User's Manual

TRAIN CHIEF® II LRCS w/Lightweight OCU OWNER’S MANUAL
95-00-0-xxx Rev 000 7-9 Control Chief Corporation
Troubleshooting Communications Faults
First rule of troubleshooting communication problems – check the antenna.
Most communication problems are caused by a missing or damaged antenna, or damaged
coaxial cable. If communication performance has degraded, always check to ensure the
antenna is attached and the antenna coaxial cable has not been damaged.
The communication link between OCU and receiver is low power RF and requires a higher level
of readability than that needed for voice communications (i.e. interference that may be
noticeable on a voice channel that does not necessarily render it unusable, would render a low
power data link unusable).
Locomotive Does Not Respond to the OCU
Checklist:
1. OCU is setup for the locomotive attempting to establish communications. System
number of OCU should correspond to the system number of the locomotive controller, or
other configuration. Refer to system prints and/or specific system configuration
instructions.
2. OCU power is ON.
3. OCU battery indication OK.
4. OCU switches in proper position for initial start, and press start.
5. SLC processor is in RUN mode.
Locomotive Functions are Dropping Out
1. Are the dropouts occurring at a particular time of the day? This could indicate an
unauthorized RF transmitter is operating on your licensed channel.
2. Has something changed in your operational environment? Are the dropouts occurring at
a particular location or during a specific process? If equipment or processes have
changed in your operation then possibly they have introduced some form of RF
interference on your channel.
If you are not able to isolate the particular cause of interference contact Product Service and
report your findings. Additionally, a site spectrum analysis may need to be performed to confirm
the interfering RF source.
3. If dropouts are random in time and place,
then it is a good indication of a problem in the
OCU or Communicator® module. If you suspect this is the case, try a spare OCU and/or
Communicator® module.
If you are not successful at isolating and/or correcting the problem after attempting the above
suggestions then contact our Product Service department. Please refer to Chapter 8 for
instructions when contacting Product Service.