Relationship between the impedance of a multi-pin probe and soil water content

Based on the theory of the impedance-transform of transmission line, a mathematical model for calculating the impedance of a soil probe with a multi-pin structure was de- veloped. It is found that the impedance of the multi-pin probe may be turned into an inductive-reactance from a capacitive-reactance and vice versa as measurement conditions change. Moreover, the formula for the impedance of a soil probe has a series of periodical discontinuous dots. Three necessary experiments to verify this model were conducted in a laboratory environment. By changing the measurement frequency (50-200 MHz), the length of the pin (5-15 cm) and the number of pins (2-5), some electric properties of the multi-pin probe were confirmed. As an application of the model, a prototype was designed and it achieved a measurement accuracy of volumetric soil water content within ±2% ranging from 0 to 50%.