ATLAS PL UHF Personal Locator T e ch n ic a l M an ua l Version C1 February 2011 RV-M7-UC-PL Raveon Technologies Corporation 990 Park Center Drive, Suite C Vista, CA 92081 www.ravtrack.
Table of Contents 1. General Information about the RV-M7........................................................... 4 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 1.4. 1.5. 1.6. 2. Overview ....................................................................................................... 7 2.1. 3. Buttons....................................................................................................................................... 12 LEDs ..................................................................................
11. Troubleshooting....................................................................................... 38 Symptom: Symptom: Symptom: Symptom: Symptom: Symptom: Symptom: 12. 13. Unit will not receive............................................................................................................ 38 Unit will not transmit .......................................................................................................... 38 Receive light blinks, but no data is received.................
1. General Information about the RV-M7 1.1. Congratulations! Congratulations on your purchase of a RV-M7-PL GPS transponder – the most advance UHF GPS radio available today. Please take a few minutes to read this manual carefully. The information presented here will allow you to derive maximum performance from your radio modem. After reading it, keep the manual handy for quick reference, in case questions arise later on. 1.2. NOTICE There are no user-serviceable points inside this transceiver.
1.5. Safety Training information: Always use this radio with the antenna supplied with it. This radio is restricted to occupational use, work related operations only where the radio operator must have the knowledge to control the exposure conditions of its passengers and bystanders by maintaining the minimum separation distance of following range. Failure to observe these restrictions may result in exceeding the FCC RF exposure limits.
1.6. FCC Compliance Information This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
2. Overview The ATLAS PL GPS transponder is a rugged high-speed UHF data modem with a built-in 12-channel GPS receiver. It has ½ to 5 watts of RF power output, and operates as both a GPS transponder for tracking, and a radio modem for sending and receiving data. The ATLAS PL is configured for operation as a Personal Locator. All Raveon GPS tracking products are configured using the GPS x command, and the ATLAS PL is GPS mode 8 (GPS 8). It comes configured from the factory this way.
• • • • • High-speed over the air data rates. 19200bps in 25kHz channel, 9600bps in 12.5kHz. Built-in TDMA channel access allowing truly real-time tracking (200 transmission in 10 seconds) Very low current draw. As low as 25mA average. 16 bit addressing for up to 65,525 different unique IDs per channel. Programmable proximity alert ( 1-9999 meters) and programmable position report rate (1-9999 seconds).
3. Specifications 3.1. General All measurements made per TIA-603-B Frequency: Model RV-PL-UC........................................................................................... 450 – 480MHz Model RV-PL-UB (export Only) ..................................................................... 419 – 440MHz Model RV-PL-UA (export only) ...................................................................... 403 – 434MHz Size ................................................................................
RX intermodulation rejection .................................................................................................................... -70dB Conducted spurious emissions ........................................................................................................... <-53dBm 3.4. Battery and Charger DC input voltage ....................................................................................................................... 11.5 - 15V DC Current draw when charging battery .
Sub-Band Letter VHF (RV-M7-V…) UHF (RV-M7-U…) A 132-150MHz 403-434MHz B 150-174MHz 419-440MHz C Company Confidential Raveon Technologies 450-480MHz 11 BioRapids 100608
4. Electrical Inputs and Outputs The top of the ATLAS PL modem has these features: 1. RF connector for UHF antenna 2. Power LED 3. Status LED (Receive data = green, TX = red) 4. Alert LED 5. Alert Button 4.1. Buttons Power Press this button to turn the power on. Press and hold it for two seconds to turn the power off. Alert Press this button to generate an alert. Press and hold it for two seconds to generate a Critical Alert. Press and hold it for more than 5 seconds to clear all alert conditions. 4.2.
