Troubleshooting Specific Problems - Worth Data 7100 RF Terminal Series Owner's Manual

Sometimes you get an error message and after checking, everything on the Base seems to be set OK. Drop power on the suspect
Base and try signing in again. If you get the same message, there is another Base answering which should not be on the same
channel.

Troubleshooting specific problems

I can't communicate at all...

First, check the communication link from the Base Station to the host. Use the following command to test the transmission of
data from host to Base and back again to the host:

@@*Edataaaaaaaa<EOT>

where dataaaaaaaa is any string of data, terminated by EOT. This string should be sent from the host to the Base Station. If the
data is received by the Base, it echoes it back to the host in the format:

dataaaaaaaa<CR>

where dataaaaaaaa is the data string from the original transmission, terminated by a CR (ASCII 13). This test verifies commu-
nication in both directions (host to Base, Base to host).

If the data isn't echoed back, either your host COM port or the Base Station has a problem.

Once you know the Base Station is communicating with the host correctly, compare the channel of the Base Station with the
channel of the Terminal. Use Site Testing to check the communication of the Terminal to the Base and back. Make sure no oth-
er Terminals are in use, and go to Site Test mode on the Terminal. You should get 96-100% on first try at greater than 10 feet. If
you don't, it's a good chance your radios need repair. Call Worth Data for an RMA.

If you are using PICK or UNIX as your operating system, make sure the Base Station is set to "XON/XOFF Sensitive".
My response time is poor...

First, do Site Test 50 feet from the Station. If it's not 90+%, the Radio in the Terminal or the Base Station is the problem.

Second, run one of the demo programs. If the demo runs fast, it is your program that is slow.

If you have good response time everywhere but on the outer fringe area you may need to relocate your Base Station.
I'm not getting the distance I need...
To maximize range, the Base Station and Relay(s) should be located:

At the center of the area of intended coverage, and

As high as possible - mounted on the ceiling of a room with the antenna pointing downward works the best. Sometimes just
raising the Base Station to 12 feet will dramatically increase the distance, especially in warehouses or grocery stores with tall
shelving. A Base Station mounted on the wall with the antenna parallel to the floor is the worst position.

In an unobstructed outdoor area a range of 3.3 miles or greater "line-of-sight" is possible but indoor "obstructed" range will be
much less. Reflections and obstructions, depending on the density and material, can reduce the range to a few hundred feet in-
doors. Far better than typical WiFi systems.

To accurately determine the hardware required to cover a particular area, you should use the Site Test mode built into the RF
Terminal.
I can't communicate with the RS-232 port on my host CPU...

This is one of the biggest problems called in. If you are not using our cables, check your cables first. If you have an extension cable,
remove it for testing. If you have an extension cable of 80 feet or more attached to a Windows host, you need to be sure certain pins
are not attached in the DB9 or DB25. See Appendix C; RF Serial Pin-outs.

If you are using the PICK or UNIX operating systems, be sure you have set the Base Station to be "XON/XOFF Sensitive". You
need to do this to prevent the XOFF code being sent as a "Base Initialization" message.

Windows 95,98,2000,ME, NT; COM port setup should also be changed to turn off XON/XOFF. XON/XOFF is the default for Win-
dows. You set these through the control panel, System, Device Manager, Ports (COM & LPT), COM Port, Port Settings, Flow Con-
trol. Set Flow Control to None.
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