Automating Radio Modem Configuration
There are three common ways to program Raveon data radio modems with your particular paramters:
- Manually using a termal emulator such as HyperTerminal or Tera Term.
- Using a Raveon’s Windows-based graphical interface program called Radio Manager
- Automatically using a script processor such as Tera Term.
Raveon’s Radio Managerprogram may be freely downloaded from Raveon’s web site at www.raveon.com. It provides an easy-t0-use graphical interface to the user, allowing the user to review, modify, and update a radio modem’s configuration with a few clicks of a mouse. Most all common parameters in a Raveon radio modem may be configured with this program, but very advanced features and custom radio modems will require the user to enter additional commands manually. Radio Manager has a built in terminal window to allow the user to also manually enter commands to the radio modem.
There are advantages to the various programming methods. So depending upon how many products you will configure, how different each product is configured, and how many advanced features you will be configuring in the Raveon radio modem, you may choose to configure them with a different method.
Advantages of the Various Radio Modem Programming Methods
| Manual with Terminal | Radio Manager Software | Script Processor | |
| Easy to Use | X | X | |
| User must understand the radio modem’s command syntax and meaning | X | ||
| large number of radio modem need to be configured | X | X | |
| Quick change to a small number of radio modems | X | X | |
| Manual programming of advanced radio modem features | X | X | X |
| Radio modem configuration must be saved to computer | X | ||
| Automated method of programming large number of radio modems with similar settings and advanced features | X |
Terminal Emulator Programs
A “terminal emulator” software program such as HyperTerminal or Tera Term is a quick and easy way to configure a radio modem. By connecting a computer running the terminal emulation program to the radio modem’s serial port, the user can issue commands to the radio modem by typing them into the terminal window.
Any command listed in the User Manual for the product may be manually typed into the terminal. Even commands that Raveon’s Radio Manager program do not support may be executed.
HyperTerminal is installed on most Microsoft Windows-based computers. A trial version is available for download here: http://www.hilgraeve.com/hyperterminal-trial/
Tera Term is an open-source terminal emulation program that is easy to use, and very powerful. Raveon recommends using it over Hyperterminal. It is currently available for download at logmett.com here: http://logmett.com/index.php?/download/download-tera-term-470-freeware.html An added feature of Tera Term is its Macro File processor. Tera Term has a Macro FIle script processor that allows a person to create a script file of macro commands. The Script file can configure the radio modem, prompt the user for input, and validate the programming of the radio modem.
Radio Manager
Radio Manager is a Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 software application designed to make programming and configuration management of Raveon data radio modems easy to do. It is compatible with all Raveon data radio modems, and provides configuration management, simple graphical interface, as well as programming assistance, diagnostic information, and a helpful “band scope” feature.
Radio Manager features:
- Supports all Raveon Radios (M3, M5, M7, Atlas PL, and M7 GX series)
- Configurations may be stored to a file or retrieved from a file
- An easy to use graphical interface
- “Auto-Detect Radio” feature searches through possible serial port settings
- Simplified editing of a radio’s configuration
- Intelligent parameter verification to help configure technical parameters
- Built-in terminal mode
- On-line help
- Band Scope feature graphically displays on and off channel signal levels
What to Do
In the end, you still should choose the best method of programming to suit your business needs.
If you have a few radio modems, understand the User Manual and product, and want to do a quick change, the manual method is probably best. Connect a terminal program to the unit, issue a command, verify it, and you are don. If you want to configure an advanced parameter in the radio modem that is not available using Radio Manager, then this is the only way to configure it.
If you want a simple-to-use graphical interface and you will be modifying only the “Typical” parameters that need to be changed in the radio for most installations, then Radio Manager is the best choice. It displays the configuration in an easy-to-understand format, and shows the user the parameters that are typically manipulated.
If you have a lot of radio modems to configure, need to make sure they are all configured in a certain way, and want to automatically set parameters both typcial and advanced, then creating a macro file for Tera Term may be a good choice.
