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Argent Data Systems OpenTracker USB User Manual

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Argent Data Systems
OpenTracker USB
User's Manual
Revised 2-25-2013
Argent Data Systems, Inc.
PO Box 579
Santa Maria, CA 93456-0579
USA
(800) 274-4076 / +1 805 619-4515
Fax (866) 302-6890
www.argentdata.com
Copyright © 2007-2013 Argent Data Systems
All Rights Reserved
®
APRS
is a registered trademark of Bob Bruninga, WB4APR

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  • Page 1 Argent Data Systems, Inc. PO Box 579 Santa Maria, CA 93456-0579 (800) 274-4076 / +1 805 619-4515 Fax (866) 302-6890 www.argentdata.com Copyright © 2007-2013 Argent Data Systems All Rights Reserved ® APRS is a registered trademark of Bob Bruninga, WB4APR...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Introduction ......................1 Major Features ......................1 Hardware Description..................... 3 3.1. SERIAL Connector Pin Assignments ............3 3.2. RADIO Connector Pin Assignments............. 3 3.3. Internal Header CN4 ..................3 Jumper Settings ......................4 Setup and Configuration..................5 5.1.

  • Page 3: Introduction

    2. Major Features APRS Tracker - The OpenTracker USB is first and foremost a full-featured APRS tracker. It works with GPS receivers using the industry-standard NMEA format ($GPRMC, $GPGGA, and $GPGLL sentences). In addition to transmitting its...
  • Page 4 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Telemetry – The OpenTracker USB has on-board temperature and voltage sensors, plus four analog 0-20v inputs and two digital input/output pins. Temperature and voltage readings can be reported in status packets, and the other readings can be reported in an APRS telemetry message.

  • Page 5: Hardware Description

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual 3. Hardware Description 3.1. SERIAL Connector Pin Assignments Data in (port A) Data out (port A) Power output for GPS Ground Data out (port B) Data in (port B) Note: The serial interface is configured as DTE (data terminal equipment) to allow direct connection to a GPS receiver.

  • Page 6: Jumper Settings

    OTUSB’s unregulated supply voltage (typically 12v) straight through to pin 4. Use the 5v setting for all GPS receivers supplied by Argent Data Systems. If you don’t expect to use a 12-volt GPS receiver, clipping the pin marked ‘12’ is highly recommended to eliminate the possibility of accidentally setting the jumper to the wrong position and destroying the GPS receiver.

  • Page 7: Setup And Configuration

    - no other connections are required for configuration of the unit. Note that the OpenTracker USB does NOT act as a host device - the USB port is only used for connecting to a PC, and cannot be used to connect a USB GPS receiver.

  • Page 8: Position Modes

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Mac OS X should assign a device name starting with /dev/cu.usbmodem. Other modern operating systems should be able to use the OpenTracker USB as a generic CDC ACM serial device. Its VID is 0x134A and PID is 0x9000.

  • Page 9: Kiss

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual KISS – In KISS mode, a PC or other host device sends and receives raw AX.25 packets. Keep in mind that even with one or both ports in KISS mode, the tracker will continue to perform its other functions, including messaging and remote command access.

  • Page 10: Remote Access

    9. Safe Mode Starting with firmware build 56294, the OpenTracker USB includes a 'safe mode' option to place the device temporarily into its default configuration. The safe mode entry condition is checked only when the tracker first powers on or resets.
  • Page 11 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual exit safe mode, use the RESET command or power off the tracker after removing the jumper used to enter safe mode. The use of the default configuration is temporary. Normal operation will be resumed when safe mode is exited. To overwrite the active configuration with the saved defaults, use the RESET DEFAULT command.

  • Page 12: Authentication

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual 10. Authentication In addition to the security authorization list, remote access to the tracker can be controlled through a more secure one-time password mechanism. This mechanism is enabled by setting PWAUTH ON To set up one-time password authentication, use the command...

