SAT-101/SAT-201

Functional Manual

Document No: MAN-0020

Issue No: 1

Dated: 21 October 2005

SAT-101/SAT-201 Functional Manual MAN-0020 Issue 1

COPYRIGHT

Copyright in this document is vested in Satamatics Ltd. This document is issued in confidence for the
purpose only for which it is supplied. It must not be reproduced in whole or in part except with the
consent in writing of Satamatics Ltd and then only on the condition that this notice is included in any
such reproduction.

REVISION HISTORY

Date Issue Comments

21 October 2005 1 Initial Issue.

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MAN-0020 Issue 1 SAT-101/SAT-201 Functional Manual
CONTENTS
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS ..................................................................................................................4
1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................5
2 Applications.................................................................................................................................6
3 Overview of D+ ............................................................................................................................7
3.1 Coverage..................................................................................................................................7
3.2 The D+ Network .......................................................................................................................7
3.3 System Availability ...................................................................................................................8
3.4 The Basics of D+......................................................................................................................9
4 Overview of the GPS Satellite Network...................................................................................10
5 Applicable Products..................................................................................................................11
5.1 Product Comparison ..............................................................................................................11
6 SAT-101/SAT-201 Functional Details ......................................................................................12
6.1 Non-volatile storage ...............................................................................................................12
6.2 Configuration..........................................................................................................................12
6.2.1 Operational Defaults ..........................................................................................................13
6.2.2 Factory Defaults .................................................................................................................13
6.3 Satellite Acquisition ................................................................................................................14
6.3.1 Satellite Beams ..................................................................................................................14
6.3.2 Service Selection ...............................................................................................................14
6.3.3 Roaming Options ...............................................................................................................14
6.3.4 Function of the Pager Subset Number (PSN)....................................................................15
6.4 Messaging..............................................................................................................................16
6.4.1 Quality of Service ...............................................................................................................16
6.4.2 Message Priority ................................................................................................................16
6.4.3 Receiving Messages ..........................................................................................................17
6.4.3.1 Message types ..................................................................................................17
6.4.3.2 Forward message length ...................................................................................17
6.4.3.3 Receive Buffer ...................................................................................................18
6.4.3.4 Acknowledgement Option..................................................................................18
6.4.4 Transmitting Messages ......................................................................................................18
6.4.4.1 Message Types .................................................................................................18
6.4.4.2 Acknowledgement (ACK) Burst .........................................................................18
6.4.4.3 Long Burst Message formats.............................................................................19
6.4.4.4 Constructing a user defined message...............................................................22
6.4.4.5 Transmit Process – Overview............................................................................23
6.4.4.6 Transmit Queue .................................................................................................23
6.4.4.7 Transmit Status .................................................................................................24
6.4.4.8 Transmission Retries.........................................................................................24
6.4.4.9 Transmit randomisation .....................................................................................24
6.4.4.10 Transmission Log ..............................................................................................25
6.5 GPS Details............................................................................................................................27
6.5.1 GPS Update rate................................................................................................................27
6.5.2 Position Logging.................................................................................................................27
6.5.3 Time-stamping GPS position reports .................................................................................27
6.6 Geofences..............................................................................................................................28
6.6.1 Circular Geofence ..............................................................................................................28
6.6.2 Complex Geofence ............................................................................................................29
6.6.2.1 Geofence Status................................................................................................29
6.6.3 Reference Position.............................................................................................................30
6.6.4 Target Positions .................................................................................................................30
6.7 Timestamping – Considerations ............................................................................................31
6.8 Status Information Available ..................................................................................................32
6.9 Power Modes .........................................................................................................................33
6.9.1 Power Calculator................................................................................................................33
6.10 Interfaces ..........................................................................................................................34
6.10.1 Interface functions............................................................................................................34
6.10.2 General Purpose Input/Output (I/O).................................................................................34

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6.11 Battery Pack (SAT-101 and SAT-101G)...........................................................................36

6.11.1 Charging from solar panel................................................................................................36
6.12 Scripting ............................................................................................................................37
6.12.1 Scripting Compiler............................................................................................................37
6.12.2 Script Identification...........................................................................................................37
6.12.3 Debugging a Script...........................................................................................................37
6.12.4 Storing or Deleting a Script ..............................................................................................38
6.13 Remote (‘Over Air’) Control...............................................................................................38
INDEX....................................................................................................................................................39

FIGURES
Figure 1 – D+ Coverage ............................................................................................................. 7
Figure 2 - System Overview....................................................................................................... 8
Figure 3 - SAT-101 (left) and SAT-201 (right) ....................................................................... 11
Figure 4 - Example of user defined message construction....................................................... 22
Figure 5 - Examples of Geofence definitions........................................................................... 29

REFERENCES

Ref.[1] GDN-0047, Terminal Command Interface

Ref.[2] GDN-0053, Scripting API
Ref.[3] MAN-0013, SAT-101 User Manual
Ref.[4] MAN-0019, SAT-201 User Manual
Ref.[5] MAN-0014, Software Tools Manual
Ref.[6] MAN-0012, TSL Programming Manual
Ref.[7] GDN-0046, Terminal Scripting Language (TSL)
Ref.[8] GDN-0013, Interface Control Document (ICD) ASPI-XML
Ref.[9] GDN-0051, Satamatics Application Message Registry

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1 INTRODUCTION
D+ is the name of the low data rate, air interface standard defined by the satellite operator
INMARSAT. The INMARSAT D+ satellite communication system provides an affordable, global
messaging and reporting system. In addition to providing terminals, Satamatics own and operate the
D+ land based satellite communications equipment and D+ Network. The system is described in more
detail in section 3.

This document provides descriptive details of the D+ system and the functionality provided by
Satamatics range of D+ satellite terminals.

In association with this document, the following documents provide the information required for Users
and Application Service Providers (ASPs) to develop and apply solutions using the Satamatics D+
terminals.

Ref.[1] GDN-0047, Terminal Command Interface

Contains the syntax and details of the serial commands used for local control and
configuration of the terminal.

Ref.[2] GDN-0053, Scripting API

Contains details of the terminals internal registers and functions that provide the
programming interface in relation to scripts.

Ref.[3] MAN-0013, SAT-101 User Manual

Includes installation information and details on the physical interfaces.

Ref.[4] MAN-0019, SAT-201 User Manual

Includes installation information and details on the physical interfaces.

Ref.[5] MAN-0014, Software Tools Manual

Describes the software tools available from Satamatics which include:
• SAT-Manager: Provides a local, user friendly interface to the terminal.
• Uploader: A simple application that displays basic status information from the terminal
and which allows software upgrades to be performed.
• Power Calculator: Estimates terminal power consumption based on a user defined
operational profile.

Ref.[6] MAN-0012, TSL Programming Manual

How to install and use Satamatics TSL compiler.

Ref.[7] GDN-0046, Terminal Scripting Language (TSL)

Describes the syntax of the TSL

Ref.[8] GDN-0013, Interface Control Document (ICD) ASPI-XML

Written for application developers. This document describes how to interface to the D+
system through the MHS.

The above documentation, and more, can be downloaded from the Satamatics Support website.
Please contact Satamatics for access details.

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2 APPLICATIONS
Typical applications include:

• Land-based transportation security: tracking, tracing and monitoring mobile assets such as
trucks, cars, and trains

• Logistics for land-based transportation: improving fleet management, reducing fuel costs,
monitoring cargo and improving customer response times

• Container logistics and security: tracking global transit traffic, improving schedules, reducing
the need for inventory, plus enhancing security

• Maritime shipping security: tracking vessels, providing Ship Security Alert Systems, to protect
against piracy and terrorist attacks

• Monitoring fish-finding buoys: to help improve catches, and reduce fleet costs

• Tracking fishing boats: helping to enforce exclusion and regulatory zones

• Improving leisure marine security: tracking vessel location, protecting charter assets, enabling
friends and family to view via the Internet

• Remote asset monitoring: reducing costs for owners and service companies, as well as
triggering key actions - such as re-ordering, alarms and maintenance.

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MAN-0020 Issue 1 SAT-101/SAT-201 Functional Manual

3 OVERVIEW OF D+

3.1 Coverage
Four INMARSAT geostationary satellites provide a global (see Figure 1 for coverage) service with
each satellite covering an ‘Ocean Region’ - Atlantic Ocean Region West (AORW), Atlantic Ocean
Region East (AORE), Indian Ocean Region (IOR) or Pacific Ocean Region (POR).

