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GDI Communications Inc. LLC 

 

13

Setting up a Repeater 

 

After all setups have been configured,  

use ATWR to save the configuration to NVRAM, 

&

 

use ATCN to Exit Command Mode 

 

 
In a repeater topology there is typically one “Base Node”, one or more “Repeaters” and several “End Nodes.”  A 
repeater is required whenever two SS900FHs are not within Line-Of-Sight of each other or when the 
distance/interference is to great. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

The Repeater Network depends on setting up of the addresses of the SS900FH.  The three address parameters 
(MY – Source Address, DT – Destination Address, MK – Address Mask) Determine where the packet will be 
routed. 
 

Repeater topology overview 

 

The Base Node is located at the master/local modem.  It broadcasts packets to the entire network and accepts 
packets from remote/repeater modems only.  Depending on environmental conditions it may be necessary to have 
more than one base modem. 

 

The Repeater Node accepts packets from both Base Nodes and End Nodes and  re-broadcast them.  It also routes 
accepted packet to an attached host/controller via it’s COM port.  It also transmits any responses from it’s 
attached host/controller. 

 

The End Node routes any received packets to it’s COM port.  It also transmits any responses from it’s attached 
host/controller. 
 

IMPORTANT 

 

While the picture above depicts the use of omni directional antennas, 
in practice directional antennas greatly improve network performance. 

 
 
 

Base (MD=6) 

Repeater (MD=5) 

Repeater(MD=5) 

End Nodes (MD=6) 

End Nodes (MD=6) 

Summary of Contents for SS900FH series

Page 1: ...PRELIMINARY SS900FH User Guide Preliminary GDI COMMUNICATIONS L L C SPARKS NEVADA ...

Page 2: ...PRELIMINARY ...

Page 3: ...PRELIMINARY GDI Communications L L C TRAFFIC ELECTRONICS MANUAFACTURER SPECIALIZING IN COMMUNICATIONS 879 Deming Way SPARKS NEVADA 89431 TELEPHONE 775 345 8000 FAX 775 345 8010 ...

Page 4: ...PRELIMINARY ...

Page 5: ...recipient assumes custody hereof and agrees not to disclose this data or any portion of this data to any unauthorized person without the prior written consent of GDI Communications LLC Recipient further agrees not to incorporate these drawings specifications or technical information in whole or in part in any other product or endeavor THIS LEGEND SHALL BE INCLUDED ON ANY REPRODUCTION OF THIS DOCUM...

Page 6: ...GDI Communications Inc LLC PRELIMINARY ...

Page 7: ...GDI Communications Inc LLC PRELIMINARY SS900FH User Guide REVISION A 9 14 2007 GDI COMMUNICATIONS L L C 879 Deming Way SPARKS NEVADA 89431 775 345 8000 ...

Page 8: ...GDI Communications Inc LLC PRELIMINARY ...

Page 9: ...int 11 Point to Multi Point 12 Setting up a Repeater 13 Repeater topology overview 13 Basic Broadcast Repeater Network 14 Basic Addressed Repeater Network 15 Indicators 16 Agency Certifications 17 FCC Certification 17 FCC Notices 17 Part 15 certification 17 FCC Approved Antennas 17 IC Industry Canada Certification 17 Appendix A Command List 18 Appendix B Specifications 20 Appendix C Hardwire Reset...

Page 10: ...GDI Communications Inc LLC ...

Page 11: ...Data Termination Equipment DTE device via a 9 pin D serial cable or a USB to 9 pin D serial cable This method of implementing a FHSS communication system helps to mitigate the most significant challenges to all radio communication systems Namely interference causes by other transmitters multipath interference interception and jamming and noise associated with nearby transmitters The result is a fr...

Page 12: ... Switches As of the printing of this document 232 422 is the only switch that is operational All other switches are non functioning Host Controller Connections The SS900FH comes from the factory configured for 9600 baud 8 data bits no parity and 1 stop bit Other configurations can be programmed using either a terminal emulation program or the GDI SS900FH exe program Host Controller connection is m...

Page 13: ... CTS 8 5 M 8 Figure 2 Host Controller RS 232 cable termination Host Controller SS900FH Signal DB9 Direction DB9 TXD 1 7 TXD 2 3 RXD 3 8 RXD 4 2 SGND 7 5 Figure 3 Host Controller RS 422 cable termination The indicated Host Controller pin numbers are for standard terminations and are not accurate for all devices Connect a 900Mhz 50Ω antenna via a reverse polarity SMA female connector Connect the 18v...

Page 14: ...GDI Communications Inc LLC 4 Power up the Host Controller Power up the SS900FH Figure 4 Connecting a DTE device to the SS900FH DCE radio ...

