Spectra Precision ADLCONF User Manual

ADLCONF SoŌ ware

User Guide

Contact Information

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Support hours are 8 am to 5 pm Paci c Time. Please visit our website for
up-to-date news and product announcements. Firmware and software
upgrades are available from our website, usually free of charge.

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©2012 Paci c Crest. All rights reserved. Adaptation, or translation of
this manual is prohibited without prior written permission of Paci c
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sales@Paci cCrest.com

May 2013 Rev B

ADLCONF User Guide

2

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Your Comments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Installing the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Running the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

ADLCONF Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

File menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Edit menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Help menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Connecting to the Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Demo mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Identifi cation Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Radio Link Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Current Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Import Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Scan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Link Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Modulation Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Sensitivity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

TX Power Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Address Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Transmit Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

CSMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Use Forward Error Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Advanced settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Disable TX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Scramble Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Automatic turn o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

RX LED de nition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Insert source address. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Disable Antenna Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Serial Interface Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Port. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Baud Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Protocol Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Data Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Advanced settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Soft Break Disabled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Break to Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Turn o radio LCD backlight after 20 seconds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Enable/Disable Radio Con guration via radio interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Frequencies Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Importing a channel table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Exporting a channel table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Region Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Programming the radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

High Heat Con gurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Supported combinations of radio settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

12.5 kHz Channel Bandwidth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

25 kHz Channel Bandwidth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

US Narrowbanding Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Restoring Factory Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Undoing Changes to Radio Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Printing Radio Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Closing the ADLCONF Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

ADLCONF User Guide

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Introduction

ADLCONF is a suite of software utilities for configuring and troubleshooting the Pacific
Crest Advanced Data Link (ADL) line of digital communication radios and modems. It
ships with all radio modems in the ADL family and is available for free download from
the Pacific Crest website (
computer attached using a serial cable to an ADL radio enables you to check the status of
the radio, enter channel tables, and set radio parameters such as channel bandwidth and
output power.

Technical Support

If you have a problem and cannot find the information you need in the product
documentation, contact your local dealer or go to the Support area of the Pacific Crest
website (www.pacificcrest.com/support.php). Product updates, documentation, and any
support issues are available for download.

www.pacificcrest.com). Running the ADLCONF software on a

If you need to contact technical support, email

Your Comments

Your feedback about the supporting documentation helps us to improve it with each
revision. Email your comments to [e-mail].

[e-mail].

ADLCONF User Guide

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Installing the Software

1. Download the latest version of ADLCONF software from www.pacificcrest.com/

support.php?page=updates

2. Extract the contents of the zip file.

3. Some firewalls prevent the download of executable files, so the software installer is
named ADLCONF_setup.xxx. Right-click the file, select the Rename option and then
change the “xxx” to “exe”.

4. Double-click the installer file to install the ADLCONF software.

, and save it to a folder on your compute.

Running the Software

Do one of the following:

• Double-click the ADLCONF icon on the computer desktop.

• Click Start / All Programs / Pacific Crest / ADLCONF / ADLCONF.

• Click Start / Run, enter C:\Program Files\Pacific Crest\ADLCONF\ADLCONF.
exe and then click

If you have problems running the ADLCONF software on Windows® 7 or a 64-bit computer
with the Windows Vista® operating system, do the following:

OK.

1. Close the software.

2. Double-click My Computer or start Windows® Explorer.

3. Navigate to C:/Program Files/Pacific Crest/ADLCONF/ and then right-click
ADLCONF.exe.

4. Click

5. In the Compatibility tab, click

6. Select Windows XP, Vista 32, or Windows 7 and then click

7. Restart the ADLCONF software.

Properties.

Run this program in compatibility mode for.

OK.

ADLCONF User Guide

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ADLCONF Menus

The main ADLCONF dialog contains three main menus: File, Edit, and Help.

File menu

Select… to…

Upgrade Modem
Firmware

Import import radio configuration files (*.dat) from your computer to the ADLCONF

Export save the radio configuration (*.dat) to your computer. This enables you to

View Report view on a web browser all the configuration parameters of the attached

Save Report save a *.txt copy of the configuration report to any location accessible to

ADLCONF User Guide

select a firmware file (*.bin format) to upload into the attached ADL
radio modem. Pacific Crest recommends that you save the radio’s current
configuration to your computer before upgrading firmware. Use the Export
option described below to save the configuration. Before upgrading the
firmware, the software prompts you to connect or reconnect to the radio.

Connecting to the Radio, page 9.

See

Note: if you wish to upgrade the firmware of an ADL radio module
embedded within another product, that product may restrict you to using
only one baud rate. If so, you must select a special version of firmware made
especially for your product. Please check with your dealer, your product’s
manufacturer or the Pacific Crest web site to obtain this special firmware.

software. These files contain the radio parameters displayed and edited
on the Radio Link and Serial Interface screens. Click Program to upload the
configuration to the attached radio.

create one configuration and copy it to multiple radios.

