Sutron XPERT Series User manual

9210 & XPERT DATALOGGERS
IRIDIUM Manual
Part No. 8800-1193
Version 3.22
February 5, 2018
Sutron Corporation
22400 Davis Drive
Sterling, Virginia 20164
TEL: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
WEB: http://www.sutron.com/

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Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 4
Installation....................................................................................................................................... 5
Installation................................................................................................................................... 5
Features........................................................................................................................................... 6
Configuration.................................................................................................................................. 7
Iridium Entry - Setup Tab........................................................................................................... 7
Iridium Properties ................................................................................................................... 7
Iridium Transmit Settings....................................................................................................... 9
Mobile Terminated (MT) Messages ..................................................................................... 12
Configuring Mobile Terminated (Incoming) Message Checks ............................................ 13
ISBD Blocks - Graphical Setup and EzSetup........................................................................... 14
ISBD Block Properties.......................................................................................................... 15
Basic Entry –Setup Tab ........................................................................................................... 16
Testing Iridium Operations........................................................................................................... 18
Iridium Diagnostics Tab ........................................................................................................... 18
Modem Status ....................................................................................................................... 18
Next Task Status................................................................................................................... 19
Last Messages Received....................................................................................................... 19
Self-Timed Statistics............................................................................................................. 19
Alarm Statistics..................................................................................................................... 20
Total Data Statistics.............................................................................................................. 20
Test Transmission................................................................................................................. 22
Troubleshooting........................................................................................................................ 22
Appendix A –Telemetry Formats ................................................................................................ 24
ASCII Column Format.............................................................................................................. 24
Handar Format .......................................................................................................................... 24
NFDRS and NIFC Formats....................................................................................................... 24
Pseudobinary Formats............................................................................................................... 26
Pseudobinary B (Interleaved and Non-Interleaved) ............................................................. 26
Pseudobinary-C Format ........................................................................................................ 27
Pseudobinary-D Format........................................................................................................ 28
Six-Bit Binary Encoded Format............................................................................................ 29
SHEF and SHEFFIX Formats............................................................................................... 30
SSP Format ........................................................................................................................... 31
Text Format........................................................................................................................... 31
BUFR.................................................................................................................................... 32
BUFR Content Options......................................................................................................... 35
Appendix B –Iridium Transmission Header................................................................................ 36
The Facts................................................................................................................................... 36
The Issues.................................................................................................................................. 36
The Solution.............................................................................................................................. 36
Table of Figures

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Figure 1: Iridium Entry on Setup Tab............................................................................................ 7
Figure 2: Iridium Properties Dialog................................................................................................ 8
Figure 3: Iridium Transmission Settings......................................................................................... 9
Figure 4: Select Tx Content.......................................................................................................... 12
Figure 5: Iridium Message Settings.............................................................................................. 13
Figure 6: Example ISBD block setup ........................................................................................... 15
Figure 7: ISBD Edit Tag Dialog................................................................................................... 15
Figure 8: Iridium Custom Formatting Entry................................................................................. 17
Figure 9: Iridium Diagnostics Tab................................................................................................ 18
Figure 10: Last Iridium Messages Dialog..................................................................................... 19
Figure 11: Today's Self-timed Statistics Dialog ........................................................................... 20
Figure 12: Today's Alarm Statistics Dialog.................................................................................. 20
Figure 13: Today's Totals Dialog.................................................................................................. 21
Figure 14: Test Transmission Dialog............................................................................................ 22

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INTRODUCTION
Sutron’s Xpert family of DCPs (both the 9210/B and the Xpert/2) have been designed to be
easily expandable by adding additional software libraries, called Sutron Link Libraries (SLLs).
One such library is Iridium.sll, which adds the ability for the Xpert to communicate over the
Iridium network using Short Burst Data (SBD) messages. This document is the user manual for
Iridium.sll. The following topics are discussed:
•How to install the library
•What features are supported by the library
•How to configure the Xpert for Iridium communications

