THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR 400 - INTRODUCTION Welcome Welcome to The Portable Interrogator 400, the Interrogator to use for all meter reading technologies. The Portable Interrogator 400 is unique in automated meter reading in that it is the most lightweight and easy to use hand held interrogator, using touch screen technology to simplify the meter reading process. The Portable Interrogator 400 can gather meter readings in a number of different ways.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 used in place of a TPI. You‘ll also find that The Portable Interrogator 400’s features are much easier to use than the features of the TPI. The Portable Interrogator 400’s Features When using CONNECT, The Portable Interrogator 400 can perform all the TRACE functions as well as functions for the DIALOG AMR technology.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 400 to best meet your meter reading needs. And all of the information you show on the screen is searchable.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR 400 GLOSSARY Listed below in alphabetical order are a number of terms used in The Portable Interrogator 400. Take a few minutes to look them over. It will help to make the following chapters easier to understand. (You may want to mark this page so that if you have a question about a term later on, you can reach this page quickly.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Route progress Send readings Service Settings Tamper Text message TRACE Transponder Trouble code The Portable Interrogator 400 function that displays the number of meters read in the current route, along with other related information. The Portable Interrogator 400 function that communicates with the route management software to transfer the completed meter readings from The Portable Interrogator 400 to the PC.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 THE MAKEUP OF THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR 400 The Portable Interrogator 400 is made up of a number of modules that all work together to perform meter reading quickly and easily.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 • • • • In the office, the cradle holds The Portable Interrogator 400 in place to recharge the battery. When connected to the PC, the cradle allows the PC and The Portable Interrogator 400 to exchange route information. When used for meter reading in a vehicle, the cradle holds The Portable Interrogator 400 in place for convenient meter reading as well as battery charging.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 interrogate the module through the reading wand connected to the serial port. If the meter uses no automatic meter reading technology, The Portable Interrogator 400 will display the numeric keyboard for entering the meter reading manually. The left-inside button marked with “I/O” is the on / off button. Pressing the button when the unit is off will turn it on. Pressing the button when the unit is on will turn it off.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 First, if you have the hand strap connected, disconnect the back portion of the strap from the bottom of the case. Underneath the strap is the battery compartment. Unscrew and remove the battery compartment cover. Remove the battery pack noting the position of the power leads. Insert the new battery so that the leads are in the same position as the battery you just removed. Now replace the cover and tighten the screw for the cover.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 - Screen backlight COMMUNICATION INFORMATION - Port type for load and unload - Protocol used - baud rate ROUTE INFORMATION - Max number of meters that can be loaded at one time - Possible to overwrite and loose readings? - Ability to add a new account? DISPLAY - Size of the display - Information displayed - Searching - Find next unread - Find start of next route - Ability to view the previous read - Ability to immediately go to the main screen when los
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 read - Ability to read a module without knowing its serial number - Types of audible alerts given - Automatically retry when no response is received from a transponder - Automatically attempt to clear a tamper condition PROGRAMMING - Ability to program units - Clear tamper when programming TOUCH METER READING - Ability to read Dialog - Ability to program Dialog modules - Ability to read competitive meters using Universal Wands CHECKING TRANSPONDERS - Ab
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 - Touch technologies supported No - Other RF technologies supported - Other Reading Features? No OTHER - built-in calculator Dialog readings via the Dialog wand, and Touch readings via a Universal Reading wand No No Can read any touch meter out of sequence and unit will search for the correct account No Yes GENERAL CARE OF THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR 400 Cleaning The Portable Interrogator 400 is easy.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 THE DETAILS – THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR 400 OPERATION THE READING CYCLE USING THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR 400 Using The Portable Interrogator 400 for meter reading is easy. The reading cycle consists of these steps: • STEP 1 – Prepare The Portable Interrogator 400 to accept the route from the Route Management software by pressing the Transfer Routes button from the Main Menu. On the Transfer File Menu, press the Receive Route button.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 same time. (The easiest way to do this is to place The Portable Interrogator 400 on a flat surface before pressing the keys.) Whether you restart The Portable Interrogator 400 by changing the battery or by pressing the three restart keys, the effect is the same. The computer restarts itself, performs checks to insure that it can operate properly, and then starts The Portable Interrogator 400 software.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 The Log-in screen accepts your 4 digit personal ID number (PIN) and validates it. As you enter your PIN, The Portable Interrogator 400 displays the asterisk character (“*”) in the spot for the digit, so that others cannot see your PIN. When you have entered your PIN, the screen looks like this. If you enter a valid PIN, The Portable Interrogator 400 displays the Main Menu. If your PIN is not valid, The Portable Interrogator 400 will tell you so.