FTS G6-PM-MET1-INT User manual

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EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS. EXTREMELY RELIABLE.
G6-PM-MET1-INT/G6-PM-MET1-INT-SC
GOES Transmitter for use with
Met One E-BAM and E-SAMPLER
Operating Manual
1.800.548.4264 | www.ftsinc.com
700-G6-PM-MET1-Man Rev 1 13 Jun 2022
Part #21455

Contact Information
Canadian Headquarters:
1065 Henry Eng Place
Victoria, BC | V9B 6B2 | Canada
www.ftsinc.com
Toll-free: 1.800.548.4264
Local: 250.478.5561
Technical support portal: http://support.ftsinc.com
Email: [e-mail]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 ABOUT THE MANUAL 1
1.2 GENERAL DESCRIPTION 1
1.3 DETERMINING THE GOES TRANSMITTER OPTION FOR YOUR E-BAM/ E-SAMPLER 2
CHAPTER 2 GOES TRANSMITTER ASSEMBLY 3
2.2 GOES TRANSMITTER 3
2.3 GPS ANTENNA 3
2.4 EON GOES ANTENNA 4
2.5 COMMAND PORT 4
2.6 STATUS PANEL 4
2.6.4 Synchronize Clock to GPS Indicator (SYNC GPS)................................................................... 4
2.6.5 DATA indicator........................................................................................................................................... 5
2.6.6 TRANSMIT (TX) Indicator...................................................................................................................... 5
2.6.7 FAULT Indicator......................................................................................................................................... 6
2.6.8 DIAGNOSTIC button............................................................................................................................... 6
2.7 SAMPLER COMMUNICATION INTERFACE BOARD 6
CHAPTER 3 INSTALLING THE TRANSMITTER ASSEMBLY 7
3.2 STEPS TO SETTING UP THE GOES TRANSMITTER 7
3.2.1 Mount the transmitter assembly (single and dual cable options)............................................ 8
3.2.2 CONNECT G6-PM-MET1-INT-SC (SINGLE CABLE OPTION) ......................................................... 9
3.2.3 CONNECT G6-PM-MET1-INT (DUAL CABLE OPTION) ..................................................................... 9
3.3 PARTICULATE MONITOR (PM) CONFIGURATION 10
CHAPTER 4 CONFIGURING GOES SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS 11
4.2 GENERAL 11
4.3 COMMUNICATING WITH THE GOES TRANSMITTER 12
4.4 SETTING UP NOAA/EUMETSAT TRANSMIT PARAMETERS 12
4.5 DETAILS OF DEFAULT CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS 16
CHAPTER 5 VERIFYING COMMUNICATIONS 16
5.2 TRANSMISSION CYCLE 17
5.2.4 Time Synchronization..........................................................................................................................17
5.2.5 First Transmission Requirements................................................................................................17
5.3 CONFIRMING TRANSMISSION STATUS 18
5.4 FIELD MESSAGE RETRIEVAL 18

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5.5 GOES TRANSMISSION MESSAGE FORMAT 18
5.5.4 Sample GOES Transmission............................................................................................................19
CHAPTER 6 MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE 20
6.2 MAINTENANCE 20
6.3 TROUBLESHOOTING 20
6.3.1 Verify Sampler Interface Board Communication...........................................................................20
6.3.2 Verify Particulate Monitor Communication...........................................................................20
6.3.3 Trouble Shooting Using the Audit Log......................................................................................21
6.3.4 Failed Transmission..............................................................................................................................22
APPENDIX A G6 SPECIFICATIONS 24
APPENDIX B MESSAGE CENTERING AND EMPTY BUFFER MESSAGE 25
B.1 MESSAGE CENTERING 25
B.2 EMPTY BUFFER MESSAGE (EBM) 25
APPENDIX C GOES TEST TRANSMISSION 26
DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY 29