Figure 1 – D+ Coverage

3.2 The D+ Network

The system architecture is made up from the following components:

• INMARSAT Satellites. Four INMARSAT satellites, each covering one of four ‘Ocean Regions’
(see Figure 1) provide the necessary communications links for global coverage.
• D+ Land Earth Station (LES). Provides the interface between the satellites and the terrestrial
communications networks. The LES is a collective name for the equipment that consists of the
Message Handling System (MHS), Access Control and Signalling Equipment (ACSE) and
existing LES infrastructure (buildings, antennas RF equipment etc.).
• Access Control and Signalling Equipment (ACSE). Consisting of transmission (modulators)
and reception (demodulators) equipment, and associated control, necessary to communicate
with the satellites. The equipment interfaces with existing INMARSAT LES sites that provide
the associated RF equipment and antennas. Satamatics ACSE equipment is installed in Earth
stations at Goonhilly, UK (covering AORE and AORW), Burum, NL (covering IOR) and
Auckland, NZ (covering POR).
• Message Handling System (Data Centres). The Message Handling System allows application
servers to interface to the ACSE. The database supports the messaging applications through
the temporary storage of user messages in both the forward and return directions. The
database also supports authentication, commissioning and billing functions.
• Application Servers (Data Centres). Interface to Application Service Providers, and can
include web servers to present the interface to the user.
• D+ Terminal. The small terminal, with integrated GPS receiver, to and from which the D+
messages are transmitted and received.

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Figure 2 provides an overview of the complete system. The D+ terminals are shown communicating
with the LES and ACSE via one of the four INMARSAT satellites. Both the D+ terminals and the ACSE
are synchronised to Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) via the Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellite system.

Satellite

GPS

INMARSAT D+

GPS

Existing LES infrastructure

D+ Terminals
ACSE

ISDN
Message Handling
System
VPN

Secondary Data Centre &

Reference System Application Server Users
Application Service Providers
Administration
DATA CENTRE
Operations

Support

Internet

BACK OFFICE

Figure 2 - System Overview

The ACSE controls the air interface, allowing messages to be passed between the MHS and the
terminals using the INMARSAT D+ satellite system. Both the Primary and Secondary Data Centre,
containing MHS and Application Servers, are located in the UK, at separate facilities with controlled
environments. The Secondary Data Centre also hosts the administrative, operational control and
support centre functions. The secondary MHS and Application servers allow the system to be fully
functional even in the case of a catastrophic failure of the primary Data Centre.

Applications can be provided, via the Internet, directly from the Data Centre’s application server or
indirectly through other Application Service Providers.

Users access the system via the Internet, using a variety of protocols, some of which can provide SSL
security.

3.3 System Availability

All network equipment and communication links employ suitable methods (redundant systems etc.) to
ensure a system availability of better than 99.99%. The ACSE and MHS are designed to provide an
availability of better than 99.998%.

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3.4 The Basics of D+

Information to and from terminals is transmitted on discrete channels. When a Terminal first powers up
it must determine which channels to use for receiving and transmitting:

Every Terminal is assigned an ISN (Inmarsat Serial Number). This number is used to uniquely identify
a terminal for the purposes of message delivery. At the application the ISN is mapped to an AdC
(Address Code) which is simply a unique code assigned by the service provider in a format of its
choice. For a terminal to receive/transmit messages, it must also be configured with the correct SID
(Service Identifier) – this would normally be programmed by the service provider prior to shipment.
The SID ensures that the terminal tunes only to those channels assigned to the associated service
provider. An incorrect SID will result in non-delivery of messages.

Each satellite (Ocean Region) transmits a ‘Bulletin Board’ on a known frequency. The Bulletin Board
channel provides the information necessary to enable a terminal to tune to the correct Traffic channel
as determined by its SID.

Messages to terminals are carried on a Traffic Channel. The Traffic channel also provides information
to the terminal with regards to the channels it may use for transmission.

To acquire the D+ service (following power on or waking from ‘sleep’ mode), the terminal must first
tune to the Bulletin Board and determine which Traffic channel to tune to. The terminal then tunes to
the appropriate Traffic channel. Due to the framing structure of the Bulletin Board and Traffic channels,
time to acquire and decode the information necessary to allow transmission will be somewhere
between 1.5 and 6 minutes.

Figure 1 shows the coverage of the satellites’ Global beams. Some D+ Traffic channels may be
deployed on Spot beams. Each satellite has a number of Spot beams providing more localised
coverage. If global coverage is not required, a Service Provider may elect to use a Spot Beam in order
to reduce operating costs.

The data rate for forward channels (to terminal) is approximately 9 user bits per second, with typical
message delivery latency of about 3 minutes.

Return channel (from terminal) information is returned in bursts containing up to 85 user bits of
information. The data rate is approximately 10 user bits per second when operating over a global
beam or 40 bits per second when operating over a spot beam. Typical message delivery latency is
about 30s (assuming the terminal has already acquired the traffic channel – see above).

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4 OVERVIEW OF THE GPS SATELLITE NETWORK

GPS is a United States satellite-based radio navigational, positioning, and time transfer system
operated by the Department of Defense (DOD). The system provides highly accurate position and
velocity information and precise time on a continuous global basis to an unlimited number of properly
equipped users. The system is unaffected by weather and provides a worldwide common grid
reference system based on the earth-fixed coordinate system. For its earth model, GPS uses the
World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS-84) datum.

The GPS Standard Positioning Service (SPS) provides horizontal positioning accuracy of ~10 metres
with a probability of 95 percent and ~30 metres with a probability of 99.99 percent. For Satamatics
terminals the GPS accuracy is quoted as a Circular Error Probability (CEP). A CEP value determines
the radius of a circle within which ½ of the GPS positions measured over a period of time will fall. For
the SAT-101 and SAT-201 the CEP (two dimensional) is specified as 4m. These accuracy values
assume a clear view of the sky. Accuracy (and acquisition time) will be reduced if there are blockages
e.g. in urban canyons.

GPS operation is based upon the concept of ranging and triangulation from a group of satellites in
space that act as precise reference points. A GPS receiver measures distance from a satellite using
the travel time of a radio signal. Each satellite transmits a specific code, called a course/acquisition
(CA) code, which contains information on the satellite's position, the GPS system time, its clock error,
and the health and accuracy of the transmitted data. GPS satellites have very accurate atomic clocks
in order to calculate signal travel time. Knowing the speed at which the signal travelled (approximately
186,000 miles per second) and the exact broadcast time, the distance travelled by the signal can be
computed from the arrival time.

The GPS receiver matches each satellite's CA code with an identical copy of the code contained in the
receiver's database. By shifting its copy of the satellite's code, in a matching process, and by
comparing this shift with its internal clock, the receiver can calculate how long it took the signal to
travel from the satellite to the receiver. The distance derived from this method of computing distance is
called a pseudo-range because it is not a direct measurement of distance, but a measurement based
on time. Pseudo-range is subject to several error sources: for example, an ionospheric delay, and time
disparities between the atomic clocks in the satellites and the GPS receiver.

In addition to knowing the distance to a satellite, a receiver needs to know the satellite's exact position
in space; this is known as its ephemeris. Each satellite's signal transmits ephemeris information about
its exact orbital location. The GPS receiver uses this information to precisely establish the position of
the satellite.

Using the calculated pseudo-range and the position information supplied by the satellite, the GPS
receiver mathematically determines its position by triangulation. The GPS receiver needs at least three
satellites with timing corrections from a fourth satellite to yield an unaided, unique, and true three-
dimensional position (latitude, longitude, and altitude) and time solution. The GPS receiver computes
navigational values such as distance and bearing to a waypoint, ground speed, etc., by using the GPS
receiver's known latitude/longitude and referencing these to a database built into the receiver.

The GPS constellation of 24 satellites is designed so that a minimum of five are always observable by
a user anywhere on earth. The receiver uses data from the best four satellites above the horizon,
adding signals from one as it drops signals from another, to continually calculate its position.

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MAN-0020 Issue 1 SAT-101/SAT-201 Functional Manual

5 APPLICABLE PRODUCTS
The D+ terminals produced by Satamatics are the SAT-101 and the SAT-201 series. Variants are
indicated by alphabetic suffixes. The original SAT-101 and SAT-101A are no longer produced having
been replaced by the SAT-101G and SAT-101AG respectively.

All Satamatics D+ terminals have an integral GPS receiver.

This manual applies to both the SAT-101 and SAT-201 series of terminals. For the most part the
SAT-101 and SAT-201 are functionally equivalent. Where there are differences these are clearly
stated.

Unless otherwise implied, reference to a SAT-101 or SAT-201 within this document refers to any
SAT-101 or SAT-201 variant respectively.

5.1 Product Comparison

The following table provides a brief summary of the differences between the Satamatics terminals.