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Press the Retry button on the screen and reenter your PIN correctly to display the Main Menu. If you press the Cancel button, you will return to the Log-in screen. On the Log-in screen, if you press the Exit to DOS button, you will have to enter a special PIN. The Portable Interrogator 400 will display the PIN keyboard for your entry. Note that you should not Exit to DOS unless directed to do so by Badger Meter Technical Support.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 • • • Quick Read – Use The Portable Interrogator 400 to read meters when you do not have a route loaded (i.e., for checking a transponder, for obtaining final reads, troubleshooting, etc.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Portable Interrogator 400. (See the Send Readings and Clear Readings functions for more information.) If The Portable Interrogator 400 currently has no route for meter reading, The Portable Interrogator 400 will remind you to connect the cable to its serial port and the port on the PC.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Note that The Portable Interrogator 400 uses the same serial communications method and the same transfer file format as the PI. You can use The Portable Interrogator 400 for meter reading while your Route Management software thinks it is sending readings to and from a PI. Send Readings When you have finished reading meters, you are ready to send the readings to the Route Management software. From the Transfer Routes menu press the Send Readings button.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 When the route has been sent to the Route Management software, The Portable Interrogator 400 will ask you if the route was successfully transferred. The Portable Interrogator 400 does this to insure that problems in other systems do not cause the readings to be lost. If the readings were successfully transferred and the Route Management software now has them, press the Successful button. If a problem occurred, press the Not Successful button.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 In the event that The Portable Interrogator 400 has a route stored in it for meter reading, and you wish to replace it with a different route, you can use the Clear Reading function. For example, if you just loaded The Portable Interrogator 400 with the wrong route, you can use Clear Readings to remove the incorrect route before loading the correct one.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Restore Route Sometimes a route that you have already unloaded to the Route Management software needs to be sent again. For example, you might find that a communication error occurred and the readings in the Route Management software are unusable. Restore Route allows you to transfer the readings from The Portable Interrogator 400 to the Route Management software a second time.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 THE DETAILS – READING METERS WITH THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR 400 After loading a route, the next step in the reading cycle is to read the meters in the route. To begin reading, press the Read / Program Meters button on the Main Menu. You will see the first account in the route.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Pressing the Stay button will keep you at the first meter in the route. Pressing the End button will take you to the last meter in the route. Similarly, if you press the Next Account button, The Portable Interrogator 400 will display the next meter in the route. If you are viewing the last meter in the route, The Portable Interrogator 400 will ask you if you want to stay at the end of the route or if you want to display the first meter in the route.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 The functions are: • Searching for specific accounts • Entering comment codes and messages • Perform a manual read for this meter • View the High and Low audit limits for this meter (if you have the permission to do so – more on this later) • Program this meter • Define a new account • View Progress, settings, or RF diagnostics via The Portable Interrogator 400 Utilities • Return to the main menu • Return to the Read screen More on these functions late
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 In this example, the customer’s name is Mickey Dolenz, and he lives at 111 1st St.. The transponder ID number is 2855446 and the meter serial number is 99000001. (Note that the order of the name is determined by the Route Management software. If the Route software downloads the last name first, The Portable Interrogator 400 will display the name in that manner.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 To enter a manual meter reading once the numeric keypad is displayed, view the meter’s register and note the reading. Next, enter the reading onto the keypad that is displayed on the touch screen and press the enter key when you are done. Water meters are typically read from left to right, while electric meters are typically read right to left. The Portable Interrogator 400 can handle meter readings gathered in either direction.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 In either case, when the meter reading is completely entered, press the Enter key. If the reading is within the high and low limits, The Portable Interrogator 400 will record the meter reading and advance the display to the next meter in the route. If the reading is above the high limit or below the low limit, The Portable Interrogator 400 will tell you that the entered meter reading was high or low, and it will ask you to re-enter the reading.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 In this case, the meter reading process begins again for this meter. Reading TRACE Meters Once either of the READ buttons have been pressed, or the touch screen has been pressed in the customer and meter area, The Portable Interrogator 400 begins the reading process. For TRACE meters, The Portable Interrogator 400 interrogates the transponder whose serial number is shown on the Read Screen.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Keep in mind that a TRACE transponder’s radio transmissions are affected by weather conditions and by the way the transponder was installed. Summer conditions, such as warm humid air and lots of leafy foliage can affect a transponder’s response distance.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 advance on a high or low reading, the XMIT light will flash green on and off for three seconds (on-off-on-off-on-off, for ½second each). Advancing the Display In the case of a high or low reading, The Portable Interrogator 400 allows you to control the advance of the display through the settings.