RADAC WaveGuide User manual

Instruction manual
WaveGuide &
WaveGuide Server
Radac bv
Elektronicaweg 16b
2628 XG DELFT
Phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
www.radac.n l

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Version 4.1 2 of 30 Oct 2013

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Version 4.1 3 of 30 Oct 2013

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................................................................4
Installation.....................................................................................................................................................................5
The WaveGuide Sensor...........................................................................................................................................5
Cabling.....................................................................................................................................................................6
The WaveGuide Server............................................................................................................................................7
Commissioning the system...........................................................................................................................................9
Connect the WGS to a computer.............................................................................................................................9
Authorization.........................................................................................................................................................10
Inspect the quality of the measurements...............................................................................................................11
Set sample rate and mounting height and pipe diameter......................................................................................12
Set system date/ time.............................................................................................................................................13
Data distribution:...................................................................................................................................................14
Data distribution:...................................................................................................................................................14
Using the system.........................................................................................................................................................17
Parameters.............................................................................................................................................................17
Spectra...................................................................................................................................................................18
Data logging..........................................................................................................................................................19
Configure network.................................................................................................................................................20
Appendix1:..................................................................................................................................................................21
All parameters........................................................................................................................................................21
Appendix 2: ...............................................................................................................................................................23
Properties file “wgs.properties”............................................................................................................................23
Appendix 3: ................................................................................................................................................................26
Service via com1...................................................................................................................................................26
Appendix 4..................................................................................................................................................................27
Measuring principle...............................................................................................................................................27
Appendix 5..................................................................................................................................................................29
Specifications.........................................................................................................................................................29
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Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Introduction
The WaveGuide system is a very accurate level gauge which is compact, robust and easy to install. It is suited to
measure water level, tide and waves, up to the most extreme conditions. The system consist of a radar unit and a
server unit.
The WaveGuide Radar unit is based on Enrafs tankgauging radar the 973 Smartradar. It uses radar to measure
the distance between the radar antenna and the water surface.
The radar is mounted above open water. A flat 20 cm patch antenna (the F08) is used. The radar can be mounted at
any suitable location with free space to the water.
The WaveGuide Server unit (WGS) takes care of all data handling ( collection, processing, distribution,
presentation and logging) also it facilitates commissioning and (remote) servicing of the system.
The radar is connected with the server via a RS485 serial link allowing a maximum cable length of 1200m.
All facilities are made easily available via the build in web server and the standard web browser at your own
computer. The web server facility is the most convenient way of communication but not the only one. It is also
possible to communicate via one of the serial ports.
In this manual first mounting and installation is described followed by the commissioning of the system via the
user interface. Secondly all facilities are described, successively data processing, data presentation, data
distribution and data logging.
In appendix1 detailed information is given about all available information. Appendix2 describes for the expert
user how to configure the system via the properties file. In case the web browser interface can not be used is for
the expert user the communication via the serial port described in appendix3 . The measuring principle is
described in appendix4. Finally the system specifications are given in appendix5.
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Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Installation
The WaveGuide Sensor
The WaveGuide radar can be positioned at any suitable mounting location with free space to the water. It is
advised to choose a position such that the radar beam is free from large reflecting obstacles (beam width F08
antenna 5 deg half top angle). This does not only includes horizontal objects in the beam , such as ducts, but also
vertical structures as bridge pillars, quay walls, legs of an oil rig, etc. It is recommended to mount the WaveGuide
at a minimum distance of 0,1x the height of the pole or qua wall.
The sensor has four mounting holes (Ø 11mm) in the top flange and lid equally distributed at a circle of 240mm
To facilitate the mounting, a mounting plate and a rail
mounting are available.
Reference level for the measured distance to the water
surface is the bottom side of the sensor unit.
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Fig. 2: Dimensions of the sensor unit.
Fig. 3: Sensor with mounting plate.
Fig. 1: The WaveGuide sensor
Fig. 4: Measures of mounting plate.

