Radio Depthometer

an instrument that automatically measures and transmits by radio to a receiving point or center data on the level of water in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and other bodies of water. It consists of a floating level gauge mounted in a well (other methods of measuring water level may also be used), a device to convert the vertical displacement of the float into electrical signals, a programmed unit that automatically switches the instrument on according to an assigned schedule, a radio transmitter, and a self-contained power supply. A radio depthometer is usually used to study water conditions in sparsely populated areas that are not easily accessible, and also to warn inhabitants of cities, other populated points, and industrial regions of approaching floods.

Radio depthometers were first developed at the State Hydro-logic Institute by S. V. Voskresenskii and V. V. Kuznetsov in the early 1930’s and were installed on the Luga River to transmit information on the water level to Leningrad.