Alopek V-TRACK User guide

1
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
ALOPEK V-TRACK INSTALLER MANUAL
REV 1.0

2
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
General
All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of material provided in this document at the
time of release. However, the items described in this document are subject to continuous
development and improvement. All specifications are subject to change without notice and do not
represent a commitment on the part of Alopek, Inc. will not be responsible for any loss or
damages incurred related to the use of information contained in this document.
This product is not intended for use in life support appliances, devices or systems where a
malfunction of the product can reasonably be expected to result in personal injury. Alopek, Inc.
customers using, integrating, and/or selling this product for use in such applications do so at their
own risk and agree to fully indemnify Alopek, Inc. for any damages resulting from illegal use or
resale.
Copyright
Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the
rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission
of Alopek, Inc.
Alopek, Inc may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual
property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any
written license agreement from Alopek, Inc, the furnishing of this document does not give you any
license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property.
Regulatory Compliance
FCC
The modem was tested and certified to meet FCC Parts 15 in a stand-alone configuration, which
demonstrated that the V-Track complies with Part 15 emission limits. FCC Part 22 & Part 24 is
covered by the modem "modular approval" process for a transmitter. This approach, described by
FCC Public Notice DA 00-131407 released June 26, 2000, is intended to afford relief to
equipment manufacturers by eliminating the requirement for obtaining a new equipment
authorization for the same transmitter when installed in a new device.
In order to use the V-Track without additional FCC certification approvals, the installation must
meet the following conditions:
For the transmitter to meet the MPE categorical exclusion requirements of 2.1091, the ERP must
be less than 1.5 watts for personnel separation distance of at least 20 cm (7.9 in). Therefore, the
maximum antenna gain cannot exceed +3.3dBi. If greater than 1.5 watts exists, then additional
testing and FCC approval is required.
R&TTE -
The V-Track modem has been fully tested and complies with all the requirements of EN301 489-
1, EN301 489-7 and EN60950-1:2001.
Disclaimer
The information and instructions contained within this publication comply with all FCC, GCF,
PTCRB, R&TTE, IMEI and other applicable codes that are in effect at the time of publication.
Alopek, Inc disclaims all responsibility for any act or omissions, or for breach of law, code or
regulation, including local or state codes, performed by a third party.
Alopek, Inc strongly recommends that all installations, hookups, transmissions, etc., be performed
by persons who are experienced in the fields of radio frequency technologies. Alopek, Inc
acknowledges that the installation, setup and transmission guidelines contained within this

3
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
publication are guidelines, and that each installation may have variables outside of the guidelines
contained herein. Said variables must be taken into consideration when installing or using the
product, and Alopek, Inc shall not be responsible for installations or transmissions that fall outside
of the parameters set forth in this publication.
Alopek, Inc shall not be liable for consequential or incidental damages, injury to any person or property,
anticipated or lost profits, loss of time, or other losses incurred by Customer or any third party in
connection with the installation of the Products or Customer's failure to comply with the information and
instructions contained herein.
Warranty Information
LIMITED WARRANTY
Scope
Alopek Inc, warrants to the original purchaser of the product that, for a period of one (1) year from
the date of product purchase, the product hardware, when used in conjunction with any
associated software (including any firmware and applications) supplied by Alopek Inc, will be free
from defects in material or workmanship under normal operation. Alopek Inc further warrants to
such original purchaser that, for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of product purchase,
any software associated with the product will perform substantially in accordance with the user
documentation provided by Alopek Inc, and any software media provided with the product will be
free from defects in material or workmanship under normal operation. Alopek Inc does not
warrant that (a) the product hardware or any associated software will meet the purchaser’s
requirements, (b) that the operation of the product hardware or software will be uninterrupted or
error-free, or (c) the product, when integrated in, or combined with, other products or software not
supplied by Alopek Inc, will continue to perform substantially in accordance with the user
documentation. This limited warranty is only for the benefit of the original purchaser and is not
transferable. No other party may act on behalf of such purchaser for the purpose of claiming or
exercising any rights or benefits under or in connection with this limited warranty except as may
be provided in a written agreement between Alopek Inc and such other party.
Hardware
During the warranty period applicable to the product hardware, Alopek Inc, at its expense and in
its sole discretion, will repair or replace the product if it is determined to have a covered hardware
defect, provided that the purchaser first notifies Alopek Inc of any such defect, furnishes Alopek
Inc with a proof of purchase, requests and obtains a return merchandize authorization (RMA)
number from Alopek Inc, and returns the product, shipping charges prepaid, to Alopek Inc under