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Cabling
On top of the sensor unit there is a connection box. The five pole Phoenix connector is wired as indicated in the
table below.
The cable gland is meant for cables with a diameter
between 9 and 13 mm.
Mains: Mains supply is 24-64VDC. Supply variations of +10% and – 20% are allowed. The power
rating is max 18W.
Communication : Standard the WaveGuide radar communicates with the WaveGuide Server via an RS-485
connection (A, B and signal ground). The cable must be twisted pairs and shielded (eg.
Novasub DLR3). The maximum length is 1200 m. The shielding must be connected to ground
to both sides of the cable. There can be a potential difference between the grounds at the radar
location and the server location. Therefore a capacitor (10 to 100 nF) should be applied on one
side of the cable between shield and ground.
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Connector function right connector WGS
++ Radar +
- - Radar -
1Rs485 A Radar 1
2Rs485 B Radar 2
3Rs485 GND Radar 3
Connection scheme Fig. 6: The connector compartment

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
The WaveGuide Server
The WaveGuide Server (WGS) is available in two versions an IP67 version and a rack mount version. The IP67
version is a 190 x190 mm polycarbonate box. Connectors, buttons and display are all on one side. Cables are fed
via a removable cover plate. The rack mount version has a 19'' front panel (2U height). It has the push buttons and
the display at the front and the connectors at the back side.
Most connections can be made via two 10 pole screw connectors.
The right connector is to connect the radar and the supply.
●Pins 1,2 and 3 are to be connected to the corresponding terminals 1,2 and 3 in the radar. The link is
RS485.
●To facilitate a “one cable” connection to the radar it is also possible to feed the radar from the WGS by
pins 4 (+) and 5 (-). The power via these pins is switched on and of by the main switch of the WGS.
●Via pin 7(+) and 8(-) of the right plug the WaveGuide Server is powered by 24VDC (18 – 36VDC)
●Pin 9 and 10 are connected with the housing of the WGS in order to connect a protective ground.
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Fig 7: The WaveGuide Server IP67 version
Fig 8: WaveGuide Server rack mount version.
Fig 9: The connector block.

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
The left connector is to connect to the computer ports of the WGS as defined below. Pins 2,3 and 5 of these serial
ports are parallel available on the left connector block and on the subD connectors.
Pin 7 of the left plug is not connected to avoid damage in case by mistake the right connector with the power is
placed in the left plug.
COM1: This port is reserved for service. By means of a terminal the expert user can log in the system.
(RS232). See appendix 3.
COM2: This port is reserved for transmission of data selected by the user. (RS232)
COM3: This port is reserved for transmission of data selected by the user. (RS232)
LAN: The WGS can be connected to the network with a straight network cable to the switch of the
network or direct to a (laptop) computer via a cross cable.
Inside the WaveGuide Server there is a PC104 computer with a Linux operating system. It takes about 2 minutes
to start up and during that time the display indicates “STARTING WGS”. After start-up the this message
disappears and new information is presented.
The WaveGuide Server is designed to facilitate the use of the WaveGuide System. The easiest interface for the
user is the built in web server. By means of the web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox etc.) all facilities are
available. At the LCD display information about the system and measured parameters are presented, controlled by
five push buttons. They are numbered from left (1) to right (5). The information is organized in groups.
Button 1 to scroll through items in the group.(active sensor, parameters, network info, time, data storage)
Button 2 to scroll through the items in the group.
Button 5 is used in the data storage group to safely remove the USB disk.
Button 3 and 4 are reserved for future use.
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Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Commissioning the system
To set the WaveGuide system in operation the following steps has to be made:
•connect the WGS to a computer
•become an authorized user
•inspect the quality of the measurements.
•set sample rate, mounting height.
•set system date/ time.
•configure the distribution of data.
Connect the WGS to a computer.
Inside the WaveGuide Server there is a web server available. Ones the WaveGuide Server is connected via LAN to
a computer, communication with the web server is possible with any modern web browser with javascript enabled
(Explorer, Mozilla, Opera etc.).
If it is not possible to establish a network connection it is also possible to service the system via serial port 1. Only
an expert user should do this. In appendix 3 this is described.
The computer is connected with the WGS via a network cable, straight to a network switch or direct via a cross
cable. During startup the WGS starts broadcasting for a DHCP server in the network to obtain an IP address. If
there is no DHCP server responding the WGS will become a DHCP server itself with default ip address
192.168.111.71. A computer that will try to make a connection with the WGS will obtain an IP address from the
WGS in the range 192.168.111.80 to 100. The actual IP number of the WGS is also presented at its LCD display
(scroll via button 2 until the network info is displayed and then by button1 scroll through name and address.
The default IP address can be modified via the web interface.
Type the ip address or name indicated on the LCD display (e.g. http://192.168.111.71 or http://wgs6) in the
address line of the browser. Figure 10 gives the opening screen of the WaveGuide Server.
At the left side bar there are the 10 main topics of the interface:
Measurements Recent raw measured data can be presented in a graph.
Parameters The calculated parameters can be presented graphically.
Spectra The energy density spectrum of the waves can be requested.
Data logger Data logging is available as an option.
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Fig. 10 The web interface of the WaveGuide Server.

