Hunter VSX User manual

VSX OPERATING MANUAL
®
VSX Programming
and Operations Manual

VSX OPERATING MANUAL
FCPs (Field Controller Programs)........................................................................................................ 5
System Programs .................................................................................................................................. 5
VSX Option & Settings Displays ......................................................................................................... 6
Programming & Operations.................................................................................................................. 7
Emergency Functions ..................................................................................................................... 7
OFF........................................................................................................................................... 7
Rain Shutdown ......................................................................................................................... 7
Pause ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Controller Setup.................................................................................................................................... 8
Field Controller Options....................................................................................................................... 9
Edit FC Settings.............................................................................................................................. 9
Set Address ................................................................................................................................... 10
Set Time........................................................................................................................................ 10
Set Date ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Set Main % Scale.......................................................................................................................... 11
Set Schedule Length ..................................................................................................................... 12
Set Schedule Day.......................................................................................................................... 12
Set Day Change ............................................................................................................................ 13
Set FCP Inhibit ............................................................................................................................. 13
Set Response................................................................................................................................. 14
Set MR Runtime ........................................................................................................................... 14
Set MR Pump ............................................................................................................................... 15
Set PINS ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Writing a Field Controller Program.................................................................................................... 16
Naming a Program........................................................................................................................ 16
Typing Instructions ................................................................................................................. 16
Assigning a Schedule.................................................................................................................... 17
Daily ....................................................................................................................................... 17
Day of Week ........................................................................................................................... 17
Assigning a Start Time ................................................................................................................. 20
Stations, Run Times & Events...................................................................................................... 21
Blocks ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Station Options ....................................................................................................................... 25
Delete an Event.................................................................................................................26
Cluster Events................................................................................................................... 26
Move an Event .................................................................................................................. 28
Insert an Event .................................................................................................................. 29
Table of Contents

®
Program Advanced Options ................................................................................................................ 30
Set Program % Scale .................................................................................................................... 30
Cycles .......................................................................................................................................... 31
Cycle Delay .................................................................................................................................. 31
Skip Days...................................................................................................................................... 32
Pump .......................................................................................................................................... 33
Manual Starts...................................................................................................................................... 34
Semi-automatic Program Operation ................................................................................................... 35
Presets................................................................................................................................................. 36
Field ControllerAdvanced Options .................................................................................................... 37
Remove a Program ....................................................................................................................... 37
Remove Preset .............................................................................................................................. 38
Edit Decoders ............................................................................................................................... 38
Serial Number......................................................................................................................... 38
Power Factor........................................................................................................................... 38
View SYS Events.......................................................................................................................... 39
Remove SYS Events..................................................................................................................... 40
Radio Xmit Test ............................................................................................................................ 40
Maintenance Radio Operations .......................................................................................................... 40
TRNR radio .................................................................................................................................. 41
Sending a Maintenance Radio Command .................................................................................... 42
MR Command Table..................................................................................................................... 43
Display Messages (Status, Errors and other Conditions) ................................................................... 44
OVERLOAD................................................................................................................................. 44
COLD START (Erase All)............................................................................................................ 45
VSX Series Specifications.................................................................................................................. 47
The VSX controller may be used as a
standalone controller for up to 60 stations, or
103 stations in a decoder system. It may also
be part of a central system, connected to a
central computer via radio or hardwire com-
munications. You can upgrade a standalone
VSX controller to a networked controller at
any time, by adding communications kits and
connecting it to a central computer.
Two Controllers in One: The VSX actually
has two different “brains” for storing and
running two different kinds of irrigation
programs. The keypad on the controller can
create and run Field Controller Programs in
one brain. An optional central control sys-
tem, with a computer and communications,
can create and transmit System Programs to
the other brain.

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VSX OPERATING MANUAL
Field Controller Programs (FCPs) are the
Programs numbered 1 through 64, which you
can write from the keypad or the central com-
puter. You can change them in the field at any
time. They will run at the start times you
specify and do exactly what you tell each one
to do. They can also be remote-controlled from
the VSX Express central computer software, if
a central is installed.
Most of this manual is concerned with config-
uring and operating FCPs through the keypad.
System Programs
System Programs are calculated by the Sur-
veyor or Vista control software, and down-
loaded from the central computer to each field
controller. They are often based on automatic
calculation from local weather conditions (ET,
or evapo-transpiration), and they are almost
always Flow Optimized. You can view the
System Programs in each Field Controller, but
you may not edit them there. You can also
delete the System Program information from a
Field Controller, but you must replace it with
FCPs or the controller will not irrigate.
Detailed instructions on System Programs are
provided in the software manual for the central
software.
Why two different kinds of Programs?
Different superintendents manage their irriga-
tion in different ways, and irrigation systems go
through many different phases in their annual
cycle. The VSX Field Controller is equipped to
handle every phase of irrigation, including
grow-in, seasonal changes, overseeding, winter-
ization, and special applications like fertiliza-
tion, frost control, and dew wipe.
Field Controller Programs
Generally, FCPs are used as the primary
irrigation programs during grow-in (when there
may not be a central computer), and are used
later on for special purposes, after the central
computer has taken over the primary daily
irrigation. They can be used to germinate seed
in repair areas, or for other special cases where
the superintendent desires absolute control
over each irrigation event.
Computerized System Programs are designed
to operate the largest systems, more or less
automatically. The superintendent can modify
their general parameters at any time, but they
handle the details of irrigation events inter-
nally. Computerized System Programs do not
need to be micro-managed (station by station);
they only need to be adjusted in groups of
similar stations (All Greens, Hole 14 Tee, etc.).