Table 2 - Product Comparison

Note 1 Note 1 Note 2
SAT-101 SAT-101A SAT-101AG SAT-101G SAT-201
Power Supply 9.6 - 30 V 9.6 - 30 V 9.6 - 30 V 9.6 - 30 V 9.6 - 32 V
Battery pack option Yes No No Yes No
Battery output available to user No No No Yes No
Solar panel input Yes No No Yes No
Number of Inputs/Outputs 8 8 Note 3 8 Note 3 8 2/2
Integral Antenna No No No No Yes
Alternative antenna mount Yes Yes Yes Yes No
options
GPS position logging No No Yes Yes Yes
Note 1: No longer available
Note 2: Contact Satamatics for availability
Note 3: Analogue output and 4-20mA interface options are not available

More details can be found in the associated User Manual (see page 4)

Figure 3 shows (on the left) the SAT-101 with battery pack and separate antenna and (on the right) the
single unit SAT-201.

Figure 3 - SAT-101 (left) and SAT-201 (right)

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6 SAT-101/SAT-201 FUNCTIONAL DETAILS

6.1 Non-volatile storage

The terminal contains non-volatile memory to hold information that is required to survive a power
down. This memory store is used for:

• Terminal Firmware
• Configuration parameters
• Script storage
• Geofence storage
• Transmit log
• Position log

6.2 Configuration
Normally, a user would initially configure a terminal by sending the appropriate commands over the
serial port using a tool such as Satamatics’ SAT-Manager application. This application runs on a PC
and is described in more detail in Ref.[5]. Once a terminal has been configured and is operating over
the D+ network it is possible to change the majority of configuration parameters over the air (i.e. via
the satellite link) as described in paragraph 6.13.

It should be noted that although some parameters are automatically stored to non-volatile memory,
most changes need to be accompanied by a specific ‘store to non-volatile memory’ command if the
new configuration is required to survive a power down.

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6.2.1 Operational Defaults

Table 3 shows the Operational default values. The terminal will default to these values following a
software upload (although the Satamatics upload tools provide the option of setting either Operational
defaults or Factory defaults)
Table 3 - Operational Defaults
Parameter Operational default value
Roaming mode See note 1 Disabled
Ocean Region AORE
PSN Least significant digit of ISN
Group ID’s Cleared
Services Service 0 = Beam ID 0, Service ID 2
Service 1 = Beam ID 0, Service ID 22
Service 2 = Beam ID 0, Service ID 23
Service 3 = Beam ID 0, Service ID 24
Service 4 = Beam ID 0, Service ID 25
Service index 0
Transmission retries 1
Tx queue length 9
Tx queue mode New messages discarded if Tx queue is full
Power mode Mobile
NMEA output Disabled
Script Empty
Script Identifier See note 2 Null
I/O configuration – SAT-101 All I/O set to Analogue inputs
I/O configuration – SAT-201 IN1 & IN2 set to HV digital inputs
OUT1 & OUT2 disabled
Battery power output (I/O7) – SAT-101G Disabled
Date and time 12:00:00 23/7/yy
(Where yy ≥ 02)
GPS update rate 5 seconds
Geofences Invalid
Reference point Latitude 0:0:0, Longitude 0:0:0
GPS position logging Off
Tx message fields
Control word 9
Destination Address 0
Acknowledgement flags 0
Automatic transmit See note 1 Disabled
Responses to tone only messages None
Transmit slot randomisation 2 minutes
Serial baud rate 9600 bps
Note 1: Factory defaults for these values are different – see paragraph 6.2.2
Note 2: Clearing a script does not clear the script identifier.

6.2.2 Factory Defaults

The terminal is shipped with Factory Defaults set. These are similar to Operational defaults (see Table
3) except that Roaming and Automatic Transmit are enabled. When power is initially applied, the script
timer, alarm and operation definitions are cleared; the terminal then powers up, acquires the GPS
position and tunes to the best ocean region for the terminal location. Once the terminal has acquired
the D+ satellite signal, it transmits a single position report burst. If in doubt, users should confirm the
‘out of the box’ configuration of their terminal with their supplier.

WARNING: With Automatic Transmit enabled, a transmission will occur at every power on
or wake from sleep mode event.

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6.3 Satellite Acquisition

On power on or ‘waking up’, a terminal first tunes to the Bulletin Board channel, which contains
information on the traffic channels currently in use. From the Traffic channel / Service ID mapping
posted on the Bulletin Board, the terminal determines on which traffic channel to expect its messages
and re-tunes to this channel. Also see paragraph 3.4.

For D+ acquisition, terminals require a clear view of the sky with minimal or no blockage to the
satellite.

GPS satellites are not geostationary and their position in the sky changes over time. Therefore, if the
terminal is installed in a non-optimal position, GPS performance may vary depending on how many
GPS satellites are visible at any one time.

Recommendations with regards to installing terminals can be found in the appropriate User Manual
(Ref.[3] or Ref.[4]).

6.3.1 Satellite Beams

For a terminal to operate over a Spot beam (see paragraph 3.4) it needs to be configured with the
correct Beam ID and Service ID. This configuration would normally be carried out by the Service
Provider prior to shipment.

6.3.2 Service Selection

The terminals allow the user to select one of five pre-programmed Services. Each of these Services is
associated with a Service ID and Beam ID and would have been configured by the Service Provider.

6.3.3 Roaming Options

A terminal can be configured to operate over a fixed Ocean Region or to roam between Ocean
regions. Roaming can be selected to operate as follows:

1. Auto select at start up using GPS

At start up, the terminal uses GPS to determine its position and hence the best satellite to tune
to. The terminal will not attempt to acquire D+ until a valid GPS position has been determined.
If no GPS fix is established within 2 minutes then the terminal tunes to its default Ocean
Region (as configured by the user).
If this option is not enabled the terminal will initially try to tune to its default Ocean Region.

Subsequent roaming may be separately selected as follows:

1. Switch on Loss
The terminal will switch to the next best satellite if the signal from the currently selected
satellite is lost.
2. Select Best
The terminal will switch to the best satellite (i.e. the one at the highest elevation in the sky) as
determined by the current GPS position. If the best satellite cannot be acquired (possibly due
to signal blockage) then the next best satellite will be acquired. The terminal will then switch
back to the best satellite when the next best is lost.

Of course, for the roaming options the terminal will only attempt to acquire an alternative satellite (‘next
best’) if it is in a geographic position where more than one satellite is visible (see Figure 1).

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6.3.4 Function of the Pager Subset Number (PSN)
A particular service may utilise a number of Traffic channels and the PSN provides a method of
distributing the terminal population associated with this service over these Traffic channels. A PSN
range is associated with each Traffic channel and the pairing is transmitted on the Bulletin Board. For
example, if a service utilises two Traffic channels then terminals with a PSN between 0 and 7 may be
instructed to use the first Traffic channel and terminals with a PSN between 8 and 15 to use the
second.

The PSN is factory configured to the same value as the last digit (hexadecimal) of the ISN number, i.e.
can take one of 16 values (0 to 15 in decimal). Assigning an essentially random PSN in this way
ensures that even distribution of the terminal population can easily be realised.

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6.4 Messaging
6.4.1 Quality of Service
Forward messages are store and forward. Quality of Service is therefore measured by queue delay
(latency). If there are no queue delays then average latency for a forward channel message is ~1.5
minutes.

Return messages are random access and Quality of Service is measured by the number of messages
lost due to collisions. Collisions occur when two or more terminals transmit at exactly the same time on
exactly the same frequency. Terminals minimise the probability of collision by:

• Randomising transmission time as discussed in paragraph 6.4.4.9.

• Randomising their transmit frequency within the allocated return channel bandwidth

Satamatics ensures that enough return channel bandwidth is made available to maintain an
acceptable quality of service in the return direction.

Latency for a return message burst, from start of transmission, is ~10s.

The latencies above are for the D+ system and do not take into account other causes of latency that
need to be considered when looking at the performance of an end to end application. The other main
areas of latency to consider are:

• Internet delays
• Delay from trigger event to the terminal starting a transmission

6.4.2 Message Priority

Each two minute forward channel frame consists of a header followed by the message data. The
header contains synchronisation data, return channel information and also includes a “preview block”:
Every message within a frame is tagged with the unique identifier of the terminal for which the
message is intended. In addition, a portion of the unique identifier is placed in the preview block.
Therefore, once the frame header has been read, the terminal can determine whether there is likely to
be a message for it in the current frame.
If there is a message in the current forward channel frame for the terminal and there is a return
channel burst in the queue, the terminal will stop the return channel burst from being transmitted until
the next frame. This allows the terminal to collect the message contained in the current frame.
This does not apply to Acknowledgement (ACK) bursts from the terminal, which will always take
priority over all other transmissions and reception.
The terminals unique identifier may sometimes be referred to as its PID and the preview block as the
PPID block.

