HD2 Portable Sand & Aggregate Moisture Meter
Handheld meter for sand, gravel, crushed stone and expanded clay. Reading in about two seconds, straight from the stockpile.
- Verify contracted maximum moisture on delivery, in real time and without a laboratory
- Reading reflects a volume of material, not a surface patch
- Calibrations for all common aggregates pre-installed; custom materials can be added
- Wear on the probe does not change measuring accuracy or require recalibration
What the HD2 set actually is
The HD2 is a two-part system and it helps to be clear which part does what. The SONO M1 is the probe — two uncoated rods, 130 mm long, on a 64 mm body with the TDR electronics built into the head. You push it into the material. The HD2 is the ruggedized, battery-operated display that powers the probe, receives the signal and shows the result.
They ship together in a case with a 12 V / 2 A plug-in power supply. The same HD2 display also runs the SONO M1C and the SONO M2, so a plant handling more than one class of material buys one display and the probes it needs.
Why a volume reading beats a surface reading
The probe does not sample the face of the pile. The guided radar pulse propagates along the rods and the instrument reads the material layer by layer, in disks, through the volume surrounding the rods — roughly a litre.
That distinction is the whole argument for this instrument. A stockpile dries from the outside in. The material at the surface can be a point or two drier than the material a hand's depth behind it, and it is the second number that goes into your mixer. Anything reading the surface will report the surface precisely and describe the wrong material.
The transit time of that pulse is measured to a resolution of one picosecond, which is what makes a two-second reading possible without a trade in precision.
Living with it
Fifteen calibrations for common aggregates are pre-installed, so the meter works out of the case on standard sand, gravel and crushed stone. Individual adjustment to your own materials is an option if you run something unusual.
Maintenance requirements are low by design. The TDR measuring distance is unchanged by abrasion on the probe surface, so accuracy does not drift as the rods wear, and wear does not require recalibration. For a handheld instrument living in a quarry or a batch plant, that is the difference between an instrument you trust and one that sits in a drawer.
Data acquisition and advanced parameterization are available with a PC through optional accessories, if readings need to go into a record rather than a notebook.
HD2 + SONO M1 technical data
Materials: Sand, gravel, crushed stone, expanded clay
| Measurement technology | TRIME TDR |
|---|---|
| Max particle size | 32 mm (1-1/4 in) |
| Probe diameter | 64 mm |
| Rod length | 130 mm, uncoated |
| Factory calibrations | 15 material types |
| Parameters | Moisture %, temperature |
| Display | HD2 battery-operated mobile unit |
| Power supply | 12 V / 2 A plug-in |
| Supplied as | Case, HD2 display, SONO M1 probe, power supply |
HD2 + SONO M1 — frequently asked
Is the SONO M1 sold separately from the HD2?
The standard set is the case with the HD2 display, the SONO M1 probe and the power supply. The display also runs the M1C and M2, so additional probes can be added to an existing HD2.
What materials does it cover out of the box?
Sand, gravel, crushed stone and expanded clay up to 32 mm, with 15 pre-installed calibrations. Conductive materials such as foundry return sand, slag or fly ash need the SONO M1C with coated rods instead.
How deep do I need to push the probe in?
Past the dried surface layer. The rods are 130 mm and the measurement covers the volume around them, so the rods need to be in representative material rather than in the crust. For deep piles, the SONO M2 with the telescopic extension reaches two metres.
Confirm the HD2 + SONO M1 fits your material
Send your material, particle size and installation point. We will confirm the probe, the calibration and the output configuration before you order.
Houston, Texas · Most quotes answered within one business day