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INSTALLATION
This section describes installation of the Iridium.sll library.
Installation
To install the Iridium.sll library, copy the file to the “\Flash Disk” subdirectory of your Xpert
using Xterm. For more information on performing this file transfer, please refer to chapter 6 of
the Xpert or 9210 user manual.
Once the library file has been transferred, reboot the Xpert. The library will load automatically
after the Xpert reboots.
To uninstall the library, use Xterm to delete the file from the Flash Disk subdirectory. This can
only be done when the Xpert application is not running (select “Exit App” from the Status tab).
In order for the Iridium.sll library to load and operate correctly, the version of the Iridium.sll file
must be the same as the version of the application loaded into the Xpert. This is usually not a
concern because the same versions of the sll and application are typically packaged together.
Should the need arise to verify that the versions are the same, the version of the sll as it resides
on the PC can be determined by looking at the file’s properties (right-click on the file and select
the “Version” tab). The version of the Xpert application is given by the application itself, at the
top of the About dialog, which is accessed from the Status tab.

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FEATURES
This section discusses what features are supported related to Iridium communications.
•Self-timed (scheduled) Mobile Originated (MO) telemetry data using Short Burst Data
(SBD)
•Alarm MO telemetry data using SBD
•Scheduled and manually initiated processing of incoming command messages, i.e.,
Mobile Terminated (MT) messages
•Set Xpert system time to Iridium system time
•Diagnostic support, including:
oScheduling details
oNext self-timed message content and size
oRecent incoming messages
oSignal strength
oTotal message and byte counting
oProjected data usage

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CONFIGURATION
This section discusses how to configure the Xpert to process Iridium messages. There are three
different places you’ll go to use and configure the Xpert for Iridium communications:
•Iridium Entry - Setup Tab
•ISBD Blocks - Graphical Setup and EzSetup
•Basic Entry –Setup Tab
Iridium Entry - Setup Tab
The Iridium entry on the Setup tab offers modem and scheduling options.
Figure 1: Iridium Entry on Setup Tab
Iridium Properties
To configure the modem and its connection, select the “Iridium” entry and press the “Edit”
button. The following dialog will appear.

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Figure 2: Iridium Properties Dialog
Enabled
The Enabled checkbox determines whether Xpert will do any kind of Iridium processing. The
checkbox must be checked for Xpert to initiate self-timed and alarm transmissions, process
incoming commands over Iridium, etc. If Enabled is not checked, the Xpert behaves as if the
modem is not connected, and will not process any incoming or outgoing transmissions.
Comm Port
Select the Xpert Comm Port to which the Iridium modem is connected.
Sync Time
When the Sync Time checkbox is checked and recording is ON, the Xpert will set its system
time to Iridium system time (which follows GMT). This time synchronization will only occur
during a transmission or message check, and will only occur up to once daily.
The Iridium system provides GMT time using a counter relative to an “epoch” time defined by
the Iridium authority. The epoch time changes roughly every 7 or so years. In order for the Xpert
to compute system time properly through a change to the Iridium epoch, the Xpert must store
both the current epoch time, and the next expected epoch time. As of version 3.15, the Xpert is
programmed to handle an Iridium epoch change in May, 2014.
Iridium will announce new epoch changes in coming years. When a new epoch date is
announced, the Xpert must be told to store the new date. To change the value of the next epoch
date-time stored in the Xpert, send the following command to the Xpert via Iridium short burst
message:
!irsenxt MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS
For example, to set the next epoch date-time to 5PM June 3, 2020, you would send, “!irsenxt
06/03/2020 17:00:00”.
It’s also possible to set the current Iridium epoch date-time in the Xpert, though this would only
be required if the Xpert failed to set the proper epoch date itself during an epoch transition. To
set the current epoch date, you would send the command, “!irse MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS”.

