User's Manual

THE PORTABLE INTERROGATOR User Guide
Revised July 2000
Page 30 of 63
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. As
a result, a transponder’s response can be received from a particular spot during one
reading cycle, and yet the same transponder’s response may not be received in the next
reading cycle, even when interrogated from the same spot. Keep this in mind when
determining if a transponder is not read on the first attempt. It may just be the weather.
When The Portable Interrogator 400 cannot receive a response from a transponder, it
sounds the No Response audio signal and flashes the XMIT light red for three seconds
(on-off-on-off-on-off, ½ second each).
Processing the TRACE Meter Reading
Once The Portable Interrogator 400 has received a transponder response, it processes the
information in a number of steps:
• Determine if the message from the transponder was received correctly
• Determine the tamper status of the transponder
• Determine the reading value reported by the transponder
• 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 transponder response to determine if the
communication was completed without errors. If an error is found, The Portable
Interrogator 400 assigns the status as Bad Response. If no error is found, The Portable
Interrogator 400 determines if a tamper was reported by the transponder. If a tamper
condition was reported, The Portable Interrogator 400 assigns the correct tamper status.
If the transponder is tamper free, the reading is compared to the high and low audit values
that were sent to The Portable Interrogator 400 from the Route Management software. If
the reading value is greater than the high audit value or lower than the low audit value,
The Portable Interrogator 400 assigns either the High Reading or Low Reading status. If
the reading is within the audit values, The Portable Interrogator 400 assigns a Good
Reading status.
If the reading is within limits, The Portable Interrogator 400 will beep and light the
XMIT light green for three seconds to denote a successful completion of the reading
process, and advance the display to the next meter in the route. If the reading is high or
low, the next step that The Portable Interrogator 400 takes depends on the Settings. One
of the choices is to advance to the next meter in the route if the reading is high or low. If
the setting is chosen, The Portable Interrogator 400 will advance the display to the next
meter. If the setting is not chosen, The Portable Interrogator 400 will keep the current
meter displayed. In either case The Portable Interrogator 400 will beep two tones for a
high meter reading or three tones for a low meter reading.
On a high or a low reading, The Portable Interrogator 400 will also display a green XMIT
light for three seconds to denote a successful reading. If the setting is not chosen to