4
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
that RMA. If, upon reasonable examination of the returned product, Alopek Inc does not
substantiate the defect claimed by purchaser, or determines that the defect is not covered under
this limited warranty, Alopek Inc will not be required to repair or replace the product, but may
instead reship the product to the purchaser, in which case purchaser shall be responsible for
paying Alopek Inc’s usual charges for unpacking, testing, and repacking the product for
reshipment to purchaser. Purchaser shall bear the risk of loss or damage in transit to any product
returned by purchaser to Alopek Inc, or any returned product not found to be defective or covered
under this warranty and reshipped by Alopek Inc to purchaser. In the event Alopek Inc repairs or
replaces a defective product, the repaired or replacement product will be covered under this
limited warranty for the remainder of the original warranty period on the defective product. If
Alopek Inc is unable to repair or replace a defective product, the purchaser’s exclusive remedy
shall be a refund of the original purchase price. Any returned and replaced product, or any
product for which Alopek Inc has refunded the original purchase price, becomes the property of
Alopek Inc.
Software
During the warranty period applicable to the software or its media, Alopek Inc, at its expense, will
replace any defective software or media if purchaser gives written notification of the defect to the
technical support department at Alopek Inc during the applicable warranty period. Alopek Inc will
ship or otherwise transmit the replacement software or media to purchaser, and purchaser shall
be responsible for incorporating any replacement software in the product. Alopek Inc shall not
have any obligation to provide any software bug fixes, upgrades or new releases except as may
be necessary to correct any covered defect of which purchaser notifies Alopek Inc in writing
during the applicable warranty period. Alopek Inc, from time to time and in its sole discretion, may
make available for download on its website (www.Alopek.com) certain software bug fixes,
upgrades or new releases for the product. The purchaser should periodically visit such website to
determine whether any such bug fixes, upgrades or new releases have become available.
Download and use of any such bug fixes, upgrades or new releases is subject to all of the
applicable terms and conditions of Alopek Inc’s technical support policy as posted and updated
on its website.
Exceptions and Disclaimers
Alopek Inc shall have no obligation under this limited warranty for (a) normal wear and tear, (b)
the cost of procurement of substitute products or (c) any defect that is (i) discovered by purchaser
during the warranty period but purchaser does not notify or request an RMA number from Alopek
Inc, as required above, until after the end of the warranty period, (ii) caused by any accident,
misuse, abuse, improper installation, handling or testing, or unauthorized repair or modification of
the product, (iii) caused by use of any software other than any software supplied by Alopek Inc, or
by use of the product other than in accordance with its documentation or (iv) the result of
electrostatic discharge, electrical surge, fire, flood or similar causes. Unless otherwise provided in
a written agreement between the purchaser and Alopek Inc, the purchaser shall be solely
responsible for the proper configuration, testing and verification of the product prior to deployment
in the field.
ALOPEK INC’S SOLE RESPONSIBILITY AND PURCHASER’S SOLE REMEDY UNDER THIS
LIMITED WARRANTY SHALL BE TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE PRODUCT HARDWARE,
SOFTWARE OR SOFTWARE MEDIA (OR IF REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT IS NOT POSSIBLE,
OBTAIN A REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE) AS PROVIDED ABOVE. ALOPEK INC
EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NON-INFRINGEMENT,
MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ALOPEK INC BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION LOSS OR INTERRUPTION OF USE, DATA, REVENUES OR PROFITS)

