Monitoring and controlling pivot irrigation equipment without traveling to the field has never been easier or more convenient. The new Valley Tracker Mobile enables you to check the status of a sprinkler irrigation machine and control its operations anywhere you have cell phone coverage just by pressing the phone's touch screen. All you need are a Web-enabled smartphone or smart PDA, a Windows mobile browser and access to the Internet.
"Getting water to your crops when and where it's needed is key for increased yields," says Rich Panowicz, aftermarket and product sales manager for Valmont Irrigation. "In the past, this meant looking forward to additional costs and worries during peak irrigation times - early morning pivot checks, increased fuel costs from those additional trips to the field, even adding additional labor during the summer months.
"With remote technology, like this, you control your irrigation equipment at your convenience. No more driving through rough fields at 2 a.m. to check or stop your irrigation during a rain storm.
"From monitoring your equipment and accessing alarm indicators to programming your irrigation machines, Tracker Mobile gives you the peace of mind that comes from knowing you're operating at maximum efficiency, saving resources and reducing downtime."
Unlike competitive products for cell phones that show only text-based information and text messages, this new product provides colorful graphics to depict the current status of each machine. Using the smartphone's touch screen, you can view different status reports, check for any malfunctions and send commands to operate the irrigation machine at the press of a finger.
"Tracker Mobile is designed specifically for use with a smartphone or smart PDA," Panowicz says. "There's nothing else like it. You don't need to call every individual pivot to check its status. With this new technology you can make one call with your Smartphone to check the status of all your machines and to select detailed information about each one. It saves time, money and hassles."
Tracker Mobile is included with each new Valley Tracker or TrackerSP. Valley Tracker products are compatible with all Valley control panels and most non-Valley control panels.
Here's how it works. After using your smartphone to log in, you can check the last reported status of your machines in terms of on or off; the direction the pivot is moving, the amount of water being applied; the position of the machine in the field; voltage and water pressure. The number of items that can be monitored for status will vary depending on the type of control panel that the Tracker product is installed on.
The Valley Tracker Product line in conjunction with Tracker Mobile, also provides the ability to alert the user if the machine shuts down or any other unexpected changes occur. You can easily view the alarms through Tracker Mobile or be alerted via a cell phone call or text message, providing a very flexible menu of options for alerting the user to a problem in the field.
Tracker Mobile also allows the user to group pivots for viewing different farms or groups of pivots in a particular area very easily. With a couple touches on the screen, you can get a quick status overview for one or the entire group of machines.
To control the machine you simply select your changes on the screen such as pivot on or off, direction change or the amount of water to apply and then send the commands in one touch of the screen. This saves time because the changes are sent in one transmission, not individually.
"Given today's fuel prices, costs to own and operate vehicles, shortage of labor, and higher valued crops, being able to monitor and control your irrigation machines without traveling to the field is more important and now easier than ever," Panowicz says.