Datalinks¶

LOS¶

Digi radio (as internal radio)¶

Internal Digi radios can establish communication between Veronte Autopilots.

Each internal Autopilot 1x has to be configured one by one with 1x PDI Builder. The necessary configuration of Digi radios for proper communication between them is described in the Digi internal radio - Integration examples section of the 1x PDI Builder user manual.

Silvus radio (StreamCaster 4200E model)¶

System Layout¶

The following image shows the standard connection between Silvus radios and Autopilot 4x for operation:

../../_images/silvus_veronte.png — **Silvus and 4x connection**¶

Hardware Installation¶

A wiring configuration of the PRI cable connected to the PRI port of the radio is required, in order to connect to the power supply, ethernet and RS-232.

../../_images/silvus_pri_port.png — **PRI port connector (mounted in radio)**¶

Power supply

Female DC Power Jack connector¶

PRI port connector - Silvus radio

Power connector

PIN

Signal

Signal

2

GND IN

Power -

3

VCC IN

Power +

PRI port connector - Silvus radio	Power connector
2	GND IN	Power -
3	VCC IN	Power +

Ethernet

../../_images/rj45_connector.png — **RJ45 pinout T-568B**¶

PRI port connector - Silvus radio		RJ45 Connector (T-568B)
PIN	Signal	PIN	Signal	Color code
4	ETH0_MX2N (RX-)	6	RX-	Green
5	ETH0_MX2P (RX+)	3	RX+	Green-White
6	ETH0_MX1P (TX+)	1	TX+	Orange-White
10	ETH0_MX1N (TX-)	2	TX-	Orange

RS-232

The RS-232 from the PRI cable should be connected to the RS-232 of Main Connector with Veronte Harness Blue 68P.

../../_images/pinout_harness.png — **Main connector harness pinout**¶

PRI port connector - Silvus radio		Veronte Harness Blue 68P - Autopilot 4x
PIN	Signal	PIN	Signal	Color code
7	RS232_RXD	19	MUXED_RS232_TX	White-Pink
8	RS232_TXD	20	MUXED_RS232_RX	Pink-Brown
9	GND	18	GND	Gray-Brown

Silvus radio configuration¶

This section shows a basic configuration for Silvus radios.

First Steps¶

Connect antennas (or attenuators) with male TNC ends to 2 RF ports.
Connect power supply to power port on PRI cable.
Connect non-forked female side of PRI cable to radio’s PRI port.

../../_images/silvus_connectors.png — **Silvus connectors**¶

When looking at the rotary multi position switch from the top, pull the knob towards you while rotating the knob towards the 1 position. This turns radio on. LED indicator will turn to fix red.
In order to access the StreamScape graphical user interface (GUI), connect Ethernet (RJ45) connector of PRI cable to Ethernet port of laptop/computer.
Make sure computer is set to static IP address on same subnet as radio. The following substeps clarify how to set the IP adress:
1. Open network and sharing menu and click Change adapter settings.
  
  Ethernet connection 1¶
2. Select Local Area Connection, right click, and select Properties.
  
  Ethernet connection 2¶
3. Select IPv4 and click Properties.
  
  Ethernet connection 3¶
4. Set IP address to 172.20.XX.YY (e.g. if the IP of the radio is 172.20.178.203, set the IP 172.20.178.200) and Subnet mask to 255.255.0.0. Click OK.
  
  Ethernet connection 4¶
Wait for LED indicator to turn to blinking green.
Access StreamScape GUI in web browser. To access, enter IP address of radio into web browser and press enter.

Note

Latest version of Firefox or Google Chrome are preferred. Internet Explorer or others are not recommended.

Silvus initial menu¶
User manual can be accessed by clicking the book icon in the GUI (Next to Basic Configuration in the previous screenshot).

Basic radio configuration¶

Once the website has been accessed, follow the steps below which show the parameters that need to be modified for correct operation and pairing of the radios.

Note

This is an example of the radio configuration linked to a 4x air unit.

Note

After making changes to each window, it is important to click on “Save and apply”.

Basic Configuration.

Basic configuration panel¶
- Frequency (MHZ): This defines the frequency of the signal. There is a drop-down menu for frequency selection. We recommend 2220 MHz.
  
  Warning
  
  Be careful when choosing the frequency. The user may see interference with the Wifi frequency band, consult the radio spectrum.
- Bandwith: This defines the RF bandwidth of the signal. Default value.
- Network ID: Network ID allows for clusters of radios to operate in the same channel, but independently.
  
  A radio with a given Network ID will only communicate with other radios with the same Network ID.
- Link Distance (meters): Set to an approximate maximum distance between any two nodes in meters. It is important to set the link distance to allow enough time for packets to propagate over the air.
  
  It is recommended to set the link distance 10-15% greater than the actual maximum distance.
- Total Transmit Power (requested): This defines the total power of the signal (power is divided equally between the radio antenna ports). Set the appropriate power for each application. The power that has been set is small, as it is sufficient for our tests.
- Routing Mode: As Large Network mode requires a license and is not available outside USA, we set Legacy mode.
Advanced configuration.

Advanced configuration panel¶
- Transmit/Receive Channels: Allows user to enable or disable each channel on the radio for TX/RX (each RF port is a channel). We have enabled both channels.
Networking. Multicast.

Multicast panel¶
- Default Multicast Algorithm: Broadcast.
- Custom Pruning/Augmenting: Disable.
Serial/USB Setup

RS-232 settings¶
- Serial Port Setup: RS-232.
- RS-232 Serial Port Settings
  - The value of the Baudrate, Data Bits, Parity and Stop Bits parameters must be the same as those configured in 1x PDI Builder software.
  - Software Flow Control: Disable.
  - Transport Protocol: We recommend UDP. If no data loss can be tolerated, change this setting to TCP on the radio corresponding to the 4x air unit.
  - Peer IP: This should be the IP address of the radio on the other end of the RS-232. In this example, we must set the IP address of the radio linked to the ground unit.
Note

Both radios (the one connected to the GND unit and the one connected to the AIR unit), have the same configuration except for the Peer IP.

Peer IP in radio linked to the GND unit¶

In addition to these settings, different configurations can be stored in the same radio, on the Multi-Position Switch panel. The user can select the one that will work, with the radio’s switch position.

../../_images/silvus_multiposition_switch_air.png — **Multi-Position Switch panel**¶

In this example only one configuration has been created.

With the above settings the configuration is finished. Furthermore, this configuration can be saved and downloaded in the Settings Profile window of the Configuration Profiles section.

../../_images/silvus_settings_air.png — **Settings Profile panel**¶

Before downloading the configuration, it is necessary to save it.

../../_images/silvus_save_settings_air.png — **Save settings**¶

../../_images/silvus_download_settings_air.png — **Download settings**¶

After configuring both radios with these settings they should be paired. Therefore, if we connect them to the power supply, when we switch them on, the LED will turn from fix red to fix green, this indicates that it is connected to at least one radio. Also, if we connect only one of them to the computer, we can access the StreamScape GUI of both.

And, in the Network Topology window of the Network Management section, we can see the link between them.

../../_images/silvus_connection_air_gnd.png — **Connection between radios**¶

Silvus radio configuration in 1x PDI Builder¶

The necessary configuration of Silvus radio in 1x PDI Builder is described in the External radios - Integration examples section of the 1x PDI Builder user manual.