5
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
RESULTING FROM A BREACH OF THIS WARRANTY OR BASED ON ANY OTHER LEGAL
THEORY, EVEN IF ALOPEK INC HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OR
LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Other Considerations
Some jurisdictions may require a longer warranty period than specified above and, accordingly,
for products sold in those jurisdictions the applicable warranty period shall be extended as
required under the laws of those jurisdictions. Furthermore, some jurisdictions may not allow the
disclaimer of implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential
damages, so the above disclaimer, limitation or exclusion may not apply to products sold in those
jurisdictions. This limited warranty gives the purchaser specific legal rights and the purchaser may
have other legal rights that vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
In some instances, certain aspects of the product warranty may also be covered in a separate
written agreement between Alopek Inc and the distributor or reseller, if any, from whom purchaser
purchased the product. That agreement may provide, for example, a different product return
procedure that may also be available to purchaser (e.g., the product may be returned to Alopek
Inc through that distributor or reseller).
Governing Law
This limited warranty shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida, United States of
America, without regard to conflict of laws principles. This limited warranty shall not be governed
in any respect by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.
1 Introduction
1.1 About the GSM/GPRS V-TRACK
The GSM/GPRS V-TRACK (hereafter referred to as “V-TRACK”) is an Automated Vehicle
Locating (AVL) device that utilizes a GSM/GPRS modem and a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)
module. Working together, these technologies allow the V-TRACK to simultaneously act as a
stand alone GPS reporting device and wireless data retrieval unit. The V-TRACK provides a
flexible AVL solution with Input/Output (I/O), six selectable National Maritime Electronics
Association (NMEA) GPS data format, Trimble ASCII Interface Protocol (TAIP) GPS data format,
and Alopek, Inc’s own proprietary Binary GPS data format. The V-TRACK is designed to work in
a stand-alone device in an automobile. Alopek, Inc V-TRACK provides maximum AVL versatility
in a single affordable device.
1.2 About This Manual
Contained in this manual are instructions on how to install and configure the V-TRACK. Please
follow the instructions herein closely to avoid damaging the V-TRACK.
1.3 Contents of Basic Package
• Alopek, Inc V-TRACK
• GPS antenna
• GSM Antenna
• Documentation

6
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
1.4 System Requirements
The modem comes configured from factory and no installer configuration is necessary. However
if for some reason software needs to be updated it’s necessary to have some type of terminal
equipment, which includes a serial port, in order to configure the V-TRACK modem. This can be a
computer running a Windows Operating System with the HyperTerminal program.
1.5 Product Specifications

7
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
2 Installation
Instructions provided in this section describe the hardware installation of the V-TRACK device. To
install the V-TRACK in a vehicle, follow these steps:
• Choose a convenient location in the vehicle – either in the trunk or interior of a vehicle.
Avoid locations that might expose the device to excessive heat or moisture.
• Hold the V-TRACK in place and mark the location for mounting tie wraps.
• Using tie wraps hold the V_track in place.
The V-TRACK is NOT a waterproof or sealed device. Care must be taken to
ensure the device is kept away from water or any other liquids
2.1 Mounting dimensions

8
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
2.2 Installing Cables
During installation, the following precautions will help ensure proper operation of the V-TRACK
• Remove power from the V-TRACK.
• Do not create loops, sharp bends or crimps in the cables
• All cables should be attached to the vehicle and equipment in such a way to reduce stress
or wear caused by vibration generated by moving vehicles.
• Use proper terminations on all power cables

9
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
2.3 12 pin Connector
The user can purchase the optional 12-pin external I/O connector for the Alopek, Inc V-TRACK
that can be used to interface with other devices. Alopek, Inc can provide an optional cable and
connector. The user also has the option of building his/her own cable. Table 1 describes the pin
functionality for this 12 pin I/O connector. Pins that are not planned for usage can be left open
without anything connected to them.
Pin Number Functionality
Pin – 1 Serial Data Out
Pin – 2 Serial Data In
Pin – 3 Audio – Ear Speaker Out (-)
Pin – 4 Audio – Ear Speaker Out (+)
Pin – 5 Audio – Mic Input (+)
Pin – 6 Audio – Mic Input (-)
Pin – 7 Optional Output
Pin – 8 Optional Input
Pin – 9 Optional Input
Pin – 10 Switched Power (Ignition)
Pin – 11 Unswitched Power (Battery)
Pin – 12 Ground
2.4 V-TRACK Serial Adapter (Optional)
Alopek, Inc P/N SERIAL INTERFACE can be used to provide a standard serial interface for the
V-TRACK. This adapter provides a standard DB9 serial interface and power to the unit. The
adapter would be used for loading new software onto the V-TRACK. The customer may choose
to connect directly to the 12-pin connector serial interface pins, or order this convenient adapter
from Alopek, Inc.
Note: Only three of the pins are used; ground, serial in and serial out.

