2003 Reminders-4Q

10/03

Bucket Lid Update: At last the CAL has located a supplier for soft plastic lids to replace those Encore hard plastic lids that are so hard to use. We are cleaning and testing them now and hope to start replacing them soon! Please bear with us a little longer!
FYI: The USGS report External Quality-Assurance Results for the NADP/NTN, 1997-99 is available at http://btdqs.usgs.gov/precip/reports/qa9799/wri034027.html or as USGS Water Resources Investigations Report 03-4027.

From Scott's Desk: NTN...National Trends Network...hard to believe we’re starting on our second quarter century of trends monitoring with the Program. I logged my 35,000th phone call to NADP site operators the other week....no wonder my right ear looks funny.

Lubricant use on clock spindle. This time of year we start having a run of clock related problems. Many of them are due to batteries running out, cold temperatures, etc. Don’t forget that the Program Office's Network Equipment Depot (NED) has the only supply of batteries for the NADP produced "hybrid" clock. One thing which can make a real difference in clock operation is to apply a small squirt of WD40 or silicon lubricant to the spindle area of the clock and even into the chart drum spindle hole. Just add a little dab to prevent corrosion.

http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/cal/

E-mail: cal@sws.uiuc.edu

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11/03

The CAL staff wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
Field chemistry reminder - Please note that the solutions provided by the CAL all have expiration dates on their labels. Please keep an eye on the dates (as well as the inventory of all supplies) and order early.

Field pH measurement tip - pH measurements can sometimes be difficult. Here's a few tips we recommend to make this easier: 1) Rinse the electrode with DI water between the calibration solution and the sample; 2) Never wipe the electrode, but gently blot the tip with a clean absorbent wipe (Kimwipe®) to remove excess solution between readings, or flick the electrode (like a fever thermometer) a few times to remove excess solution from the tip, and 3) Agitate the electrode in the vial by swirling it a few seconds until the pH reading is not changing by large increments. Then let the electrode sit quietly in the sample until a stable reading is obtained (30 sec. to 3 min.). Review the NTN Site Operation Manual pages 3-26 to 3-28 for detailed instructions. The CAL also provides a Broadley James electrode detailed instruction sheet with all electrodes sent to sites. Contact Scott if you need the instruction sheet or other assistance.

http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/cal/

E-mail: cal@sws.uiuc.edu

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12/03

Happy Holidays! The CAL staff wish you and yours a safe and peaceful holiday season. Once again, we thank you for your efforts this past year to keep the National Trends Network a global leader in long-term monitoring.

HOLIDAY SCHEDULES - This year the holidays do not conflict directly with our standard sample change schedule; however, year-end travel and vacations often lead to questions about schedules and bucket change rules. Here is the main thing to keep in mind: you should change the sample before the sampling period (date and time on to date and time off) is greater than 194. That's 8 days + 2 hours. The sampling period must meet this rule for the sample to be used in calculating average concentrations for the annual set of color maps. The CAL processes and analyzes all samples, even when the sampling period violates this rule, and all data are stored in the NADP database. To maximize the data used in the maps, however, the sampling period cannot exceed 194 hours.

Reminder: The NTN training video can be used to review procedures when you use a substitute operator. We now have this video on CD–call Scott if you need a copy.

http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/cal/

E-mail: cal@sws.uiuc.edu

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Web page was updated 01/20/2010