Spectrum Technologies, Inc.

Home
United States
Aurora, IL
Spectrum Technologies, Inc.

"To Measure Is To Know" - We turn plant measurements into information for profitable decisions.

06/04/2026

Once your canopy is fully leafed out, a midday light bar reading can tell you a lot about what harvest is going to look like.

UC ANR researchers measured canopy PAR in walnut and almond orchards and found a clear, quantifiable relationship between light interception and yield potential: 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 50 𝗸𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗯𝘀/𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 0.05 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀/𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗻𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 1% 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱. That relationship gives growers a way to estimate productivity from the canopy — not just guess at it.

The method is straightforward. At midday, use a LightScout light bar to measure PAR above and below the canopy. The ratio between the two gives you your light interception percentage. From there, you can benchmark against your yield records and start building a clearer picture of what's ahead.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿 — and gives you earlier visibility into whether a management change is needed this season.

Questions about how to take these measurements in your orchard? Reach out via the chat at https://na2.hubs.ly/H05J5wG0 and talk to a real person on our team.

📄 Source: Lampinen et al., UC ANR Advanced Sensing & Management Technology in Specialty Crops

06/02/2026

Did you know WatchDog weather stations are 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 for any operation? 🌦️

Here's a closer look at what you can add to get exactly the data you need:
🌧️ 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 + 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 — Accurately measures rainfall right where it matters
🌡️ 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽/𝗥𝗛 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 — Tracks temperature and humidity in real time
💨 𝗔𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 — Monitors wind speed and direction
☀️ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 — Measures sun intensity for evapotranspiration (ET) calculations
⚡ 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 — Powers the station directly from sunlight

And it doesn't stop there — connect leaf wetness and soil sensors for even more data layers to work with.
Whatever your monitoring needs, there's a WatchDog configuration built for it.

Not sure where to start? 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 who can help you build the right setup for your operation.

Check our comments to learn more!

05/28/2026

Your WatchDog station is out there collecting data around the clock. But what are you doing with it?

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺'𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻.

Log in from your phone, PC, or tablet and see current conditions across all your stations at once. Overlay your field data on satellite imagery of your property. Run ET and rainfall reports to understand your crop's actual water use. Share access with your agronomist or consultant so they're looking at the same numbers you are.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 — 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿.

👇 in comments to learn more!

05/26/2026

It's thinning season for many apple growers — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Research consistently points to 65–75% canopy light interception as the target range for apples. Below that, you may be underleveraging your canopy. Above it, you've got too much density — fruiting wood in the lower canopy is getting shaded out, and fruit quality suffers for it.

The measurement is simple: walk your rows with a LightScout light bar, take readings at canopy level, and compare what's hitting the top to what's reaching the floor. If your interception is running high, that's your signal to thin. If you're in the window, you can hold.

𝗜𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻.

Not sure which LightScout setup is right for your operation? The chat on https://na2.hubs.ly/H05zQNc0 connects you with a real person — not a bot — who can point you to the right tool.

05/21/2026

You can't see disease coming, but you can predict it.

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀. 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
- Humidity
- Temperature
- Leaf wetness/duration

Get the right combination for long enough and you've created the perfect environment for , , , , or infection, days before you ever spot it in the field.

Connect SpectrumTechnologies' WatchDog weather station with leaf wetness sensors to keep an eye on conditions and time your fungicides before infection. Or avoid unnecessary sprays when risk is low!

𝗕𝘂𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀!

05/19/2026

Are your crop canopies filling in? 🌿

Now is the time to pay attention to canopy development — and light pe*******on data tells the story your eyes can't always see.

Here's why it matters:
𝗬𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 — Crops that intercept more light earlier in the season have higher photosynthetic activity. Monitoring canopy closure helps you understand where yield potential is being captured and where it's being left behind.
𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 — Dense, closed canopies trap humidity and reduce airflow, creating ideal conditions for disease. Canopy measurements help you time applications with precision instead of guessing.

Spectrum's handheld LightScout makes it fast and easy to capture these readings right in the field — no complicated setup, just accurate data where and when you need it.

Not sure which LightScout fits your operation? 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 — you'll be talking to a real person who can walk you through your options.

Link in comments!

05/14/2026

Before you send the sprayer out, do you actually know what's happening in your field?

Temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction — these aren't just weather stats. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆.

Too windy? You're drifting.
Too hot and dry? Your chemistry volatilizes before it does its job.
Temperature inversion? Your drift problem just got a lot bigger.

A Spectrum Technologies, Inc. WatchDog weather station gives you real-time field conditions so you spray when it actually counts. Set custom alerts. Log your data. Make better calls every time.
Link in comments to explore WatchDog weather stations!

05/12/2026

Irrigation, spray timing, nutrient levels — 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁.

Handheld or connected.
Anchored or portable.

We know the catalog can be a lot. Use the chat on our website for straight questions and straight answers!
https://na2.hubs.ly/H05d_vG0

05/07/2026

Spray season is here. 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄?

Drift is a wasted input problem, a neighbor relations problem, and a regulatory liability.

The WatchDog Ultrasonic Portable Wind Sensor gives you real-time wind speed and direction at the field edge — plus timestamped records for documentation.

Know before you go. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀!

05/05/2026

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿.

Your calendar doesn't know how fast your soil drained after last week's rain, or what your root zone needs today. The WaterScout soil moisture sensor does — continuous readings right in the root zone, without walking the field every time.

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.

🔗 in comments!

Address

3600 Thayer Court
Aurora, IL
60504

Telephone

+18154364440

Website

https://www.specmeters.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Spectrum Technologies, Inc. posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Spectrum Technologies, Inc.:

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Gym/sports Facility in Aurora?