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Sensor raw data In commissioning and service the reflection diagram of a single measurement
can be requested.
Configure Sensor Change the radar mounting height, the measuring window and sampling rate.
Subscriptions Here the distribution of data is defined.
Configure Network Change the default network settings. These are used only if no DHCP server
can be found on the network.
Set Date/Time Change the WaveGuide Server date.
System Info System statistics.
Authorization.
To modify the configuration you need to be an authorized user. Therefore, an authorization dialogue will appear
when the user tries to change a configuration item. The authorization will become invalid after 5 minutes of
inactivity. However, the webbrowser may store the login name and password. In that case, the authorization data
will be submitted automatically by the browser without a popup dialog.
Default the login name and password are both “radac”. In appendix 2 it is described how to change this.
After successful authorization, the changed settings will be stored and a reboot dialog will appear. The settings
will not be effective until the WaveGuide Server is rebooted.
Version 4.1 11 of 30 Oct 2013
Fig. 11: Authorization popup and reboot screen

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Inspect the quality of the measurements.
The system starts up by itself. No items has to be set before useful information will become available. The first
step is the inspection of the quality of the measurements.
1. Check the system info page.
The lowest line gives the radar status. Communication must give OK and the numbers of performed and
invalid measurements gives an indication of the performance. The number of invalid measurements is
normally around 0.1 ‰.
•If the communication is not OK, this indicates that the WaveGuide Server started correctly but
there is no connection with the radar. Check the cabling.
•If the communication is OK and the temperature is given but the number of invalid
measurements is to high, this indicates that the cabling is correct, the WGS communicates correct
with the radar but the radar measurements are not good enough.
2. Check the raw data in the raw data page. The measured raw data can be presented in periods of 1, 3 and
10 minutes. If there are gaps in the data or large spikes the measurements are disturbed, inspect the
reflection diagram
3. Check the reflection diagram. The reflection diagram is a spectral representation of one measurement of
Version 4.1 12 of 30 Oct 2013
Fig. 12: System information
Fig. 13: presentation of heave data period

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
25ms. This measurement consist of one up sweep (red curve) and one down sweep (blue curve).
Depending on the sea state a region is selected where the reflection of the water surface can be expected
(within the green lines). The highest peak in this region represents the water surface. The signal strength
can fluctuate between 60 and 20 dB. Due to the Doppler shift the red and the blue curve can shift away
from each other. Often a second peak is visible in the reflection diagram like in figure 14. This is from the
multiple reflection between radar and water surface. This second peak must be outside the green
acceptance window. If there is no peak above the 20dB threshold the measurement is disapproved.
Set sample rate and mounting height and pipe diameter
This can be done in the Configure radar window. The radar configuration is protected by an authorization dialog.
Sample rates of 5, 2.56, 2 and 1.28 Hz can be selected. The mounting height is given in cm. At delivery the
mounting height is set to zero. The reference point of the radar is the underside of the sensor unit. If mounting
height is set to zero the water level is referred to the under side of the sensor unit. So if the result is -500 cm you
know that the distance between the bottom of the sensor and the water surface is 500cm.
If the mounting height is set to 460cm the result will become -40cm.
In case of spurious reflections from obstacles below the radar (to be inspected visa the reflection diagram) it is
possible to tilt the radar slightly (up to 15 degrees) to get away from these reflecting obstacles.
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Fig. 14: The reflection diagram window.
Fig. 15: The configuration window of the sensor.

