Elster A3 ALPHA User manual

January 2010 IL42-4036A
Elster
Raleigh, North Carolina USA
[phone] (US toll free)
[phone] (Canada)
[e-mail]
www.elster.com
A3 ALPHA®meter with
wireless cellular communication option
General
The A3 ALPHA meter may be ordered with a wireless cellular communication option: the Wireless WAN Interface Card.
The Wireless WIC is available in CDMA 1xRTT and GSM GPRS versions, providing a high speed cellular
communication channel.
This leaflet provides general information for the Wireless WIC that is installed within an A3 ALPHA meter.
■For information on installing the A3 ALPHA meter, see the “ALPHA Meter Installation Instructions” (IL42-
4001Q or later)
WARNING
!
Use authorized utility procedures to install and service metering equipment. Dangerous voltages are present.
Equipment damage, personal injury, or death can result if safety precautions are not followed.
Use circuit closing devices on current transformer secondaries (3S, 4S, 5S, 5A, 6S, 6A, 8S, 9S, 10S, 10A, 26S,
29S, 35S, 36S, and 36A meters). Equipment damage, personal injury, or death can result if circuit closing
secondaries are not used.
Location of antennas
See Figure 1 for the location of the Wireless WIC antenna. If the A3 ALPHA meter is serving as an EA_Gatekeeper,
then the A3 ALPHA meter has 2 antennas: the Wireless WIC antenna is in the upper position and the EA_LAN antenna
is in the lower position.
The Wireless WIC antenna and the EA_LAN antenna (if present) are fix-mounted to the periphery of the A3 ALPHA
meter’s electronic housing. The Wireless WIC antenna and the EA_LAN antenna (if present) are not adjustable or
removable.
Preliminary

April 2011 IL42-5021A
Elster
Raleigh, North Carolina USA
[phone] (US toll free)
[phone] (Canada)
[email protected]
www.elsterelectricity.com
Modular EA_Gatekeeper integrator’s guide
General
This leaflet explains how to properly install the modular EA_Gatekeeper radio into approved Elster devices. The modular
EA_Gatekeeper has the following configurations:
Integration instructions
To properly install and integrate the modular EA_Gatekeeper radio into the approved Elster device, refer to the Elster
drawing: 5D25969.
Description Model number
EA_Gatekeeper, CDMA 1xRTT, internal WAN antenna EA_GKMOD_C
EA_Gatekeeper, CDMA 1xRTT, external WAN antenna EA_GKMOD_CX

IL42-5021A April 2011
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY
There are no understandings, agreements, representations, or warranties either express or implied, including warranties of merchantability or
fitness for a particular purpose, other than those specifically set out by any existing contract between the parties. Any such contract states the entire
obligation of the seller. The contents of this document shall not become part of or modify any prior existing agreement, commitment, or relationship.
The information, recommendations, descriptions, and safety notices in this document are based on Elster experience and judgment with respect to
operation and maintenance of the described product. This information should not be considered as all-inclusive or covering all contingencies. If
further information is required, Elster should be consulted.
No warranties, either expressed or implied, including warranties of fitness for a particular purpose or merchantability, or warranties arising from the
course of dealing or usage of trade, are made regarding the information, recommendations, descriptions, warnings, and cautions contained
herein.
In no event will Elster be responsible to the user in contract, in tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise for any special, indirect, incidental,
or consequential damage or loss whatsoever, including but not limited to: damage or loss of use of equipment, cost of capital, loss of profits or
revenues, or claims against the user by its customers resulting from the use of the information, recommendations, descriptions, and safety notices
contained herein.
Elster
Raleigh, North Carolina USA 
*IL42-5021A*
© 2011 by Elster
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States.
FCC Compliance
Important
The modular EA_Gatekeeper radio complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Elster could void the
user's authority to operate the equipment.
FCC & IC Information
• FCC ID: QZCWWIC-CM1
• IC: 4557A-WWICCM1
Compliance Statement
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules and Class B digital apparatus requirements for ICES-003. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Note
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules and ICES-003.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
• reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
• increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver
• connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected
• consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help
If you experience trouble with this equipment, please use the Return Material Request (RMR) feature available from Elster by calling [phone].
Do not attempt to repair this equipment yourself.
Antenna Compliance
The modular EA_Gatekeeper radio has been tested and certified with the internal antenna(s) and external antenna(s) provided by Elster. The internal
antenna(s) must not be modified or replaced.
Caution
The antennas used for these transmitters must be installed to provide a separation of at least 20 cm from all persons and must not be collocated or
operated in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter except as documented in the FCC application. These devices have been approved for
simultaneous transmission of the collocated EA_LAN and cellular/PCS transmitters. Users and installers must be provided with antenna installation
instructions and transmitter operating conditions for satisfying RF exposure compliance.

IL42-4036A January 2010
2
Figure 1. Location of the internal antennas
Wireless WIC internal
antenna
Internal antenna for
connection to the EA_LAN
Electronic housing of
the A3 ALPHA meter
(Present only when serving
as an EA_Gatekeeper)
Preliminary

January 2010 IL42-4036A
3
Placing the A3 ALPHA meter with Wireless WIC into service
See IL42-4001Q or later for the A3 ALPHA meter installation instructions. When planning the meter installation,
consider the following additional guidelines:
■Since the Wireless WIC and EA_LAN (if present) are high frequency communication devices, site the meter so
that the front of the meter has the best possible view of the surrounding terrain.
■Do not place metal structures (other than the meter socket and related cabling) within 20 cm of the meter.
After the A3 ALPHA meter is installed and powered as instructed in IL42-4001Q or later, the installation is complete. If
on-site verification of the Wireless WIC operation is desired, the following steps may be taken:
To verify that the Wireless WIC is operational:
1. After installing and powering the A3 ALPHA meter, wait approximately 5 minutes for the Wireless WIC to
connect to the cellular network and initialize.
2. Using Metercat and an optical probe connection, perform a diagnostic read. For information on using
Metercat and performing diagnostic reads, see the Metercat software documentation or online Help.
3. Once the diagnostic read is performed, select the Special Option Board section. Several operational
parameters are provided, including the following:
Item Expected status
WAN Wireless Status
Status Connected means the Wireless WIC is registered
to the cellular network
Received Signal Strength
Indication (RSSI)
The RSSI may vary between 0 and 31, with 31
indicating the best possible signal strength. An
RSSI value of 99 indicates an unknown or non-
detectable signal.
WAN IP address The IP address provided by the cellular network.
Preliminary