Raveon FireLine MURS band User manual

F i r eL i n e M U R S b a n d
D a t a Radio Modem
T e c h n ic a l M a n u a l
Version D2
June 2006
Raveon Technologies Corporation
2722 Loker Avenue West, Suite D
Carlsbad, CA 92010
www.raveontech.co

Table Of Contents
1. General Infor ation about the FireLine .........................................................4
1.1. Congratulations!........................................................................................................................... 4
1.2. NOTICE ....................................................................................................................................... 4
1.3. Safety / Warning Infor ation ....................................................................................................... 4
1.4. Safety Training infor ation: ......................................................................................................... 4
1.5. FCC Co pliance Infor ation....................................................................................................... 6
1.6. Features....................................................................................................................................... 7
2. Specifications.................................................................................................8
2.1. General ........................................................................................................................................ 8
2.2. Trans itter................................................................................................................................... 8
2.3. Receiver....................................................................................................................................... 8
2.4. User Input and Output Signals..................................................................................................... 8
2.5. Frequencies ................................................................................................................................. 9
3. Electrical Inputs and Outputs.......................................................................10
3.1. LEDs .......................................................................................................................................... 10
3.2. DC Power .................................................................................................................................. 10
3.3. Serial I/O Connector .................................................................................................................. 11
4. Using the FireLine Mode – Packet Mode..................................................12
4.1. Setup ......................................................................................................................................... 13
4.2. Selecting Channels .................................................................................................................... 14
4.3. Data Trans ission ..................................................................................................................... 14
Serial Port Baud Rate ..................................................................................14
Flow Control.................................................................................................15
Packet Size..................................................................................................15
Key-On_Data...............................................................................................15
Busy-Channel Lock Out...............................................................................15
4.4. Data Reception .......................................................................................................................... 16
4.5. Addressing (Packetized Mode only)........................................................................................... 16
Addressing Basics .......................................................................................16
Hexadeci al Nu bers ................................................................................17
Setting A Syste -Wide Address..................................................................17
Broadcast Trans issions ............................................................................17
The Address Mask.......................................................................................18
Addressing Exa ples: .................................................................................19
4.6. Error Correction ......................................................................................................................... 19
Using the FireLine Mode – Strea ing Mode....................................................21
4.7. Strea ing Mode Operation........................................................................................................ 21
4.8. Baud Rate Selection .................................................................................................................. 21
4.9. Bit Errors.................................................................................................................................... 22
4.10. Carrier Detect............................................................................................................................. 22
4.11. Serial Data Flow Control ............................................................................................................ 23
5. Installation....................................................................................................24
6. User Serial Port Co ands ........................................................................25
6.1. Overview.................................................................................................................................... 25

6.2. Co and Mode ........................................................................................................................ 25
6.3. Setting a Para eter................................................................................................................... 25
6.4. Reading a Para eter................................................................................................................. 26
6.5. CONFIG Button.......................................................................................................................... 26
6.6. Exiting the Co and Mode....................................................................................................... 27
6.7. Restoring Factory Defaults ........................................................................................................ 27
6.8. Co and Mode Co ands ..................................................................................................... 28
6.9. Setting the Over-The-Air Data Rate ........................................................................................... 31
6.10. Debug Related Co ands........................................................................................................ 31
7. FireLine Diagnostic Provisions.....................................................................33
7.1. Overview of Diagnostics ............................................................................................................ 33
7.2. Reading the Diagnostic Infor ation ........................................................................................... 33
7.3. Status and Statistics Co and................................................................................................. 33
7.4. ATST Co and ........................................................................................................................ 34
7.5. ATST2 Co and ...................................................................................................................... 34
7.6. ATST3 Co and ...................................................................................................................... 35
7.7. ATST4 Co and ...................................................................................................................... 35
7.8. AutoStatus ................................................................................................................................. 35
8. Tune-up and Align ent ...............................................................................37
8.1. Periodic Calibration.................................................................................................................... 37
8.2. Radio Module Types .................................................................................................................. 37
8.3. Center Frequency ...................................................................................................................... 37
8.4. TX Deviation .............................................................................................................................. 38
8.5. TX Modulation Balance.............................................................................................................. 38
8.6. RX DC Offset Verification .......................................................................................................... 38
8.7. RX Carrier Detect....................................................................................................................... 39
8.8. MURS Operation........................................................................................................................ 39
9. SkyLine Co patibility ..................................................................................40
9.1. General ...................................................................................................................................... 40
9.2. Configuring FireLine to Co unicate with a SkyLine................................................................ 40
9.3. Use of the DM3472 Wide-band Module ..................................................................................... 40
10. Antenna Infor ation.................................................................................42
11. Internal Radio Connection........................................................................44
12. Appendix A. Serial Port Hardware..........................................................45
12.1. Serial Port Data and Handshaking Signals ................................................................................ 45
12.2. Null ode without handshaking .............................................................................................. 47
12.3. Co patibility issues ................................................................................................................... 47
12.4. Null ode with full handshaking.............................................................................................. 48
12.5. Co patibility issues ................................................................................................................... 48
13. Troubleshooting .......................................................................................49
Sy pto : Unit will not receive....................................................................49
Sy pto : Unit will not trans it...................................................................49
Sy pto : Long delay before trans itting ..................................................49
Sy pto : Modified para eters are lost at power-up .................................49
Sy pto : Cannot enter Co and Mode ..................................................49
Sy pto : Mode appears dead................................................................50
14. Mechanical...............................................................................................51
15. Li ited One Year Warranty......................................................................52

