Campbell Scientific RF401-series and RF430-series Spread Spectrum Data Radios/Modems - Manual (Page 37)

RF401-series and RF430-series Spread Spectrum Radio/Modems
by using RF level packet acknowledgements and retries. This is done for any
size network.
Do not mix the “Transparent” protocol with any of the
PakBus protocols. This will produce RF traffic without any
RF communications.
One of the PakBus protocols is preferable when using dataloggers with the
PakBus operating system (e.g., CR200(X)s, CR800, CR850, CR1000,
CR3000) as it greatly increases the reliability of the RF communications
compared to using the Transparent mode (which is the only protocol of the
RF400). When the PakBus protocols are used, for most networks, all radios
can be set up identically.
The "PakBus Aware" setting is the simplest mode and does not require a
PakBus address. The "PakBus Node" protocol is useful when a standalone
router is required, where the radio is assigned its own PakBus Address (see
Section 5.1.3, PakBus Tab). The "PakBus Node" protocol also allows our
software to access the radio’s RSSI (received signal strength indication).
To summarize, the advantages of using the PakBus Aware and PakBus Node
Protocols, compared to the Transparent protocol, are:
• Greater immunity to interference and RF collisions (by using RF retries)
• Ability to have standalone RF router/repeaters (up to 8 repeaters)
• Ability to use the duty cycling modes when the network is composed of
more than one RF hop (RF400 networks needed to be in “Always ON”
mode)
• Reduced power consumption by the datalogger, as the radios perform
“packet address filtering”
• Faster communication due to elimination of some of the small “link state
packets”
• Automatic selection of the best RF path when there is a marginal RF link
in parallel with a good RF path (based on RF signal strength)
Detailed information on the PakBus Aware and PakBus Node protocols is
provided in Appendix M, PakBus Networking Details.
5.1.2.4 RS-232 Baud Rate
If the Active Interface setting is "AutoSense" or "RS-232", enter the “RS-232
Baud Rate”. The default setting is 38.4 K for RF401 radios with OS4 or higher
and for RF430 radios. The default is 9600 for RF401s with older operating
systems. The 9600 baud rate needs to be used if the network contains
CR200(X) dataloggers, older dataloggers (e.g., CR510, CR10X), or other
devices that do not support the 38.4 K baud rate.
CAUTION
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