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| I believe there is a misconception with farmers in how to calibrate a yield monitor. That issue is calibrating for accuracy. Harvesting several loads at the same speed, under same conditions and if the sample loads are within a certain parameter they call the monitor calibrated. But what happens at night (time you turn on your lights), the combine travels slower. All of a sudden your yield drops by 10% (are you throwing grain out the back?), but the next day the yield is back to normal. What happened?
The yield monitor has a calibration curve that needs to be calibrated the ENTIRE range of the sensor. In other words from the slowest speed (when you travel late at night) to the fastest speed you travel at the end of season when the crop is the ripest. Yes different crop season you have different conditions and you have different flow rates, but the calibration curve doesn’t care, as long as you have calibration loads that corresponds to flows of the combine.
In (image1) we calibrate at different speeds, but also we record the rate of flow. If this last year at 4 mph our flow was 1580, this year it was 1690 (at the same speed), you are covered because it is well within your calibrated range. But in a given year your flow is above 1930 (the sensor is calibrated between 300 #s to 1930 #s) another calibration load is required (or several at the higher rate, the low end is already covered)
The whole purpose to calibrate a sensor is to get the right calibration curve for the combine you are using. If the ENTIRE RANGE of the sensor is done correctly, accuracy will take care of its self.
Edited by gwagner 7/21/2017 17:34
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Yield Monitor Calibration 101
