HOW TO USE MODEL A3LA-IGS TECHNICAL NOTE. December 6, 2004 PRELIMINARY. Copyright by NAL Research Corporation

Transcription

1 TN V3.2 HOW TO USE MODEL A3LA-IGS TECHNICAL NOTE December 6, 2004 PRELIMINARY Copyright by NAL Research Corporation The specifications in this document are subject to change at NAL Research s discretion. NAL Research assumes no responsibility for any claims or damages arising out of the use of this document or from the use of the A3LA-IGS based on this document, including but not limited to claims or damages based on infringement of patents, copyrights or other intellectual property rights. NAL Research makes no warranties, either expressed or implied with respect to the information and specifications contained in this document. Performance characteristics listed in this document are estimates only and do not constitute a warranty or guarantee of product performance.

2 1. Remove the SIM cover located on top of the A3LA-IGS by unscrewing two hex bolts. Integrated SIM Chip Reader SIM Cover 2. Under the SIM cover is an integrated SIM Chip Reader. The A3LA-IGS uses and requires an Iridium SIM chip for operation. It can be purchased from any of the authorized Iridium Service Providers listed on the Iridium webpage ( The SIM chip should be detached from the fullsize SIM card as shown in picture below. SIM chip Full-size SIM card 3. Slide the SIM Chip Reader s plastic bracket in the direction indicated by the arrow and lift up the bracket. Place the SIM chip (facing down) into the SIM bracket as shown in picture below. There is a small cut-off on one of the corners of the SIM chip. Make sure that the cut-off is pointing upward which should align the SIM chip with the SIM Chip Reader. Lower the bracket and lock the SIM bracket by sliding in the reverse direction. Remount the SIM cover. SIM chip with cut-off pointing upward NAL Research Corporation (TN V3.2) 2

3 4. The A3LA-IGS is shipped with a CD labeled Manuals/Software for Model A3LA-IGS. There are two software packages on the CD Terminal Software and Server for Terminals Software. Load the Terminal Software onto a Windows -based personal computer by following instructions in the Terminal Software Manual (also available on the CD). 5. Connect the computer loaded with the Terminal Software to the A3LA-IGS using the HRC-24-7 cable provided. The HRC-24-7 cable consists of a full DB-9 serial connector and two terminal leads for power input. Connect ~4.4VDC (can range from 4.0VDC to 5.0VDC) power source to the terminal leads; however, do not power up the A3LA-IGS until indicated by the Terminal Software. The baud rate of the computer should be set at 19.2 kbits/sec. HRC-24-7 cable NAL Research Antenna RS VDC 6. Run the Terminal Software to setup the operating parameters of the A3LA-IGS. NOTE: the SIM chip must be in the A3LA-IGS before any configuration parameters are to be set. Once all the operating parameters are saved and the computer is removed, the A3LA-IGS is ready to be used. 7. Connect an Iridium antenna into the TNC connector (not included with the A3LA-IGS) and the GPS antenna provided with the A3LA-IGS into the SMA connector. Any of the four types of Iridium antennas offered by NAL Research is appropriate. Make sure both antennas have full view of the sky and the cable loss between the A3LA-IGS and Iridium antenna is less than 3 db. GPS Antenna Connector Iridium Antenna Connector NAL Research Corporation (TN V3.2) 3

4 8. Supply DC power of ~4.4V (can range from 4.0VDC to 5.0VDC) to the two power input wires of the HRC-24-7 cable. Highest current drawn will be at power-up and approximately for less than 500 milliseconds. The A3LA-IGS will automatically turn on/off when DC power is applied/removed. If power to the A3LA-IGS is cycled, make sure the elapsed time between each power cycle of about a minute. NAL Research s AC adapter model LA-2098 (purchase separately) can be used to power the A3LA-IGS (see picture below). AC Power Adaptor Model LA-2098 WARNING: DO NOT CONNECT OR DISCONNECT THE GPS ANTENNA WHILE THE A3LA-IGS IS POWERED UP. THIS WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE GPS RECEIVER. 9. The A3LA-IGS should begin to operate based on the pre-programmed parameters. Note that if the A3LA-IGS is used under the 2way mode (programmed to call into a server), the server computer must be loaded with the Server for Terminals Software. 10. The A3LA-IGS is basically a black box with no indicators of any kind (power on light, satellite registration status, satellite signal strength, etc.). This can pose great difficulties to first-time users who are not familiar satellite modems. For application developers, NAL Research recommends the use of an audio breakout box model SYN-AD-LBT and a handset model SCN4052A in combination with the A3LA-IGS. This setup can be a useful diagnostic tool allowing the A3LA-IGS status to be displayed on LCD of the handset. SYN-AD-LBT SCN4052A NAL Research Corporation (TN V3.2) 4

