Wavetronix Expanse XP20 User manual

Expanse XP20
USER GUIDE

Expanse XP20
USER GUIDE
Provo, Utah
801.734.7200
www.wavetronix.com

WX-500-0348
02/20
© 2020 Wavetronix LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Wavetronix, SmartSensor, Click, Command, and all associated product names and logos are trademarks of Wavetronix
LLC. All other products or brand names as they appear are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
holders.
Protected in the US by patents viewable at www.wavetronix.com/legal. Protected by Canadian Patent Nos. 2461411;
2434756; 2512689; and European Patent Nos. 1435036; 1438702; 1611458. Other US and international patents pending.
The Company shall not be liable for any errors contained herein or for any damages arising out of or related to this docu-
ment or the information contained therein, even if the Company has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
This document is intended for informational and instructional purposes only. The Company reserves the right to make
changes in the specifications and other information contained in this document without prior notification.
FCC and ISED Compliance
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 radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the
user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.
This device contains licence-exempt transmitter(s)/receiver(s) that comply with Innovation, Science and Economic Devel-
opment Canada’s licence-exempt RSS(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference.
(2) This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesiredoperation of the device.
Cet appareil contient des émetteurs / récepteurs exemptés de licence conformes à l'innovation, RSS(s) exemptés de
licence de Sciences et Développement économique Canada. Le fonctionnement est soumis à la suivant deux conditions:
(1) l’appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage;
(2) l’utilisateur de l’appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est susceptible d’en
compromettre le fonctionnement.
FCC and ISED RF Exposure Statements
This equipment complies with FCC RF exposure safety guidelines for mobile devices and Canada RSS-102 radiation
exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum
distance 20cm between the radiator & the user’s body when operating the device.
L’appareillage répond aux limites de la norme RSS-102 sur l’exposition aux radiations établies pour un environnement
non-contrôlé. Il devrait être installé et fonctionner à une distance minimale de 20 cm entre l’antenne et votre corps.
Disclaimer
The advertised detection accuracy of the Wavetronix SmartSensor sensors is based on both external and internal testing,
as outlined in each product’s specification document. Although our sensors are very accurate by industry standards, like
all other sensor manufacturers we cannot guarantee perfection or assure that no errors will ever occur in any particular
applications of our technology. Therefore, beyond the express Limited Warranty that accompanies each sensor sold by
the company, we oer no additional representations, warranties, guarantees or remedies to our customers. It is recom-
mended that purchasers and integrators evaluate the accuracy of each sensor to determine the acceptable margin of
error for each application within their particular system(s).

1 CHOOSING A MOUNTING LOCATION
5Mounting location, height, and offset
5 Choosing where to mount
7 Choosing a mounting height and oset
8Occlusion and multipathing
10 Fixing occlusion problems
10 Fixing multipath problems
2 INSTALLING THE XP20
11 Mounting the sensor
12 Aligning the sensor to the roadway
13 Assembling the cable
15 Applying silicon dielectric compound
16 Connecting the cable
CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Choosing a mounting location •5
1
Choosing a mounting location
Mounting location, height, and offset
Choosing where to mount
Figure 1. The XP20 radar footprint
˿For best performance, make sure the lanes being detected are
all parallel to each other; avoid on- and o-ramps/turn lanes that
angle away from the road.

6 • Expanse XP20 User Guide
˿Make sure all monitored lanes are within 6 to 250 ft. (1.8 to 76.2
m) of the sensor. Up to 22 lanes can be detected.
˿If you’re putting a sensor on a road with stoplights or stop
signs, position the sensor toward middle of the block, to reduce
the likelihood of having stopped vehicles in the XP20 radar
footprint.
Figure 2. Midblock installation
˿Keep cable lengths in mind when you pick mounting locations;
when you use a Wavetronix or Wavetronix-recommended
cable, the cable run between the XP20 and the cabinet can be
as long as 2000 ft. (609.6 m).
˿Consider timing: after a vehicle passes in front of the sensor,
there’s a slight delay before the data for that vehicle is sent
from the sensor.
˿In a time-sensitive application, like supplying a variable mes-
sage sign with per vehicle warning messages, make sure the
sensor is far enough upstream from the sign that the system
has time to collect the data, process it, and send it to the sign
by the time the vehicles reach the problem area.
˿See if you can take advantage of any existing infrastructure in
the area. The sensor can be mounted on existing poles (with
the exception of wooden poles), as long as they fall within the
acceptable oset range. You may also be able to tap into exist-
ing cabinets, power sources, and communication networks. All
of these options could save you time and money.
Note. You can
purchase your cable
from Wavetronix
or from a cable
manufacturer. If you
do the second, we
recommend you
purchase either the
Alpha Wire 6453 or
Belden 3105A cable.

