OpenTracker USB User’s Manual
18
Debounce
– This is a delay applied to the counter input. After a counter event is
registered, all subsequent events are ignored until the specified time has elapsed.
Without a suitable debounce setting, a typical pushbutton could register several
events for one press.
Power Control
– When selected, the tracker will activate its power control line
(AUX IO) before each transmission. The tracker will pause for the specified
number of seconds to give the transmitter time to power up. The power control
feature is especially useful for solar-powered weather or telemetry stations.
TX Audio Level
– This slider sets the audio output level. This level can be set
interactively from the Tuning/Diagnostics screen. If you find that the required
level is less than one quarter of the full scale, make sure you have the ‘HI’ jumper
removed. Running with the audio level set in software to a very low level can
increase DAC quantization noise.
TX Delay
– All radios require a certain amount of time to stabilize on their
transmitting frequency, and receivers also require time to lock on. This value
specifies the number of milliseconds the tracker should wait after the start of the
transmission before it begins sending data. Allowable values are 0 to 1023
milliseconds. Setting this value too high will keep the channel busy longer than
necessary. Setting it too low will prevent packets from being transmitted
properly. Finding the optimum value for your radio may require some
experimentation.
Don’t transmit if supply <
n
– To avoid over-discharging batteries, enable this
option and enter the minimum voltage at which the tracker should operate the
transmitter.
Invert Carrier Detect
– Usually used with mobile radios, this checkbox indicates
that the channel is busy when the carrier detect input is low.
Software DCD
– This option selects the data carrier detect (DCD) mode used.
When unchecked, the tracker considers the channel to be busy in the presence of
any noise, including voice or static. When checked, the channel is considered
busy only when a valid 1200 baud signal is present.