Trio Datacom EB450-XXF01 DATA RADIO- BASE STATION User Manual E Series 05 05b indd

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Page 31

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Part E – Getting Started - EB450

Digital Inputs and Outputs

The EB450 provides a facility for two channels of digital user inputs

and outputs (Digital User I/O). Information on how to control and

monitor this I/O using TVIEW+ Diagnostics can be found in Part J

- TVIEW+ Management Suite - Remote Diagnostics & Network

Controller.

All user I/O is optocoupled for isolation between the EB450 and

uses equipment. When using the I/O facility the I/O electrical

characteristics and ratings must be observed. Failure to observe

these ratings may result in equipment damage.

Inputs

Two User Inputs are available. They have identical interface

characteristics. Each input has an internal resistance of 470 Ohms.

Some form of switching contact (ie: switch, relay) is normally used

to change the state of the input. Both an isolated and non-isolated

input conﬁguration is possible.

Typical Radio Setup

TVIEW+ Diagnostics will recognise an input as being ON when the

switch is closed. If the switch is open (or not connected) TVIEW+

diagnostics will recognise the inputs as being OFF.

Outputs

Two User Outputs (Open Collector) are available. They have

identical interface characteristics. The maximum current allowed

through each output is 20ma. External resistors must be used keep

the current below this value.

Each output has an internal resistance of 100 Ohms.Ohms law can

be used to calculate the resistance required for a speciﬁc voltage

(keeping the current below 20mA). Nominally 1k Ohm is used for a

+13v8 supply and 330 Ohms for a +5v supply.

When the OUTPUT is OFF, V = Vs. No current will ﬂow when

output is off.

When the OUTPUT is ON, V = nominally 2.3 volts . Current is set

by resistor.

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Bar Graph Indicators

The bar graph indicators on the front panel provide variable

information regarding the performance of the Base Station. To

enable / disable the bar graph display depress the Display ON /

OFF button. The display will turn off automatically after 5 minutes.

DC Supply:

Indicates the supply input voltage at the exciter module. Typically

13.8Vdc.

Indication: <10Vdc no LED’s on, 10-10.9Vdc LED’s RED, 11-

15.6Vdc All LED’s GREEN, >=15.7Vdc last LED RED.

Tx Power:

Indicates forward RF power output as measured at the TX antenna

port. Typically +37dBm.

Indication: <20dBm no LED’s on, 20-40.6dBm (11.5W) LED’s

GREEN, >=40.7dBm last LED RED.

Tx Drive:

Indicates exciter drive level. Typically +20dBm.

Indication: <10dBm no LED’s on, 10.0-25.9dBm LED’s GREEN,

>=26.0dBm last LED RED.

Rx Sig:

Indicates receive signal strength. Typically -85 to -65dBm.

Indication: <-120dBm no LED’s on, -120 to -110.1dBm LED’s RED,

>=-110dBm LED’s GREEN.

RxFreq. Offset:

Indicates offset of receiver AFC - useful in determining frequency

drift. Typically 0kHz.

Indication: Single GREEN LED to indicate current value, <-3.6kHz

or >+3.6kHz LED is RED. No signal, all LED’s OFF.

Note: 5 second peak hold circuitry.

Part E – Getting Started - EB450

Test Mode

The Bar Graph indicators have a Test Mode, which cycles all LED’s

for correct operation (before returning to their normal operation).

To activate this mode, simply depress the ON / OFF button while

applying power to the unit.

Hardware Error

A hardware error is indicated on the status LEDs by all

LEDs ﬂashing RED at a rate of 1Hz. This indicates internal

communications to the exciter inside the basestation has been lost

and the base station needs to be returned to repair.

Received Signal Indicator

The “RX/SYNC” LED indicates the state of the receiver.

If the LED is off, no signal is being received.

A RED indication shows that an RF carrier is being received, but

no data stream can be decoded. This will brieﬂy happen at the

very start of every valid received transmission or may indicate the

presence of interference, or another user on the channel.

A continuous GREEN indication shows that the modem is locked

and synchronised to the incoming signal, and has excellent Bit

Error Rate (BER). Any losses of synchronisation (BER errors) are

shown as a visible RED ﬂicker of the LED.

Note: This might only be apparent on a PTMP slave when only

receiving.

Data Flow “breakout” LEDs

There are also two LEDs to indicate data ﬂow into and out of the

two user ports.

Input data to be transmitted is shown as a RED ﬂash, and received

data to be output to the port is shown as a GREEN ﬂash.

If data is alternately ﬂowing in and out quickly, then the indicator

appears Orange.

LED Indicators & Test outputs

Radio is Powered

If all the LEDs are off, no power is reaching the radio modem.

Successful power-up is indicated by the “PWR” LED indicating a

continuous (healthy) GREEN state. Note that this LED is turned

RED when the transmitter is active.

LED Legend

Page 33

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

EH450 Quick Start Guide

Introduction

Welcome to the Quick Start Guide for the EH450 Hot Standby

Base / Repeater Station. This section provides additional step-by-

step instructions to install, commission and operate the EH450

Hot Standby Base Station. This document should be read in

conjunction with the EB450 Base Station Quick Start Guide.

The EH450 is a fully redundant, hot standby digital data radio base

/ repeater station providing automatic changeover facilities.

The EH450 is designed as a modular solution, comprising 2

identical EB450 base station units (standard) linked to a central,

fail-safe monitoring and changeover controller (Hot Standby

Controller). Either base station may be taken out for maintenance

without the need for any system down time. The automatic

changeover is triggered by out of tolerance (alarm) conditions

based on either RF and/or user data throughput parameters.

Part E – Getting Started - EH450

Features and Beneﬁts

• Individual and identical base stations with separate control

logic changeover panel

• Modules are hot swapable without user downtime

• Flexible antenna options – single, separate Tx & Rx, two Tx

and two Rx

• Both on-line and off-line units monitored regardless of active

status

• Also refer to the common Features and Beneﬁts list of the E

Series Data Radio

Base / Repeater Unit

Hot Standby Controller Unit

Base / Repeater Unit

Note: RF connectors not used on ETSI version

Rear View

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Operational Description

The Hot Standby Controller (HSC) unit is a 1RU rack mounted

module that interfaces to two physically separate base stations

(each 2RU rack mounted modules) via a number of RF and data

cables.

Both base stations are operating simultaneously and both units

are constantly receiving signals, however only data from one base

station, the “online” base station is directed to the user equipment.

The online base station is the only base station transmitting at any

time. The Hot Standby Controller has the following functions:

• Diplex the transmit and receive paths (Assuming internal

duplexer ﬁtted), TX Only.

• Amplify and split the incoming signal two ways so both base

stations receive at once.

• Monitor status reports from both base stations to identify

faults and swap over the online base station if required.

• Switch the antenna via internal coaxial relay duplexer to the

online base station transmitter and inhibit the ofﬂine base

station from transmitting.

• Switch the User A and B data ports through to the online

base station.

An optocoupler based switch in the base station controller directs

data to and from ports A and B on the rear panel directly to ports A

and B on the on-line base station without any involvement from the

Hot Standby controller microcontrollers (apart from selecting the

on-line base). This provides protection of the system from failure of

the microcontroller.

As well as ports A and B, each base has a system port. The system

port of each base station is interfaced to the microcontroller on the

Hot Standby controller. This allows the microcontroller in charge

of selecting the base station to receive diagnostic messages from

each base station to decide their health.

The base station has it’s own system port on the rear panel and

this is interfaced to the Hot Standby Controller Module. The HSC

will route diagnostics at the rear panel system port to and from the

system ports of the base stations.

Warning

The base station front panel system port has priority over the

rear panel port, which is used for communication between the

base station and the Hot Standby Controller. This is to permit

service personnel to reconﬁgure the base station module without

disconnection from the Hot Standby Controller. It should be noted

however, that when the front panel port is accessed, a changeover

event will occur due to lost communications with the Hot Standby

Controller.

Mounting and Environmental

Considerations

The EH450 Hot Standby Base Station is housed as a 5RU 19” rack

mounted set, encompassing 2 x 2RU Base Station units and 1 x

1RU Hot Standby Controller unit. The mounting holes on the front

panels should be used to secure the units to the rack.

