NAL A3LA-IGS Instruction Manual
T
N2004-20-V3.2
HOW TO USE MODEL A3LA-IGS
TECHNICAL NOTE
December 6, 2004
PRELIMINARY
Copyright © 2003 - 2004 by NAL Research Corporation
The specifications in this document are subject to change at NAL Research’s discretion. NAL Research assumes no responsibility for any claims or damages arising out of the use of this document or
from the use of the A3LA-IGS based on this document, including but not limited to claims or damages based on infringement of patents, copyrights or other intellectual property rights. NAL Research
makes no warranties, either expressed or implied with respect to the information and specifications contained in this document. Performance characteristics listed in this document are estimates only
and do not constitute a warranty or guarantee of product performance.
1. Remove the SIM cover located on top of the A3LA-IGS by unscrewing two hex bolts.
Integrated SIM
Chip Reader
SIM Cove
r
2. Under the SIM cover is an integrated SIM Chip Reader. The A3LA-IGS uses and requires an Iridium
SIM chip for operation. It can be purchased from any of the authorized Iridium Service Providers
listed on the Iridium webpage (www.iridium.com). The SIM chip should be detached from the full-
size SIM card as shown in picture below.
SIM chip
Full-size SIM card
3. Slide the SIM Chip Reader’s plastic bracket in the direction indicated by the arrow and lift up the
bracket. Place the SIM chip (facing down) into the SIM bracket as shown in picture below. There is a
small cut-off on one of the corners of the SIM chip. Make sure that the cut-off is pointing upward
which should align the SIM chip with the SIM Chip Reader. Lower the bracket and lock the SIM
bracket by sliding in the reverse direction. Remount the SIM cover.
SIM chip with cut-off
pointing upward
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4. The A3LA-IGS is shipped with a CD labeled Manuals/Software for Model A3LA-IGS. There are two
software packages on the CD—Terminal Software and Server for Terminals Software. Load the
Terminal Software onto a Windows®-based personal computer by following instructions in the
Terminal Software Manual (also available on the CD).
5. Connect the computer loaded with the Terminal Software to the A3LA-IGS using the HRC-24-7 cable
provided. The HRC-24-7 cable consists of a full DB-9 serial connector and two terminal leads for
power input. Connect ~4.4VDC (can range from 4.0VDC to 5.0VDC) power source to the terminal
leads; however, do not power up the A3LA-IGS until indicated by the Terminal Software. The baud
rate of the computer should be set at 19.2 kbits/sec.
4.4VDC
RS232
NALResearch
Antenna
HRC-24-7 cable
6. Run the Terminal Software to setup the operating parameters of the A3LA-IGS. NOTE: the SIM chip
must be in the A3LA-IGS before any configuration parameters are to be set. Once all the operating
parameters are saved and the computer is removed, the A3LA-IGS is ready to be used.
7. Connect an Iridium antenna into the TNC connector (not included with the A3LA-IGS) and the GPS
antenna provided with the A3LA-IGS into the SMA connector. Any of the four types of Iridium
antennas offered by NAL Research is appropriate. Make sure both antennas have full view of the sky
and the cable loss between the A3LA-IGS and Iridium antenna is less than 3 dB.
Iridium Antenna
Connector
GPS Antenna
Connector
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8. Supply DC power of ~4.4V (can range from 4.0VDC to 5.0VDC) to the two power input wires of the
less than 500 milliseconds. The A3LA-IGS will automatically turn on/off when DC power is
applied/removed. If power to the A3LA-IGS is cycled, make sure the elapsed time between each
power cycle of about a minute. NAL Research’s AC adapter model LA-2098 (purchase separately)
can be used to power the A3LA-IGS (see picture below).
AC Power Adaptor
Model LA-2098
WARNING: DO NOT CONNECT OR DISCONNECT THE GPS ANTENNA
WHILE THE A3LA-IGS IS POWERED UP. THIS WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO
THE GPS RECEIVER.
9. The A3LA-IGS should begin to operate based on the pre-programmed parameters. Note that if the
A3LA-IGS is used under the “2way” mode (programmed to call into a server), the server computer
must be loaded with the Server for Terminals Software.
10. The A3LA-IGS is basically a “black box” with no indicators of any kind (power on light, satellite
registration status, satellite signal strength, etc.). This can pose great difficulties to first-time users
who are not familiar satellite modems. For application developers, NAL Research recommends the
use of an audio breakout box model SYN-AD-LBT and a handset model SCN4052A in combination
with the A3LA-IGS. This setup can be a useful diagnostic tool allowing the A3LA-IGS status to be
displayed on LCD of the handset.
