User's Manual

WESROC
®
RMS Cellular Tank Monitor - Operation Manual - Independent Technologies, Inc.
72-70-164, Rev. P4 Page 6 06/16/2011
Installation
Mounting Location
The WESROC
®
RMS Cellular Tank Monitor (CTM) is designed to be installed directly
on the tank to be monitored. The CTM is connected to the tank gauge by the tank level
sensor and sensor cable. The CTM itself may be attached to the tank by the supplied
mounting magnets or by a mounting bracket. The CTM may also be located away from
the tank if necessary to improve cellular reception. Versions of the CTM are available
with a longer sensor cable to facilitate mounting the CTM further away from the tank.
Tank Gauge
The standard CTM is equipped with a hall-effect based tank level sensor. This sensor is
designed to be snapped into a remote ready tank gauge dial. The sensor and dial are
part of the R3D dial and sensor system manufactured by Rochester Gauges. R3D dials
are available for a wide variety of tank and gauge types. The CTM is configurable to
work correctly with all available types. In addition, a version of the CTM is available that
has an in-line connector on the end of sensor cable. This enables the CTM to work on
large bulk tanks with large remote ready dials using the standard sensor manufactured
by Rochester Gauges, or the Precision Large Dial Sensor manufactured by
Independent Technologies, Inc.
Cellular Signal
The CTM must be installed in a location served by GSM based cellular service. GSM is
a very widely deployed type of digital cellular service – two of the largest service
providers are AT&T and T-Mobile. The CTM is supported by both of those major
carriers and by a number of other smaller regional cellular service providers.
The CTM has a robust cellular sub-system, but there are limits to the capabilities of the
cellular network in general. As with most wireless technologies, cellular signal reception
can be affected by obstructions such trees, mountainous terrain, buildings, large
vehicles parked nearby, etc. In addition, cellular signal reception will be directly affected
by the distance between the CTM and the nearest cell tower with GSM service.
The best signal reception will be achieved with a line of sight path between the CTM
and the cell tower. Obviously, this is rarely the case in the real world, but it should be
kept in mind when selecting a mounting location for the CTM. Elevation can also help;
typically performance will increase as the CTM is raised higher above the ground. The
orientation of the CTM itself will also affect performance. The CTM should be installed
upright, and if possible, with the sensor cable exit from the CTM enclosure pointed
AWAY from the nearest cell tower supporting GSM service.