The unit should be mounted in a clean and dry location, protected

from water, excessive dust, corrosive fumes, extremes of

temperature and direct sunlight. Please allow sufﬁcient passive or

active ventilation to allow the radio modem’s heatsink to operate

efﬁciently.

All permanent connections are made at the rear of the unit. This

includes: Power, Antenna, Communications Ports, Digital I/O

and System Port. The front panel has an additional System Port

connection point for easy access.

The Base Station front panel system ports must not be used while

in this conﬁguration.

Part E – Getting Started - EH450

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Communications Ports

The A & B Data Ports and System Ports of each Base Station

connect directly to the Hot Standby Controller units corresponding

ports with the cables provided. Ensure all clamping screws on the

Data Port cables are ﬁrmly secured and the System Port cables

are clipped in correctly. See ﬁgure below for further details.

Note: Only the front or rear User System Port can be used at any

one time on the Hot Standby Controller.

Power Supply and Protection

The EH450 has facilities for dual power supplies to provide for a

redundant system. A separate power supply should be used for

each of the Base Station units. The Hot Standby Controller unit has

connections for dual power supplies and it is recommended that

the power supplies from each of the Base Stations also be used to

power the Hot Standby Controller unit. See Figure below for further

details.

The Hot Standby Controller units A & B Data Ports connect directly

to you application device and the System Port connects directly

to your local PC. See ER450 Quick Start Guide Section for further

Part E – Getting Started - EH450

Note: RF Connectors not used on ETSI version

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Connecting Antennas and RF Feeders

There are 3 primary antenna connection options. All connectors

used are standard N Type sockets. See ﬁgures below for further

details.

Part E – Getting Started - EH450

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Front Panel Operation

Switches

Select Switch

The 3 position switch (1 / Auto / 2) on the front panel provides the

following functionality:

• Position 1: base station 1 is forced into operation

• Position Auto: changeover hardware will select the online

base station

• Position 2: base station 2 is forced into operation

The select switch is also used to identify the target base station for

conﬁguration programming.

Adjacent to the select switch are two LEDs: These LEDs indicate

the current active base station.

Select LEDs

• Green - Auto Mode

• Red - Remote Force

• Amber - Local Force

2 Green Firmware Download

2 Amber Test Mode

2 Red Fatal Error - refer User Manual

Reset Switch

This is a momentary close switch which when depressed will reset

all LED alarm indications.

System Port

There are two system port connection points, one on the rear panel

and one on the front panel. Both have the same functionality and

can be used for local diagnostics, ﬁrmware front panel downloads

and hot standby controller testing. To access the system port use

the diagnostic/programming cable supplied.

Note: When connection is made to front panel system rear system

port is disabled.

Alarm Status LEDs

There are 10 alarm LEDs on the front panel, ﬁve for base 1 and

ﬁve for base 2. These LEDs provide a general indication of base

station status. More detailed base station status information is

available by using the diagnostic utility software.

The indicated alarms for each base station are:

Freq. => Frequency Error

RxSig => Receive Signal (RF) Error

Data => Receive Data Error

TxPower => Transmit Power (RF) Error

Supply => DC Voltage Error

The status of each alarm is represented as follows:

OFF => Unknown

Green => No Error

Red => Current (active) Error

condition

Amber => Recovered Error condition

Any active or recovered error LEDs will turn to green after the reset

Part E – Getting Started - EH450

Page 38

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Part F - Operational Features

Multistream functionality (SID

codes)

The E Series sends data messages in packets. A feature of the E

Series is that an address can be embedded in each packet. This

address is called the stream identiﬁer code (SID).

By conﬁguring a user serial port for a speciﬁc SID code, it is

possible to steer messages to similarly conﬁgured ports between

radio modems. In effect, it is possible to use the multiple serial

ports available on the E Series, to enable multiple protocols to

share the same RF channel. The SID codes also facilitate the use

of other features such as TView diagnostics. Unique selective

routing, repeating, and data splitting functions available in the

radio modems conﬁguration allow data steering and bandwidth

management in complex systems.

See Part I - TView+ Management Suite - Programmer and Part J

- TView Remote Diagnostics and Network Controller for details.

Collision Avoidance (digital and

RFCD based)

Where multiple “unsynchronised” protocols coexist on a common

“multiple access” radio channel, there is always a possibility that

both “hosts” may poll different “remote” devices at the same time.

If both devices attempt to answer back to the single master radio

at the same time, it follows that a collision could occur on the radio

channel.

To facilitate the operation of multiple protocol operation on the

radio channel, a transparent collision management system has

been implemented : See Part I - TView+ Management Suite

- Programmer for details.

Digital Collision Avoidance System

If the “multiple access master” has been conﬁgured for full duplex

operation, it is possible to use the inbuilt collision avoidance

signalling system.

Once the master radio receives a valid incoming data stream

from a remote, a ﬂag within the “outbound” data stream is used to

alert all other remote devices that the channel has become busy.

Remote devices wishing to send data will buffer the message

until the channel status ﬂag indicates that the channel is clear. A

pseudo-random timing value is added to the retry facility to ensure

that waiting remotes do not retry at the same time.

RF Carrier Detect RSSI based Collision

Avoidance

In half duplex systems, the receiver’s RF carrier detect is used to

inhibit the transmitter whilst a signal is being received.

Digipeater Operation

A feature of the E Series radio modems is the ability to internally

repeat data packets to provide stand alone repeater facilities

without the need for external intelligence.

This is done by programming “SID Codes” to “Repeat” a stream or

range of streams. Wizard templates can be used to simplify setup

of this and other features.

See Part I - TVIEW+ Management Suite for details.

TVIEW+ Diagnostics

The E Series has an inbuilt remote conﬁguration and diagnostics

utility.

This facility allows transparent remote access to the key

conﬁguration and operating parameters of the radio.

See the TView+ Diagnostics User Manual for more information.

Part F – Operational Features

Poor VSWR Sensing

To protect the transmitter, forward and reverse power are

measured on each transmission.

If a VSWR of 3:1 or greater is measured, transmitter output power

is reduced to +31 dBm.

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Part G – Commissioning

Check DC power connector for correct voltage (10-16VDC) and

polarity, BEFORE plugging in the power connector.

Power-up

Upon power up, the radio will self test and shortly after the green

power LED will be displayed.

Failure of the power LED to light indicates no power, or failure of

the fuse due to incorrect polarity or over-voltage.

Other failure such as fatal internal errors will initiate error modes

as detailed in Part E - Getting Started: LED Indicators and Test

Outputs.

LED Indicators

Will depend on the system architecture. If the device is a remote

site receiving a base station with a constant carrier, then the

RXSIG/SYNC LED should be green to indicate healthy reception of

the wanted signal.

If the site has been conﬁgured as a constantly transmitting base

station, then the PWR/TX LED should show red.

In other types of systems, TX and RX bursts would be indicated by

the RX or TX LED’s as above.

Data ﬂow to and from the user ports is indicated by the TXD/RXD

LEDs for each port.

(See Part E – Getting Started: LED Indicators and Test Outputs.)

Data Transfer Indications

Bi-colour LEDs are provided to indicate RS232 data being

transmitted and received on each data port. A RED ﬂash indicates

a byte (or bytes) of incoming data from the serial line which will

be transmitted to air, and a green ﬂash indicates a byte of data

received “off air” being released onto the serial line.

If data is being sent to the radio modem and the Data LED does

not ﬂash RED, this may indicate a wiring or conﬁguration problem.

Check that the TX and RX data lines are correctly wired (see Part

E – Getting Started: LED Indicators and Test Outputs).

Also check that character set and parity settings (i.e. N,8,1 etc) are

set identically at the terminal and the radio modem. Note that some

incorrect settings of the character set parameter can still produce

transmittable data, even though the data will not be understood by

the application.

Antenna Alignment and RSSI

Testing

Once the RXSIG LED is lit, it is possible to conﬁrm RX signal

strength and align a directional antenna by monitoring the RSSI

output.

This DC voltage appears at Pin 9 of Port B.

A ground reference can be obtained from chassis ground or Pin 5

of Port A or B.

The chart below shows Pin 9 voltage as it relates to signal

Part G – Commissioning

strength.

Link Establishment and BER

Testing

Once communications has been established, it is possible to

conﬁrm the packet error rate performance of the radio path, and

thus estimate the BER ﬁgure.