1. General Information about the FireLine
1.1. Congratulations!
Congratulations on your purchase of a FireLine radio ode .
Please take a few inutes to read this anual carefully. The infor ation
presented here will allow you to derive axi u perfor ance fro your radio
ode . After reading it, keep the anual handy for quick reference, in case
questions arise later on.
1.2. N TICE
There are no user-serviceable points inside this transceiver. All service work
ust be referred to your Authorized Service Center or Raveon Technologies
Service Depart ent.
1.3. Safety / Warning Information
WARNING - DO NOT operate theRV-M5-U radio ode when bystanders
are within 2 feet (.6 eters) of the antenna.
Blasting Caps and Blasting Areas
To avoid possible interference with blasting operations, turn off this radio or
re ove the DC power when you are near electrical blasting caps, in a
blasting area, or in areas posted: “Turn off two-way radio.” Obey all signs
and instructions.
Potentially Explosive Atmospheres
Turn off your radio prior to entering any area with a potentially explosive
at osphere. Do not install this product for use in areas with potentially
explosive at ospheres. Do not re ove, install, or charge batteries in such
areas. Sparks in a potentially explosive at osphere can cause an explosion
or fire resulting in bodily injury or even death.
Note
The areas with potentially explosive at ospheres referred to above include fueling
areas such as below decks on boats, fuel or che ical transfer or storage facilities, areas
where the air contains che icals or particles, such as grain, dust or etal powders, and any
other area where you would nor ally be advised to turn off your vehicle engine. Areas with
potentially explosive at ospheres are often but not always posted.
1.4. Safety Training information:
Antennas used for this trans itter ust not exceed an antenna gain of 0 dBd.
The radio ode ust be used in fixed vehicle- ount configurations or at
fixed base-station sites. It is not intended for portable applications.
This radio is restricted to occupational use, work related operations only
where the radio operator ust have the knowledge to control the exposure
conditions of its passengers and bystanders by aintaining the ini u

separation distance of following range. Failure to observe these restrictions
ay result in exceeding the FCC RF exposure li its.
Antenna Installation:
For rear deck trunk installation, the antenna ust be located at least the
following range away fro rear seat passengers and bystanders in order to
co ply with the FCC RF exposure require ents.
For Model RV-M5-M:
Radiated frequency and Distance
RV-M5-M
1.97 Feet (0.6 )
FCC ID: SRS-RV-M5-M
Raveon Technologies Corporation
For vehicular roof top installation, the antenna ust be placed in the center of
the roof.

1.5. FCC Compliance Information
This device co plies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions: (1) This device ay not cause har ful
interference, and (2) this device ust accept any interference received,
including interference that ay cause undesired operation.
Changes or odifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for
co pliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equip ent.
NOTE: The anufacturer is not responsible for any radio or TV interference
caused by unauthorized odifications to this equip ent. Such odifications
could void the user’s authority to operate the equip ent.
This product also co plies with FCC Part 95 Subpart J of the FCC rules and
regulations.
The Federal Co unications Co ission (FCC), with its action in ET Docket
93-62, has adopted a safety standard for hu an exposure to Radio
Frequency (RF) electro agnetic energy e itted by FCC-certified equip ent.
This product eets the uncontrolled environ ental li its as stated in OET-
65C (01-01) when operated in accordance with the operation guidelines
described in this anual. Proper operation of this radio device according to
the instructions in this publication will result in user exposure substantially
below the FCC reco ended li its.
This equip ent generates, uses, and radiates radio frequency energy, and if
not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, ay cause har ful
interference. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur. If
this equip ent does cause interference to radio or television reception, which
can be deter ined by turning the equip ent off and on, the user is
encouraged to correct the interference by one of the following easures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase separation between the equip ent and receiver.
• Connect the equip ent to an outlet on a circuit different fro which the receiver is
connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician.
Antenna height is li ited to 20 feet above a structure or 60 feet above the
ground whichever is greater (47 CFR 1315).
MURS radios ust not be connected to a “booster” or power a plifier. The
rules li it the Trans itter Output Power (TPO) to 2 Watts (47 CFR 95.1311).
MURS radios are prohibited fro connecting to the public switched telephone
network (47 CFR 95.1313).