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Again, the irsenxt and irse commands must be received via Iridium short burst data (SBD)
message to take effect. These commands won’t work if issued over the Xpert command line.
Iridium Transmit Settings
To configure self-timed (scheduled) Mobile Originated (MO) transmissions, select the
“Transmit” entry under the Iridium entry on the Setup tab and press the “Edit” button. The
following dialog will appear.
Figure 3: Iridium Transmission Settings
This dialog is used to define the schedule and format of self-timed transmissions, as well as some
details about what data to include in alarm transmissions.
Note: use ISBD blocks in the Graphical Setup, and the ISBD option in EzSetup, to define
what data to include in transmissions. See ISBD Blocks - Graphical Setup and EzSetup for
more information.
Tx Interval
Tx Interval defines how often to transmit self-timed messages. The format of the string is,
“hh:mm:ss”, where “hh” = hours, “mm” = minutes, and “ss” = seconds. For example, “01:00:00”
means “every hour”, while “00:30:00” means every half hour.
Tx Time
This property defines an offet to Tx Interval. It has the same format as Tx Interval. A Tx Time of
“00:15:00” means, “15 minutes after the hour”. Some examples of transmission schedules are
shown in the table, below:
Tx Interval
Tx Time
Transmission Schedule
01:00:00
00:00:00
12AM, 1AM, 2AM, …, 12PM, 1PM, 2PM, …
02:00:00
00:00:00
12AM, 2AM, 4AM, …, 12PM, 2PM, 4PM, …
01:00:00
00:30:00
12:30AM, 1:30AM, 2:30AM, …, 12:30PM, 1:30PM, …

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04:00:00
00:15:00
12:15AM, 4:15AM, 8:15AM, 12:15PM, 4:15PM, …
Retransmit
When checked, data from failed self-timed transmissions (due to temporary lack of satellite in
view, for example), are retransmitted on the next successful self-timed connection. Note that the
most recent data is always transmitted first on the first successful reconnect, followed by the
oldest to newest data from failed transmissions. Up to 7 days of missed data will be
retransmitted.
Note: A system reboot prevents retransmission of data logged by LogField blocks and EzSetup.
For complete retransmission support, log data using the standard Log blocks in Graphical Setup.
GPRS Fail Only
When checked, Iridium will only proceed with a scheduled transmission when the on-board
GPRS modem fails to indicate it succeeded in its transmission within 3 minutes. This allows you
to use Iridium as a back-up to GPRS transmissions, transmitting only when GPRS has failed to
transmit its data to the Primary or Secondary servers.
To use Iridium as a back-up to GPRS, check the “GPRS Fail Only” setting, and configure
Iridium’s Tx Interval and Tx Time to be the same as GPRS’s Tx Interval and Tx Time. Also,
make sure to include both GPRS and ISBD telemetry tag blocks in the graphical setup to define
the content of the transmissions. Since both GPRS and ISBD blocks are required, you have the
option to transmit less data over Iridium if desired to reduce data cost.
Max Daily Bytes
When “GPRS Fail Only” is checked, the system will stop making scheduled Iridium
transmissions for the day once “Max Daily Bytes” has been met. This limit only applies when
“GPRS Fail Only” is checked, and never applies to alarm transmissions, nor when transmitting
responses to commands received via SBD message over Iridium.
The value of Max Daily Bytes can be changed by sending a command to the Xpert via Iridium
short burst message:
!irsmdb nnn
For example, to set Max Daily Bytes to 20000, send “!irsmdb 20000”.
Include Header
When checked, a header is prepended to the data that describes the type of transmission, as well
as details that describe how the message may be broken up over multiple packets. Be sure this
option is checked when transmitting to Hydromet Cloud (formerly, “SutronWin”).
Include Station Name
When checked, the station name is included in the transmission header. This is typically left
unchecked for operation with Hydromet Cloud (formerly, “SutronWin”).

