User's Manual

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
RF-TWACS Based AMR System DCSI CUSTOMER PRODUCT SPECIFICATION
May 30, 2003 Application Notes – Rev. 1 1
1 AUDIENCE
This document is intended for use by customers of the RF-TWACS based AMR System,
and covers the basic principles, description of the hardware units and explanation of
operational features of DCSI’s RF solution. Additional details are available in individual
product and system level specification documents.
2 INTRODUCTION
2.1 Basic Concepts
The radio link between a water or gas meter and an electric meter is designed to be an
alternative to the present day hard-wired solution that is available for a multi-port meter
such as the IMT3-3P.
The radio link is designed to facilitate and enhance flexibility in the installation of the
AMR solution at customer premises. Although the cost of RF hardware may be slightly
higher than its hardwired counterpart, savings should result due to lower installation
costs. Any location that would be difficult or impossible to trench a line could potentially
benefit from the RF alternative.
2.2 Benefits
Aside from the overall cost savings, homeowners are delighted to learn that their yards do
not have to be dug-up, or that a cable does not have to be stapled to their siding. In
addition to the non-invasive characteristics of the installation, utilities can expect to find
the flexibility of field configurations to be one of the major advantages the RF solution.
Radio transmission means that connections need not be same-premise any more. A mix
of radio-capable and hard-wired transponders may be deployed in a given area to reduce
overall solution costs.
The system is designed to provide two main functions:
1. A “Total Consumption” reading will be frozen system-wide at a given
programmable time of day.
2. A “Present Total Consumption” will be available on-demand, updated hourly, for
each meter in the system.
2.3 Principles of Operation
Gas and water meters need to be wired to a nearby small radio transceiver unit called the
Remote Meter Transceiver (RMTR) which can be seen in Figure 1. The RMTR will
transmit data, using a UHF link, from gas and water meters to electric meters outfitted
with the EMT-3C-MP transponder, these transponders will include a plug-in radio
module board called the Electric Meter Transceiver (EMTR) that serve as TWACS
gateway, please refer to Figure 2 . The system is intended to be compact, reliable and
easy to install. It will therefore make maximal use of the RF network created by the
transmitters and receivers – regardless of property boundaries.