6
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Options
(Press Options
button from
time/date display)
Pause Watering
List FC Settings
Edit FC Settings
Block Programming
Create
Edit
Remove
Remove Program
Remove Preset
Edit Decoders (decoder
controllers only)
View SYS Events
Rem SYS Events
Radio Xmit Test
(Radio controllers only)
VSX Option & Settings Displays
Edit FC Settings
(From Options,
Edit FC Settings)
Address
Time
Date
Main % Scale
Schedule Length
Schedule Day
Day Change
FCP Inhibit?
Response
MR Runtime
MR Pump
PINs
Program Options
(Options when a
Program or Preset
name is selected)
Edit Program Name
Set Program % Scale
Cycles
Cycle Delay
Skip Days
Pump
Schedule Options
(Options when
Schedule is
selected)
Daily (up to 31-day
schedule)
Day of Week
(SMTWTFS)
Station Options
(Options when a
Station is selected)
Remove Event
Cluster Events
Move Event
Insert Event
1. Stops all irrigation; enables and disables Rain Shutdown.
2. Sets run times and order for stations and Blocks.
3. Accesses multiple options and controller settings.
Different sets of options appear, depending on mode
controller is in (with other keys).
4. Saves field inputs and edits.
5. Selects between fixed choices in the display, and selects
Rain Shutdown yes/no when Off is pressed.
6. Alphanumeric buttons for data entry.
7. Clears display error messages; erases Program Name in
Edit mode.
8. Determines type of schedule and actual water days On/Off
for the selected Program
9. Navigate backward/forward through displays, Programs,
and Option choices.
10. Defines Start Time for automatic Programs; launches
Preset programs immediately..
11. Starts one or more stations immediately.
12. Cycles through available Preset names, allows access for
creation or editing, or immediate start with Start button.
13. Cycles through available Program names, allows access
for creation or editing, or immediate start with Start button.
14. Escapes current function and exits to next highest level.

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VSX OPERATING MANUAL
Programming & Operations
Note: The VSX keypad display has a built-in
timer, and will automatically exit any pro-
gramming mode after 3 minutes if left un-
touched. If you are using the password
protection feature, you will be required to log
back in, once this has happened. Any data not
saved will be lost if the controller auto-exits.
Emergency Functions (OFF and Pause):
OFF: If you need to stop all irrigation at a
controller immediately, press the OFF button
to the right of the display. You may see a brief
message, STOPPING ALL IRRIGATION,
followed by:
Rain Shutdown: Rain Shutdown turns off all
automatic functions, permanently, until a
human operator manually removes the con-
troller from the Rain Shutdown mode (from
the VSX keypad or a central computer). If
you want to enter the Rain Shutdown mode,
press ENTER. The display will show:
You will have to remember to place the
controller back into automatic operation
when irrigation is required again.
If you do NOT want to enter Rain Shutdown,
press the OFF button again (upper right of
the keypad) or any other button except
ENTER. This will simply shut down all
current irrigation until the next scheduled
Start Time. Note that if another automatic
Program was scheduled to start one minute
later, the controller will begin irrigating
again in one minute.
To turn off Rain Shutdown (and restore the
controller to automatic operations): When the
display shows RAIN SHUTDOWN!, press
OFF. The display will show:
Press ENTER, and the controller will return to
the automatic mode.
Pause: The VSX controller features dynamic
pause, which will suspend all irrigation at the
controller temporarily. This will apply to
manual, semi-automatic, automatic, and Preset
Programs. The irrigation will remain paused
until resumed by a human operator or until 30
minutes have elapsed. The controller will
resume irrigating where it left off.
Note that Pause will cause the end of the
“water window” to be ignored – the end time
of the paused Program will be pushed back for
the duration of the Pause.

