METEORCOMM AR220DB 1.0 Radio User Guide

Contents hide

1 AR220DB 1.0 Radio

2 Specifications

3 Product Usage Instructions

3.1 1. Installation

3.1.1 4.1 Equipment Required for Verification of Specification Compliance

3.1.2 4.2 Unpacking and Inspecting the Radio

3.1.3 4.3 Mounting the Radio

3.1.4 4.4 Grounding the Radio

3.1.5 4.5 Installing Current Limiting Circuit Protection

3.1.6 4.6 Connecting the Antenna

3.1.6.1 4.6.1 Antenna Planning

3.1.6.2 4.6.2 Connecting the Cable

3.2 2. Powering On and Checking Status

3.2.1 4.8 Power Supply Requirements for AR220DB Radios

3.2.2 4.9 Connecting the Power Cable

3.2.3 4.10 Powering On the Radio

3.2.4 4.11 Checking the LEDs

4 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

4.1 Q: What should I do if I encounter RF interference issues?

4.2 Q: How can I troubleshoot common power-related problems?

4.3 Documents / Resources

4.3.1 References

AR220DB 1.0 Radio

Specifications

Model: ITC AR220DB Radio 70010

Frequency Range: 220 MHz

Power Output: Varies based on installation type

Antenna Type: External

Power Supply: Specific requirements detailed in
documentation

Product Usage Instructions

1. Installation

4.1 Equipment Required for Verification of Specification
Compliance

Before starting the installation process, ensure you have all
the necessary equipment to verify compliance with the
specifications.

4.2 Unpacking and Inspecting the Radio

Carefully unpack the radio and inspect it for any visible damage
that may have occurred during shipping.

4.3 Mounting the Radio

Mount the radio in a suitable location following the guidelines
provided in the documentation to ensure optimal performance.

4.4 Grounding the Radio

Properly ground the radio to prevent electrical hazards and
ensure safe operation.

4.5 Installing Current Limiting Circuit Protection

Follow the instructions to install current limiting circuit
protection for added safety.

4.6 Connecting the Antenna

Plan the antenna placement and connect it to the radio following
the provided guidelines.

4.6.1 Antenna Planning

Consider factors such as height, direction, and interference
when planning the antenna installation.

4.6.2 Connecting the Cable

Connect the antenna cable securely to the radio ensuring proper
signal transmission.

2. Powering On and Checking Status

4.8 Power Supply Requirements for AR220DB Radios

Ensure that the power supply meets the specified requirements
before connecting it to the radio.

4.9 Connecting the Power Cable

Connect the power cable to the radio following the provided
instructions.

4.10 Powering On the Radio

Turn on the radio and wait for it to initialize.

4.11 Checking the LEDs

Observe the LED indicators to ensure proper functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What should I do if I encounter RF interference issues?

A: If you experience RF interference, try adjusting the antenna
placement or consider using shielding materials to minimize
interference.

Q: How can I troubleshoot common power-related problems?

A: Check the power supply connections, ensure proper grounding,
and refer to the troubleshooting section of the manual for detailed
steps.

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AR220DB 1.0 Radio Installation and Field Service Guide
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Legal Notices
© Copyright 2025 Meteorcomm LLC. All rights reserved.
By downloading, using, or referring to this document or any of the information contained herein you acknowledge and agree:
Ownership This document and the information contained herein are the sole and exclusive property of Meteorcomm LLC (“MCC”). Except for a limited review right, you obtain no rights in or to the document, its contents, or any related intellectual property. MCC may, upon written notice, terminate your internal review of this document and, upon such notice, you will return the original of this document to MCC together with the originals and all copies of all documents in your possession or under your control that refer or relate to it.
Limited Use and Non Disclosure This document contains information that is considered confidential and/or proprietary to MCC. It is protected by copyright, trade secret, and other applicable laws. This document is provided to you for your internal review only and you may not disclose, transmit, distribute, duplicate or use it or any of the information contained herein, in whole or in part, except as agreed under separate written agreement with MCC. All information contained herein shall be kept strictly confidential.
Disclaimer of Warranty THIS DOCUMENT AND ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN OR OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY MCC, AND ALL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS THEREIN ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS. MCC MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT THERETO AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, INTERFERENCE WITH QUIET ENJOYMENT, SYSTEM INTEGRATION OR WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE OR TRADE PRACTICE.
Assumption of Risk You are responsible for conducting your own independent assessment of the information contained in this document (including without limitation schematic symbols, footprints and layer definitions) and for confirming its accuracy. You may not rely on the information contained herein and agree to validate all such information using your own technical experts. Accordingly, you agree to assume sole responsibility for your review, use of, or reliance on the information contained in this document. MCC assumes no responsibility for, and you unconditionally and irrevocably release and discharge MCC and its affiliates and their respective officers, directors, and employees (“MCC Parties”) from any and all loss, claim, damage or other liability associated with or arising from your use of any of the information contained in this document.
Limitation of Liability IN NO EVENT SHALL MCC OR THE MCC PARTIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR TREBLE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOSSES, WHETHER SUCH LIABILITY IS BASED ON CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, REGARDLESS AS TO WHETHER THEY HAVE NOTICE AS TO ANY SUCH CLAIMS.
Hazardous Uses None of the information contained in this document may be used in connection with the design, manufacture or use of any equipment or software intended for use in any fail safe applications or any other application where a failure may result in loss of human life or personal injury, property damage, or have a financial impact or in connection with any nuclear facility or activity or shipment or handling of any hazardous, ultra hazardous or similar materials (“Hazardous Uses”). MCC disclaims all liability of every kind for any Hazardous Uses, and you release MCC and the MCC Parties from and shall indemnify MCC and the MCC Parties against any such liability, including, but not limited to, any such liability arising from MCC’s negligence.
Copyright and Trademark Meteorcomm®; ARcpu®; ARedge®; AReio®; ARM®; Discovery Network®; ITCM®; ITCnet®; ITCR®; ITCRNG®; ITCSM®; ITCview®; Powering the Digital Railroad Network®; stylized METEORCOMM®; and Test Executive® are registered trademarks of Meteorcomm LLC; these trademarks may not be used without express written permission of Meteorcomm LLC.

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Revision History

Revision A

Date 12/13/2024

5/14/2025

Notes / Summary of changes
Initial draft.
Initial document release. Published in support of release 1.0 of AR220DB 220 MHz Radio software..

Third-Party Trademarks
The use of the following third-party marks herein is made for reference purposes only and does not indicate an association with or endorsement from the brand owners: Linux, Windows (Microsoft Corporation), and ZynQ (Xilinx, Inc.).

