Hunter smart port

[UNISCAPER]

Has anyone ever tried to use one of these on an Irritrol or Rain bird controller? Seems to me if you find the right terminals it ould work, just don't know rigth now....


Does anyone out there use thier PC to program the Hunter IC and ICC series controllers? If so, how do yuo like the program?

Has anyone used the Hunter ICR to program a controller instead of turn the various stations on as you service the system?

Thanks for the input...

 

[greenworldh20]

we use the hunter icr for large systems and it is great...awesome range if it is not near electrical interference.

great toy...love to send one tech to repair heads and broken lines...no need to run to timer to turn on and water to remove dirt and debris in line, check head and adjust....

just repair head, adjust collect check and off to next service call.

isn't technology great???

brian

 

[greenworldh20]

use your pc to program your timer???? it would be quicker to walk to the timer and program it than it would be for a homeowner to turn on his computer.

for a commerical account, large system, maybe it would work...for joe homeowner...not necessary...never would benefit enough from it.

just my .02

brian

 

[UNISCAPER]

Hunter makesa a modem, that you install as an additional item, list price, $995.00, and when we need to reprogram the box, you just go online and do the whole thing without getting into the garage.

What is nice about this concept is when we get El Nino winds,w hich typically dry everything out, we get bombed with calls to reset the boxes. This way, we could, with the touch of a button, reset every controller we have on our route.

We use the smart port when setting nozzles and such...You just use the radio and turn the system stations on and save alot of time.

 

[greenworldh20]

uniscaper,

you show me a homeowner that will pay you $995 plus install for that device..let alone all of your service accounts and........

brian

 

[UNISCAPER]

Well, when you have homeowners who live in 10 million dollar homes, and make 2-10 million ayear and don't want to be bothered, and will pay for such services, you can sell them pretty easily

 

[Tom M]

thanks uniscaper for the eyeopener.........wouldn't you agree greenworldh20?

 

[greenworldh20]

'Well, when you have homeowners who live in 10 million dollar homes, and make 2-10 million ayear and don't want to be bothered, and will pay for such services, you can sell them pretty easily'


personally, i thought that the more money a client has, the tightier they are...maybe it is just our market up here.

i have never sold a modem...most of my residential installs average between $2000-$6000. these clients live in homes valued anywhere from $300,000 - $750,000. commerical sites employ person for grounds maint that checks irrigation systems.

i welcome the opportunity to bid on 6 figure irrigation systems...though there are not many in my local area....westchester and connecticut are some areas we are expanding to...maybe in the future...if we come across one, i will definitely keep the 'uniscaper' in mind.

 

[UNISCAPER]

It amazes me what these people spend on landscape and irrigation...Great market for yuppies!

 

[HBFOXJr]

I started using remotes before hunter came out with them then switched to Hunter controllers exclusively when they came out with the remote. It is a wonderful thing for service. We simply hate to do the controller waltz any more. More fatigue in a days time with less productive work.

I also have the pc programming module. I've used it but not much. The carry around piece I have only hold 2 programs. I see it as an advantage where programs are large and complex. You can do it at your desk and send it with the tech easier than writing it down or explaining to the tech or owner.



Also good to send with new installs to get the program you want or to modify a program if a client is awya for an extended period.

It can also be used to "deprogram" a controller if you are having a problem with an owner not paying or for any other reason. Hmmm.

One under used feature is probably "water budget" on any controller. If you know the monthly historical evapotranspiration rates for your area and the precipitation rate of each zone, water budget is a great feature.

Here in NJ east of Philadelphia our 2 highest demand months are June and July. When we program we set the water budget for 100% and the run times for each zone to deliver the needed amount of water each week. Then we give the client a sheet indicating where the water budgetr should be set for each month of the watering season. Once a month all they need to do is change the water budget. If the other months are more or less demanding than their historical avgs all they do is bump the water budget up or down a bit to accomdate the actual weather conditions.