Raven X Airlink Cellular Modem

Warranty and Assistance

This equipment is warranted by CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC (CANADA) CORP. (“CSC”) to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for twelve (12) months from date of shipment unless specified otherwise. Batteries are not warranted. CSC's obligation under this warranty is limited to repairing or replacing (at CSC's option) defective products. The customer shall assume all costs of removing, reinstalling, and shipping defective products to CSC. CSC will return such products by surface carrier prepaid. This warranty shall not apply to any CSC products which have been subjected to modification, misuse, neglect, accidents of nature, or shipping damage. This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. CSC is not liable for special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.

Products may not be returned without prior authorization. To obtain a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA), contact CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC (CANADA) CORP. at (780) 454-2505. An RMA number will be issued in order to facilitate Repair Personnel in identifying an instrument upon arrival. Please write this number clearly on the outside of the shipping container. Include description of symptoms and all pertinent details.

CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC (CANADA) CORP. does not accept collect calls.

Non-warranty products returned for repair should be accompanied by a purchase order to cover repair costs.

Campbell Scientific (Canada) Corp.
11564 - 149 street - Edmonton - Alberta - T5M 1W7
Tel: 780.454.2505 | Fax: 780.454.2655
Website: www.campbellsci.ca

1 Introduction

The Raven X Airlink Cellular Modem is a full-duplex cellular modem that communicates with a base station PC via the Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO) network, with fallback to 1X Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The Raven X modem is for use on the Telus network only.

The Raven X is a rugged, intelligent wireless data platform designed to enable real-time, two-way communications with remote assets. The AirLink Embedded Operating System (ALEOS) is the power inside the Raven. ALEOS has its own embedded TCP/IP stack which enables transmission of serial data from non-IP devices. ALEOS enables several functions including remote configuration and diagnostics, packet assembly and disassembly (PAD) for UDP or TCP, and telemetry protocol spoofing and conversion.

2 Specifications

2.1 Modem Specifications

2.2 Base Station Requirements

• PC with active internet connection, running Campbell Scientific Loggernet or PC400 software.
• Subscription to the Telus EV-DO Network with coverage at the Datalogger site.

2.3 Datalogger Site Equipment

• Raven X modem—includes DC power cable. The modem is configured using the Telus Setup Wizard and Ace Manager prior to installation. The setup wizard and Ace Manager can be downloaded from www.Airlink.com.
• Datalogger—CR510, CR10(X), CR23X, CR7, CR1000, CR3000, CR5000, or CR2XX.
• SC105 or SC932A Interface—connects the modem to any dataloggers' CS I/O port.
• L18863 Null Modem Cable—connects the modem to the CR23X, CR2XX, CR1000, CR3000 or CR5000 RS-232 port.
• L6227 - Mounting plate for mounting on backplate of your environmental enclosure. With this mount you will also require a Velcro strap (L5207) to strap the Modem to the plate. Note: It is possible to mount the Raven X directly to the backplate using the top two mounting holes of the modem and two screws with grommets supplied with the mount. This, however, is a tight fit.
• Antenna—The following antennas are available from Campbell Scientific. Sites near the edge of coverage may require the Yagi antenna. Contact a CSC Applications Technician for help in determining the best antenna for your application:
  • C2083 3dBd External Omni Antenna (800 MHz and 1.9 Mhz bands) – requires C2360 Surge Suppression Kit and RG8 NM/NM cable.
  • L14454 Yagi 8 dBd Cellular Antenna with 10' Cable (800 Mhz only) - requires C2360 Surge Suppression Kit.
  • C2100 Omnidirectional Antenna 3dBd w/10ft Cable w/Mount (supports 800 MHz and 1.9 GHz band) - Requires the C2364 TNC – SMA adapter.
• Power Supply (see power considerations).
• Environmental Enclosure—ENC 10/12, ENC 12/14, or ENC 16/18.

3 Configuration

3.1 Establish Cellular Service

Prior to contacting the cellular service provider, have the following information on hand:

1. Electronic Serial Number (ESN). The ESN is found on the unit label.
2. Contact the provider; tell the account representative that you would like to open a new account. Ask for an EV-DO/1X Data Plan account with a Dynamic IP. The provider will give you a 10-digit phone number that will be used to program the modem at a later time. NOTE: The service provider does not need the Raven modem to activate the account.

3.2 Program the Modem

1. For the following steps you will need to download AceManager, Modem Doctor and an Activation Wizard (that is matched to your selected carrier provider) from the Utilities page at: www.sierrawireless.com/support/support_and_downloads.aspx?id=17,23,1,1
2. Each provider has a specific Wizard. Please ensure you have downloaded the Wizard that corresponds to your provider.
3. You will also need a working template file (.xml) to program the modem. This file is available by contacting a Campbell Scientific Canada Applications Technician at 780-454-2505 or by downloading it from the Campbell Scientific Website at: www.campbellsci.ca/CampbellScientific/Download.html. There are different templates available for different dataloggers. Please be sure to choose the proper one.
4. Connect the modem to a COM port on the PC using a direct RS232 Connection and attach a dual band antenna to the Raven.
5. Start the Activation Wizard.

4 Activation Wizard

The Activation Wizard guides you through the modem setup process.

