Campbell csi mAXON, Instruction Manual

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Section 2. Assembling the Radiotelemetry Network
2-7
1. Verify everything is connected properly. See Section 2.5.1 for more
suggestions.
2. Use the error messages in the error file to identify where the link is
breaking down. See Section 2.5.2 for more information.
3. Try communicating from the base station to the field station, one step at a
time. Identify where communications failed. See Section 2.5.3 for more
information.
2.5 Troubleshooting Unsuccessful Communication
Attempts
2.5.1 Troubleshooting Physical Link Between Base and Field
Station
When communication is not established, troubleshooting begins with the
simplest RF link in the system, which is usually communication with the nearest
field station. There is NO substitute for first checking the hardware
connections, Station IDs, and everything listed in the previous section. Below
are a few additional items to check:
1. Antenna is used in proximity of metal.
2. Transmitting inside a building.
3. Damaged or shorted cables.
4. Bad or improper connections.
5. Antenna frequency does not match the radio frequency.
6. Base and field station radios aren't using same frequency.
7. Datalogger power drops below 9.6 Volts during RF transmission. Use
datalogger Instruction 10 or volt meter to measure battery voltage.
If the field station's RF310M Modem's Carrier Detect light goes on, then at
least a signal is reaching the site. If this occurs, check the following:
1. RF modem's ID matches ID in the RF Path.
2. Field station's radio and datalogger have sufficient power.
3. Radio is connected to RF modem.
4. RF modem is the only thing connected to datalogger's 9-pin connector.
2.5.2 Error Messages
PC208W will log all activity related to each Communications port (COM port).
There are two ways to view the messages. On the PC208W main tool bar, click
the Status button. The lower right part of the Status window has a button
labeled “View Messages”. Click the View Messages button. The message
window lists all events. The Status window has a check box to allow these
messages to be logged to disk. The log file is a text file.