Microsat WX3IN1 User manual
WX3IN1 (v1.18)
APRS DIGIPEATER
APRS-IS CLIENT
APRS-IS MESSAGES FORWARDING
WEATHER STATION SERVER
Instruction manual
Con iguration so tware manual
Designer: Mateusz Płociński SQ3PLX
Producer: Microsat
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Table of Contents
1. Technical parameters..............................................................................3
2. Device eatures.....................................................................................3
2.1. APRS client / digipeater.....................................................................3
2.2. APRS-IS client..................................................................................3
2.3. APRS-IS messages orwarding................................................................4
2.4. Weather station server.......................................................................4
3. Connecting to weather station...................................................................5
4. Connecting to radio................................................................................6
5. Connecting to PC...................................................................................7
6. Connectors and device status LEDs description................................................8
7. Description o con iguration so tware.........................................................10
7.1. Opening a connection.......................................................................10
7.2. Reading con iguration rom the device..................................................10
7.3. Writing con iguration to the device......................................................10
7.4. Firmware update............................................................................10
7.5. Radio Settings................................................................................11
7.6. Digipeater Settings..........................................................................12
7.7. Beacon Settings..............................................................................13
7.8. I-Gate Settings...............................................................................14
7.9. Weather reports con iguration............................................................15
7.10. RTC clock con iguration...................................................................16
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1. Technical parameters
Dimensions 111x91x35 mm
Weight 200g
Supply voltage 12VDC typ. (9 - 16VDC)
Power consumption 80mA
Operation temperature -30°C / +70°C
Humidity 95% max.
Ethernet 10/100 Base-T
Power connector 5,5mm connector
Weather station connector DB-9 male, RS-232 standard
PC connector USB-B (printer cable type)
Radio connector Mini DIN 6 pin (PS/2)
2. Device eatures
2.1. APRS client / digipeater
The main purpose o the device is receiving and sending data rames via APRS
radio. WX3in1 is capable o receiving an APRS rame, decoding the sender, recipent,
path and in ormation ield. Then actions are per ormed in accordance with the options
con igured by user:
•Frame orwarding via the APRS network,
•Sending a rame to the APRS-IS server,
•Possibility to ignore the rame i it does not meet the speci ied criteria.
The device irmware implements the ollowing mechanisms:
•Checksum Veri ication - rames with errors are ignored,
•Anti- lood - repeated rames in a short time interval are not orwarded,
•Path checking - the decision to rame orwarding is based on a path, the user
de ines whether to orward WIDE1-1, Widen-N, Spn-N rames and the maximum
value o n.
WX3in1 also allows you to generate APRS data rames APRS with in ormation ield
de ined by the user and send them in a speci ied interval. In this way, it is possible to
send beacons and objects.
2.2. APRS-IS client
WX3in1 allows you to connect to APRS-IS network servers. A ter loging to selected
server, it is possible to send data received rom the APRS radio network. All rames with
correct ormat and checksum are sent by the device.
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2.3. APRS-IS messages orwarding
The device allows you to receive messages rom the APRS-IS server. Then the
destination station is checked i it is heard in the immediate vicinity o the radio APRS
network. I a station is heard then message rame is sent via APRS radio and repeated
three times in the absence o con irmation ACK.
2.4. Weather station server
WX3in1 allows you to receive weather in ormation rom the WS2300 and WS2350
stations via the RS-232 cable. The data is then encoded into the APRS rame and may be
sent to a radio network at speci ied intervals. Additionally WX3in1 allows you to send
the same rames to APRS-IS server.
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3. Connecting to weather station
WX3in1 works with WS2300 and WS2350 weather stations.
Communication between the weather station and WX3in1 is
possible using RS-232 cable supplied by the manu acturer o the
station. The cable must be connected to the WEATHER DB9-type
connector on the WX3in1 rear panel.
It is not necessary to set the time and date in the weather
station as WX3in1 has its own internal RTC (Real Time Clock) with
battery backup.
It is only necessary to calibrate the atmospheric pressure
and reduce it to a value relative to sea level (WX3in1 sends an ABSOLUTE pressure value
and not relative, which is not being calibrated in these models o weather stations).
Tips for assembling of the weather station sensors.
The signal rom the anemometer and rain gauge is sent to an intermediate unit
(thermometer and hygrometer) in an analogue way. Only a ter the exit o the
intermediate unit data is sent to a central unit with LCD display in digital orm, so
DO NOT install the anemometer and rain gauge directly under the antenna o APRS
transmitter, as it can cause incorrect calculation o unit rain all. Observations show that
the rain gauge and anemometer distance o about 6 meters rom the antenna does not
cause problems in the operation o the receiver.
This tip is not part o the weather station installation instructions and it comes
rom experience and ield tests o WS2300 and WS2350 stations.
Be sure to read the installation instructions or WS2300 and WS2350 weather
stations supplied by the manu acturer.
It is recommended to make a connection between the weather station and sensors
using a cable and dispense with the unreliable and insecure radio communications,
which may be urther distorted by the APRS antenna.