Page 15: ...SCII Setup Echo typed characters locally on Append line feeds Port Settings Bits per second 9600 Data Bits 8 Parity None Stop Bits 1 Flow Control None OK Apply Switching the SS900FH to Command mode In the Hyper terminal window type without pushing the enter key After 1 second the SS900FH should respond with OK Immediately adjust the time period of inactivity no valid commands received after which ...

Page 16: ...H ATSL ___________ ___________ Hardware Version ATHV ___________ Modem ID ATID ___________ Hopping Pattern ATHP ____ Destination Address ATDT ________ Source Address ________ Address Mask ATMK ________ Packet Delivery Retry ATRR ________ Pseudo Random Retry Delay ATRN ________ Mode ATMD ________ Baud ATBD ____ 0 1200 1 2400 3 9600 4 19200 Parity ATNB ____ 0 none 1 even 2 odd Stop Bits ATSB ____ 0 ...

Page 17: ... 9600 BPS Data Bits 8 Parity NB None Stop Bits SB 1 RECEIVE RETRIES RR 0 PACKETIZATION THRESHOLD RB 80 bytes PACKETIZATION TIMEOUT RO 1 byte of silence MAXIMUM RF PACKET SIZE PK 100 byes HOPPING CHANNEL HP 0 RF DATA RATE BR 115200 TRANSMIT POWER 1w Table 1 Default Settings After all setups have been configured use ATWR to save the configuration to NVRAM use ATCN to Exit Command Mode RS232 Communic...

Page 18: ...t read maximum RF packet size Must be 256 0x100 or less for 9600 baud RF rate BR 0 and 2048 0x800 or less for 115200 baud RF rate BR 1 ATWR Enter OK Write the new values to NVRAM ATCN Enter OK Exit command mode and return to normal operation Transmit Packet Handling Retries ATRR x x 0 0xFF Default 0 Set read maximum number of RF packet delivery attempts If RR is non zero and MT is zero packets sen...

Page 19: ... there are any interfering signals in the area The SS900FH uses data Packetization for transmitting and receiving data The SS900FH collects serial data from the source controller until either the Packetization Threshold RB is reached or one byte followed by Packetization Timeouts RO of silence is detected After which the SS900FH transmits the packet The transmitted data packet contains not only th...

Page 20: ... Address DT and Mask work according to the following diagram Figure 6 Address Recognition TX_DT Destination Address of transmitting modem RX_DT Destination Address of receiving modem RX_MK Address Mask of receiving modem RX_MY Source Address of receiving modem ...

Page 21: ...eaming Limit ATTT 0 For longer packets The SS900FH pauses after TT bytes to check for incoming data Repeater Mode ATMD 0 No repeater nodes in the network Set the addressing for each modem Repeater Mode ATMD 6 6 Base End Node 5 Repeater Set the Source Address MY on all modems to 0xFFFF Source Address ATMY 0 enter Set the Destination Address DT for each modem Destination Address ATDT 0xFFFF Set the ...

Page 22: ...kets The SS900FH pauses after TT bytes to check for incoming data Repeater Mode ATMD 0 No repeater nodes in the network Set the addressing for each modem Repeater Mode ATMD 6 6 Base End Node 5 Repeater Set the Source Address MY on all modems to 0xFFFF Source Address ATMY 0 enter Set the Destination Address DT for each modem Destination Address ATDT 0xFFFF Set the Mask MK for each modem Base Node m...

Page 23: ...rview The Base Node is located at the master local modem It broadcasts packets to the entire network and accepts packets from remote repeater modems only Depending on environmental conditions it may be necessary to have more than one base modem The Repeater Node accepts packets from both Base Nodes and End Nodes and re broadcast them It also routes accepted packet to an attached host controller vi...

Page 24: ...n this modems serial number Set the Destination Address DT for each modem Base Node destination address to global mode ATDT 0xFFFF Repeater Node destination address to global mode ATDT 0xFFFF End Node destination address to local mode ATDT 0xFFFF Set the Mask MK for each modem Base Node mask ATMK 0xFFFF Repeater Node mask ATMK 0xFFFF End Node mask ATMK 0xFFFF Note the Repeater Node Mask should be ...

Page 25: ...de Repeater Node EndNode R1 EndNode Rn DT 0x8002 0x8002 0x4000 0x8001 0x4000 0x8002 0x8002 MY 0x8001 0x8001 ATAM 0x8002 ATAM 0x8001 0x8001 MK 0x4000 0x4000 0x8000 0x4000 0x8000 0x4000 0x4000 Notice that while both Repeaters can communicate with the Base Node they can not communicate with each other However because it is possible for the End Nodes to receive packets from both Repeaters it is necess...

Page 26: ... RXD Indicators will flash as the unit communicates with the attached controller device or the optional FSK module The Main Indicator indicates when power is applied to the SS900FH When an optional battery is installed the battery Enable Disable switch will also be installed and the Battery Charging and Alarm Indicators will be active The Charging indicator flashes when the battery is being charge...