There are a number of tools provided to do this. The easiest is to

use the “indicative packet error test” provided within the TVIEW+

Diagnostics under “statistical performance tools”. Alternatively, it is

possible to use hyper terminal, or other packet test instruments or

PC programs to run end to end or perform “loopback” testing.

Please note that when using a “loopback plug” some

understanding of the packetising process is necessary, since each

“test message’ must be carried in a single packet for meaningful

results to be obtained.

Note also that in PTMP systems, allowance must be made for

collision potential if other data is being exchanged on the system.

VSWR Testing

VSWR testing is achieved using specialized VSWR testing

equipment, or a “Thruline” power meter that measures forward and

reverse power.

VSWR is the ratio between forward and reﬂected transmitter

power, and indicates the health and tuning of the antenna and

feeder system.

VSWR should be better than 3 to 1, or expressed as a power ratio,

<6dB or no more than 25%. To activate the radio’s transmitter for

VSWR testing, use:

Page 40

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Part H – Maintenance

Routine Maintenance

Considerations

The E Series hardware itself does not require routine maintenance.

However all radio products contain crystal frequency references,

and the stability of these crystals changes with time. The effect of

this is that the product will slowly drift off frequency, and eventually

it will require re-calibration. E Series radios are designed with

high quality, low drift speciﬁcation references, to ensure a

long maintenance free lifespan. The length of this lifespan will

depend on the severity of temperature extremes in the operating

environment, but is normally 3–5 years. Extended frequency drift

can be detected using TVIEW+ Diagnostics “Freq error” parameter.

Generally, re-calibration is achieved by replacing the radio in the

ﬁeld with a spare, and returning the radio to a service centre for

re-calibration and speciﬁcation testing at moderate cost.

Routine maintenance should be performed on external equipment

subject to greater environmental stresses including antennas, RF

feeder cables, backup batteries and cooling fans (if required). This

maintenance should include testing of site commissioning ﬁgures

such as received signal strength, VSWR, P/S voltage etc.

Part H – Maintenance

Page 41

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Part I – TVIEW+ Management Suite - Programmer

Part I – TVIEW+ Management Suite -

Programmer

Introduction

This manual covers the installation and operation of the E Series

TVIEW+ Management Suite which incorporates 3 utilities:

• Programmer for conﬁguration of the radio RF parameters,

system parameters and data ports

• Diagnostics* for real-time monitoring and logging of radio

performance parameters

• Firmware Update for loading new ﬁrmware releases into the

radio data modem

All utilities can be run on any IBM compatible computer running

Windows 95® and above. This section describes use of the

programmer and ﬁrmware Update utilities in detail. Users should

refer to the separate Diagnostics section for information about this

utility.

The programmer is used to set conﬁguration parameters within

the ER450 data radio modem and EB450 base station. The utility

permits conﬁguration of modems connected directly to the PC as

well as over the air to a remote unit. Conﬁguration parameters

can be saved to a disk ﬁle for later retrieval, or used for clone

programming of other modems.

All conﬁguration parameters are held in non-volatile memory

(NVRAM) on the Data Radio Modem. Conﬁguration is fully

programmable via the Systems Port using the programming

adaptor and cable supplied. Disassembly of the unit is not required

for any reason other than for servicing.

The diagnostics utility permits monitoring and logging of radio

performance parameters for both E Series* as well as D Series*

data radio modems and base stations. It supports homogeneous

systems of radios as well as mixed systems of both E and D series

radios.

The ﬁrmware update utility permits ﬁeld upgrade of the ﬁrmware in

an ER450 data radio modem, EB450 base station and EH450 hot

standby unit connected directly to the PC. A special serial adaptor

cable is required to be connected to Port B to load ﬁrmware into

the unit.

Installation

Unit Connection

Programmer and Diagnostics Utilities

The unit is connected to the PC using the supplied DB9-RJ45

adaptor cable (part no. TVIEW+ Cable) for local conﬁguration

changes or diagnostic monitoring. The cable should be connected

to the RJ45 System Port of the unit and a valid PC serial port (e.g.

COM 1) DB9 connector.

(See Part E - Getting Started: Communications Ports)

Firmware Update Utility

The unit to be updated with ﬁrmware connects to the PC using

the DB9-DB9 adaptor (part no. DRPROG). The cable should be

connected to the DB9 Port B connector on the unit and a valid PC

serial port (See Appendix C for details) DB9 connector.

Software

Please take a moment to read this important information before

you install the software.

The installation of this Software Suite is a 2 step process.

Step 1 completes the typical installation of the TVIEW+

Management Suite and will install the Programming Software

together with the E Series Documentation.

Step 2 installs the Diagnostic Software and is optional. This step is

only required if your radios have Remote Diagnostics enabled.

STEP 1: Installation - TVIEW+ Management

Suite

Note: If a previous version of the TVIEW+ Management Suite has

been installed on your PC, you must uninstall it via Control Panel

“Add/Remove Programs”.

• Close down all other programs currently running.

• Place the CD-ROM in the drive on the PC.

• Using Windows Explorer locate the ﬁles on the CD-ROM.

• In Windows Explorer double click on the ﬁle called

TVIEW+_(Version#)_install.exe

• After the installer starts follow directions.

Page 42

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Programmer

Main Window

When ﬁrst started the programmer is in ﬁle mode as indicated by

the mode ﬁeld at the bottom right of the panel shown below. In this

mode it is possible to open a previously saved conﬁguration ﬁle, or

conﬁgure various programming options and save the conﬁguration

to a ﬁle.

Note: Modulation type is not available in this mode.

To commence programming a unit (radio remote or base station)

a session must ﬁrst be established by using the “READ” function.

This function reads the current conﬁguration from the unit and

displays it in the main window. The “mode” displays changes to

local or remote depending on the type of session selected at the

read function. Several options in the main window may be blanked

out until a session has been established with a unit.

Note: Changing any item on the menu will in general not take effect

until data is written back to the unit using the “WRITE” function.

The procedure to follow for normal programming of unit is:

• Read unit

• Conﬁgure parameters (or Open a previously saved

conﬁguration ﬁle)

• Write unit

Several modems of the same radio type can be programmed with

the same conﬁguration using the clone facility described in Clone

Mode. It is important to note that when using this facility the cloned

Part I – TVIEW+ Management Suite - Programmer

STEP 2: Installation - TView Diagnostic

Software (Optional)

Note: If a previous version of the “TView WinDiags” software has

been installed on your PC, you must uninstall it via Control Panel

“Add/Remove Programs”.

• Close down all other programs currently running.

• Place the CD-ROM in the drive on the PC.

• Using Windows Explorer open the “Diagnostics” directory on

the CR-ROM.

• Double click on the ﬁle called setup.exe

• After the installer starts follow directions.

Other:

The current E Series Manuals are supplied and installed as part

of the TVIEW+ Management Suite installation in Adobe Acrobat

format.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is provided on the CD-ROM for installation

if required.

TVIEW+ Front Panel

When started the TVIEW+ front panel appears. The larger buttons

permit each of the three utilities to be started. The diagnostics

button may be greyed out if this utility has not been installed or

found in the correct ﬁle directory. Access to local help and an exit

Page 43

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Pull Down Menus and Toolbar Buttons

The items on the pull-down menus can be selected either directly

with a mouse or using the ALT key in combination with a HOT KEY

(e.g. ALT-F to select the ﬁle menu). Several of the functions within

each menu are also available on the toolbar (click once to select).

File Menu

The ﬁle menu allows the user to load (open) or save conﬁguration

data as well as to quit the program. The ﬁles are saved with an

“.cfg” ﬁle extension

Open (also available on the toolbar)

This function is used to load an existing conﬁguration ﬁle that

can be used to directly program the radio or to use as a starting

point to edit conﬁguration parameters. Note that a session must

be established with the unit by initially reading the conﬁguration

parameters from the unit prior to being written to a unit.

If in ﬁle mode the modulation type will not be displayed. If in local/

remote mode and a ﬁle that was saved from local/remote mode is

opened, then modulation type will be imported and used, but only

if it is valid for the connected hardware. If not, then the unit’s read

modulation type will be used.