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4. Connecting to radio
Radio MINI DIN 6pin connector is placed on the rear panel o WX3in1. Pinout o
this connector is described in the ollowing igure.
Connector pinout description:
1. RS-232/UART pin (currently not used),
2. APRS signal output rom the device to the microphone input o radiotelephone.
This output also acts as a signal o PTT by shorting pin to ground through a
resistor 2k2 - an option or portable radios that do not have a separate PTT
output,
3. RS-232/UART pin (currently not used),
4. APRS signal input rom radio to WX3in1,
5. Ground pin,
6. PTT output - i the external PTT output is selected in device con iguration, this
pin is shorted to ground while broadcasting.
The level o input and output should be individualized in such a way that the
rames are decoded correctly. Recommended input signal amplitude is about
0.7V. Potentiometer inside o the device is provided or output signal level
adjustment.
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5. Connecting to PC
WX3in1 device is con igured with the WX3in1 Con igurator so tware. To connect to
your computer, ollow these steps:
•Power o the WX3in1 device,
•Connect the USB cable to your computer,
•Power on the WX3in1 device,
WX3in1 enters into con iguration mode only when USB cable is detected while powering
up and it is indicated by SETUP led blinking.
A ter connecting and powering, WX3in1 is detected in Windows as a new device,
then system asks or the drivers that are available in the drivers directory o WX3in1
so tware package. A ter this, run the con iguration so tware and select the COM port
where the device is installed. Then choose OPEN PORT (success ul connection is
indicated by a message window).
The ollowing image shows the application window, the ields highlighted in green
have been discussed above.
Sometimes WX3in1 can install on a higher port which is not available or selection
rom within the application con iguration. In this situation, please use the
Windows Device Manager to ind the port o the device and change the COM port
number to lower in range o 1-10. Then disconnect the USB and a ter reconnecting
WX3in1 should appear on the appropriate COM port.
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6. Connectors and device status LEDs description
There are 6 leds on the ront panel that show the status o device operation. The
ollowing image shows the location o LEDs and their meaning.
•Radio TX - The red LED lights during transmission - the device sends an APRS data
rame,
•Radio RX - Yellow LED illuminates when receiving a signal rom the radio
(indicates the channel is busy),
•WX - Orange LED indicates proper communication with weather station, it blinks
a ter correct weather data package reception,
•Status - Green LED indicates the status o the device (LED lights up regularly
every 3 seconds, indicating correct operation),
•Lan TX - Blue LED illuminates when sending TCP/IP to the Ethernet,
•Setup - The red LED blinks when the device is connected to the PC,
Connectors:
•Ethernet - RJ45 (ethernet network connection)
•USB - a USB socket-B (printer type), used to connect to a computer (PC).
There are two additional LEDs in the Ethernet connector that indicate the status o the
connection with the router. One o them lit all the time when the connection to the
router is correct (it only indicates valid physical connection and not the correct IP
address, gateway and netmask settings), a second LED is lit only when sending or
receiving data.
The ollowing image shows the location o connectors on the back panel o the device.
The green LED above the power connector indicates power is applied.
Connectors:
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•5.5-type power connector (center pin is a power supply plus)
•Weather station (DB9) – Connects to weather station,
•Radio - (mini din 6 pin) - Connects to radio.
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7. Description o con iguration so tware
7.1. Opening a connection
A ter running the application, it is necessary to select the COM port o WX3in1
assigned by Windows. Then use OPEN PORT to connect to the device.
7.2. Reading con iguration rom the device
To read the con iguration rom the device you must use the READ CONFIG button,
a ter this action, the program will download current con iguration values rom WX3in1
internal memory.
7.3. Writing con iguration to the device
A ter entering all parameters, such as a characters, objects, beacons, times, etc.,
choose WRITE CONFIG to upload current con iguration to WX3in1 internal memory.
7.4. Firmware update
I there is a new so tware update, you should upload the new irmware attached
to WX3in1 Con igurator so tware package. For this purpose, select the option UPLOAD
FIRMWARE, then open a new window or selecting iles. From the directory WX3in1
Con igurator / irmware select the ile wx3in1_ irmware_vXXX.hash (where XXX is the
next version o the irmware). A ter the update, disconnect the device rom the
computer and cycle power.
After pdating the firmware, yo may need to re- pload config ration settings.
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7.5. Radio Settings
Below is the description o unctions and their meanings:
•Callsign – The sign o our station with SSID extension. The de ault SSID is 0,
•TX delay (ms) – The delay time TX / RX in milliseconds or sending packages. It is
a kind o preamble that is sent be ore the data rame in order to synchronize the
receivers which listen on an APRS network. The recommended value is not less
than 250ms,
•Quiet time (ms) – Minimum time o a ter the radio channel is busy. A ter this time
data rame is sent rom the transmit bu er,
•PTT – PTT output selection, we can choose between two options:
•SEPARATE OUTPUT – PTT output pin is short-circuit to ground while
broadcasting,
•2K2 RESISTOR – AUDIO OUT is short-circiut to ground with 2k2 Ohm resistor,
unction used in some handheld radios or broadcasting,
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7.6. Digipeater Settings
Below is the description o unctions and their meanings:
•Digipeater on – Forwarding packets rom other stations i the path is set correctly,
•Duplicate checking (s) – Time in seconds a ter which the next rame will be
orwarded, i it has the same content as the previous one. This unction allows
you to ignore the stations, which are looding the network rames with doubled
rames,
•Simple aliasses – currently not implemented,
•Path (n-N) table – here you can insert New-N Paradigm paths to be handled by
WX3in1 Digipeater.
