Practical Systems Transmitter User’s Manual
PRACTICAL SYSTEMS TRANSMITTER
Praxsym Warranty Statement
PRAXSYM warrants that all items will be free from defects in material
and workmanship under use as specified in this guide for a period of
one year from date of delivery. PRAXSYM further agrees to repair or
replace, at its discretion, any failure which upon PRAXSYM's inspection appears to be a result of workmanship or material defect. In no
case, shall PRAXSYM's liability for breach of warranty exceed the purchase price of the items in question. PRAXSYM's liability on any claim
of any kind, for any loss connected with, or resulting from the use of,
performance or breach thereof, installation, inspection, operation or
use of any equipment furnished by PRAXSYM, shall in no case exceed
the purchase price of the goods which give rise to the claim.
Praxsym, Inc.
P.O. Box 369
Fisher, IL 61843
Phone (217) 897-1744
Fax (217) 897-6388
www.praxsym.com
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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Overview
1.2 Functional Description
2.0 Operation
2.1 Battery Charging
2.2 Keypad Definition
2.3 Display Definition
2.4 Menu Navigation
2.5 Controlling the PST Remotely
2.6 Installing the USB Serial Driver
3.0 Serial Interface Operation
3.1 Configuring Tera Term Pro
3.2 Commands
PRAXSYM
3.3 Error Messages
4.0 Specifications
4.1 Electrical Specifications
4.2 Environmental Specifications
4.3 Mechanical Specifications
4.4 Shipping Settings
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1.0 Introduction
1.1 Overview
The PST is complete, portable CW test source capable of transmitting
test signals in two bands simultaneously. The output from each band
can be enabled independently and level can be adjusted between –
10dBm and +10dBm in 0.1dB steps. Different transmitter models can
be configured to cover VHF, UHF, Cellular, GSM850, GSM900, iDEN,
PCS, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS bands.
The transmitter frequency and output level for each channel can be
set from the touch keys on the front panel. The transmitter status
can easily be monitored from the backlit LCD display. The touchscreen on the display should be cared for properly. The transmitter
also contains an USB interface enabling the user to download specific transmitter configurations stored on a PC or control the transmitter remotely.
The transmitter can be powered using the internal 6 AA rechargeable batteries for 6 to 8 hours of continuous operation or from the
AC/DC wall adapter included.
1.2 Functional Description
The PST will power on to a splash screen with the Praxsym Logo, and
immediately proceed to the main operation screen. The previous
settings from the last use will be retained. The transmitter will not
power on transmitting RF energy, though it may have been powered
off previously while transmitting. The PST may safely be powered off
in any state using the ON/OFF button.
The PST is configured with channel spacing of many common wireless standards. Once the channel spacing is selected within the
Channel Setup menu, the step size may be adjusted from the main
operation screen. This function makes stepping across multiple channels quick and easy during testing.
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2.0 Operation
2.1 Battery Charging
The PST transmitter is fully operational while the batteries are being
charged. Charging can occur whether or not the unit is powered on.
When “batt low” appears in the battery icon, the battery life is nearing
its end. The transmitter will shut down soon. Connect the AC/DC
adapter (12V /1.5A) to the unit’s CHARGE jack. Plug the adapter into
a wall outlet. An internal battery charger will control and terminate
the charging of the 6 NiMH cells within each unit. When beginning a
charge cycle with batteries which have been completely depleted,
allow about two and a half hours for a full charge to be restored. A
top-off charge is recommended immediately before use for maximum
battery life.
When the LED next to the charger jack turns green, the batteries are
nearly full and enter trickle charge mode. Continuing to charge when
the LED turns green for approximately an hour will give maximum
battery life. Fully charged batteries will give six to eight hours of use.
Also, the battery icon on the display will be completely darkened.
Though designed for many recharge cycles, the batteries are user replaceable. Use only Energizer® NH15 AA NiMH rechargeable batteries, as supplied originally. Other AA battery types such as Alkaline or
Lithium Ion may result in damage to the transmitter.
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2.2 Keypad Definition
ON/OFF—Turns unit on or off
Numerals 0-9—Enter a new frequency, amplitude level or step size,
select corresponding menu item choice where applicable
SEL—Select. Toggles between frequency, amplitude and step size
on the main screen or chooses highlighted menu option in applicable screens.
