programming MDS 9810 radios

Hi guys, I have a client who has MDS 9810 radios for their water system telemetry. I got a call today from them, saying they think the master radio has failed. They apparently have software to program these things so that's good, but when I looked for info on how to actually program the things I came across an O&M manual but the manual specifically states in the programming section that this particular manual only covers using the Hand Held Terminal to program the radio. It mentions that the manual for the programming software is where to go for the specifics on how to use that.

Was wondering if anyone knows where I can find that manual? I did a search for the title mentioned in the O&M I have (MDS Network Management Software) but have been able to find nothing.

Update: I was able to figure out through some google searching that the software apparently is called Insite. I was able to download a copy and install it on a WinXP VM, so that's up and running. There is a manual, so I have printed that out.

I would still appreciate any insight on how to program these radios. The software seems a bit odd in nomenclature, and I'm not sure if I connect to the radio with the DB25 port, or the RJ11 port? The Insite software is not specific on the 9810, and apparently some MDS radios have separate DB25 "diagnostics" ports that you plug into for programming; this 9810 has a DB25 data, and a RJ11 port labeled "diagnostics".

Another update:

More searching resulted in me finding a download link for a different program, directly from GE. It's called MDS Radio Configuration Software, latest version is 2.4. A hiccup in installing it is that in a WinXP VM, there's a general protection fault that happens when you try to run the software due to some 16 bit software legacy issue. You have to download and install a fix, and make a mod to your autoexec.nt file and then reboot the VM. Software will then successfully reload. Opening this software looks much more familiar as far as radio configuration software is concerned.

Found a help file for the software, looks like they prefer you connect through the diagnostics port but you can also connect through the DB-25 port but it provides less functionality (they don't specifically say what functionality is missing, though).

Again, if anyone can chime in and confirm/dis-confirm my suppositions I would appreciate it, but I think I've got a good base for moving forward.

I had to program a GE MDS serial radio for a customer that was a TransNet 900 MHz. I don't recall the exact model number, but I do recall getting bad info from the GE website, downloading 4 (maybe 3, maybe 5?) different versions of the MDS Radio Configuration Software before finding the right one. The GE note stating what version I should use was incorrect. The version that worked was older than the one they recommended and it was not easy to find.

The radios I was programming did not have an Ethernet port, only two serial ports. I also learned that the PLC I was dealing with required the handshake lines to be jumpered (DirectLogic DL-250) for the PLC messages to work over the data port. In my case, I had a dozen other nodes to compare with in order to set up the two new nodes, and it turned out that all the remote node settings were the same for that model of radio modem. All of the above info may not apply to your situation...that was my only experience with GE MDS radios. I can report excellent performance from them, 2-3 miles with a small hill and some trees in the path with a better than 95% message success rate.

Here's the iNSight software. Windows XP only i think
https://www.gegridsolutions.com/Communications/MDS/software.asp?directory=InSite

Well I've managed to connect to the old radio and grab all the settings, then programmed a new radio as a replacement and that unfortunately has not solved the problem. Scratching my head at this point; seems like the radio is just sitting here. In the diagnostics it says it's transmitting but not receiving; the TXD light is not illuminating though.

defcon.klaxon said:

Well I've managed to connect to the old radio and grab all the settings, then programmed a new radio as a replacement and that unfortunately has not solved the problem. Scratching my head at this point; seems like the radio is just sitting here. In the diagnostics it says it's transmitting but not receiving; the TXD light is not illuminating though.

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Your best bet is to take that radio to the same location the other one is at (or vise versa) and try to get it working there first. There are so many possible issues a lot of which involve things like line of site, RF transmission/reception issues, configuration, etc... Moving the two radios together eliminates a lot of the issues. If you move them close together and get them working, then separate them and they stop working, it narrows you focus to a "transmit/receive" issue rather than a configuration/working radio one.

Firejo said:

Your best bet is to take that radio to the same location the other one is at (or vise versa) and try to get it working there first. There are so many possible issues a lot of which involve things like line of site, RF transmission/reception issues, configuration, etc... Moving the two radios together eliminates a lot of the issues. If you move them close together and get them working, then separate them and they stop working, it narrows you focus to a "transmit/receive" issue rather than a configuration/working radio one.

Click to expand...

+1 to this, but the very first thing I would do is ohm out the lightning arrestors. You don't want to spend hours setting up a test station only to find out later that a $50 part has gone open...



Because I have never done that...

OkiePC said:

+1 to this, but the very first thing I would do is ohm out the lightning arrestors. You don't want to spend hours setting up a test station only to find out later that a $50 part has gone open...



Because I have never done that...

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Great point but let me take it a little further. It's always a good idea to do a general inspection of the installation. Check coax and connectors for any issues (corrosion, not being tight, obvious damage, etc...), confirm that the power to the radio is correct, things like that. Also remember to do this at all locations, the radio at your location may be fine but the one on the other side(s) may have a problem. Over the years I've seen some very strange and unpredictable problems and I learned early on (actually as part of my fire department training) to look for the obvious first but without a preconceived expectation of what that will look like. In other words, look for the obvious but don't expect to know it when you see it.

Well, I got it all sorted. At one point when I swapped the old radio out for the new one, I realized hey, Lookout continually polls for info but there is no TX light even illuminating. Putting a port sniffer on the data connection confirmed this. I then directly connected my laptop to the radio, used Simply Modbus to poll the remote sites, and immediately got responses and saw the TX and RX lights flicker as expected. I told the client,let's go check your PC. Sure enough, the serial cable was unplugged slightly, just enough for intermittent operation.

Definitely a good lesson in never assuming anything, and start with simple tests first. It was good for me to learn about this client's radio system for future maintenance, but yeah...nobody is happy to find out it's something as simple as a loose cable.