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 ABOUT THE MANUAL
This manual describes the installation and setup of the G6-PM-MET1-INT and G6-PM MET1-INT-SC GOES
Transmitters for use with Met One E-BAM and E-SAMPLER particulate monitors. As all functions of the two
GOES transmitters are the same, the transmitters will be referred to as the GOES transmitter throughout
the document except in those areas where a distinction between models is essential (specifically
installation), at which point they will be referred to by the model number.
1.2 GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Forest Technology Systems’ GOES transmitter is an add-on GOES transmitter for Met One E-SAMPLER
or E-BAM particulate monitors. When deployed, the GOES transmitter assembly will automatically
sense which style particulate monitor is connected. The GOES transmitter assembly (Figure 1-1) is
housed in a sealed case and attaches onto the same tripod used to hold the Met One particulate
monitor. For ease of installation, an omni-directional GOES antenna that eliminates the need to aim
the antenna at the satellite is included along with all connectorized cable/cables for power and
communication between the GOES transmitter and the particulate monitor. Upon installation, station
information and sensor data will automatically be transmitted over the GOES satellite system.
The G6-PM-MET1-INT comes equipped with separate Communication and Power cables and must be used
with the FTS power adapter (G6-PM-MET1-INT-PWR). The G6-PM MET1-INT-SC has a combined
Communication and Power Cable and does not require the FTS power adapter (See Figure 1-1). They both
come with the EON GOES antenna. Installation of the two options is slightly different but all other functions
are the same.
The GOES assembly option you need is dictated by the type of E-BAM or E-SAMPLER you have. See Section
1.3 for details.
Figure 1-1: GOES-PM-MET1 options with EON antenna
Power cable:
connects to
FTS power
adaptor
Communications
cable
FTS Power
Adaptor
EON
Antenna
G6-PM-MET1-INT (dual
cable) with power adaptor
G6-PM-MET1-INT-SC (single cable)
Single
communications/power
cable

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1.3 DETERMINING THE GOES TRANSMITTER OPTION FOR YOUR E-BAM/ E-SAMPLER
In order to determine if you need a dual or single cable GOES transmitter for your Met One particulate
monitor, inspect the Met One instrument connectors.
E-BAM/E-SAMPLER VARIANTS
GOES TRANSMITTER
OPTION
E-BAM and E-SAMPLER
G6-PM-MET1-INT
Must be used with:
FTS power adapter
(G6-PM-MET1-INT-PWR)
E-BAM E-SAMPLER
G6-PM-MET1-INT-SC
Note that the E-BAM pictured below cannot support a GOES transmitter.

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CHAPTER 2 GOES TRANSMITTER ASSEMBLY
The GOES transmitter assembly has several components. The function of each component is as follows.
Figure 2-1: Interior assembly components
NOTE: This figure shows the G6-PM-MET1-INT-SC. The interior components
for the G6-PM-MET1-INT will be the same with additional wiring for the power
cable on the left-hand side.
2.2 GOES TRANSMITTER
The GOES transmitter is the main component in the assembly. The GOES transmitter is responsible for
initiating communications to the attached particulate monitor as well as performing the GOES
transmissions. The GOES transmitter is manufactured by FTS and is field proven and highly reliable
2.3 GPS ANTENNA
The GPS Antenna signal is used by the GOES transmitter as a timing calibration standard in order to meet
the time and frequency tolerance requirements of the GOES system. The GPS antenna is housed inside the
enclosure to protect the antenna from the elements.
GPS Antenna
Command Port
GOES Transmitter
Status Panel
Communication
Interface Board
EON Antenna Cable
Connector
EON Antenna
Mount

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2.4 EON GOES ANTENNA
The EON GOES Antenna is an omni-directional antenna used to transmit the signal from the transmitter to
the GOES satellite. The omni-directional characteristic of the antenna eliminates the need for the user to
orient the station in a specific direction or to aim the antenna at the satellite at latitudes less than 53
degrees.
2.5 COMMAND PORT
The Command Port is a 9-pin (DB9) connector. This port uses RS-232 serial protocol and features a
command line, text-based interface to configure the transmitter.The Command Port can also be used to
check communications with the particulate monitor and to provide operational details on the GOES
transmitter. The RS-232 port settings required are:
• 9600 baud
• 8 data bits
• no parity
• 1 stop bit
• no flow control
Typically, Tera Term or another terminal emulation-style program running on a PC is used to communicate
with the transmitter. Communication with the GOES transmitter is normally achieved through a USB serial
port adaptor connected to the transmitter assembly’s Command Port. Through the PC’s Control Panel,
select Device Manager, and then Ports. The USB serial port adaptor will use the COM port. Note the COM
port number. When setting up the Tera Term (or similar program), select Serial and the appropriate
Communications Port.
Figure 2-2: Command port serial cable connection
2.6 STATUS PANEL
The Status Panel on the GOES transmitter consists of four indicators and a pushbutton. The indicators
provide visual feedback on the operation of the transmitter, and the pushbutton enables the user to query
the state of the transmitter failsafe circuit. Also, when power is first applied to the GOES transmitter, the
transmitter will go through a sequence of self-tests indicated by cycling four times through the FAULT, TX,
DATA, and SYNC GPS indicators.
2.6.4 Synchronize Clock to GPS Indicator (SYNC GPS)
After power is first applied to the GOES transmitter and the self-test cycle is completed, the transmitter will
attempt to acquire a GPS fix.
If all connections are correct, the SYNC GPS indicator will illuminate indicating that the transmitter is
acquiring a GPS fix and is trying to synchronize its clock to UTC time. The indicator will turn off when time