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6.4.3 Receiving Messages
6.4.3.1 Message types

Forward message types are categorised as follows:

• Tone Only
This is the shortest message type available consisting of just two bits (Alert Code) of user
data. The terms ‘Tone Only’ and ‘Alert Code’ derive from the fact that this message type was
originally intended to trigger a terminal to generate one of four audible tones. In addition to
providing a two bit message, the Alert Code can also be used to poll the terminal; i.e. for each
of the four possible Alert Codes, the terminal can be configured to automatically transmit a
pre-defined or user defined message (see paragraph 6.4.4.3). Although the Alert Code bits
are included in all message types a poll can only be initiated by a Tone Only message.

• Alphanumeric
These messages are constructed from a 63-piece character set (i.e. 6 bits to define each
character). The available characters are:

SP ! “ # $ % & ‘ ( ) * + , - . /
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ?
@ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
P Q R S T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] ^

• Numeric
These messages are constructed from a 15-piece character set (i.e. 4 bits to define each
character). The available characters are:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 SP ( ) + X

• Transparent Data
These messages carry data in a format defined by the user’s application on an end-to end
basis.

• System message
These are messages sent directly from the D+ LES to the terminal, for example the LES
Acknowledgement message sent, when requested by the terminal, to confirm reception of a
transmit burst. System messages are generated by the LES and are not available to the end-
to-end application.

In addition to the user data, the forward message contains information that allows the terminal to
identify which of the above categories of message is being received. For transparent data there is also
an “information type” identifier. Some information types are used to indicate that the transparent data
message is to be actioned by the terminal. (Depending on the action triggered, the original message
may or may not be output to the user.) This provides remote control and configuration functionality as
described in paragraph 6.13. Application developers should refer to Ref.[2] and/or contact Satamatics
with regards to setting the information type to anything other than zero.

6.4.3.2 Forward message length

The maximum forward message length is about 100 bytes (800 bits). Messages that are too long to fit
into a single 2-minute forward frame will not be delivered.

Users should note that the system may de-prioritise messages larger than about 50 bytes. Application
developers should contact Satamatics if more details are required.

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6.4.3.3 Receive Buffer

As a message is received, it is stored internally in a receive buffer and optionally output over the serial
port as an unsolicited message. The receive buffer holds the last 10 messages sent to the terminal. If
the terminal receives a message when the buffer is full then the oldest message is lost and overwritten
by the new message. Messages are read out of the terminal on a FIFO (first in first out) basis. Once a
message is read out of the terminal it is deleted from the receive buffer.

If power is lost or the terminal put into Sleep mode then all contents of the receive buffer are lost.

6.4.3.4 Acknowledgement Option

If a message is received with the acknowledgement bit set, the terminal will put an acknowledgement
(ACK) burst at the front of the return channel queue. This burst will be sent in a reserved slot (see
paragraph 6.4.4.5) in the next traffic channel frame. The ACK burst has a higher priority than all other
messages so no other transmissions will take place until the ACK has been sent.

6.4.4 Transmitting Messages

6.4.4.1 Message Types

The D+ system supports three types of data transmissions in the return direction, namely:

1. Long Burst - Capacity for 86 bits of user information

2. Short Burst - Capacity for 27 bits of user information

3. Acknowledgement (ACK) Burst - Used to acknowledge a forward channel message

The Short Burst may provide marginal improvement in quality of service but is rarely used due to the
small amount of user information that can be transmitted. Therefore, the discussion on message
formats contained within the following paragraphs refers to Long Bursts only.

6.4.4.2 Acknowledgement (ACK) Burst

The ACK burst allows a simple automatic confirmation that the forward channel message has been
received. The ACK burst contains no user data. Also see paragraphs 6.4.3.4 and 6.4.4.5.

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6.4.4.3 Long Burst Message formats

A long data burst transmission from a terminal includes 86 bits of information that can be set by the
user. Up to 85 of these bits can be used for general purpose data with one bit reserved for the ‘LES
Acknowledge request’ function (See paragraph 6.4.4.3.5). Historically the 86 information bits were
categorized into various fields. However many applications prefer to define the use of all the bits
available and not be constrained by having to adhere to strict usage rules. The following table shows
the original INMARSAT bit field names but, apart from the LES-ACK, all fields can be regarded as
‘User data’

Note: Ref.[9] describes a possible schema for messages as used by some Satamatics applications.
This schema is not mandatory but is simply provided as an example to application developers. The
majority of scripts posted on the Satamatics support site adhere to the schema described by Ref.[9].

Table 4 - Return Burst Formats

Inmarsat Nomenclature Control Destination Message User data APP-ACK LES-
ACK
word address descriptor
No. of bits 4 8 8 64 1 1
Message types
64 bit pre-defined Msg. no. 64 bit msg.
message (1 to 127)
64 bit user defined Msg. no. 64 bit msg.
message (128 to 191)
80 bit user defined 80 bit msg.
message
84 bit message 84 bit msg.
85 bit message 85 bit msg.

The following paragraphs provide further description of the bit fields shown in Table 4:

6.4.4.3.1 Control Word

For 64 and 80 bit messages a value for the control word is set by the user which is then used for all
subsequent 64 and 80 bit messages. For 84 and 85 bit messages this internal control word value is
not used as the bits are included in the message definition data.

The default value used for the control word is 9 (binary 1001), recognised by applications developed
around Satamatics GND-0051 as indicating a 64 bit pre-defined or user defined message type.

6.4.4.3.2 Destination Address

For 64 bit messages a value for the destination address is set by the user which is then used for all
subsequent 64 bit messages. Used as a ‘destination address’ the value would be used to inform the
application where to deliver the message. Alternatively, the 8 bits could be used as additional user
data or possibly a ‘canned message’ (as in the schema described by Ref.[9]). For ‘canned messages’
the 8 bits would simply be used as an index into a list of up to 256 pre-agreed messages, for example
sending the number 26 may be decoded by the application as “urgent – need assistance”.

6.4.4.3.3 Message Descriptor

For 64 bit messages, this 8-bit field contains the message number. The terminal pre-defined
messages are numbered from 1 to 127. User defined messages use message numbers 128 to 191.
The message number identifies the message type enabling the receiving application to decode the
message appropriately.
For messages where this field is not present (i.e. 80, 84 or 85 bit messages) the application must use
an alternative method for determining the message format. For instance, by using only one message
format or through analysis of the message data.

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Each message to be defined in a terminal must have a unique message number assigned to it. User
message formats defined using the scheme detailed in this document can have message numbers in
the range 128 to 254 inclusive (although the maximum number that can be defined is 16), message
numbers 0 to 127 are reserved for the standard message definitions built in to the terminal. This
message number identifies the message data format to the receiving application allowing the data
contained by the message to be decoded and displayed to the end user. The message number
definition also includes the number of data field definitions used to generate the user data payload.
User message numbers in the range 128 to 191 are for 64-bit payload messages. Message ID
numbers in the range 192 to 254 define message bursts with 80-bit payloads.

6.4.4.3.4 User Data

The ‘User data’ field was originally defined by Inmarsat to be 64 bits within the total 86 information bits.
However, as discussed above, Satamatics terminals allow the user to specify the meaning of up to 85
of the 86 information bits.

For the 64 bit and 80 bit message types, the core message data (64 or 80 bits) is constructed from
internally available information such as GPS position, terminal status, I/O status etc. In addition, the
user may set the remaining bit fields (see Table 4) via serial interface commands.

The terminal allows the user to define the contents of the 64 or 80 bits of core message data by taking
blocks of one or more bits from its internal registers and concatenating these into the data block to be
transmitted. This allows, for example, the data block being transmitted in a single message to contain
the states of selected digital input lines, a timestamp, the top N bits of one of the analogue input
values and the external supply voltage. This is all defined by the user in a set of message
configuration commands and stored in the terminals non-volatile memory such that the message
format is not lost if the terminal power is removed.
For the 84 and 85 bit message types, all data to be transmitted (86 bits in total) must be sent to the
terminal over the serial port, for example from an external controller.

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6.4.4.3.5 Acknowledgement Requests

If the application does not implement an acknowledgement then the APP-ACK bit may be used as an
additional user data bit as indicated by the 85 bit message format above. However, the function of the
LES-ACK bit is defined by the D+ protocol and cannot be used as an additional, general purpose user
data bit.