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Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Audience 1.2 Some Terms and Conventions Used in this Documentation 1.3 Specifications for ITC Model AR220DB Radio 70010 1.4 Related Documentation 1.5 How to Get Help

2 Safety
2.1 Electrical Safety Guidelines 2.2 RF Safety Information
2.2.1 Limiting RF Exposure 2.2.2 Antenna Guidelines 2.2.3 RF Interference Considerations 2.2.4 Equipment Modifications

3 Transmitter Operation
3.1 Radio Channelization and Frequency Range 3.2 Channel Restrictions 3.3 Radiated Power Limits
3.3.1 Mobile Installation 3.3.2 Fixed Installation

4 Installation

4.1 Equipment Required for Verification of Specification Compliance 4.2 Unpacking and Inspecting the Radio 4.3 Mounting the Radio 4.4 Grounding the Radio 4.5 Installing Current Limiting Circuit Protection 4.6 Connecting the Antenna
4.6.1 Antenna planning 4.6.2 Connecting the cable

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1 1 2 4 5
6
6 6 6 7 7 8
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4.7 Connecting the Ethernet Cable

4.8 Power Supply Requirements for AR220DB Radios

4.9 Connecting the Power Cable

4.10 Powering On the Radio

4.11 Checking the LEDs

4.11.1 LEDs at Power-On

4.11.2 Normal LED States

4.12 Displaying POST Results

5 Command Security

5.1 Logging On to a Radio

5.2 Logging Off from a Radio

5.3 Managing SSH Authentication Keys

6 Troubleshooting

6.1 Guidelines for Troubleshooting Common Problems

6.1.1 Commonly used diagnostic commands

6.1.2 Check the state of the radio with the radiostate command

6.1.3 Boot a radio

6.2 Radio Power Problems

6.3 Radio Transmission and Reception Problems

6.4 Ethernet Connectivity Problems

6.5 RF Link Problems

6.6 Replacing a Radio

7 Real-Time Log (a.k.a “Trace”) Monitoring

8 Managing Software Application Images

8.1 Determining Software Images Status

8.2 Updating Software Application Images

8.3 Rolling Back an Image

8.3.1 How automatic rollback occurs

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9 Routine Maintenance
Appendix A: Configure Computer Ethernet Interfaces
Appendix B: Parts List
Appendix C: Block Diagram
Appendix D: Sample Post Results
Appendix D: Acronyms
Figures
Figure 4-1: Radio grounding stud Figure 4-2: Antenna connector Figure 4-3: Ethernet connections Figure 4-4: Example of a typical power cable externally fused with 10A ATO Figure 4-5: Power connector Figure 4-6: AR220DB LEDs
Tables
Table 1-1: ITC Model AR220DB Radio 70010 General Specifications Table 1-2: ITC Model AR220DB Radio 70010 Transmitter Specifications Table 1-3: ITC Model AR220DB Radio 70010 Receiver Specifications Table 4-1: Equipment required for installation and field service Table 4-2: AR220DB radio input power parameters Table 4-3: Normal states of the LEDs Table 6-1: radiostate command response

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36 37 38 39 40 41
14 16 17 18 19 20
2 3 3 12 17 21 26
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Table E-1: Initialisms and acronyms

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1 Introduction

Introduction

The AR220DB Radio Installation and Field Service Guide provides important radio-frequency safety information, installation procedures, and servicing instructions for the Meteorcomm AR220DB Model 70010 radio. Throughout this and other documents the radio is referred to as the AR220DB radio. In some tables and headings it may alternatively appear without superscript as the AR220DB radio.

1.1

Audience

This guide is intended for users who perform any of the following tasks on AR220DB radios:

l Install or replace them. l Diagnose common problems. l Adjust radio characteristics. l Perform routine maintenance.

Prerequisites for users of this guide include:

l The ability to work with standard radio-frequency (RF) test equipment, including knowledge of how to prevent equipment damage or personal injury.
l The ability to measure basic transceiver performance, including RF power, frequency and receiver sensitivity, and the knowledge to analyze RF performance.
l Basic knowledge of the Linux shell.
l Knowledge of how to use an SSH client.
l Familiarity with means to limit RF exposure from antennas and familiarity with the RF Energy Exposure Guide for Meteorcomm ITC 220 MHz Radios (also called “RF Energy Exposure Guide”).

1.2

Some Terms and Conventions Used in this Documentation

The term “Base radio” refers to the radio hardware unit and its immediately associated equipment, such as antenna and power source.

The term “base” refers to a network role that provides RF connectivity between the Back Office and locomotives and waysides. At present, only a Base radio can occupy the base role.

The term “remote” refers to a network role that does not provide a connection to the Back Office but that monitors its connection to a radio in the base role. The AR220DB radio fills the remote role, as do Meteorcomm’s 220 MHz Wayside and Locomotive radios. You can also configure a Base radio to operate in the remote role.
The terms “external device” and “external detector” refer to the detector devices to which the AR220DB radio attaches. Currently, this is only the Progress Rail MicroHBD.
The AR220DB Radio Installation and Field Service Guide uses Linux-style notation.

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1 Introduction
Throughout this document the names of commands and their arguments in running text, as well as examples of commands and their outputs in shaded example boxes, are printed in fixed-width font, as in the following example:
config –profile –list

1.3

Specifications for ITC Model AR220DB Radio 70010

The following tables describe the general, transmitter and receiver specifications for the AR220DB Radio 70010.

Note: Specifications are subject to change without notice. Table 1-1: ITC Model AR220DB Radio 70010 General Specifications

Specification Frequency range

Description 217.6 to 222 MHz

Channel spacing

25 kHz

Temperature range

Operating: -40 °C to +70 °C Storage: -55 °C to +85 °C

Humidity, operating

0% to 95% noncondensing; Test per S-5702, clause 3.2.3.2

Frequency stability

±1.0 ppm 217.6125 to 219.9875 MHz ±1.5 ppm 220.0125 to 221.9875 MHz

DC input voltage range

10.9 to 15.5 V Damage limit 20 VDC

DC current drain (13.6VDC input)

Transmit: 10 A max into 50 Ohm load, 3.2 – 5.5 A Receive: 0.6 1.1 A max while receiving

DC power connector
Height

Wago p/n 231-833/001-000 2.18 in.

Width

6.0 in.

Depth

3.57 in.

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Specification Weight Antenna connector Ethernet interfaces: Indicators

Description 2 lbs. (0.9 kg) Type N female LAN1, MAINT: 10/100 Mbs, Type RJ-45 LEDs: L1, L2

1 Introduction

Table 1-2: ITC Model AR220DB Radio 70010 Transmitter Specifications

Specification RF power output

Description
25 W PEP Adjustable 0.25 W to 25 W PEP

Output impedance

50 Ohms Operating VSWR < 4:1

Modulation waveforms
Occupied bandwidth

32kbps /4 DQPSK
<25 kHz Meets Part 80 Occupied BW: 2.1049 and Part 90 Occupied BW: 90.209, 90.733(d)

Conducted spurious emissions
Max duty cycle rating

-25 dBm max 10%

Regulatory approvals FCC ID BIB70010A

Note: AR220DB does not currently support half-rate transmissions on any channel.

Table 1-3: ITC Model AR220DB Radio 70010 Receiver Specifications

Specification

Description

Maximum usable sensitivity, static, BER<10-4 16 kbps PI/4DQPSK -111 dBm

32 kbps PI/4DQPSK -108 dBm

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1 Introduction

Specification Adjacent channel selectivity

Description 70 dB @ 25 kHz offset

Spurious response rejection

65 dB

Intermodulation response rejection

65 dB

Maximum destructive input level High input level (-7dBm) Blocking, 1MHz offset

+15 dBm BER<10-4 Half rate: 80 dB

Full rate: 77 dB

Number of channels simultaneously received 4

Diversity support

1.4

Related Documentation

Meteorcomm documents:
l AR220DB 1.0 Release Notes, DCN 00006225 l AR220DB API Reference, DCN 00006159 l AR220DB Command Line Reference for Administration and Service (also called CLI Reference), DCN
00006157 l AR220DB Data Dictionary User Guide and Reference, DCN 00006162 l AR220DB Getting Started Guide, DCN 00006154 l AR220DB Logging User Guide and Reference, DCN 00006156 l AR220DB Radio Configuration Guide, DCN 00006155 l AR220DB Radio Management Guide, DCN 00006160 l AR220DB Radio System Architecture, DCN 00006224 l AR220DB Security User Guide and Reference, DCN 00006163 l ITCSM Common Data Dictionary, S-9452 l ITCSM Interface Control Document (ICD), DCN 00002412 l RF Energy Exposure Guide, DCN 00001235-L (or later rev)
Progress Rail Services documents:
l MicroHBD System Manual, 100600-010 AEO l MicroHBD/Talker Software Manual, 100627-008 AMO

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1 Introduction

1.5

How to Get Help

Please contact our Service Desk (https://support.meteorcomm.com/home) if you have any questions regarding this release.

