Unit installation

A-1

Appendix A: The Audio Routing Variable System

Explanation of the System

The key to controlling messages on the RLC-3 is understanding what the audio routing variable

needs to be in each different situation. Fortunately, the RLC-3 does most of the work for you.

When any command is executed by the user (either by DTMF or the serial port) or by the controller

itself (to send an ID, courtesy beep, etc.), the audio routing variable is automatically set to send the

audio to the logical place. You only need to concern yourself with this information if you wish to

change the way the audio is routed. The value of the audio routing variable in several situations is

listed below:

• When a command is executed by DTMF, the audio routing variable is set to send all of the

responses to the port that the DTMF input came from.

• Before a time out, time out clear, or any ID macro is executed, the audio routing variable is

set to send the message to the relevant port.

• Before a courtesy beep is sent, the audio routing variable is set to send the beeps to the right

ports (repeater ports connected to the receiver that just unkeyed).

You probably noticed in the list above that the audio routing variable automatically sends the audio

where you would normally want it to go. The only reason you need to know about it is because

there a few situations where the controller can not know where you want the audio to go.

Suppose, for example, that you want the scheduler to cause the time to be read at the top of every

hour. How could the controller know that you want only ports 1, 2 and 4 to hear the message? It

can't. There are two ways for you to specify where messages from the scheduler go. First, choose

where you want most of the messages caused by the scheduler to go. Tell the controller what ports

those are with Command 050. Now all of the messages caused by the scheduler will go out those

ports. What if you want one of the messages caused by the scheduler to go somewhere else?

Simply make the scheduler call a user macro and program the first command in the macro to be

Command 037 D or unkey and list the ports where you want the message to go to. This will

change the audio routing variable for the rest of the commands in the macro. Command 037 can be

used to change where the messages generated by any macro will go. All commands executed after

Command 037 in a macro until the end of that macro will go to the ports specified with Command

037.

A similar situation exists for commands entered from the serial port. Since the controller sends

serial responses to the commands that you execute, you don't have to worry about voice responses

if you don't want to. There are times, however, when you want to hear the voice messages that are

generated. You can use Command 050 to specify which ports get the audio that is caused by the

serial port. The RLC-3 defaults to sending these messages out of port one, but you can send them

to any ports you want to, or to no ports at all.