Stick Operational Again

All systems are working perfectly, and we're about to head back home.

 Jim

Brain unplugged

We (Mike Jankulak, Lew Gramer, Nancy Ash) just unplugged the brain from the stick and will try to reinstall this afternoon.

We also scrubbed down all the chains, lines and instruments.  The station looks pretty good.  Water extremely clear, weather good, a very nice day to be in the field.

Jim

CMRC3 offline

Transmissions from CMRC3 ended abruptly last Sunday evening at 10pm EDT (Monday at 200 hours UTC). This was approximately four and a half days after our last visit (Wednesday morning) during the recent maintenance trip.

The most likely suspect is a failure of the transmitter or its cables and antennae. CMRC3 transmissions, including datalogger and transmitter diagnostics, were entirely normal up until the time of failure. The final transmission had 53 of 75 reported fields present and the rest was ascii garbage, but instrument counts and diagnostics indicate that the station was operating normally during that last hour before transmitting.

Therefore there's reason to hope that the station continues to operate silently and is recording its data to the station's memory module. The Shallow-CTD was of course offline but it, too, records its data to flash memory and we expect to retrieve those data in the next trip.

The next maintenance trip will involve troubleshooting the transmitter problem and running a new cable for the Shallow CTD.

-- Mike Jankulak

Maintenance Update

Mike Jankulak:

Tuesday, October 3: boat-support for dive work; attempted to contact brain via radio units but couldn't; climbed stick, installed rungs and removed brain to take it back to land; downloaded memory module contents; replaced and rewired brain's radio unit; wrote a new CMRC3 program to include bic re-address logic and tested it thoroughly; pulled a new cable for shallow BIC and rewired its plug at top; swapped out surface bic; reinstalled brain (but GPS cable is knocked loose); confirmed that station was NOT transmitting

Wednesday: fixed GPS cable in brain; attempted to fix broken shallow-ctd plug but doesn't work; tidied/sealed station and removed rungs (twice!).

Jim Hendee:

The station lines and chains were cleaned, the shallow CTD swapped out, and all three BICs swapped out.  Station should undergo some reorganization of the cables and more intensive cleaning.

Cleaning

Team of Jules Craynock and Jim Hendee cleaned the station lines and equipment of biofouling. No extensive bleaching, but some isolated spots on Siderastrea and a species of brain coral (pictures were taken). At nearby North Norman's Patch Reef, there was some bleaching on isolated sections of a not-so-healthy thicket of Acroporis cervicornis (many dead areas from apparently last year).

Jim

Cleaning

Jules Craynock and Nancy Ash cleaned station June 29th. Jules reports some moderate bleaching of brain corals.

Jim

May maintenance

Monthly cleaning was done with the ground-truthing CT and was checked for any wear and tear, which was in really good conditions. The only exception was for the surface rust on the upper links of the chain where it meets the stainless steel shackles. In all upper links of the chain, zincs were installed. As well most of all the shackles were moused with wire, which replaced the older zip ties that were in.

Besides the maintenance, the deep water CTD sensor was exchange with a "new" CTD sensor with an improved capillary tube for the pressure sensor. The replacement was done between 0830-0930. The replaced CTD sensor was brought back to the lab.

Hector Casanova

Cleaned 8 legs/chains-spectra-lashings, only soft growth found.

Station in very good condition - lack of accumulated biofouling.

Ongoing cleaning efforts working well.

Many plastic ties brittle, breaking , and need replacement.

Groundtruthing schedule:

0845.............Connected groundtruth CT
0900 - 1000...Transmitting period
1015 - 1045...Cleaned sensors
1000 - 1200...Transmitting period
1215.............Disconnect CT
1300.............Normal transmit begins

Notes:

Need some sort of zinc(?) protection for all 8 upper links of galv. chain touching SS shackles- accelerated deterioration noted.

Two temporary white warning floats attached to legs 2 & 6. Original yellow floats probably stolen. Bahamian smallboats cutting close to pylon at high speed, even when work crew present with dive flag.

J.Craynock / H. Casanova

Basic Cleaning

CREWS STATION CLEANING CHECKLIST

Station ID: CMRC3

DATE: 04/16/06 Start time: 1530 End time: 1700

Type of cleaning:
X BASIC
COMPLETE
CTD Validation

BASIC Cleaning
X Surface inspection
X Underwater inspection – station support lines, chains,
mounting pins
X Optical sensor cleaning
X CTD screen cleaning
Optional sensor cleaning
n/a PAM fluorometer monitoring heads
n/a SAMI pCO2 cage or inlet
n/a Other, please specify

Comments:

COMPLETE Cleaning
Finish basic cleaning plus these additional steps:
􀂉 Perform CTD validation
􀂉 Clean all growth from spectra lines and chains
􀂉 Inspect shackles
􀂉 Base plate and grounding plate inspection
􀂉 Clean spectra lines at base plate
􀂉 Clean body of CTD(s) and light sensor(s)
n/a Clean all optional sensors
n/a PAM fluorometer distributor box, mounting stands, and cables
n/a SAMI pCO2 stainless mounting hardware and body
n/a Other, please specify

Comments: __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

Signed: Brenda Gadd
Date: 04/19/06

partial full service

CREWS STATION CLEANING CHECKLIST

Station ID: CMRC3

DATE: 4/3/06 Start time: 09:50 End time: 13:40

Type of cleaning:
X BASIC
COMPLETE
X CTD Validation

BASIC Cleaning
X Surface inspection
X Underwater inspection – station support lines, chains,
mounting pins
X Optical sensor cleaning
X CTD screen cleaning
Optional sensor cleaning
n/a PAM fluorometer monitoring heads
n/a SAMI pCO2 cage or inlet
n/a Other, please specify

Comments: Chain marker buoys all missing. No line remnants on chains.

