Service Schools at STI

I hope everyone had a great Christmas & got to spend some time with the ones that are closest to you. STI was closed all week last week, but reopens this week (although we will be closed January 1). I want to remind everyone of the Service Schools we have coming up in the next couple months for both irrigation & equipment.

Our Commercial Equipment Service Schools that will take place in Richmond are January 6-8, as well as March 3-5. The topics for each day will be as follows:

• January 6 (Tuesday): Advanced Troubleshooting
• January 7 (Wednesday): Next Generation Multipro Spray Systems
• January 8 (Thursday): Next Generation Walking Greensmowers (2100)

• March 3 (Tuesday): Outdoor Power Equipment Electrical Systems
• March 4 (Wednesday): Outdoor Power Equipment Hydraulic Systems
• March 5 (Thursday): Reel Technology (New Technicians Course)

The full list of STI's Commercial Equipment Service Schools classes along with program descriptions can be found HERE. To sign up, follow the link to our CALENDAR & click on the date of the class you wish to attend.

We will also be hosting Golf Irrigation Service Schools at STI. Our class in Richmond will be held on Wednesday, February 11 & will be directed by Brad Petersen & Brandon Proctor. They will be covering topics such as:

• Electrical & Controller Troubleshooting
• Wiring & Grounding Issues
• Radio Communications
• Central Control System Overview
• Hands-On Sprinkler Repair Demonstrations
• Open Discussion for any specific repair/troubleshooting issues you may have

To register, follow the link to our CALENDAR & select the date for your class. Remember to sign up before January 5th for our "Early-Bird Special" where you will receive $10 off your registration fee.

Everyone have a Happy New Year & I look forward to working with all of you in 2015!



REGISTER TODAY!



Merry Christmas!

STI will be closed all week from Monday, December 22 through Sunday, December 28. We will be re-opening next Monday, the 29th. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas & gets to spend some quality time with family!

All I'm giving you this week is some December Updates from STI. Have a great week & I will have something new up next Monday!

Toro's New Radio Interface Unit (RIU)



Toro Radio Interface Unit (RIU)

This week I want to go over Toro's new Radio Interface Unit (RIU) & the Marketing Program that is being run with its release. The new RIU combines the functions of the OSMAC Base Station and Hand-Held Remote Interface (HHRI) into one single unit. This new unit provides improved performance & reliability, and also allows users to make area-based manual irrigation commands with Lynx.

With the release of the new units, Toro is running a special program where the dual radio RIU-02 will be available to existing OSMAC customers at a special price of $4,445 (more than half off normal price). You will be able to replace your old base station & also have the added benefits & features of the new unit for a great price.



Along with the special price being run on the RIU-02, existing SitePro customers who purchase the RIU-02-SPECIAL will also be eligible to purchase a Lynx upgrade at special reduced prices as well. I have already been out discussing the benefits & features of upgrading to Lynx, & this provides another great way for you to make it happen. Contact me for what prices & discounts you can get with this deal.

This program offers a great opportunity for existing OSMAC users to improve your system reliability, take advantage of area based functions, and comply with the FCC narrowband mandate (if you haven’t already).
***Program will end when 100 units of RIU-02-SPECIAL are sold or on April 30, 2015, whichever comes first--so hurry before it's too late!

I have already discussed this great deal with several of you, and will continue to visit & make sure everyone is aware of this deal while it is available. If you are interested in taking advantage of this program, or just looking for more information, be sure to give me a call (You can also click on the caption under the picture to follow the link for more information).

I hope everyone has a great week & I hope you get the rest of your Christmas shopping done early! I appreciate everyone taking the time to check my blog for updates & hope you will continue to do so!

STI is now Distributor for Spectrum Technologies

Today, I want to take a little time to discuss a new line of products that Smith Turf & Irrigation will be taking on. We are excited to announce that we will now be your source for all Spectrum Technologies products, including the TDR 300 & WatchDog Weather Stations. Many of you are already familiar with these products & the ability they have to help fine-tune your irrigation & maintenance programs.

