TransCore AA3233 User manual

This guide includes information for the installation of the AA3233-002 Subway Rail
Antenna with integrated check tag, and the AA3233-003 Subway Rail Antenna.
These rugged, 915 MHz antennas are specifically designed for the rail industry.
These antennas are designed for mounting between track rails.
This guide is intended for use by authorized TransCore dealers, installers, and
service personnel.
Trusted Transportation Solutions
Installation Guide
16-0144-001 Rev A 05/2020
AA3233
Subway Rail Antenna

Information in this document is subject to change and does not represent a commitment on the part of
TransCore, LP.
© 1998-2020 TransCore, LP. All rights reserved. TRANSCORE, AMTECH, EGO, and ENCOMPASS
are registered trademarks and are used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners. Contents are subject to change. Printed in the U.S.A.
For further information, contact:
TransCore
8600 Jeerson StreetNE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113 USA
TransCore Technical Support
Phone: [phone]
Web: www.transcore.com
TransCore Sales Support
Phone: [phone]
AA-3233 Subway Rail Antenna
2

WARNING TO USERS IN THE UNITED STATES
FCC RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENT
47 CFR §15.105A
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital
device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate RF energy and may cause
harmful interference to radio communications if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual. Operating this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference, in which case, depending on the regulations in eect, the user may be required to
correct the interference at their own expense.
NO UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATIONS
47 CFR §15.21
CAUTION: This equipment may not be modified, altered, or changed in any way without
permission from TransCore, LP. Unauthorized modification may void the equipment
authorization from the FCC and will void the TransCore warranty.
USE OF SHIELDED CABLES IS REQUIRED
47 CFR §15.27A
NOTE: Shielded cables must be used with this equipment to comply with FCC regulations.
TransCore, LP
USA
Installation Guide
3

Installing the AA3233 Antenna
Please read all directions before installing the antenna. Make sure that all parts are
present and all tools and materials are available.
Accessory Kit
Items included in the accessory kit (P/N 19079-01) are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Accessory Kit
Accessory Kit Item
Quantity
(each)
Paper drilling template 1
Large plastic bubble bag 1
Connector enclosure cover 1
Connector enclosure gasket 1
Shoulder screw, 10-32, 0.188 SL 12
Connector conduit, ST sealed 1
Conduit sealing locknut 1
Stud anchor, stainless steel, ⁄-in x 3-in long 6
Set screw, socket, cup 10-32, ⁄-in long 2
Required Tools and Supplies
Use the following tools and supplies to install the antenna:
• Safety goggles
• Power drill (hammer drill recommended)
• ⁄-in diameter x 3-in long masonry bit
• Soft-jaw pliers for “N” type connector (NSN 5120-00-624-80651)
• Torque wrench with in-lb resolution
• Torque wrench with ft-lb resolution
• Phillips head screw driver with in-lb torque wrench adapter
• ⁄-in socket head and open-end wrench with in-lb torque wrench adapter
• ⁄-in open-end wre nch with ft-lb torque wrench adapter
• 20-in straight-edge
• Six ⁄-in 16 x 3 in Trubolt Red Head Wedge Anchors
1National Stock Number (NSN) is a 13-digit numeric code, identifying all the ‘standardized material items
of supply’ as they have been recognized by the United States government.
AA-3233 Subway Rail Antenna
4

• Liquid thread locker
• Liquid-tight flexible electrical conduit (UL listed)
• Straight, insulated liquid-tight, 1-in electrical conduit connector
• Concrete (if needed)
• Test tag and reader to verify tag operation
Installation Procedures
This section provides procedures for the following tasks:
• Preparing the antenna site
• Securing the antenna hardware connections
• Fastening the antenna to the trackbed
Note: To install the AA3233 Antenna correctly, follow these procedures in the order in which they
are presented. The AA3233-002 has an integrated check tag. Instructions that pertain only to the
installation of the check tag will be be noted.
Preparing Antenna Site
Before you install the antenna, use the following instructions to prepare the site where the antenna is to
be installed.
1. Identify the approximate antenna location on the track bed. The location should be centered
between the rails. Mark parallel and perpendicular centerlines on the track bed (Figure 1).
Installation Guide
5

Note: Remove the template from the concrete base before installing the antenna.
2. Ensure that area where the antenna will be mounted in the railroad trackbed is clear of any metal
obstruction other than the rails as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 1 Antenna Configuration Showing Correct Placement and Orientation between Rails
AA-3233 Subway Rail Antenna
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3. Check that the track bed is suciently level by laying a 20 in (50 cm) straight edge on the track
bed perpendicular to the rails. This straight edge should align with the centerline of the two
isolators (refer to Figure 1 for location of isolator) located near the connector and the centerline of
the end isolator. Measure the distance from the track bed to the bottom of the straight edge. The
track bed should not dip more than 1.75 in (4.42 cm) below the straight edge at a distance of 5-in
(12.7 cm) from the centerline of foot block #3. Additionally, the track bed surface should be smooth
(within 0.5 in) over the lengths of the 15-in (38.1 cm) and 5 in (12.7 cm) segments (Figure 3).
Figure 2 Metal-free Zone Around Antenna
Installation Guide
7