8
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To Pause a controller: Press OPTIONS. The
display will show:
Press ENTER to select this Option. The display
will show:
“YES” will be capitalized. To Pause the controller,
press ENTER. The display will then show:
To Resume watering, press ENTER while the
display says Resume Watering? The display
will then show:
Press ENTER with YES capitalized, and the
controller will resume irrigating where it left
off when you paused it. No irrigation will be
missed.After 3 minutes, the Resume Watering?
display will disappear, but the display will
continue to flash PAUSE with the amount of
time left to automatic resume. Press OPTIONS
to return to the Resume Watering? display.
Note that if the controller was paused for 20
minutes, the currently active and any subsequent
stations will be moved back in time 20 minutes.
If the Program would normally have ended at
5:30 AM, it would now end at 5:50AM.
If you forget to Resume irrigation after placing
the controller into Pause, it will automatically
resume after 30 minutes.
(The “no” selections will be in lower case.
Press the TOGGLE button to switch between
YES and NO. If you do not want to pause/
resume the irrigation, TOGGLE to NO and
press ENTER, or simply press EXIT.)
Controller Setup
When you start up a brand new VSX controller,
or if you have erased the controller memory
and are reprogramming from scratch, you must
set up some basic operating information first.
Press the OPTIONS button. The display will
show “PauseWatering?”
Press the OPTIONS button again. The display
will show “List FC Settings?”
Press ENTER. The display will automatically
sequence the current information for the field
controller in the following format:
Version number: The version of field control-
ler software installed in the VSX.
Time: On start up, this may be incorrect, but it
will show the time of day that VSX thinks it is.
Date: On start up, this may be incorrect, but it
will show the day of week and year that VSX
thinks it is.
Size: This will show how many stations the
VSX can operate, and in conventional systems
it will either be 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60. You may
expand the VSX controller hardware in incre-
ments of 10 stations at any time, up to a maxi-
mum of 60 stations. In decoder systems, the
Size will always be 103.
AC: Shows the frequency of the incoming AC
power. This is a very important setting, since
the VSX uses the AC power frequency to count
time. North American systems are generally set
to 60 Hz (Hertz). Many international systems
are set to 50 Hz. If you are not sure which

9
VSX OPERATING MANUAL
setting to use, consult a local licensed electri-
cian for the correct value. Refer to the installation
instructions if you need to change this setting.
Address: The unique identification number for
a particular VSX controller in a central system.
If your controller is a standalone, you may
leave this set to “0” unless you plan to use it
with Maintenance Radio.
Main Scale: Indicates that the controller will
operate each station for 100% of its scheduled
Run Time.
Cur Sch Len: A VSX may be programmed on
a multiple day schedule (from 1 to 31 days).
This shows the actual schedule length of the
controller.
Cur Sch Day: This shows which day (of the
schedule in the previous setting) that the con-
troller thinks it is – in this case, day 1 of a
1-day schedule.
Day Change: The time at which the schedule
day changes. The default is midnight, but you
may change the time of day-change to any hour
of the day.
Inhibit is OFF: This setting is only meaningful
in central systems, and shows the status of the
Field Controller Programs (FCPs). If they have
been inhibited, they will not run.
Response: This setting is only meaningful in
central systems, and shows how much commu-
nicating the VSX controller will perform with
the central computer.
MR Run Time: This is the default time-out for
stations started with Maintenance Radio with-
out a run time specified. If you forget to turn
the station off, VSX will turn it off for you in
30 minutes.
MR Pump: This specifies whether the Pump
output turns on whenever a station is started by
a Maintenance Radio command.
Current ET Day: This is only used in central
systems which calculate “look ahead” sched-
ules based on evapo-transpiration rates, and
download them to the controller. This display
will indicate which day of the ET schedule you
are on.
When the controller has finished sequencing
through the FC Settings, it will show the current
day and time. There may be a “POWER
OUTAGE” message flashing in the display.
Press the CLEAR button to clear this message.
If you continue to press the OPTIONS button,
you will cycle through all of the available
controller options:
Pause Watering? Stops irrigation temporarily;
restarts where it left off.
List FC Settings? Automatically displays vital
Field Controller settings.
Edit FC Settings? Allows you to change vital
Field Controller settings.
Block Prgraming? Allows you to group
multiple stations into a single “block” for
programming purposes. See Blocks on page 23.
Remove Program? Allows you to delete a
single program, including all station run times.
Remove Preset? Allows you to delete a single
Preset, including all station run times.
Edit Decoders? Allows setup and/or changes
to decoder/station assignments.
View SYS Events? Allows you to view the
downloaded System Program events.
Del SYS Events? Allows you to delete the
downloaded System Program events.
Radio Xmit Test? (Radio controllers only)
Generates a 5-second test tone for diagnostics.
Edit FC Settings: Of all the Field Controller
options, this is the most vital to set up on a
new installation. Many of the powerful
features of VSX will not work, or will not
VSX Field Controller Options:

