STI RFI-400 Output Power Paging Transmitters User Manual

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Configuration

A response is generated for each AT command issued. Responses to AT commands are shown in Table 3.

Response Response Code Number

Description

OK

0

Returned whenever a command is entered that is executed correctly.

ERROR 4

Returned whenever a command is invalid or could not be executed.

BUSY

7

Returned when an attempt is made to enable the menu via AT? but the menu system is already enabled on the other serial port.

Table 3: AT command response codes

3.5.1 List Slicing Syntax
Multiple indexes of an indexer can be queried in a single AT command using the list slicing syntax. AT command sets cannot be used with the list slicing syntax. The list slice syntax uses the colon `:’ operator to indicate a range of indexes to retrieve. Each value retrieved is printed on a new line.
For example, the AT command for retrieving a single sensor value is I90[n] where n is the index of the sensor. To retrieve the first four sensor values (PA, Driver, PA Ambient, and Isolator temperatures) the following syntax can be used:

ATI90[0:3] 45 42 39 30 OK

Figure 8: List slicing syntax on the current sensor value

Running the list slice operator `:’ without specifying the range will return the length of the indexer:

ATI90[:] 27 OK

Figure 9: List slicing syntax for the length of an indexer

3.5.2 Sequenced AT Commands
A series of get AT commands can be concatenated into a single AT command, known as a sequenced AT command. AT command sets cannot be sequenced. A sequenced AT command begins with the attention code, AT, followed by a number of commands, followed by the terminator.
For example, the AT commands for the serial number, current channel, and main serial port baud rate are I6, S54 and S100[0], respectively. These commands can be run separately:

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Configuration

ATI6 F00012K01000 OK
ATS54 1 OK
ATS100[0] 8 OK
Figure 10: Separate AT commands
Alternatively, they can be concatenated and run as a sequenced command:
ATI6S54S100[0] F00012K01000 1 8 OK

Figure 11: Sequenced AT command

3.6 Front Panel Interface
The front panel interface consists of six status LEDs and a transmit power gauge. The panel is illustrated in Figure 12 and the function of each LED is described in Table 4.

LED Transmit On Fault
Low Power
High VSWR Serial/Ethernet Power Power Gauge

Colour

Description

Green

Turns on when the transmitter is on.

Red

Turns on when any fault is active. Will flash in unison with the Serial/Ethernet LED if there are serial errors.

Red

Turns on when the sensed transmit power is lower than the lower cut-off value as specified in the sensor parameters.

Red

Turns on when the isolator VSWR is higher than the higher cutoff value as specified in the sensor parameters.

Green

Flashes when serial or Ethernet data is transmitted or received.

Green

Turns on/off at 1 Hz while power is supplied.

Green/Red A bar graph displaying current transmit power.

Table 4: Front panel LED descriptions

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Configuration

TRANSMIT ON FAULT LOW POWER HIGH VSWR SERIAL/ETHERNET POWER

25

125

250

TX POWER (W)
Figure 12: Front Panel Display
3.7 LIU Interface
The LIU interface is a DC-37 female connector at the rear of the paging transmitter. The pin-out for the LIU Interface can be found in Appendix A.4. The LIU interface has ten digital inputs1 and fourteen alarm outputs. The alarm outputs are numbered 1 to 13 with an additional combined alarm and are configurable with respect to which faults drive which alarms. The digital inputs are:
· Frequency Select 1 · Frequency Select 2 · Frequency Select 3 · Frequency Select 4 · Protocol Select · Hardware PTT · Tx Data L-bit · Tx Data H-bit · Transmit Clock · Aux Input 1 (RFI-148 only) ­ can be configured to trigger a fault · Aux Input 2 ­ can be configured to trigger a pre-defined page event
Use of the hardware PTT, protocol select and frequency select inputs are all optional and may be disabled in software. The use of the transmit clock is optional for 2-level protocols, but required for 4-level protocols.

1 RFI-148 has an extra, general purpose input “Aux Input 1,” for a combined total of 11.
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Configuration

3.7.1 Hot Standby (RFI-148/-900 only)

For those RFI-148/-900 that support it (refer to the product order codes in Appendix F), some LIU pins are repurposed, as shown in Table 5. The `lost’ alarms 11, 12 and 13 are made available when Hot Standby mode is disabled. Refer also to 7.5.

