SSSAJ Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education
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Soil Science Society of America Journal 65:1081-1083 (2001)
© 2001 Soil Science Society of America


DIVISION S-1—NOTES

An inexpensive, portable meter for measuring soil moisture

Joseph J. O'Brien* and Steven F. Oberbauer

Dep. of Biological Sciences, Florida International Univ., University Park, Miami, FL 33199

* Corresponding author (obrienj{at}fiu.edu)

Until now, dielectric-based soil moisture measurements required expensive cable testers or commercial systems to read probes. Here we describe a method of constructing an inexpensive meter from a multimeter and a simple power supply. When coupled with a Campbell Scientific (Logan, UT) CS615 probe, the entire system costs {approx}$350 US. A single meter can be used to measure multiple probes and the entire system is quite small and portable. The new system reads soil moisture probes capable of measuring a soil's dieclectric constant. Measurements taken with the meter described here and a CR10 data logger recommended by the probe manufacturer did not differ significantly. Nor was there any measurement offset between the data logger and the meter.

Abbreviations: TDR, time domain reflectometry • VDC, volts direct current






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