Overview
The FireLine RF data radio is a rugged high-perfor ance, high-speed narrow-
band data ode . It contains a receiver, a trans itter, and ode , creating
an easy-to-use transparent data radio link. The FireLine’s user interface is
asynchronous RS-232 data into and out of the FireLine (CMOS level
optional). Mode operation is virtually transparent to the user and the
configuration of the ode is via the user serial port.
Unlike any other radio ode on the arket, the FireLine ay be operated in
either a “Packetized Mode” or a “Streaming Real- ime Mode”. There are
advantages to each approach, and your choice depends upon how your
syste operates.
For privacy and network versatility, the FireLine incorporates a 16 bit
identification code. Its protocol also uses a 16bit CRC to guarantee the
integrity of the data. Perfect for SCADA and tele etry applications, the
FireLine can be used for si ple point-to-point data co unication
applications, or for ore sophisticated point-to- ultipoint, peer-to-peer, or
esh networks.
Although the FireLine is the easiest to use ode on the arket, its re-
progra ability akes it extre ely versatile. Most para eters within the
ode ay be re-configured to opti ize it for specialized operations,
extended range, or higher data throughput.
1.6. Features
• High-speed over the air data rates. 19200bps in 25kHz channel, 9600bps in 12.5kHz.
• Built-in radio transceiver with integrated modem
• Easy to use. Plug-in, urn-on, and GO. ransmit data in = Receive data out.
• Lowest current draw in industry.
• Wide input voltage with high-efficiency switching voltage regulator.
• Integrated Packet data protocol and built-in Streaming Real- ime operation.
• ARQ error correction and retransmission capability. otally transparent to the application.
• Capable of store-and-forward repeating operation.
• Small sized and very rugged extruded enclosure.
• 16 bit addressing for up to 65,525 different unique device addresses per channel
• Supports group and broadcast transmissions. Network mask allows groups of any size.
• 2 watts of RF output. Other RF power levels available upon request.
• Easily configured using “A ” commands
• Very fast ransmit-to-Receive turn around time.
• RS-232 serial input and output. Programmable serial baud rates up to 57600.
• Programmable over-the-air data rates for long-range or high-speed
• Automatic key of transmitter on data.
• RF carrier-detect is not required receiving. No squelch setting required.
• SkyLine compatibility mode for use in older Sonik radio systems.

2. Specifications
2.1. General
All easure ents ade per TIA-603-B
Size (inches) ......................................................................................................... 3.0D X 3.76W X 1.40H
DC input voltage ......................................................................................................................... 9-16V DC
Typical current draw, receiving, over-the-air rates < 4800bps ........................................................ <80 A
Maxi u current draw, receiving, over-the-air rates >= 4800bps ................................................ <110 A
Current draw when trans itting data .....................................................<1.7A ax, 1.5A typical at 2watts
Frequency stability....................................................................................................................... ±1.5pp
Over-the-air baud rates (progra able) .................................. 800, 1200, 2400, 4800, 5142, 8000, 9600
Internal data buffers (trans it and receive) ............................................................................ >2000 bytes
Operating te perature range.................................................... -30ºC to +60ºC (-30ºC to +80ºC storage)
TX-RX and RX-TX turn-around ti e ............................................................................................... <15 S
Power on ti e to operational ........................................................................................................ <500 S
FCC ID Model RV-M5-M ............................................................................................ SRS-RV-M5-M
2.2. Transmitter
Maxi u RF power output.......................................................................................................... 2.0 watts
Maxi u duty cycle ....................................................................................................... 20% at full power
Maxi u trans it frequency deviation.......................................................................................± 2.25kHz
Occupied bandwidth .....................................................................................11 kHz (12.5kHz channels)
TX spurious outputs..................................................................................................................... < -70dBc
E issions designator...................................................................................11K0F1D (12.5kHz channels)
2.3. Receiver
Typical RX sensitivity (1% BER)
9600bps, 4-level, 12.5kHz channel ........................................................................ -109dB
4800bps, 2-level ..................................................................................................... -113dB
2400bps.................................................................................................................. -116dB
1200 and 800bps.................................................................................................... -118dB
RX selectivity .................................................................................................................................... -50dB
Spurious and i age rejection ........................................................................................................... -60dB
RX inter odulation rejection.......................................................................................... -60dB at 2400bps
Conducted spurious e issions .................................................................................................... <-20dB
2.4. User Input and utput Signals
Serial port baud rates........................................................ 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600
Voltage levels ...................................................................................................... RS-232 co plaint levels
Mode handshake signals .............................................................................. RTS, CTS, DTR, DSR, CD
RF I/O ......................................................................................................................... 50 oh BNC
Power .............................................................................................................B+ input and Ground