We encourage you to provide feedback, comments, and suggestions so that we can improve the documentation to better meet your needs. Send your comments to the Service Desk and provide the following information:

l Document name l Section or page number l Software release number

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2 Safety
2
2.1
2.2
2.2.1

Safety
Your employer has created safety guidelines that apply to your work environment and tasks. Please follow them. If you have questions about general on-the-job safety concerns, please consult your employer’s established safety guidelines.
Electrical Safety Guidelines
To reduce the risk of electric shock:
· Follow your employer’s established electrical-safety guidelines.
· Disconnect power from radio before removing the cover.
· Be aware that removing the radio cover may expose you to dangerous voltages or other risks. Avoid making internal adjustments to the radio when you are alone.
· Avoid contact with a radio’s electrical components. Electric shock from voltages present within the radio is potentially fatal.
· Reassemble radios correctly. Incorrect reassembly of a radio can cause a harmful electric shock to radio handlers.
RF Safety Information
You must be aware of the following information to prevent your physical harm or death or damage to the equipment.
Limiting RF Exposure
CAUTION! Please see the RF Energy Exposure Guide that is packaged with each radio for specific information regarding safe distances that must be maintained between personnel and energized transmitting antennas.
The information in the RF Energy Exposure Guide is determined from FCC and Industry Canada (IC) rules that, when followed, limit human exposure to radio frequency energy to acceptable levels. Note that although the AR220DB radio should be sited, installed, and maintained only by professionals in a controlled-exposure environment, the RF Energy Exposure Guide lists the larger lateral safe distances for an uncontrolled environment. Obeying these limits will protect both railroad employees and the public.
The transmitter should be operated with a fixed antenna in an Occupational/Controlled Exposure environment per Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) 65 or Controlled Use Environment per IC RSS-102. The Maximum Permitted Exposure (MPE) limit

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2.2.2 2.2.3

2 Safety
for devices in the presence of the general public in the 100-300 MHz range is 0.2mW/cm2 = 2W/m2 vs. 10W/m2 in a controlled-exposure environment.
This radio is intended for use by railroad employees who have full knowledge of their exposure and can exercise control over their exposure to meet FCC and IC limits. This radio device is not intended for use by consumers or the general population.
The table in the RF Energy Exposure Guide lists the calculated lateral distances to be maintained between the general public and an operational AR220DB radio transmitter antenna for two antenna types suitable for fixed applications.
CAUTION! RF exposure compliance while servicing multiple transmitter sites must be addressed on a site-by-site basis. It is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure compliance with maximum exposure limits.
Antenna Guidelines
This section contains antenna information and additional notes regarding methods to limit RF exposure.
You must:
l Comply with limits on antenna location, power and effective antenna height per 47CFR Subpart T §90.701 et. seq., or Industry Canada SRSP-512 §6.3 as applicable. See section 4.3 for additional information about how to comply with ERP limits. See the RF Energy Exposure Guidefor specific guidelines regarding the siting and installation of fixed antennas.
l Follow the acceptable fixed-antenna types that are listed in the lateral separation distance tables in the RF Energy Exposure Guide.
l Install antennas in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. l Disable the transmitter when installing or servicing its antenna or transmission line. l Maintain a safe distance from energized transmitting antennas. See the table of safe distances
for AR220DB radios in the RF Energy Exposure Guide, which is packaged with each radio. l Remove any unauthorized antennas, equipment modifications, or attachments that could
invalidate any equipment warranty or authority to transmit. Modification could damage the radio and may violate FCC or IC regulations. Contact Meteorcomm before using other antennas.
RF Interference Considerations
Notice to user: This equipment complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the condition that this device does not cause harmful interference.

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2 Safety
2.2.4

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.
Equipment Modifications
CAUTION! Any changes or modifications to this equipment not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance (in the respective country of use) could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

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3 Transmitter Operation

Transmitter Operation

It is your responsibility, as the licensee, to operate this radio transmitter in compliance with FCC and Industry Canada service rules for 220-222 MHz, namely FCC Rules Part 90 Subpart T and Industry Canada SRSP-512. It is also your responsibility to coordinate specific frequency use within a specified area with PTC-220 LLC.

3.1

Radio Channelization and Frequency Range

You can configure the AR220DB radio to transmit on any one of 80 selectable 25 kHz-spaced channels ranging from 220.0125 to 221.9875 MHz inclusive. The spectrum included corresponds to all 5-kHzwide FCC channels numbered from 1 at 220.0025 MHz to 400 at 221.9975 MHz. Each AR220DB radio transmission occupies five of the FCC-defined 5 kHz channels. The lowest channel center frequency for the AR220DB radio is in the center of FCC channel 3 and the next is FCC channel 8, then 13, 18, and so on, up to the highest in the center of channel 398.

3.2

Channel Restrictions

Section 90.715 of the FCC Rules lists the authorized frequencies of the 400 total 5-kHz-wide channels. According to §90.733(d), these can be aggregated into larger channel widths with the exception of FCC channels 161 through 170 and 181 through 185. Therefore, the AR220DB radio does not transmit on those channels or their 221 MHz counterparts, 361 through 370 and 381 through 385. This corresponds to AR220DB radio frequencies 220.8125, 220.8375, 220.9125, 221.8125, 221.8375, and 221.9125 MHz.
Please see Part 90 Subpart T and SRSP-512 for additional frequency use restrictions in Canadian and Mexican border areas.

3.3

Radiated Power Limits

WARNING! It is your responsibility, as the licensee, to comply with the effective radiated power limits based on operating frequency, geographic location, and effective antenna height set out in 47CFR Subpart T §90.701 et. seq., or Industry Canada SRSP-512 §6.3, as applicable.

Important: The following supplementary antenna system information discusses methods for you, as the licensee, to determine effective radiated power (ERP) and comply with regulatory power limits.
You must comply with the specific power and antenna height limitations (HAAT – height above average terrain) for fixed-antenna stations per §90.729 or SRSP-512 §6.3. Note that U.S. and Canadian power limits with regard to HAAT are not identical.

