NORAC UC5-BC-AL Manual - Manual (Page 16)

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Hybrid and Crop Mode are usually used when operating in mature cereal grains, row crops or
specialty crops. Soil Mode is generally used to follow the ground through young crops, stubble
or normal trash.
 In row-crops, Hybrid Mode will work best with the sensor placed directly above a row.
 Some crops will produce a more varying canopy than others. In these situations, the
severe terrain option (Section 8.1) will provide more representative measurements and
better performance. Hybrid Mode is recommended for uneven crops.
 When mounting the main lift height sensor, ensure the sensor does not measure behind a
wheel or tramline, when driving straight or turning. The crop behind a wheel will be
flattened, resulting in inaccurate readings and poor Crop Mode performance.
6.5 Sensing Further Ahead of the Boom
A common misconception is moving the sensor further ahead of the boom will increase
performance. Moving the sensor further ahead of the boom increases the distance between
the nozzle and sensor. This puts the sensor at a different location within the field than the
nozzles, which introduces a height error at the nozzles. In severe terrain this height error can
bring the nozzles close to the ground as the sensor reads over the crest of the hill or down a
ditch.
Similarly, aiming the sensors ahead (rather than pointing straight down) will reduce sensor
performance by providing inaccurate height readings.
6.6 Height Sensor Capabilities and Limitations
The UC5 sensors are designed and built specifically for agricultural purposes. However, the
ultrasonic transducer must be clean and dry for optimal performance. The foam disc fitted into
the bottom of the sensor protects the transducer from dust. If the protective foams become
wet from rain or drift from the spray nozzles the sensors may have trouble reading.
Furthermore, if the transducer itself becomes wet, leave the UC5 system on, but in manual
mode. The transducer’s vibrations will clean itself of the water and after a few minutes it will
begin to function again.
The height sensors will provide height readings from 22 to 300 cm (9 to 120 inches), under
typical conditions.
In order to optimize sensor performance, the UC5 sensor has a minimum distance that it will
read (also known as the blanking range). As a result, the UC5 sensor is designed to ignore
targets closer than 8 inches (20cm) from the bottom of the sensor housing.