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Tx Format
This property defines the format of the data sent in self-timed transmissions (as well as alarm
transmissions when Alarm Data = “AllSensors”). The following formats are supported:
ASCII Column
ASCII human readable format with sensor values in columns. Each
row represents data from a previous measurement interval
BUFR
Binary format per WMO BUFR specification for transmission and
storage
PseudoBin-B
6-bit “binary” format, interleaved
PseudoBin-B Non-Int
6-bit “binary” format, non-interleaved
PseudoBin-C
6-bit “binary” format, non-interleaved, with additional meta data
SHEF
ASCII human readable format using SHEF codes
SHEFFIX
ASCII human readable format using SHEF codes, where data appears
in fixed width format of 7 chars
NIFC
ASCII human readable format based on NIFC requirements
NFRDS
ASCII human readable format based on NFRDS requirements
Handar
ASCII human readable format
SSP
Sutron Standard Protocol, binary format
Text
ASCII human readable text format, with alarm flags
See Appendix A –Telemetry Formats, for detailed definitions of each of the formats.
Num Values
When the selected format is interleaved (e.g., ASCII Column or PseudoBin-B), the number of
data values to include for each selected data item must be the same for all selected items, and so
is entered in this dialog (rather than where it is normally entered, in the ISBD telemetry block
properties).
For example: if Num Values is 4, and ISBD blocks tag the two data points, “HG” and “HF”, then
the last 4 values of HG and HF appear in the transmit message.
Alarm Data
Alarm Data can be either “SensorsInAlarm” or “AllSensors”. When set to the latter, alarm
transmissions contain the same data as is found in self-timed transmissions, i.e., all data tagged
with an ISBD block in the graphical setup (as well any data points tagged in EzSetup). However,
when Alarm Data is “SensorsInAlarm”, only the data triggering the alarm is included in the
transmission.

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Transmit “Content” Dialog
When you press the Content button on the Iridium Transmission Settings dialog, the “Set Tx
Content” dialog opens showing a list of all ISBD blocks in the graphical setup (as well as any
data points tagged in EzSetup).
Figure 4: Select Tx Content
When more entries exist than can be shown in the dialog, scroll bars appear, allowing you to
scroll to other entries.
From this dialog, you can change the value of the “TxContent” property for each data item in the
list. You can also press the “…” button to access and change other properties in the block’s
properties dialog. See ISBD Block Properties for more information on how to configure these
properties.
Mobile Terminated (MT) Messages
When you send a message to the station via Iridium SBD (i.e., a “Mobile Terminated” message),
the Xpert will attempt to process the message text as if it’s a command meant for the Xpert
command-line. All command-line commands are supported. The Xpert sends the entire
command line response, in multiple SBD messages, if required (responses are NOT truncated to
only a single SBD message).
NOTE: command responses can be LARGE, and can therefore be expensive.
Commands should be preceded by an exclamation point to disable screen pagination, etc. If a
data or setup authorization password has been defined, this too must precede the command.
MT Command Examples
!show
Return a listing of sensor and tag values. No
authorization required.
!show batt
Show current value of sensor “batt”
!get /today
Show contents of ssp log for today

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!info
Show the current system status
!irsenxt MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS
Set next Iridium epoch date
!irse MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS
Set the current Iridium epoch date
!irsmdb nnn
Set Max Data Bytes to nnn (replace nnn with number)
pword !show
Return sensor and tag listing, “pword” required for
authorization
pword !reboot
Reboot the station, “pword” required for authorization
See the Xpert or 9210B user manuals for a complete listing of commands.
Configuring Mobile Terminated (Incoming) Message Checks
To configure scheduling of incoming message handling, select the “Message” entry under the
Iridium entry on the Setup tab and press the “Edit” button. The following dialog will appear.
Figure 5: Iridium Message Settings
There are three ways the system can be told to look for and handle incoming messages:
•Scheduled Message Checks
•Powered-on “Listen” Periods
•Manual message check
Scheduled Message Checks
The Message Interval property defines how often to look to see if an incoming message is
waiting to be processed. For example, if Message Interval is “01:00:00”, then Xpert will look
every hour to see if a message is waiting. If a message is waiting, it is retrieved and processed.
Note: scheduled message checks cost money (when not performed as part of a transmission)!
Even if a message is not waiting to be processed, you are charged for the message check.