10
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work as intended, until these settings are
made.
Press OPTIONS 3 times and the display will
show “Edit FC Settings?” In this menu, you
are able to change many of the settings dis-
played in the “List FC Settings” menu above.
Press ENTER, and the display will show “Set
Address?”
You may now press ENTER, to set or change
the Address, or press OPTIONS again, to view
further settings. You can also use the BACK
and NEXT buttons to move backward and
forward through the settings. Whenever the
display shows a setting you want to change,
press ENTER to edit it.
Set Address: Your VSX Field Controller
cannot communicate with Maintenance Radio
or a central system until it has an Address. Each
controller must have a unique 3-digit number,
so that the central interface and/or Maintenance
Radio can direct communications to the correct
controller. In central systems you will also need
to make sure that a list of correct Field Control-
ler addresses is configured in the central software.
If your VSX controller is a standalone, and you
are not using Maintenance Radio, the Address
is not necessary.
When the display shows “Set Address?”, press
ENTER. The display will show:
Type the address you want with the number
buttons on the keypad and press ENTER. The
display will show “SAVED! Address = 2”.
The address is now saved. You can use any 3-
digit number, and controllers in a central
system do not need to be sequentially num-
bered. However, each controller must have a
unique address. If more than one controller has
the same numeric address, the system will
become confused and errors will occur.
Once the address is set, you may use the
OPTIONS, BACK, or NEXT buttons to view
more options, or you may press EXIT to leave
the Edit Settings mode.
The other changeable settings are:
Set Time?: To set the time, press ENTER. The
display will show:
Type the correct time (1:15, for example, in
hour, then minute format), and press ENTER.
The display will show:
The current am/pm selection will be capital-
ized. The other selection will be in lower case.
Press the TOGGLE button to switch between
AM and PM. When it is correct, press ENTER.
The display will show:
Press ENTER to set the time. The display will
briefly show SAVED! and the time you have
set. After a moment, the display will revert to:

11
VSX OPERATING MANUAL
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Set Date: To set the Date, press ENTER at this
display. The display will then show:
Note: VSX dates are always shown in North
American format (month/day/year).
Type the number for the correct month (1-12), in
this case “3” for March, and press ENTER (you
can also use the BACK/NEXT buttons to move
around in the Date). The display will then show:
Type the number for today’s date (“8” in this
example), and press ENTER. The display will
show:
Type the correct year, and press ENTER. The
display will show:
Press ENTER to set the date. The display will
briefly show SAVED! and the date you have
set. After a moment, the display will revert to:
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Set Main % Scale: “% Scale” allows you to
reduce or increase all of the Run Times in the
controller by the selected percentage (from 1 to
250%, in 1% increments). This enables you to
quickly adjust the amount of irrigation for
weather or other conditions without changing
the basic programs. At 50%, each Run Time
will only run half as long, and at 150%, each
Run Time will run one-and-half times as long.
Note: In the Program Options, you can also
scale individual Programs separately. The
effects of % scaling are cumulative. See Set
Program % Scale on page 30.
To set the Main % Scale from the Edit FC
Settings mode, press ENTER at this display.
The display will then show:
Type the percentage you want with the number
buttons on the keypad, and press ENTER. The
display will briefly show “SAVED!” and the
new % Scale amount. After a moment, the
display will revert to:
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Note that, whenever the controller is scaled up
or down (to any value other than 100%), a “+”
or “-” sign will appear as a reminder in the
upper left corner of the status display (before
the Day and Time information).

