Use

The Transponder is provided with an ultrasonically welded waterproof plastic housing and is suitable for long term immersion at up to 2 metres depth in water. The electronics and battery are additionally encapsulated in waterproof gel. A cable connection cavity is provided so that external jointing boxes are not required.

For installations above ground or in pits with plastic lids use the Standard Transponder (Grey).

For installations in pits with metal lids use the Pit Transponder (Blue, version with higher transmit power).

Meter Compatibility

Transponders are compatible with most popular pulse output and encoder type meters, including those by Actaris, AMCO, Badger Meter, Hersey Meters, Sensus Metering, Master Meter, Metron-Farnier, Neptune and Performance.
Although the 900 Series Transponder is highly configurable after manufacture, meter interface types must be specified at the time of order. Versions are available as below. The 915-08 and 915-48 allows customers to install on ARBV meters but be able to change to an AutoDetect register at a later date.

The Transponder's ability to count pulses accurately is a key strength. Blue Tower uses two proprietary techniques to avoid the 'jitter' typically associated with pulse output meters (which would normally lead to over-counting) and the common problem of reed switches sticking.

Battery

The Transponder uses Lithium Thionyl Chloride batteries and is designed to last more than 10 years under extreme operating conditions. Blue Tower calculates much longer battery life under normal operating conditions. Such long battery life is possible for several reasons.
First, the Transponder is a transmit-only device and does not require a receiver, which would draw additional current.
Second, when the Transponder transmits, it uses an extremely small amount of energy.
Finally, the Transponder is shipped in the OFF position and will only begin transmitting when it has been programmed for operation. This allows Blue Tower engineers to more accurately calculate the life requirements of the device as opposed to one-and-a-half or two-way devices.
The batteries are certified by the manufacturer to have no transport restrictions.

Warranty

Water and Pit Transponders are supplied with a 1 year general warranty and a 10 yr pro-rated battery warranty.

Tamper Detection in Single Pulse Mode

The Transponder has 3 wires that can be connected to the meter. Two of the wires are used for the meter reading - the third is used for tamper indication. The tamper register works by detecting an open circuit in the connection wires. If the wire is cut, the tamper register increments or acts as a flag that a tamper has occurred and an error code is produced and sent to the receiver during the next reading period.

Certification

The Transponder has been authorised under FCC Part 15.

Installation Procedures

The Transponder can be fitted or retro-fitted to many popular pulse or encoded registers in minutes. Before connection to the meter register, the Transponder is programmed using the ConFigIT device either in the field or at the utility office. The Transponder can be wall, pit or pipe mounted. In a typical wall installation, the Transponder can be secured to a wall using a standard tie-wrap and plastic plug. For plastic and concrete pit installations, the Transponder can be mounted on the side of the pit or attached to a stake in the pit. There is no need to have a special mounting unit or to make any costly modifications to the pit or lid. Detailed installation instructions in pdf format can be downloaded from this page by clicking on the part number link in the table above.