The two acknowledgement request bits function as follows:

a) Application Acknowledgement (APP-ACK) Request

This bit is for use by the application and is treated by the terminal as user data. If used as an
application acknowledgement request then it is the application that must implement the
function and generate the acknowledgement

b) LES Acknowledgement (LES-ACK) Request

When a burst is transmitted with the LES acknowledgement request bit set the terminal will
inhibit all further transmissions in anticipation of a forward channel acknowledgement
message from the LES. The LES will transmit the acknowledgement message within the next
3 frames; therefore any transmissions from the terminal will be inhibited for up to 3 frames
while the terminal listens for the LES acknowledgement. If an acknowledgement is received
from the LES then the return message is removed from the buffer and further transmissions
can take place. If no acknowledgement is received or the terminal was unable to decode the
traffic channel then the burst may be automatically re-transmitted (see paragraph 6.4.4.8).
Note that the receipt of an LES-ACK does not imply that the original message has been
received or correctly actioned by the application – for example, delivery of the message from
the LES to the application may have been held up due to internet delays.

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6.4.4.4 Constructing a user defined message

A maximum of 16 user messages can be defined utilising up to 72 data field definitions (each data
field being a selection of bits from one of the internal 32 bit registers). Field definitions cannot be
shared between messages. However, it is possible to have multiple message numbers sharing the
same payload definition.
Message numbers must be between 128 and 254. Message numbers below 128 are reserved for the
pre-defined message formats used by the terminal.
The message field definitions for a message must define exactly 64 or 80 bits otherwise the message
definition could be corrupted. The field definitions are packed into the user data block in the order that
their definitions are sent to the terminal – see following example.

6.4.4.4.1 Example - Timestamped Return Message

In this example, the data required to be transmitted consists of UTC minutes, UTC seconds, values
from two of the analogue inputs and the status of three of the digital inputs. For analog channel 0 only
the most significant 10 bits are selected for transmission. For analog channel 1 all available 12 bits are
transmitted. The message is padded with zeros from the ‘Constant Generator’ register.
The construction of the 64 bit message to be transmitted is detailed in Table 5 and Figure 4.

Data Bits Used

UTC Minutes 6
UTC Seconds 6
Analog Input channel 0 10
Analog Input channel 1 12
Digital inputs, channels 2, 6 & 7 3
Constant Zeros 27
TOTAL 64
Table 5 - User defined message example

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX MMMMMM UTC Minutes

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX SSSSSS UTC Seconds

Analog input
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX AAAAAAAAAAAA channel 0

Analog input
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX BBBBBBBBBBBB channel 1

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXDDDDDDDD Digital inputs

(extract channels 2,6 & 7)

00000000000000000000000000000000 Constant ‘0’s

MMMMMMSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAABBBBBBBBBBBBDDD000000000000000000000000000

64 bit User defined message

Figure 4 - Example of user defined message construction

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Note that the UTC minutes and seconds only provides a partial timestamp, with the remote application
being left to deduce the hours from the time of arrival of the message. An alternative approach could
be to use all or part of the ‘UTC time in seconds past midnight’ register, using a resolution sufficient for
the end application to deduce the actual time of message generation from the value and the time of
delivery of the message. For more information on timestamping see paragraph 6.7.

User constructed messages such as that shown in the example above are easily defined using the
TSL compiler (see Ref.[6]).

6.4.4.5 Transmit Process – Overview

Transmissions from terminals are burst in nature. Each burst lasts for 8s or 2s depending on the
particular service. The amount of data transmitted during a burst depends on the burst/message type
(i.e. Long, Short or ACK - see paragraph 6.4.4.1) and not the burst period. An 8s burst is transmitted
within a 10s timeslot and a 2s burst within a 2.5s timeslots. These timeslots are described in more
detail in the following paragraphs.

Note: The transmit bandwidth is 320Hz for an 8s burst and 512Hz for a 2s burst.

Terminals synchronise their transmissions with the received Traffic channel. The two minute traffic
channel can be considered as being divided into twelve, 10 second or 48, 2.5 second timeslots. In
addition, the bandwidth available for return transmissions is allocated in contiguous 2.5kHz multiples,
each 2.5kHz being a single Return channel. Each transmit burst from a terminal is transmitted in a
‘Slot’ which consists of a timeslot and a Return channel.

Slots can be either Reserved or Unreserved. Reserved slots are used for ACK bursts with the D+
protocol ensuring that each ACK burst is assigned its own slot. Subsequently, ACK bursts do not
suffer from loss due to collisions. Also, because ACK bursts are inherently easier to detect, the
reception of ACK bursts is achievable even in situations where a normal data burst would be lost.

Data bursts are transmitted in unreserved slots and operate on a random access basis. The greatest
throughput of messages therefore occurs when transmissions are evenly spread in both frequency
and time so as to avoid collisions. Collisions occur when two or more terminals transmit at exactly the
same time on exactly the same frequency. Terminals minimise the probability of collision by:

• Randomising transmission time as discussed in paragraph 6.4.4.9.

• Randomising their transmit frequency within the allocated return channel bandwidth

Not only is a random timeslot and Return channel selected for transmission but also the frequency
within the selected Return channel is randomised. (This is possible because the transmit bandwidth is
less than the allocated Return channel bandwidth.)

The terminal will not transmit unless it has verified, within the previous 30 second, that the D+ network
is operational (i.e. that the Traffic channel and/or Bulletin Board channel is present). Other reasons
why a terminal may be inhibited from transmitting are listed in paragraph 6.4.4.7.

6.4.4.6 Transmit Queue

Up to 9 user messages can be queued for transmission, and an error message is output if the buffer
overflows. User messages are generally transmitted on a first in first out basis, however if a forward
channel message requires an acknowledgement or the user requests a “Transmit as soon as possible”
message the message will be put at the front of the queue to ensure a timely transmission. If power is
lost or the Terminal put into Sleep mode the contents of the transmit queue are lost.

The queue length can be configured to store 2 to 9 user bursts. Additional space is automatically
reserved for Acknowledgement bursts. The terminal defaults to a queue length of 9 user bursts

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When the transmit queue is full the terminal can be configured to perform one of two actions. By
default the terminal will discard the new message and give an error. Alternatively, the terminal can be
set to discard the oldest message in the buffer and put the new message at the back of the queue (in
this case no error is given). This second setting is often used in conjunction with setting the buffer
length to 2 for fast update tracking applications where there is only an interest in transmitting the most
recent position information over the air.

6.4.4.7 Transmit Status

Information regarding the transmit status and progress of messages queued for transmission is
available over the serial port and can also be utilised internally via a script. Information available is
listed below:

• Queue status
o Queue empty
o Number of messages in queue (not accessible by a script)
• Transmit status
o Transmit enabled (i.e. there are no factors inhibiting transmission)
o Transmit inhibited due to hardware error
o Transmit inhibited due to system message (sent by LES to ‘switch off’
malfunctioning terminals)
o Transmit inhibited – waiting for an acknowledgement of a previous transmission
o Transmit inhibited – weak or no signal on Forward channel (indicating that satellite
is blocked and hence a transmission at this time would not get through)
o Transmit inhibited – Forward channel message being received
o Waiting for Traffic channel frame header
o Waiting for transmission slot
o Transmit in progress
o Transmission complete
• UTC time of last transmission (hours and minutes)
• Last burst type transmitted (Long burst, Short burst or Acknowledgement burst)

If the terminal is inhibited from transmitting then any pending transmission is re-scheduled and
allocated a random transmit slot within the next 2 minute frame.

6.4.4.8 Transmission Retries

If an LES-ACK is not received: The number of transmission retries can be set to a value from 0 (a
single transmission of the message) to 15.The default value is 1.

6.4.4.9 Transmit randomisation

Messages can be independently set to “Transmit as soon as possible” or the timeslot for transmission
randomly selected to be within the next 2 to 32 minutes (corresponding to 1 to 16 frames). The
randomisation is especially recommended in applications that require a number of terminals to all
transmit at approximately the same time of day or where they are all triggered by the same event
(such as rain fall monitors). Without randomisation all the terminals would transmit within a short time
frame causing potential loss of messages due to ‘collisions’ (see paragraph 6.4.4.5). The “Transmit as
soon as possible” option allows applications to transmit periodic messages using slot randomisation
whilst also allowing more important messages to be inserted at the front of the transmit queue when a
timely transmission is required.

With the slot randomisation set to 2 minutes (default) the message in the transmit queue is transmitted
in a random slot over the 2 minutes. The average time from request to transmit will be ~1 minute.
Before any burst is transmitted the terminal must verify that it still has access to the D+ network (see
paragraph 6.4.4.5). Once the transmission has begun the burst is removed from the queue.

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Note that regardless of the randomisation setting, the message at the front of the queue is always
transmitted first. For example, if the randomisation of the first message in the queue is set to 20
minutes, the second set to 8 minutes, and the third set to 4 minutes, then the second and third burst
will still not be transmitted before the first burst in the queue. However after the first message has
been transmitted the second and third messages will be sent out in subsequent frames (i.e. will not be
randomised over a further 8 or 4 minutes respectively).