Charger plugged in Battery Charged Battery below 30% Battery below 10% Over/Under temperature Unit is OFF Unit is OFF No YES Not lit Steady green Not lit Steady orange Not lit Not lit Unit is ON No Unit is ON YES Green blink2 sec rate Green blink2 sec rate Orange blink 2 sec rate Green blink- 2 sec rate Not lit Steady orange Orange blink0.5 sec rate Steady orange Steady red Steady red Alert LED This LED turns yellow when a normal Alert condition is being transmitted.
Front view of male pins on ATLAS PL 4.6. I/O Cable Options There are 3 basic type of interface cables available for the ATLAS PL. The are shown below.
Company Confidential Raveon Technologies 15 BioRapids 100608
5. Configuring the ATLAS PL 5.1. Overview The RS232 serial port on the unit is used to send and receive data over the air, as well as to configure the RF modem. In normal operation, the user sends serial data into the TxD pin of the user port, and this data is transmitted over the air. Received data from another RF modem is output to the user via the RxD pin of the user port. This is the default operating condition of the RF modem.
Using serial communications software such as HypterTerminal, send the 3character command sequence “+++”. When the ATLAS PL modem first enters the Command Mode, it sends the phrase “RV-M7” out it serial port, and then an “OK” sequence. The “OK” sequence is a sequence of 4 characters: “O”, “K”, , and characters ( = ASCII 0D, = ASCII 0A) Note that the internal power-management function may turn the product off to save power.
To get on-line help with a command, enter the command and put a question mark in for the parameter. For example, to see what the ATDT command is used for, type ATDT ?. The modem will respond by listing a brief description of the command. To see a list of all commands, type HELP. Company Confidential 18 Raveon Technologies Corp.
5.5. Command Configuration Commands Command Description Parameters Factory Default ATBD Baud Rate – Sets serial com port baud rate (bps). Over-theair (throughput) baud rate is set with ATR2 command. If a PC’s serial baud rate is set higher than the fixed over-theair baud rate of the module, hardware handshaking may be required. Range: 0 – 7 0 = 1200 5= 38400 1 = 2400 6=57600 2 = 4800 7=115200 3 = 9600 4 = 19200 5 ATCH Configure Hardware Flow Control – Enable (1) or disable (0) flow control.
RF Power Output. Set or show the RF power output setting. ATPO Value is in percent, from 0% to 100%. Use and RF wattmeter to confirm the power setting, and adjust the % accordingly to obtain the desired RF power level. ATPC Read TX Current. Read the device’s current draw during the last transmission, in mA. 0-110 100 0-9999 - Range: ATR2 ATRQ ATRS ATRV Over-The-Air bit rate - This is the data rate the radio uses to send data over the air.
RPR SHOW BAND CONFIG Remote Procedure Request. Used to request execution of a command on a remote mode (over the air). See RV-M7 System Protocol manual for information on using this feature. Show/display an overview of the radio’s configuration. Show/display the radio band. Displays the frequency band that the radio is configured for, along with the upper and lower frequency, in MHz.. BB is the band code, lll is the lower frequency in MHz, and uuu is the upper frequency in MHz. Show Configuration.
5.6. Additional Personal-Locator Related Commands The following commands are unique to the –PL version of the RV-M7. When you execute any of these commands, the new parameter is automatically stored in EEPROM. Unlike the Modem Commands in the table above, you do not need to issue the “ATSV” command to save –PL related parameters listed in the table below. The parameters in all GPS commands listed below are automatically saved to EEPROM when they are executed.
PROX REPEAT SLOTQTY SLOTTIME TDMATIME TRIGBITS TRIGPOL TRIGEX TRIGDX TRIGSPEED TXRATE a waypoint name. A dash means no prefix. Default is a capitol letter V. Proximity Alert. Set a minimum proximity distance. When any ATLAS PL with properly configured ID codes and KEYPHRASE comes within this many meters of this unit, a proximity warning is triggered.