SCN4052A
SYN-AD-LB
T
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11. Check the followings if a connection cannot be made by the A3LA-IGS:
a. Iridium antenna has a full view of the sky
b. The PIN number has been removed from the SIM chip
c. Power source provides enough current
12. Check the followings if using the breakout box and handset:
a. Red LED light on the breakout box and LCD screen on the handset are ON. If not, check for
appropriate power input.
b. <Enter PIN> message is not displayed on the LCD. Enter appropriate PIN number if
requested by the A3LA-IGS (the default PIN is 1111). The handset can be used to remove
the PIN permanently.
c. Displayed satellite signal strength on the LCD must be at least 3 bars. Re-arrange/re-locate
the Iridium antenna if the signal strength remains at 3 bars or below.
13. If the breakout box and handset are not available, use the following steps to check if the SIM or the
Phone Control is locked:
a. Use the Terminal Software to set the A3LA-IGS to either the A3LA-I or the A3LA-IG.
b. With the Terminal Software, open the AT Command Table for the AT+CPIN command and
click the Read button.
c. If the response from the A3LA-IGS is “SIM PIN”, then the SIM is currently locked (or
activated). To remove the SIM, do the followings:
i. Enter the SIM PIN code (each SIM is shipped with the default code of 1111) in the “p”
box, and then click the Send button. If the PIN code is correct, the response from the
A3LA-IGS should be “OK”.
ii. Open the AT Command Table for the AT+CLCK command, and then choose “SC” from
the “f” box, choose “0” from the “m” box and enter the PIN code (again the default
code is 1111) in the “p” box. Then, click the Send button. If the PIN code is correct,
the response should be “OK”.
iii. Now, the SIM is removed and ready to be used.
d. If the response is “PH PIN”, then the surface control for the A3LA-IGS is currently locked
and the phone PIN code needs to be entered in order to use the commands that operate
the A3LA-IGS. To unlock the A3LA-IGS surface control, do the same procedure in part c
above except “CS” should be chosen instead of “SC” in step ii.
e. If the response is “READY” or “SIM PIN2”, then the SIM is not locked and the A3LA-IGS is
ready to be used. No PIN code needs to be entered.
f. If the response is “SIM PUK” or “SIM PUK2”, contact your service provider.
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14. If using an iPAQ PDA, a serial autosync cable for the PDA is needed in addition to the NULL modem
adapter and the HRC-24-7 cable provided. Connect the PDA to the modem as shown in the diagram
below using a NULL Modem with pin 6 removed.
15. How to send SBD emails to the modem:
a. In order to send e-mail messages to the A3LA-IGS tracking terminal, the e-mail program
must use the standard Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) Base64 encoding as
defined in RFC 2045. The following instructions describe how to set this up for Outlook
Express:
i. Select “Tools/Options”.
ii. Click the “Send” Tab.
iii. Under “Mail Sending Format”, click “HTML Settings…”
iv. Click MIME.
v. Select “Base 64” for Encode text using.
vi. Click OK.
vii. Under “Mail Sending Format”, click “Plain Text Settings…”
viii. Repeat steps 4 –6.
b. Send all e-mail messages to [email protected].
c. Place the IMEI number of the modem in the subject line.
d. The message should be carried in an attachment, which must have a “.sbd” extension.
Please see “Terminal Software Manual” for more information.
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16. How to send SMS emails to the modem:
a. Place the phone number of the modem followed by”@msg.iridium.com” in the destination
email address line.
b. The sender’s email address will be included in the user data field of the SMS message
automatically. It will be placed before the user’s message starts and any data in the subject
line will be ignored. To exclude the sender’s email address from the SMS message, place
“NO” in the subject line.
c. Enter the actual message in the text field. The maximum length of the user data of the SMS
message is 160. Please note that the length of the user data includes the length of the
sender’s email address plus 1 for a space unless “NO” is placed in the subject line.
d. Send.
Note: When sending SMS emails to the modem by email account, some characters in the
user data field of the SMS message may arrive differently in the modem. This happens
because most email servers use standard ASCII characters (ISO-8859-1 decimal codes)
while SMS uses another 7-bit alphabet format. Therefore, some of the SMS characters
might not be supported by the email server or some of the ASCII characters might not be
supported by SMS.
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Warning: Due to a restriction in the US DoD gateway, when DoD SIM users receive SMS
messages by email, the message is limited to 120-character message length, and the unit cannot
send out SMS messages by email.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION
For technical support, please contact us at:
Phone: 703-392-1136 x200 or
E-mail: contact@nalresearch.com
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