When a message is tagged with the transit slot randomisation set to zero, transmission occurs as soon
as possible as follows:

• If the Transmit queue is full and configured to discard new messages then the message is
discarded.
• If the message can be queued and there is not an ACK burst at the front of the queue the
message is placed at the front of the queue, otherwise it is put at the end of the queue with its
slot randomisation changed to 2 minutes.
• If the message is at the front of the queue and the terminal has access to the D+ network (i.e.
has acquired the Traffic Channel and/or confirmed that a BB is present) then the message will
be transmitted in the next available unreserved slot.
• If the message is at the front of the queue but the terminal has not got access to the D+
network, or the next available slot for transmission is one reserved for an ACK bursts, then the
message is left at the front of the queue with its slot randomisation changed to 2 minutes.

The message is removed from the return channel queue once the terminal starts to transmit. Once a
burst is being transmitted (the queue is empty) the next burst can be sent to the terminal with the slot
randomisation set to 0 (transmit as soon as possible). In this way multiple transmissions per frame
can be accomplished.

6.4.4.10 Transmission Log

The terminals automatically log transmissions to non-volatile memory. The logged data is accessed
locally via the serial port. The following points should be noted:

• The log can contain up to 2700 transmission records.

• Messages are logged as soon as they are queued. There may therefore be instances where
messages are logged that were never transmitted (e.g. the terminal may have been powered
down subsequent to a message being logged but prior to it being transmitted.)
• All records include a timestamp of when the message was logged, not when it was transmitted.
The timestamp resolution is 1 minute and is a 20 bit number indicating the number of minutes past
the 1st Jan 00:00:00.
• Once the maximum number of records is reached the oldest records are overwritten.
• Data within the log is stored with a checksum as an internal integrity check.

Each log record contains the following information:

Table 6 - Transmission Log Record

Length
Description
(Bits)
4 Burst Type (Long, Short, Ack)
20 Timestamp (Minutes since 1 Jan 00:00:00)
86 Data (Including LES and ASP Ack Flag)
2 Reserved

The record contents are described in the following paragraphs:

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6.4.4.10.1 Burst Type

This stores the type of burst transmitted:

Table 7 - Burst Type Field Description

Value Description Data Field
0 Long Burst All bits contain data
1 Short Burst First 30 bits contain data remaining are zero
2 Ack Burst All bits contain zero

6.4.4.10.2 Timestamp

The terminal acquires the current UTC time from either the GPS satellites or from the D+ Bulletin
Board signal. When the terminal receives a request to transmit the message is stored in the log along
with the timestamp. If the terminal has no valid timestamp then a value of zero is stored. Note that this
field contains the number of minutes past 1 Jan 00:00:00 plus 1. A value of zero indicates that the
terminal did not have a valid time when the message was queued.

6.4.4.10.3 Data

For a Long burst 86 bits of data are stored and for a Short burst 30 bits of data are stored. For an
ACK burst all bits are set to 0.

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6.5 GPS Details

The terminal has an integral 12-channel, 3D GPS unit providing latitude, longitude, altitude, course
and speed readings.

The user can configure the terminal to output standard NMEA-0183 GPS data over the serial port
allowing easy interfacing to, for example, PC or portable mapping applications. Only the NMEA RMC
(Recommended Minimum Specific GNSS Data) string is currently supported. This provides Time, Data
Position, Speed and Heading information but it does not provide information on the number of GPS
satellites acquired or their associated signal strengths. The RMC string is detailed in Ref.[1]. The
terminal can also be configured to accept RMC strings, providing the option of using external
positional data instead of the integral GPS receiver. External positional data can be utilised by scripts
or in the construction of messages, however position logging and geofence functions always use the
internal GPS.

6.5.1 GPS Update rate

The update rate for taking GPS readings can be configured by the user to be from once a second to
once every two hours. However, negligible power savings will be recognised by setting an update rate
of greater than 10s.

With an update rate of 1s to 10s the GPS takes a single reading every update. With update rates
greater than 10s the GPS may take a number of readings at each update before going back into its
low power state.

6.5.2 Position Logging

GPS position logging is available on the SAT-101G and SAT-201 terminals. The logged data is
accessed locally via the serial port.

A minimum of 3000 position fixes can be stored taken at user defined intervals. The data stored
consists of the time of fix, latitude, longitude, altitude, course, speed and status. The status provides
information on the validity and accuracy of the fix.

The data stored is taken from the next position fix, as determined by the GPS update rate (see
paragraph 6.5.1), after the user defined logging interval has expired. For example, if the GPS update
rate is set to 9 seconds and the logging interval set to 1200 seconds then the actual time between
logged positions will be 1206 seconds (the first multiple of 9 greater than or equal to 1200), the logging
interval count being restarted when the position is logged.

6.5.3 Time-stamping GPS position reports

The position logging function provides the ability to hold a local store of GPS positions time-stamped
with the actual time the fix was taken. However this data can only be extracted via the serial port.
Adding time-stamps to positional data transmitted within D+ messages requires a number of issues to
be considered and these are discussed in paragraph 6.7.

6.5.4 GPS Validity

If a valid GPS fix cannot be obtained (e.g. due to satellite blockage) then the terminal will report the
last valid GPS position. If no valid fix has been obtained since power on then the position report will
contain all zeros. In either case, if the report includes the GPS status then this will be set to ‘invalid’.
For a standard ‘Marine position report’ (see Ref.[9]), the ‘hours since last valid GPS fix’ is also
reported.

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6.6 Geofences
The location based functions provided by the terminal use the current position derived from the GPS
system together with one or more of the following user defined parameters:
• Reference position
• Target position(s)
• Complex Geofence definition(s)

These parameters are described in the paragraphs below.

6.6.1 Circular Geofence

As the distance to Reference (paragraph 6.6.3) and Target positions (paragraph 6.6.4) can be
reported over the serial interface and accessed internally by scripts, they can be used as circular
geofences.

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6.6.2 Complex Geofence

The terminal supports two independent complex geofences. A geofence is an area enclosed by a
polygon defined by a sequence of points. Each geofence may have up to 40 points in its definition.
Figure 5 shows some examples of geofences:

• Example 1 shows two complex geofences. Note that when defining a region all internal
angles must be less than 180 degrees. Geofence 2 has therefore had to be defined as
two zones.
• Example 2 shows that a geofence can be made up of a number of separated zones.
• Example 3 shows that the two complex geofences are totally independent and may
overlap if required.

Geofence #1

Geofence #2

Example 1

Geofence #1 Geofence #2

Geofence #1

Example 2

Geofence #1

Geofence #2

Example 3

Figure 5 - Examples of Geofence definitions

6.6.2.1 Geofence Status

The geofence status registers are accessed by internal scripts and report the status of the current
location relative to the defined geofence. The register may return one of three states: point inside
fence; point outside fence; fence definition not valid.

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6.6.3 Reference Position

The reference position is a point defined by a latitude and longitude value. The reference point is held
in processor RAM and may be updated as often as required. Operations and information relating to
the reference point, and accessible by a script, are:

• Define reference position

Defined as a Latitude and Longitude value

• Report distance to reference position.

Distance is in metres.
Note that this is updated when GPS position is updated (see paragraph 6.5.1), not when
reference position is changed.

• Store current position as reference

Updates the reference position stored in the terminal to match the currently reported GPS
position.

6.6.4 Target Positions

There is a set of 8 target positions. These are similar to the reference position in that they are defined
by the latitude and longitude values for the point. These points are held in processor non-volatile
memory. They may be processed either individually or as a set.

Each of the 8 target points in the terminal may be programmed over the air as described in paragraph
6.13.

The target positions provide a way of generating events within the terminal depending upon the
relative positions of the terminal and one or more of the target points.

Operations and information relating to the target positions and accessible by a script are:
• Define target position
Defined as a Latitude and Longitude value

• Distance to selected target

Note that this is updated when GPS position is updated (see paragraph 6.5.1), not when
target position is changed.

• Distance to closest Target

The distance from the terminal to the closest valid (i.e. defined) target point.

• Distance to Farthest Away Target

This register contains the distance from the terminal to the farthest away valid target point.

All distances are reported in metres.

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6.7 Timestamping – Considerations

Transmissions may be delayed by an indeterminate amount of time due to the reasons outlined in
paragraph 6.4.4.5. Therefore the exact time of any data reading or GPS fix included in the message
cannot be reliably determined from the ‘message received’ time logged by the LES and subsequently
passed on to the users application with the message. One solution to this problem is for the terminal to
include a timestamp as part of the message data.