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 If you choose Manual Read or Trouble Code, The Portable Interrogator 400 will return to this screen once the reading or code is entered and stored. For example, if you choose Manual Read and you have entered the manual read, The Portable Interrogator 400 will display this screen again to allow you to enter a trouble code.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 • • • Determine the tamper status of the module Determine the reading value reported by the module Evaluate the reading value against the high and low audit values to determine if the reading is high or low The Portable Interrogator 400 first analyzes the module response to determine if the communication was completed without errors.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Choose one of the four options by pressing the corresponding button. • Skip – You can skip this meter and go on to the next one in the route. This is a handy option if someone will come back later to do some troubleshooting on the meter or the transponder. • Manual Read – This option brings up the manual read numeric keypad so that you can enter the reading manually.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 All of these wands plug into the serial port at the top and back of the case. The operation of the Universal Wands is nearly the same as the Dialog wand. To start the reading process, push the button on the wand (or push the Metre-Pro wand head into the DIALOG module). The Universal Wand will search for the correct communications protocol to retrieve the meter reading.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 • • • • Find a meter that has a particular value in one of the four The Portable Interrogator 400 fields (name address, transponder serial number, or meter serial number) Find the start of a particular route within The Portable Interrogator 400 (Future) Go to the first account in the current route Go to the next unread meter in the current route.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Use your stylus to choose letters in the name you are searching for. You do not need to enter the entire name, just a small section. Let’s say that you entered the letters L and A. Use your stylus to press the L and A keys on the keyboard; then press the OK button on the bottom row of the keyboard. The Portable Interrogator 400 will summarize your search like this.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Searching for a specific address, transponder number, or meter serial number works exactly the same way. Comments and Trouble Codes If you find that you need to send information about the meter you are reading back to the office, The Portable Interrogator 400 provides a number of ways to do so.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Enter the two digits that correspond to the information you wish to log and press the Enter button. If you enter the code “37” you’d see this screen. After pressing the Enter button, The Portable Interrogator 400 again displays the Comments Menu to allow you to enter additional information if you wish. To return to meter reading, press the Read Menu button. To enter one or more Comment Codes, press the Comment Code button from the Comments Menu.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 When you have completed entering information, press the Comment Menu button to return to the Comment menu. To return to meter reading, press the Read Menu button from the Comment Menu screen and the Back To Read Screen button from the Read Menu. Viewing High and Low Audit Values If you wish to see the high and low audit values, the account number, or the previous reading, from the Read Menu press the View Hi/Lo button.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Utilities The Portable Interrogator 400 provides you with a number of functions to provide you with information that can be helpful while meter reading. These functions are accessed from the Read Menu by pressing the Utilities button. Pressing the button brings you this screen.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Progress button from the Utilities Menu.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 To return to the Utilities Menu, press the Return to Utilities Menu button. View Settings As mentioned earlier, The Portable Interrogator 400 has the ability to change how it operates or what it displays based on your choices. These choices are called Settings, and are accessed from the Settings button from the Utilities Menu. The Settings are displayed and changed in a series of three screens.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 To choose a setting, touch the screen on the empty box and an “X” will appear in the box. To remove a setting, touch the “X” and the box will be cleared. Here’s the list of each of the different settings and how it controls The Portable Interrogator 400’s operation.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 reading can be used to satisfy requirements in some states. Find on Wrong Run Consumption Auto Retry Auto Clear Tamper request your required visual reading when this setting is chosen. This setting is very handy for This setting pertains only to touch touch meter reading because meter reading. The gathered meter it allows you to read meters reading information contains the out of the normal reading module ID number. If the number sequence.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 The Portable Interrogator 400 will automatically interrogate the meter again requesting the transponder to clear its tamper condition. If The Portable Interrogator 400 receives a tamper condition after requesting it be cleared, The Portable Interrogator 400 will set the tamper status to Tamper Failed to Reset. Show Previous Reading This setting and the next one control the amount of information available to the meter reader.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Manual High / Low Timeout contact with the meter reading module. This setting specifies the method by which a high or low manual meter reading is verified. If the setting is Verify, The Portable Interrogator 400 will require the meter reader to reenter the manual meter reading to verify that the meter reading is correct.