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
The WaveGuide Server recognizes if a stilling well radar is connected. In that case the configuration window
gives beside the sample rate and the mounting height also the opportunity to select the pipe diameter (15,20,25
and 30 cm)
The chances only take effect after the system is rebooted.
Set system date/ time.
It is important to time stamp the measurement correct. Some applications have their own facility to keep track of
time and they do not use the time of the WaveGuide Server. In other circumstances the system time of the
WaveGuide Server becomes important. The WaveGuide server has a battery back up clock. So the system date and
time should be more or less correct. A WaveGuide System should be able to run for years and a computer clock is
far from accurate. Therefore facilities are available to keep track of the correct time.
•First the WaveGuide Server tries to synchronize its time to a time server, which is often available
in a network. This is done via a network protocol (ntp). At commissioning it is recommended to
set date and time as close to the network time as possible. Because it will take a very long time to
synchronize if the time gap is too big.
•Second the system can optional be equipped with a GPS receiver. In that case the system
synchronizes to the GPS time.
If it becomes necessary to change the system time, this can be done on the Set date/time page. After changing the
system time, the WaveGuide server must be rebooted. Note that it is not possible to set the seconds. Any number
entered for the seconds will be ignored when setting the system time.
The date/time configuration is protected by an authorization dialog, which was described above in the section
'Authorization'.
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Fig. 16: Setting the system time.

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Data distribution:
The WGS can transmit measured heave and calculated data ( processing option only) via its serial ports (COM2 &
3) and via its network link to several network addresses.
In appendix 1 all possible information is described. To keep the user interface clear only a selection of the
parameters is given. This selection is defined in the configuration file. Only an expert user should modify the
configuration file. This is described in appendix 2.
The existing subscriptions can be removed and modified, new ones can be added. Several simultaneous
subscriptions are possible.
The format for the serial ports is “port, baudrate, number of data bits, number of stop bits, parity and handshake”.
e.g. COM2,9600,7,1,EVEN,NONE.If this string is shortened the default values will be used.
e.g. COM2,9600 will be interpreted as COM2,9600,8,1,NONE,NONE
If a non valid string is filled, the help info will appear.
The format for the network message is http://ip address:port e.g.: http://192.168.111.103:8032
The subscriptions may not be changed by an unauthorized user. Therefore, an authorization dialogue will appear
when the user tries to change the subscriptions. The authorization will become invalid after 5 minutes of
inactivity. However, the web browser may store the login name and password. In that case, the authorization data
will be submitted automatically by the browser without a popup dialog.
ASCII messages.
All serial and UDP messages are in ASCII format. Currently there are four different ASII messages formats:
•Radac
•KMA
•SESAM
•FGTI
Radac format
Each message contains the information from one parameter. Most parameters have a single value (e.g. Hmo).
Multi value parameters also excist (e.g. Czz10 which has 51 spectral values). The last character in a message is a
LineFeed ('0x0a or '\n')
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Fig. 17: List of defined subscriptions and the preparation of a new one.

