Beacon Tracking Receiver

Graphical User Interface

Version 2.0.0.5
May 2009

Satellite Systems Corporation

Satellite Systems Corporation

101 Malibu Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Phone (757) 463-3553
Fax (757) 463-3891
http://www.satsyscorp.com
info@satsyscorp.com

1. Loading the Software

a. Close any programs that you may have running.
b. Insert the installation CD-Rom into your disk drive.
c. Explore the CD-Rom directory. Double-click on the directory for your
operating system. Double-click on the Setup.Exe icon to install the
program.
d. A computer re-boot may be required after the software is installed.

2. Configuring the Computer

a. Set your computers Ethernet port to a fixed IP address of 192.168.1.123,
and the subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.
b. Connect a crossover cable directly from your computer to the Beacon
Receiver.
c. Our factory ships all Beacon Receivers with a default IP address of
192.168.1.200 with a port number of 8080.

3. Configuring the Beacon Receiver

a. The Beacon Receiver to be used MUST be set to the Network mode.
b. The Beacon Receiver may be in the Local or Remote mode.
differences will be addressed later in this manual.

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The

4. Starting the Software

a. To start the Software, click on the Windows Start button | All Programs |
SSC BTR | BTR to run the program.
b. If this is the first time to run the program, your internet security software
may request permission to access the internet. If this happens, choose the
always allow option.
c. The following window will open to select the directory for a Setup file.

d. Double Click on the BTR Config directory.

e. The following window will open to select a setup file.

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f. Choose the proper setup file for your unit. If you are running the unit for
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.

l.

the first time, select Config crossover cable.

Press the Open button.
The Select File Setup window should now close.
If the TCP/IP Address field on the Control tab shows a valid IP address and
port number, the connection has been made to the unit.
Note that if alarm emails are desired, they must me manually enabled now
using the Alarm Enable button on the Alarms tab. (Note that all alarms
must be cleared before the system will be permitted to Enable Alarms.)
If the TCP/IP Address field on the Control tab shows Connection Closed,
or Check TCP/IP Address and Port Number, the connection has not been
made.
i. Please check your IP address and Port number.
ii. Please confirm that there are no other users connected to the unit.
These files can be customized for each site that you will be monitoring.
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5. General Monitoring of the Beacon Receiver

a. The Control tab is used to view the general condition of the Beacon
Receiver.
b. Note that in this picture the Beacon Receiver is in the Local Mode.
Therefore, only monitoring can be accomplished. The Frequency and
Reference Level cannot be changed remotely and are grayed out on the
GUI.
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6. Controlling the Beacon Receiver

a. The Control tab can be used to control the Frequency and Reference Level
of the Beacon Receiver when the Beacon Receiver is in the Remote Mode.

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7. Changing the Frequency of the Beacon Receiver

a. The Beacon Receiver must be in Remote mode.
b. On the Control Tab, Press the Set Frequency Button.
c. The Enter Receiver Frequency dialog window will open.
d. Enter the Frequency in MHz, then a Decimal point, then 2 Digits of kHz.
e. Press the OK button.
f. The dialog window will close.
g. Watch the Error Message box for any possible errors. If there are no errors,
the Beacon Receiver has been re-tuned, and the Frequency box on the GUI
will be updated momentarily.

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8. Changing the Reference Level of the Beacon Receiver

a. The Beacon Receiver must be in Remote mode.
b. On the Control Tab, Press the Set Reference Level Button.
c. The Enter Reference Level dialog window will open.
d. Enter the Reference Level in dB, then a Decimal point, then a 0 or 5 for
e.
f.
g.
h.

fraction of dB.
Press the OK button.
The dialog window will close.
Watch the Error Message box for any possible errors. If there are no errors,
the Beacon Receiver Reference Level has been adjusted, and the Reference
Level box on the GUI will be updated momentarily.
Note that the dB value must be an exact multiple of 0.5 dB. An odd value
will result in a Reference Step Error.

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9. Using the Strip Chart Tab

a. The Strip chart shows the history of the Beacon Receivers AFC status,
signal strength, and internal operating temperature.
b. The Strip chart update rate can be controlled by the Interval pull-down
selector on the bottom of the screen.
c. The colors and other properties can be changed using the Palette controls
at the top of the window.
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d. Additional controls are available by using the mouse right-click feature in

the data area of the display screen.
e. To clear the screen, right-click in the data area of the display screen and
choose Clear chart.
f. To capture an image of the screen, right-click in the data area of the display
screen and choose Save JPG.