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Powered-on “Listen” Periods
During these periods, the modem is powered and will process an incoming message if and when
it is received. You are charged for the cost to retrieve the message. The advantage of this method
over Scheduled Message Checks is that you won’t be charged for message checks when no
message is waiting. However, since the modem is powered, more power is being consumed.
The Power on Interval property defines how often to power the modem, while Power on Time
defines the offset to this interval, and Power on Duration defines how long to stay on. For
example, settings shown in the dialog above will result in a daily period from 9AM to 10AM
where the modem is powered and waiting to receive and process messages. Note: any
transmissions scheduled during this period still occur.
Manual Message Checks
You can tell the system to check for messages manually from the Iridium diagnostics tab. See the
“Check Messages Now” button in the following dialog: Last Messages Received.
Message Check Charges
Note: The system checks for incoming messages on every scheduled and alarm transmission.
This message check does NOT cost extra, even if no message is waiting. Hence, the cheapest
way to manage incoming messages is to have the system look only when transmissions are
made. This eliminates the additional cost of scheduled message checks, as well as the
additional power needed for listen periods.
Data Password and Setup Password
These two properties specify authorization codes used to validate incoming command messages.
Setup Password specifies the authorization code for “setup-level” access, while Data Password
specifies the authorization code for “data-level” access.
Incoming command messages have setup-level access by default. When the Setup Password
property contains an authorization string, any and all incoming messages that normally require
setup-level access to be processed must prefix the command with the authorization code. For
example, to command the station to reboot with an authorization code of “MyAuthCode”, the
incoming message content would be “MyAuthCode !reboot”.
ISBD Blocks - Graphical Setup and EzSetup
Data is selected for inclusion in Iridium transmissions using ISBD blocks in the Graphical Setup,
and by checking the “ISBD” option in EzSetup. The ISBD properties are the same, whether you
are working in the Graphical Setup or EzSetup.
An example setup is shown below:

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Figure 6: Example ISBD block setup
In the setup depicted above, ISBD blocks “tag” two measured data points, that of, Air Temp and
Barom. Here are some important notes about the setup:
•The ISBD block appears after Alarm block. This ensures the ISBD blocks “sees” the
result of the alarm evaluation, triggering alarm transmissions, if needed. Of course, the
Alarm block is only required if your system will evaluate data for Alarm and/or alarm
transmissions.
•The ISBD block appears before the ComsTag block. This ensures the ComsTag “sees”
the alarm transmission status generated by the Alarm and ISBD blocks.
ISBD Block Properties
To view and edit the properties of the ISBD block, tap the block and select “Edit Properties” in
the pop-up menu that results (in EzSetup, simply press the ISBD button). The following dialog is
shown:
Figure 7: ISBD Edit Tag Dialog

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The ISBD Edit Tag dialog is used to edit the properties of the ISBD block that “tags” the data
point for transmission.
Note, if the selected format is “BUFR”, the settings differ slightly than what is shown and
described here. Please see BUFR, later in this document, for details.
Label
Label defines the “name” of the data. Some formats (e.g., SHEF) include this Label in the
transmission.
Tx Content, Data Interval, Data Time, Num Values
These properties define what data to include in the transmission. See the following table for
details:
Tx Content
Description of data to transmit
All
All the data measured since the last transmission
(or up to Num Values for interleaved formats),
will be transmitted
Individual
Individual values are selected for transmission
based on timestamp
Data Interval
The time interval between readings. For
example, “01:00:00” means “hourly data”
Data Time
The time, or offset into the interval, of the data
to include. For example, “00:15:00” means
“include data measured on a 15 minute offset”
Num Values
Number of values for each data item to include
in the transmission. Enabled only for non-
interleaved transmission formats
Last
Only the last measured value will be transmitted
(or the last “Num Values”, if enabled in global
transmission settings)
Exclude
Exclude this item from transmission
Sequence
This property determines the order of the data item within the transmission.
Right Digits
This property determines the number of right digits to include in the transmission.
Basic Entry –Setup Tab
A Basic program can format custom Iridium messages. Any of the Basic string functions can be
used to format the buffer as required, but the Bin and Bin6 functions exist specifically to help
forming 8-bit and 6-bit binary encoded data.
To create a self-timed formatting routine, create a function with a "SELFTIMED_" prefix. The
return value of the function becomes the buffer. For example:

