Hi Ecolog, our lab is in the market for a new volumetric soil moisture measurement system. We need something that can take repeated point measurements and are particularly interested in finding a sensor that will be robust and durable, as though we are careful with insertions we do occasionally have to work with somewhat coarse/pebbly soils.
For many years we have been using Decagon Pro Check readers with either a Decagon GS3 or Onset EC-5 sensor, but over the years have found that these sensors tend to fail rather quickly (e.g. in less than 2 seasons of use). As two sensors in the lab recently failed at the same time, we're trying to crowdsource information on other options. We were going to simply replace the GS3 with Decagon's so-called "ruggedized" version of this sensor, the GS1—but after consulting with a salesperson about our use case, it appears that the company itself does not actually recommend any of its sensors for point measurements, and says they are most accurate and reliable only when used in long-term installations. We are currently considering two options: Dynamax's SM150: http://dynamax.com/products/soil-moisture/sm150-soil-moisture-sensor and Campbell's Hydrosense II: https://www.campbellsci.com/hs2. Does anyone have experience with these sensors? If so, do you consider them to be reliable for repeated point measurements? We would also love suggestions or advice about other volumetric soil moisture sensors you have used for ecological studies. Thanks so much! -- Meera Lee Sethi PhD candidate, University of Washington Hille Ris Lambers Lab <https://faculty.washington.edu/jhrl/Index.html>, Department of Biology Office: Kincaid 442 | Box 351800 Seattle, WA 98195-1800
