Estimates of the global (G), diffuse (D) and direct-beam (I) irradiances at the surface of the earth can be obtained with a single instrument, the “dial” radiometer. The dial assembly intermittently shades a solid-state sensor on a continual automatic basis. This is a very simple instrument that does not require mechanical adjustments of the shade. When corrections for imperfect cosine response and excessive shading of sky radiation are performed, measurements averaged over 1 h should be accurate well within ±5%. Estimates of atmospheric turbidity or haziness can be expressed as an extinction coefficient, computed for I in reference to that obtained under cloudless clean skies for the same solar zenith angle. The uneven spectral response of silicon-cell and PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) sensors should be considered when comparing estimates of G, D or I to measurements of these components by a wide-band sensor. Linear relationships seem adequate for a variety of cloud conditions. This allows the use of a single dial silicon-cell radiometer, for example, to estimate quite accurately the values of G, D and I that would be seen by wide-band or PAR radiometers. An alternative, but less exact, means of obtaining estimates of hourly averages of D and I is to measure only G and use the ratio of G to that which would be obtained under clean, cloudless conditions as the sole determining factor.