With the introduction of RadioManager 5.8, RadioManager can be used to test bit-error and packet error performance of a radio link. Bit-Error-Rate (BER) is not directly measured because RadioManager uses packets to test the link, but BER can be derived from packet-error-rate. Raveon calls these types of tests “BERT” for Bit Error Rate Test. To […]

RS-485 is a two-wire connection, with the pair of wires transmitting and receiving data. With the RS-485 feature enabled (ATIO 2 command), the 9-pin serial I/O connector on the front of the Raveon data radio modem model M5 and M7 will be put into the RS-485 mode of operation.  The serial I/O connector is a […]

The M7-GX series of GPS transponders may be directly connected to any Raymarine A, C, E or G series display.  All of these Raymarine displays have at least one NMEA-0183 port. This allows them to be used with Raveon’s RavTrack series of GPS radio transponders to make a complete GPS tracking system. For this article, the Raymarine E80 […]

A leaky feeder is an underground communications system used in underground mining and other tunnel environments. It consists of a coaxial cable run along tunnels which emits and receives radio waves, functioning as an extended antenna. The cable is “leaky” in that it has gaps or slots in its outer conductor to allow the radio […]

So, what does it mean when something is ‘weatherproof’? The term weatherproof is often used for IP65 rated cases like the one used for most of Raveon’s data radios.  The IP codes in their specific position indicate protection against dust (5) and protection from low water pressure (6).  IEC standard 60529 defines the IP rating […]

Smart battery design starts with knowing the details of the system that is using the battery power. A battery does not make a system battery-powered. For operational lifetimes measured in days, weeks or years, power must be a design consideration from the ground up. Companies such as Raveon Technologies in Carlsbad, CA that produce mission […]

Raveon wireless modems have a number of ways an installer can verify that the system is working properly.  This application note describes how to verify signal strength on Raveon’s VHF and UHF data radio modems.   Read The Last Recption’s Signal Strength The command ATRSreturns the signal strength (in dBm) of the last message that the […]

The following charts compare various type of coaxial cable used in VHF and UHF data radio systems.  All coax cable has a certain amount of signal loss.  When an antenna is connected to a radio modem using any type of coax cable, the transmit signal is attenuated as it passes through the cable, so the […]

Obtaining an FCC license to use a narrow-band radio channel is not difficult at all.  In fact, the FCC has listed over 300 ,000 license holders in the Land Mobile Radio service alone. Raveon’s M7 radio modem operate on radio frequencies that are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  In order to transmit on […]

The M7-USB option, and all of the USB serial bridge cables from Raveon use the FTDI FT232R chip-set.  Raveon has an application note <here> that describes how the M7-USB option works.  The driver for the FTDI chipset is included with most versions of Microsoft Windows, and it may be <Downloaded Here>. The when a USB device […]