[dan@wachusett]

Hi Neil,

I ordered my Verizon SIMs through a company called Simetry and have used them successfully with the Digi XBee modem (XB3-C-A2). Unfortunately, I have had these modems fail as well, but for unknown reasons. I have a bunch of the LTE Bee modems, but I can’t use them with our Verizon account because of the end-level certification issue. As far as I know, the Dig XB3-C-A2 modem is the only option available that will work with a Verizon data plan.

If you find another option that will work on Verizon please let us know.

-Dan

[dan@wachusett]

@neilh20

Yes, I did get the Keller CTD. We had the budget and I was able to get an extra Hydros21 to deploy while figure out the Keller CTD. It took me a while to get the parts for the Modbus Wing shield and then build it, but I finally got them and had time to do it… so now I am in the thick of it.

I did follow instructions from the post you mentioned. I have begun doing what you suggest as well… parsing out the raw requests and responses to see what is happening. This may take me quite a while to figure out since I am new to all of this.

I’ll probably post some follow-up questions for the community once I can unravel some of the information that I am getting back from the sensor.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[dan@wachusett]

Jim,

I have seen similar fluctuations in some of the streams where I have Hydros21 sensors. Typically, step changes > 100 µS in 5 or 15 minutes only occur during runoff/snowmelt events. In the winter, after a snow event with road salt application and subsequent melt I have seen > 2,000 µS fluctuations in 15 minutes as the salt pulses work their way down the streams. In the non-snow season a rain event can quickly dilute the streams that have base flows with high conductivity, dropping very quickly in 15 minutes.

If there is no active runoff/snowmelt I tend to see more stable conditions without such rapid fluctuations.

-Dan

 

[dan@wachusett]

Matt, I did see that thread about the SIM and APN details, and have no doubt that the modems will work. The trouble is that our Verizon rep (as of January 2023) does not see the EnviroDIY modem IMEI numbers in their device database, therefore they will not “activate” them on our plan. We have SIM cards operating on the Verizon network now using the Digi modems, and we plan to keep using those SIMs with the EnviroDIY modems if they ever get added to the device database. Do you have a contact at Verizon that was able to activate the EnviroDIY modems on your account? Maybe if I talk to that person I can get further than I did with our rep.

Thanks,

Dan

[dan@wachusett]

Thanks for the quick reply Sara. I might be willing to use jumper wires, but realistically, I lack the time and expertise to figure this out on my own in the near term. If someone else has done this and wants to share a fairly detailed how-to, I could probably follow along.  I may circle back on this at some point in the future, time permitting.

[dan@wachusett]

@shicks, has anyone from Stroud contacted Verizon about this? I am also hitting a wall with adding the LTEBee modem to our Verizon account. The rep from Verizon that we work with is willing to speak with the device manufacturer to get them added to the Device Management Database. How do the LTEBee modems differ from the Digi modems such that Verizon would accept Digi and not the EnviroDIY LTEBee? It would really be great to use the LTEBee modems that we purchased since many of our Digi modems have failed after a year or two and do not perform consistently (which other users have noted).

Please let me know if anyone at EnviroDIY is willing to speak with the Verizon rep and I can provide contact information.

Thanks,
Dan

[dan@wachusett]

Is there any updated timeline on the RS-485 half shield production? The last update was about 6 months ago.

Thanks!

[dan@wachusett]

<div class=”bbp-reply-author”> @rogers1313</div>
<div></div>
<div>I have used the Hydros-21 for several years now and can add a bit to what Neil has mentioned. I also asked the engineers at Meter Group about temperature compensation and found their response unhelpful. My Hydros21 sensors output water depth that is highly affected by temperature (I can be more specific if you like). I run most of my Hydros21 sensors side-by-side with HOBO sensors (made by Onset Computer Corp) and I have come to the conclusion that a post-processing temperature compensation results in a much tighter match with the HOBO output and nearly eliminates the sinuosity imposed by the diurnal temperature fluctuations.   If you are running these in small streams where small change in water level can result in a large percent increase in flow, then these fluctuations can really make a difference in the measured discharge. As for conductivity, we clean off the electrodes regularly and perform corrections for drift due to fouling and apply offsets to match regularly calibrated YSI sensors which provide sanity checks a few times per month. We find the Hydros21 performs fairly well with conductivity so long as it is cleaned regularly.</div>

[dan@wachusett]

Neil/Anthony,

I think we will be able to purchase one Keller CTD this year and I will work on getting it going on the Mayfly 1.1 in whatever spare time I can find in my schedule. I appreciate all the input so far and I am looking forward to digging into this in the coming months. I will keep you both posted as I get going… I’m sure there will be lots of questions. Gathering any necessary hardware will be the first step, so I will check out the RS485 driver wing board you mention above. Unfortunately, working for a government agency makes it rather impossible for me to purchase additional sensors for testing/development.

Regards,

Dan

 

[dan@wachusett]

Thanks for the advice Neil, I think you helped me figure out a path forward here. I have a stream with long-term monitoring data that I do not want to interrupt, so my inclination is to use a sensor that I know how to use (Hydros 21) and if budget/free time allows I would purchase the Keller CTD without being under any time constraints to get it deployed. From the input that you and Anthony provided I am fairly confident that the Keller CTD sensor could work with the Mayfly… I just need to figure out if I can realistically dedicate the time needed to take the lead in figuring it out. It certainly sounds interesting and I know it would be a great learning opportunity.

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