Avtec USB NENA User manual

Revision 9
Part Number 1900-340-5012
This document is confidential.
Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
100 Innovation Place • Lexington SC 29072 USA
avtecinc.com
Scout™
Configuration Guide
Avtec USB NENA
Jack Box

Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
100 Innovation Place • Lexington SC 29072 USA
avtecinc.com •[email protected]
Copyright ©2021 by Avtec, LLC. All rights reserved.
This document contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright. No
part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Avtec, LLC.
Scout™, VPGate™, Outpost™, Outpost Plus™, Frontier™, Audio Bridge™, Avtec SIP
Proxy™, ScoutLink™, and CommScape™ are trademarks of Avtec, LLC. All other
brands and their products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders and should be noted as such.
Copyright © 2003 GoAhead Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
The material in this document is for information only and is subject to change
without notice. While reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation of this
document to assure its accuracy, Avtec, LLC assumes no liability resulting from
errors or omissions in this document, or from the use of the information contained
herein. Avtec, LLC reserves the right to make changes in the product design
without reservation and without notification to its users.
COMPANYINFORMATION Avtec, LLC
100 Innovation Place
Lexington, SC 29072
USA
Release Date October 2021
Revision 8
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Contents
Introduction 1
Installing the USBNENAJack Box 2
Hardware Components 2
Installing the Hardware Components 2
Windows Configuration 3
Software Configuration 4
Configuring USBJack Boxes 4
Configuring the External Audio Interface 7
Configuring the Endpoint for NENA Devices 10
Creating a Line Pad for a NENA Endpoint 11
Operating the USB NENAJack Box 13
Rules of Operation 13
Audio Tuning for NENADevices 14
Physical Settings 14
External Audio Interface Settings 14
VAGCSettings 14
Appendix A: General Information 15
USB NENAJack Box Features 15
Additional Documentation 16
USBNENAJack Box Use Cases 16
System Requirements and Specifications 16
General Specifications 16
Appendix B: USBNENAJack Box Hardware Views 18
USB NENAJack Box – Front Panel 18
USB NENAJack Box – Back Panel 18
Appendix C:Understanding the Hardware Connections 19
Appendix D:Understanding External Audio Interface 20
Contrasting Traditional Audio with EAI Audio 20
Appendix E: NENAJack Box Audio Flow 21
Troubleshooting 21
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USB NENAJACK BOX CONFIGURATION
GUIDE
Introduction
NOTE
This guide is for the Avtec USBNENAJack Box operating on the Software Media Workstation. For information
regarding the Hardware Media Workstation, see the NENA/Deskset for Hardware Media Workstation
Configuration Guide.
This document explains the setup, configuration, and use of the USB NENA Jack Box.
For Scout consoles running the Software Media Workstation, Avtec USBjack boxes provide a means of interfacing
peripheral accessories, such as headsets and handsets, to Scout consoles. Administrators can adjust audio levels,
external audio interfaces, and other settings to optimize dispatcher audio.
Up to four USB jack boxes and one external audio interface (EAI) can connect to a Scout console, which allows
supervisors to join a dispatcher's call, to accommodate multiple dispatcher trainees, or to provide redundancy in the
event of jack box failure.
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Installing the USBNENAJack Box
Hardware Components
The Avtec USBNENAJack Box comes with the following components:
lUSB NENAJack Box
lUSB cable
lNENAcable
lTerminal blocks (2)
Installing the Hardware Components
NOTE
Due to USB host controller limitations, when plugging in your USB peripheral devices, limit the number of jack
boxes to one jack box per physical PC port. If using a USB hub connected to the PC port, there can only be one jack
box plugged into the hub.
To install the USB NENA Jack Box:
1. Connect the USB cable into the USB ports of the jack box and PC.
2. Connect the NENAcable to the jack box's NENA port and to the NENA device.
3. Connect the hookswitch cable for the Avtec handset cradle feature into the Aux Inputs port.
Use the following table as a guide to determine the correct Aux Inputs connection.
Aux Inputs
Pin Function/Use
1 Unused
2 Unused
3 Positive for Handset Hookswitch, Contact Closure
4 Handset Hookswitch Ground
NOTE
Pins 3 and 4 are used to connect the hookswitch.
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Windows Configuration
Avtec recommends unchecking the power management feature checkbox for each USB NENAJack Box that displays in
the Windows Device Manager. Perform the following to disable power management:
1. In the Windows Control Panel, select Device Manager.
The Device Manager window displays.
2. Expand the Human Interface Devices group.
3. Configure power management for each Avtec USBperipheral.
a. Right-click the peripheral and select Properties.
b. From the Power Management tab, deselect all power saving features.
The feature label may display as Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power, or it may
break out into two sections with Wake-On-LAN optionsand Power Save options. Disable ALL power
saving options.
c. Click OK.
d. Repeat for each Avtec USBperipheral.
NOTE
Power Management settings may not display in some versions of Windows 10. However, when the
settings do display, they should be disabled.
4. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers group.
5. Configure power management for every device in the group.
a. Right-click the device and select Properties.
b. From the Power Management tab, deselect the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save
power checkbox.
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c. Click OK.
d. Repeat for every device.
NOTE
Power Management settings may not display in some versions of Windows 10. However, when the
settings do display, they should be disabled.
6. Exit the Device Manager.
Software Configuration
After installing the hardware components for the USB NENAJack Box, you must perform a series of software
configuration steps to enable the jack box and external audio interface functionalities. This configuration occurs in
Scout Manager, as well as on the Avtec USB Jack Box and Avtec USB External Audio Interface webpages.