  • Page 13: Otwincfg Configuration Program

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual 11. OTWINCFG Configuration Program The OpenTracker USB can be configured using the otwincfg.exe program under Windows. The program is available for download at http://www.argentdata.com/support. Connect the tracker and start the configuration program. The first window displayed allows you to select the COM port that the tracker is connected to.

  • Page 14: Warm Boot Vs. Cold Boot

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual 11.4. Warm Boot vs. Cold Boot If the unit is already powered on and operating when you click the ‘Connect’ button, the program attempts a ‘warm boot’ operation to put the device into configuration mode. If the firmware has been corrupted, i.e. by a failed upgrade, it may fail to enter configuration mode.

  • Page 15: Configuration Profiles

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual 11.7. Configuration Profiles The OpenTracker USB can store two separate configuration profiles. The profile currently being shown is selected using the tabs at the top of the window labeled ‘Profile 1’ and ‘Profile 2’. When it is first powered on, the tracker will always start out using Profile 1.
  • Page 16 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Symbol Table and Symbol Code – These settings control the symbol used to indicate the station’s position when drawn on a map. See Appendix B for a listing of available symbols. Temp. Adjust – Calibration offset for onboard temperature sensor. The sensor used on the OpenTracker is fairly linear across its operating range and requires a single-point calibration.
  • Page 17 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Voltage – Report input voltage in the comment field. The maximum value is 18.5 volts, and the minimum is the dropout voltage of the regulator – typically 6.7 volts. Compressed – Enables Base91 compressed position reporting. This mode is widely, but not universally, supported.
  • Page 18 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Use PTT Input – When this checkbox is enabled, the tracker can be connected inline with a microphone to operate in burst-after-voice (mic encoder) mode. A packet will be transmitted whenever the microphone PTT is released.
  • Page 19 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Save – When enabled, the tracker will save its last-known GPS position as a permanent fixed position if the GPS fix is lost. This may be used in the case of a temporary weather station where a GPS receiver is installed only during setup and is removed to conserve power.
  • Page 20 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Debounce – This is a delay applied to the counter input. After a counter event is registered, all subsequent events are ignored until the specified time has elapsed. Without a suitable debounce setting, a typical pushbutton could register several events for one press.

  • Page 21: Tuning And Diagnostics

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual No Suppress PTT Out on PTT In – This option allows the tracker to be used in burst-after-voice mode without breaking any lines between the microphone and radio. PTT is not asserted by the tracker until the microphone PTT is released.

  • Page 22: Access List

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual 11.11. Access List This screen allows editing of the tracker’s remote access control list. 11.12. Profile Switching To access the profile switching setup, click on the ‘Profile Switching’ button from the main configuration screen. The conditions to test are selected using the checkboxes to the left of each...
  • Page 23 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual equal to). Clicking on the button showing the comparison operator toggles it between these two settings. The Altitude and Speed values are compared with those indicated by the GPS. Onboard sensors provide readings for comparison with the Temperature and Voltage fields.