4. Place the template on top of the intersecting centerlines. Center the antenna template — within
2in (5.1 cm) of track centerline — on the line that is parallel to the rails, then align it with the line
drawn perpendicular to the rails (within 15 degrees).
5. If the track bed is out of specification from the measurements provided in Step 4of this section,
grout the track bed base with up to 0.5 in (1.3 cm) of grout replacement to bring it to specification.
Allow sucient time for the grout to cure before proceeding to the next step. Redraw the track bed
centerlines if necessary.
Note: If track bed cannot be brought into the specification stated in Step 3, change antenna
location.
6. When the track bed base is within the requirements of Step 3, stretch the template across any
“valley” (as shown in Figure 3) to get the proper center-to-center spacing between the foot blocks.
Use the template to mark and drill six 0.375 in (0.95 cm) wide x 3 in (7.6 cm) deep holes in the
concrete. Check that the template centerlines are aligned with the track bed centerlines (see Step
3of this section).
7. Clear the concrete dust from the wedge anchor holes.
Securing Antenna Hardware Connections
After you have prepared the site as specified in “Preparing Antenna Site”, follow the steps below to
secure the hardware connections.
1. Place the antenna upside down on its cover (radome facing down) on top of the template to
protect the cover from being scratched.
Figure 3 Test Configuration for Antenna Installation
AA-3233 Subway Rail Antenna
8

2. Remove the locking nut and plastic washer from the conduit connector. Insert connector through
the 1-in conduit connector onto the end of the connector enclosure cover. Replace the washer
and nut and tighten the conduit enclosure connector nut to torque of 28 ft-lb (Figure 4).
3. Insert the flexible conduit into the 1-in conduit connector, and tighten the conduit connector nut
to torque of 12 ft-lb (Figure 4). The flexible conduit is now secured to the connector enclosure
cover.
4. Insert the antenna cable and check tag cable (AA3233-002 only) from the reader into the flexible
conduit. Slide the cable(s) through the flexible conduit (Figure 4).
5. Pull the antenna cable through the hole in the connector enclosure cover and out of the
connector enclosure cover until the cable end extends approximately 1 ft (30.5 cm) beyond the
cover.
6. Attach the antenna cable to the type N connector located on the antenna baseplate by first
tightening the conduit locknut securely by hand and then using the soft-jaw pliers to tighten the
locknut an additional one-half turn. Attach the antenna cable to the reader.
7. (AA3233-003 only) Place the antenna in the right-side up (radome facing up) position and test the
antenna by reading a tag held about 18 in (45 cm) over the antenna.
8. (AA3233-002 only) Attach the check tag cable to the check tag connector located on the
antenna baseplate by inserting then twisting the connector ⁄ turn to right to lock the connector.
Attach the check tag cable to the reader.
• Check that the antenna is working properly by reading a check tag. (This step assumes that
the installer is using and is familiar with an AI1200 Reader.)
Figure 4 Antenna Hardware Connections
Installation Guide
9

• Ensure that the reader is switched on and in data mode(#00). Enter command #8110 to enable
the check tag.
Reader response: #============= 00
• Switch o reader.
9. Turn the antenna upside down on top of the template to protect the cover from being scratched.
Attach the connector enclosure cover to the connector base plate using twelve 10-32 x .188-in
shoulder screws (Figure 5).
10. Apply liquid thread locker to all screw threads. Tighten each screw until its shoulder bottoms out
against the baseplate and secure to torque of 20 in-lb.
Fastening Antenna to Track Bed
After you have secured the antenna connections as specified in “Securing Antenna Hardware
Connections”, follow the steps below to fasten the antenna to the track bed.
1. Lift the antenna from on top of the template.
2. Remove the template from the antenna location and place antenna right side up (radome facing
up) on template.
3. Assemble the washer and nut on the wedge anchor stud so that the nut rests below the
chamfered head.
Figure 5 Components and Foot Blocks with Isolators on Antenna underside
AA-3233 Subway Rail Antenna
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4. Place anchor in hole. Strike top sharply with a hammer to drive the anchor into the hole (Figure 6).
Tighten nut to torque of 25 ft-lb.
Caution
The stud anchors must not protrude more than 0.5 in (1.3 cm) through the foot-block holes,
that is, not more than 1 in (2.5 cm) above the concrete surface.
5. Remove nuts and washers from stud anchors.
6. Place the antenna over the stud anchors.
7. Replace the nuts and washers on the anchor studs, apply liquid thread locker to threads, and
tighten nuts until they are seated.
8. Secure the nuts to torque of 25 ft-lb.
9. Check that the antenna is anchored firmly to the concrete.
10. If the 1/4-20 set screws or lock nuts have been removed or loosened from the isolators or
baseplate, replace them and secure to torque of 40 in-lb.
11. Fasten the radio frequency coaxial cable to reader.
12. Fasten conduit to track bed using tie-downs. The first tie-down should be located at least 18 in
(45cm) from the antenna (Figure 1 on page 6) to allow the isolators to move freely.
Figure 6 Placing Stud Anchor into Hole
Installation Guide
11

AA-3233 Subway Rail Antenna
12
Check Tag Connector (AA3233-002 Only)
Check Tag Connector
This section shows the pin-out designations for the check tag connector (Figure 7).
Table 2 lists the pin-out signals and descriptions.
Table 2 Pin-Out Signal Descriptions
Pin Color (reference only) Pair Description
A White/blue stripe 1 Primary power
B Blue/white stripe 1 Ground
C Bare 1 Shield (ground)
D Orange/white stripe 2 Check tag enable
E White/orange stripe 2 Check tag enable (return)
F Bare 2 Shield (ground)
Figure 7 Check Tag Connector Pin-Outs

For more information:
Sales Support
800.923.4824
Technical Support
505.856.8007
transcore.com
Trusted Transportation Solutions
1998-2020 TransCore L.P. All rights reserved. TRANSCORE is a registered trademark,
and is used under license. All other trademarks listed are the property of their respective
owners. Contents subject to change. Printed in the U.S.A.