1. Click Next to continue through the Wizard. The initial screen presents options to update firmware, activate the modem, test the connection, and set up a DUN connection.
2. Ensure the “Connect to a serial port” radio button is selected, the correct COM port is chosen, and the “Auto detect port settings” checkbox is selected. Click “Next” to establish a connection with the modem.
3. Verify that the correct modem model and ESN number are displayed. You can cross-reference the ESN on the modem's label. If information is incorrect, click “Back” to make corrections and proceed again. Click “Next” when the information is accurate.
4. Select only the following checkboxes: Update Firmware, Activate Modem (Manual), and Test Modem Setup. Click “Next”. (Note: Automatic activation (OTASP) is not recommended as it may not pull down necessary 1X network settings for areas with limited EV-DO coverage.)
5. Click “Check for Updates”. If updates are available, press “Update Now”. Once the update is complete, click “Next”.
6. Enter the 6-digit Master Lock Code (found on the modem box or body) into the “Activation Code” text box. If the code has only 5 digits, prepend a “0” to make it 6 digits. Click “Next”.
7. Enter the 10-digit phone number provided by the carrier into the MDN and MIN/MSID text boxes. Click “Next” to begin modem provisioning.
8. Verify that the signal strength is sufficient and that all entered settings are correct. Click “Next”. The modem will provision and reset. An “Activation complete!” message will appear; click “OK”.
9. The next screen confirms modem registration on the network and IP address acquisition (this may take up to 1 minute). Record the modem's IP address for advanced settings.

5 Set Up Modem using Ace Manager

These steps program the Raven modem to function in IP mode.

1. Start AceManager and select the “Connect” tab. This establishes a wireless connection using IP addressing.
2. Connect using the IP address obtained from the setup wizard and the default password.
3. Load a working template file (.xml) into the modem using the “Load” option. Template files are available from Campbell Scientific Canada Applications Technicians or via their website.
4. New file parameters will appear in the “New Value” boxes.
5. Click on “Dynamic IP” in the list. Modify settings by entering the 10-digit phone number into the “Modem Name” field and the domain (e.g., eairlink.com) into the “Domain” and “IPManager” fields.
6. Click the “Write” button to commit changes. The modem is now programmed for wireless IP communication with a Campbell Scientific datalogger.
7. Power off the modem, disconnect from the PC, and power it back on. The modem should register on the network within 2 minutes. Confirm this by checking that the Network and Service lights are solid. If the Network light is flashing, registration has not occurred. If the Service light is off but the Network light is solid, the modem has registered but may not have EV-DO coverage, indicating it registered on the 1X network. Contact Campbell Scientific Canada for support if the Network light is not solid after this period.

Ethernet Connection Configuration

For connecting via Ethernet, use a CR1000 or CR3000 with an NL115 Ethernet/Compact Flash Module, or any datalogger using the NL100. A crossover Ethernet cable is required.

• NL115: This module is DHCP enabled, so no configuration changes are typically needed. The Raven X will send its public IP address to the NL115 upon connection.
• NL100: This module is not DHCP enabled and requires specific configuration changes to work with the Raven X.

AceManager Ethernet/PPP Test and Settings

1. Using AceManager, connect to the Raven X using the phone number and domain configured in LoggerNet, along with the default password. Do not enter a Port number.
2. Once settings are retrieved, click on the “Ethernet/PPP test” in the list.
3. Change the “Use Public IP” setting to “Use Private IP”.
4. Enter the Host Private IP as 192.168.13.12.
5. Enter the Modem Local IP as 192.168.13.31.
6. Click on “Misc” in the list on the left. Change the “DPORT” to 3000. This ensures that information sent from Loggernet on port 6785 is passed through the Ethernet port and not trapped by the modem.
7. Following the settings outlined for the NL100, set up the device using the Fixed IP address of 192.168.13.12.

6 Setup LoggerNet

Configure LoggerNet to communicate with the Raven X modem.

1. Select Add Root | IPPort.
2. Add a Datalogger to the IP Port.
3. On the IP Port page:
   • a. Select Communications Enabled.
   • b. In the Internet IP Address field, enter the IP address of the modem followed by “eairlink.com:” and the Device port ID (e.g., 6785).
   • c. Change the maximum baud rate to one supported by the datalogger (e.g., 115200 for the CR1000).
   • d. Set Extra response time to 10 - 12 seconds.
   • e. Click “Apply”.
4. Click on the datalogger (e.g., CR1000) and change the Maximum Packet size from the default 1000 to 400 bytes. Ensure the proper Pakbus address is entered in the Pakbus address field.
5. Click “Apply”.

7 Connections to the Datalogger

Connect the Raven X modem to various dataloggers.

1. For connecting to a CR1000, CR800, or CR23X via the RS232 port, a null modem cable (Campbell Scientific part number L18663) is required.
2. Connect one end of the Null Modem Cable to the Raven X modem and the other to the datalogger's RS232 port.
3. For connecting to any datalogger's CS I/O port, an SC932A interface from Campbell Scientific is required. Connect the supplied black SC12 cable to the datalogger side of the SC932A interface and then to the CS I/O port of the datalogger. Connect the DCE Device side of the SC932A interface to the Raven X modem's RS232 port using the supplied straight-through serial cable L10873.
4. For Ethernet connections, a CR1000 or CR3000 with an NL115 Ethernet/Compact Flash Module, or any datalogger using the NL100, is needed. A crossover Ethernet cable is required to connect the two devices.
5. Using AceManager, connect to the Raven X using the phone number and domain configured in LoggerNet and the default password. Do not enter the Port number.
6. Once the settings are retrieved from the Raven X, click on the “Ethernet/PPP test” in the list on the left.