2.5. Frequencies
The RV-M5-M MURS ode has five user selectable channels. The channel
is selected with the ATHP co and. The RV-M5-M ode is factory-set to
these five channels, and the ode cannot be progra ed to operate on
any frequency other than these five.
1 151.820 MHz
2 151.880 MHz
3 151.940 MHz
4 154.570 MHz
5 154.600 MHz

3. Electrical Inputs and utputs
The front panel of the FireLine ode has these features:
1. RF connector
2. Transmit LED (TX)
3. Receive LED (RX)
4. Power LED (PWR)
5. 9-Pin Serial I/O connector
6. DC Power Jack
3.1. LEDs
The three status LEDs visually show the current status of the radio.
Transmit LED (TX) This LED blinks red when the trans itter keys and is
putting out RF power.
Receive LED (RX) This LED glows red when there is an RF signal on the
radio’s receive frequency. This LED will indicate the presence of any signal,
even one fro other sources or radios, data, or voice. If it glows steadily at
all ti es, there is probably so e other user on the radio channel. The RF
threshold level where this LED illu inates is progra able.
Power LED (PWR) This LED does a short blink, once every two seconds,
indicating to the user that the power to the ode is ON and the ode is
working. When the ode is in the co and ode, this LED will blink on
and off, once per second. In the nor al operating ode, this led will also
blink red with each reception when FireLine data is received over the air.
3.2. DC Power
DC power for the ode is connected to the 2-pin DC power input jack
labeled DC IN. Use the supplied cable to connect the DC power. The red
wire is positive (+) and the black wire is negative (-). Its connection is
optional, as the user ay alternately apply power to Pin 9 and ground to pin 5
of the 9-pin I/O connector.
The FireLine ode is supplied with a DC power cable, Raveon part nu ber
4C660. The connector housing on the DC power cable is a MOLEX 50-57-
9402. The pins used in the housing are MOLEX 16-02-1125. The cri p tool
for the connector pins is a Molex part nu ber 11-01-0209.

3.3. Serial I/ Connector
The 9-pin serial I/O connector is a fe ale 9-p D-sub iniature connector
having the following pins configuration.
Front-view of DB-9 connector on modem (female)
Pin # Name
Dir Function Level / Specification
1 CD out Carrier detect If enabled, indicates presence of carrier. 0
eans carrier is present. If disabled, it is
asserted (0) whenever the ode is
operational, and not in the configuration
ode. It will be a 1 when the ode is in
the configuration ode.
2 RxD out Receive data Data out of the ode .
3 TxD in Trans it data Data into the ode .
4 DTR in Data ter inal ready Nor ally ignored by the FireLine ode .
5 GND Ground connection Signal and power ground
6 DSR out Data Set Ready Nor ally is set to 0 when ode is
powered on.
7 RTS
in
Request to send
Used to stop/start the flow of data co ing
out of the ode TxD pin. 0 = OK to send,
1 = don’t send. Leave disconnected if not
used.
8 CTS
out
Clear to send
Used to stop the flow of data going into the
RxD pin fro the device connected to the
FireLine. 0 = OK to send, 1 = don’t send. If
the FireLine cannot accept ore data, it will
negate this signal (set to a 1).
9 Power In/out
DC power (not Ring
signal)
User ay supply the DC power to the
ode on this pin.
Note: RS-232 signals use positive and negative voltages to represent digital 1s and 0s. A positive
voltage is a 0, and a negative voltage is a digital 1.
This pin-out allows it to be directly plugged into a co puter’s 9-pin serial port
using a conventional 9-pin RS-232 serial cable. To connect it to a ode , or
co puter peripheral that has a serial port, you will need a “null- ode ”
cable. See Appendix A for ore infor ation on wiring a null- ode cable.