TLLPARM 5.7. $GPTLL Message parameters. This command sets flags that tell the ATLAS PL which internal parameters to append to the target “Name” when it outputs the TLL message. Bit 0 = temperature, Bit 1= velocity, Bit 2=RSSI, Bit 3 = voltage. Enter the number in decimal: 10 sets bits 3 and 1, 8 sets bit 3, 9 sets bits 3 and 0 0-15 0 Factory –PL Default Settings For the UHF ATLAS PL model RV-M7-UC-PL, the factory defaults GPS settings are: Radio channel 1 ..............................................
6. Setup and Initial Configuration 1. Connect a DC power source to the DC IN connection on the front of the modem. 2. Connect a good quality antenna, cut to the operating frequency, to the RF connector on the front of the modem. Use a good quality antenna, and place it as high-above obstructions as possible. 3. Connect a computer terminal, or PC computer running HyperTerminal, to the 9pin I/O connector. The factory default serial ports settings are 4800 bps, 8 data bits, 1 stop, no parity.
unit to receive messages from other transponders, both ATLAS PL type and Raveon’s M7 series. Remember, that from the factory, all ATLAS PL modems are configured to simply work. Plug in power and connect to the serial port at 38400 baud, and the modems will communicate on the default channel. Change the channel frequency to your specific frequency, and they will be ready to work on your channel. M7 PL Technical Manual 26 Raveon Technologies Corp.
6.1. Position Transmission When the ATLAS PL transmits its position, it also reports other status information such as voltage, input bits, temperature, velocity, and heading. All of these parameters are compressed into a short data packet, and sent over the air in the proper TDMA time slot. Each ATLAS PL is assigned a time slot, based upon its ID. ID 1 is slot 1, ID 2 is slot 2… Position/status reporting happens in one of 2 intervals. A) At the TXRATE setting.
ATLAS PL Transmission Trigger Diagram M7 PL Technical Manual 28 Raveon Technologies Corp.
6.3. Battery Life The ATLAS PL uses a smart-battery pack with a built-in microprocessor. The battery has the ability to turn the radio and GPS circuits completely off for a preset amount of time, thus saving battery power. Whenever the TXRATE is greater than about 60 seconds, the battery in the PL may turn off the radio to conserve power. This condition is referred to as the SLEEP state. During this Sleep state, the unit draws a total of about 1mA, giving a battery life of 1000+ hours.
Parameter/setting Format $GPWPL NMEA WayPoint List. This message is commonly used to share waypoint locations among GPS units. The ATLAS PL can output this message when it receives a position report from other ATLAS PL transponders. A GPS connected to it, should put a waypoint on its screen, and in its database, at the location specified by the RV-M7. OUTPUT 3 $PRAVE Raveon Position & Satus. This message is sent out of the ATLAS PL when it is operating in the GPS 2 mode.
Use the KEYPHRASE command to set the key phrase. For example, to set the key phrase to Jkl53hhp type: KEYPHRASE Jkl53hhp ID Addressing Basics ID addressing is used to differentiate one RV-M7 Transponder from another. Each must have a unique number programmed into them, so that when a position report is received, the ATLAS PL that sent the message can be identified. This is called the MYID of the unit that sent the message.
The ATLAS PL transponders have internal clocks with 20 ticks-per-second. They can measure time and initiate transmissions 20 times every second (every 50mS). The TDMA time slot is configured to be some number of these ticks. The factory default allocation is 4-ticks for one time-slot. So each TDMA time slot is 200mS long, and thus in 10 seconds, up to 50 ATLAS PL transponders may report position. These parameters are programmable, and may be re-configured based upon the type of system they are used in.
7. Operation Once the PL is turned on by pressing the power button, the internal GPS will begin to try to lock onto the GPS satellites. The Status LEDs on the front of the RV-M7 will begin to blink orange. After 10 to 60 seconds, depending upon the satellite strength, orange blinking will stop. This indicates the internal GPS receiver is locked onto GPS satellite signals, and has a position fix. The ATLAS PL will only transmit if it has GPS lock.
8. FCC Licensing Information RV-M7 radio modems operate on radio frequencies that are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In order to transmit on these frequencies, you are required to have a license issued by the FCC. Almost everyone engaged in public safety activities - as well as private organizations, are required, to obtain a radio station license from the Federal Communications Commission if they wish to use a radio transmitter.