  • Page 24: Command Reference

    Some commands make sense only when used from the local console and are not available for remote access. The OpenTracker USB will accept command abbreviations. A minimum of three characters must be entered. For example, can be entered as...
  • Page 25 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual AUTHLIST +/-<callsign> Displays or changes the list of callsigns authorized for remote access. +callsign adds a callsign to the list, -callsign removes a callsign from the list, and 'none' erases the entire list. Up to six callsigns can be stored.
  • Page 26 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual CDINVERT on|off Inverts carrier detect input polarity. CNTRESET on|off Causes counter to reset with each transmission. See accessory port information. COMMENT <string> Sets beacon text / comment string, up to 64 characters. COMPRESS on|off Enables Base91 compressed format for position transmissions.
  • Page 27 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Return value: Number of devices detected DISPLAY (local only) Lists all configuration parameters. DOUBLE <n> on|off When enabled, two identical copies of the position packet are sent with each transmission. This should only be used with short packets when extra redundancy is required.
  • Page 28 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual GPIO <n> on | off | toggle | in Reads or sets state of a general-purpose digital I/O pin. ‘On’ sets the pin to the high state, ‘Off’ sets it to low state, ‘Toggle’ reverses the state of the pin, and ‘In’...
  • Page 29 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual MYCALL <xxxxxx-nn> Sets the unit's callsign and optional SSID. NICE <n> When the tracker hears one of its own packets digipeated, it will skip the following <n> transmissions. This allows a faster beacon rate to be used in areas with poor coverage, without increasing the load on the network in areas with better coverage.
  • Page 30 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual POWER on|off|<0-255> (seconds) will manually set the state of the power relay control pin (AUX IO). Specifying a value in seconds will enable automatic power control mode, where the power output is turned on for the specified number of seconds prior to transmission, and turned off immediately after transmission.
  • Page 31 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual RETRYTIME <0-255> (seconds) Time between message retry attempts - interval increases by this value with each transmission. REQALL on|off Require all configuration switch parameters to be met before switching profiles. RESET Perform software reset. Saved settings are unaffected.
  • Page 32 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Between these two extremes, the interval varies between the low rate and high rate (specified separately with the INTERVAL command) depending on the speed. The <low speed> and <high speed> settings define these two limits. For storage efficiency, the speeds are represented in units of 32 centimeters/second.
  • Page 33 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual STATUS <0-255> Status packets are sent every n transmissions, or if set to 0, status text is sent as part of the position packet. SYMBOL <1-2 characters> APRS symbol character, optionally preceded by symbol table or overlay identifier.
  • Page 34 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual TXLEVEL <1-255> Sets transmission audio level. This value should be selected to provide an appropriate FM deviation level, typically about 3.5 kHz. TXNOFIX on|off Allows transmission of last position if GPS fix is lost for more than 30 seconds.

  • Page 35: Telemetry

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual 13. Telemetry The OpenTracker USB has the ability to send telemetry information from its onboard temperature and voltage sensors, and header CN4 provides four 0 to 20 volt analog inputs and one general-purpose digital input/output pin.

  • Page 36: Script System

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual 14. Script System The OpenTracker USB’s script engine allows simple programs to be run on the tracker to customize the tracker’s operation and automate tasks. Use the ‘script’ button in the otwincfg utility to access the script editors.
  • Page 37 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual The highlighted line in the script listing shows where the next command will be inserted. The 'Delete Line' button deletes the currently selected line, and the 'Up' and 'Down' buttons move the line in the listing. Conditional commands cause automatic indentation in the listing.

  • Page 38: Script Commands

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual To compare the current altitude to a fixed value, for example, you can select "Altitude" in box A and enter "10000" in box C, and click the "If A > C" button to create the line "If Altitude > 10000". The next command entered will be indented, indicating that it will only be executed if that condition is true.
  • Page 39 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual On Startup Executes a block of code only once, immediately after the tracker is powered on. On Second Executes a block of code once per second. On Interrupt Executes a block of code whenever a low-going edge is detected on the CT (counter/trigger) pin.

  • Page 40: Counters

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual Use this command carefully - the tracker's flash memory has a write endurance of about 100,000 cycles, and any command that changes a value in the tracker's configuration will require a flash write. At 8 script executions per second, an errant script could wear out the flash memory in a few hours.
  • Page 41 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual These general-purpose counters have no predefined meaning, and they have no effect on the rest of the system. Ticks This counter increments every 1/1200 second, and counts from 0 to 1199. TX Counter Seconds elapsed since the last automatic transmission.

  • Page 42: Ui-View32 Setup

    OpenTracker USB User’s Manual 15. UI-View32 Setup For use with the UI-View32 APRS client, either port of the tracker can be set manually to KISS mode. No configuration commands are needed in UI-View32 once this has been accomplished. In this example, port A has been set to KISS mode at 9600 baud using the tracker configuration utility.
  • Page 43 OpenTracker USB User’s Manual No ‘Into KISS’ or ‘Exit KISS’ commands are needed, and any settings in these fields should be deleted. Placing a ‘0’ in the ‘Exit KISS’ field avoids a bug in UI-View32 that prevents it from exiting properly when the option is left blank.

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