4. Using the FireLine Modem – Packet Mode
This section describes the operation of the when it is in the Packet Mode of
operation. Packet Mode is the factory-default operating ode. It is the
easiest and ost reliable ode of operation for a ode . Note: The
configuration of the FireLine is done when the FireLine is in the “Co and
Mode”. Refer to Section 6 on page 25 for details on all of the available
co ands and progra able features.
In Packet Mode, all trans issions are sent in bursts or packets, and contain
address, error detection, and error correction infor ation. Date enters the
FireLine ode ’s serial I/O port, and is stored in a buffer within the ode
until it is ready to be trans itted. Packetized operation has these advantages
over non-packet ode s:
Packet Mode Advantages
1. Error Detection The ode uses a 16-bit CRC at the end of every
packet of data. The CRC is used to check the data for errors, and if there
are any errors, the data will not be passed onto the user.
2. Error Correction Auto atic error correction ay be used. FireLine
ode s incorporate an optional ARQ ethod to re-trans it packets with
error, to ensure the user’s data is delivered error-free.
3. Addressing Packetized operation allows for a ore versatile network
architecture, with source, destination, and network addresses. FireLine
uses a 16-bit address to identify data packets.
4. No Dribble Data Even in the presence of noise, the FireLine ode will
not output extra data or have rando bit errors. Mode s without packet
operation generally do not work well with weak noisy signals.
5. Transparent peration Because of the high-reliability and error-free
operation the Packet Mode offers the user, ost user applications will
sea lessly work using the FireLine in its Packet Mode.
6. Repeatable and Routable. FireLine packets are structured so that they
ay be repeated using a store-and-forward repeater, and/or routed using
specialized hardware.
Streaming Mode Advantages
1. Low Latency The trans itter will key-up i ediately upon the user’s first
byte of data entering the ode . Packetized operation waits until a
packet has been loaded before keying. (Although high serial-port data
rates can ini ize this packet latency to a negligible level).
2. Data with Errors The FireLine will continue to receive data, down into the
noise-floor of the radio. If the channel is noisy or the signal is weak, there
ay be bit-errors in the data, or the FireLine ay output additional noise
data. User applications ust (and often do), take this into account, and

thus can operate with weaker signals and have longer co unication
range.
Figure 1 (Packet Mode of peration)
For operation of the ode in the strea ing data, non-packetized ode, see
the section Streaming Mode on page 21. The Packet or Strea ing
operation is configured using the ATMT co and, with Packet Mode being
the factory default.
4.1. Setup
1. Connect a DC power source to the DC IN connection on the front of the
ode .
2. Connect a good quality antenna, cut to the operating frequency, to the
BNC connector on the front of the ode . Use a good antenna, and
place is at high-above obstructions as possible.
3. Connect a co puter ter inal, or PC co puter running HyperTer inal, to
the 9-pin I/O connector. The factory default serial ports settings are 9600
bps, 8 data bits, 1 stop, no parity.
4. Progra the ode ’s operating frequency to your desired operating
frequency. This is done with the ATFX xxx.xxxxx co and. See the
section “Serial Port Commands” for infor ation describing the various
para eters that ay be odified in the ode . In ost applications, the
default settings fro the factory will work fine.
5. Using the AT co ands, change any of the default operating para eters
that ust be odified. Fro the factory, the ode s are configured and
shipped ready-to-use. Out of the box, they will co unicate on the

default radio channel using the factory defaults. In general, the
para eters you ay want to odify will be:
ATFX Frequency for this channel. Set to your frequency.
ATMT 0 0 for nor al Packetized operation. Default ode.
ATAK 0 for no ARQ, 1 if this unit sends ACKs. Default is no ARQ.
ATRB Set the nu ber of retries if ARQ is used (x). 0 if no ARQ used.
Factory default is no ARQ.
ATBD Serial port baud rate
ATMY The ID of this unit. Default is 1234.
ATMK The network address ask. Default is FFFF.
ATDT The address of the unit this ode will talk to. Default is 1234.
ATBC Enable/disable busy channel lock-out. Default is off, 0.
6. Connect your serial data device to the 9-pin connector on the front of the
ode .
The radio is now ready to use. Any serial data going into the ode will be
trans itted over the air, and any data received over the air will be sent out the
serial port.
Re e ber, that fro the factory, all FireLine ode s are configured to
si ply work. Plug in power and connect to the serial port at 9600 baud, and
the ode s will co unicate on the default channel. Change the channel
frequency to your specific frequency, and they will be ready to work on your
channel.
4.2. Selecting Channels
The RV-M5-M MURS Band FireLine ode has 5 channels in its e ory
bank. A channel is a pair of frequencies, one for trans it and one for receive.
To select or change a channel use the ATHP x co and, where x is the
channel nu ber.
If the channel nu ber is changed using the ATHP co and, and power is
later lost, the channel nu ber will be retained in non-volatile e ory as long
as was saved using the ATSV (Save to non-volatile e ory) co and.
4.3. Data Transmission
To trans it data, si ply send one or ore bytes of data into the serial port of
the ode . When a full packet of data has been collected into the internal
buffer of the ode , or when there is a pause in the data, the ode will
auto atically key its trans itter, and send the data over the air.
Serial Port Baud Rate
While the ode is trans itting, the user ay continue to send ore data
into the FireLine. Because the buffers in the FireLine are full-duplex, the serial
port data rate and the over-the-air data rates are independent. The serial port
baud-rates ay be set slow to acco odate legacy equip ent, or set at
high-speed to ini ize latency. The over-the-air data rate us usually 4800