Save (also available on the toolbar)

This function is used to save the current conﬁguration parameters

to a ﬁle for future recall.

If in “ﬁle mode” only basic RF, Port and System parameters are

saved and re called. If in local/remote mode then modulation type

is saved and re called.

Print (also available on the toolbar)

This function prints out the conﬁguration data to the default printer

in a standard format. There are no options for this item.

This should be used if a complete record is required for site/unit

conﬁguration. Firmware/Modulation/Diags/Hardware type are all

printed.

Exit (also available on the toolbar)

This function terminates the program. The user is requested to

conﬁrm this selection before exiting the application.

Modem Menu

This radio menu allows conﬁguration data to be read

from and written to the unit (remote radio or base station)

using the selected PC serial port connection (see Settings

menu). The action of reading the conﬁguration establishes

a session with the unit. Communications is maintained

with the unit to ensure that the session remains open.

If the session has been lost due to data transmission errors

or disconnection of the programming cable it will need to be

re-established to ensure any updated conﬁguration is written

successfully to the unit.

Read (also available on the toolbar)

This function establishes a session with the unit, reads

conﬁguration data from the unit and displays it in the programmer

main window. When selected a dialogue window appears

prompting the user to choose whether the unit to read is local

(connected directly to the serial port or remote (connected over the

air to the unit connected to serial port). Unit no. (Serial no.) must

be entered and the stream SID code is “on” (default =0)). After

conﬁguration data is read from the unit it is available for editing

and writing back to the unit or saving to a ﬁle. The progress of data

transfer to or from the unit is indicated by a message window as

well as a rotating indicator in the bottom right hand corner of the

main window.

Write (also available on the toolbar)

This function writes conﬁguration data displayed in the main

window to the unit and reboots the unit. When selected a dialogue

window appears prompting the user to conﬁrm whether to proceed.

A progress indicator in the bottom right hand corner of the main

window is displayed while data is being read. This selection is

only available if a session has been previously established and

maintained with the unit.

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

This dialog provides a facility for reversing any remote

conﬁguration changes that cause unexpected results resulting in

the device reverting to previous conﬁguration if contact is lost.

Choose “Make changes and resume contact” to safeguard

changes. Some parameter changes (such as frequency change)

will, by deﬁnition, automatically result in lost contact.

Choose “Make changes anyway and ﬁnish” to complete intentional

changes which will result in lost contact.

Part I – TVIEW+ Management Suite - Programmer

After conﬁguration data has been written, the session with the unit

is closed and the programmer reverts to ﬁle mode.

Note: In general, any change made on the programmer screen

must be written to the unit (using the write function) to become

permanently stored. However, changes to Power adjust, Mute

adjust and 7x/Rx trim take immediate effect to allow test and

adjustment prior to permanent storage via the write function.

Cancel Session (also available on the toolbar)

This function closes the session with unit and puts the programmer

back into ﬁle mode. All conﬁguration changes are discarded

including changes to Power Adjust, Mute Adjust and Tx/Rx Trim.

Wizard (also available on toolbar)

This function permits the user to select standard conﬁgurations

after the conﬁguration from a unit has been read or a ﬁle opened.

The user is prompted via a series of dialogue windows to select the

desired conﬁguration that can then be written to the unit (remote

radio or base station).

Clone Mode

This function permits writing of the same conﬁguration data to

several units. This feature is normally used for conﬁguring data

radio modems connected locally.

The procedure is:

• Read the conﬁguration from the ﬁrst unit.

• Conﬁgure the parameters (or open a previously saved

conﬁguration ﬁle).

• Select Clone Mode (Modem menu).

• Write the conﬁguration to the ﬁrst unit.

• The changes will take effect when unit is repowered.

• Connect the next unit.

• Write the next unit which establishes a session and

recognises the unit serial number and type, which then

conﬁgures the unit

• Repower the unit for changes to take effect

• Repeat the last 3 steps for the remaining units.

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Part I – TVIEW+ Management Suite - Programmer

Settings

This menu permits selection of the PC serial port (COM1 to COM4)

to be used for communications with the unit. COM1 is the default

selection and if a different port is to be used it must be set before

establishing a session by reading the conﬁguration from a unit.

Whilst a session is established with a unit this menu can not be

accessed.

Help

This menu permits selection of help information using the Contents

key. Warnings regarding use of the programmer software using the

Warnings key and version detail using the About key.Port A and

Port B Conﬁguration

Data from these two user ports is multiplexed for transmission over

the air. Each port can be conﬁgured separately for the Character

layer (Data speed, number of data bits, number of stop bits,

parity), Packet layer and Handshaking (ﬂow control). Port B must

be enabled if required by setting the check box at the top of its

conﬁguration section.

If Port B is off, the 16K memory is split equally between Port A

Rx/Tx buffers (i.e. 8K & 8 K). If Port B is on, then the 16K is split

equally across Port A & B Rx/Tx buffers (i.e. 4K, 4K, 4K & 4K).

The following description is common to both ports.

Character Layer

There are two standard formats and a custom format that can be

selected by checking the appropriate control button to the left of

the description. The standard formats are:

• 9600,N,8,1 (data speed = 9600 bps, no parity, 8 data bits, 1

stop bit)

• 4800,N,8,1 (data speed = 4800 bps, no parity, 8 data bits, 1

stop bit)

A non-standard format can be selected via the Custom button that

displays a dialogue box to permit selection of data speed, parity,

number of data bits and stop bits. Once selected the OK button

should be used to complete the selection. The custom selection is

also displayed in the main window below the Custom button.

Packet Layer

There are two standard conﬁgurations and a custom conﬁguration

which can be selected by checking the appropriate control button

to the left of the description. There are essentially two basic modes

of operation for the packet assembler and disassembler (PAD).

The ﬁrst is where the PAD operates in a standard mode with data

received at the port being immediately sent over the radio channel.

The second is a store and forward or delayed mode where whole

data packets are received from the port before being sent over the

radio channel.

In both cases data is sent over the radio channel in variable

length frames and delineation of these frames is dependent

on the conﬁguration selected as well as the characteristics

of the data stream received at the data port.

The packet layer conﬁguration options which can be

selected are:

Standard (live framing)

With standard live framing data received from the host by the

modem is immediately placed into a frame and transferred onto the

radio channel.

This avoids placing “store and forward” delays in the data

transmission.

If a stream of characters is received by the modem, then several

characters at a time may be placed into the same frame. The

number of characters in the frame depends mainly on the

respective baud rates of the user port and the primary channel

baud rate of the modem, as well as the level of overheads

experienced on the radio channel and the user data stream.

For example a constant stream of 300 baud user data placed onto

a 9600 baud channel will result in 1 character per frame being

transmitted. If the user baud rate was lifted to 9600,N,8,1 with

a continuous data stream, then the frame size would settle to

about 16 characters plus 32 overhead bits. If collision avoidance

is enabled as master the average frame size will increase to 32

characters plus overhead bits.

The number of data bits associated with the user data stream will

also have an effect on the average size of a frame. For instance

the number of stop bits, and number of data bits per character.

The system designer must choose the best compromise of all

the above items to ensure the most efﬁcient method of data

transmission.

Note: The ﬁrst character is always packetised and sent by itself

regardless of all the above variables.

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Modbus

This selection conﬁgures the PAD driver with options automatically

set to implement the MODBUS protocol, e.g. 5 mSec timer.

Custom

Other conﬁgurations of the PAD driver can be selected via the

Custom button which displays a dialogue box to permit selection of

several conﬁguration options as follows:

SLIP / DIAGNOSTICS

Handshaking

If the standard PAD is selected (i.e. any settings apart from

SLIP/Diagnostics), then ﬂow control can be either hardware

handshaking, XON/XOFF protocol or none.

The XON/XOFF ﬂow control is not possible when using either the

SLIP/Diagnostics protocol.

The Handshaking section of the screen allows the selection

of either of the handshaking methods as well as allowing

handshaking to be disabled.

Details of the two handshaking methods are given below.

