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 v
9
Series Paging Encoder
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
, or
Scope Paging Protocols
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 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 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, 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
9
Series Paging Encoder
to use the WaveWare paging protocol, you may be required to
configure the Com Port on the encoder board using the
v
9
Encoder Setup Software. Please refer to
Appendix B – Com
Port Settings
, for details on configuring communication protocols.
Your
WaveWare v
9
Series Paging Systems
will typically communicate 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.
The Commands
available for serial port controlled paging using the
WaveWare Paging Protocol
include:
System
Identification
Paging
Message
Setup
Status
