General
For FieldKit Weather, what kind of mounting equipment do you recommend?
While we do not partner with any third party dealers, we have had experience using the following items: Clamps: Pole to Pole Mount Ambient Weather Mast to Mast Mounting Kit (Note: When mounting the FieldKit mast, you need to be mindful to prevent ...
I’m deploying a FieldKit Weather for the first time. What are your general recommendations?
To ensure effective measurement with your FieldKit Weather station, your sensor cluster should be a minimum of five meters (15 feet) off the ground to avoid boundary layer effects. If you are using a solar panel, you should ensure that it receives ...
Who is Multiplier and what is their relationship to FieldKit?
Since FieldKit operates as a nonprofit organization, Multiplier serves a necessary function as our fiscal sponsor. This means they handle our financial reporting and HR functions internally. All questions, sales, and concerns should be directed to ...
Is the FieldKit case UV resistant?
Yes! The FieldKit case is rated to f1, indicating that the material has met both UV and water exposure or immersion requirements as called out in UL 746C. The material is suitable for outdoor use with respect to exposure to ultraviolet light and ...
Are there extreme freezing temperature limits for my FieldKit?
In very cold weather (i.e. -20 °C or lower), the battery for FieldKit will not work as effectively and may be damaged even by storage in these temperatures. The screen on the FieldKit’s internal hardware also may become sluggish in extreme cold. ...
Where can I find information about LoRaWAN and FieldKit?
The FieldKit with LoRa is currently in development and not yet for sale. We have a prototype ready for production and are putting the finishing touches on the software. Stay tuned for a product announcement about it in the coming months!
What happens if I have questions or run into problems?
If you run into issues with your FieldKit Station, please reach out to us. Here are instructions for contacting FieldKit Support. If you would like to discuss your ideas and challenges with other FieldKit users, check out the FieldKit Community Forum ...
How do I go about deploying my water station?
We recommend mounting it to buoys, docks, platforms, or bridges. It is important to ensure that your FieldKit case remains above the water. This is a consideration when deploying in an area where water level fluctuates seasonally. Additional guidance ...
Is FieldKit open source? Can it be used with a private data collection to store data on a different cloud?
Yes! Everything FieldKit is open source so it is absolutely possible to set up your own private version of everything. If you do this, we would love to hear about it on the FieldKit Community Forum!
Does FieldKit offer different cable lengths?
No, we do not. But it is possible to increase the length with extension cables. SMA extension cables, if properly sealed against the elements, should be good to at least thirty feet for extension with no more than a 0.1% voltage drop. However, note ...
Is the FieldKit case waterproof?
The cases are designed to resist water intrusion from exposure to rain or splashes of water. They are not designed to be submerged in water.
I noticed in the FieldKit platform that geographic locations include place names and also Indigenous territories. Where does this data come from?
Data for boundaries of Indigenous Nations comes from Native Land Digital. We advise all of our users to be mindful of Indigenous concerns when they are deploying sensor stations in the natural world. This can include only gathering data from land ...
I’m a scientist who is interested in using FieldKit but I’m not sure if it’ll meet my research needs. Is there a way I can evaluate the product?
Of course. Send us an e-mail (science@fieldkit.org) and we’ll answer any questions and get you a station to test with.
I’m interested in using FieldKit, but concerned about uploading data to the web platform. Does this mean my data is open to anyone?
No. As a FieldKit user, you have full control over how your data is shared. You can choose to share it with no one else, to share it with trusted collaborators, or to make it public. FieldKit will never share your data with anyone without your ...
I’m concerned about leaving a FieldKit station out in the wilderness for long periods of time. How durable are they?
The FieldKit project came straight from expedition work in some of the least forgiving parts of the world. We’ve worked to make sure that our case and components are as durable as they can be. However, if you’re planning to deploy in a place that is ...
Isn’t it a bad idea to put more plastic out into the environment?
It is never a good idea to leave anything out in the field without a plan to get it back. We encourage all of our users to always retrieve devices that they deploy. Our enclosures are made from plastic, but we have done our best to reduce the ...