Is it best to go through Seabird or is there another or better alternative?

From: Dan Mertes [dmertes@d.umn.edu]

Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 7:07 AM

To: RVTEC

Subject: CTD calibration

Hi all, I have another rookie question for you all. I need to get a Seabird
911 and a 19 calibrated. Is it best to go through Seabird or is there
another or better alternative (any cost and time estimates would be
helpful also)? Thanx,

Dan

Daniel Mertes
Large Lakes Observatory
109 Research Laboratory Building
10 University Drive
Duluth, MN 55812-2496
Phone: (218) 726-8028
Fax: (218) 726-6979

Answers:

From: John S. Freitag [jfreitag@gso.uri.edu]

Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 7:57 AM

To: Dan Mertes; RVTEC

Subject: Re: CTD calibration

Sea Bird calibration is a first rate facility, both in the integrity
and promptness of the work. The fact they maintain meticulous records of
each sensor's history is a huge bonus. Added to the fact that the cost of
calibration is VERY reasonable, I don't see any reason to go anywhere else.
There is a temptation to use or build an institutional facility but if you
look into that route I think that you will find that it is a high
maintenance, high cost facility.

John Freitag

From: Marc Willis [willis@oce.orst.edu]

Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 8:15 AM

To: Dan Mertes

Cc: RVTEC

Subject: Re: CTD calibration

Dan,

I second John F.'s comments about your calibration. SeaBird is by
far the best place to have this done. They are meticulous, they will check
out the sensors and let you know about any problems, and their
recordkeeping is superb. They know more about your sensors than you do!
You can shorten the calibration time if you call SeaBird first to let them
know it's coming, and what you'd like to have done. T and C calibrations
generally cost around $150/sensor, and are routinely done in 2-3 weeks. I
can't recall the cost of a pressure calibration. If you call ahead, or if
it's an emergency SBE can easily beat that. I can't speak to the SBE19, I
don't have one.

Marc Willis Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
willis@oce.orst.edu Oregon State University
Ph: 541/737-4622 104 Ocean Admin. Building
Fax: 541/737-2470 Corvallis, OR 97331-5503 USA

From: Norman A Andresen [andresen@umich.edu]

Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 10:34 AM

To: Dan Mertes

Cc: RVTEC

Subject: Re: CTD calibration

Dear Dan:

The University of Michigan has used Seabird for all the years we have had
our 911 and 911+. As the other techs have written, the record keeping of
your prob's calibrtion history is invaluable. The guys at Seabird are
great to work with and they are very knowledgeable. If yo have a
flourometer and a transmissometer they will be sent to WetLabs, the
current manufacturer of the components on the 911 (this is what our techs
tell me they were told by Seabird). If you have a PAR sensor,
Biosphaerical instruments will be doing the calibratrion.
I hope this helps,

Norman Andresen E-Mail: andresen@umich.edu
Center for Great Lakes & Aquatic Sciences CompuServe: 70721,2564
University of Michigan
737 Dennison
501 East University Telephone: 734-647-2734
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1090 FAX: 734-647-2748

From: Shor, Alexander N [ashor@nsf.gov]

Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2001 11:09 AM

To: 'Dan Mertes'; RVTEC

Subject: RE: CTD calibration

Dan -

I'm not aware of any of the UNOLS operators using calibration
facility for Seabird systems other than the Seabird factory.
For your purposes in budget development, the general practice
in the UNOLS community is to include calibration of one complete
suite of your CTD sensors in the Technical Services budget each
year. If additional calibrations are required for specific projects,
they would be paid for by the scientist. There is a budget line
in the U of MN 2001 Technical Services budget request that includes
calibration, by the way......

Sandy Shor