Paragraph 6.4.4.4.1 provides an example of how a return message containing a timestamp may be
defined. The timestamp is applied when the message is constructed for transmission and not when the
message is transmitted.

When timestamping a message containing GPS data, the GPS update rate should be considered. For
example, if the update rate is 30s then a message may be constructed with a GPS position that is 30s
older than the timestamp. Having a more frequent GPS update rate ensures that the timestamp
corresponds more accurately to when the GPS fix was taken. This discrepancy does not apply to the
position log where the time corresponds exactly to the time of the associated GPS fix.

For applications that simply require to know the time of transmission, then the ‘Message received’ time
provided by the LES can be used. This time typically corresponds to one or two seconds after the end
of the transmission from the terminal.

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6.8 Status Information Available

Table 8 provides a list of status information available form the terminal. The list is not exhaustive and
Ref.[1] should be referred to for further information.

Number of messages in receive buffer

Received messages
Receiver Status
Return burst data fields
User message definitions
Periodic reporting status/interval
Tone only message response
Transmitter status
Internal temperature
External voltage
Battery voltage
Battery pack temperature
Solar panel present
I/O configuration
I/O state/levels
Power Mode
Power control state
Firmware versions
Script indentification/version string
Ocean region
Roaming mode
Service index
Service ID / Beam ID
Date & time
Script timer values
Script alarm configurations
Script alarm thresholds
Script operations configuration
GPS status
GPS update rate
GPS satellite signal strengths
GPS altitude
GPS heading
GPS position
GPS speed
UTS resynchronisation period
Geofence definitions
Reference point definitions
Target position definitions
Distance to Reference
Distance to Target
GPS logging rate
GPS log records
Table 8 - Available Status Information

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6.9 Power Modes

The user can configure the terminal to be in one of the following operating modes:

SLEEP
Extremely low power mode. D+ and GPS functions are switched off. On the SAT-101,
STANDBY mode is entered periodically so that the battery voltage can be checked and a
decision made whether to turn on battery charging.

STANDBY (IDLE*)
Both GPS and D+ functions are inactive.

GPS ONLY
GPS functions are active.
D+ functions are inactive.
Similar to STANDBY mode except that GPS is active, enabling the terminal to monitor its
position and compare, for example, against a Geofence.

STATIC
GPS functions are inactive.
D+ functions are active and the terminal cycles between RECEIVE, IDLE and TRANSMIT as
appropriate.

MOBILE
GPS functions are active.
D+ functions in the same manner as STATIC mode.

*In certain circumstances, the terminal will automatically enter an IDLE state. This is similar to the
STANDBY state configured by the user and will be entered when, for example, GPS is not required
and the current Traffic Channel frame contains no forward messages addressed to the unit. (The
absence of forward messages is indicated by the preview block in the frame header – see paragraph
6.4.2.)

In addition to the above operating modes, those functions listed below can be individually configured
to be enabled or disabled, providing the user with an additional level of power management.

• Serial port
• LED indicator
• Measurement of internal power rails, temperature and analogue inputs
• Battery charger (SAT-101 & SAT-101G only)
• Solar panel battery charger (SAT-101 & SAT-101G only)

6.9.1 Power Calculator

Satamatics provide a Power Calculator application (see Ref.[5]) that estimates the average power
consumption of the terminal based upon an operating profile entered by the user. For battery powered
applications the calculator also estimates, for a given profile, the size of battery required or, for a given
size of battery, the expected battery life. The application also provides calculations to aid Solar panel
selection.

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6.10 Interfaces
See the relevant User Manual (Ref.[3] or Ref.[4]) for details on the interface connectors, pin-outs and
indicators.

6.10.1 Interface functions

The following electrical interfaces are available on the terminals:

• Power input
9.6V to 30V on the SAT-101 series and 9.6V to 32V on the SAT-201 series.

• Solar Panel input (SAT-101 and SAT-101G only)

Maximum voltage 30V, maximum current 0.5A

• Serial Interface
An asynchronous RS232 interface is provided for configuration, control, software upload and
message transfer. The interface normally runs at 9600 baud but can be configured to operate
at 4800 baud. (On the SAT-201 a separate serial port, operating at 38400 baud, is provided
for uploading software updates to the internal GPS processor. This port is not available during
normal operation)

• General purpose I/O – see paragraph 6.10.2

6.10.2 General Purpose Input/Output (I/O)

The SAT-101 has 8, general purpose, independently configurable I/O lines whereas the SAT-201 has
two outputs and two inputs (although the two inputs can be used as SAT-101 compatible digital
outputs if required). All I/O’s are protected against transients, over-current/short circuits and reverse
polarity connection.

The following table outlines the I/O options available:

Table 9 - General purpose I/O options

SAT-101 SAT-101A SAT-101AG SAT-101G SAT-201
HV digital input - - - - √Notes 1, 2
Digital input with pull-up - - - - √Notes 1, 2
LV digital input √ √ √ √ √Notes 1, 2
Analog input √ √ √ √ √Note 1
Analog output √ - - √ -
LV digital output √ √ √ √ √Note 1
Analog 4-20mA loop input √ - - √ -
Open drain outputs - - - - √Notes 3, 4
Battery output - - - √Note 5 -
Note 1 – Available on the two inputs only
Note 2 – Interrupt operation also selectable
Note 3 – Available on the two outputs only
Note 4 – The Open Drain outputs are turned off during Sleep mode
Note 5 – Available on INOUT7 (pin 22 of the D-Type interface connector) only. This output will
be turned off if the battery voltage falls below 10.2V.

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The interfaces listed in the Table 9 are described below:

• HV digital input
Digital input (32V maximum) with falling edge interrupt capability

• Digital input with pull-up

This type of input includes an internal pull-up. A high or low input can therefore be easily
implemented by connecting to a simple switch to ground. The input also has falling edge
interrupt capability.

• LV digital input
Low voltage (3.3V) TTL compatible digital input. This input is available with falling edge
interrupt capability on the SAT-201.

• Analog input
Analog input (12 bit ADC, 0 to 2.5V)

• Analog output
Analog output (12 bit ADC, 0 to 2.5V into high impedance)

• LV digital output
Low voltage (3.3V) TTL compatible digital output. Low (50uA) drive capability

• Analog 4-20mA loop

Requires an external power source

• Open drain outputs

Digital open drain outputs (250mA max sink current) suitable for driving relays, indicators etc.
Note that these outputs are turned off during Sleep mode.

• Battery output
Typically 13V to 14V, 50mA.

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6.11 Battery Pack (SAT-101 and SAT-101G)

The SAT-101 and SAT-101G can be fitted with an integral battery pack. Battery packs with capacities
of 1.2Ah or 1.7Ah are currently available. (See paragraph 6.9.1 for information on estimating power
consumption and/or required battery capacity.)

The battery charger is integral to the terminal and operates in one of two modes namely fast charge or
trickle charge. Fast charge and trickle charge currents into the battery pack are typically 290mA and
50mA respectively. At the input to the terminal this translates to an increase in current, during fast
charge, of approximately 500mA to 1A for a 12V supply, and 150mA to 300mA for a 24V supply.

An intelligent charging algorithm decides when to switch between fast charge and trickle charge.

Charge termination is governed by:

• Battery voltage – Charging is terminated if battery voltage is ≥15V
• ∆V – Charging is terminated on detection of the slight reduction in voltage that occurs when
NiMH batteries reach the top of their charging cycle.
• Temperature – Charging will be terminated if the battery pack temperature is outside the
specified limits for charging. The temperature is measured via a thermistor contained within
the battery pack.
• ∆T – Charging is terminated if the rate of temperature rise within the battery pack is outside
acceptable limits (>1 degree C per minute, averaged over three minutes).
• Time – Continuous fast charge is limited to 7hrs.

The SAT-101G can be configured such that the battery pack output is available on the general
purpose I/O line, INOUT7. The voltage is nominally 12V but will depend on the charge state of the
battery and could be as high as 14V. Up to 50mA can be supplied.

6.11.1 Charging from solar panel

The SAT-101 and SAT-101G include a solar panel input. This can be connected directly to a solar
panel (supplying a maximum of 30V DC and 0.5A). If the terminal detects that a solar panel is
connected then it will use power from the solar panel to charge the battery pack. This is an intelligent
process where the terminal will only draw power from the solar panel if the battery pack requires
charging.

More information is provided in the Help file that accompanies the Power Calculator application (see
paragraph 6.9.1.

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6.12 Scripting
A script can be thought of as a simple user program that can be implemented in the terminal to provide
application specific functionality. The script is independent of the critical operational software within the
terminal and hence provides a ‘safe’ way of adding user defined functionality.