Pin Number 4 23 24 17

Direction Output Output Output Input

Default function Alarm 11 Alarm 12 Alarm 13
LIU detection

Hot Standby function
PHSB MISSING – External PHSB unit is missing/not detected
IN STANDBY – The transmitter is waiting for permission to go active.
IS PRIMARY ­ this is the primary transmitter of the redundant pair.
CAN GO ACTIVE (HW) ­ the hardware means of readying the transmitter for operating
in Hot Standby mode

Table 5:- LIU pin repurposing for Hot Standby support

3.7.2 Analogue Paging (RFI-148 only)

RFI-148 units that support the Analogue Paging feature repurpose certain LIU pins when this feature is enabled, as identified in Table 6. When the feature is disabled, these pins are reallocated to their default function. Refer to 8.2.1 for more information.

Pin Number 5 6 13

Direction Input Input Input

Default function CHAN 4 CHAN 3 Aux 1

Analogue function Audio + Audio –
Analogue/Digital Select

Table 6:- LIU pin repurposing for Analogue Paging support.

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Operation

4. Operation

4.1 Serial Port Operation

Serial Ports -> [Rear|Front] Settings

4.1.1 Overview
The RFI-148/-400/-900 250 has two RS-232 serial ports, providing support as shown in Table 1. The serial port pin-outs can be found in Appendix A.3 on page 62.

Connector Type Front
Supported

Rear

Connector Type Supported

Serial Ports Female DE9 (DCE)

TX, RX, GND.

RFI-148

RFI-400/-900

Male DE9 (DTE)

Female DE9 (DCE)

TX, RX, and GND, RTS and DTR outputs CTS and DCD inputs

Table 7: Serial port availability.

4.1.2 Configuration
The rear serial port supports the following configuration options:
Baud rate: 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600 or 115200. Data bits: 7 or 8. Parity: None, odd, or even. Stop bits: 1 or 2.

The front serial port is locked into a specific configuration to ensure a fail-safe way to communicate with the paging transmitter:
Baud rate: 19200. Data bits: 8. Parity: None. Stop bits: 1.
4.1.3 Statistics
Statistics are maintained for both serial ports. These statistics are listed in Table 33 in Appendix C. All statistics are reset if power is removed.

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Operation

These statistics may be useful in troubleshooting. For example, Rx framing errors may indicate that the serial port configuration does not match the serial port configuration of the link partner.

4.2 Ethernet Operation

LAN Interface

4.2.1 Overview
The paging transmitter has one 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet port. Auto- negotiation of link speed is supported, including duplex mode. There is also a software override for forcing the parameters of the link.

4.2.2 IP Addressing
The paging transmitter supports IPv4. The paging transmitter may have a statically assigned IP address or obtain an IP address as a DHCP client.
A static IP address may be configured with a single static address. A subnet mask and default gateway may be configured to allow communication across sub- networks.
The paging transmitter may act as a DHCP client. This allows a DHCP server to assign an IP address to the paging transmitter. By default, the DHCP client is enabled and the hostname of the paging transmitter is of the form “rfi- serial_number” where serial_number is the factory assigned serial number of the unit. If the unit does not receive an IP address from the DHCP server, the IP interface will not work.

4.2.3 Statistics
Both IP and Ethernet packet statistics are independently recorded and presented as combined figures for all active data streams since the transmitter was last powered-up. A power-cycle of the transmitter clears this data.

4.3 Transmitter Operation

4.3.1 Transmit Power

Radio -> Power

The RFI-148/-400/-900 250 supports transmit power from 20 to 250 Watts in 1 Watt increments. The Canadian release of the RFI-148 250 is software limited from 20 to 110 Watts in 1 Watt increments.

POWER FOLDBACK
The power foldback is a configurable percentage which calculates the power to foldback to when the scale transmit power fault action is latched. For example, for a transmit power of 250 W and a power foldback of 50%, the transmitter will transmit at 125 W when the scale transmit power fault action is latched. See section 5.2.1 for more information on fault actions.

4.3.2 Channel Selection

Radio -> Channel

The RFI-148/-400/-900 250 has up to sixteen radio channels. Each channel represents a transmit frequency.

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Operation

The channel frequencies can be set anywhere within the radio switching bandwidth, but their difference from the lower limit of the switching bandwidth must be an integer multiple of the raster frequency.
The channel to be used can be set by adjusting the current channel setting.
For the RFI-148 only, a channel width option of 6.25kHz is available, in addition to the regular 12.5kHz and 25kHz options, but this “Ultra-Narrow” band option must be explicitly requested, by indicating “UN” in the product order code (refer to Appendix F).