baud for narrow-band channels, and 9600 baud for wide-band, although
faster or slower rates ay be used.
In Packet Mode, selection of the serial port baud-rate is important. As shown in
Figure 1 (Packet Mode of Operation) above, if the serial port baud-rate is the
sa e as the over-the-air baud rate and the packets are short, the channel
utilization is only about 50%. But, if the serial port baud rate is set uch
higher, say 2-8X the over-the air rate, the channel utilization beco es near
100%.
Because the FireLine can handle serial-port data rate far in excess of the
over-the-air rate, the efficiency of the FireLine in Packet Mode is
approxi ately the sa e as other brand ode s that cannot operate in a
Packet Mode — with the added benefit or ARQ, error-free data, and
addressing.
Note that any Windows applications which use the serial port, such as
HyperTer inal, put large gaps between the bytes of data they send out the
serial port. If an application is not getting the desired throughput, verify that it
is not an artifact of the Operating Syste or the co puter.
Flow Control
If large a ounts of data will be sent with the FireLine, it ay be possible to
overflow the internal data buffer. To ensure the trans it buffer does not
overflow, enable and use hardware flow control. Hardware flow control is
enabled with the ATCH 1 co and. Note that the FireLine ode will
always indicate the status of its internal buffer using the CTS signal on the
DB-9 serial connector. When CTS is negated, the internal buffers are ore
than 80% full. When it is asserted and it is “Clear to Send”, the buffers are
less than 80% full.
Packet Size
The over-the-air packet size ay be set with the ATTT xx co and. Once
the ode receives one full packet of data into via the serial port, it will
auto atically key the trans itter and send the data. Factory default is 80
bytes.
Key- n_Data
When serial data is entering the FireLine’s RS-232 port, the FireLine looks for
pauses in the data as indication that it is ti e to send a packet of data over
the air. The factory default duration of the pause it looks for is 20 S, but the
user ay change this to over values using the ATR3 xxx co and, where
xxx is in illiseconds.
Busy-Channel Lock ut
If your syste operation require the FireLine ode to onitor-before-
trans it, of if you do not want the FireLine to trans it on a channel that is
busy, you can enable “Busy-Channel-Lockout”, using the ATBC 1 co and.

ATBC 0 disables BCL, and thus the ode will trans it whenever it has data
to send out. The factory-default is BCL disabled. Use caution when enabling
it, as a CW interferer, PC with poor shielding, or so e other source of RF can
stop the ode fro trans itting. The threshold where the FireLine senses
RF carrier, and deter ines that the channel is busy is set by the ATRA
co and. This is factory calibrated to an equivalent RF level of
approxi ately -110dB .
4.4. Data Reception
When the ode receives data over the radio, it checks it for errors, and if it
is error-free, it will send it out the serial port. Again, the serial port ay be set
to any baud rate the user wishes, and the radio receiver and trans itter will
continue to operate independently of the baud rate.
When the ode receives a signal, it will assert the CD hardware signal on
the RS-232 serial port if it was configured to do so.
In general, the slower the over-the-air data rate, the easier it is for the ode
to receive the signal, and thus the ore co unication range the radio will
have. FireLine ode s have a unique switched-filter along with digital signal
processing, that gives the ore range a lower data rates. See Section 6.9
Setting the Over-The-Air Data Rate for ore infor ation about choosing the
over-the-air data rate.
4.5. Addressing (Packetized Mode only)
Addressing Basics
One of the ore powerful aspects of the FireLine ode is its addressing
sche e. Incorporating addressing in the ode allows ultiple radio
syste s on the sa e frequency to co-exist, and not interfere with each other.
Also, so e user application cannot tolerate receiving data that was not
intended for it, and by setting the addresses in the ode s properly, the
syste can be configured to allow reception of only data intended for the
recipient.
If addressing is not needed or desired, it can be turned off so that all ode s
receive data fro all other ode s, and all ode s can talk to all other
ode s.
Each FireLine contains a 16 bit address, called its Unit Address, and is
represented as a 4 digit hexadeci al nu ber. FireLine address ay be any
nu ber between 0000 and FFFF, which is effectively 65,535 different
addresses. Every FireLine has a Unit Address progra ed into it, as well as
the ID of the unit it will send data to. The Unit Address is progra ed with
the ATMY xxxx co and, and the Unit Address of the destination ode
(the Destination Address) is configured with the ATDT xxxx co and.
The defaults UNIT ID in al FireLine ode s is 1234, and 1234 is the default
for the destination ID. An Address Mask is used to select which digits of the
address will be used to deter ine if a particular reception was intended for