Chapter 1: Choosing a mounting location •7
Choosing a mounting height and offset
Mounting guidelines in feet
Offset Height (acceptable range)
6* 12 (9–19)
7* 12 (9–19)
8* 12 (9–20)
912 (9–21)
10 12 (9–22)
11 12 (9–23)
12 13 (10–24)
13 13 (11–25)
14 14 (11–28)
15 15 (12–26)
16 15 (12–27)
17 16 (13–28)
18 17 (14–29)
19 17 (14–30)
20 18 (15–30)
21 19 (15–31)
22 20 (16–31)
23 22 (16–32)
24 24 (16–33)
25 26 (17–33)
26 26 (17–34)
27 27 (18–35)
28 27 (18–35)
29 27 (18–36)
30 29 (19–37)
31 29 (19–37)
32 29 (19–38)
33 30 (19–39)
34 30 (19–39)
35 30 (20–40)
36 30 (20–41)
37 31 (20–41)
38 31 (21–42)
39 33 (21–43)
40 33 (22–43)
41 34 (22–44)
42 34 (22–44)
43 35 (22–45)
44 35 (23–46)
45 36 (23–46)
46 36 (23–47)
47 36 (24–48)
48 38 (24–48)
49 38 (24–49)
50–230 39 (25 to <offset)
Note. Mounting
height is measured
from the road’s
height, not the
bottom of the pole. If
installing a new pole,
remember that part
of the pole will likely
be below ground.
Definition. Oset is
the distance between
the pole the sensor
is mounted on and
the edge of the first
lane to be detected.
* reduction
in number
of reported
speeds.
Recommended

8 • Expanse XP20 User Guide
Mounting guidelines in meters
Offset Height (acceptable range)
2.0* 3.5 (2.5–5.5)
2.5* 3.5 (2.5–5.5)
3.0 3.5 (2.5–5.5)
3.5 3.5 (3.0–6.0)
4.0 4.0 (3.0–7.0)
4.5 4.5 (3.5–7.5)
5.0 4.5 (3.5–8.0)
5.5 5.0 (4.0–9.0)
6.0 5.5 (4.5–9.0)
6.5 6.0 (4.5–9.5)
7.0 6.5 (5.0–10.0)
7.5 8.0 (5.0–10.0)
8.0 8.0 (5.0–10.5)
8.5 8.0 (5.5–10.5)
9.0 8.5 (5.5–11.0)
9.5 8.5 (5.5–11.5)
10.0 9.0 (6.0–12.0)
10.5 9.0 (6.0–12.0)
11.0 9.0 (6.0–12.5)
11.5 9.5 (6.5–13.0)
12.0 10.0 (6.5–13.0)
12.5 10.5 (6.5–13.5)
13.0 10.5 (7.0–13.5)
13.5 11.0 (7.0–14.0)
14.0 11.0 (7.0–14.0)
14.5 11.5 (7.5–14.5)
15.0 11.5 (7.5–15.0)
15.5–70 12.0 (7.5 to <offset)
Additional information
˿If the roadway is frequently used by tall vehicles, consider
choosing a higher mounting height to help avoid occlusion.
˿Don’t use an oset of less than 6 ft. (1.8 m). Also, the sensor can
be up to 230 ft. (70.1 m) from the road, but don’t go out that far if
you can avoid it; it could lead to decreased accuracy.
˿For best results, choose the mounting height in the Height
column in the table. If you can’t, just keep it somewhere in the
acceptable range.
Occlusion and multipathing
These are two problems you might face while using a radar
detector.
Note. Some
countries, such as
the UK, have their
own variant of these
mounting guidelines
due to dierences
in road layouts and
trac profiles. Please
consult with your
local Wavetronix
oce to ensure
you are installing
to the correct
local guidelines.
* reduction
in number
of reported
speeds.
Recommended
Warning. Choosing
a mounting
height outside
that range could
negatively aect
sensor accuracy.

Chapter 1: Choosing a mounting location •9
Figure 3. Occlusion
Occlusion occurs when one object blocks another object from the
sensor’s view, as shown above. This can happen with
˿Tall vehicles like semi trucks
˿Signs
˿Barriers and sounding walls
˿Trees and more
Normal
detection
Signal that doesn’t
return to sensor is
scattered
Signal bouncing
o wall causes
false detection
Figure 4. Left: direct path return; right: multipath return
Multipathing occurs when a large flat surface near the sensor inter-
feres with detection. A radar signal can bounce around several
times between the surface and the vehicles before returning to the
sensor. This can make the sensor detect a vehicle where there is
none.
This can happen with
˿Buildings
˿Signs
˿Guard rails