Hardware

The modem acts as Data Communications Equipment (DCE) and

supplies to the host controller the following interface signals:

Data Set Ready (DSR)

Data Carrier Detect (DCD)

Clear To Send (CTS)

Receive Data Output (RXD)

The host controller must act as Data Terminal Equipment (DTE)

and supplies to the modem the following interface signals :

Data Terminal Ready (DTR)

Request To Send (RTS)

Transmit Data Input (TXD)

• DCD

DCD has several modes of operation. It is set to TRUE when

data is being transferred from the modem to the host - RXD

line active. The signal is asserted approximately 500ms

before the start bit of the ﬁrst character in the data stream and

remains for approximately 1 character after the last bit in the

data stream. The other modes of operation are dependent on

the advanced settings.

Part I – TVIEW+ Management Suite - Programmer

SLIP is a well known protocol for transferring binary data

packets over a data link. Each data packet is delineated by

<FEND> characters, and a substitution mechanism exists

that allows these characters to be included in the data

packet. Appendix B describes the SLIP protocol which is

used extensively in UNIX™ based systems, and is closely

associated with TCP/IP networks.

The diagnostics controller package uses the SLIP protocol to

communicate between base station and remote modems.

DNP-3 / IEC870

This selection conﬁgures the PAD driver to implement the

DNP-3 Protocol and IEC870 Protocol.

Pull Down Menu Selection

The PAD driver can be conﬁgured for a number of vendor

speciﬁc protocols by selecting the desired option.

Custom Format

This selection permits PAD driver to be conﬁgured in a variety

of ways and requires a greater understanding of the system

design.

For the modem to successfully transmit its packets (or

frames) of data over the radio channel, it must be told on

what basis to delineate data packets received at the data

port. Once the end of a data packet has been received at the

port the data frame is closed and transmission over the radio

channel commences. Delineation of data packets can be

conﬁgured to occur via any combination of:

• A pre-deﬁned minimum time delay between packets

received at the port. Typically the time delay would reﬂect

the absence of a couple of characters in the data stream

at the speciﬁed user port baud rate.

• Limiting the maximum number of characters which can be

put in the data frame sent over the radio channel.

• Receipt of a selected end of message (EOM) character at

the port. An ASCII carriage return (character 13) is often

used for this purpose.

As each data frame to be transmitted over the radio channel

has overhead data consisting of checksums and SID codes.

The system designer must determine the best compromise

between the ratio of overhead versus user data which

depends on packet size and user data packet transmission

latency.

The ﬁelds which can be conﬁgured are:

• Character Input timer: Set the input timer value in ms or

enter zero to disable. Range 0 - 255.

• Maximum Frame Size: Set the maximum number of

characters or enter zero to disable. Range 0 - 4095.

• EOM Character: Select the check box to the left of the

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Disabled

This selection disables the DCD output on the port. This selection

is not permissible if hardware based ﬂow control has been

selected.

RF Carrier Detect

This selection causes DCD to be asserted at the onset of a

received RF signal being detected. This will generally occur several

milliseconds before data is transmitted from the port.

Data Detect (RS485 Flow Control)

This selection causes DCD to be asserted when data is about

to be transmitted from the port. This option is not available if

handshaking is set to “None” or “Xon/Xoff”.

RF Parameters

This section of the main window permits adjustment of transmitter

and receiver, radio channel modulation scheme, frequency trim

Transmitter

The transmitter can be conﬁgured for transmit frequency and

power level.

Frequency

The required transmit frequency in MHz can be entered in the

display ﬁeld. The programmer checks that the selected frequency

is in the range for the particular model of radio and provides

warnings if not.

Power Adjust

The currently selected transmit power is displayed below the button

in dBm. The power level can be adjusted by selecting this button

which displays a dialogue box. The up/down keys, or a typed in

value, can be used to select the required power level in dBm steps.

Part I – TVIEW+ Management Suite - Programmer

• DSR

DSR is permanently set to TRUE.

• CTS

The CTS is a signal from the modem to the host informing the

host that the modem is able to accept incoming data on the

TXD line. It responds to the actions of the RTS line similar to

the operation of a “standard” line modem.

The CTS is FALSE if the RTS line is FALSE. Once the RTS

line is set to TRUE (signalling that the host wants to send

some data to the modem on the TXD line), then the CTS

will be set TRUE within 1ms, if the modem is capable of

accepting more data.

The CTS line will be set to FALSE if the transmit buffer in the

modem exceeds 4075 bytes, or the number of queued frames

exceeds 29 to ensure that no overﬂow condition can occur.

• RTS

The RTS line is used for two reasons. The ﬁrst is to assert

the CTS line in response to RTS. The RTS line can also be

used to key up the transmitter stage of the modem.

• DTR

The DTR line is used for ﬂow control of data being sent from

the modem to the host controller. When the host is able to

accept data it sets this line to TRUE, and if data is available

within the modem, it will be sent to the host. If the host

cannot accept any more data, then it sets the DTR to FALSE,

and the modem will stop all transmissions to the host.

• Xon/Xoff

If the ﬂow control mechanism is XON/XOFF then

the modem uses the standard ASCII control codes

of DC1 {^Q=11(Hex)=17(Dec)} for XON and DC3

{^S=13(Hex)=19(Dec)} for XOFF. The DTR input line is totally

ignored.

Note: There is no substitution mechanism employed in the

XON/XOFF protocol, so care must be taken when transferring

binary data to ensure that invalid ﬂow control characters are

not generated.

Advanced

This button provides access to the advanced features of the

port conﬁguration. When selected a dialogue box appears which

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

There are two methods for setting the power.

• Using Factory Calibration

To use the factory calibration of the radio the desired power

is set immediately using the OK button in the dialogue box.

This method permits the transmit power to be set without

energising the transmitter. Note that although the transmit

power has been adjusted it must be written to NVRAM using

the modem “Write” function to ensure it is retained after a

power on reset.

• Using a Power Meter

To overcome manufacturing variations in the power setting

a more accurate setting of power can be achieved by the

selecting the “Test With Meter” button in the dialogue box.

This displays another dialogue box warning the user that the

transmitter is about to be energised and that the power meter

used should be able to handle at least 10 Watts from the

modem.

Selecting OK in this warning dialogue box will energise the

transmitter which will also be indicated by the red transmit

LED on the unit. The power is adjusted using the up/down

keys until the required power level is obtained. Selecting OK

will retain the power setting and turn the transmitter off.

Note: Although the transmit power has been adjusted it must

be written to NVRAM using the modem “Write” function to

ensure it is retained after the modem is rebooted.

Selecting “stop test” will stop and leave you in power adjust

box. “Cancel” will stop test and take you back to the main

window.

Receiver

The receiver can be conﬁgured for receive frequency and mute

level.

Frequency

The required receive frequency in MHz can be entered in the

display ﬁeld. The programmer checks that the selected frequency

is in the range for the particular model of radio and provides

warnings if not.

Mute Adjust

The currently selected mute level is displayed in the main window

below the button in dBm. The mute level can be adjusted by

selecting this button which displays a dialogue box. The up/down

keys, or a typed in value, can be used to select the required mute

level in dBm steps. Whilst a session is in progress with a unit the

mute level adjustment is live. Selecting OK will retain the mute

level setting. Note that although the mute level has been adjusted

it must be written to NVRAM using the modem “Write” function to

ensure it is retained after the modem is rebooted.

Whilst the modem is capable of receiving extremely weak radio

signals, and successfully extracting the data content from the

waveforms the mute level should be set to assist the modem in

ﬁltering out unwanted signals. Unwanted signals can be the result

of background noise or interference. The mute level should be set

at a level above these unwanted signals and at a level low enough

to detect the wanted signal. Detection of a received signal above

the mute level is indicated by the “RxSig” LED on the unit.

Setting of a correct mute level at a base station is critical if collision

avoidance is operational in a point to multipoint system. In this

situation detection of “noise” instead of a valid transmission from

the remote modems will effectively “lock out” all of the remote units

from accessing and using the channel.

Due to normal manufacturing variations the actual mute level

may vary by several dBm to that selected. If a more accurate

adjustment is required an unmodulated signal of the correct

frequency and desired threshold level can be applied to the radio

modem’s antenna connector.

Modulation

The radio modem utilises a DSP to control the modulation of

transmit signals and de-modulation of received signals. This

provides greater ﬂexibility in the ability of the radio modem to

support new modulation schemes whilst maintaining compatibility

with existing modulation schemes.