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3 Transmitter Operation

3.3.1 3.3.2

You should note that all mobiles and also fixed installations transmitting between 221 and 222 MHz must limit ERP to 50W or 10*log(50) + 30 = 47 dBm peak envelope power (PEP) referenced to the 2.15 dBi gain of a dipole, unless operating under a waiver of FCC rule §90.729(b) or SRSP-512 §6.3 as applicable. The EIRP for this case is 49.15 dBm. Also note that the maximum ERP on FCC/IC channels 196 through 200 at 220.975 to 221.000 MHz is 2W.
The allowable transmitter peak envelope power output in dBm is determined by subtracting the antenna gain in dBd from 47, then adding the loss from the antenna feedline and connectors. If the result is greater than or equal to 44 dBm = 14 dBW then the maximum power output of the AR220DB radio transmitter can be used. If the value is less than 44 dBm, then the transmitter output power must be reduced to the calculated value.
Mobile Installation
As an example of a mobile installation, consider a vertical half wave ground plane on a vehicle metal rooftop. In an ideal installation the antenna gain = 2.4 dBd = 4.55 dBi. Ignoring connector losses, feedline loss is at least 0.6 dB for 10 feet of Times Microwave LMR-195 Ultra Flex coaxial cable. Transmitter power output limit = 47-2.4 + 0.6 = 45.2 dBm PEP. Since this is higher than 44 dBm the system is compliant with the 50W ERP limit with the Wayside radio maximum transmit power. The actual ERP in this case is 10^[(14+2.4-0.6)/10]=38.0W. This installation is not allowed to transmit on FCC channels 196 through 200 because the maximum ERP is greater than 2W.
Fixed Installation
In a fixed installation, a common single-element exposed folded dipole antenna without reflector has 0 up to 2.9 dBd (2.1 5.0 dBi) azimuthal gain depending on the design.
After the allowable ERP is determined by applying all the previously listed power-restrictive rules and the antenna gain is known, the transmitter peak envelope power output feeding the transmission line is determined by subtracting the antenna gain in dBd from the ERP and adding the loss from the antenna feedline and connectors plus the loss from any external inline power sensors, combiners, filters or lightning arresters. If the net value is greater than or equal to 44 dBm, then the maximum power of the AR220DB radio transmitter can be used. If the value is less than 44 dBm, then the transmitter output power must be reduced to the net value.
Example for the 50W ERP fixed case: Antenna gain = 2.9 dBd and feedline loss is at least 0.5 dB for 25 feet of Times Microwave LMR-400 coax plus 0.4 dB for inline lightning arrester and three connectors. Assuming no other losses, the transmitter power output limit = 47-2.9+0.9 = 45 dBm PEP. In this case, the actual AR220DB ERP is 44+2.9-0.9 dBm = 46 dBm = 39.8W PEP and therefore the system is compliant with the 50W ERP limit. This installation is not allowed to transmit on FCC channels 196 through 200 because the maximum ERP is greater than 2W.

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4 Installation

Installation

The AR220DB radio satisfies the niche requirement for transporting data from the field to the Back Office.
AR220DB radios are typically installed at various ancillary locations and configured as remotes to make connections with bases. The radios are meant for installation in such a way that they are protected from the elements. The radio’s dimensions are approximately 6.0″ wide x 2.18 in” tall x 3.57″ deep and it weighs about 2 pounds.

All input/output ports are grounded and/or shielded. Internal shielding, unit assembly and printed circuit board (PCB) design are used to minimize unwanted radiated emissions.

WARNING! This radio requires an external isolated power supply to provide ground isolation between the radio and the site electronics when located with railroad signalling equipment. Failure to use an isolated power supply (for example, connecting unit directly to site batteries) could induce a ground fault at the site because the radio unit is grounded to the bungalow both through the ground lug and the 220 antenna.

Radio installation consists of these steps:

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4 Installation

1. Unpack and inspect the radio. 2. Mount the radio. 3. Ground the radio. 4. Install current-limiting circuit protection. 5. Connect the antenna. 6. Connect the Ethernet cable. 7. Connect the power cable. 8. Power on the radio. 9. Check the L1 LED. 10. View the power-on self-test (POST) results.
The following sections describe each of these steps in detail.

4.1

Equipment Required for Verification of Specification Compliance

Following is a list of equipment required to perform all of the tests described in this document. You should be familiar with the pieces of test equipment listed in the following table. Instructions about how to use the following equipment are beyond the scope of this document.

Table 4-1: Equipment required for installation and field service

Type Vector signal generator
Vector signal analyzer 10 MHz frequency standard

Model

Notes

Agilent E4438C or equivalent

Recommend option for 50VDC, 50W input protection of RF signal output port. Preprogrammed with DQPSK data packet.

Agilent E9010A or equivalent
Standard Research AR220DB radio frequency adjustments require frequency Systems model standard accuracy to 0.01 ppm or better. FS725 or equivalent

60 dB power attenuator/load
Constant voltage DC power supply
Host computer with at least one Ethernet port and MobaXterm, PuTTY, or equivalent terminal program installed Wilmore DC-DC Converter 1675-12-12-

Consists of two pieces with 100W and 2W min. power rating.
Verify unit supports voltage and current draw required by unit under test.
If the host computer’s Ethernet port has not been configured, follow the instructions in “Appendix A: Configure Computer Ethernet Interfaces ” on page 37.
The radio must be grounded to a proper isolated

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4 Installation

Type
15 or equivalent Clip-on ammeter Antenna/VSWR test kit Cable ties as required Digital volt meter Network analyzer Portable power meter Site tester

Model

Notes converter.

4.2

Unpacking and Inspecting the Radio

When you unpack and inspect the radio, note any damage that may have resulted from shipping including dents or loose parts. Also note any damage or discrepancies between the contents in the shipping container and the packing list.

Note: The radio is shipped with a power connector (Meteorcomm [MCC] part number 010031-0306). Please ensure it is connected to the radio and not left in the packing box.
If you detect damage or the contents do not match the invoice, make note of the defect and contact the radio manufacturer, with particular attention to the following:
l Observable damage to chassis and connectors l Missing parts such as screws and included connectors l Evidence of contamination including stains and odors l Evidence of electrical stress such as plasma flashover, pitting, and arc damage
If you do not detect any damage and the shipping invoice matches the contents, continue with the installation.

4.3

Mounting the Radio

The radio cover is equipped with top and bottom mounting features. The AR220DB radio should be mounted on a vertical surface with the cooling fins oriented vertically for maximum heat dissipation.

In mounting the radio, ensure that:

l equipment that produces substantial heat is not installed below the radio. l each radio is secured with a minimum of two screws on the top and bottom. l there is adequate room for cable connections. l cables are restrained to prevent kinking and stressing connectors.

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4 Installation

Note: For optimal cooling, mount the AR220DB radio with fins in a vertical orientation and connectors facing down except when the AR220DB radio is being installed in temperature controlled/cooler enclosure. Sufficient clearance above the unit should be considered.

4.4

Grounding the Radio

WARNING! This radio requires an external isolated power supply to provide ground isolation between the radio and the site electronics when located with railroad signalling equipment. Failure to use an isolated power supply (for example, by connecting the unit directly to site batteries) could induce a ground fault at the site because the radio unit is grounded to the bungalow both through the ground lug and the 220 antenna.

The AR220DB radio is equipped with a grounding stud located on the front of the radio at the left edge (see Figure 4-1).
Figure 4-1: Radio grounding stud

Note: The radio must be grounded to a proper isolated converter such as the Wilmore DC-DC isolated converter (P/N 1675-12-12-15) or equivalent.
To ground the radio:
1. Remove the nut and washer from the grounding stud. 2. Connect the ground wire ring lug to ground.
Note: Meteorcomm recommends that the gauge of the ground wire connected to the grounding stud of the radio be the same as or lower than the gauge of wire supplying power to the radio.

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4.5 4.6
4.6.1 4.6.2

4 Installation
Installing Current Limiting Circuit Protection
External circuit protection must be supplied to each radio. If necessary, always replace the fuse with a 10A/32V-rated ATO fuse.
Connecting the Antenna
You must plan the location before you can connect the antenna.
Antenna planning
The radio is designed to be properly terminated to 50-Ohm resistance load. AR220DB radios have one antenna port.
Connecting the cable
The AR220DB radio is rated for 25W peak envelope power (PEP). Sufficient termination is required to protect test equipment. The AR220DB radio uses N-type connectors for narrowband RF antennas. For transmitter and receiver testing, connect the test equipment to the port labeled ANT.