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Single value
The format of the single value string is as follows;
time=<TIME>;sensor=<SENSOR NAME>;<PARAMETER NAME>=<PARAMETER VALUE><PARAMETER
UNIT>;
•<TIME> gives time in ms since 1 Jan 1970 (GMT of UTC of UT)
•<SENSOR NAME> the name given to the sensor by the user.
•<PARAMETER NAME> This is the name conform the data type definition. In general these are as given
in the file '/waveguide/WGS/DataTypes.txt' .
•<PARAMETER VALUE> is a float, if needed with exponent. If the value is ‘invalid’ it is written as
NaN.
•<PARAMETER UNIT> The physical units given in the dataypes file. This field can be empty.
Example:
time=1306937130000;sensor=standpijp;H=-5.180469cm;
Multi value
The format is the same as for the single value strings except for the values.
time=<TIME>;sensor=<SENSOR NAME>;<PARAMETER NAME>=<<PARAMETER
VALUE>,<PARAMETER VALUE>,<PARAMETER VALUE>...><PARAMETER UNIT>;
If all values in the message are not available only one NaN will appear.
Examples:
time=1306937346768;sensor=standpijp;Radcan=410.0,0.0,-6.1102905,-
0.5495228,416.38654,415.83405,2.4105468E7,2.4097992E7,4738362.5,4712177.5;
time=1306937346768;sensor=standpijp;Czz10=NaNcm2/Hz;
KMA format
Sometimes some small modifications are made on request. The Korean Metoffice (KMA) preferred a readable
time format in the Korean time zone. Also the End of Line character '0x0a' is not included.
time=2006/09/04 17:58:00;H1=-319.70026cm;
time=2006/09/04 17:48:59;Hm0=1.3314528cm;
time=2006/09/04 17:59:00;H1=-319.7222cm;
time=2006/09/04 17:49:59;Hm0=1.2973408cm;
time=2006/09/04 18:03:00;H1=NaNcm;
SESAM format
Dutch Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) uses the SESAM format. This format is only defined for the heave data and for H
data (= 10 seconds mean). It consists of 8 character lines ;
line feed, status, sign, 4level value in cm, carriage return
+0001
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Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
-0004
A+9999 (=error condition)
FGTI format
The Belgium government (FGTI) requested one string with all required information (parameters + spectrum) per
processing interval. The format is like the Radac format only with all parameters separated by semi colon (;). Also
the 51 spectrum values are in this message. The “NaN” string is replaced by a “-9999” string.
time=1159898219628;sensor=radcan;H1/3=0.101608045cm;Hm0=0.070818946cm;Czz10=0.0,5.086943
2E-5,1.3970293E-4,4.7124052E-4,7.1615004E-4,7.975558E-4,7.6214876E-4,7.1647903E-
4,7.6107396E-4,6.847791E-4,6.6441507E-4,4.567583E-4,7.3393347E-4,8.3342794E-4,7.177321E-
4,8.320104E-4,9.631133E-4,4.7024636E-4,5.479116E-4,7.0798665E-4,7.973897E-4,8.964213E-
4,0.0010354978,5.15721E-4,8.0113555E-4,8.009798E-4,8.0272334E-4,8.0752687E-4,6.5126666E-
4,8.172201E-4,5.1516114E-4,6.2683446E-4,5.63858E-4,3.5074513E-4,6.5980386E-4,5.53472E-
4,7.269641E-4,6.289437E-4,6.156702E-4,5.8503065E-4,6.2185246E-4,5.5198127E-4,4.41777E-
4,2.7770927E-4,3.32
After successful authorization, the changed settings will be stored and a reboot dialog will appear. The settings
will not be effective until the WaveGuide Server is rebooted.
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Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Using the system
The basic version of the WaveGuide System takes care of the measuring process and offers the facilities to
commission the system as described in the commissioning section. Once commissioned the facilities of raw data
presentation, reflection diagram, system info etc. can be used to monitor the proper operation of the system.
Processing to parameters plus their presentation and logging is an option. The use of this option is described
below.
There are two analysis routines. First the time and frequency domain analysis for waves “Standard Wave
Processing Package (SWAP)” , the standard wave processing of the Dutch government and meets the standard of
the oil companies (E&P forum). Secondly the tide processing with several averaging periods (10s, 1, 5 and 10
minutes).
A detailed description of the SWAP package is available. The spectra and parameters that are available are
described in appendix1. It is inconvenient to have all parameters presented in the user interface. Therefore a
