FAQ
What is the distance between the soil moisture measurement and density measurement?
The distance is 10 cm, with the soil moisture measurement lower than the density measurement.
The centre of the soil moisture measurement is 10 cm below the centre of the density sensor.
What is the volume the RhoC measures into the soil?
The signal of the RhoC is attenuated in the soil, with most of the information originating from a short distance near the sensor. In the measurements, 90% of the signal comes from within a 6 cm radius, while the soil between 6 and 9 cm contributes the remaining 10% to the measured signal.
90% of the signal comes from a radius of 6 cm around the sensor.
How well does this unit work in soils with stones?
In stony soils, using a hand auger to create a hole can be difficult, and a hydraulic coring device may be necessary. However, we assume the user has experience in extracting cores from their local soil.
The RhoC sensor measures the average density of the total volume directly around the sensor. When stones are present, the density of the soil including stones will be given.
Is there a legal certification needed to operate the device (in terms of radiation source).
The radioactive source in the rhoC5 has an activity below the exemption value defined by the European Atomic Energy Community1. This means that the sensor does not require a special license to possess, store or operate the density meter. It is considered safe to work with when using the recommended working procedures of operating the rhoC5. See alos Safety note on working with the RhoC5 .
What kind of sensor is the soil moisture sensor?
The soil moisture sensor is a capacitance based sensor, which can be comparable to an FDR approach.
Is there a maximum total moisture % limit this equipment can read?
the sensor can measure up to 100% of water. In pure water it reads 100%.
Can it be used in areas with over saturated material and a few inches of surface water?
Yes. The sensor is IP68 waterproof and also measures the water content in saturated material.
Does the access hole have to be unlined or can you set it up for repeated measurements of the same point?
The acces hole should be unlined. When a liner is present, this will be part of the density measurement.
Does the soil-moisture sensor corrects the density measurements?
Yes, the field bulk densities that the RhoC measures are corrected for soil moisture content to dry bulk densities. These 3 parameters are all reported.