5 11. Check the followings if a connection cannot be made by the A3LA-IGS: a. Iridium antenna has a full view of the sky b. The PIN number has been removed from the SIM chip c. Power source provides enough current 12. Check the followings if using the breakout box and handset: a. Red LED light on the breakout box and LCD screen on the handset are ON. If not, check for appropriate power input. b. <Enter PIN> message is not displayed on the LCD. Enter appropriate PIN number if requested by the A3LA-IGS (the default PIN is 1111). The handset can be used to remove the PIN permanently. c. Displayed satellite signal strength on the LCD must be at least 3 bars. Re-arrange/re-locate the Iridium antenna if the signal strength remains at 3 bars or below. 13. If the breakout box and handset are not available, use the following steps to check if the SIM or the Phone Control is locked: a. Use the Terminal Software to set the A3LA-IGS to either the A3LA-I or the A3LA-IG. b. With the Terminal Software, open the AT Command Table for the AT+CPIN command and click the Read button. c. If the response from the A3LA-IGS is SIM PIN, then the SIM is currently locked (or activated). To remove the SIM, do the followings: i. Enter the SIM PIN code (each SIM is shipped with the default code of 1111) in the p box, and then click the Send button. If the PIN code is correct, the response from the A3LA-IGS should be OK. ii. Open the AT Command Table for the AT+CLCK command, and then choose SC from the f box, choose 0 from the m box and enter the PIN code (again the default code is 1111) in the p box. Then, click the Send button. If the PIN code is correct, the response should be OK. iii. Now, the SIM is removed and ready to be used. d. If the response is PH PIN, then the surface control for the A3LA-IGS is currently locked and the phone PIN code needs to be entered in order to use the commands that operate the A3LA-IGS. To unlock the A3LA-IGS surface control, do the same procedure in part c above except CS should be chosen instead of SC in step ii. e. If the response is READY or SIM PIN2, then the SIM is not locked and the A3LA-IGS is ready to be used. No PIN code needs to be entered. f. If the response is SIM PUK or SIM PUK2, contact your service provider. NAL Research Corporation (TN V3.2) 5

6 14. If using an ipaq PDA, a serial autosync cable for the PDA is needed in addition to the NULL modem adapter and the HRC-24-7 cable provided. Connect the PDA to the modem as shown in the diagram below using a NULL Modem with pin 6 removed. 15. How to send SBD s to the modem: a. In order to send messages to the A3LA-IGS tracking terminal, the program must use the standard Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) Base64 encoding as defined in RFC The following instructions describe how to set this up for Outlook Express: i. Select Tools/Options. ii. Click the Send Tab. iii. Under Mail Sending Format, click HTML Settings iv. Click MIME. v. Select Base 64 for Encode text using. vi. Click OK. vii. Under Mail Sending Format, click Plain Text Settings viii. Repeat steps 4 6. b. Send all messages to Data@SBD.Iridium.com. c. Place the IMEI number of the modem in the subject line. d. The message should be carried in an attachment, which must have a.sbd extension. Please see Terminal Software Manual for more information. NAL Research Corporation (TN V3.2) 6

7 16. How to send SMS s to the modem: a. Place the phone number of the modem followed in the destination address line. Example: b. The sender s address will be included in the user data field of the SMS message automatically. It will be placed before the user s message starts and any data in the subject line will be ignored. To exclude the sender s address from the SMS message, place NO in the subject line. c. Enter the actual message in the text field. The maximum length of the user data of the SMS message is 160. Please note that the length of the user data includes the length of the sender s address plus 1 for a space unless NO is placed in the subject line. d. Send. Note: When sending SMS s to the modem by account, some characters in the user data field of the SMS message may arrive differently in the modem. This happens because most servers use standard ASCII characters (ISO decimal codes) while SMS uses another 7-bit alphabet format. Therefore, some of the SMS characters might not be supported by the server or some of the ASCII characters might not be supported by SMS. NAL Research Corporation (TN V3.2) 7

8 17. How to send SMS messages to the modem by using Iridium web-site : a. Go to b. Click on Send a Satellite Message c. Enter the phone number of the modem d. Type the message to send e. Click Send Message NAL Research Corporation (TN V3.2) 8

9 Warning: Due to a restriction in the US DoD gateway, when DoD SIM users receive SMS messages by , the message is limited to 120-character message length, and the unit cannot send out SMS messages by . TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION For technical support, please contact us at: Phone: x200 or contact@nalresearch.com NAL Research Corporation (TN V3.2) 9