Internal registers and timers can be accessed by scripts which consist of a number of operations (32
are available) that are triggered by an alarm, a timer or another operation (a ‘chained’ operation).

The internal registers contain the same information that can be obtained via the serial port, such as
terminal configuration and status of terminal functions - I/O, GPS, transmit, receive etc.

In addition to being triggered by internal or I/O events, script operations can be triggered by specially
encoded forward messages sent to the terminal.

6.12.1 Scripting Compiler

Although a script is loaded into a terminal using low level commands over the serial port, the script can
be written in Satamatics Terminal Scripting Language (TSL) and then compiled to generate a file,
containing these low level commands, which can be downloaded to the terminal. TSL enables the
script to be written in a familiar ‘high level’ language style.

Refer to Ref.[6] and Ref.[7] for more information on how to write scripts using TSL.

6.12.2 Script Identification

For identification, a script may be tagged with a four character ASCII string. The identification string
must be used in conjunction with storing or deleting a script from non-volatile memory.

For scripts provided by Satamatics, the identification string is normally used to hold an encoded form
of the script software number and version. The encoding is demonstrated by the following example:

The script is number 1273 (decimal) version 2.1

The number part is encoded as a two character, base 62 number with characters 0 to 9, A to Z and a
to z representing the numbers 0 to 9, 10 to 35 and 36 to 61 respectively. Hence the number 1273
(decimal) can be represented as KX, i.e. (K*62) + X = (20*62) + 33 = 1273

The remaining two characters of the identification string simply take the major and minor version
numbers as they are.

The encoded script number and version therefore becomes the four ASCII character identification
string KX21.

The SAT-Manager application (see Ref.[5]) provides the user with the four character version string
stored in the terminal and also the decoded number and version as described above. (Note that the
decoded version is only relevant if the script originated from Satamatics or if the above
encoding scheme was used.)

6.12.3 Debugging a Script

The terminal can be configured to output messages to aid the debugging of scripts. These messages
take the form of unsolicited messages output each time a timer or alarm is triggered or an operation
chain is called. The SAT-Manager application also includes script debugging facilities.

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6.12.4 Storing or Deleting a Script

When a script is stored to non-volatile memory the current value of the script identification/version
string is also stored. When deleting a script the request is validated by entering the correct
identification string.

It is advised to include in any script all those commands that fully define the required configuration of
the terminal. This ensures that the script operates in the same way in any terminal and after a power
on or ‘wake from sleep mode’ event.

6.13 Remote (‘Over Air’) Control

There are three methods of managing a terminals operation through over the air control:

1. Commands, as would be entered on the serial port, can be encoded and sent over the air to
be actioned by the terminal.
2. For remotely triggering scripting operations, an alternative, more efficient (i.e. shorter
messages) forward message format can be used.
3. For configuring a script, an efficient method for directly writing to script registers is also
provided.

Any remote control of the terminal would be provided through the application. Any application
developer wishing to use this functionality should contact Satamatics for more details.

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INDEX
4 G
4-20mA loop ........................................................ 35 geofence ............................................................... 28
Geofence zone...................................................... 29
A
geostationary satellites ........................................... 7
Access Control and Signalling Equipment (ACSE)7 Global beam ........................................................... 9
Acknowledgement (ACK)........................ 16, 18, 19 Global Positioning System (GPS) .................... 8, 10
acquisition ............................................................ 14 GPS Only mode.................................................... 33
Address Code (AdC) .............................................. 9 GPS position logging ........................................... 27
Alert Code ............................................................ 17 GPS update........................................................... 30
Alphanumeric message......................................... 17 GPS update rate.............................................. 27, 31
analog input .......................................................... 35
H
analog output ........................................................ 35
Application Acknowledgement (APP-ACK) ....... 21 HV digital input.................................................... 35
Application Service Provider (ASP)....................... 7
I
applications............................................................. 6
ASPI-XML ............................................................. 5 Idle mode.............................................................. 33
asynchronous RS232 ............................................ 34 indicator................................................................ 34
information type ................................................... 17
B
INMARSAT D+..................................................... 5
bandwidth ............................................................. 23 Inmarsat Serial Number (ISN) ............................... 9
battery................................................................... 33 Input/Output ......................................................... 34
battery capacity..................................................... 36 interface connector ............................................... 34
battery charging.................................................... 36 internet delays ...................................................... 16
battery pack .......................................................... 36
L
baud rate ............................................................... 34
Beam ID ............................................................... 14 Land Earth Station (LES) ....................................... 7
Bulletin Board (BB) ............................................... 9 latency .............................................................. 9, 16
LES Acknowledgement (LES-ACK) ............. 19, 21
C
log record ............................................................. 25
charge termination................................................ 36 logging ..................................................... 12, 25, 27
charging....................................See battery charging Long burst ...................................................... 19, 26
Circular Error Probability (CEP).......................... 10
M
circular geofence .................................................. 28
collision .................................................... 16, 23, 24 Message descriptor......................................... 19, 20
complex geofence........................................... 28, 29 Message Handling System ..................................... 7
Control word .................................................. 19, 20 message number ................................................... 22
Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) ..................... 8 Message priority................................................... 16
coverage ................................................................. 7 Mobile mode ........................................................ 33
modulator ............................................................... 7
D
N
D+............................................See INMARSAT D+
D+ Network........................................................ 5, 7 NMEA RMC string .............................................. 27
Data Centre............................................................. 7 NMEA-0183......................................................... 27
demodulator............................................................ 7 non-volatile memory ...................................... 12, 38
Destination address......................................... 19, 20 Numeric message ................................................. 17
digital input .......................................................... 35
digital output ........................................................ 35 O
Ocean Region ......................................................... 7
E
open drain output.................................................. 35
Earthstation............................................................. 7 operating modes ................................................... 33
ephemeris ............................................................. 10 operating profile ................................................... 33
operational defaults .............................................. 13
F
P
factory defaults ..................................................... 13
fast charge ............................................................ 36 Pager Subset Number (PSN) ................................ 15
forward channel...................................................... 9 PID ........................................See terminal identifier
pin-out .................................................................. 34

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poll........................................................................17 Sleep mode ...........................................................33

Power Calculator ..............................................5, 33 slot ........................................................................23
power consumption...............................................33 slot randomisation .......................................... 24, 25
power input ...........................................................34 solar panel................................................. 33, 34, 36
power modes.........................................................33 Spot beam ...............................................................9
PPID block...................................See preview block SSL security ...........................................................8
pre-defined message .............................................17 Standby mode .......................................................33
preview block .......................................................16 Static mode ...........................................................33
pseudo-range.........................................................10 status information .................................................32
system availability ..................................................8
Q
System message....................................................17
Quality of Service .................................................16
T
R
Target position................................................ 28, 30
randomisation ...........................................16, 23, 24 terminal...............................................................7, 9
receive buffer........................................................18 terminal identifier (PID) .......................................16
Reference position ..........................................28, 30 Terminal Scripting Language (TSL) ................ 5, 37
remote control.................................................17, 38 thermistor..............................................................36
Reserved slot...................................................18, 23 timeslot .................................................................23
return channel .........................................................9 timestamp ............................... 20, 22, 25, 26, 27, 31
roaming.................................................................14 Tone Only.............................................................17
Traffic channel.................................................. 9, 23
S transmission log....................................................25
SAT-101 ...............................................................11 transmission retries...............................................24
SAT-101A ............................................................11 Transmit as soon as possible .......................... 23, 24
SAT-101AG..........................................................11 transmit queue ......................................................23
SAT-101G ............................................................11 transmit slot ..........................................................23
SAT-201 ...............................................................11 Transparent Data ..................................................17
satellite......................................................5, 7, 9, 10 trickle charge ........................................................36
satellite acquisition ...........................See acquisition
U
satellite operator .....................................................5
SAT-Manager .............................................5, 12, 37 Unreserved slot.....................................................23
script .....................................................................37 Uploader .................................................................5
script debugging ...................................................37 user data................................................................20
script indentifier....................................................37 user defined message............................................22
script operation .....................................................37 UTC........................................................................8
script version.........................................................37
W
scripting compiler .................................................37
serial interface.......................................................34 WGS-84................................................................10
Service Identifier (SID) ....................................9, 14
Z
service provider ......................................................9
service selection....................................................14 zone .................................................... See Geofence
Short burst ......................................................19, 26

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Satamatics Ltd
Corporate Head Office Satamatics USA
Tel: +44 (0)1684 278610 Tel: +1 877 SAT MATD
Fax: +44 (0)1684 278611 Tel: +1 877 728 6283
[email protected] [email protected]
www.satamatics.com www.satamaticsUSA.com

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