ENCODER CHANNEL CONTROL

Encoder Interface -> Encoder Channel Control

The active channel can be set by adjusting the current channel setting in software. Alternatively, “Encoder Channel Control” may be enabled and the channel set through the LIU interface as shown in Table 8 below where N/C abbreviates Not Connected. If encoder channel control is used, the channel cannot be changed in
software.

Channel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

CH4 N/C N/C N/C N/C N/C N/C N/C N/C Gnd Gnd Gnd Gnd Gnd Gnd Gnd Gnd

CH3 N/C N/C N/C N/C Gnd Gnd Gnd Gnd N/C N/C N/C N/C Gnd Gnd Gnd Gnd

CH2 N/C N/C Gnd Gnd N/C N/C Gnd Gnd N/C N/C Gnd Gnd N/C N/C Gnd Gnd

CH1 N/C Gnd N/C Gnd N/C Gnd N/C Gnd N/C Gnd N/C Gnd N/C Gnd N/C Gnd

Table 8: Channel selection via LIU Interface
4.3.3 Push-To-Talk (PTT)
There are three methods available to turn the transmitter on:

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Operation

· Software PTT: Software PTT is available using Hayes AT commands, through the Cruise Control GUI, or through the terminal menu interface. It is also selected implicitly when enabling TNPP or PET/TAP on either a serial or Ethernet stream.
· Hardware PTT: Hardware PTT is available through the LIU connector. Hardware PTT can be configured to be active high or active low. The delay from hardware PTT to transmitter on and data ready is 10 ms.
· Auto PTT: Auto PTT is performed by detecting a change in the data bits on the LIU and turning on the transmitter. When using auto PTT some preamble will be lost; some encoders may need to increase preamble time.
Hardware PTT can be enabled using the “Encoder Hardware PTT” option and auto PTT can be enabled using the “Auto PTT” option in the “Encoder Interface” menu. Hardware PTT and auto PTT cannot both be enabled at the same time.

PTT TURN OFF DELAY

Radio -> PTT Turn Off Delay

The unit has the option to leave the transmitter on for a set duration after receiving a PTT off signal. This delay is driven by software and typically accurate to 100 ms.

TRANSMIT TIMEOUT

Radio -> Transmit Timeout

The unit can automatically raise a fault if the transmitter has been transmitting for too long. By default, the transmit timeout feature is disabled. If enabled, the transmit timeout fault causes the transmitter to key down and set the PTT system override to disable transmit. See section 5.2.1 for more information on fault actions.

PTT OVERRIDE

Radio -> PTT Override

Transmitter PTT can be completely disabled which stops the paging transmitter from transmitting. PTT override can be changed using the “PTT override” setting.

In some cases the paging transmitter will disable itself from transmitting. If PTT override is disabling transmit the “PTT Override Status” will describe what caused the override. There are five circumstances where the paging transmitter will override PTT:

· User: The PTT override has been configured to “Disable Transmit”.

· Listening: The isolator mode is set for listening (for operation of the isolator see section 4.3.6).

· Fault: The disable transmit fault action is active (for more on fault actions see section 5.2.1).

· Loading Config: Cruise Control is loading a configuration file.

· In Standby: The unit is in Standby due to the Hot Standby operation (see section 7).

PTT is enabled once the source of the override is addressed.

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Operation

HARDWARE PTT EDGE OR LEVEL DETECTION
The transmitter keys up due to the rising or falling edge of the hardware PTT signal ­ it is based on edge detection rather than sampling. However, there are three exceptions to this case where the hardware PTT signal is sampled to check for key up:

· When the unit powers up.

· When the hardware PTT configuration is changed from Disabled to Enabled.

· When the unit comes out of PTT Override.

4.3.4 External Reference

Radio -> Reference

The transmitter supports an external reference for channel frequency generation.

To use the external reference, a 5 or 10 MHz sine or square wave -20 dBm to +15 dBm signal must be applied to the “External Frequency” input BNC connector on the back panel. The Reference Mode supports four options:

· Internal: The internal reference is used. External reference is ignored and will not cause faults.

· External With Failover: The external reference is used where possible. If the external reference is disconnected, has out of spec amplitude, or drifts too far from the internal reference (or vice versa) then the PTX will switch to the internal reference immediately. If the unit is transmitting at the time of reference switchover, there may be data loss. The switchover is latched, and therefore the Clear All Faults routine must be executed (through Cruise Control or AT command) before the PTX will attempt to switch to the external reference. This mode is intended for use with reliable reference sources that fail rarely, since user intervention is required to restore normal PTX behaviour.

