Lotek BC03 User manual

Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual Page 1
BIOTRACKER
RADIO RECEIVER
User's Manual

Page 2 Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual
Contents
Quick Start Guide................................................................................................. 4
Descri tion of receiver o eration ......................................................................... 4
Basic Functions ................................................................................................. 4
Frequency Mode................................................................................................ 4
Channel Mode................................................................................................... 4
Storing Frequencies in Channels .......................................................................... 5
Scanning Mode ................................................................................................. 5
To Panel Controls ............................................................................................... 6
Power ........................................................................................................... 6
LCD Backlight ................................................................................................ 6
U /Down Arrows ............................................................................................ 6
Mode Selection............................................................................................... 6
Tuning Resolution ........................................................................................... 6
Digital Gain/Volume Control Keys...................................................................... 6
Scanning ....................................................................................................... 7
Store in Memory............................................................................................. 7
Change MHz .................................................................................................. 8
Delete........................................................................................................... 8
Numeric Keys................................................................................................. 8
Acce t .......................................................................................................... 8
Cancel .......................................................................................................... 8
Liquid Crystal Dis lay (LCD)................................................................................ 9
Signal Strength Dis lay ................................................................................... 9
Battery State Indicator.................................................................................... 9
Front Panel Connectors and Controls..................................................................... 10
Gain Control Knob ........................................................................................ 10
Battery Charger and External Power Socket...................................................... 10
Charging LED............................................................................................... 10
Antenna in ut .............................................................................................. 11
Head hones Socket ...................................................................................... 11
Serial Port (RS232)....................................................................................... 11
Ste -by-ste instructions .................................................................................... 12
Changing frequency......................................................................................... 12
Storing frequencies to memory (channels) .......................................................... 13
Scanning........................................................................................................ 15
Receiver Use ..................................................................................................... 17
Tracking in wet weather ................................................................................... 17
Batteries ........................................................................................................ 17
Trouble-shooting................................................................................................ 18
Charging Problems .......................................................................................... 18
Battery cover bolts .......................................................................................... 18
Using the serial ort ........................................................................................... 19
Glossary ........................................................................................................... 20
Biotracker S ecifications ..................................................................................... 22
Summary S ecifications Table........................................................................... 22
Full S ecifications Table ................................................................................... 23
S ecification ................................................................................................ 23
Frequency Bands .......................................................................................... 23
Sensitivity ................................................................................................... 23
Selectivity ................................................................................................... 23
Gain Control Range....................................................................................... 23
Channels ..................................................................................................... 23
Scanning ..................................................................................................... 24
Weight ........................................................................................................ 24
Water roofing .............................................................................................. 24
Frequency Stability ....................................................................................... 24
Tuning ........................................................................................................ 25

Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual Page 3
Battery life................................................................................................... 25
External ower su lies ................................................................................. 25
Back-light on LCD ......................................................................................... 25
Regulatory Com liance........................................................................................ 25
Location of In uts, Out uts and Controls ............................................................... 26
APPENDIX A: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.............................................................. 27

Page 4 Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual
Quick Start Guide
Before first use, we recommend you ut the Biotracker on charge. The battery is fully-
charged when the receiver is manufactured, but rechargeable batteries self-discharge
slowly over time and after any eriod of storage will not be at full ca acity.
Description of receiver operation
The receiver has three modes: Frequency, Channel and Scan.
Frequency Mode: Frequency is set directly via the numeric key ad or arrow keys.
Channel Mode: Channels holding stored frequencies are selected via the numeric
key ad or arrow keys. There are 256 channels.
Scan Mode: The receiver ste s in numerical sequence through all channels or
selected channels only.
Basic Functions
• To turn the receiver on and off hold [ON/OFF] down for at least a second.
• To toggle between Frequency and Channel Mode (shown by ‘F’ or ‘C’ in bottom right
corner of dis lay) ress [F/C].
• [X] cancels the current o eration.
• [

] enters the current number (channel, frequency etc) or com letes the current
o eration.
• [DEL] deletes the character at current cursor osition. To delete the contents of a
channel in Channel Mode hold the button down for more than a second.
• The key with the light bulb symbol toggles the dis lay back-light on and off. The light
switches off automatically after about 4 minutes.
• To adjust receiver gain, use the keys with louds eaker symbols. The gain level (00 to
99) is dis layed next to the mode indicator on the bottom row of the LCD. Gain can
also be adjusted (u to the limit shown in the dis lay) using the gain knob. The knob
does not change the gain level dis layed on the LCD.
• Signal strength is dis layed on the to line of the LCD as a horizontal bar gra h, and
the eak signal value is dis layed on the to right. The eak value is held on the
dis lay for 1 second or u dated if another signal is received sooner.
Fre uency Mode
• In Frequency Mode ‘F’ is dis layed in the bottom right corner of the dis lay.
• Ty ing a number enters the kHz frequency units (numbers after the decimal oint).
Press [