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4 Installation
Figure 4-2: Antenna connector

To connect the cable:
1. Perform or confirm a 220 MHz antenna voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) test prior to connecting the antenna to the radio using an antenna/VSWR test set.
2. Slip the connector over the radio port and tighten. 3. Restrain all cables while observing the cable manufacturer’s minimum bend radius
requirements.

4.7

Connecting the Ethernet Cable

The AR220DB radio uses a shielded CAT5 or CAT6 Ethernet cable and two RJ-45 Ethernet I/O ports, each on its own network.

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Figure 4-3: Ethernet connections

4 Installation

Insert the cable into the port on the radio marked LAN1.

Note: It is recommended that only shielded cable be used.

4.8

Power Supply Requirements for AR220DB Radios

CAUTION! Applying an incorrect voltage outside the rated voltage range of a AR220DB radio can damage it. Confirm the voltage ratings of the radio and the power supply before applying power.

Table 4-2: AR220DB radio input power parameters

Parameter

Value

Nominal DC Power Input Voltage Operational Range Damage Limit Current Drain (while transmitting rated power)

13.6VDC 10.9 15.5VDC 20VDC 5.5A maximum while transmitting into 50 Ohm load

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4 Installation

4.9

Connecting the Power Cable

CAUTION! Applying an incorrect voltage outside the rated voltage range of an AR220DB radio can damage it. Confirm the voltage ratings of the radio and the power supply before applying power.

The AR220DB radio operates from a 13.6VDC nominal supply (10.9 15.5 VDC range) isolated from other electronic equipment using a DC-DC isolated converter. The AR220DB radio uses a Wago-type connector supplying 10.9 15.5VDC. The power cable length should be as short as practical to minimize voltage drop.
Important: The radio only operates from DC voltage and with correct polarity connections. Any application of AC voltage could damage the radio.
Figure 4-4: Example of a typical power cable externally fused with 10A ATO

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Figure 4-5: Power connector

4 Installation

4.10

To connect the power cable:
1. The radio does not have a power switch. Verify that the power is off before connecting the radio to a power source.
2. Confirm proper grounding. 3. Verify the ground bond from the ground lug on the radio through external surge protection. 4. Confirm that the ground lug connection has not bypassed the isolator converter. 5. Ensure proper polarity. Typically, a red wire is for positive (+) connection. 6. Insert the connector into the slot. The connector only fits one way.
Powering On the Radio
DANGER! It is imperative that the radio’s antenna connector be connected to an antenna system of the proper impedance or to an appropriate dummy load before power is connected to the radio. Not doing so may damage the radio requiring repair. Because the radio will under certain conditions begin full-rated RF transmissions without any user intervention, applying DC power to the radio without connection to a properly constructed antenna system or to a dummy load, may result in damage to the radio, cause operator injury, or violate regulatory laws regarding radio transmissions. See RF safety guidelines and antenna documentation.
To power on the radio:

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4 Installation

4.11

1. Confirm that all connections are tight and secure. 2. Power on the radio.
Checking the LEDs
The AR220DB radio has two LEDs: L1 and L2 (Power). They are located on the left side of the front face of the unit below the power connectors. Figure 4-6: AR220DB LEDs

4.11.1 4.11.2

LEDs at Power-On
On power-on, the L1 LED progresses through a sequence of changing colors indicating that the operating system is booting and the radio application software is starting. LED L2 (a.k.a. the “Power LED”) is powered directly by internal voltages and is not under software control. LED 1 remains white if the radio is booted to the failsafe partition upon factory reset.
Normal LED States
The normal states of the radio’s LED s are described in the following table.

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4 Installation

Table 4-3: Normal states of the LEDs

Label L1

Description
l OFF Initially upon radio boot until software is sufficiently running to maintain proper states.
l OFF when a restart is requested.
l AMBER when one or more of the following conditions exists:
l Configuration and calibration have not yet completed.
l The duration of the period when duty cycle limiting is being enforced.
l Radio is configured to be in test mode.
l Transmitter is disabled (as for example with the txdisable command).
l GREEN when all of the following conditions are met:
l Radio is in normal mode.
l A valid configuration is loaded and calibration is locked.
l Transmitter is not disabled.
l RED when any of the following conditions are met, regardless of above conditions:
l The selected configuration is invalid.
l Radio is not calibrated (calibration is unlocked).
l A required software component is not running.

l GREEN when the power is good.

Color Red/Green/Amber
Green

4.12

Displaying POST Results
A power-on self-test (POST) is a series of several dozen tests that the radio quickly runs on itself each time it boots up to determine whether it has any problems or is missing any critical information.
Note: The post command only displays the test results from the last boot up; it does not run any tests.

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4 Installation
Possible POST results are: PASS, FAIL, or NOT RUN.
To display the POST results:
1. Connect to the radio. 2. On the command line, enter: post 3. View the POST results list. (For information about using the post command see the AR220DB
CLI Reference for Administration and Service.)

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5 Command Security

Command Security

The radio is protected from unauthorized access by using cryptographically-based user authentication methods.

User authentication ensures you are someone who is allowed to run commands, change the radio’s configuration settings, and update software.

The radio uses the SSH (Secure Shell) login mechanisms to restrict radio access to users with the proper authentication keys.

The following sections describe radio access in detail.

5.1

Logging On to a Radio

As there is no console terminal or external controls on the radio, all interactions with the radio are through an Ethernet-connected computer (e.g., laptop). To access the radio, the computer must have an appropriately configured terminal emulation and SSH client software plus the proper cryptographic keys. This computer and terminal emulator application must satisfy the following prerequisites:

l The computer is connected to the radio’s maintenance (MAINT) port.
l The Ethernet interface is configured to communicate with Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port 22 on the radio.
l The firewall rules are configured to allow Secure Shell Protocol (SSH) access.
l The computer has native support for an SSH client or has an SSH client installed.
l The radio’s SSH private key for the user account or the admin account is available to the computer’s SSH client. The predefined identity files containing the private keys are in Privacy Enhancement Mail (PEM) format and may need to be converted to a different format if your SSH client does not support PEM files.
Additional prerequisites for logging on to a radio are:

l The radio has been powered. l You have permission to enter commands that can change configuration settings, if necessary.

You may log on to a radio using SSH through one of two accounts, “user” or “admin”; these account names are case sensitive. The admin account has permission to run more commands than the user account. These accounts do not have passwords, but they are authenticated through SSH using private keys provided to your SSH client.

Notes:

l You can make an unlimited number of log-on attempts without being locked out of the radio. l More than one SSH authentication key can be associated with an account.
To log on to the radio:

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5 Command Security
1. On your computer, use your SSH client to log on to the account that you wish to use with the account’s identity file. The radio uses the default SSH port, TCP port 22.
2. When you have successfully logged on to the radio, you will see the command prompt of a Linux interactive login shell.

5.2

Logging Off from a Radio

After you log on to a radio, you can log off at any time by ending the SSH session. If you have opened more than one session with the radio, ending one session will not affect the other sessions.
To log off from a radio:
1. On your computer, access your SSH client that is handling the session that you wish to end. 2. At the command prompt type:

exit

Alternatively, enter Ctrl+D. Note: You may have to do this more than once if you have opened sub-shells. The final command logs off the login shell and closes the SSH session.

5.3

Managing SSH Authentication Keys

Changing your SSH authentication key from the predefined key or a key you have been using for a while to a new authentication key improves radio security. If you are not sure when to change your authentication key, ask an administrator to check with your company’s established procedures for guidance.

