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A computer‐controlled 36‐channel time domain reflectometry system for monitoring soil water contents
Author(s) -
Heimovaara T. J.,
Bouten W.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr026i010p02311
Subject(s) - reflectometry , time domain , signal (programming language) , remote sensing , channel (broadcasting) , soil science , environmental science , water content , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , computer science , engineering , geotechnical engineering , electrical engineering , computer vision , programming language
Research on the spatial and temporal dynamics of soil water has long been impeded by the lack of an automated technique for the measurement of soil water content. A computer controlled time domain reflectometry (TDR) system is described which gives the possibility of making a large number of measurements at different sites at predetermined time intervals. The developed system operates on 12 V dc and has the capability to monitor water contents at 36 sites. The algorithm used for the automatic analysis of the measurements is also presented. It is based on the calculation of the travel time of the TDR signal between the beginning and the end of a three‐wire probe.