] to set the frequency or [X] to cancel and revert back to the revious
frequency.
• To change the MHz frequency (numbers before the decimal oint) ress [MHz].
Enter the MHz frequency and ress [

] to set or [X] to cancel.
• The u /down arrows tune the frequency one ste at a time, at the current tuning
resolution (1 kHz or 0.1 kHz).
• The tuning resolution is toggled between 1 kHz and 0.1 kHz by the key
marked [.000 / .0000].
Channel Mode
• In Channel Mode ‘C’ is dis layed in bottom right corner of dis lay.
• The u /down arrows ste through stored channels in the receiver’s memory.
• Channels can also be recalled by entering a channel number. Press [

] to set
or [X] to cancel.
• To delete the contents of a channel, ress [DEL] for a second or more.

Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual Page 5
Storing Fre uencies in Channels
• Start in Frequency mode and tune to the frequency to be stored
• Press [Store] to dis lay the last used channel on the to line of the dis lay
• Choose a channel using the u /down arrow keys, or enter a channel number
followed by [

].
• Press [Store] to save the frequency to the channel dis layed on the to line. The
receiver will then be in Channel Mode on the chosen channel.
Scanning Mode
• Press [SCAN] to enter Scanning Mode. Two o osing curved arrows are shown on
the bottom right of the dis lay. The to line shows the scan interval in seconds.
• Choose a scan interval by using the arrow keys or ty ing a number (u to 999).
Press [

] to acce t.
• Press [

] again to dis lay channels on to line of the dis lay. Channels that are
selected for scanning show ‘SC’ in the to right of dis lay.
• Toggle channel selection status (‘SC’) on/off by ressing [

]. Scroll through channels
using the arrow keys or ty e a channel number followed by [

] to see other
channels.
• To select all channels for scanning, ress [DEL]. Pressing [DEL] again deselects all
channels without affecting individual channel selection status (‘SC’). When all
channels are selected for scanning, ‘AC’ is dis layed.
• To start scanning ress [SCAN].
• To sto scanning and return to the mode and frequency settings rior to scanning
ress [X].
• To sto scanning and return to Channel Mode with last channel scanned ress
[SCAN].

Page 6 Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual
Top Panel Controls
This section ex lains in detail the function of individual keys.
Power
Hold this key down for one second or more to switch the receiver on or off.
When the receiver is switched on it returns to the state it was in when it was
last switched off. It remembers mode, digital gain level, ste size and
frequency or channel. All memory contents are also retained.
LCD Backlight
This key switches the LCD back-light on and off. The back-light increases
receiver ower consum tion (and reduces battery life) by around 50%. To
conserve ower if the light is accidentally switched on, the light switches off
automatically after about 4 minutes.
Up/Down Arrows
These keys are used to change frequency or channel, de ending on which mode
the receiver is in.
When in Frequency Mode (‘F’ dis layed in bottom right of LCD), the frequency
dis layed on the bottom row of the LCD is changed in either 0.1 kHz or 1kHz
ste s. Pressing the key marked [.000/.0000] toggles between the ste sizes
(tuning resolution).
In Channel Mode (‘C’ dis layed in bottom right of LCD), the arrow keys ste through
occu ied channels dis layed on the bottom row of the LCD. Em ty channels are not
dis layed. After ressing [STORE], the u /down keys ste through all channels
dis layed in the to row of the LCD, including em ty ones.
In Scan Mode (two o osing curved arrows dis layed in bottom right of LCD), and when
scan interval is dis layed in the to row of the LCD, the u /down keys change the scan
interval. After setting the scan interval, the u /down keys ste through occu ied
channels. Em ty channels are not dis layed.
Mode Selection
This toggles between Frequency Mode and Channel Mode. When returning from
Channel Mode to Frequency Mode the frequency dis layed is that of the last
channel selected. The default tuning resolution (ste size) is set to 0.1 kHz.
Tuning Resolution
This key toggles between dis laying the frequency to the nearest 0.1 kHz (four
decimal laces) or to the nearest 1 kHz (three decimal laces). It o erates only
in Frequency Mode.
Digital Gain/Volume Control Keys
The keys with louds eaker symbols control the radio frequency (RF) gain and
audio gain (volume) of the receiver. The u er key increases gain and the
lower one reduces it. The gain level is indicated by the number between 0 and
99 in the bottom right of the LCD, immediately before the mode symbol.
These are known as ‘digital gain keys’ because they set gain in discrete ste s.
Gain can also be controlled using a knob on the front of the receiver. The knob controls
gain in an analogue fashion within the limits set by digital keys gain (i.e. u to the level
shown on the LCD). It does not change the number displayed in the LCD. Setting
the gain to 99 (maximum) using the digital keys enables the knob to cover the entire
gain range.

Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual Page 7
generally the digital keys are used for setting gain to a articular, re eatable level
(dis layed on the LCD). For normal tracking situations, where it is not necessary to
know the exact gain level, the knob allows both faster and finer control of gain.
Scanning
This key uts the receiver into Scan Mode. The to row of the LCD dis lays
‘INTERVAL’ and a number between 001 and 999. This is the eriod in seconds
the receiver dwells on each selected channel when scanning. The number can
be entered directly via the numeric key ad, or increased/decreased using the arrow
keys. When the desired interval is dis layed, ress [

] to set it.
Once the scan interval has been set, the LCD to row dis lays occu ied channels and
indicates whether they are selected for scanning. The information dis layed is
frequency, channel number and, for channels that are selected, the letters ‘SC’ or ‘AC’.
These indicate whether selected channels (SC) or all channels (AC) are to be scanned.
If a channel is not selected for scanning, only the frequency and channel number are
dis layed. When scanning starts, these channels will be excluded. To select or deselect
a channel, ress [

] which toggles channel selection. Do not ress [

] to deselect a
channel, as this cancels Scan Mode. To toggle the selection/deselection of all channels
(AC) ress [DEL]. Use the arrow keys to ste through channels for selection.
When the channels to be scanned have been chosen, ressing [SCAN] starts the
receiver scanning. The bottom row of the LCD dis lays the frequency and number of the
channel currently being scanned, the gain level and the symbol for scan mode (curved
o osing arrows). The to line of the LCD dis lays signal strength and ‘AC’ or ‘SC’,
de ending on whether all channels (AC) or selected channels only (SC) are being
scanned.
To cancel Scan Mode during scanning, ress [SCAN], which returns to Channel Mode
with last channel scanned, or [

], which returns to the mode and frequency settings
rior scanning.
Store in Memory
When ressed in Frequency Mode or Channel Mode this key dis lays the last
used channel on the to row of the LCD. The channel number can be set either
with the arrow keys, or by entering a number directly from the numeric key ad.
If entered from the key ad, [

] must be ressed to set the channel. Pressing [STORE]
a second time uts the currently dis layed frequency on the bottom row into the channel
dis layed on the to row. The receiver is then returned to Channel Mode with the new
channel dis layed in the bottom row.
The main use for [STORE] is to add new channels or change frequencies in existing
channels. Some ty ical sequences are shown below to illustrate this.
To add a new frequency to a new channel:
1. In Frequency Mode, tune to the frequency you wish to store in a channel.
2. Press [STORE] to dis lay a channel on the to row of the LCD.
3. Select the channel in which you want the frequency to the stored (either using the
arrow keys or by direct entry via the numeric key ad followed by [

]).
4. Press [STORE] again to set the frequency in the chosen channel and automatically
switch to Channel Mode with the new channel dis layed.
To change the frequency of an existing channel:
1. In Channel Mode select the channel to be changed.
2. Press [F/C] to change to Frequency Mode.

Page 8 Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual
3. Change the frequency (either using the arrow keys or by direct entry via the numeric
key ad followed by [

])
5. Press [STORE] to dis lay the channel on the to row of the LCD.
6. Press [STORE] again to set the new frequency in the channel and automatically
switch back to Channel Mode with the new frequency dis layed.
Change MHz
This key allows the MHz frequency to be changed in Frequency Mode. After
ressing [MHz] the first laceholder of the MHz frequency will flash and a new
3-digit number can be inserted from the numeric key ad. After inserting 3
digits the cursor moves to the first decimal lace and the kHz frequencies can also be
changed if required. Pressing [

] at any time selects the new frequency. Pressing [

]
cancels any changes and returns to the revious state.
If a number below than the lower frequency limit or above the u er frequency limit is
entered, an ‘OUT OF RANGE’ message is dis layed on the to row of the LCD. Enter a
valid frequency or ress [

] to return to the revious one.
Delete
The delete key has three se arate functions.
The main function, in Channel Mode, is to delete the contents of a channel. To do this,
dis lay the channel to be deleted, then hold the [DEL] key down for 1 second.
Alternatively, ress [STORE] to dis lay a channel on the to row of the LCD. Dis lay
the channel you want to delete and ress [DEL] to delete it and return to Channel Mode.
The second function of the delete key is to delete characters under the cursor during
frequency or channel editing via the numeric key ad.
The third, and least intuitive, function of [DEL] is to toggle the selection/deselection of
all channels for scanning in scan mode (AC). When selecting channels for scanning,
[