the FireLine ode . The default Address Mask is FFFF, which eans all
digits will be used.
Hexadecimal Numbers
For those not fa iliar with hexadeci al nu bers, a hexadeci al digit
represents a 4-bit binary pattern. There are 16 possible values
(0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,and F). These 16 values represent 4 bits of
infor ation, thus 4 hexadeci al digits can represent 16 bits of infor ation.
The hexadeci al nu bers represent 4 bit data in the following way:
Hexadecimal Table
Hex # Binary Hex # Binary Hex # Binary Hex # Binary
0 0000 5 0100 8 1000 C 1100
1 0001 6 0101 9 1001 D 1101
2 0010 7 0110 A 1010 E 1110
3 0011 8 0111 B 1011 F 1111
When co unicating over the air, FireLine ode s trans it their Unit
Address and the Destination Address along with the data. Receiving
ode s check the received Destination Address, and see if it atches their
Unit Address. If it does atch, the receiving ode outputs the data it
received via its serial port. If it does not atch, the receiving ode discards
the data, and does not send it out the serial port.
Setting A System-Wide Address
If individual addressing is not needed in your syste , there are two ways to
ensure it is not used. One way is to set all ode s in the syste with the
sa e Unit Address and destination address. Fro the factory, these are both
set to 1234, and thus, all ode s can co unicate with all other ode s,
using the address 1234. The advantage of using this syste -wide address, is
that if there are other FireLine ode s on the channel, but in so e other
syste , they probably will not have the sa e Unit Address, and thus will not
interfere with your syste . To reduce the possibility of data cross-talk, the
syste i ple enter ay wish to use a different syste -wide address for the
Unit Address instead of 1234. There are over 65,000 addresses available.
An alternate way to disable addressing altogether, is set the Address Mask to
0000 (ATMK 0000 co and). This tells the FireLine to ignore the address,
and receive every trans ission. The disadvantage to this ethod is the
adjacent-syste proble . If there is another FireLine syste on the sa e
channel, all ode s with the 0000 ask will receive the also.
Most users who do not use individual ode addressing, choose to set a
global syste address, and have all ode s in their syste use the sa e
Unit ID and sa e destination address.
Broadcast Transmissions
The double FF is used to identify a broadcast packet. A trans ission with a
two digit FF in the first two positions of the destination ID, or in the last two
positions of the destination ID, will be interpreted as a broadcast, and any

ode with an ID that atches the two non-FF digits will receive the data.
For exa ple, sending data with a destination ID of 12FF will be received by
any ode with a unit ID 1200 through 12FF. Sending data with a
destination ID of FF34 will be received by any ode with a unit ID of 0034
through FF34.
The Address Mask
The reason to use hexadeci al digits to represent the unit address, is that
along with the Unit Address progra ed into the FireLine, there is an
“Address Mask” progra ed into it. The default ask is FFFF. The address
ask is also used to deter ine if a particular data trans ission should be
received by the ode . For ost applications, where one ode talks to
one ode , or where all ode s in the syste co unicate with all other
ode s in the syste , the Address Mask should stay set to FFFF.
Only in syste s where so e ode s should only talk to certain other
ode s, ight you want to change the address ask. Whenever data is
received over the air, the Destination Address of the trans ission is logically
“ANDed” with the Address Mask in the receiving ode . This is the Effective
Destination Address. The receiving FireLine also ANDs its own Unit Address
with its Address Mask. The result is the Effective Unit Address. The Effective
Unit Address is co pared to the Effective Destination Address, and if the two
are identical, the data will be received.
Note: Logically 1 AND 1 = 1, 0 AND 0 = 0, 1 AND 0 = 0, 0 AND 1 = 0
` Figure 2 (Address Filtering)
FireLine receives
data over-the-air to
Destination Address
xxxx
FireLine has
Unit Address
yyyy
FireLine has
Address Mask
zzzz
“
AND
” the
together
Co pare the two
results fro these
two ANDs
“AND”
the
together
Output the data via
serial port if the two
results were
identical