The userkey command can be used by the admin account to list keys. See the section “Creating New SSH Keys” in the AR220DB Getting Started Guide for information about how to create a new key and create a kit containing the new key. Then, if you are using MobaXterm, see the section “Kit Management” in that document for information about how to add and remove kits containing keys for the admin and user accounts. To manage kits using the command line see “Managing User Access” in the AR220DB Radio Management Guide and the kit command in the AR220DB Command Line Reference for Administration and Service.

The predefined keys for each user account can only be replaced by installing a kit with new SSH auth keys for the same user account.

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6 Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

This section describes common radio problems, their probable causes, and likely solutions. Problems covered in this section are those related to:

l Power l Antenna l Transmitter l Receiver l Ethernet connectivity l RF link l Time and location

In the following sections, solutions to a given problem are listed in the order you should try them.

DANGER! It is imperative that the radio’s antenna connector be connected to an antenna system of the proper impedance or to an appropriate dummy load before power is connected to the radio. Not doing so may damage the radio requiring repair. Because the radio will under certain conditions begin full-rated RF transmissions without any user intervention, applying DC power to the radio without connection to a properly constructed antenna system or to a dummy load, may result in damage to the radio, cause operator injury, or violate regulatory laws regarding radio transmissions. See RF safety guidelines and antenna documentation

6.1

Guidelines for Troubleshooting Common Problems

Always check these items first when a radio problem occurs:

1. Check physical radio connections

Make sure that all physical connections to the radio are secure. This includes: power, grounding, Ethernet, and antenna.

2. Ensure the radio is powered up
Ensure that the DC voltage is appropriate for the radio type that polarity is correct, and that no current limiting is set on the power supply.

3. Determine the software version each radio is running

Check the result of the apps command to determine what revision of radio software is running.

4. Check the state of the radio Use the radiostate command to view the state of the radio.

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6 Troubleshooting

5. Check that the radio configuration is up-to-date
Use the config command to query the configuration components of interest (see the AR220DB CLI Reference). For more information on radio configuration, see the AR220DB Radio Configuration Guide.

6.1.1

Commonly used diagnostic commands

A number of CLI commands are available to provide information about the state of the radio, including current RF connections and software version information. You can use them to collect information that may be useful in determining why a radio connection is not performing as expected. The radiostate command is described below. For the full list of CLI commands, see “Commands Grouped by Function” in the AR220DB Command Line Reference, paying particular attention to the Status and Diagnostic groups.

6.1.2

Check the state of the radio with the radiostate command
The radiostate command queries the radio’s operational states, composed of the asset state and the POST state. It displays the LED status and the detailed reason why the LED is in its current state.
As shown in Table 6-1, the radiostate command returns an asset state value indicating the radio’s current state, including the L1 LED color, and a table listing the status of each of the radio’s subcomponents.
Table 6-1: radiostate command response

Asset state: Fully Operational (L1 LED: Green)

Subcomponent ———————-Configuration HRX connection Calibration Mode Tx state VSWR Timesync Temperature Voltage Software Hardware POST

Status ———–Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Pass

Reason ————Valid Connected to host Calibration locked itcnet operational Enabled In range SemiPrecise In range In range All services active No failures All post tests pass

The asset state portion of the response is a summary based on a set of criteria. Each criterion is included in the table and reported as “Good” or “Bad”, depending on the criterion’s value compared to a fully

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6.1.3
6.2

6 Troubleshooting
operational radio. Only when all criteria are designated as “Good” is the asset state shown as “Fully Operational”. The POST item in the response is a summary of the results of the power-on self-test, which is actually many discrete tests. See the post command for additional information regarding the results of individual tests. The value returned for L1 LED is one of the following: Off, Red, Green, or Amber.
To view the radiostate command output:
1. Connect the computer to the radio MAINT port and log in as described in “Logging On to a Radio” on page 23.
2. On the command line, enter the radiostate command with no arguments:
radiostate
Boot a radio
A radio boots up when it is powered on, when the sysreboot command is sent to it, or the software stops responding.
To boot a radio:
1. Power on the radio by connecting it to a power supply that meets the “DC input voltage range” specified (see Specifications for ITC Model AR220DB Radio 70010) or send the sysreboot command to the radio.
2. Connect the computer to the radio MAINT port. 3. On the command line, enter the sysreboot command with no arguments.
sysreboot
Radio Power Problems
Problem indicators: l There is no power to the radio. l The radio does not transmit.
To troubleshoot radio power issues:
1. Make sure the power-cable connectors are securely connected to the power supply and to the radio.
2. Make sure the power-cable polarity is correct.

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6 Troubleshooting

3. Make sure the power supply is turned on.
4. Measure the voltage at the power-cable connector to the radio. Adjust the power supply to within the radio operating voltage (see Table 1-1).
5. Verify that any current setting on the supply (or current limiting device) is not less than the maximum current draw of the radio (see Table 1-1).
6. Replace the power cable.
7. Replace the radio. See “Replacing a Radio” on page 30.

6.3

Radio Transmission and Reception Problems

Problem indicators:

l Transmission to or reception from the base is poor or absent.

Assuming the radio is properly powered, troubleshooting radio transmission and reception problems falls into two categories: antenna system problems or radio specific problems, including configuration.
To troubleshoot antenna system problems:
1. Remove power from the radio, ensuring it is turned off. 2. Make sure all antenna-cable connectors, from the radio to the antenna, are all free of any signs
of corrosion, and securely connected, including those between the radio to coax lead-in, connections to any lightning suppression devices, as well as connection to the antenna, itself. 3. Check the antenna lead-in cable or coax for defects, breaks, or sharp bends (those with less than the cable’s rated bend radius). 4. Check the lightning suppression device for shorts, faults, etc. 5. Check the antenna for any defects, breaks, or bent elements, etc. 6. Replace any components, as necessary. 7. Ensure the antenna area is free of any objects that may interfere with its operation. 8. Recheck antenna connections then restore power and turn on the radio. Make sure the radio is turned on.
At this point, antenna problems should no longer be impediments to reception or transmission.

9. Check the radio configuration to ensure it is configured with the proper channels and superframe settings to communicate with the other radios. See the AR220DB Radio Configuration Guide, AR220DB Command Line Reference, and AR220DB Radio Management Guide.
10. Adjust the RF power output higher and lower to verify that the transmitter output is controllable. 11. Monitor the current supplied by the power supply to confirm that the typical transmit current is
drawn and the radio is not current-limited. 12. Use the vswr command to determine antenna integrity. On the command line enter:

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6 Troubleshooting

vswr

Following are examples of the response to the vswr command that show good and bad status. A good status looks like this:
Status: good Age: 1 min
VSWR: N/A PA temperature: 37.5C
PA current: 2.48A Battery voltage: 16.67V

A bad status looks like this:
Status: good Age: 1 min
VSWR: N/A PA temperature: 37.5C
PA current: 2.48A Battery voltage: 16.67V

13. Use the txstate command to verify that the transmitter is enabled.
14. Use the radiostate command to check subcomponents of the radio to ensure it is in proper working condition.
15. Adjust the RF power output higher and lower to verify that the transmitter output is controllable.
16. If you are still not satisfied with radio operation, disconnect power, disconnect the antenna cable from the radio, connect an appropriate dummy load instead, and redo steps 9 through 15.
17. If problems persist, replace the radio. See “Replacing a Radio” on the next page.

6.4

Ethernet Connectivity Problems

Problem indicators:

l The radio is disconnected from the network.
To troubleshoot network connectivity issues:
1. Check network activity. If the network is down, then the problem probably is not in the radio. 2. Make sure the Ethernet cable is securely connected to the radio’s Ethernet port under test.
a. Physically inspect the cable and connectors for damage and missing pins. b. Inspect the Ethernet socket on the laptop and the radio for damage or “crossed fingers”.

