User's Manual

8-5
Troubleshooting specific problems
Communication Problems
I can’t communicate at all...
• First, check the communication link from the Base Station to the host. Use
the following command to test the transmission of data from host to Base
and back again to the host:
@@*Edataaaaaaaa<EOT>
where dataaaaaaaa is any string of data, terminated by EOT. This string
should be sent from the host to the Base Station. If the data is received by
the Base, it echoes it back to the host in the format:
dataaaaaaaa<CR>
where dataaaaaaaa is the data string from the original transmission,
terminated by a CR (ASCII 13). This test verifies communication in both
directions (host to Base, Base to host).
• If the data isn’t echoed back, either your host COM port or the Base Station
has a problem. Check that the Base Station is NOT jumpered for Program-
ming. JP103 should be set to N, (Normal), not P. If it is set to P, no com-
munication from host to Base and back will take place.
• Once you know the Base Station is communicating with the host correctly,
compare the frequency of the Base Station with the frequency of the
Terminal. Use Site Testing to check the communication of the Terminal to
the Base and back. Stay close, make sure no other Terminals are in use,
and go to Site Test mode on the Terminal. You should get 96-100% on
first try. If you don’t, it’s a good chance your radios need repair. Call
Worth Data for an RMA.
• If you are using PICK or UNIX as your operating system, make sure the
Base Station is set to "XON/XOFF Sensitive".
My response time is poor...
• First, do a Site Test right next to the Base Station. If it's not 98%, RF is
the problem.
• Second, run one of the demo programs. If the demo runs fast, it is your
program that is slow. If your program is not responding within 300ms, the
Terminal has to send periodic messages, waiting for a response. A host
program that takes 2 seconds to respond to a Terminal with a new prompt
will increase radio traffic by 400% - greatly reducing the number of
Terminals you can accommodate on one Base Station. See Host Response
Delay in the Setup (Chapter 2) for help in avoiding this problem.