One effect of this is that an address ask of 0000 will cause the FireLine
ode to received any data fro any unit that trans its. The Destination
Address will effectively be ignored if the ask is set to 0000.
Addressing Examples:
Exa ple 1 (default configuration)
Sending Destination Address = 1234
Receiving Unit Address = 1234
Receiving Unit’s Address Mask = FFFF
Result: Unit will receive the data, because the addresses identically atch. When the
addresses are identical, the value of the ask is not i portant.
Notes: This is the default configuration. All units have address 1234, and all ode s will
talk to all other ode s with address 1234.
Exa ple 2 (a configuration that won’t work)
Sending to Destination Address = 1236
Receiving Unit Address = 1234
Receiving Unit’s Address Mask = FFFF
Result: No data will be received, because the address do not atch, and the address
ask of FFFF requires that all digits in the address atch. .
Exa ple 3 (able to receive a data fro a group, 1230 – 123F)
Sending to Destination Address = 1236
Receiving FireLine Unit Address = 1234
Receiving FireLine Address Mask = FFF0
Result: Data will be received. 1236 ANDed with FFF0 is 1230. 1234 ANDed with FFF0
is 1230. The results of the ANDing atch, and thus the data will be received.
Exa ple 4 (able to receive fro a group, xx34 where xx is any two digits)
Sending Destination Address = 2234
Receiving FireLine’s Unit Address = 1234
Receiving FireLine’s Address Mask = 00FF
Result: Data will be received. 2234 AND 00FF equals 0034. 1234 AND 00FF equals
0034, therefore they atch. The results of the ANDing atch, and thus the data will be
received.
4.6. Error Correction
The FireLine ode has a built-in error correction ode, co only referred
to as Automatic Repeat request (ARQ). It works by checking each reception
for errors, and if the data is OK, it sends a short “ACK” packet back over the
air telling the sending station the data was OK.
The FireLine ode uses a traditional Carrier Sense Multiple-Access
(CSMA) algorith with rando ized re-try ti e slots to deter ine when to re-
trans it packets that ust be re-sent. The duration between re-tries
increases as the nu ber of atte pts increases.

If received data has an error in it or if the receiving ode does not get the
data due to interference, the receiving ode does not send the ACK back,
and the sending station will auto atically re-send the data. There are two
aspects to configuring ARQ:
1) Enable the ARQ ode in the ode to allow it to trans it ACKs
(ATAK 1 co and). This co and enables the ode to
trans it ACK packets.
2) Configure the nu ber of retries the ode should atte pt if an
ACK packet is not received back when it sends data (ATRB xx
co and). For exa ple, if you set ATRB to 5 with the ATRB 5
co and, the ode will wait for an ACK whenever it sends data.
If it receives and ACK back fro the ode that it sent data to, it
will do nothing ore. But if it does not receive an ACK, it will
resend the sa e data, trying up to 5 ore ti es.
The factory default condition is not to send or require ACK packets, so if you
wish to use this ode, progra the FireLine to trans it ACKs with the ATAK
1 co and. This will cause the ode to send an ACK anyti e it receives
data fro another ode . Note: If the destination address was a broadcast
(FFFF, FFxx, or xxFF), it will not wait for an ACK.
The nu ber of ti es it retries to send data that does not get through (does
not get an ACK) is up to the user, but a nu ber of 5 is usually a good
co pro ise. If after 5 ti es, the data does not get through, then there
probably is so ething seriously wrong with the channel or syste .
The retried-trans issions are rando ly spaced at intervals between
approxi ately 200 S and 400 S, increasing by 50 S for each atte pted
trans ission. Once the ode has sent its data the nu ber of ti es the
user specified in the ATRB xx co and, the data is discarded, and the
ode will continue to operate as nor al.
It is very i portant that if one ode is configured to send ACK packets
(ATAK 1) that all other ode s co unicating with it are also set to expect
ACK packets using the ATRB xx co and.
To disable ARQ (the default condition of the ode ), disable ARQ with the
ATAK 0 and set retries to zero with the ATRB 0 co and.