9. Technical Information 10. RV-M7 Diagnostic Provisions 10.1. Status and Statistics Command RV-M7 diagnostic information is read using AT commands, while the unit is in the Command Mode. Refer to the section “User Serial Port Commands” to learn how to put the RV-M7 modem into the Command Mode. AT Command Command Description Response ST General Communication Statistics – This command will cause the RV-M7 to output a table of various operational statistics.
10.2.
10.4. ATST3 Command The ATST3 command, will return the time and date the firmware in the RV-M7 was compiled. 10.5. ATST4 Command The ATST4 command will return internal timers that tell how long the modem has been powered up and running. All of these timers restart a 0 upon power up.
11. Troubleshooting Symptom: Unit will not receive Solution #1. Verify that the unit is on the correct RF channel. If it is, the Status LED should blink green every time another modem tries to transmit to it. If the Status LED does not blink when it should be receiving, it is on the wrong RF frequency. Solution #2. If the Status LED blinks green, verify that the Unit Address of the sending modem matches the unit address of the receiving modem.
means 2 seconds, and the modem may simply be waiting a long time. Typical settings for this parameter are 20 (20mS). Solution #1. This is normal. A TDMA radio will wait until its assigned TDMA slot is ready before it will send data. A delay in transmission of the TDMATIME is normal. Symptom: Cannot enter Command Mode Solution #1. Verify the serial port baud rate. This is difficult if it is set wrong, because you cannot enter the command mode to check it.
12. Mechanical Note: The GPS connector is SMA. 13. ATLAS PL Messages The ATLAS PL sends and receives messages in the NMEA 0183 format. NMEA is a standard protocol, use by GPS receivers to transmit data. NMEA output is EIA422A but for most purposes it is RS-232 compatible. Use 4800 bps, 8 data bits, no parity and one stop bit ( 8N1 ) for standard NMEA data. NMEA 0183 sentences are all ASCII characters. Each sentence begins with a dollar sign ($) and ends with a carriage return linefeed ().
in GPS mode 2. It is used by PC software programs to track ATLAS PL transponders, and process their status information. 13.1. $GPTLL Target Lat-Lon This sentence is typically used by marine radar plotters. When the ATLAS PL is set to GPS 3 mode of operation, it will output this message every time it receives a position report from another ATLAS PL transponder. Within the TLL message, is the latitude, longitude, and Target ID”.
2 3 4 5 6 7 cks 13.3. Message number Number of sats PRN Elevation Azmuth SNR This message’s number The total number of satellites in view. Satellite number. Elevation in degrees, 90 maximum Azimuth, degrees from true north, 000 to 359 Signal-to-noise ratio for this sat. NMEA checksum $GPWPL Waypoint Location The waypoint location sentence is used by GPS receivers and plotters in different ways, often to share waypoint data or to show waypoints on-screen.
V. Set it to a dash “-“ to disable the prefix string. If a prefix is programmed into the RV-M7, it will add the prefix characters whenever it outputs the ID in a $GPWPL message. For example, if the prefix is set to the phrase “Car”, the ATLAS PL will output the following message when it receives a position report from RV-M7 Transponder with ID 0003. $GPWPL,4917.16,N,12310.
13 RSSI 14 15 16 Speed Heading Status 17 Spare 18 19 * Checksum The signal-strength of this message as measured by the receiver, in dBm. Note, if the message went through a repeater, it is the signal lever of the repeated message. The speed of the device in km/hour, 0-255 The heading of the device 0-360 degrees Status flags received from the device. Not all products support generating all status flag codes. NULL means no alerts. “P” means a proximity alert.
Limited One Year Warranty If within one year from date of purchase, this product fails due to a defect in material or workmanship, Raveon Technologies, Incorporated will repair or replace it, at Raveon’s sole discretion. This warranty is extended to the original consumer purchaser only and is not transferable.
