- 8 -
J2 to power the weather station, if J7 is shorted. Be sure not to draw more current than your supply can handle. At 12
volts, current draw is 6.6ma + 3ma for each LED lit. If desired, the 4 1K LED resistors can be replaced with 10K resistors,
which will cause the LED to only draw about 0.5 ma each.
LED Control – J4
This optional jumper is normally bridged on the PCB, but if desired, can be cut, and replaced with a true jumper. This will
allow easy disconnection of the LEDs if current saving is important. If desired, cut the trace between the two J4 holes, and
insert a 1x2 header.
Primary/Secondary Switch SW 1 – J5
This switch input is not used for WXTrak, and should be left unconnected.
Power Switch – J6
This switch input is not used for WXTrak, and should be left unconnected.
Serial Power Enable – J7
To bridge serial power J2 pin 4 to WXTrak power J3 and J1 pin 7, this jumper on the bottom of the PCB should be shorted
by dropping a bead of solder across the two square pads. This will allow the GPS to receive power from the WXTrak
power source, or let the WXTrak be powered from the serial connector. If serial power is not needed, leave this jumper
open.
Operations
Configuration Software
To set user options, such as call signs
and transmit rates, use the
WXTrakConfig.EXE program, available
from www.byonics.com. First, power
WXTrak and connect it to a computer
serial port. Be sure to use a gender-
changer, and a null-modem adapter.
Launch WXTrakConfig.EXE, and
select the connected serial port. Click
“Read Version” to confirm the config
program can communicate with
WXTrak. If a firmware version number
is reported, the software and circuit are
communicating. If not, re-check all
previous steps. Click “Read
Configuration” to get the current
configuration, edit all fields for desired
options, and click “Write Configuration”
to download options to the chip.
Reading the Configuration is always performed twice and compared in the program to insure correct data. Writing the
configuration is always followed by a read and compared to insure correct data. A dialog will notify the user when the read
or write is complete, and if it was successful. A read or write operation may fail if the unit is transmitting. If this happens,
simply try again. Detailed information about each configuration parameter is included below.
Callsign
This is the identification of the transmitting station. It can be an amateur radio call sign such as N6BG, or a tactical call
such as BUS. No more than 6 characters (excluding SSID) may be used. If a tactical call is used, an amateur radio call
sign should be included in the status beacon for compliance with FCC identification requirements. As with normal packet
radio, an optional SSID between 1 and 15 can be included, such as N6BG-2 or BUS-15.
