One of our aims this year is to spend more time with existing Ultraprobe users. Some of our customers only use the Ultraprobe to find leaks. While this is one of the prime applications for ultrasound technology, it is just one of many. We'd like to spend more time with you and your colleagues to expand your ultrasound programme and get full value from your company's investment.

Central to this is training.

Many of you have already taken the 5-day Level 1 Ultrasound Course, which we hold every year at the National Fluid Power Centre in Worksop. While the course will continue to cover the major applications of the Ultraprobe, we'll be expanding upon topics such as analysis, trending and reporting of data.

As more of you switch over to the Ultraprobe 10,000, spectral analysis (useful in connection with bearing analysis and electrical monitoring) is becoming more important. This is an area we'll be focusing on strongly this year.

We've already started to take bookings, and places are filling up pretty quickly. The course fee (GBP 995) includes a really good lunch, refreshments and the now famous mid-morning bacon rolls. Please e-mail me at jeremy@alpine-components.co.uk for more info.

Our second series of Motor Reliability and Testing Seminars took place back in November, and proved to be even more successful than the first. My thanks to everyone who came along, and particularly to our three speakers - Gary Mohr, Jack Huggett and Richard Scott!

If you weren't able to attend, we do still have about 15 CDs left, which feature the presentations given on the day. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so drop me an e-mail to request your copy.

When recording a sound sample with the Ultraprobe 10,000, try not to record at a level that will produce an "overload" condition when you play the sound back in the UE Spectralyzer software. When recording the sound sample, simply bring your sensitivity level down to show 2-3 intensity bars on the main screen.

The same rule of thumb can also be used when using one of the other Ultraprobes, such as the Ultraprobe 2000 or Ultraprobe 100. With the Ultraprobe 2000, reduce the sensitivity level in the Lin scale until the meter indicator rests on '20'. When recording with the Ultraprobe 100, adjust the sensitivity until there are 2-3 bars on the display screen.

When we talk about spectral analysis, there are usually two types of reaction. One is, "This is too technical for me", while the other is, "Boy, what a great tool - I can see a lot of potential!". Spectral analysis as a compliment to ultrasound inspections is often misunderstood, and is now beginning to take on greater importance.

There are a number of reasons as to why this is happening, but here are just a few:

1) Ultrasound spectral analysis software lets you listen to the sound file as you view it being played. You can observe the sound in the FFT (spectral) screen, or view it in the Time Series screen to note any changes as it plays. Play the baseline sound, create an overlay and easily compare one sound to another.

2) You can't be expected to remember the sounds of every piece of equipment you inspect. Recording a baseline sound sample and storing it in the software for future reference can be invaluable. If you come across a change in dB or sound quality, record the new sound and compare it with the original sound sample.

3) Data alone is not the answer. While many bearing conditions can be detected by increases in amplitude, there are anomalies that might not show a dB change at onset. There are also potential problems that cannot be trended through sound level increases, but may be detectable as qualitative sound differences. These can be heard in the headset, but may not be fully understood until they are played back in the software.

As I've briefly touched upon, spectral analysis is a very important addition to the Ultraprobe. If you're using the Ultraprobe 10,000 and make use of its spectral analysis capabilities, please get in touch and let us know how you're getting on.

We're going to be exhibiting at Maintec once again this year. The exhibition is taking place at the NEC in Birmingham between the 11th to the 13th of March, and you can find us at stand G24. We hope to see you there!

Before that, though, we'll be attending the ESTA conference on Tuesday the 19th of February, which is being held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. If you're involved with energy, facilities or maintenance on site, why not drop in and see us?

It is always good to receive your feedback on any product we have sold or rented. If you have a success story that you would like to share with others in a future newsletter, then please do get in touch.

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Jeremy Lineham, Mike Trim, Toni Simmonds, Jon Hill, Micky Jackson

Alpine Components
Telephone: 01424 437000
Fax: 01424 722502
www.alpine-components.co.uk