Complete the following tasks to configure the specific settings that allow the jack box to operate with Scout. The
sections that follow provide instructions for performing these tasks.
1. Configuring the USBNENA Jack Box
2. Configuring the External Audio Interface
3. Configuring the Endpoint for NENA Devices
4. Creating a Line Pad for a NENA Endpoint
Configuring USBJack Boxes
Use the following procedures to configure the USB Jack Box for a Scout console using the Software Media Workstation.
1. Access Scout Manager > Console Configuration webpage > Devices tab.
2. Locate the device in the Peripherals table and in the Audio Routing table to review details that the Software
Media Workstation populated for the device.
3. As needed, sort and filter the devices that display in the Peripherals table by State,Device Name, and Type.
4. Click the link under the device name in either the Peripherals or the Audio Routing table.
The Avtec USB Jack Box webpage displays with the USB Device Name and Model Number populated.
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5. In the Settings section, Windows Input Level (%) field, enter the percentage of the input level of the Windows
Microphone level that this jack box should use. Range: 0 to 100%. Default:25%.
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IMPORTANT
The microphone level must be set using this property instead of through the Windows Control Panel.
Changes made to the microphone level slider in the Windows Control Panel are NOT reflected in Scout's
console configuration.
6. In the Mic Gain (dB) field, enter the value of gain adjustment, in decibels, that the Software Media Workstation
should apply to the jack box. Range: –40 to 40 dB. Default: 0 dB.
NOTE
Mic Gain (dB) adjustments should only be made in small increments.
7. From the VAGCdropdown, select whether or not to enable Voice Automatic Gain Control (VAGC) to adjust the
dispatcher's input signal as it enters this device. Default:ENABLED.
If ENABLEDis selected from the VAGCdropdown, the following fields display:
a. In the VAGC Low Target (dB) and field, enter the minimum level of the range in which VAGCapplies
gain to a dispatcher's input signal so the output signal remains in this range. Range: –30 to 0 dB.
Default: –20 dB.
NOTE
The VAGC Low Target (dB) value must be less than the VAGC High Target (dB) value.
b. In the VAGC High Target (dB) field, enter the maximum level of the range in which VAGC applies
attenuation to a dispatcher's input signal so the output signal remains in this range. Range: –30 to 0
dB. Default: –10 dB.
c. The VAGC Max Loss (dB) field, enter the maximum amount of attenuation VAGC will apply for
transmit audio to remain at or below the VAGC High Target (dB). Range: 0 to 23 dB. Default:23 dB.
d. The VAGC Max Gain (dB) field enter the maximum amount of gain VAGC will apply for transmit
audio to remain at or above the VAGC Low Target (dB). Range: 0 to 23 dB. Default: 20 dB.
e. In the VAGC Threshold (dB) field, enter the minimum decibel level where VAGCbegins to apply gain
to a dispatcher's input signal. Range: –65 to –20 dB. Default: –35 dB.
IMPORTANT
Use caution when setting these fields. Avtec recommends first adjusting the Windows Input
Level (%) and Mic Gain (dB) settings before attempting to adjust any VAGCsetting.
8. In the Output Level (dB) field, enter the level, in decibels, that the Software Media Workstation should use to
output audio from this jack box. Range: –40 to 0 dB. Default:–10 dB.
9. In the On-Hook Switch field, select whether to enable hookswitch on the jack box handset cradle. Default:
DISABLED.
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10. Select the priority level of the jack box for simultaneous PTTinteractions in the Avtec Jack Box Priority field.
Default: DISPATCHER.
11. Under the PTT Interactions section, Enabled by On-Screen PTT field, select whether the PTT function pad
enables microphone input for the jack box. Default: YES.
12. In the Enabled by Instant Transmit field, select whether the Instant Transmit function pad enables microphone
input for the jack box. Default: YES.
13. In the Enabled by Footswitch field, select whether keying from a footswitch device enables microphone input
for the jack box. Default: YES.
14. In the Enabled by Hardware PTT field, select whether keying from other hardware devices that activate the
Hardware PTT Indicator enables microphone input for the jack box. Default: YES.
15. In the Full Duplex Endpoint Enabled field, select whether microphone input is enabled for the jack box when
interacting with full duplex endpoints. Default: YES.
16. In the UNSELECT1 through UNSELECT10 fields, select YES or NO to indicate if this jack box should receive the
specified Unselect audio.
17. From the Ringtones dropdown, select the priority (PRIMARY,SECONDARY, or OFF) for playing ringtones on this
jack box.
When Ringtones is set to PRIMARY or SECONDARY, the Ringtone Attenuation (dB) field displays.
18. In the Ringtone Attenuation (dB) field, enter a value, in decibels, to indicate how much lower the ringtone
volume should be compared to other volume coming from the jack box.
Adjustments take effect immediately, even if the ringtone is playing.
19. In the Other Active Microphones field, select YES or NO to indicate if this jack box should receive transmit
audio from other microphones.
20. In the Other Microphone Attenuation (dB) field, enter a value, in decibels, to indicate how much the volume
from other microphones should be lowered.
21. Click Update.
Configuring the External Audio Interface
The Avtec USB NENA Jack Box's external audio interface is configured on the Avtec USB External Audio Interface
webpage. Perform the following steps to configure this functionality.
1. Access Scout Manager > Console Configuration webpage > Devices tab.
2. Select Peripherals.
The Peripherals page displays.
3. Select the external audio device to be configured.
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