Appendix G – Wave Ware Interface Specifications - 19
Appendix G – WaveWare Interface
Specifications
This appendix is included for those who want to develop their own paging control software or add an interface
for the
WaveWare Paging System
to their existing software applications. You can choose to use the WaveWare
paging protocol defined in this appendix, the TAP paging protocol, defined in Appendix A – TAP Interface
Specifications, COMP1, or COMP2, defined elsewhere in this manual.
A simple definition of the difference between the WaveWare and TAP protocols is that the WaveWare 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 Capcode, 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 PINs, and that the paging system maintains a database
of all paging parameters associated with each PIN. The WaveWare 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, 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 Paging System
to use the WaveWare paging protocol, you may be required to
configure the DIP switch bank in the paging transmitter. Please refer to Appendix B – DIP Switch Settings, for
details on configuring communication protocols. As a quick reference, the DIP switch setting for the WaveWare
interface is DIP switch 6 in the off position and all other DIP switches on, which tells the system to operate in
WaveWare interface mode, with communication parameters of 9600N81.
Your
WaveWare 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 system for other
serial communication parameters. Please refer to Appendix C – DIP Switch 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 system 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 transmitter and the paging control software.
The paging transmitter encodes paging messages into POCSAG paging format and transmits the encoded paging
message. If the Carrier Detect function is enabled, transmissions will be delayed while interfering signals are
detected.
To use group paging in WaveWare mode, simply use the WaveWare Encoder Setup software to setup a group
list in TAP mode. The software can also be used to setup contact monitoring, for more information on contact
monitoring, read Appendix K – Contact Monitoring Function. The Host Monitoring function, which affects
group paging, of the WaveWare Paging Encoder System can be reset in WaveWare mode only if the
PPHRESET option is active. For more information on Host Monitoring, its functions and how to reset it, refer
to Appendix J – Timed Messaging.
The commands available for serial port controlled paging using the WaveWare Paging Protocol include:
