Baseline Systems BaseStation 3200 - Manual (Page 99)

BaseStation 3200 Advanced Irrigation Controller Manual
Glossary of Terms
address When a device is connected to the two-wire, the device is given an address that identifies
it to the BaseStation 3200 controller. The controller refers to an address as a “zone
number.”
air temperature
sensor
A sensor that functions like thermometer to measure the temperature of the air and
report this measurement to the controller by way of a biCoder
application rate The rate at which water is applied to an area within the landscape by an irrigation system.
In order to determine proper duration of watering, it is essential that you know the
application rate for each watering zone.
auto-calibration The controller is able to determine the water holding capacity (field capacity) of soil when
using biSensor based watering strategies. A single calibration cycle, or automatic monthly
calibration cycles can be scheduled.
biCoder™ This is Baseline’s term for several types of two-wire devices. A Baseline valve decoder is
referred to as a valve biCoder. Baseline decoders are called biCoders because they are
capable of full, bidirectional communications, which enables biCoders to report back to
the controller with specific information, including valve solenoid current and voltage,
two-wire communications health and voltage, and other rich diagnostics information.
biLine™ protocol Baseline’s proprietary two-way communication standard that operates over two-wire
irrigation wiring
biSensor™ Baseline’s patented digital Time Domain Transmission (TDT) soil moisture sensor
concurrent zones The number of zones (valves) that can be operated at the same time – typically limited by
the amount of water available and the design flow of each of the zones. Set up the
concurrent zones on a per program basis and have it automatically managed using a flow
device.
decoder A two-wire device that can actuate a valve when the controller sends a message to do so
design flow The GPM that is expected for a zone or the capacity of a mainline, based on the physical
components and topology used in construction
distribution The precipitation rate for different areas of the landscape based on head types, spacing,
layout topology, pressure, etc. Having a uniform distribution is very important.
distribution
uniformity (DU)
A measure of how evenly a sprinkler system applies water to any specific zone or area.
High distribution uniformity means that the measured precipitation rate at any point in a
zone will be roughly the same. Low distribution uniformity means that some areas get
much more water per minute of run time than others.
ET-based watering A watering methodology that uses the principles of evapotranspiration to water when
needed rather than on an established schedule
evaporation Loss of water as vapor from the soil surface or from moisture on the surface of a leaf.
Differs from transpiration in that the water does not pass through the plant parts.
evapotranspiration
(ET)
The process of transferring moisture from the earth to the atmosphere by evaporation of
water and transpiration from plants.
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