BEST PRACTICES
FOR OPTIMIZED PERFORMANCE
LOADING THE MAGAZINE: PNEUMATIC TOOL
Before you install the strip of Sundog® tags, ensure all antenna wires are parted down the middle of the strip and angled toward the rear of the Omer RFID.25 pneumatic tool. Install the strip of Sundog® tags into the top of the magazine near the rear of the tool. Push the strip forward in the magazine. Carefully engage the pusher guide on the bottom of the magazine by pulling it all the way to back to catch the loaded strip of tags, then moving it slowly forward to engage the tags and push them to the front of the tool.
LOADING THE MAGAZINE: MANUAL HAMMER TACKER
Before you install the strip of Sundog® tags, ensure all antenna wires are parted down the middle of the strip and angled toward the rear of the HT RFID manual hammer tacker. Disengage the pusher and pull it out far enough so the pusher end is located within the rubber grip handle. There is no need to remove the pusher completely. Install the strip of Sundog® tags into the top of the magazine in front of the rubber grip and push them toward the front of the tool. Finally, slide the pusher forward, moving the tags into position, and lock the pusher into place.
STAPLER OPERATION
Hold the pneumatic tool firmly and steadily on the asset to be tagged, then pull the trigger to attach the tag. Do not let the tag move or bounce off the surface when firing. Use smooth and steady swing with the hammer tacker starting with a lower force and increasing until the desired drive depth is reached. Using either the Omer RFID.25 pneumatic tool or the HT RFID manual hammer tacker with Sundog® tags requires careful technique that comes with practice.
RECOMMENDED WOODS/MATERIALS
Sundog® RFID tags are ideal for real time inventory management of a wide range of wood assets, including hardwood logs, finished timber products, wooden utility poles, crane mats, pallets, railroad ties, and even live trees.
ANTENNA ORIENTATION AND CONDITION
Once the tag is installed in the wood, ensure that the antennas on the tag are separated to an angle of about 90 degrees between the wires. This will provide the longest read distance and highest read angle. If one of the antennas is cut off the tag, readability will be reduced by maybe 50%. If both antennas are cut off, the readability distance will be only 9 – 10 inches but readability will not be lost. If the antenna wires are crossed, readability will be severely reduced but not lost.
CELL PHONES
Proximity of the reader to a cellular phone can cause dramatic decrease in read distance of the tags EVEN IF THE CELL PHONE IS TURNED OFF. Make sure there are no cell phones near the readers.
READERS
If your environment is such that all Sundog® tags are oriented the same way, then you can use a linear reader, oriented for the best readability. If your environment has tags that are oriented different directions, such as logs that were tagged and then loaded or unloaded, you will need to use multiple linear readers oriented in different directions or a circular reader. Keep in mind, linear readers typically can read higher distances than circular readers at the same power.