter is en-
abled. If the Set key is pressed, the counter status will
become modifiable and the archives WILL BE
ERASED. If this is not desirable, press one of the ar-
row keys instead of the Set key to exit the screen.
If the display is off, press Display to turn it on.
2. Scroll to the Chill Hour screen.
3. Press Set.
4. The counter will say DISABLED.
5. Press Set.
6. Use arrow keys to scroll to “Start Now” option.
This will start the degree day counter. The other
option is DISABLED.
7. Use arrow keys to scroll to BASE.
8. Press Set.
9. Choose base temperature using the arrow keys.
10. Press Set.
1. Press Set.
CHILL HOURS
Press SET
Select Parameter
To Be Set (↑↓)
Counter: DISABLED
BASE=40

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screens for that date.
4. Press Current/Archive again to bring up monthly
summaries.
5. Use the arrow keys to scroll through the past 12
archive.
2. Use the arrow keys to scroll to the date of interest.
3. The unit will automatically scroll through all the
Daily Archive
The Daily Archive retains the last 30 days of data. If
the battery power runs low, the WeatherTracker will
stop measuring and archiving data until the battery is
replaced.
After using the arrow key to select a certain day from
the Daily Archive, the WeatherTracker will then cycle
through all the information stored for that day. This
will include a screen with the high and low tempera-
tures for that day, any active degree day counters and
the average readings for any sensors connected to the
device. If a currently active Degree Day Counter was
not active on that day, the screen will say “No Data”.
Displaying Archives
If the display is off, press Display to turn it on.
1. Press Current/Archive once to bring up the daily
DAILY ARCHIVE
Select Day (↑↓)
2/14/04
READING VALUES...
Archives

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Screens
The following figures give examples of what each of
the various weather monitor screens look like.
-Initial information screen
This is the first screen that comes up when you turn on
the logger. It gives the model number, version number
and model description. This screen is from a Model
330 version 1.9 Grape Pest Alert Tracker.
-Current Values
Model 330 v 1.9
Grape IPM Alert
This screen shows the current air temperature and
status of the leaf wetness sensor (Dry or Wet) and the
cumulative number of hours for the day. The current
temperature on this screen is 74°F. The leaf wetness
sensor is wet, and there is a total number of 5 leaf wet-
ness hours for the day.
-Daily High and Low Values
Air Temp 74oF
Leaf Wet Hours 05
This screen shows the high and low temperature for the
day, along with the times at which they occurred. This
screen shows a high temperature of 74°F at 01:58 PM
and a low of 66ºF at 03:05 AM.
HI 74oF 01:58 PM
LO 66oF 03:05 AM

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-Degree Day Counter
This screen shows the information for Degree Day
Counter #1. This counter is using a temperature range
of 50 to 86°F. So far it has accumlated 16 Degree
Days (DD) for today’s date and has accumulated 2125
since the counter was started or reset on July 3.
-Time, Date
-Battery Level
This screen shows the current date, time and battery
strength. The current date is 09-08-02 and the time is
07:09 PM. The battery is at 90%.
09-08-02 07:09PM
BATTERY AT 90%
DD #1 50-86o16
Since 07/03 2125

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Degree Days/Chill Hours
Degree Days
Temperature is a key factor contributing to the devel-
opment of plants, insects and plant diseases. Degree
Days are a way to quantify the amount of heat that is
available, which is a function of the time the tempera-
ture is within a given temperature range. For example,
if the base temperature is determined to be 40 degrees
and the actual temperature is 41 degrees for 24 con-
secutive hours, one Degree Day is said to have accu-
mulated (41 – 40 = 1 degree for 24 hours or 1 day).
Degree Days indicate the developmental stage of a pest
generation. This allows for more precise pesticide rec-
ommendations.
The WeatherTracker calculates Degree Days using the
integral method. Degree Day values are calculated at
15 minute intervals to produce Degree Quarter-Hours
(DQH), which are then summed over a full day. DQH
are calculated as follows:
DQH = Tavg - Tbase
Where Tavg is the average temperature over the 15-
minute interval and Tbase is the base temperature. If the
average temperature is greater than the upper limit of
the temperature range, the upper temperature limit is
used instead of the average temperature when calculat-
ing DQH. If the average temperature is less than the
base temperature, DQH is set equal to zero for that in-
terval.
Chill Hours
Chill hours are calculated as the amount of time spent
below a base temperature. Chill hours accumulations
are used to estimate dormancy for tree fruit.

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The External Temperature Sensor includes a 10 foot cable.
Install your External Temperature Sensor following the
guidelines below:
• To monitor soil temperature, bury the sensor at a
determined depth.
• To monitor water temperature, drop the sensor into the
water to the desired depth.
• If the cable runs along the ground, use metal or plastic
conduit to protect the cable from rodents.
• Attach the cable to the mounting mast below the
Weather Tracker using the wire tie supplied. This will
ensure that the sensor cable does not become
unplugged by pests or strong winds.
If you have questions on sensor placement for your
particular purpose and/or geological area, contact your
cooperative extension agricultural agent for further
suggestions on field placement.
Inspect the sensors frequently to make certain that the
sensors have not been damaged and are clear of
obstructions.
External Temp Sensor

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Warr a nty
This product is warranted to be free from defects in material or work-
manship for one year from the date of purchase. During the warranty
period Spectrum will, at its option, either repair or replace products that
prove to be defective. This warranty does not cover damage due to
improper installation or use, lightning, negligence, accident, or unau-
thorized modifications, or to incidental or consequential damages be-
yond the Spectrum product. Before returning a failed unit, you must
obtain a Returned Materials Authorization (RMA) from Spec-
trum. Spectrum is not responsible for any package that is returned
without a valid RMA number or for the loss of the package by any ship-
ping company.
12360 S. Industrial Dr. E
Plainfield IL 60585
[phone] or [phone]
Fax [phone]
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.specmeters.com