RAIN BIRD® GOLF’S CENTRAL CONTROL VERSION 5.0 PROVIDES UNMATCHED IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT

TUCSON, Ariz., (February 9, 2006) – Rain Bird Golf is pleased to announce the availability of Version 5.0, its latest generation of its central control software. Version 5.0 is designed to help superintendents maximize water management and conservation practices and can be installed on all Rain Bird Central Controls including Cirrus™, Nimbus™ II, Stratus™ II and Stratus LT™.

Offering several new features and enhancements, including time-based station adjustments for temporary changes to station runtimes and active satellite links on the map, Version 5.0 software optimizes the performance of central control systems more than any other tool on the market. Version 5.0 includes Smart Pump™, an exclusive feature that actually makes the pump station part of the central control system, as well as the revolutionary RainWatch™ and Minimum ET™ programs.

Smart Pump
With Reservoir to Rotor™ control over the entire irrigation system, Smart Pump acts as an on-site “irrigation supervisor” that constantly manages the system. Smart Pump reacts to all field conditions by making intelligent decisions on any action that needs to occur. If a pipe breaks, Smart Pump will stop water flow to the pipe to prevent turf damage. If the pump station fails, Smart Pump will make immediate water demand adjustments to keep the system from shutting down prematurely.

Rain Bird Golf’s Smart Pump maximizes irrigation management to reduce water and maintenance costs, saving superintendents time and money. Smart Pump allows superintendents to integrate the entire irrigation system, making the system more efficient by continually adjusting the central control system to keep the pump station operating at the most efficient speed. An innovative tool, Smart Pump lets superintendents know exactly how their systems are operating at all times.

RainWatch
RainWatch is the first water management tool in the golf industry capable of making irrigation decisions based on the type of rainfall as it is happening. As a result, irrigation systems take full advantage of rainfall while the sprinklers are running.

The patent-pending RainWatch technology features the use of up to four standard rain cans that measure rain as it falls. Using SmartLogic™ and Rain Bird’s sophisticated real-time decision-making technology, the central control analyzes the rainfall and reacts appropriately based on this information. For example, RainWatch can differentiate between a quick cloudburst that drops a little water and moves on, and an extended rainy period. During a quick cloudburst, RainWatch will automatically suspend any running sprinklers while continuing to measure the rain. Once the storm passes, irrigation will resume with sprinkler runtimes reduced by an amount equivalent to the measured rain. Should the rain turn out to be an extended period of wet weather, RainWatch will stop any running irrigation and prevent new irrigation from starting for a user-specified time period.

In addition, RainWatch reactions are completely safe for a hydraulic network. Rain Bird’s innovative, real-time decision-making technology ensures that while RainWatch is doing its job, Rain Bird’s patented Flo-Manager® is working behind the scenes to maintain safe hydraulic demands on the irrigation system while keeping pump stations operating at their most efficient level. True central control like this is not available anywhere else in the industry.

Minimum ET
Minimum ET is another exclusive Rain Bird feature designed to promote healthy turf and water conservation through the use of advanced ET management techniques. With Minimum ET and a weather station, the watering cycle is determined with scientific precision, as opposed to scheduling run times in advance for alternating days. Minimum ET allows superintendents to define and set a minimum threshold before automatic irrigation takes place. For example, if the ET is 0.17 inches per day all week and the minimum ET is set at 0.30 inches, automatic irrigation will not take place until the second day when the accumulated ET is 0.34 inches. Minimum ET values can be assigned globally to affect all programs, or individually by program for the ultimate in customized ET management.

Other new features of Rain Bird’s Version 5.0 software include:

• Time-Based Station Adjustments - This feature allows the user to establish temporary station adjustments, which return to the original setting when their timer expires. For example, if some area of the course becomes overly wet, this feature allow the superintendent to turn stations in that area off for a few days as the turf dries out. Once the area dries out, the stations will resume their normal operation.
• USB Flash Drive – Version 5.0 includes a 256 MB USB flash drive for backups or transferring files from one computer to another.
• New Report Formats – New reports make it easier than ever to keep track of irrigation using either a satellite or area perspective.
• Improved On-Line Help Screens - Everything needed to learn how to use these new features is only a click away.

About Rain Bird Golf

Rain Bird Corporation – Golf Division manufactures a wide range of irrigation products for golf courses: Pump Stations, EAGLE™ Gear-drive Rotors, the new EAGLE Wireless Rotor Series, field controllers, map-based Central Control irrigation systems, decoders, swing joints, flow meters, filtration systems, valves and irrigation accessories. Rain Bird central control components are serviced and supported by a comprehensive Global Service Plan (GSP). These products are sold worldwide through an extensive network of specialty irrigation distributors. For more information, please contact 1-800-RAINBIRD or visit www.rainbird.com.

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