QM-4.5LV Seismometer

For many years I had wanted to setup my own seismometer, just to tinker with it and see if I could capture events like many other volunteers across the web. Even before the web, fellow ham operators like John Cole and Frank Cooper inspired me to set one up. They have been tinkering with these since the '90's. But I didn't really have a good place to do it... Until now. Now I live out in the country, away from most everything that would make "city noise" on the seismometer. I have a big barn with a massive concrete slab to bolt it to. But I didn't want to break the bank... For my first try, I wanted a commercial, packaged unit that simply "worked"! I found this instrument and after some research I gave it a shot. I unpacked it and had it set up and operating in a matter of minutes. I later installed it under my house on some bricks and it worked so well I was able to capture the recent quakes in Nepal on my own screen! (on the other side of the planet!) Now I am in the process of installing it in my barn - on that big slab of concrete. Under the house, it still sees me walking around, slamming doors shut in the house and it even responds to the surround sound on the stereo! Reggae music looks like a long sustained earthquake... In a word, it is VERY sensitive! You can naturally filter out most of this noise with the software, but I really need to remove most of this noise the right way - with a proper "quiet" installation spot on a big slab of concrete... I have had it up for a couple of weeks now and I am impressed with how sensitive this instrument really is, how easy it is to filter noise with the software and how it just simply "works"! I even have it uploading a screen shot of my seismometer software (Amaseis) to my website every ten minutes! Google N5MBM and see it on my website under the "listening post". One other thing I REALLY LIKE about it, it is extremely PORTABLE! With the bubble level on top, it's rugged design and the "no calibration" capability it is perfect for taking out in the field and using it for temporary and portable installations! The AS-1/AQ-1 design can't compete in this arena! I would highly recommend this unit for those of us who want something that just simply "works" and can be easily used to verify the performance of other "home-brew" designs. I am impressed! The Cons: 1) It is NOT weather-proof! But it is pretty easy to put it inside something that is! Mine is wrapped in thin plastic and sits on bricks under an over-turned old igloo ice chest we lost the top to one summer. Under the house now (as of this writing), but will soon be inside the barn where that won't be a problem in the future. 2) It has a big 9 pin serial connector - good luck stuffing it through a small hole in the wall or floor. I am using 9 pin to RJ-45 adapters to make the long serial cable run a cat 5 cable. It's easier to poke through holes in the wall. 3) The Amaseis software is great, but it barfs on Windows 7 once in a while, making you have to re-start the PC it is connected to - once in a while. Which is a pain in the neck if you run it on a machine that does web duties and is online 24/7/365 in a RACK full of servers like I do... You just have to keep an eye on it! 4) It really DOES need a quiet location to install correctly for you to enjoy the use of it with normal performance expectations. IT IS VERY SENSITIVE! (But that's a good thing!) If I had to do it again - I would buy this unit again in a heartbeat! It arrived withing a couple of weeks, unpacked and installed in minutes and has been very sensitive and a reliable instrument - the software not withstanding... It is rugged, portable and affordable for an instrument of its quality. Bill - N5MBM

TLDR - No support from manufacturer, better units out there, look at Raspberry Shake 4D instead. Longer, more detailed review. This is a mixed review...While I love the idea of the Seismometer, it would not work on our PC even though there is a serial port and I opened the correct porty as per the instructions. Ad to it that after I connected it to an alternate PC, a Raspberry Pi 4 B, that I could not use Amaseis as recommended by Infiltec. I sent them an email asking some questions and never got a reply. That said, I eventually got everything working but had to use JAmaseis instead of amaseis and there were no instructions for this unit at all, save for Amaseis. I really wish that there was better tech support for this unit, for example, this is comparable to the equally price Raspberry Shake, but if I had to do it again, I would not buy this unit favoring instead the Raspberry Shake. Why? Simple, because even though my communication with Raspberry Shake was to lodge a complaint, they answered me within 1 business day and offered solid workarounds for my issues. Eventually the Raspberry Shake technicians got my unit to work with a Pi 3 B+. Support for the 4 B is coming, but not quite here yet. raspberryshake dot org The Infiltec works pretty good, but the lack of tech support, and the failure to work with a known good pc with serial port support (I used this for an AS-1, so I KNOW it works) makes this a poor buy, in my opinion, and therefore I can't recommend this product for those reasons. Do yourself a favor, and look at a Raspberry Shake 4D instead, same general price, better quality, designed to work with Raspberry Pi 3B+ out of the box, and support for Pi 4 B coming soon. Comes in MANY flavors, and even a DIY kit! Also works with USGS Swarm, Amaseis, Jamaseis, and many other seismic monitoring and data gathering software.

Installed it here in Costa Rica and ha e captured a couple of quakes in the last couple of weeks. Great educational tool for the kids.

I was looking at getting one. I had to lookup geophone. This device uses a accelerometer. Lookup geophone vs accelerometer on google. After reasearching I am convinced accelerometers are better than geophones for the application. The noise could be traffic, hvac etc too high for geophone or your pcb has a dodgy amp circuit.

I have successfully picked up quakes as low a 3.8 from 50 miles away in the San Francisco Bay area to the 6.8 quake in Mongolia yesterday over 5000 miles away! I have it sitting on our back patio concrete slab under a foam ice chest to keep wind and temperature swings moderated. Even though the siesmometer is not in direct contact with the house, it still picks us up walking around in the house. With some help from the internet I built a small underground vault and seismic pier anchored to bedrock in the far corner of our back yard as far from the house as I could get. This should protect the sensor from us, wind, and temperature changes.

Performs as described.

Very nice piece of equipment for anyone interested in recording earthquakes. This standalone unit works best when placed in a basement or on a slab floor well away from activity. It plugs into a serial port or, if one is not available, into a USB port with the supplied adapter. Software for monitoring activity is supplied along with the driver for the serial adapter. I have had this unit for over 2 months and have recorded earthquakes from the Aegean Sea, New Guinea, and, just today, Mexico. Perfect for the enthusiast.