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10.

Using the Bar Graph Tab

a. The Bar Graph Tab actively shows the current Signal Strength being
reported by the Beacon Receiver in a bar graph form.
b. The Graph can be expanded or zoomed in by adjusting the Bar Graph
Minimum up in value while adjusting the Bar Graph Maximum down in
value. This allows a closer view of changes in the Signal Strength activity.

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c. Weak Threshold
i. The Weak Threshold is a value that can be adjusted by the user to
determine the level of an early alert that the signal level is dropping.
This allows the user to take early action before the signal is lost
completely.
ii. When the current Signal Strength becomes lower than the Weak
Threshold value, several actions may occur:
iii. The Bar Graph will change from the normal Green color to Yellow.
This is a visual warning that something is wrong.
iv. If enabled, the GUI will send an email alert. (Further details will
follow in the Email section.)
d. When the program is closed, the three parameters Bar Graph Minimum,
Bar Graph Maximum, and Weak Threshold are stored in the Setup file that
was selected when the program was started, along with other Email, TCP/IP,
and Alarm related data.

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11.

Configuring the Email Alerts

a. The GUI can be configured to send emails to a list of recipients either
manually or automatically when certain alarm conditions exist.
b. Details of the fields are as follows:
i. Mail Server
1. Enter the outbound Mail Server (SMTP) address or IP
address. All email sent by the GUI will be sent through this
address.
ii. Subject
1. This subject field is for manually activated email only. All
automatic alarm triggered emails have a dedicated subject
line related to the actual alarm.
iii. Recipients scroll selector
1. Selects the recipient number. The current system can send
emails to up to twenty-five recipients.
iv. Recipient Email address
1. Enter a valid email address for this recipient. The recipients
scroll selector will select a different recipient as it is changed.
v. Attachment
1. Our GUI has the power to send an attachment to the email.
If this is desired, use the open dialog icon to browse to the
location of the attachment. The BTR Graphics folder will
open and an image can be selected.
vi. Return Address
1. Enter the return address of the email sender.
vii. Message
1. A message can be entered to be sent as the manual email.
viii. Save Button
1. This button will save all parameters on this page to the Setup
file that was selected when the program was started. When
the program is closed, these parameters are stored along with
TCP/IP and Alarm related data.
ix. Send Button
1. This button will send a manually triggered email.

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12.

Configuring the Alarms

a. Alarm types
i. There are four different types of automatic alarms.
1. Each can be enabled or disabled with the email check boxes.
2. Each alarm type can optionally send an image as an email
attachment.

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b. Alarm Button
i. This button will Enable or Disable the alarm email sending feature.
Note that when the program is first started, this feature is disabled.
If it is desired to use this feature it must be manually enabled each
time the program is started.
ii. If any alarms actively exist when this is in the Disabled mode, the
alarms must be cleared in order to allow the alarms to be enabled.
c. Save Setting Button
i. This button will save all parameters on this page to the Setup file
that was selected when the program was started. When the program
is closed, these parameters are stored along with TCP/IP and email
related data.

13.

Log Files
a. The GUI writes the latest information into a Log file for later retrieval and
observation. These files can be pulled into a spreadsheet program to
evaluate any errors that may have occurred.
b. Each time the GUI is started, a new Log file is created in the BTR Log
directory. Also, when the computers date changes (at midnight each day)
the current file will be closed, and a new file opened.

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14.

Troubleshooting
a. Cannot make a connection to the Beacon Receiver.
i. Test on a crossover cable directly to the unit.
ii. Confirm that the IP address and port number is correct.
iii. Confirm that the unit is powered on and connected to the network.
iv. Confirm that the router has proper port forwarding.
v. Confirm that the Windows firewall is not blocking the address.
vi. Confirm that the Beacon Receiver is set to Network mode.
b. The GUI should be sending alarm emails, but I am not receiving them.
i. Confirm that your email address is on the list of recipients.
ii. Send a manually activated test email.
iii. Confirm all email settings.
iv. Ensure that when the program is started the Alarm Button is pressed
and the button changes to Enabled mode.
v. Note that a manually activated test email will send successfully even
if the automatic alarm email system is disabled.

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