Badger Meter ORION AMR/AMI Hardware Solutions for Gas Utilities - Manual (Page 10)

Step 5: Determine the Index Reading
The Index (Consumption) Reading
The dials that record the amount of gas used are grouped together in a row of three, four or five Each represents a single
number in the reading Note that some dials move clockwise and others move counterclockwise The two smaller dials, used
for meter testing, are located separately on the index and are ignored To read the meter dials:
1 Read the dials left to right
2 If the hand is between two numbers, always select the lower number When the hand is between "9" and "0," then "9"
is considered the lower number
3 When the hand looks as though it is DIRECTLY on the number, look at the dial to the right If the dial on the right has
passed "0," use the number that the hand is on If the dial on the right has not passed "0," use the number less than
what the hand is on
Use the meter reading below as an example:
1,000,000 DIAL 100,000 DIAL 10,000 DIAL 1000 DIAL
Take the number that the first
pointer has just passed
Then the number that the second
pointer has just passed
And the number that the third
pointer has just passed
But take the number the last
pointer is nearest
In this example: 4 In this example: 6 In this example: 4 In this example: 5
Remember to record the lower number if the dial is between two numbers. For this example, read from left to right.
The correct reading for this meter is 4645.
Gas meters have either dials or a digital readout If you have a digital meter, all you need to do is read the numbers
Subcounts
The ORION has the benefit of being able to provide not only the traditional meter reading but also a fractional value for
improved resolution This fractional value is known as “subcounts ” This value is an estimated quantification of the right-most
dial’s location between the two printed numbers Using the example meter index above, the right-most dial is a bit less than
halfway between the 5 and 6,
or approximately 40% of the way So the subcounts would be approximately 40, assuming 100 subcounts between each
printed number
The subcount value is only an estimation If ignored by the installer, the system will automatically enter a random value;
however, this may lead to an apparent correlation error between the radio and the index of +1 or -1, depending on when the
readings are compared
Programming the ORION® Gas Endpoint
Page 10 July 2013