Note – When you export a configuration you only create a *.dat file. To
configure a radio, you must view a configuration in the software (either by
creating it or by importing an existing configuration) and then click Program
.

radio. In addition, this HTML-formatted report shows firmware settings that
may help Pacific Crest support technicians to diagnose problems if the radio
requires service.

your computer.

6

Select… to…

Exit exit the software.

Edit menu

Select… to…

Restore Factory
Defaults

view the radio factory defaults.

Different ADL radio products use different default configuration parameters.
Regardless of how you reconfigure an ADL radio, it always remembers the
original default settings. To view the defaults in the software, select Edit /

Restore Factory Defaults or click

The software must first connect (or reconnect) to the radio. For more
information, see

If the software already shows a radio configuration, a message appears.

Click Yes to copy the default settings from the radio’s permanent memory to
the computer RAM for review and editing. The radio does not use any changes

until you click
restoring factory defaults, the ADLCONF current channel table is retained.

Restore Factory.

Connecting to the Radio, page 9.

Program in the main dialog or in the Exit dialog. When

ADLCONF User Guide

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Select… to…

Undo All
Changes

Help menu

discard all the configuration changes you made during this session.

Settings on all the ADLCONF screens are reset to what was in effect when you
started this session. Selecting Undo All Changes does not affect any settings
in the radio or any configuration file on your computer. To change the
radio configuration, you must make changes in the software and then click

Program.

Select… to…

User Guide view a copy of the ADLCONF User Guide (this document).

Support access links to Pacific Crest

About view which version of the software is installed on your computer.

ADLCONF User Guide

Technical Support and the Pacific Crest website.

8

Connecting to the Radio

To connect the software to an ADL radio:

1. Start the software.

2. Use the provided programming cable to connect the radio to the computer serial port.

If your computer does not have a serial port, connect the programming cable to a
serial-to-USB adaptor cable such as an IOGEAR® Model GUC232A or an FTDI Model
UC232R.

The ADLCONF software program communicates only with Pacific Crest ADL radios.
You must use XDLCONF software to communicate with XDL radios, the PDLCONF
program to communicate with PDL radios and RFMCONF software to communication
with RFM radios. All of these programs are available for free download from www.
PacificCrest.com.

The radio turns on when it is connected to power:

3. Click the Connect button on the right of the main ADLCONF screen.

Note – When the ADLCONF software connects to a radio, it copies the radio settings to the
computer’s memory and overwrites any other settings that may be currently displayed.
If you had made any edits to the copy of the file in the computer memory and then click

Connect, the ADLCONF software does not ask you if you want to save the settings from

the memory to a file on your hard drive.

ADLCONF User Guide

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The following dialog appears:

4. To connect to an ADL radio that is connected to the PC via a serial cable, select Serial
in the Mode box. Then select the COM port that the radio is connected to ( from the
Port list) and then select a baud rate ( from the Data Rate list).

5. To connect to an ADL radio that is connected to the PC via the Internet, select TCP in
the Mode box and type in the IP address of the radio.

6. To connect to an ADL radio embedded in an Ashtech GNSS receiver, check the DSY
box and select the number of pipes.

7. When done, click OK on the Connect to ADL Radio window and click

Yes to

overwrite the current configuration.

8. To establish a connection, select one of the following;

– Power On Capture. Turn off the radio. Select the Power On Capture option and then

click

OK. Within 10 seconds, turn on the radio.

The radio accepts a packet switch command (at the selected baud rate) that puts
the radio into command mode.

– Soft Break (the default method). Ensure that the radio has been turned on for at

least four seconds and then click

OK.

This sends a soft break, (ASCII string “+++”) to the radio at the selected baud rate,
which puts the radio into a mode to accept commands from the ADLCONF software
(“command mode”).

Note – If the ADL radio was previously connected to any external device (for example, a
computer, a GNSS receiver, or a measurement device) while using a data rate other than that
shown, the software detects non-communication at the displayed rate and cycles through the
other rates to establish a connection. Some versions of the Windows operating system, and
some serial communications drivers, can prevent this connection; if communication fails, do
the following:

a. Turn off the radio.
b. Disconnect it from the computer.
c. Reconnect the radio, but do not turn it back on.

ADLCONF User Guide

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d. Use the Power On Capture method for connection (see above).

If neither of these methods establishes a connection:

1. Turn off the radio and then click

2. Select the Bootloader Power On Capture option and then click OK:

3. Within 10 seconds, turn on the radio. The bootloader firmware puts the radio into
monitor mode that will accept commands.

Demo mode

To simulate connection to an ADL Foundation modem, you can run the software in Demo
mode :

Advanced:

1. Start the software.

2. Press [Alt]+[D] and then click

3. Click

Connect in the main dialog and then follow the steps in Connecting to the

Radio, page 9

.

OK on the Demo Mode dialog.

4. The software uses a pre-set demonstration radio configuration, so you can view the
software features and settings as though you were connected to a radio.

5. You can load an existing radio configuration file (*.dat) to simulate being connected to
that radio; select File / Import. You cannot export configuration files in this mode.

ADLCONF User Guide

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