· External When Available: The external reference is used where possible. If the external reference is disconnected, has out of spec amplitude, or drifts too far from the internal reference (or vice versa) then the PTX will switch to the internal reference immediately. If the unit is transmitting at the time of reference switchover, there may be data loss. The switchover is not latched and, therefore, restoration of a quality external reference source will cause the PTX to revert to using the external reference without user intervention. To minimise data loss, use of the external reference will not be restored until the PTX has stopped transmitting. This mode is intended for use with less reliable reference sources that fail more frequently, or for installations that are difficult or impractical to remotely monitor and control, since user intervention is not required to restore normal PTX behaviour

· External Only: The external reference becomes a pre-requisite for transmission. If the external reference is disconnected, has out of spec amplitude, or drifts too far from the internal reference (or vice versa) then the PTX will disable all PTT sources thereby stopping any transmission. When the external reference is restored the PTX re-enables PTT sources and continues transmission ­ without any intervention.

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Operation

The external reference frequency must be configured correctly in order to lock to the external reference (Radio -> Reference -> Ext. Ref. Frequency). By default, the external reference is configured to 10 MHz but 5 MHz is also supported.

4.3.5 Absolute Delay Adjustment

Radio -> Absolute Delay Adjustment

The paging transmitter can insert a small artificial delay on data presented on the LIU interface before it is passed to the digital synthesiser. The delay adjustment can be set from 0 to 40 ms in 5 µs steps. The additional net delay is accurate to 3 µs.

Absolute delay adjustment can be used for matching delay in:

· Simulcast networks where transmitters from different manufacturers are used.

· Radio and leased line simulcast systems.

4.3.6 RF Diagnostics

Radio -> Isolator

The paging transmitter provides an RF diagnostics port output on the back panel. The RF diagnostics port can be configured for two different modes using the “Isolator Mode” setting:

· Set for Transmitting: The RF diagnostics port will output a signal identical to that of RF out but at a much lower power level.

· Set for Listening: Insertion loss from RF out to RF diag is decreased to 12 dB. This is a special mode of operation used for network testing. NOTE: While in listening mode, PTT override is forced to disable transmit.

LISTEN MODE TIMEOUT
A timeout can be enabled for listening mode. When the listening mode timeout is enabled, the isolator mode will automatically revert to transmitting mode after the timeout expires. The timeout starts when the isolator mode is set to listening mode. By default, the listening mode timeout is disabled.

ISOLATOR FEEDBACK
The isolator feedback is a read-only field that indicates the isolator status when the isolator is in listening mode. When the isolator mode is set to listening, the feedback status will change to “Switching” for one second and then change to “Listening Mode”. However, if the status changes to “Listening Failure” then there may be a hardware failure of the mechanical attenuation switch-out.

4.4 Data
Paging data that is to FSK modulate the carrier is externally input from the L-bit and H-bit pins on the LIU connector. The data encoding implemented by the RFI-148/-400/-900 250 is controlled by the Paging Protocol and the Data Invert. A third parameter, 4-Level Operation, only applies when a 4-level FSK modulation format is selected. This is described in the following sections.

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Operation

4.4.1 Modulation Formats
The RFI-148/-400/-900 250 supports the following modulation formats:

Paging Protocols -> Profiles-> Paging Protocol

· POCSAG: Baud rates of 512, 1200 and 2400 bps (2-level FSK) are supported.

· FLEX-2: Baud rates of 1600 and 3200 (2-level FSK) are supported.

· FLEX-4: Baud rates of 3200 and 6400 bps (4-level FSK) are supported.

· Custom: A customizable deviation and FSK level at baud rates up to 6400 bps. See section 4.4.6.

2-level FSK protocol data may optionally be clocked into the paging transmitter using the external data clock or may run asynchronously. 4-level FSK protocols must use the external data clock.

4.4.2 Inversion

Encoder Interface -> Data Invert

The data that is input on the L-bit and H-bit pins can be inverted using the Data Invert field. The deviation mapping produced by this described in the following sections.

4.4.3 2-Level Deviation Mapping
When using 2-level FSK i.e. when POCSAG, FLEX-2 or Custom 2-level is selected in Profiles -> Paging Protocol, only data on either the H- or L-bit is transmitted and the deviation with respect to the H and L bits is outlined in Table 9 below where N/C abbreviates Not Connected. N/C represents data 1 and Gnd represents data 0.

L-bit N/C

H-bit N/C

Deviation from Carrier (Hz)

2-Level Data = L-bit

2-Level Data = H-bit

Normal

Inverted

Normal

Inverted

–

–

N/C Gnd Gnd N/C Gnd Gnd

– + +

+ – –

+ – +

– + –

Table 9: 2-level deviation frequency offsets Where is the deviation frequency in Hz.