COMPLETE Cleaning
Finish basic cleaning plus these additional steps:
X Perform CTD validation
􀂉 Clean all growth from spectra lines and chains
X Inspect shackles
X Base plate and grounding plate inspection
􀂉 Clean spectra lines at base plate
X Clean body of CTD(s) and light sensor(s)
n/a Clean all optional sensors
n/a PAM fluorometer distributor box, mounting stands, and cables
n/a SAMI pCO2 stainless mounting hardware and body
n/a Other, please specify

Comments: E. Mueller showed Brenda Gadd cleaning, CTD validation and blogging procedures.

Signed: Erich Mueller
Date: 4/3/06

partial full service

CREWS STATION CLEANING CHECKLIST

Station ID: CMRC3

DATE: 3/5/06 Start time: 10:43 End time: 14:40

Type of cleaning:
X BASIC
COMPLETE
X CTD Validation

BASIC Cleaning
X Surface inspection
X Underwater inspection – station support lines, chains,
mounting pins
X Optical sensor cleaning
X CTD screen cleaning
Optional sensor cleaning
n/a PAM fluorometer monitoring heads
n/a SAMI pCO2 cage or inlet
n/a Other, please specify

Comments: Cleaned PAR sensors 3/4/06 at 14:00. All other tasks on 3/5/06.

COMPLETE Cleaning
Finish basic cleaning plus these additional steps:
X Perform CTD validation
􀂉 Clean all growth from spectra lines and chains
X Inspect shackles
􀂉 Base plate and grounding plate inspection
􀂉 Clean spectra lines at base plate
X Clean body of CTD(s) and light sensor(s)
n/a Clean all optional sensors
n/a PAM fluorometer distributor box, mounting stands, and cables
n/a SAMI pCO2 stainless mounting hardware and body
n/a Other, please specify

Comments: Found cable tie siezing on one shacle missing - replaced. Removed loose cable ties securing cables and added new ones. Mooring line was seen to be frayed and untwisted at base. Use with caution.

Signed: Erich Mueller
Date: 3/5/06

basic service

CREWS STATION CLEANING CHECKLIST

Station ID: CMRC3

DATE: 2/8/06 Start time: 10:45 End time: 11:15

Type of cleaning:
X BASIC
COMPLETE
CTD Validation

BASIC Cleaning
X Surface inspection
X Underwater inspection – station support lines, chains,
mounting pins
X Optical sensor cleaning
X CTD screen cleaning
Optional sensor cleaning
n/a PAM fluorometer monitoring heads
n/a SAMI pCO2 cage or inlet
n/a Other, please specify

Comments: Re-secured rubber pad over Kevlar cable sheath with
new cable tie. Sheath was abraded through in one spot.


COMPLETE Cleaning
Finish basic cleaning plus these additional steps:
􀂉 Perform CTD validation
􀂉 Clean all growth from spectra lines and chains
􀂉 Inspect shackles
􀂉 Base plate and grounding plate inspection
􀂉 Clean spectra lines at base plate
􀂉 Clean body of CTD(s) and light sensor(s)
n/a Clean all optional sensors
n/a PAM fluorometer distributor box, mounting stands, and cables
n/a SAMI pCO2 stainless mounting hardware and body
n/a Other, please specify

Comments: __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

Signed: Erich Mueller
Date: 2/9/06

Sat. Transmission Antenna moved

The satalite transmission antenna was lowered aprox. 9.5 inches @ 10:40 am 8 Feb. 2006 - to improve visibility of the navigation light at nght.

Sat. bracket secured with additional hardware.

2 bands of silver reflective tape were added at 6 and 7 feet above waterline.

Eastern windbird mast secured with additional hardware.

AOML Diver Maintenance Check

CMRC/LSI Operations Monday, Jan.23, 2006

J. Craynock and H. Casanova to Georgetown, 2 red boxes, 2 gear duffels.
Bahamian Customs clearance quick, shuttle ready at airport
New CMRC boat (Parker) covered – good for transfer- E. Mueller

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006

Onstation at 0930. Slight current. Chop and swell present.
Tied off to mooring buoy.
Examined PAM fluorometer, took u/w pic’s prior to disassembly.
Moved boat to pylon, surfaced pressure case, detached main cable & plugged.
Coiled plugged cable to lower pylon and bundled.
Began cleaning of spectra legs and lower pylon.
Dive 1 20ft./40min. Dive 2 21ft./ 65 min.

Noticeable growth on all lashings, lashings not cleaned for last 6 (?) months
Noted chaffing points on pylon, repaired with rubber patch and tied.
Removed brackets from pylon.

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006

Onstation at 0915. Attached CT for groundtruthing.
Cleaned remaining legs and chains.
Installed new screens on CT, new zincs.
Dive 1 21ft./38min.

Departed station at 1130.

Returned to station at 1300.
1320 – removed CT, plugged and coiled cable.
1330 – departed station.

Returned to station at 1930, night, Brenda Gadd aboard.
Ran approaches to station to investigate light shadowing.
Definite shadow areas for light from southern approach.
Recommendations for improvement noted.

Returned to CMRC Dock 2010.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Logged by Jules Craynock