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Matching Elevator Moisture
All other electronic grain moisture testers; portable or commercial, are calibrated to an Industry Standard like the ASAE Standard. Oven Drying, Microwave Drying, or another standard is used for determining absolute moisture.
This tester takes a different approach. Calibration data was developed with respect to the most widely used commercial grain in the North American market. The user can select a calibration curve that is based on the moisture readings of a commercial grain elevator moisture tester. The accepted industry practices is for farmers to sell their grain according to the readings given by their local grain elevator. So the test equipment that the grain elevator operator uses becomes the standard, not absolute moisture. Unfortunately, the elevator tester measurements and absolute moisture may not be the same.
Therefore, it is more important for the user to know what the elevator tester reads, rather than to know the absolute moisture. However, the MoistureMATCH tester does have an absolute scale (Industry Standard) for reference.
Not only is it possible for different brands of commercial testers to give different results, it is also possible for the same brand and model commercial testers to produce different readings. The next feature described below allows the user to make fine tuning adjustments to track with the specific commercial tester that his local grain elevator uses.
Calibration to a Specific Commercial Tester (MoistureMATCH Technology)
Calibration adjustments are usually made by adding an offset to the entire calibration curve. This can cause
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problems because when a tester is adjusted at low moisture, it can throw off the calibration at high moisture and visa versa.
With the MoistureMATCH tester, when a calibration adjustment is entered, it impacts the moisture curve immediately surrounding the specific moisture that is being adjusted; the rest of the curve is not affected.
With this feature, adjustments can be made independently at high or low moisture points. Adjustments can be made to multiple individual moistures over the entire moisture range.
This technology allows the user to "match" his commercial tester more precisely. Over time, if the grain elevator tester drifts or is reading differently for any reason, the portable grain tester can be calibrated to that specific grain elevator tester and will still "match" it.
Example: The commercial grain elevator tester reads 13% moisture and the MoistureMATCH reads 12%. Use the calibration procedure to adjust the MoistureMATCH tester up to 13%. (As with all moisture testers, it is recommended you take the average of 3 readings).
Later, during harvest, you may have grain that tests 18% with the MoistureMATCH, and tests 17% with the commercial tester. Adjust the MoistureMATCH tester down to 17%, and this adjustment will not impact the adjustment at 13% described above.
Again, many moisture tests claim to be adjustable to match commercial testers, but they can only achieve this with a fixed offset that impacts the entire moisture range.
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