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Operation
Standard 2-level FlexTM requires that FLEX-2 is selected with Data Invert -> Inverted. Use of the H- or L- bit is configurable via Encoder Interface 2-Level Data. The configurability of the 2level data pin was introduced in firmware 4.5; versions prior to this operate with L-bit as the 2-level data pin.

4.4.4 4-Level Deviation Mapping

Encoder Interface -> 4-Level Operation

When using 4-level FSK i.e. FLEX-4 or Custom 4-level is selected in Profiles -> Paging Protocol, the deviation with respect to the H and L bits is outlined in Table 10 below. Note that two interpretations of the H-bit/L-bit are available, denoted as Legacy and Normal and configurable via Encoder Interface 4-Level Operation. The Legacy/Normal operation was introduced in firmware 4.0. Firmware versions prior to this operate implicitly in Legacy mode.

L-Bit H-bit (MSB) (LSB)
N/C N/C
N/C Gnd Gnd N/C Gnd Gnd

Deviation from Carrier (Hz)

Normal

Inverted

Normal

3

Legacy

3

Normal –

Legacy –

–

3

–

–

3

–

–

3

3

–

3

3

Table 10: 4-level deviation frequency offsets

Where is the deviation frequency in Hz.
Standard 4-level FlexTM requires that FLEX-4 is selected with Data Invert -> Normal and 4-Level Operation -> Normal. With this configuration the L-bit is kept the MSB and the H-bit is the LSB.

4.4.5 FLEXTM Operation
Standard 2 and 4 level FLEXTM operation can be implemented in several ways. The first is as described previously in 4.4.3 and 4.4.4. The alternate method is as follows:
1. The LIU connector is wired with the L-bit as the MSB and the H-bit as the LSB.
2. The FLEX-4 protocol is selected by Profiles -> Paging Protocol -> FLEX-4 with Data Invert -> Normal and 4-Level Operation -> Normal.

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Operation
3. 2-level FLEXTM is enabled by pulling the H-bit to Gnd otherwise 4-level FLEXTM is enable. FLEXTM OPERATION FOR LEGACY SYSTEMS For legacy systems which have firmware older than 4.0, the MSB and the LSB need to be swapped and the configuration is as follows:
1. The LIU connector is wired with the H-bit as the MSB and the L-bit as the LSB. 2. The FLEX-4 protocol is selected by Profiles -> Paging Protocol -> FLEX-4 with Data Invert ->
Normal. 3. 2-level FLEXTM is enabled by pulling the L-bit to Gnd otherwise 4-level FLEXTM is enable.

4.4.6 Custom Deviation

Paging Protocols -> Advanced

The transmitter supports generation of non-standard paging protocol settings by selecting custom in the Profiles -> Paging Protocol option (see 0). A custom deviation and either 2 or 4 level FSK can be set and used for that protocol. The custom deviation setting is useful for legacy paging systems with non-standard protocols and/or paging receivers.

4.4.7 Carrier Offset

Paging Protocols -> Profile [1|2] -> Carrier Offset

The carrier offset setting is provided for use in simulcast paging networks. The offset from the carrier frequency can be specified for each protocol. The carrier offset can be set from +4000 to -4000 Hz in increments of 1 Hz.

4.5 Fan Control

Fan Control

The transmitter has two fans for cooling; the front fan is an intake and the rear fan is the exhaust. The fans turn on at the configured fan turn on temperature, and then turn off at the configured fan turn off temperature. The temperature reference is configurable to either individual sensors, the hottest of all sensors, or the hottest of all sensors on the PA and Isolator (`PA Group Sensors’).

4.5.1 Fan Override
There is a fan override feature available to force the fans to turn on at full speed. When fan override is set to always on the fans will turn on and ignore the reference temperature.

4.5.2 Self-Test
The fan controller has a self-test feature which causes the fans to run at full speed for a minute so fan operation can be verified. The self-test feature runs once every 24 hours by default.

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Diagnostics

5. Diagnostics

5.1 Status Monitoring

Sensors -> Sensor Configuration

The paging transmitter has a number of sensors which are continuously monitored. The sensors are used to monitor:
Internal voltage and current levels. Ambient and transmitter temperature. Fan operation. Transmitted and reflected power.

