Veris Technologies pH Manager - Field Reference Guide User Manual
Page 3
10. Set operating depth: 2-
3” of cylinder stops (21” length
of ratchet, machine level, sampler shank in 2
nd
or 3
rd
hole
typically.
11. Cycle unit in soil at desired field speed (4-8 mph) and
inspect sampler shoe for core. Slow down if full core was
not retained.
DATA QUALITY TIPS
-All pH mapping requires calibration samples to be collected from the field.
-Before logging any data, make sure the SD card in the Datalogger is clear of any files that are not Veris .dat files.
-
During „Cycling‟ phase, do both pH electrode readings get close to the wash water pH? If not, one or both electrodes may not be
cleaning properly.
-
During „Recording‟ phase, do both electrode readings move to expected soil pH level? If they stay near wash pH level and/or
require more than 10 seconds to settle, one of the following may have occurred: 1) shoe may have plugged, so no new soil is
entering, and the shoe is slowly filling up with wash water; 2) Excessive speed may have allowed soil core to shoot out the back, or
3) gap between electrodes and shoe may be excessive, so thinner soil cores aren‟t contacting pH electrodes.
-
Operators who monitor the screen, and are alert to pH values that aren‟t appropriate for the Cycling or Recording phase, generate
better maps.
-Whenever the final pH readings at a sample location are >.50 apart, an alarm will sound indicating data for that sample location will
likely be eliminated during data extraction. If more than an occasional reading is rejected, inspect the sampler assembly for possible
plugging or other malfunction, and the electrodes for proper cleaning.
-
The speed you travel and your transect width directly affects the sample density: 6 mph (9.6 km/hr) on 50‟ (15 m) transects provides
approximately 10 samples/acre (24/ha). 5 mph (16 km/hr) on 75‟ (23 m) transects results in approximately 5 samples/acre (12/ha).
-If a soil core is not present in trough, slow down and inspect again. Excessive field speed can cause core to eject before sampling.
-If possible, double your transect width and fill back in to return to starting point. ISE drift will be evident and should be correctable.
-Make map as soon as possible and inspect for quality; map should have spatial structure and minimal streaks or lines