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Public Function SELFTIMED_STFormatter
Selftimed_STFormatter = "Test Selftimed Message"
End Function
To create an alarm formatting routine, create a function with an “ALARM_” prefix and a single
parameter in which the group number will be passed. The return value of the function becomes
the buffer. For example:
Public Function ALARM_Formatter(Group)
ALARM_Formatter = "Test Alarm Reporting Message: " + Str(Group)
End Function
It's possible to append to the buffer, as opposed to simply overwriting it, by taking advantage of
string concatenation. The following example appends its message to the current buffer:
Public Function SELFTIMED_STFormatter
SELFTIMED_STFormatter = SELFTIMED_STFormatter + "Test Selftimed
Message"
End Function
More than one formatting function can exist in your program, but only one self-timed and one
alarm function may be active at one time. The active routine is selected in the Iridium Custom
Formatting entry under Basic, on the Setup tab:
Figure 8: Iridium Custom Formatting Entry

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TESTING IRIDIUM OPERATIONS
This section discusses testing your Iridium setup to verify communications and other functions
are correct.
Iridium Diagnostics Tab
The Iridium tab contains diagnostic information and tools you can use to verify everything works
as desired.
Figure 9: Iridium Diagnostics Tab
Modem Status
Modem status describes the current state of Iridium processing, and may be any one of the values
in the following table:
Status
Description
Standby-On
Modem is powered, and is ready for next task
Standby-Off
Modem is not powered, and is ready for next task
SelfTimed Tx
Self-timed transmission in progress
Alarm Tx
Alarm transmission in progress
Message Check
System is checking for presence of incoming message
Ring Alert
Modem has received notice of message waiting from satellite
Power On
Modem is powering on
Power Off
Modem is powering off
Daily Maint
System is storing and resetting daily counts
Syncing Time
System is setting Xpert system time to Iridium system time

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Comm Error!
An error has occurred talking to modem (check connection to modem)
Starting
System is starting up
Stopping
System is stopping
Stopped
Iridium processing has stopped (no transmissions or message checks will
occur)
Next Task Status
Next task describes the task next scheduled for processing. Next task time describes when this
task will occur. The time in parenthesis is the current system time.
Last Messages Received
Last msg rx displays the text of the last command received, if any. Press “More…” to see the
following dialog, showing the last several messages received, as well as last and next times for
power-on/off schedule, if any.
Figure 10: Last Iridium Messages Dialog
Press the “Check Message Now” button to check for pending messages. Note: you will be
charged for the message check, in addition to charges for the data of any message received. See
Message Check Charges for more information of managing message check costs.
Self-Timed Statistics
Press the “Self-timed statistics” button on the Iridium tab to bring up the following dialog
showing detailed information about the current day’s self-timed transmissions.

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Figure 11: Today's Self-timed Statistics Dialog
Alarm Statistics
Press the “Alarm statistics” button on the Iridium tab to bring up the following dialog showing
detailed information about the current day’s alarm transmissions.
Figure 12: Today's Alarm Statistics Dialog
Total Data Statistics
Press the “Total data statistics” button on the Iridium tab to bring up the following dialog
showing the total data sent and received for the current day, so far.