Each sensor has configurable upper and lower cut-offs that will cause a fault when exceeded. For example, if the driver temperature upper cut-off is exceeded, the high driver temperature fault will be set active.
A full list of sensors, units of measure, and range of values can be found in Appendix E.
5.1.1 Conditional Cut-off Checking
Some sensors are only compared against their upper and lower cut-offs under certain conditions, such as when the transmitter is on. The following sensors have conditional cut-off checking:
During transmission:
Exciter current. PA current. Driver current. Reverse power. Transmit power. Driver power. Exciter power. Isolator VSWR.

While the fans are turned on to full speed:
Front and rear fan current. Front and rear fan RPM.

A sensor that falls outside its cut-offs while its checking condition is met will cause the respective fault to become active. A non-latching fault will only be cleared once it has returned to within its cut-offs while its checking condition is met. A latching fault must be cleared in software.

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Diagnostics

5.1.2 Minimum and Maximum Sensor History
When a sensor exceeds a previous minimum or maximum value for that sensor, the new minimum or maximum value is saved to non-volatile storage. The minimum and maximum sensor values also use the conditional cut-off checking. For example, minimum and maximum transmit power values are only recorded during transmission. The sensor history can be cleared to aid in troubleshooting.

5.2 Faults

Faults -> Fault Configuration

Undesirable operating conditions are reported using the faults feature of the paging transmitter. In most circumstances the paging transmitter should not have any active faults. Active faults indicate incorrect setup, a hardware issue or misconfiguration of the paging transmitter.

Faults can be in one of four states:

· Inactive: The fault is inactive.

· Fleeting: The source of the fault is currently active; however it has not been active longer than the minimum fault duration setting.

· Active: The source of the fault is currently active.

· Latched:

o For Faults: The fault was previously active but the source of the fault is no longer present.

o For Fault Actions: The fault action has been carried out.

A list of possible faults can be found in Appendix E.

5.2.1 Fault Actions
Each fault can be configured to perform an action when the fault transitions from the inactive (or fleeting) to the active or latched state. The actions that are taken due to a fault are called Fault Actions. There are five fault actions:
· Reference switchover: The paging transmitter switches to the internal reference.
· Disable transmission: Any current transmission is interrupted, the transmitter is keyed down and future transmissions are disabled.
· Scale transmit power: Transmit power is reduced to a configured percentage. See section 4.3.1.
· Enable PA current fold-back: The PA current fold-back is engaged.
· Enable reverse power fold-back: The reverse power fold-back is engaged.

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Each fault action operates as a fault itself; therefore when a fault action is taken, it can be seen as latched in the faults menu and logged in the fault history. Fault actions are latch-only and can only be cleared through user intervention. Any actions performed are reverted once the fault action is cleared.

5.2.2 Fleeting Faults
The minimum fault duration parameter determines how long the source of a fault is active until it is reported to the fault interface. A fault that does not reach the minimum fault duration will not be logged, activate a hardware alarm or trigger a fault action.

5.2.3 Combined Fault
The combined fault is an optional fault that will become active if any fault within the combined fault set becomes active. Each fault can be configured to be part of the combined fault set. The combined fault will only become inactive when all of the faults in the combined fault set return to inactive. The combined fault has a dedicated alarm output.

5.2.4 Hardware Alarm Outputs

Encoder Interface -> External I/O

A hardware alarm output can be assigned to each fault (see Appendix A.4 for the LIU interface pin-outs). When the fault is in the active or latched state, the respective alarm will be set to active. Multiple faults can share the same alarm output. The alarm output will only be set inactive if all of the faults that use that alarm output are inactive.

Transmitters running a firmware version from revision F and above on the 4.4 branch allow each of the 14 alarms’ polarity to be configured either Active High or Active Low. This nomenclature is from the LIU’s perspective, such that an Active High alarm means that the corresponding LIU alarm pin is allowed to be pulled high, through the user’s external load to a voltage provided by them (Alarms are implemented through an “Open-Drain” configuration). Conversely, Active Low means that, when an alarm is engaged, its corresponding LIU pin is pulled to Ground internal to the transmitter.

All other firmware versions have LIU Alarms that are Active Low and are not configurable in this respect.

Use AT command ATR307 to control an alarm’s active level or, in Cruise Control, the Active Level column of the External I/O table under Encoder Interface.

A list of hardware alarms available can be found in section 3.7.

5.3 Remote Firmware Update and Snapshot

Diagnostics -> Firmware Update

5.3.1 Update
The remote firmware update feature is used to upload a firmware image to a paging transmitter for feature additions and/or bug fixes. Remote firmware update requires a Cruise Control connection to the paging transmitter and a valid RFI-148/-400/-900 250 firmware image file.