] toggles selection of individual channels (dis laying either SC or blank after
frequency and channel number in the to row of the LCD), whereas [DEL] toggles
between AC and SC or blank. When AC is shown, all channels are selected for scanning.
Pressing [DEL] returns all the channels to their revious state (SC or blank).
Numeric Keys
The numeric key ad is used to enter channels or frequencies.
When entering channel numbers, new digits are inserted in the right-hand lace-holder
and shifted left if further characters are added. This is to eliminate the need to enter
leading zeros.
When entering frequencies, the cursor starts under the left-hand laceholder and moves
right as new number are added.
Accept
This key is equivalent to [ENTER] on a com uter keyboard. It is used to acce t
any changes being made via the numeric key ad.
Cancel
This is the ‘Cancel’ Key. Pressing it during any editing o eration returns the
receiver to the state it was in before the editing o eration began. Pressing [

]
in Scan Mode cancels scanning and returns the receiver to its revious mode.
1
9

Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual Page 9
Li uid Crystal Display (LCD)
The LCD has two rows with 16 character laces er row. The diagrams below show the
osition of information dis layed in different modes.
LCD Functions in Frequency Mode or Channel Mode
LCD Functions in Scanning Mode
Signal Strength Display
The Lotek Biotracker Receiver dis lays signal strength in two ways: using a bar gra h
and a number. Both indicators are dis layed on the to line of the LCD. The system
res onds to ulses over 10 ms long and above a threshold, so under normal
circumstances noise is ignored. The dis lay is held for 1 second after triggering
(otherwise ulses would be too short to see). If the dis lay is constantly being triggered
by noise, the ulses are likely to be missed.
The dis lay can be changed by adjusting the gain. If there is too much noise and it is
triggering the dis lay, turn the gain down. Similarly, reduce gain if the signal is causing
the bar gra h to swing full scale (and the number dis layed is 99).
Battery State Indicator
The em ty battery symbol in the to right of the LCD indicates when the battery needs to
be recharged. When the battery is OK this symbol is NOT shown; it only a ears when
the battery has about 10% of its ca acity remaining. There is no ‘full battery’ symbol.
Selection of
channels for
scanning
Channel to
be scanned
All
channels
Selected
channels
Channel
not selected
Fre uency in MHz
0.1 kHz
resolution In Channel Mode
only. 001 to 256
Signal Strength
Bar Chart
1 kHz
resolution
Gain
(01 to 99)
Signal Strength
Battery Low
Relative scale
(01 to 99)
Mode
Channel
Number
Channel
Mode
Scanning
Mode
Frequency
Mode

Page 10 Lotek Biotracker Receiver User’s Manual
Front Panel Connectors and Controls
Gain Control Knob
Receiver gain is controlled by two keys (marked with louds eaker symbols) on the
key ad and by a knob on the front of the box. The key ad controls are digital and set
gain to a level shown in the LCD as a whole number between 0 and 99. The knob also
controls gain, but on a continuum between zero and the value shown in the LCD. The
knob does not change the gain level number dis layed on the LCD.
Setting gain to 99 using the key ad allows the full gain range to be controlled by the
knob. Setting digital gain to a lower level revents higher gains being accessible via the
knob, and gives finer control over the available gain range. The main benefit of using
the knob to control receiver gain is that it is quicker to move through the gain range.
The otentiometer under the gain control knob is hermetically sealed, as is its hole in the
receiver box. Unlike analogue controls on most electronic equi ment, it is com letely
water roof.
Battery Charger and External Power Socket
Charging must be done in an ambient tem erature between 5 and 35°C. This is because
there is a thermal cut-out in the charging circuit to revent over-charging of the battery
cells (over-charging cells can damage them). The thermal cut-out threshold is set to
50°C, but the heat generated by the charging rocess can cause this threshold to be
reached in ambient tem eratures above 35°C.
The charging state is shown by an LED next to the charging socket. It flashes red during
battery charging and steady green when charging is com lete.
The receiver will not be harmed if the external ower su ly is left attached after
charging is com lete, but still it is good ractice not to leave the ower su ly connected
for longer than necessary.
Only the s ecial NiMH 4A battery ack su lied with the receiver can be charged inside
the receiver. The receiver revents any other form of battery being connected to the
internal charging circuit. This is mainly to safeguard against charging non-rechargeable
(i.e. rimary) cells, because if charged they may ex lode!
If other rechargeable cells are used (i.e. with the AA battery holder su lied), they need
to be charged inde endently with a se arate AA-size battery charger.
Charging LED
This LED flashes red during battery charging and steady green when charging is
com lete.