10
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
See Figure 9 - 12-Pin Connection.
DB-9 Pinout
There are three pins that are used to connect to the serial port of your computer. These are for
transmit (out), receive (in) and ground.
The following diagram displays the serial end of the interface cable.

11
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
3.0Connecting GSM/GPRS modem Antenna
The user must supply the GSM/GPRS antenna. The antenna must have a nominal impedance of
50 Ohms. The VSWR must be less than 2.0:1. System antenna gain should be 0 – 2 dB for
optimum performance.
The antenna connector on the GSM/GPRS V-TRACK model is a TNC female connector.
The antenna has to be connected to the connector labeled “MODEM ANT”. See Figure 11 -
GSM/GPRS Antenna Connection.
3.1Connecting GPS Antenna
The user must supply the GPS antenna. The GPS receiver inside the V-TRACK powers the pre-
amplifier in the GPS antenna (Active-style) by applying a power of 3.3 Volts to the center
conductor of the RF input to the GPS receiver. If a passive-style GPS antenna must be used,
please verify that it has a DC block installed in order to prevent shorting to ground. GPS antenna
connector on the V-TRACK model is a SMA female connector. The GPS antenna must be placed
in an area where it can have direct view of the sky.
The GPS antenna must be connected to the connector labeled “GPS ANT”. See Figure 12 - GPS
Antenna Connection.
User must disconnect power before connecting the GPS antenna
3.3 Connecting the Power Source
The GSM/GPRS V-TRACK has an input voltage range of 9 – 30 V DC. The power and ignition
pins can support 9 – 30 V DC input voltage. The user has an option to connect these wires
depending on the desired functionality. Described below are the desired functionality and their
associated wire connecting procedure:

12
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of the device outside of the specified voltage range may result in damage to
the device and/or undesirable results.
Please follow the specifications as listed in the table below. Alopek, Inc is not
liable for damage to the V-TRACK caused due to user error.
V
-Track (@ 12 Volts)
A
verage
Current
(mAmps)
Peak Current
(Amps)
GSM 850 &
900 GSM 1TX/1RX
1RX
Idle
390 mA
180 mA
65
DCS 1800 & PCS 1900 GSM 1TX/1RX
1RX
Idle
400 mA
190 mA
55 mA
4 LED Operation
The V-track has three LED’s.
PWR:Indicates power to the modem. LED is on when power is turned on and the modem is
operational. LED is off when power is removed or when the modem enters low power mode.
User LED 1: This LED indicates GSM/GPRS registration status. LED state of OFF indicates that
the device is not attempting to register to the network. Blinking LED indicates that the device is
trying to connect to the network. LED always ON indicates that the device is attached to the
network.
User LED 2: This LED indicates GPS fix status. The LED remains in OFF state when invalid GPS
data is received. The LED remains ON when valid GPS data is received.
4.1 Software Operation
The V-track will act as follows:
It will send a position report every 30 seconds while the asset is in movement
It will send a position report every 1 hour while the asset is not in movement
The movement/ stop report rate is controlled by the GPS speed. This means that if the vehicle is
placed in a platform and GPS detects that the speed is greater than 1mph then the device will
automatically change the report rate.
For proper unit operation is imperative all power conections are done properly as per following
schematics:

13
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
Schematic Wiring
V-track Basic
Script Panic
V
I
N
I
G
N
I
O
1
I
O
2
O
U
T
+
-
+
-
I
NO
U
T
9V-30V SERIAL
+ 12VDC input from
vehicle battery
12345
6789
To Pin 3
To Pin 2
Serial Communications
+ 12VDC Acc Switched
Red
White
Ver 1.0

14
Alopek, Inc
650 S Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
©2007, Alopek, Inc. All rights reserved.
Table of contents