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Diagnostics
The firmware update process has two stages: uploading the firmware image to the paging transmitter and applying the firmware image.
FIRMWARE IMAGE UPLOAD
To upload the firmware image to the paging transmitter first connect to the transmitter using Cruise Control. In the Cruise Control interface select Device -> Load Firmware from the toolbar. In the new window that appears, navigate to the directory where the firmware image file is located, select the file and click Upload. The upload process is displayed on the status bar in Cruise Control, near the bottom right. Once the upload is finished, the status will display “Monitoring”.
Note that at this point the firmware image has not been applied. The firmware image is kept in non-volatile storage until it is required.
Once the firmware image has been uploaded, at any later date the firmware image can be applied.
APPLYING FIRMWARE IMAGE
To apply an uploaded firmware image, run the “Update Firmware Now” routine. The paging transmitter will reset to apply the image and will be unresponsive for up to one minute. Note that while the paging transmitter is applying the firmware image, it will not transmit, respond to AT commands or connect with Cruise Control.

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Diagnostics

Figure 13: “Update Firmware Now” routine
When the firmware starts up after applying the new image the “Version String” can be inspected to ensure the new firmware image was loaded.
5.3.2 Snapshot
The paging transmitter has a firmware “Snapshot” used for recovering the paging transmitter to a previous state. The snapshot contains a backup of the current firmware and configuration.
To create a snapshot, run the “Take Firmware Snapshot” routine. The paging transmitter will continue operating normally during the snapshot process, which takes up to one minute to complete. The progress of the snapshot is displayed in the “Snapshot Progress” field.
The snapshot can be reverted to at any stage. This can be useful to revert back to a `known good state’ if the paging transmitter has been misconfigured or has been updated with an unwanted firmware update. To revert to the snapshot run the “Roll Back to Snapshot” routine. The paging transmitter will reset and take up to ninety

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Diagnostics

seconds to revert back to the snapshot firmware and configuration. After reverting to a snapshot the paging transmitter will start up with the firmware update exception fault latched to notify that the snapshot was used.
By default, the paging transmitter has a factory snapshot that contains default factory firmware and configuration.

5.4 Time

5.4.1 Real Time Clock

Diagnostics -> Time

A battery-backed real time clock is used to track the passage of time. An accurate time is not essential for the operation of the transmitter, but aids diagnostics and troubleshooting. The time is used for:

· Generating time stamps for:

o The transmitter fault history.

o Firmware update images.

· Transmitter uptime since power-up.

· A short history of transmitter events (PTT on, off).

TIME ZONE The time zone can be specified in hours and minutes as an offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

5.4.2 SNTP Client

LAN Interface -> SNTP

The transmitter supports time synchronisation using the Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) version 4. The SNTP client can be disabled or set to unicast mode. In unicast mode, the paging transmitter will query the configured time server for time updates at a configurable interval. By default the SNTP client is disabled.

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Internal Encoding

6. Internal Encoding

6.1 Overview

Paging Protocols -> Encoding Mode

The RFI PTX supports both internal and external page message encoding:

· External Encoding: The historical and most common way of interfacing to the RFI PTX is by clocking in pre-encoded paging data using the TTL inputs on the LIU. The RFI PTX will typically interface with a Base Station Controller (BSC) that provides the encoded data.

· Internal Encoding: The RFI PTX supports internal encoding of the POCSAG paging standard for generating messages when submitted through the serial or Ethernet ports. Messages can be submitted using the industry standard TNPP, TAP, or PET protocols. A custom protocol developed by STI Engineering also provides an additional simple datagram protocol for submitting pages: “Page Datagram”.

This section provides an overview of the internal encoding functionality.

When internal encoding is in use, the Hardware PTT and Auto PTT functions are disabled.

6.2 POCSAG Settings

Paging Protocols -> POCSAG

The RFI PTX has several options for the POCSAG protocol in order to support differing networks:

· Preamble Length: The POCSAG preamble is used to wake up paging receivers and allow them to lock to the incoming signal. A default value of 576 bits is used which is the de facto standard for POCSAG.

· Function Override: Allows the function bits in a POCSAG address codeword to be overridden to this value. By default the function bits will follow the message encoding (00: Numeric, 01: Tone-only, 11: Alpha-numeric). The function bits have also been known as the “Group Code”.

· Purge Timeout: The RFI PTX waits up until the purge timer in order to collate incoming page submissions into a single large transmission. This saves on overhead of having to repeat the preamble. Shorter Purge Timeouts will produce lower latency on page submission to transmission, at the possible expense of lower throughput when sending many page messages.