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synchronization is complete. Once the transmitter time is synchronized, it will be able to transmit on the
specified time schedule.
If the GPs antenna is not connected the synchronization light will illuminate for two seconds and then turn
off for a minute and a half. Check your antenna connections. It will continue this cycle until it detects a GPS
antenna.
IMPORTANT! Ensure you take at least two minutes to observe the Synchronize Clock to GPS
indicator once it turns off, to verify that it has synchronized. If the light remains off,
synchronization has been achieved. If it blinks and then turns off again, it does not detect an
antenna and you must check your connections and equipment.
Note that the first GPS fix after power up will normally be acquired within five minutes;
however, UTC time synchronization can take as long as 20 minutes. If the transmitter cannot
synchronize to UTC time during the first 20 minutes, the transmitter will switch off the GPS
module for one minute and then will restart the synchronization cycle. This process
continues until the transmitter successfully synchronizes to UTC time.
After initial time synchronization, the transmitter will attempt a single resynchronization to UTC time every
24 hours to correct its time drift. The transmitter is capable of operating for 28 days without a time
resynchronization. After 28 days, if a time resynchronization is not achieved, the transmitter will disable
transmissions. However, it will continue to attempt time resynchronization and, if successful, will re-enable
transmissions.
The most common reason for time resynchronization failure is because the GPS antenna is being blocked by
snow. If transmissions do not recommence with expected snow melt, or snow blockage is an unlikely
reason, contact FTS Support.
2.6.5 DATA indicator
The DATA indicator shows that the transmitter has acquired data from the particulate monitor and has
stored that data in the transmitter’s data buffer. The DATA indicator should be illuminated from
approximately 2 minutes past the sensor interval (when the particulate monitor is read) until one minute
prior to transmission time (when the transmitter empties and formats the buffer contents in preparation for
transmission). The light will remain illuminated if the sensor is read within the time frame prior to
transmission. Any data received within 1 minute of data transmission or during a timed transmission, will
not be included in the current transmission but will be buffered for the next interval.
2.6.6 TRANSMIT (TX) Indicator
The TX indicator will illuminate at transmission time for the duration of the data transmission (about three
seconds in total); however, if there is a failsafe error the FAULT indicator will blink twice to show that failsafe
has been tripped and the transmitter has been switched off.

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2.6.7 FAULT Indicator
The FAULT indicator is used in conjunction with the DIAGNOSTIC button to examine the state of the
transmitter’s failsafe circuit. If there is a failsafe error the FAULT indicator will blink twice when the
DIAGNOSTIC button is pressed. Typically, a failsafe error could occur if a transmission is attempted when
the supply battery voltage falls below 10.5 volts.
2.6.8 DIAGNOSTIC button
The Diagnostic button allows the user to query the state of the transmitter failsafe circuit and also allows
the user to clear the transmitter failsafe circuit if the failsafe has been tripped. To query the state of the
failsafe, push and hold the Diagnostic button for about 2 seconds and monitor the state of the Fault
indicator. The Fault indicator will flash once if the failsafe is OK (not tripped) or twice to indicate the failsafe
has been tripped.
A tripped failsafe indicates that there is a problem with the GOES transmitter. The failsafe is designed to
disable a malfunctioning transmitter in order to protect other users of the satellite system from a
transmitter that is transmitting outside its assigned transmission window. If the failsafe has tripped it can
be cleared by depressing the Diagnostic button for at least 10 seconds. If the failsafe continues to trip, the
unit should be returned to FTS for repair or replacement.
2.7 SAMPLER COMMUNICATION INTERFACE BOARD
The Sampler Communication Interface Board is an interface between the transmitter and the particulate
monitor. When requested by the transmitter, the interface retrieves and formats data from the attached
particulate monitor. The interface board automatically parses data from an E-SAMPLER or an E-BAM and
returns a common data string to the transmitter.