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Simply enter the first number and press the function button you wish • Add – by pressing the “+” button • Subtract – by pressing the “-“ button • Multiply – by pressing the “*” button • Divide – by pressing the “/” button Note that decimal numbers can be entered using the decimal point button. Next enter the second number and press the Equal sign button. The Portable Interrogator 400 will display the result in the box. Let’s do an example.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Note that, if the Collector type in CONNECT is chosen to be PI, the settings will not be sent to The Portable Interrogator 400. The Portable Interrogator 400 will operate on the settings that it currently stores. Entering New Accounts The Portable Interrogator 400 can add accounts to the list of stored accounts it received from the Route Management software.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 • • • • • Trans # – Enter the transponder number if this is a TRACE account, or the Dialog module number is this is a DIALOG account Exit – Return to the Read Menu (if you have not saved the new account information, the new account will not be added to the route list) OK – Saves the new account information in the route list, and clears the entries Clear – Clear the name, address, and transponder number fields Read – Perform a reading of the meter for t
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Pressing the OK button will add the account to the route list and clear the fields. Pressing Exit before pressing OK will return you to the Read menu but you will be able to reenter the New Account screen and the information remains on the screen. The information will remain on the screen until the OK or Clear buttons are pressed, or when The Portable Interrogator 400 sends its readings to the Route Management software.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 • When finished, transfer the readings from The Portable Interrogator 400 back to the Route Management software via the serial communications o Transfer Routes from The Portable Interrogator 400 Main Menu o Send Readings from the Transfer Routes Menu o When the transfer is complete, Return to Main Menu from the Transfer Files menu Page 52 of 63
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 THE DETAILS – PROGRAMMING METERS USING THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR 400 The Portable Interrogator 400 can program TRACE transponders and DIALOG modules. Regardless of the technology you are using for meter reading, the programming process usually occurs in one of these ways. • The meters to program are listed on one or more work order sheets and the sheets are filled out when the installation and programming of the transponder is completed.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Then press the Program button. You’ll see this screen. Each transponder must be prepared to receive the programming transmission. For new transponders, you must place a magnet on the Programming switch. For older transponders, you must connect a special jumper on the transponder to enable the transponder to receive the programming message.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 When you press the Program button, The Portable Interrogator 400 will send the programming transmission to the transponder. The Portable Interrogator 400 will interrogate the transponder to verify that the programming was successful and will then display the results of the programming. Here’s an example of the programming results. When you have recorded the results that you choose, press the touch screen anywhere.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 • The Portable Interrogator 400 will program the DIALOG module and verify the programming by performing a read Page 56 of 63
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 THE DETAILS – OTHER USES FOR THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR 400 The Portable Interrogator 400 can be used to perform a number of functions other than reading a route of meters. • Read a transponder whose ID number you do not know • Read a transponder whose meter reading you need for a special use (such as testing and troubleshooting, gathering a final meter reading, etc.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 The Quick Read Choice screen allows you to perform TRACE Quick Reads or DIALOG Quick Reads by pressing the TRACE or DIALOG buttons. TRACE Quick Reads The TRACE Quick Read process follows these steps: • Enter the ID number of the transponder you wish to interrogate • Press the READ button • Record the reading that is displayed The screen looks like this. To enter the transponder ID number, press the Transponder button.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 Note that the reading displayed is the full six-digit odometer plus the numeric location of the sweep hand. If the transponder reports a tamper condition, The Portable Interrogator 400 will display the tamper condition in the Reading box. Once displayed, you can record the reading in any convenient manner you choose.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 The Portable Interrogator 400 will perform the quick read and display one of these results: • The reading will be displayed in the reading box, and the successful audio tones will be sounded. • The tamper status will be displayed in the reading box and the tamper audio tones will be sounded. • No Response will be displayed in the reading box and the no response audio tones will be sounded.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 module and display the module number and the reading results in the appropriate boxes and sound the successful read audio tone. If the module reports a tamper condition, The Portable Interrogator 400 will display the tamper condition in the Reading box and sound the tamper audio tone. If no response is received, The Portable Interrogator 400 will display No Response in the reading box and sound the no response audio tone.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 WHAT IF THINGS GO WRONG During the normal course of operations, The Portable Interrogator 400 may run into problems.
THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide Revised July 2000 What To Report To Technical Support It is important that you report all occurrences of errors to the Technical Support Hotline. It allows Badger Meter to improve its products and improve your system at the same time. In some cases, the problem may have already been solved, and the Specialist can send you a software upgrade to correct the problem.