12
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Once the Main % Scale has been changed, the
scaled run times for all stations will be dis-
played when the Stations button is pressed in
any Program. To return to the original (or base)
run times, repeat the procedure above and
change the Main % Scale to 100%.
Set Schedule Length: The Schedule Length is
the number of days in a complete VSX watering
period, and allows the controller to track pro-
grams which do not water every day. If you
only water a certain plant type every other day,
for example, you could enter a 2-day Schedule,
and schedule that program to water on just one
of the days. The Schedule Length is tracked for
the entire controller. To set the watering Sched-
ule for individual programs, go to the individual
Program and press SCHEDULE (see Schedule
on page 16).
If you are not sure what schedule you need,
start out with a 7-day schedule (so that it
matches the number of days in a calendar
week). You can always change it later.
If you always water everything every day, you
can also just set a 1-Day schedule.
To set the Schedule Length: Press ENTER at
the “Set Sched Len?” display. The display will
then show:
The default Schedule Length is 14 days: the
maximum is 31 days. Type the number of the
new Schedule Length with the number buttons
on the keypad, and press ENTER. The display
will briefly show “SAVED!” and the new
Schedule Length selection. After a moment, the
display will revert to:
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Set Schedule Day: The Schedule Day shows
which day of the Schedule the controller thinks
it is. For example, if you had set a 7-day sched-
ule for a Schedule Length (above), you could
tell the controller that today is Day 1 of the 7-
Day Schedule, meaning Sunday. If today
happens to be Wednesday, you could tell it that
today is Day 4 (of the 7-day schedule).
Another example would be if most of your
irrigation occurred every day, but a few pro-
grams only run every other day (regardless of
the day of the week). You could set up a 2-day
Schedule Length, and then tell the controller
which of the two days today is (1 or 2). In the
Program Schedule (see Schedule on page 17)
you can specify which days the individual
Programs will water.
To set the Schedule Day (for today): Press
ENTER at the “Set Sched Day?” display. The
display will then show:
Type the number of the new Schedule Day with
the number buttons on the keypad, and press
ENTER. The display will briefly show
“SAVED!” and the new Schedule Day selec-
tion. After a moment, the display will revert to:

13
VSX OPERATING MANUAL
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Set Day Change: The programmable Time of
Day Change option allows you to tell the
controller at what time one day changes into
another, when using the Daily Schedule option.
The default is, of course, midnight (12am).
However, this occurs right during the middle of
many irrigation cycles. If you water a certain
Program every other day, and the irrigation
spans across midnight with multiple cycles, you
may lose the portion of the irrigation which
technically falls on a non-irrigation day.
To prevent this and similar confusion, you may
specify a different hour for your irrigation days
to change. Usually this is done after all irriga-
tion is completed. If your night’s irrigation is
completed by 7 in the morning, you might wish
to set the Day Change to 8:00am. Then, all of
your irrigation will fall within a single irrigation
day.
Note: Time of Day Change only applies to
Daily schedules. Day of Week schedules always
change at midnight.
You may only set the Day Change to an exact
hour (no minutes).
To set the Day Change: Press ENTER at the
“Set Day Change?” display. The display will
then show:
Type the number for the Day Change hour (8,
in this example) with the number buttons on
the keypad, and press ENTER. The display
will show:
The current selection will be capitalized. Other
selections will be in lower case. Press the
TOGGLE button to switch between AM and
PM. When it is correct, press ENTER. The
display will show:
Press ENTER to set the Day Change. The
display will briefly show SAVED! and the time
of Day Change hour you have set.After a
moment, the display will revert to:
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Set FCP Inhibit?: FCPs (Field Controller
Programs) are the Programs numbered from 1
through 64 in the Field Controller. The control-
lers may also irrigate with a master system
program from the central computer, which is
independent of the FCPs, and both types of
programs may run at the same time.
FCP Inhibit will prevent all of the numbered
FCPs from running, so that the only irrigation
will be that sent out by the central computer’s
master system program.
Remember that FCP Inhibit ON means the
FCPs will NOT run. FCP Inhibit set to OFF
means the FCPs will run normally.

14
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To set FCPInhibit: Press ENTER at the “Set FCP
Inhibit?” display. The display will then show:
The current selection will be capitalized (de-
fault is OFF). The “on” selection will be in
lower case. Press the TOGGLE button to switch
between OFF and ON. When it is correct, press
ENTER. The display will flash “SAVED!” and
your selection. After a moment, the display will
revert to:
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK or
NEXTbuttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Set Response?: This will set the level of Field
Controller response to the central computer (if
it is present and communicating). In the Partial
Response setting, the field controller will report
any alarm conditions (such as Fuse Open,
Overload, Power Outage, etc.) if they occur.
In the Full Response setting, the Field Control-
ler will report all events as they occur, includ-
ing every station start and station stop, as well
as alarms. Full Response will also continuously
update the Station Status Display on the central
computer.
If full reports are not desired, or cause too
much communications “chatter”, you can set
this to Partial.
To set Response: Press ENTER at the “Set
Response?” display. The display will then show:
The current selection will be capitalized
(default is PARTIAL). The “full” selection will
be in lower case. Press the TOGGLE button to
switch between PARTIAL and FULL. When it
is correct, press ENTER. The display will flash
“SAVED!” and your selection. After a moment,
the display will revert to:
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Set MR Runtime?: MR = Maintenance
Radio. This determines the time-out timer
setting for stations started by Maintenance
Radio without specified Run Times.
If you simply start a station with Maintenance
Radio without a specific run time (see Sending
a Maintenance Radio command on page 41)
and forget to turn it off, this setting will auto-
matically shut it off after the time shown, to
prevent flooding and damage. The default
value is 30 minutes. You may select a longer or
shorter setting, from 1 minute to 18 hours, for
this safety feature.
To set MR Runtime: Press ENTER at the
“Set MR Runtime?” display. The display will
then show:
Type the number for the default Maintenance
Radio timer (example: 20 minutes) with the