UP/DOWN ARROWS—Adjust frequency, amplitude or step size of
highlighted channel in the main screen using the arrows. Adjustments to frequency are made in the set step size. In applicable
sub-menus, the arrows control selection of menu options.
PLUS/MINUS SIGNS— Change to a positive or negative amplitude
value
LOCK/DECIMAL POINT–Locks the keypad from any unintentional
changes. Indication of lock status is on the display during the
main screen only. The keypad may be locked and unlocked from
the main operation screen only. The Decimal Point is for use when
numerically entering a new frequency, amplitude or step size.
MENU—This brings up the Main Menu screen from the main operation screen, returns to main screen from Main Menu and backtracks through menus within sub-menu screens.
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USB Port
PRAXSYM
Battery Charger jack & status LED
Ch. 1 Ch. 2
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2.3 Display Definition
The tabs may be toggled between Frequency, Amplitude and Step
with the touch screen, with the size for both channels may be
active channel band noted at the top controlled using SEL to change
between the three, while the
arrow keys make adjustments
to the values
Touch screen control Numbers present Animation will run
of RF transmission indicate channels when either or both
which are transmitting channels are
transmitting
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Lock status of Indicates setting Battery Level
the keypad is which may be indicator
Indicated by adjusted using the
the padlock icon arrow keys
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2.4 Menu Navigation
Pressing the MENU button from the main operation screen brings
up the Main Menu. All transmitter settings are available from this
menu. Pressing MENU again from this screen returns to the main
operation screen.
Using the arrow keys will change the highlighted menu option.
SEL chooses the highlighted menu option. Pressing the corresponding menu option on the keypad will also select menu options directly.
The Channel Setup options allow for setting of Frequency, Amplitude and Step Size. Channel Information displaying minimum and
maximum values for frequency and RF power output are also available.
Display Settings contains user-selectable parameters for the duration of Backlight Timeout and also Backlight Level brightness.
System Settings contains options to change Baud Rate or Disable/
Enable Transmitting when the Frequency is changed. If Disable
On New RF is ‘ON’, the PST will not transmit when a new frequency is entered. If a new step size does not require change of
frequency, the PST will continue transmitting.
Pressing the MENU button while in any menu screen will backtrack through the menu hierarchy. On all screens where menu
choices may be made, an option to return directly to the main
operation screen is present.
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2.5 Controlling the PST Remotely
The PST can be controlled by a PC or embedded controller via the
USB interface. Procedures in this section also describe control with
terminal emulation software on a PC or laptop computer.
Install the supplied cable between a USB port on the PC/laptop
and the USB port on the receiver.
Start the terminal emulation software and setup with the following parameters.
Baud rate 9600, 38400 or 115200 (user selectable)
Data bits 8
Stop bits 1
Parity none
Com port 4 or 3 (typical)*
Local echo ON
Select line feed (LF) after carriage return (CR) when receiving
The settings may be found in various places depending on the
terminal emulation software used. Generally, check the Serial
Port and Terminal configuration menus.
Power up the Transmitter by depressing the ‘ON/OFF’ buttonThe
transmitter frequency is stored in non-volatile memory. When
power is applied to the transmitter, it will return to the last entered
frequency.
*contact Praxsym for assistance if USB serial port does not appear on Com 4 or 3
see section 2.4 for further illustration
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2.5 Controlling the PST Remotely (continued)
Set up the transmitter, following the recommended sequence:
Set the target channel CH=X<CR>
Set the frequency in MHz FR=XXXX.yyyy<CR>
See Section 3.3 for a complete listing of all error responses.
2.6 Installing the USB-Serial Driver
Plug the PST into an available USB port with the supplied
cable.
Click ‘Next’
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Leave on the default setting and click ‘Next’
Put your USB driver CD-ROM into your computer CD drive. Click
‘Next’
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Click ‘Finish’
You can now go to the
‘Device Manager’ and
verify the driver was installed successfully. Also
note the COM number
designated for the
USB drivers.