The currently selected modulation scheme is displayed in the main

window below the select button. The modulation scheme can be

adjusted by selecting this button which displays a dialogue box.

The desired modulation scheme can then be selected from the

pull-down menu in the dialogue box and retained using the OK

button.

In the case of 12.5kHz channel radio modems the presently

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Tx/Rx (Frequency) Trim

The currently selected frequency trim, which is common to both

transmitter and receiver, is displayed in the main window below

the button in Hz. The frequency trim can be adjusted live by

selecting this button which displays a dialogue box. The up/down

keys can be used to select the required frequency offset in steps

pre-determined by the radio modem. Selecting OK will retain

the frequency trim setting. Note that although the frequency

trim has been adjusted it must be written to NVRAM using the

modem “Write” function to ensure it is retained after the modem is

rebooted.

This facility permits correction for drifts in the frequency reference

caused by component aging. For example, a standard crystal

may vary in fundamental frequency operation over 1 year by one

part per million. An adjustment range of ± 10ppm, displayed in Hz,

has been allowed for and if this is insufﬁcient the unit should be

returned to the dealer/factory for re-calibration.

Advanced

This button permits setting of advanced features. When selected

a dialogue box appears which permits conﬁguration of the type of

received data clock alignment method.

In the case of full duplex units the receiver is always active and

is not interrupted by transmissions from the unit as would be the

case for half duplex units. In this situation it is not necessary, or

desirable in the case of a base station, for the recovered data clock

alignment to be remembered between bursts of received signals.

In this situation the “Receiver Full Duplex” check box to the left

should be selected.

Note: For half duplex units the “Receiver Full Duplex” check box

System Parameters

This section of the main window conﬁgures the PTT control,

collision avoidance, stream setup for routing of data, advanced

features and provides unit information.

PTT (Press To Talk) Control

RF transmission can be conﬁgured to occur permanently,

automatically on data received at Port A or Port B, or RTS being

asserted on Port A or Port B. A PTT timeout facility can be

conﬁgured to limit the period for which the transmitter is enabled.

Each option is selected by setting the control to the left of the

description on the main window. When PTT is active the “Tx” LED

on the unit is illuminated and RF power is being fed to the antenna.

Permanent Tx

This will cause the transmitter to be permanently enabled (keyed)

and displays another dialogue box warning the user that the

transmitter will be energised immediately after the conﬁguration

is written to the unit. Selecting OK conﬁrms this setting. The other

PTT selections are disabled when this option is selected.

Note: This option is only available for full duplex units when being

programmed locally.

Auto On Data

This will cause the transmitter to be enabled (keyed) automatically

on data received at Port A or Port B and included in a complete

frame for transmission over the radio channel. The maximum

period for which the transmitter will be enabled is limited by the

PTT timeout setting.

From Port A RTS

This will cause the transmitter to be enabled (keyed) on Port A RTS

being asserted. The maximum period for which the transmitter will

be enabled is limited by the PTT timeout setting. Applications which

rely on establishing a link ahead of data being transferred require

this method of activation.

From Port B RTS

This will cause the transmitter to be enabled (keyed) on Port B

RTS being asserted. The maximum period for which the transmitter

will be enabled is limited by the PTT timeout setting. Applications

which rely on establishing a link ahead of data being transferred

In the case of 25kHz channel radio modems the presently

supported modulation schemes include:

• 19200 25kHz ACA E Series. This is a new 19200bps

modulation scheme available in E-Series products which

supports a signiﬁcantly reduced delay between detection of

a valid RF carrier signal and demodulation of user data.

• 9600 25kHz ACA D Series. This is a current 9600bps

modulation scheme used in the D Series products to

provide backward compatibility.

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Stream Setup

This button brings up a dialogue box to permit editing of Stream

IDentiﬁer (SID) codes which are used by the modem as the

addressing mechanism for data stream routing. A SID code can be

placed at the start of each data frame as it is sent over the radio

channel. The receiving modems use this code to determine how

to route the data message. The modem supports simultaneous

operation of both Port “A” and Port “B” over the one radio link,

along with the inclusion of a diagnostics data stream.

Each port is independent and supports multiple options which are

described in the following sections.

The following diagram illustrates the structure of the stream routing

function for each data port.

User Port

This option is selected by clicking on the User Port button and

ﬁlling in the RXSID and TXSID ﬁelds to the right. The radio comes

preconﬁgured with default values.

In User Port mode all SID code operations are performed

transparently to the user data. Data placed into a user port which

has been assigned a speciﬁed SID code, will only be received by

a modem at the other end of the radio link that has a user port

assigned with the same SID code. The SID code is added by the

radio modem to the user data stream and removed by the radio

modem when user data is outputted to a data port.

In this way, Port “A” and Port “B” can be assigned different SID

codes, thereby separating the data streams.

Two SID codes values are available for each user port RXSID and

TXSID. The RXSID codes apply to the data being received by the

modem, and the TXSID codes apply to the data being transmitted

by the modem. This allows for different transmit and receive codes

if required, but generally they would be both the same.

A situation where Tx and Rx SID codes may be different is in

a repeater conﬁguration. In this type of application all data

messages sent to the repeater will be “repeated”. Thus by having

different Tx and Rx codes, a control unit will not “hear” its own

transmission, and remotes will not hear the reply from any other

remote. For more information please consult the Trio E Series

training material available as a power point slide from our website

at www.trio.com.au

The diagnostics facility (when installed) also uses SID codes. The

diagnostics data simply uses a different data stream to the user

data, but is processed internally by the modem. If access to the

diagnostics facility is required, similar to when the diagnostics utility

is used with the modem, then the data port concerned and the

diagnostics stream, must have the same SID codes assigned to

them. Alternatively the System port can be used, which is 19.2K,

Slip.

Trunk Streams

In the Trunk Streams mode, data that is inputted into the modem

for transmission must have a SID code appended to the start of the

data packet. This mode requires the use of a “SLIP” interface as

conﬁgured using the packet layer.

Trunk Steam mode is normally used in conjunction with Trio

Diagnostics software, when connection to a MSR Stream Router

or when connecting radios together such as a back-to-back

connections as used in multiple point to point links.

In Trunk Stream mode a range of SID codes can be transmitted

and received via a data port. This range is speciﬁed when this

mode is selected. In a typical application, such as a back to back

connection as used in a multiple point to point links, where all

data (including diagnostics) from one radio needs to be “trunked”

through to the other radio, the range used is 0 to 255. Trunked

mode allows a conﬁgurable selection of data streams to be

“trunked” to other equipment yet the data remains separated as the

SID codes are appended to each packet of data outputted.

require this method of activation.

PTT Timeout

The PTT timeout facility is used to disable the transmitter if it

exceeds the designated time. The timeout value can range from 1

to 255 seconds and the facility is disabled by setting a zero value.

The timeout value chosen for this should be set according to

system requirements which may include:

• Prevention of a remote unit remaining keyed up and locking

out all other remote units in a point to multipoint system.

• Limiting the period a remote unit remains keyed up to

prevent battery drain in a low power application.

Note: If a PTT timeout occurs before completion of a data

transmission data will be lost.

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Repeat/Translate Conﬁguration

The modem is capable of operating in a repeater mode. Each user

port can be conﬁgured as a separate repeater. The associated

user ports are effectively disconnected from the “outside world”

when in repeater mode. Data received from the radio channel is

passed directly to the transmitter, and placed back onto the radio

channel. This feature requires a ﬁrmware revision of R2.12.1 or

later.

The repeater must receive a complete frame of data before it

is retransmitted. In some systems this store and forward delay

may be signiﬁcant, and careful selection of maximum frame sizes

conﬁgured at the source unit must be considered to minimise the

delay.

To enable the mode select “Repeat Range” in the Type ﬁeld and

specify the range of SID codes for which will be repeated.

Translate Streams

This function is similar to repeat streams however it also translates

the SID code from one value to another as the repeating function

occurs.

This mode can be used to uncontrolled data repeating in system

where more than one repeater is required, such as store and

forward systems or pipe-lines.

Diagnostics

Polled Diagnostics

The Diagnostics Processor can be conﬁgured to listen for

diagnostics on a range of SID codes. The factory default is SID

code 0 (From Stream 0 To Stream 0). The diagnostics responses

are sent back over the same stream as the questions.