15
VSX OPERATING MANUAL
number buttons on the keypad, and press
ENTER. The display will show:
Press ENTER to set the MR Runtime. The
display will briefly show SAVED! and the MR
Runtime you have set. After a moment, the
display will revert to:
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Set MR Pump?: MR = Maintenance Radio.
This determines whether the Pump output in
the Field Controller will be activated whenever
Maintenance Radio starts stations. If you are
using the Pump output to activate a Pump Start
Relay or a Master Valve, you can choose to
have that output come on whenever a Mainte-
nance Radio command starts a station.
To set MR Pump: Press ENTER at the “Set MR
Pump?” display. The display will then show:
The current selection will be capitalized (de-
fault is YES). The “no” selection will be in
lower case. Press the TOGGLE button to
switch between YES and NO. When it is
correct, press ENTER. The display will flash
“SAVED!” and your selection. After a moment,
the display will revert to:
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Set PINS: The VSX controller has 2 levels of
optional password protection:
The Supervisor level can perform all program-
ming functions.
The Operator level can perform basic functions
(START and STOP commands) which do not
affect the automatic programs and their options.
Each level of access can be protected by a
4-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN).
To set PINs: Press ENTER at the “Set PINs?”
display. The display will then show:
Type any 4 digits (there must be exactly four,
from 0001 to 9999) which you will be able to
remember, and press ENTER. The display will
show:
Type exactly the same PIN number again and
press ENTER. The display will show “SAVED!”.
If you fail to enter the same number the second
time, the display will show ERROR!You will
then need to reenter the PIN and enter the
confirmation a second time.
Once the PIN has been entered correctly, the
display will show:

16
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Repeat the sequence above to enter an Operator’s
PIN number.You are not required to enter a
second level of password protection. If you do not
want an Operator level, simply press ENTER at
this display without entering anything.
If the second (verification) entry of either
Supervisor or Operator level PINs results in an
error, no PIN has been created.
You may change the passwords at any time, but
you must first log on to the controller with the
existing Supervisor-level PIN. If you forget
your PIN, you can clear the password settings.
Contact your distributor or Hunter Field Ser-
vices for help to clear the password settings.
When you press the EXIT button at any time on
the keypad, it will exit the function you are in and
return to the next-highest level in the controller.
After you exit all the way back to the normal
time/date display, and press EXIT again, the
display will show “LOGGED OFF”. This means
that a valid PIN must be entered to log back on
before any programming or operations take place
(if PINs are enabled). If you do not log off when
finished, the controller will log off automatically
after 3 minutes of no activity.
When the PIN settings are complete, press
ENTER. The display will flash “SAVED!” and
your selection. After a moment, the display will
revert to:
You may now press the OPTIONS, BACK, or
NEXT buttons to view more options, or you may
press EXIT to leave the Edit Settings mode.
Writing a Field
Controller Program
Press the PROGRAM SELECT button. The
display will show:
This indicates that you are in Program # 1,
with 0 out of 64 total Programs in use. The
numbers may vary if there are already pro-
grams in the controller’s memory. There may
already be a program name in place of the
dashes. You can edit any Program at any time.
For now, we will work on Program 1 as the
controller came “out of the box”.
Naming a Program:
Press the OPTIONS button. The display will
show “Edit Prg Name”?
Press ENTER. The bottom line of the display
will show “Alpha entry mode”, and the cursor
will be flashing on the first space.
Use the buttons on the keypad to type in a
name for the Program. You may mix letters and
numbers to create accurate names for each
Program (up to 10 total characters long).
Typing Instructions:
Each number button also has a series of letters
of the alphabet assigned to it. While the display
says “Alpha entry mode” the buttons will type
letters only. Press the button rapidly to display
the letter you want. If you release the button
for more than about 1 second, the letter will be
selected and the cursor will advance to the next
position.
To type the word “TEE”, for example, press
the “T” button (#8) once, and wait for a sec-
ond. You may hear a faint beep, and the cursor
will advance to the next space.

