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Appendix J – Scope Interface Specifications
This appendix is included for those who want to develop their own paging control software or add an interface for the
WaveWare v
8
Paging Encoder
to their existing software applications. You can choose to use the
Scope Paging
Protocol
defined in this appendix, the
TAP Paging Protocol
, defined in
Appendix A – TAP Interface Specifications
,
COMP1,
or
COMP2
, or
WaveWare v
8
Paging Protocols
defined elsewhere in this manual.
A simple definition of the difference between the
Scope and TAP Protocols
is that the
Scope Protocol
is a dedicated
connection that doesn’t require a login process and it assumes that the
Host Device
maintains a database of all paging
parameters associated with a pager, including Cap Code, Encoding Method, and RF Data Rate. The
TAP Protocol
requires a connect and disconnect process and assumes that the
Host Device
only needs to maintain a database of
pager reference numbers called
PIN’s
, and that the paging system maintains a database of all paging parameters
associated with each
PIN.
The Scope Interface
supports paging messages up to 512 characters in length while the
TAP
interface supports paging
messages up to 256 characters in length, group paging, and contact monitoring, and timed messaging. Each protocol has
its advantages and disadvantages, but both accomplish the process of causing
POCSAG
encoded paging messages to
be delivered to local area pagers.
To configure your
WaveWare v
8
Paging Encoder
to use the
Scope
Paging Protocol
, you may be required to configure
the Com Port on the encoder board using the
v
8
Encoder Setup Software
. Please refer to
Appendix B – Com Port
Settings
, for details on configuring communication protocols.
Your
WaveWare v
8
Paging System
typically communicates with a
Host Device
via RS-232 at 9600 Baud, 8 data bits
and 1 stop bit. The eighth data bit is ignored (no parity). You can configure the paging encoder for other serial
communication parameters. Please refer to
Appendix B – Com Port Settings
, for details on serial communication
parameters.
The paging system maintains an input buffer which can receive commands from the
Host Device
while a page is being
transmitted. The input buffer should be able to contain approximately ten paging messages before getting full. When a
command is received from the
Host Device
, the paging encoder responds with a message that includes error messages
if the command was not understood or not properly transmitted. The normal response will echo the paging request
command along with a status message.
The paging system can use hardware handshaking
(CTS)
to control the flow of paging message commands from the
Host Device
. Alternatively, the paging control software could use the response messages as a means of handshaking
between the paging encoder and the paging control software.
The paging encoder encodes paging messages into
POCSAG
paging format and passes the encoded paging message to
the attached radio transmitter. If the
Carrier Detect
function is enabled, transmissions will be delayed while interfering
signals are detected.
To use group paging in
Scope
mode, simply use the
WaveWare v
8
Encoder Setup
software to setup a group list in
TAP
mode. The Host Monitoring function, which affects group paging, of the WaveWare Paging Encoder can be reset in
Scope
mode only if the
PPHRESET
option is active. For more information on Host Monitoring, its functions and how to
reset it, refer to
Appendix K – Timed Messaging
.
Scope Interface Specifications continued on next page…