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3.0 Serial Interface Operation
3.1 Configuring Tera Term Pro
Open the Terminal setup window from the Setup Menu. Select
CR+LF for Receive and CR for Transmit. Enable Local Echo. Also
within the Setup menu, choose the Serial Port option. Ensure parameters are matched to what settings were configured within
the transmitter for communication.
Tera Term must be closed and the USB cable removed before
manually powering down the transmitter.
3.2 Commands
SET COMMANDS
The response to successfully executed SET commands is the message OK <CR>.
FR = XXXX.yyyy<CR> Sets output frequency (in MHz). The
Inclusion of the decimal point and digits to
the right of the decimal are optional.
CH=X<CR> Sets the channel you wish to configure. X = 1 or 2
*While the display will not change to reflect
selection of a different channel with a serial com manded channel change, control of the serially
selected channel will function properly
TX=X<CR> Enable/Disable output command. TX=1 turns the
output on for the current channel. TX=0 turns the
output off for the current channel.
AMP=+/-XX.y<CR> Sets the output amplitude for the current
channel.
ST=X.yyyy<CR> Sets the channel spacing (in MHz).
Example: ST=0.0125 (12.5kHz Channel Spacing)
Commands may be sent in lower or upper case. <CR> represents ‘ENTER.’
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QUERY COMMANDS
FR?<CR> Returns the current frequency setting in the form
XXXX.yyyy (MHz).
Example: 950.0000
MN?<CR> Returns the lowest frequency that the currently se
lected channel can be set in the form XXXX.yyyy (in
MHz). See “FR?” for example.
MX?<CR> Returns the highest frequency that the currently se
lected channel can be set in the form XXXX.yyyy (in
MHz). See “FR?” for example.
ST?<CR> Returns the synthesizer step size setting in the form
X.yyyy (MHz).
Example: 0.0100
AMP?<CR> Returns the current output amplitude in the form +/ XX.y (dBm) for the current channel.
Example: +5.0
AMN?<CR> Returns the minimum output amplitude in the form +/ XX.y (dBm) that the current channel can output. See
“AMP?” for example.
AMX?<CR> Returns the maximum output amplitude in the form
+/-XX.y (dBm) that the current channel can output.
See “AMP?” for example.
LD?<CR> Returns “0” if the synthesizer for the current channel is
unlocked. Returns “1” if the synthesizer for the current
channel is locked.
VR?<CR> Returns software version of the receiver board in the
form X.yy.
Example: 0.93
VD?<CR> Returns software version of the keypad/display board
in the form X.yy.
Example: 2.07
BV?<CR> Returns the battery voltage level “BV=XX.y”.
Example: BV=73%
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3.3 Error Responses
Invalid commands will be acknowledged with an error response. An error response will consist of 4 ASCII bytes followed by a carriage return. The error code consists of the two
characters ER followed by a two-character error status code.
ERIC<CR> Invalid command
The command was not recognized because it was not in the
proper format.
ERIN<CR> Invalid number or range
The data included in the previous command was invalid or outof-range.
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4.0 Specifications
4.1 Electrical Specifications
Frequency Range:
310-010108-001 805-960MHz
10kHz, 12.5kHz steps
1850-1990MHz
30kHz, 200kHz steps
310-010108-002 805-960MHz
10kHz, 12.5kHz steps
1710-1880MHz
200kHz steps
RF Power Output: -10 to +10dBm
4.2 Environmental Specifications
Temperature Range: 0-50C
4.3 Mechanical Specifications
RF Connectors: SMA
Display: Transflective 128x64 Black/White
White LED Backlight
Keypad: Sixteen keys – see definition on page 2
Enclosure: aluminum
Power Source: 6 AA NiMH cells rechargeable
Size: 7” x 5” x 2.75” (excluding RF connectors)
Weight: 4 lbs.
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4.4 Shipping Settings
Frequency
Channel 1 894.0000MHz
Channel 2 1875.0000MHz
Channel Spacing
Channel 1 30.0kHz
Channel 2 200.0kHz
Amplitude
Channel 1 +10dBm
Channel 2 +10dBm
Baud Rate
9600
Disable On New RF
OFF
Backlight
100%
Backlight Timeout
1 minute
Notes
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Version 060206
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