Data communication is an increasingly integrated part of many data collection systems. Getting data from one place to another is not trivial. Many communication system design and engineering variables for telemetry need to be addressed.

Stevens Water has been specializing in telemetry systems for data transfer since the invention of the Stevens Telemark in 1937, which allowed users to call in from their telephone and receive water stage level information.

Since then, Stevens has designed radios and integrated most major communication systems for customers, and has vast experience troubleshooting many of the common problems that can cause issues with a telemetry system.

Read more... to find out more about overcoming common data communication problems.

An original 1926 “Leupold, Volpel & Co.” Type A Chart Recorder, on display at the Stevens office.

Stevens Water is celebrating our 100 year anniversary this year, and we are incredibly proud of our legacy in the water resource monitoring market.

Our proud history includes the longevity of our equipment, oftentimes providing several decades of continuous service. It is not uncommon for Stevens equipment to be in operations for over 30 years or more, and we get reports of equipment purchased in the 1950s or 1960 still in use.

We would like to open a contest to all of our readers, which will run through the year:

What is your oldest piece of Stevens equipment that is still operational?

This can include equipment branded with “Leupold, Volpel & Co.”, “Leupold & Stevens”, or “Stevens Water Monitoring Systems”.

Please send entries to info@stevenswater.com, and be sure to include a description and any photos you may have. We would like to feature unique instruments in a future article, and we’ll have fun Stevens gifts for the customers with the oldest instruments!


Besides the foundation of the company that was to become Stevens Water Monitoring Systems, these other exciting events took place in 1911:

January 10th: The first photo taken from an airplane, over San Diego, California.

January 13th: Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen anchors at Walvis Bay in the Antarctic as his team begins the race against Englishman Robert Scott’s team to be the first to reach the South Pole. While the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctic was named after Amundsen and Robert Scott, Stevens Water president, Scott South, likes the name.

January 17th: Eugene Ely was the first to successfully land an aircraft on a ship – the USS Pennsylvania while anchored in San Francisco Bay. The Pennsylvania deck had been custom equipped with a small landing platform and a series of ropes, which were used to stop the aircraft.

January 21st: The first Monte Carlo motor rally begins. Created by Prince Albert I of Monaco, the race was designed to draw tourists to Monaco and the Monte Carlo casino. The first winner of the rally was Frenchman Henri Rougier.

Stevens Water Monitoring Systems was the original designer of the style A, C, E, I and M staff gages and continues to be a leading supplier of these standard staff gages styles.

A unique service offered to Stevens customers is the design of custom staff gages for special applications.

Custom staff gages are ideal for unique mounting angles, slopes, flow measurements, larger display needs, or other situations where traditional staff gage styles would not provide relevant, accurate, or easy visual reference.

Contact Stevens today with your staff gage requirements.

Getting data from one point to another follows many unique protocols, but one overlooked aspect is often the “last mile problem”, where getting data over a short distance is problematic due to environmental circumstances or economic constraints.

The Shark Bluetooth RS-232/RS-485 Class 1 Certified Bluetooth wireless adapter from Stevens Water can easily help shuttle data over distances of up to 300 feet (100 meters).

Read more... to find out more about how The Shark directly emulates a serial cable connection, wirelessly.

Now available from Stevens Water is the Stevens pF Sensor, a soil sensor that measures the “matric potential” of the soil. Also call “soil water potential”, a soil’s matric potential is the force with which water is held within the soil and how much energy is needed to overcome this force to extract water from the soil. Matric potential changes with the soil water content percentage and the matric potential characteristics are highly variable from one soil type to the next. Matric potential is usually expressed in units of pressure. pF is the log of the pressure is Hectopascals (hPa). 1 hPa = 100 Pa.

The Stevens pF Sensor uses unique technology that first measures the heat capacity of soil. The heat capacity of the soil is correlated to the soil matric potential. Calculating matric potential from the heat capacity is more reliable and accurate that other methods such as granular matrix or potentiometers. The pF Sensor has a range from 0 to 7. The Stevens pF sensor can be used with the Stevens Hydra Probe to fully measure the hydrological conditions of the soil.

Reading the pressure needed to extract water from soil is useful in many fields, including plant and soil sciences, and can be used to determine plant-available water for crop growth, as just one example.

Contact Stevens today to learn more about the Stevens pF Sensor, and look for an in-depth introduction to the sensor in the next email newsletter.