6.2.1 Page Repeating

Paging Protocols -> POCSAG -> Page Repeat Rules

The RFI PTX supports a set of rules that trigger the repetition of a submitted page messages. When a rule is enabled any messages which match the cap code will be repeated Count number of times every Delay seconds.

6.2.2 Tx Delay

Paging Protocols -> POCSAG -> Tx Delay

The RFI PTX supports a configurable delay on internally encoded messages. When Tx Delay is not zero then messages will be held for “Tx Delay” seconds before transmit. If repeats are configured then they will occur the configured repeat time after the Tx Delay.

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Internal Encoding

6.3 Protocols Supported

Paging Protocols -> Encoding Mode

All protocols are accessible through either the rear serial port or the Ethernet port via TCP or UDP port 64250.

6.3.1 TNPP

Paging Protocols -> TNPP

The RFI PTX supports the ETE REQ and CAP PAGE block types. The TNPP station address is configurable.

6.3.2 PET

Paging Protocols -> TAP/PET

The RFI PTX supports the PG1 and PG3 page submission types. Note that the page “zone” for PG3 has no effect on the RFI PTX and it only accepts this value for backwards compatibility. Also accepted is a password up to length 6 characters. The password is not checked and also exists only for backwards compatibility.

There are several options available to allow for differences in PET implementations:

· Line Separator: The RFI PTX can print either a carriage return () or a carriage return and line feed () for line separation. Note that the RFI PTX only accepts lines separated by .

· Timeout: The timeout while expecting the next command string is configurable. The RFI PTX starts a timer when it is expecting more data. If the timeout expires the RFI PTX PET parsing returns to either the Idle or Logged In state.

· Baud Rate: Due to PET not having a way to submit baud rate with page messages, the baud rate must be pre-configured. Standard POCSAG baud rates of 512, 1200, and 2400 are supported.

· Stay Logged In: This option allows the RFI PTX to remain in the Logged In state (ie, after the PG1 and password sequence) so messages can be submitted without having to handshake the connection each time. This option can be used in conjunction with Implied Login to skip handshaking altogether.

· Implied Login: If the character (the start of a message submission) is sent to the RFI PTX this option allows the RFI PTX to transition directly to message submission state and skip the login handshaking.

· Detect Numeric Pages: Encode a paging message as numeric if all characters within the message fit the numeric encoding scheme (ie, all characters are any of the following: ‘0’, ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’, ‘4’, ‘5’, ‘6’, ‘7’, ‘8’, ‘9’, ‘!’, ‘U’, ‘ ‘, ‘-‘, ‘]’, ‘[‘).

6.3.3 TAP

Paging Protocols -> TAP/PET

The TAP protocol is treated the same as PET, however with some extensions:

· Group Code: The RFI PTX can be configured to accept a group code that trails the pager ID during a message submission. The group code can be A’,B’, C’, orD’ when set for “Trailing Character”, or 1′,2′, 3′,4′ when set to “Trailing Digit”.

Paging Protocols -> Page Datagram

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Internal Encoding

6.3.4 Page Datagram
The Page Datagram protocol is request-response. The maximum datagram length including the sync and CRC32 fields is 265 bytes. Any datagrams larger than this will be dropped without response.
The general format of the protocol is (size in bytes of field shown in parenthesis):

Sync (1) 0xCA

Length (2)

Type (1)

Source Address (2)

Sequence number (2)

Packet-specific-data (x)

CRC-32 (4)

Header

Footer

Figure 14: Page datagram generic format

The general fields are:
· Sync (1): The datagram sync byte, always 0xCA · Length (2): The length of the datagram, minus the 3-byte header (sync, length) and 4-byte footer (CRC) · Type (1): The type of the page datagram, see below · Source Address (2): The address of the RTU to which the reply (if any) should be sent. This can be set
to 0xFFFF if unused · Sequence number (2): An incrementing sequence number for confirming replies. This can be set to 0
if unused · Packet-specific-data (x): Changes depending on the type field. Each type is shown in the following
section · CRC-32 (4): 32-bit CRC generated by the polynomial 0xEDB88320, with a starting value of
0xFFFFFFFF and the resulting value XOR’d with 0xFFFFFFFF. The CRC-32 is generated over the whole datagram excluding the Sync and CRC field.

PAGE SUBMIT
Submits a page message for transmission by the RFI PTX. The format of the page submit packet is shown in Figure 15.