•First column – path name, WIDE, SP, etc.
•Second a third column – minimum and maximum n or path to be
orwarded, or example WIDEn-N with n>=1 and n<=3 will orward paths:
WIDE1-1, WIDE2-2, WIDE2-1, WIDE3-3, WIDE3-2, WIDE3-1,
•Fourth column – i Yes, WX3in1 will add its own callsign to the path, i No,
it will not do that,
•Fi th column – i not checked, current row will not be active.
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7.7. Beacon Settings
•Dest – The destination address when sending beacons, objects, status, etc. We
can choose a destination address o APNW01 or BEACON. When rames are sent
with the path (eg, WIDE2-2), we can only choose APNW01 as a destination
address, which identi ies the device as WX3in1,
•DigiPath – APRS path,
•Rate (min) – Parameter, expressed in minutes, in which we determine how o ten
the data rame will be sent,
•Aprsis – You can also choose whether, in addition to the radio path, the rame will
be sent also to the APRS-IS server,
•Message – Frame structure ield, when the ield is empty then the rame is not
sent.
The ollowing explanation o how to enter data in the message ield.
To properly generate a rame structure, please read the in ormation on the APRS rames.
I recommend the website o the polish group's ounder Andrew Bartosz SP3LYR APRS,
where all is nicely described (in polish): http://www.aprs.pl.
Example rame:
@<date>z5223.13N/01658.09E_WX3IN1 Test.
•@ - APRS data ID,
•<date>z – time and date in the ormat DDHHMM (day / hour / minute), time is not
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a necessary parameter or each object, beacon, etc., it is dependent on whether
you want to send rames with time or not,
•5223.13N/01658.09E - Position o object, status, etc.,
•„_” - sign a ter coordinates is a symbol o our beacon station, object, etc., please
re er to the table o symbols at http://aprs.pl/ikony.htm,
•WX3in1 test - in ormation ield, here we can enter our in ormation about the
station, beacon, etc.
To send a status o our station, object, etc. we have to introduce a combination o the
ollowing example:
>W2,SPn P znan I-Gate,Digi,WX
In this case ">" means the identi ier o APRS. Please re er to the explanation o APRS
identi iers.
The data identi ier (in our case is ">"), is ollowed by in ormation ield in which we can
add our own entries.
7.8. I-Gate Settings
Below is the description o unctions and their meanings:
•IP Address – WX3in1 device IP address,
•IP Mask – WX3in1 network mask,
•Gateway – network gateway, usually your router IP address,
•APRS-IS Acount – APRS-IS account in ormation
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•Username – At this point we enter the call sign or the APRS-IS server, you
can use the SSID. For example SR3XXX-10,
•Password - Validation code obtained during the registration o the callsign
in the APRS-IS network,
•Gate RF tra ic to APRS-IS – I selected, WX3in1 collects all packets received by
radio (with the exclusion o RFONLY, NOGATE, TCPIP) and sends them to the APRS-
IS server,
•Gate msg rom APRS-IS to RF – I selected WX3in1 will send messages received via
the Internet or sites that are heard in the APRS network ( or which the RF rames
were received by WX3in1 in the past 15 minutes),
•IP1, IP2, IP3 - APRS-IS servers addresses which WX3in1 will try to connect. WX3in1
tries to connect to the irst address and, in case o ailure, it connects to the
next,
•Port – APRS-IS servers TCPIP port numbers,
7.9. Weather reports con iguration
Below is the description o unctions and their meanings.
•Latitude – north-south position,
•Longitude – east-west position,
•DigiPath – APRS path or weather reports,
•Comment – Weather reports comment ield,
•Weather to APRS – I checked, weather reports will be sent to APRS via radio,
•APRS TX Rate – Time, in minutes, how o ten weather reports will be sent to APRS
(minimum time - 5 minutes),
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•Weather to APRSIS – I checked, weather reports will be sent to APRS-IS via
internet,
•APRSIS TX Rate - Time, in minutes, how o ten weather reports will be sent to
APRS-IS (minimum time - 5 minutes).
7.10. RTC clock con iguration
WX3in1 has an internal real time clock to store current date and time in case o power
ailure. The clock is used or the dating o the position, beacons, objects and weather
reports sent via WX3in1.
Real-time clock is maintained by a 3V lithium battery CR2032 type. The current drawn
by the clock is ca. 2 uA, which ensures proper maintenance o the clock or about 5
years.
WARNING!
Danger of explosion if battery incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same or
eq ivalent type recommended by the man fact rer. Dispose of sed batteries
according to the man fact rer of the battery.
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