17
VSX OPERATING MANUAL
Press the #3 button twice, rapidly, to display the
second letter (e). Wait for a second, and the
cursor will advance to the next position. Repeat
this procedure to type another “e”. The display
should now read “TEE”.
If you make a mistake, you can use the BACK
and NEXT buttons to position the cursor on any
existing space, and type a new character.
To create a dash instead of a character, press the
NEXT button to skip over a space and resume
typing.
To delete a character and leave the space blank,
press the “1” (one) or “0” (zero) buttons once
when in the Alpha entry mode. They do not
have letter assignments and will create a blank
space.
You can also create special symbols with the
“1” (one) or “0” (zero) buttons when in the
Alpha entry mode only. With the first button
press, they create a blank space. If you continue
to press them they will cycle through the
following symbols:
To erase an entire Program Name, press CLEAR.
To type numbers, press the TOGGLE button.
The bottom line of the display will show “Num
entry mode”. Now the buttons will type the
number on the button, instead of the letters. To
delete a number and leave a space, TOGGLE
back to Alpha entry more and use the “1” or
“0”, then TOGGLE back to Num entry mode to
continue typing numbers.
When the name in the display is correct, press
ENTER. The display will show “SAVED!” for
a moment, then return to:
(where ## is the number of the program,
and xxxxxxxxxx is the new Program name
you have entered).
Press the EXIT button to leave the Edit Prg
Name programming. The display will return to
the Program Select level, and will show the
new name of the Program.
Assigning a Schedule to a Field
Controller Program:
The Schedule for a Program determines the
days on which the Program will run. There are
two types of Schedules: Daily or Day of Week.
Daily: Uses the controller calendar to
determine the watering schedule (see Set
Schedule Length on page 12). TOGGLE
each day Yes or No.
Day of Week: Uses the days of the week
(Monday, Tuesday, etc.) to determine the

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watering schedule. TOGGLE each day from
Capital (water) to lower case (no water).
Press the PROGRAM SELECT button repeat-
edly until the name or number of the Program
you want appears in the display. Once you have
pressed PROGRAM SELECT, you can also use
the BACK and NEXT buttons to go backward
or forward through the available Programs.
When the Program you want appears in the
display, press the SCHEDULE button. If the
Program has no Schedule assigned yet, the
display will show:
You may press SCHEDULE again to see the
Day of Week option (you can also use
TOGGLE, or BACK and NEXT, to move
between the options).
Note: If the Program already has a Schedule
assigned, the SCHEDULE button will immedi-
ately show the existing Schedule. If you want to
change to the other type of Schedule, press the
OPTIONS button, and TOGGLE between the
selections as described above.
When the display shows the option you want to
use, press ENTER.
If you select Daily, the display will show
something like:
(the cursor will be flashing under the
“Y” corresponding to the current day).
Prg## will show the Program number selected.
Today= # will display what today’s number is,
in the controller calendar, as in Day 2 of a
14-Day Schedule.
Day 1-7 shows the number of days in the
controller calendar (as set in the Edit FC
Settings selections). If the calendar is longer
than 7 days, the remaining days will be shown
on other pages when you finish setting up the
first seven days.
The “Y”s show Yes for each of the days (default
setting is all days to Yes, regardless of how
many days are in the controller calendar). A
“Y” means the Program will run on that day; an
“n” means it will not.
To set the days for Yes or no, press the TOGGLE
button. TOGGLE will change the setting for the
day from “Y” to “n”. When the day is set correctly,
use the NEXT key to advance to the next day, and
press TOGGLE again to set up the day. Continue
through all the days of the calendar. If there are
more than 7 days, when you press NEXT after
the 7th day is set, the display will show the next
“page” of days.
Do not press ENTER until all the days are set
correctly. If you accidentally press ENTER
before you are finished, the display will show
“Enter to Save”. Press EXIT instead, then
press the SCHEDULE button again to re-enter
the scheduling mode.
After you have set up the entire Daily Schedule
for the Program, press ENTER. The display will
show “Enter to Save”.Press ENTER again. The
display will briefly show “SAVED!”, and then
will return to the Program Name.

