Bill Gordon: I'm here with David Gooden, and we just want to have a quick chat about some of the automatic rate controller functions, setting them up when you first get the machine and the sorts of things you do on a regular basis. So when you first got this machine, David, what sort of things did you have to go through in the controller to make sure it's set up for the sorts of jobs you are going to do?

David Gooden: So we've got to set up our boom sections, and it's a 10-section boom. We also need to set up and calibrate our speed and our flow meter, along with our valve calibration figure, which controls the rate of the flow control system.

Bill Gordon: Through those sections, it's just purely section width?

David Gooden: It's section width, taking the nozzles and measuring the distance between each nozzle to enter into the boom calibration figures.

Bill Gordon: Ok, so once you've got all those calibrations set up, do you need to go back and change it at any time?

David Gooden: There's nothing there that needs changing. The main thing is to record them somewhere so that if something does go wrong, we've got them recorded.

Bill Gordon: Yeah, I always think it's a good idea to write those down in the controller manual and perhaps somewhere else as well. So once we've got this set up and recorded all the settings, on a daily basis when you're doing jobs, what sorts of things do you now need to change in this controller?

David Gooden: The main change on a daily basis is what water rate we're using. So, the primary adjustments are the rate, filling in the tank volume, and resetting the field area and field volume.

Bill Gordon: And I guess with this setup that you've got—that three-tier or three-step dual boom—you’re not having to make changes regularly. With your old setup, when you were on a single line, what sorts of things were you checking in the controller before you went out and did each job?

David Gooden: Minimum hold was one of the most important things for a particular nozzle and water rate, so that had to be changed every time. Whereas in this system, a three-tier system automatically changes that minimum hold to suit the nozzles over a larger speed and water rate range.

Bill Gordon: In that older controller, the minimum hold could be set up by pressure, flow, or speed. Which one was yours set up for?

David Gooden: We were set up on flow, so setting up the litres per minute was the main focus.

Bill Gordon: That litres per minute is really important, even in managing your daily jobs. So, when you're driving, do you have that on the screen?

David Gooden: Absolutely. In a paddock situation where I’m spraying, flow or litres per minute is the most important setting, and that's what we monitor daily.

Bill Gordon: How do you use the litres per minute to make sure everything is going right?

David Gooden: From our spray plan, we work out the required flow per minute and the target pressure. By checking that pressure when all sections are on, we can match the expected and actual flow to ensure no sections are turned off by mistake or that there’s nothing broken.

Bill Gordon: And I guess that highlights the importance of having a spray plan up front—knowing what your litres per minute and pressure should be. By monitoring those, everything should run smoothly.

David Gooden: That's right. It’s about setting up the spray plan and ensuring the right settings are in place so we know the optimal operating levels. The pressure gauge is key to matching the expected and actual figures.

Bill Gordon: Excellent, well thanks very much, David.

David Gooden: Thanks, Bill.