KIWI and CLOVER UG T0005978_UG_KIWI_CLOVER_ver2.1 Version 2.1
TEKTELIC Communications Inc. Confidential Page 8 of 28
•Current Sense: provides accurate battery life estimation in percentage and days
remaining.
•Analog thermistor and One wire probe –KIWI only: Option to measure temperature
using external probes interfaced with the sensor.
•Watermark Sensor –KIWI only: Option to receive data on soil water tension. The
Watermark is a resistive device that responds to changes in soil moisture. Once planted
in the soil, it exchanges water with the surrounding soil thus staying in equilibrium Soil
water is an electrical conductor thereby providing a relative indication of the soil moisture
status. As the soil dries, water is removed from the sensor and the resistance
measurement increases. Conversely, when the soil is rewetted, the resistance lowers.
The relationship of ohms of resistance to centibars (cb) or kilopascals (kPa) of soil water
tension is constant.
The Watermark is calibrated to report soil water tension or matric potential, which is the
best reference of how readily available soil water is to a plant. The raw data reported by
the sensor for the watermarks is a frequency that increases as the watermark gets more
saturated. Please refer to the TRM (TEKTELIC communications Inc, 2023) for information
on how to convert the frequency to Soil Water Tension.
Note: The Watermark sensors need to be installed wet. If time permits, slowly wet the
sensor by partially submerging in a glass of water (no more than halfway) for 30 minutes
in the morning and let dry until evening, wet for 30 minutes, let dry overnight, wet again
for 30 minutes the next morning and let dry until evening. Soak over the next night and
install WET. Following this first-time installation guide will improve the sensor response
in the fist few irrigations (Irrometer).
There are several things to note regarding installation depending on the use case for the
Watermark sensor. Please review the installation and operations instructions in 701
Meter Manual-WEB.pdf file (Irrometer)in knowledge Base of the Tektelic Support Portal.
•CLOVER Probe –CLOVER only: Option to measure soil moisture content and temperature.
The probes work in a similar manner to the Watermark Sensor described above. There is
no exchange of water with the surrounding soil. However, the probes simply measure
how saturated and warm or cold the soil is and provides a frequency reading. Please refer
to the TRM for information on how to convert the frequency to Gravimetric Water
Content.
•MCU Temperature: Reports temperature of the MCU.