The most popular & well-known product from Spectrum in the golf industry would be the FieldScout TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter. I know I have seen these at many of the courses I've visited & I know how good of a tool these are. The portable TDR 300 gives you instantaneous readings of the root zone soil moisture & allows you to figure out what your ideal moisture level is & also the point where the turf begins to wilt. The TDR 300 is equipped with an internal data logger to that can be set up with FieldScout software on your computer. This is a great tool to help you dial in on exactly where you do or don't need to put water out & can help you to prevent problems before they happen. For more information on how you can perform your own "NEW Irrigation Soil Moisture Audit" WATCH THIS VIDEO.

TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter

Another line of Spectrum Technologies products that STI will new be selling is the WatchDog Weather Stations. They have many different models & options that you can customize for your needs. These stations measure key parameters such as light, air temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed, & wind direction. All of the data can be logged so that you can run detailed reports to help you make informed decisions in your maintenance programs. Check out the full line of WatchDog Weather Stations available HERE.

In addition to the products discussed above, we can also offer any of the other products & tools from Spectrum Technologies such as the Field Scout TruFirm Turf Firmness Meter or the FieldScout TDR 100 Soil Moisture Meter. Visit Spectrum's website to view their full line of products & be sure to contact me if you are interested in any of these products.

One last note for this week--I wanted to make sure to congratulate the following STI salesmen for receiving the 2014 President's Award of Excellence for Outstanding Sales & Performance: Andy Clarkson, John Crain, Ben Peters, Brad Comer, & Marty Bahen. Great job guys!

I hope everyone has a good week & be sure to check back every Monday for new posts.

Toro Irrigation Marketing Programs

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving last week & got to spend time with families. I know I had some good food & watched some good football as well (Go Hokies! 11 straight wins against the Hoos & headed to their 22nd straight bowl game). I will be heading to our headquarters in Charlotte all week for sales meetings, but I wanted to get out some more information on programs I want to make sure everyone is aware of for this year.

Last week, I talked about the sprinkler programs that Toro is running which included the Buy 3 Sprinklers, Get 1 Free & Buy 4 Conversion Assemblies, Get 1 Free. There are a number of other programs that Toro offers for irrigation products in addition to the sprinkler programs that include:

• Control System Upgrade Program: Buy 10 Satellites, Get 1 Free
• Applies to Network VP & OSMAC satellites
• Network LTC+ to Network VP Satellite Upgrade Kits: Buy 2 Satellite Upgrade Kits, Get 1 Free
• Applies to Model #118-0038 (Upgrade Kit Includes Faceplate, Power Distribution Board, & Cable)
• TouchNet Upgrade Program: Upgrade to from TouchNet to Lynx for 50% off List Price
• Radio Interface Unit (RIU) Program: New Base Station (RIU-02) for OSMAC users at special list price of $4,445 (Normally sold at $10,200)
• SitePro customers who purchase RIU-02-SPECIAL will also be eligible to purchase Lynx Upgrades at special program prices
• I will go more in depth & have more information on this program in future posts
• TurfGuard Program: Buy 2 Sensors, Get 1 Free
• Great program for existing TurfGuard customers to continue adding to your course

The following finance programs are also available:

• Financing Program (Golf Irrigation Products): 36-month Interest-Free Financing available on Toro golf irrigation products
• $5,000 minimum amount financed
• All current Toro Golf Irrigation Products eligible
• Control System Upgrade Programs not eligible for no-interest financing
• Financing Program (Twilight Golf Lighting): 24-month Interest-Free Financing for Toro Golf Lighting Products
• $5,000 minimum amount financed

I will be making a point to discuss these programs with you all, especially when you have the ability to take advantage of one of them. These are a great way to help you make upgrades around your golf course while getting some help financially & I hope that all of you will jump on these opportunities. If you have any questions regarding specifics of any of the programs offered by Toro, please let me know so that I can further explain the details of each program.

As I stated above, I will be in Charlotte for almost all of this week, but I will still be answering phone calls & emails so let know of any way I can help you. Have a great week!