Diagnostics Repeat

This option can be toggled on and off by clicking the button. Some

applications will require that a repeater unit in a point to multipoint

system repeats diagnostics frames only.

This will be the case when the system diagnostics controller is

connected to a remote unit in the system, and it polls the system

population from this point. The master unit must retransmit

any diagnostic frames that are not addressed to itself onto the

remainder of the population.

Automatic Diagnostic Reports

This option allows the conﬁguration of automatic diagnostics. This

feature requires a ﬁrmware revision of R2.12.1 or later. This option

automatically appends diagnostics messages when user data is

transmitted. This option can be toggled on and off by clicking the

“Enable” button.

Minimum Report Interval : Speciﬁes the amount of time before a

diagnostics message is appended to the next user data message.

Diagnostic Stream: Speciﬁes the SID code used for the automatic

diagnostics message.

Controller Destination Address: Speciﬁes the address of the

Diagnostics Controller Software that is receiving the automatic

messages and displaying them. This value must match that

speciﬁed in the TVIEW diagnostics software conﬁguration.

Advanced

The Advanced button can be used to install diagnostics into the E

Series radio if it was not purchased with the original order. Enter

the 8 digit key-code supplied by Trio to enable diagnostics. If

diagnostics is already installed this option will be “greyed out”.

Collision Avoidance

In a point to multipoint system the master unit (usually a base

station) can transmit at any time and the remotes will all receive

the broadcast signal. However, if more than one remote unit

transmits at a time, then a collision will occur during the multiple

transmissions, resulting in a loss of data from one or more units.

Two collision avoidance mechanisms have been included in the

modem. The standard (Digital) method utilises a signalling channel

which is embedded in overhead data transmitted over the radio

channel. The second method utilises detection of a carrier signal to

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E Series Data Radio – User Manual

postpone transmission of data. Both methods require conﬁguration

of several options for successful operation.

The desired option for collision avoidance is selected by checking

the control button to the left of the description on the main window.

None

When selected this turns off all collision avoidance mechanisms.

This should only be used in point to point applications.

Digital

This is the standard method of collision avoidance and utilises a

channel busy indication bit in the signalling channel transmitted to

all remotes for control. When selected a dialogue box appears and

several options must be conﬁgured:

• Mode – “Master” or “Remote”. When the master unit

receives a valid transmission from a remote unit it sets the

channel busy indication bit. This busy bit is interpreted by

the other remotes to not transmit. Once the transmission

from the ﬁrst remote ends the master unit resets the busy

bit to indicate the channel is now clear to transmit on. The

master unit, which is normally a base station, takes about

5ms to detect a transmission from a remote unit and set the

channel busy indication bit on the radio channel. During this

period collision of remote transmissions can still occur and

is unavoidable.

Note: The master must be permanently keyed.

• Backoff Method – “Retry after Tx Attempt” or “Delay before

Tx Attempt”. The method chosen is system dependent and

can only be conﬁgured if the mode is “remote”. The former

is best used when data responses from remotes are largely

asynchronous. The latter is best used when this is not the

case.

• Backoff Timing – “Maximum Slots”, “Time per Slot”. This

can only be conﬁgured if the mode is “remote”. When a

remote is ready to transmit data but it ﬁnds the busy bit from

the master set it holds back its transmission for a random

“backoff” time after which it tries to transmit data again. This

ensures that modems waiting to be allowed to transmit do

not re-attempt to do so at the same time. The “Maximum

Slots” (1 to 16) and the “Time per Slot” (1 to 255ms) are

used to calculate the backoff time by multiplying the slot

time by a random number between 1 and the maximum slot

number. For example if the time per slot is 30ms and the

maximum slots is 4, the random backoff times can be 30,

60, 90 or 120ms.

As the channel busy indication bit is critical for reliable operation

default interpretation of this bit is deﬁned in the remote units. If

the master modem stops transmission (or has not yet started) the

remote will interpret that the channel is busy and will not transmit

until the master comes on line.

Carrier Detect

This method of collision avoidance utilises a carrier transmitted

to all remotes to indicate that the radio channel is busy. When

selected a dialogue box appears and several options must be

conﬁgured:

• Mode – “Master” or “Remote”. When the master unit

receives a valid transmission from a remote unit it transmits

a carrier signal to indicate busy. Of course the master

will also initiate a transmission if it has data to send. The

transmitted carrier is interpreted by the other remotes to not

transmit. Once the transmission from the ﬁrst remote ends

the master unit stops transmission to indicate the channel is

now clear to transmit on. The master unit, which is normally

a base station, takes about 5ms to detect a transmission

from a remote unit and transmit a carrier signal. During this

period collision of remote transmissions can still occur and

is unavoidable.

Note: The master can only be a full duplex unit and cannot

be permanently transmitting. For half duplex and simplex

systems all units should be set as “Remote” (no Master).

• Backoff Timing – “Maximum Slots”, “Time per Slot”. This can

only be conﬁgured if the mode is “remote”. When a remote

is ready to transmit data but it detects a carrier signal from

the master set it holds back its transmission for a random

“backoff” time after which it tries to transmit data again. This

ensures that modems waiting to be allowed to transmit do

not re-attempt to do so at the same time. The “Maximum

Slots” (1 to 16) and the “Time per Slot” (1 to 255ms) are

used to calculate the backoff time by multiplying the slot

time by a random number between 1 and the maximum slot

number. For example if the time per slot is 30ms and the

maximum slots is 4, the random backoff times can be 30,

60, 90 or 120ms.

Part I – TVIEW+ Management Suite - Programmer

Page 53

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Unit Information - Details

More detailed information is also available to assist in identifying

components installed in the unit (remote, base station or hot

standby).

The additional information provided is:

• Controller Rev refers to the microcontroller ﬁrmware

component version for the radio.

• DSP Code Rev refers to the DSP ﬁrmware component

version for the radio.

• Processor Board ID refers to the processor board

identiﬁcation number and hardware revision information for

the radio.

• RF Deck ID refers to the RF deck board identiﬁcation

number and hardware revision information inside the radio.

• Production Build Code refers to the automated production

test and calibration sequence used during manufacture of

the radio.

• Hardware indicates whether the radio is half or full duplex.

• Unit Type indicates whether the unit is recognised as a

remote or base station.

• Tx and RX Frequency Range indicates the frequency range

for which the radio is capable of being operated in.

In the case of a base station unit the following additional

information is provided:

• Base Firmware Pack refers to the ﬁrmware package

version installed in the base station (front panel) controller

which is separate to the radio installed. There are several

components associated with this ﬁrmware package and a

Messages

The message window provides a log of error messages occurring

during use of the programmer utility. Several error messages may

occur as a result of a selection.

Status Bar

The status bar is located at the bottom of the main window and

provides information regarding communication actions occurring

with the radio data modem.

Additional ﬁelds located on the status bar include:

• Unit ID refers to the identiﬁcation label used by the

diagnostics utility. This is currently the same as the unit’s

serial number.

• Mode refers to the type of session established. It can be a

File, Local indicating a local port connection to the unit or

Remote indicating communications is via a radio channel.

• Rotating bar progress indicator showing data is being

transferred to or received from a unit.

Part I – TVIEW+ Management Suite - Programmer

Unit Information

The information displayed is intended to assist the user to identify

the radio modem as well as support should their services be

needed.

Radio Model refers to the type of unit. The ER450 is a remote

unit and the EE450 is a exciter inside a base station unit.

Radio Type refers to the frequency band supported by the

radio as well as the channel bandwidth. For example 51A02 is

a type 51 band with a 25kHz channel.

Page 54

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Part J – Appendices

Appendix A - Firmware Updates

Radio or Base Station Exciter Firmware

Update

Firmware update is performed on a unit connected locally to the

PC. It is recommended that all cabling to the unit be disconnected

prior to commencing ﬁrmware update to minimise any interruption

to the process or disturbances of signals on cables still connected.

All other TVIEW+ Management Suite utilities should also be exited

during the ﬁrmware update process. The steps to update the

ﬁrmware as follows:

1. Start the ﬁrmware update utility from the TView+ front panel.

2. Disconnect power from the unit by turning off the power

supply or removing the power connector to the unit.