10 • Expanse XP20 User Guide
˿Sounding walls and more
Fixing occlusion problems
˿Move the sensor higher on the pole (keeping it within the rec-
ommendations in the mounting guidelines table).
˿Move the sensor to another spot on the freeway if possible,
away from obstructions.
˿If there’s a very large barrier in the median, you could do the
following:
Use one sensor on either side of the road, pointing in (be
sure to give the two sensors a 70-ft./21.3-m lateral oset and
put them on dierent RF channels).
Put two sensors on the same pole in the middle of the
median, both pointing out (put them on dierent RF chan-
nels), but this would mean they are next to the barrier in the
median and that could cause multipath problems.
Fixing multipath problems
˿Move the sensor if possible; make sure it is separated from
overhead signs, overpasses, tunnels, parallel walls, etc. A 30-ft.
(9.1-m) lateral separation would be ideal, but even just a few feet
can make a dierence.
˿Adjust the sensor’s sensitivity thresholds in the software.
Note. A good rule of
thumb is that 50%
of a vehicle must
be visible above
any barrier in order
to be detected.

Chapter 2: Installing the XP20 •11
2
Installing the XP20
Mounting the sensor
Figure 5. Mounting the sensor
1 Use Band-It or a similar clamping system to attach the mount to
the pole.
2 Attach the sensor to the mount by positioning the slot on the

12 • Expanse XP20 User Guide
back of the sensor above the black tab on the end of the mount
and sliding down.
3 Tighten the thumb screw on the sensor; for a more secure
installation, finish tightening with a screwdriver.
Aligning the sensor to the roadway
Figure 6. Up-and-down positioning
1 Tilt the sensor down so the front is aimed at the center of the
detection area.
Figure 7. Rotating the sensor on a hill: incorrect (left) and correct (right)
2 Be sure the sensor is parallel to the slope of the road; if the
sensor is installed on a road with an uphill/downhill grade,
rotate the sensor so that the bottom edge matches the grade of
the road.

Chapter 2: Installing the XP20 •13
Figure 8. Side-to-side positioning
3 Adjust the side-to-side angle so it’s perpendicular to the flow of
trac.
4 Once you are satisfied with the sensor alignment and position-
ing, tighten all bolts in the mount.
Assembling the cable
Figure 9. Cable with backshell nut, rubber seal, and clamping ring
1 Slide the backshell nut over the end of the cable.
2 Select the closest-fitting rubber seal for your cable; slide it over
the end of the cable.
3 Slide the clamping ring over the end of the cable.
Figure 10. Cable with ferrules on conductors
4 Strip back the cable insulation 16 mm.
5 Cut o the shield braid and foil, but do not remove the uninsu-
lated drain wire.
6 You should have two insulated condutors and one uninsulated
Note. You will
double-check
the alignment
of the sensor in
the software.

14 • Expanse XP20 User Guide
drain wire. On the two insulated conductors, strip back the insu-
lation 8 mm.
7 Crimp ferrules to the ends of all three wires.
Figure 11. Terminating conductors and drain in pin housing
8 On the pin housing, loosen the set screws (located on the sides
of the pin housing) on pins 2, 3 and 4, using the provided Allen
wrench, to make room to terminate the wires.
9 Terminate the wires from the cable into the pin housing as fol-
lows: put the white conductor in pin 2, the blue conductor in pin
3, and the drain wire in pin 4.
10 Tighten the set screws.
Figure 12. Cable with pin housing snapped to clamping ring
11 Slide the clamping ring forward and snap it into the pin housing.
Note that the clamping ring only fits on in a certain way, so you'll
have to align it properly.
Figure 13. Adding clamping ring

Chapter 2: Installing the XP20 •15
12 Snap the connector insert on top of the pin housing. Again,
you'll have to align it properly.
13 Slide the rubber seal inside the clamping ring.
Figure 14. Completed connector
14 Insert the whole assembly into the backshell, twisting the back-
shell until it slips over the alignment marks in the connector
insert; slide the backshell nut forward over the cable and screw
the two together using two 18 mm wrenches.
Applying silicon dielectric compound
Figure 15. Applying the compound
1 Tear the tab o the tube of silicon dielectric compound that
came with the sensor.
2 Squeeze about a quarter of the compound onto the connector
at the base of the sensor.

16 • Expanse XP20 User Guide
Connecting the cable
Figure 16. Cable run through pole (left) and through conduit (right)
1 Insert the cable connector into the sensor connector; be aware
that the connector is keyed and will only fit in a certain way.
2 Tighten the nut on the cable connector.
3 If you haven't already, run the cable through the pole. Leave a
small amount of slack at the top; this reduces strain, allows you
to create a drip loop as shown above, and gives you something
to work with should you someday need to move the sensor to a
dierent spot on the pole.
4 If there’s excess cable, don’t cut it, as you may need it at a later
time; leave it in the pole.
Note. When you run
the cable through
the pole, don’t drill
through the sensor
mount, as the sensor
and sensor mount
may need to be
adjusted in the future.

www.wavetronix.com