selection is made in the configuration file (see appendix2). Below an example is given of some lines in the
configuration file:
DataProcessor0 = nl.radac.wgs.dataprocessor.swap.SWAPDataProcessor
DataProcessorInterval0 = 1
DataProcessorGetData0 = H1/3,Hm0,Hmax,T1/3,Ngd_zP,Czz10,GGH,Tm02
DataProcessorStoreData0 = H1/3,Hm0,Hmax,T1/3,Ngd_zP, GGH,Tm02
DataProcessor1= nl.radac.wgs.dataprocessor.TideProcessor
DataProcessorInterval1 = 10,60,60,60
DataProcessorGetData1 = H,H1,H5,H10
DataProcessorStoreData1 = H,H1,H5,H10
This indicates that from the SWAP processing is performed with an interval of 1 minute. Default the processing
period is 20 minutes. So each minute the past 20 minutes is analysed. The parameters that are used from the
SWAP process for presentation and datadistribution are H1/3, Hm0, Hmax, T1/3, Ngd_zP, Czz10, GGH, Tm02.
From these parameters H1/3, Hm0, Hmax, T1/3, Ngd_zP, GGH and Tm02 are being stored in the data logger. The
data are being timestamped by the middle time of the analysis period (e.g. Hm0 timestamped at 10h12 is from the
period 10h02 till 10h22).
And for the Tide processing this indicates that H (the 10s mean) is calculated each 10 seconds and H1, H5 and
H10 are calculated each 60 seconds. All these parameters are available for presentation and data distribution.
These data are being timestamped by the middle of the analysis period.
The modification of the configuration file can result in a total system crash an should therefore only be done by
skilled personnel. It is described in appendix 2.
Parameters (processing option only).
In this page (fig. 18) a graph of a selected parameter is given over a selected period (1, 6 or 24 hours). The
parameters to select from are from the tide processing and from the wave processing.
The tide parameters
H: The 10 seconds mean.
H1: The 1 minute mean.
H5: The 5 minute mean
H10: The 10 minute mean:
The wave parameters.
These parameters are from the Standard Wave Analysis Package. In total there are five quality parameters
from the preprocessing, 15 parameters from the time domain processing and 19 parameters from the
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Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
spectral processing. As described before only a selection is made available for presentation. The total list
of parameters is given in appendix 1.
Spectra (processing option only).
In the wave processing also the energy density spectrum is calculated. This past ten can be asked for. The interval
between these spectra is equal to the calculation interval of the wave processing as defined in the properties file.
Version 4.1 19 of 30 Oct 2013
Fig. 18: The screen to select a 1, 6 or 24 hour graph of a parameter and the presentation of it.
Fig. 19: Request and presentation screen for energy density spectrum.

Instruction manual WaveGuide + WaveGuide Server
Data logging (processing option only).
Data logging is an option. The WaveGuide Server is equipped with
an USB connector. Due to the narrow space the connector has a 90
degrees adapter in it.
A USB hard disk or a USB stick can be connected.
Therefore for safe data storage an UPS and a good quality USB drive is needed.
The USB disk that is connected should not be formatted by the Windows NTFS system as this format is not
supported by other operating systems. The WaveGuide Server can cope with FAT32 , Ext2 and Ext3. The majority
of usb disks and usb flash drives are delivered with FAT32.
Mount the drive. The system does not couple the drive automatically. This should be done via the push buttons at
the WaveGuide Server ( data logger menu mount system)
Unmount/ remove safely. The USB disk can be removed safely by using the push buttons at the WaveGuide
Server. Go to the Storage menu via button 1 and then via button 2 to safely remove.
The data logger page in the user interface gives access to the stored data.
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Fig. 21: The data logger access page.
Without extra attention the USB storage is not a safe method to archive data.
The WaveGuide System will automatically start after a power failure. A USB disk however can be
damaged by a power failure.
Fig. 20: USB connector.