This shows basic ingredients for the head, minus the sensors etc.
The top cap fits exactly over the base so ensuring a waterproof cover.
  The plug is a 5 pin lockable plug and socket, if a double sensor
is used this is necessary. If a single sensor is used ( E/W)
then only 3 wires are needed.
Fat Quarters ( and Speake & Co also supply a double sensor)
which I am given to understand is less sensitive than two FGM-3's

Here are the 2 FGM-3 sensors installed, one is ( E/W first choice )
and the other N/S polarised. Using hard plastic tube, sleds were
made to carry the sensors and the sleds are glued in place
with pipe fitting glue. I taped the pole hole in the bottom to stop
spiders and other insects coming up the tube into the head.
Better still to cap the other end of the tube AND tape the hole in the
head socket.

With the cap taped into place ( NOT glued ) and the cables fitted
we now have a good solid head for the 2 magnetometer sensors.
A thick line should be drawn on the bottom of the head so that
one can align the head E/W  the N/S sensor should be at right
angles to that.

This is showing the simple quick release clamping for the upright support,
once again using only standard water pipe fittings. If you live in a generally
windy area then to stiffen the 40mm pipe you might try inserting a 32 mm
pipe inside the main pipe this fits exactly and does a good job of stiffening in
high winds.

These 3 boxes contain the electronics for the two magnos one for N/S one for E/W, and now one for the ground sensor.
The outputs are taken to a PICO tech ADC converter with 11 inputs, the ADC 11/12.
See below ( links ) for more details on what this does and how it works.
The switches etc are: from left to right: on/off, reset, sensitivity switch ( 4 settings )
and output. A 12 VDC power supply is all that is needed.

Details for the Mag heads ( FGM-3) can be obtained from Speake & Co,
( see also under at the Fat Quarters site)

As the output from the FGM board produces a 2.5 volt MAX signal it fits perfectly with the
PICO ADC 11/22 interface as it is limited to 2.5 Volts MAX input. This is important
for viewing ongoing magstorms close by, also for observations and measurements
into propogation and atmospherics locally. There will be some things locally which
interfere with the signals no doubt, like heavy vehicles and low flying aicraft etc, but
generally it does follow what GOES and NOAA record quite accurately, and its on the
doorstep!!

The whole thing is quite easy to build once you have the sensors and the method
of inputting the data to the computer.
Listed under are the links needed for the gear and further information. 

The software produces a graph like this, it shows one sensor EW recently reinstated for testing.
The graph size is only limited by imagination. ( 9-09-2001 )