3. Connect the serial cable from the PC to Port B on the unit

4. Select the unit type from the options on the top right of the

ﬁrmware update main window. Please note that “Exciter”

refers to the radio contained inside the base station.

Note: Firmware update to base station exciter will result in

fatal error display and fan on whilst in this mode.

5. Select the ﬁle containing the ﬁrmware update package

using the “Select” button at the bottom of the main window.

After opening the ﬁle the browse window will close and a

description of the ﬁrmware package will appear in the main

window.

6. Initiate the ﬁrmware updating process using the “Write”

Base Station Display Firmware Update

Installation Instructions:

1. Update of the front panel ﬁrmware uses the ﬁrmware update

utility supplied with the TVIEW+ Management Suite.

2. Start the ﬁrmware update utility from the TVIEW+ front

panel.

3. In the ﬁrmware update utility select device type as “Base

Station Front Panel”

4. Select the ﬁle containing the ﬁrmware update package

using the “select” button at the bottom of the main window.

After opening the ﬁle the browse window will close and a

button at the bottom of the main window. Another logging

window will appear.

7. Reconnect power to the unit when prompted in the logging

window. The status LEDs on the unit including power should

all be extinguished and the transfer of ﬁrmware should

commence. If this does not occur steps 6 & 7 should be

repeated.

Note: Remote radio status LED’s including power will

all be off.

8. The logging window will display the progress of each

ﬁrmware block transferred and when complete a success

dialogue box appears. Type OK to close this dialogue box

description of the ﬁrmware package will appear in the main

window.

5. Ensure that the base station is powered.

6. Connect the “TVIEW+ cable” to the front or rear system port

of the base station.

7. On the base station front panel depress and hold the

“Display On/Off” button, then momentarily depress the

ﬁrmware update switch using a suitable probe before

releasing the “Display On/Off” button. The ﬁrmware update

switch is located behind the small hole (not labelled) in the

front panel below the “Display On/Off” button.

Note: Display Status LEDs will be lit in this Mode.

8. Initiate the ﬁrmware update process using the “Write” button

Page 55

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

9. The logging window will display the progress of each

ﬁrmware block transferred and when complete a success

dialogue box appears. Click OK to close this dialogue box

and click “Exit” in the main window to exit the ﬁrmware

update utility.

Note: If a mismatch occurs between selected ﬁle and device

type, an error message will appear.

Hot Standby Controller Firmware

Update

Installation Instructions:

1. Update of the hot standby ﬁrmware uses the ﬁrmware

update utility supplied with the TVIEW+ Management Suite.

2. Start the ﬁrmware update utility from the TVIEW+ front

panel.

3. In the ﬁrmware update utility select device type as “Hot

Standby Controller”.

4. Select the ﬁle containing the ﬁrmware update package

using the “select” button at the bottom of the main window.

After opening the ﬁle the browse window will close and a

5. Ensure that the hot standby controller is powered.

6. Connect the “TVIEW+ cable” to the front or rear system port

of the hot standby controller.

7. On the hot standby controller front panel depress and

hold the “Reset Alarms” button, then momentarily depress

the ﬁrmware update switch using a suitable probe before

releasing the “Display On/Off” button. The ﬁrmware update

switch is located behind the small hole (not labelled) in the

front panel to left of “Reset Alarm” button.

Note: The two LEDs either side of the “Select” switch will be

lit green in this mode.

8. Initiate the ﬁrmware update process using the “Write” button

at the bottom of the main window. Another logging window

will appear.

9. The logging window will display the progress of each

ﬁrmware block transferred and when complete a success

dialogue box appears. Click OK to close this dialogue box

and click “Exit” in the main window to exit the ﬁrmware

update utility.

Note: If a mismatch occurs between selected ﬁle and device

type, an error message will appear.

Part K – Appendices

Page 56

E Series Data Radio – User Manual

Part J – Speciﬁcations

Part L – Speciﬁcations

Radio

Frequency Range: 330-520 MHz (various

sub-frequency bands available)

Frequency Splits: Various Tx/Rx frequency

splits - programmable

Channel Selection: Dual synthesizer, 6.25

kHz channel step

Channel Spacing: 12.5 or 25 kHz

Frequency Accuracy: 1ppm (-30 to +60C)

(-22 to 140F) ambient

Aging: <= 1ppm/annum

Operational Modes: Simplex, Half duplex

or Full duplex*

Configuration: All configuration via

Windows based software

Compliances:

ETSI EN300113, EN301489, EN60950

FCC PART 15, PART 90

IC RS119, ICES-001

ACA AS4295-1995 (Data)

CSA Class I, Division II, Groups

(A,B,C,D) for Hazardous Locations

(ANSI/UL equivalent)

Transmitter

Tx Power: 0.05 - 5W (+37 dBm) 1 dB User

configurable with over-temperature and

reverse power protection

Modulation: User configurable narrow band

digitally filtered binary GMSK or 4 level FSK

Tx Keyup Time: <1mS

Timeout Timer: Programmable 0-255

seconds

Tx Spurious: <= -37 dBm

PTT Control: Auto (Data) / RTS line (Port A

or B) / System Port Override

Receiver

Sensitivity: -118 dBm for 12 dB SINAD

Selectivity: Better than 60 dB

Intermodulation: Better than 70 dB

Spurious Response: Better than 70 dB

AFC Tracking: Digital receiver frequency

tracking

Mute: Programmable digital mute

Diagnostics (Optional)

Network wide operation from any remote

terminal.

Non intrusive protocol - runs

simultaneously with the application.

Over-the-air re-configuration of user

parameters.

Storage of data error and channel

occupancy statistics.

In-built Error Rate testing capabilities.

Connections

User Data Ports: 2 x DB9 female ports

wired as DCE (modem)

System Port: RJ45 for diagnostic,

configuration and re-programming

Antenna: N female bulkhead. Separate N

(Tx) and SMA (Rx) connectors for full

duplex.*

Power: 2 pin locking, mating connector

supplied

LED Display: Multimode Indicators for

Pwr, Tx, Rx, Sync, TxD and RxD data

LEDs (for both port A and B)

Modem

Data Serial Port A: RS232, DCE,

600-76,800 bps asynchronous

Data Serial Port B: RS232, DCE,

300-38,400 bps asynchronous

System Port: RS232, 19,200 bps

asynchronous

Flow Control: Selectable hardware /

software / 3 wire interface

RF Channel Data Rate:

4800/9600/19,200 bps Half / Full duplex*

Data Buffer: 16 kbyte of on-board RAM

Bit Error Rate:

< 1x10-6 @ -110 dBm (4800 bps)

< 1x10-6 @ -108 dBm (9600 bps)

< 1x10-6 @ -106 dBm (19,200 bps)

Collision Avoidance: Trio DataCom’s

unique supervisory channel C/DSMA

collision avoidance system

Multistream™: Trio DataCom unique

simultaneous delivery of multiple data

streams (protocols)

Data Turnaround Time: <10mS

Firmware: Field upgradeable Flash memory

General

Power Supply: 13.8 Vdc nominal

(10-16 Vdc)

Transmit Current: 750 mA nom. @ 1 W

1600 mA nom. @5 W

Receive Current: <125 mA nom

Sleep Mode: External control, < 1 mA

Dimensions: Rugged Diecast Enclosure

170 x 150 x 42mm

6.7 x 5.9 x 1.65 inches

With Mounting Plate

190 x 150 x 47mm

7.5 x 5.9 x 1.85 inches

Mounting: Fitted Mounting Plate

Weight: 1.27 kg (2.8lbs.)

Options

ERFD450 Full Duplex Operation with

separate N (Tx) and SMA (Rx) connectors

DUPLX450BR External Duplexer, Band

Reject (for single antenna operation)

EDOVM Digital Order Wire Voice Module

NEMA 4/R Stainless Steel Enclosure

(IP65, NEMA 4 rated)

TVIEW+™ Configuration, Network

Management and Diagnostic Windows GUI

Software

DIAGS/E Network Management and

Remote Diagnostics Facilities per

Radio Modem

Trio Datacom EB450-XXF01 DATA RADIO- BASE STATION User Manual E Series 05 05b indd

Trio Datacom Pty Ltd (a wholly owned company of Schneider Electric) DATA RADIO- BASE STATION E Series 05 05b indd

Contents

USERS MANUAL 2

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