Agricultural researchers, growers and others looking for ways of using Macs to measure rainwater levels have a new option with Onset Computer Corp.’s new HOBO RG3. The system costs $399. HOBOware software for Mac — needed to read and interpret the data — costs an an additional $95.
Equipped with an Onset-made data logger, the RG3 is a self-contained, battery powered rainfall data and collection recording system. It uses Onset’s HOBO Pendant Event data logger, which measures rainfall collected into a tipping-bucket rain gauge. The data logger stamps the time and data for every 0.01-inch tip event. A metric version is available. The system can also record air temperature when used with an optional radiation shield.
The system sports a blinking LED to confirm operation. Its EEPROM memory retains data even if the battery fails (the battery lasts a year under typical use).
The RG3 offloads its data using an optical interface, which Onset said is more reliable than a mechanical connector. It also features twice the memory of previous versions.
The HOBO RG3 Rainfall Logging system is currently available from Onset and is priced at $399. The optic-USB base station, HOBO Waterproof Shuttle, and HOBOware software are all priced separately.