Blog from July, 2013

TP01 Installation Note: The sensors were placed in the ground at the proper depth, but the transducer foil was oriented 90-degrees off, being flat rather than edge facing up.

See photos for some of the soil installations taken at/prior to teardown.   Note the branch at SoilB and the uncovered transducers prior to excavation.   Other photos are available on the project repository and will be posted to the web page when available.

Following the SOAS project, we tested each sonic in a zero-wind enclosure within the EOL temperature chamber, measuring wind component offsets and sonic temperature errors over the nominal range -30 C to 55 C.  The procedure is to warm the chamber up to 55 C and then slowly decrease the temperature linearly to -30 C, followed by slowly increasing the temperature back to 55 C.  The zero-wind enclosure holds two sonic heads on their sides (with the v-axis vertical) and electronics, one above the other and separated with a horizontal layer of rigid blue foam.  On the cool-down cycle, the atmosphere around the top sonic is unstably stratified (cold enclosure lid above warmer air) and that around the bottom sonic is stably stratified (cold enclosure bottom below warmer air).  The opposite is true during the warm-up cycle.  Both the wind component data and the sonic temperature data have significantly less variance when the air is stably stratified, and thus we use data from the bottom sonic during the cool-down cycle and data from the upper sonic during the warm-up cycle.

The following table shows wind component offsets as okay if the u and v offsets are less than +/- 4 cm/s and the w offsets less than +/- 2 cm/s.  If the zero wind offset exceeds these thresholds, the table lists the temperature range of the over-limit offset and the largest amplitude of the offset.  The plots of offsets versus temperature can then be examined to determine the exact nature of the offset.

The last column relates to the following project, METCRAX, in October 2013.  The operating temperature range for night-time warm-air intrusions into the crater is on the order of -10 to +20 C.  The last column notes whether or not the sonic is suitable for that temperature range.  Several sonics not used in SOAS tested okay post-SCP.

These are the mote associations with the radiometer-booms at teardown.  Some changes from setup noted.

See also entry from June9th "Sensor Locations and Serial Numbers."

July 20, 2013

We are all packed and site is cleaner than when we left it.  Good bye, SOAS.

July 19, 2013

The whole tower is down and all gear has been removed from the forest...including power cable.  Base Trailer has been shipped out and all we have is to do is pack the Penske.

July 18, 2013

Base Trailer is packed and ready for moving.  We will stage it over by the old gov't buildings so Trailer Transit will not have to deal with any nasty conditions.  The tower is down to 30' and all sections have been cached by the old gov't buildings.

Lightning protection has been removed from the SEARCH site.  Hardhats, first aid kit and safety glasses have been brought back to the AABC site for shipping. 

July 16, 2013

Got down to 80' on tower removal.  This includes anchors and chemistry tubes.  

July 16, 2013

We have removed all sensors and brackets from the tower today.  Fiber has been pulled and wound up on spools.

High Fives!

July 16, 2013

~9:00am CDT

Shutting down all systems.   Good night, SOAS.

July 15, 2013

~11:30am CDT

Tower was climbed with a student tour.  Lasted about 15 minutes.

15Jul13

From ~12:15 - 15:30 we had the power down at the tower site, and thus the network link as well.   NO DATA LOSS: Local data storage remained up on the dsm's and data transfer should happen as normal tonight.

This was done as the ACD / Tram trailer were loaded and hauled out.   Kerry Slaven showed up to help and they brought their Penski so we took advantage and had the ACD eqpt. loaded for shipment early.   While doing so, we then pulled our big transformers and put them in the Tram trailer in addition to the ACD overflow in preparation for shipping.

Power was re-wired to the small transformers and the network comms came back normally.

15July13 first look .... edits lost/computer problem, leaving for base and tram trailer extraction.   Last day of project

Re-entering what i recall when looking hour+ ago..... 

July 14, 2013

11:30 - 1:00pm CDT

Took three students up the tower for a show-and-tell.  The ride price was $10 for 10 minutes, with additional minute(s) at 10cents.

20m Tsfc out from ~ 12July 2:00 - 14July 9:30

The old sensor filled with water apparently from the back/bulgin side.

The new sensor installed 7/14 ~9:30 but not seen in cockpit or covars.   Looking directly at the mote using 'mp=1' dsm-printable it is reporting.   Its i2c address is 0x3c, serial number 1.   The xml may be looking for a different address.

14jul13 pm update