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6 Troubleshooting

3. Verify that external equipment is functioning properly. 4. Connect your computer to radio’s Ethernet port under test, send commands to the radio, and
then see if the radio responds.
Note: To connect the computer to the radio’s Ethernet port under test, you must configure the computer’s Ethernet interfaces to communicate with the radio on the same network as the port under test. If you do not know the IP address, contact your system administrator.
5. Replace the cable. 6. Replace the radio. See “Replacing a Radio” below.

6.5

RF Link Problems

Problem indicators:

l Radio does not connect to a Base radio.
To troubleshoot RF link issues:
l Make sure the radio is turned on and the L2 LED is on. l Make sure the antenna-cable connectors are securely connected to the antenna and to the
radio. l Check the antenna for any defects or breaks. l Check the antenna leading cable or coax for defects, breaks, or sharp bends (those with less than
the cable’s rated bend radius) l Use the radiostate comand to make sure there is a valid configuration loaded.
l Verify that the Base radio is transmitting. Use a signal source and perform a direct receiver test if necessary to isolate the problem.
l Make sure the AR220DB radio transmitter is not disabled. l Replace the radio. See “Replacing a Radio” below.

6.6

Replacing a Radio

When replacing a radio in the field, follow the safety information in “Safety” on page 6. Inspect the installation of the radio to determine if an installation problem caused the radio to fail.
To uninstall the existing radio:
1. Power down the radio. 2. Disconnect the power cable. 3. Disconnect the antenna.

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6 Troubleshooting
4. Disconnect the Ethernet cable(s). 5. Remove the ground connection from the radio. After uninstalling the radio, follow the instructions in “Installation” on page 11 to install the replacement radio.

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7 Real-Time Log (a.k.a “Trace”) Monitoring

Real-Time Log (a.k.a “Trace”) Monitoring

The AR220DB radio has combined tracing and logging into one function. See the AR220DB Logging User Guide and Reference for log definitions and the AR220DB Radio Configuration Guide for configuration instructions.

To provide a live view of log messages as they occur you can use journalctl. The journalctl utility is a standard Linux tool used to interact with logs captured by systemd. Using journalctl you can read, filter, and monitor logs in real time. The following briefly describes how to use journalctl to monitor logs in real time, but please see the journalctl man pages for complete details on all the uses of the utility.

In monitoring logs with journalctl, the most important switch is –follow (or -f), which continually prints log messages to the screen as they are produced. The following command displays all new log messages as they arrive.

journalctl –follow

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8 Managing Software Application Images

Managing Software Application Images

From time to time, new functionality becomes available from the radio manufacturer in the form of a new software application image (also simply called an “image”). This new functionality is provided to the radio by updating the radio software.

All image management operations may be accomplished using operator commands. However, the radios also support performing some image management operations using ITC Systems Management (ITCSM) features through network connection from an application gateway. See the AR220DB Radio Configuration Guide for information about how to configure a radio for ITCSM connectivity.

Using ITCSM features involves creating a radio software kit, as well as sending the appropriate messages to the radio in order to perform the management operations. Consult with your Back Office support team or engineers for more information about ITCSM support of your radios.

This section offers instructions for:

l Determining software image status. l Updating radio software application images. l Performing a manual software rollback. l Determining whether automatic rollback has occurred. l Maintaining multiple software application images in the radio.

8.1

Determining Software Images Status

The radio is partitioned into three areas: A, B, and F. Partitions A and B are the alternate active and backup or rollback partitions (identified as “Next”), and F is the Failsafe partition used to recover the radio.
The apps command lists the current active and rollback software images loaded into the radio, as shown in the example output below.

Slot Status Version

SHA

Rem Installed

—- —— ——-

—

— ———

linuxA Next 1.0.01.06-f3-0-g0d02f54 c95c00 3 2025-03-04T00:54:18Z

mccfsA Next 1.0.01.06-f3-0-gcca02991c 4e37f2 3 2025-03-04T00:50:05Z

linuxB Booted 1.0.01.06-f3-0-g0d02f54 c95c00 3 2025-03-19T18:32:28Z

mccfsB Booted 1.0.01.06-f3-0-gcca02991c 4e37f2 3 2025-03-19T18:34:34Z

linuxF

1.0.01.06-f3-0-g0d02f54 c95c00 3 2025-02-19T19:20:30Z

boot

1.0.01.06-f3-0-g0d02f54 c95c00

2025-03-19T18:30:55Z

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8 Managing Software Application Images

8.2

Updating Software Application Images

The AR220DB radio does not directly ingests images, but rather kits containing images that are signed for security purposes. Kits are created off the radio.

Updating the software means installing the software application kit, selecting it to be active, and then running it. This procedure can be done using the command line as shown below, or using MobaXterm as described in the “Kit Management” section of the AR220DB Getting Started Guide. To roll back an image, see “Rolling Back an Image” on the facing page. For information about uninstalling and removing images, see the AR220DB Radio Management Guide.

To update the radio’s software application image using CLI commands:
Use the following procedure to transfer and add a software kit to the radio and install the updated software image contained in the kit.

Note: You cannot schedule a software update with the command line. This can be done using ITCSM (see “Updating radio software through ITCSM” in the AR220DB Radio Management Guide. 1. Transfer the software kit to the radio using the kit command with the –add operation.

kit –add=/var/tmp/myKit.kit

This command also adds the kit to the kit directory. 2. You can use the kit command with –list operation to verify that the kit is now in the kit
directory.
kit –list

This command displays all the kit files in the kit directory, as well as whether or not each is installed, active, available to be installed, and in the rollback position.

Kit name ——–abc.kit xyz.kit 34.kit c_luffman3.kit mykit.kit

Kit ID ——–2 4 7 3 Not installed

Available ——–Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Installed ——–Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Active ——–No Yes Yes No No

Rollback ——–No Yes Yes No No

3. Install the kit using the kit command with the –install operation. The following command dispatches elements from the specified kit file to the installers.

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8.3
8.3.1

8 Managing Software Application Images

kit –install=myKit.kit

4. Verify the contents of the installed kit. The following command queries the contents of an available kit file.
kit –query=myKit.kit

The above command receives a response indicating that the kit contains a manifest file and two RAUC bundles.

KitFileID

:myKit

Description

:Manifest file used for manual testing

Size of kit file :59888040 bytes

Elements:

boot.raucb

rootfs.raucb

5. Restart the radio. 6. Confirm the software update using the apps command.

Rolling Back an Image
You can manually rollback software when there are multiple images installed in the radio.
To manually roll back an image:
1. Run the apps command and view the list of images in the output table, noting whether the Status column for each image reports “Booted” or “Bad” or is blank.
2. Select the image listed as blank to roll back to using the apps CLI command with the -select option.
apps –select=b

3. Reboot the radio using the sysreboot CLI command.
How automatic rollback occurs
If for some reason the active image cannot boot, the backup image becomes active and is booted. If there is no backup image or it also fails, the failsafe image is run. The radio will not be fully operational running in failsafe partition.

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9 Routine Maintenance

Routine Maintenance

The following are maintenance items that you should perform routinely:

l Remove dust and obstructions from heatsink fins. l Ensure that the radio is free of excessive condensation and moisture. l Ensure that the radio is not subjected to excessive heat from adjacent equipment. l Make sure that the radio is securely mounted and supported. l Make sure that the cables do not bend with less than the minimum bend radius. l Restrain cables to prevent stress on connectors. l Remove cables during a powered-off maintenance cycle and make sure the pins do not have
corrosion nor signs of thermal stress: o Discoloration and flaky or granular material o Darkened color, signs of oxidation, pitting, or plasma flashover
l Verify that cable insulation is not sliced, worn, or cracked. l Verify that all unused connectors are covered with the appropriate dust cover.