19
VSX OPERATING MANUAL
Example:
A controller has a 14-day schedule. You want to
set up a Program to irrigate Monday and Thurs-
day of the first week, and Tuesday and Friday
of the second week. Monday is the first day
(“Day 1”) of the Schedule.
Use the NEXT button and the TOGGLE to create:
After the 7th day, press NEXT again, and the
display will advance to Days 8 through 14.
Continue to press NEXT and use TOGGLE to
configure the second week:
After you have set up the entire Daily Schedule
for the Program, press ENTER. The display
will show “Enter to Save”. Press ENTER
again. The display will briefly show “SAVED!”,
and then will return to the Program Name.
If you select Day of Week, the display will
show something like:
The Program number for the selected Program
will be displayed. DOW = will show which day of
the week today is. The S•M•T•W•T•F•S display
represents each day of the week. The cursor will
be under the day of the week that the controller
thinks it is (in the example above, Tuesday).
Capital letter days are watered. Lower-case
lettered days are non-water days.
Press the TOGGLE button to change the
capital “T” (or any other letter) to a lower-case
“t”. Press TOGGLE again, and the day will
change back to a capital “T”. Press the NEXT
(or BACK) button to move to a different day.
Create capital letters for each day you want to
water, and lower-case letters for each day you
want to skip.
When the whole week is configured correctly,
press ENTER. The display will briefly show
“SAVED!”, and then will return to the Schedule
days you have created.
Example: You want the Program to water all
weekdays, but not weekends. In DOW mode,
use the TOGGLE and NEXT buttons to create:
This shows that Sunday and Saturday will not
be water days, but that the rest of the days will
irrigate.
Press EXIT to leave the Schedule editing
mode. The display will show:
You must press the ENTER button with YES
capitalized to save the new Program Schedule.
If you want to discard it, press the TOGGLE
button to capitalize NO and press ENTER, and
the Schedule will not be saved.
To change a Schedule which has already been set:
Press the PROGRAM SELECT button until the
Program you want to change appears in the
display.

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Press the SCHEDULE button. The display will
show the type of Schedule currently set up for
the Program.
Press the OPTIONS button. The display will show:
(Type of Schedule)
You may then press SCHEDULE, or use the
BACK and NEXT buttons, to cycle through the
choices available. When the display shows the
type of Schedule you want, press ENTER.
Complete the steps for the Schedule types
shown above to finish the new schedule.
Assigning a Start Time to a Field
Controller Program:
The Start Time for a Program determines the
time of day at which the Program will run.
Press the PROGRAM SELECT button repeat-
edly until the name or number of the Program
you want appears in the display. Once you have
pressed PROGRAM SELECT, you can also use
the BACK and NEXT buttons to go backward
or forward through the available Programs.
When the Program you want appears in the
display, press the START button. The display
will show:
You can actually perform two different func-
tions from here.
If you press START again, the program will
begin running immediately (so, be careful!).
This is the Semi-automatic Start feature.
If you press ENTER, the display will show:
The “Prg01” will indicate the Program number
you selected. “XXXXXXXXXX” will be the
name of the Program, if applicable. “Start =”
will show the actual Start Time of day, or OFF
if no Start Time has been programmed yet.
To enter or change a Start Time, simply begin
typing with the number buttons on the keypad.
The number will appear in the display in place
of the word OFF or the previous Start Time.
It is not necessary to enter leading zeroes. For
example, to create a Start Time of 9:30 PM,
type 9 3 0 and press ENTER.
The display will then add AM|pm to the time.
Press the TOGGLE button to change between
AM and PM. When the time is correct, press
ENTER. The display will show “Enter to
Save”. Press ENTER again, and the display
will show SAVED! and the time you have set
for the Start Time.
The controller will automatically start the
Program at the time shown.

21
VSX OPERATING MANUAL
Programming Stations: Run Times,
Events, and Blocks.
A station is a single electrical output from the
field controller. In conventional systems, each
station is a specific screw terminal on the output
board. In decoder systems, each station is a
uniquely-numbered decoder output. The VSX
controller may have up to 60 stations, plus
separate Pump output (conventional), or 103
stations plus a Pump output in a decoder
system.
A run time is the length of time for which the
station will be activated, or in other words, how
long the sprinklers it controls will run. Each
station run time is separately programmed. Run
times may be programmed in 1-minute incre-
ments, from 1 minute to 18 hours, 12 minutes,
in hh:mm format.
A station may appear in more than one Pro-
gram, and it may appear in the same Program
more than once. Stations may run in any order,
and are not required to run sequentially.
The Event refers to the order in which the
station will run. You can run any station in any
order, by setting its Event number. Events
always occur in sequence, from #1 to the last
event.You can assign any station # to any Event #.
Each Program may have up to 30 Events.
To program individual stations:
Press the PROGRAM SELECT button repeat-
edly until the name or number of the Program
you want appears in the display. Once you have
pressed PROGRAM SELECT, you can also use
the BACK and NEXT buttons to go backward
or forward through the available Programs.
When the Program you want appears in the
display, press the STATIONS button. The
display will show:
(or actual numbers)
or9:30pm or 9:30pm –10:45pm
This first display shows the total time for the
Program selected, and the start and end times
for the Program. If it is a new Program, or the
Start Time has been cleared, the second line
will show “No Start Time”. If there is already
a Start Time, it will be shown. If Station Run
Times already exist, the Start and the end time
for the Program will be shown.
Press the STATIONS button again. The display
will show (example):
...or, if the station has never been programmed
before, as at initial installation, it will show:
This will show the station information for the
first “Event” in the Program. The Program