Page 27: ... and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the ...

Page 28: ...d Command Mode Timeout 2 0xFFFF x 100 ms Command Mode Options 2 DB 0x36 54d Received Signal Strength 0x6E to 0x28 read only Diagnostics 2 DT 0x00 0d Destination Address 0 0xFFFF Networking Security 2 HP 0x11 17d Hopping Channel 0 9 Networking Security 1 MK 0x12 18d Address Mask 0 0xFFFF Networking Security 2 MT 0x3D 61d Multi Transmit 0 0xFF Networking Security 1 MY 0x2A 42d Source Address 0 0xFFF...

Page 29: ...facing 1 SH 0x25 37d Serial Number High 0 0xFFFF read only Diagnostics 2 SL 0x26 38d Serial Number Low 0 0xFFFF read only Diagnostics 2 TT 0x1A 26d Streaming Limit 0 0xFFFF 0 disabled Networking Security 2 TX 0x3F 63d Transmit Only 0 1 RF Interfacing 1 VL Firmware Version verbose Returns string Diagnostics VR 0x14 20d Firmware Version 0 0xFFFF read only Diagnostics 2 ...

Page 30: ...ing Supported Network Topologies Peer to Peer Master Slave relationship not required Point to Point Point to Multipoint Multidrop Channel Capacity 10 hop sequences share 50 frequencies Encryption 256 bit AES Encryption Refer to the KY Command Physical Properties Size Weight 0 64 oz 18 g Operating Temperature 40 to 85º C industrial Antenna Connector Options RPSMA Reverse polarity SMA or MMCX Impeda...

Page 31: ...RS 232 Interface The unit uses standard RS 232C interface that can handle data rates up to 230 4kBPS However the maximum RF data rate is 125kBPS Therefore the maximum throughput data rate is 115kBPS Higher data rates are possible using buffer management And Xon Xoff handshaking DB9 PIN RS232 Description Implementation 1 CD Carrier Detect Detects RF Data 2 RXD Received Data Serial data exiting the ...

Page 32: ...uring this 20 seconds the factory defaults will be restored permanently 1 Turn the modem power off 2 Configure HYPERTERM for 9600 8 n 1 communications protocol 3 Connect the COM port used by HYPERTERM to the modem s AUX port Make sure that you can reach the keyboard from the modem 4 Remove the 12 screws holding the top cover on and then remove the cover 5 Install a temporary jumper between the GND...

Page 33: ...s Communications HyperTerminal When the Connection Description window pops up enter SS900FH in the Name box When the Connect To Window pops up enter the COM port number in the Connect using box When the COM Properties window pops up enter the proper COM settings 9600 8 n 1 Click on the OK button The Hyperterminal is now running ...

Page 34: ...nd corner Enter Alt F4 Or Click File Exit from the menu bar When the Hyper Terminal window pops up click on the yes button This will store the hyperterminal in the default location which will make it available in the Start All Programs Accessories Communications HyperTerminal folder 2 Alternate location To store the hyperterminal on the Desktop or any where else Select File Save As from the Menu b...

Page 35: ...d run GDISetup exe onto your hard drive After installation is complete run the program GDH SS900FH Config exe Assign a free RS 232 COM port to communicate with the SS900FH GDI SS900FH Config Overview PC Settings Tab Use this panel to setup the RS 232 COM channel for interfacing with the SS900FH If the COM settings of the SS900FH is unknown use the Test Query button to test the COM link Keep changi...

Page 36: ...ter all parameters have been configured enter ATWR to store them to NVRAM Finally enter ATCN to exit command mode The SS900FH will not respond to the Host Controller if it is left in command mode Range Test Tab The Range Test tab is used to perform loop back testing between two SS900FH modems One SS900FH is the source and the other is the Destination modem with the loop back connector installed Fo...

Page 37: ...ing SS900FH from the Modem drop down menu will result in the following 1 The Version drop down Menu will activate with a list of the firmware version available The current version is 2 0 4 0 2 A menu list of parameters will appear showing the AT command followed by the command name Clicking on the Show Defaults button will display the factory hard wired defaults Clicking on one of the parameters w...

Page 38: ... Inc LLC To query the SS900FH for it s current settings click on the Read button Click on the Write Button to store any modified parameters The Save and Load button are used to save and recall user defined configurations ...

Page 39: ...red from the terminal or displayed in the Range Test panel Activate the level meter by clicking on the check box at the bottom of the meter will cause the program to query the SS900FH with ATDB command The returned DB value is graphically represented on the meter To monitor the signal strength from a controller Enter a few non active characters in the transmit field click on Transmit Activate the ...

Page 40: ...GDI Communications Inc LLC Spectrum Display of the received data using the ATRM command ...

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