WARNING! Before restoring power, ensure the radio’s antenna connector is connected to antenna system of the proper impedance or to an appropriate dummy load.

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Appendix A: Configure Computer Ethernet Interfaces
Appendix A: Configure Computer Ethernet Interfaces
It is recommended that you use a computer with two Ethernet interfaces, Ethernet 1 and Ethernet 2, so that your computer can communicate with a radio’s maintenance (MAINT) and LAN Ethernet ports at the same time. You must have a terminal emulator such as MobaXTERM or PuTTY installed on the computer and have administrative rights to configure the Ethernet interfaces.
Notes:
l The following configuration example is for directly connecting to the radio and bypassing any network infrastructure. If you cannot get direct access to the radio, contact your network administrator for instructions.
l If you are using the factory defaults, use the following example. If you are not using the factory defaults, contact your network administrator for the appropriate IP settings.
l The following procedures are intended for use with Windows 10. Consult with your network administrator if you are using a different version of Windows.
To configure the computer Ethernet interface for connecting to the radio’s MAINT port:
1. On the computer, click Start, then click Control Panel. 2. Click Network and Internet, then click Network and Sharing Center. 3. Click Change adapter settings. 4. Click Local Area Connection, then click Properties. 5. On the Networking tab, select the Internet Protocol (TCP/IPv4) check box, and then click
Properties.
6. Click Obtain an IP address automatically. 7. Click OK.
To configure the computer Ethernet interface for connecting to the radio’s LAN port:
1. On the computer, click Start, then click Control Panel. 2. Click Network and Internet, then click Network and Sharing Center. 3. Click Change adapter settings. 4. Click Local Area Connection, then click Properties. 5. On the Networking tab, select the Internet Protocol (TCP/IPv4) check box, and then click
Properties.
6. Click Use the following IP address. 7. In the IP address field, type 10.255.255.200. 8. In the Subnet mask field, type 255.255.255.0. 9. Click OK.

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DCN 00006153-B 37

Appendix B: Parts List
Appendix B: Parts List
The following part numbers are for reference only and are subject to change without notice. [List to be provided ]

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Appendix C: Block Diagram

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DCN 00006153-B 39

Appendix D: Sample Post Results

Appendix D: Sample Post Results
Following is an example of the output from the post command for the AR220DB radio.

Result ——PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS FAIL FAIL PASS PASS FAIL FAIL FAIL PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS FAIL PASS FAIL FAIL FAIL PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS

Test ———————————–MAC EEPROMS DISK LIFETIME DISK FSCK CALIBRATION LOCKED MAGIC TOKEN CALIBRATION CRC MAINBOARD SERIAL NUMBER TPM SELFTEST SYSMON0_PS_Temp SYSMON0_PL_Temp SYSMON0_VCC_PSPLL0 SYSMON0_VCC_PSBATT SYSMON0_VCC_INT_AMS SYSMON0_VCC_BRAM_AMS SYSMON0_VCC_AUX_AMS SYSMON0_VCC_PSDDR_PLL SYSMON0_VCC_PSINTFP_DDR SYSMON0_VCC_PSINTLP SYSMON0_VCC_PSINTFP SYSMON0_VCC_PSAUX SYSMON0_VCC_PSDDR SYSMON0_VCC_PSIO3 SYSMON0_VCC_PSIO0 SYSMON0_VCC_PSIO1 SYSMON0_VCC_PSIO2 SYSMON0_VCC_PSMGTR_AVCC SYSMON0_VCC_PSMGTR_AVTT SYSMON0_VCC_AMS_PS SYSMON0_VCC_INT_PL SYSMON0_VCC_AUX_PL SYSMON0_VCC_BRAM_PL SYSMON0_VCC_PLINTLP SYSMON0_VCC_PLINTFP SYSMON0_VCC_PLAUX SYSMON0_VCC_AMS_PL FIRMWARE_STATUS_RX FIRMWARE_STATUS_TX RFBOARD_EEPROM_READ

Notes —-CRC of all MACs matched 0%-10% device life time used FSCK passed for all disks Calibration is locked Magic token is initialized Valid CRC Serial Number: 70DB001035NG 001fe18b000000007ef0 40.4C is in range 41.7C is in range 1.202V is in range 1.778V is in range 0.793V < 0.799V min 0.792V < 0.799V min 1.772V is in range 1.774V is in range 0.786V < 0.799V min 0.785V < 0.799V min 0.779V < 0.799V min 1.774V is in range 1.072V is in range 1.763V is in range 1.762V is in range 1.759V is in range 1.763V is in range 0.902V is in range 1.803V is in range 1.773V is in range 0.783V < 0.799V min 1.775V is in range 0.784V < 0.799V min 0.784V < 0.799V min 0.777V < 0.799V min 1.775V is in range 1.771V is in range All tests pass All tests pass RF board EEPROM read success

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Appendix D: Acronyms

The following table defines initialisms and acronyms used in this document.

Table E-1: Initialisms and acronyms

Usage
A AWG cm CM dB dBi dBm DC DOP DQPSK DSP EIRP ERP EVM FCC GEO GNSS IC ITC ITCM ITCR LAN LNA m MCC MEO MHz MPE mW PEP

Meaning or description
ampere American wire gauge, a unit of wire diameter centimeter Connection Manager decibel decibel, isotropic decibel referenced to one milliwatt direct current dilution of precision differential quadrature phase-shift keying digital signal processor effective isotropic radiated power effective radiated power error vector magnitude Federal Communications Commission geostationary orbit global navigation satellite system Industry Canada Interoperable Train Control ITC Messaging ITC Radio local area network low noise amplifier meter Meteorcomm LLC medium Earth orbit megahertz, a unit of frequency measurement maximum permitted exposure milliwatt peak envelope power

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Appendix D: Acronyms
DCN 00006153-B 41

Appendix D: Acronyms
Usage POST PPM PTC RF RU SAR SMA SNR SWR TCP/IP TNC VDC VSWR W

Meaning or description
power-on self-test parts per million Positive Train Control radio frequency rack unit, defined as a height of 44.5 mm specific absorption rate subminiature, version A, a type of connector signal-to-noise ratio standing wave ratio transmission control protocol/Internet protocol Threaded Neill-Concelman, a type of connector voltage, direct current voltage standing wave ratio watt

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Documents / Resources

METEORCOMM AR220DB 1.0 Radio [pdf] User Guide
70010A, BIB70010A, AR220DB 1.0, AR220DB 1.0 Radio, AR220DB, 1.0 Radio, Radio

References

User Manual

METEORCOMM AR220DB 1.0 Radio User Guide

AR220DB 1.0 Radio

Specifications

Product Usage Instructions

1. Installation

4.1 Equipment Required for Verification of Specification
Compliance

4.2 Unpacking and Inspecting the Radio

4.3 Mounting the Radio

4.4 Grounding the Radio

4.5 Installing Current Limiting Circuit Protection

4.6 Connecting the Antenna

4.6.1 Antenna Planning

4.6.2 Connecting the Cable

2. Powering On and Checking Status

4.8 Power Supply Requirements for AR220DB Radios

4.9 Connecting the Power Cable

4.10 Powering On the Radio

4.11 Checking the LEDs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What should I do if I encounter RF interference issues?

Q: How can I troubleshoot common power-related problems?

Documents / Resources

References

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