Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

WEATHERPAK®    /     ZENO®    /     INTERCEPT™    /     WEATHERPAK® MTR

WEATHERPAK®

Q: Where is the serial number located on a WEATHERPAK®?
A: Units manufactured before June 2006 have the serial number on the top neck of the WEATHERPAK® under the radiation shields. Units manufactured from June 2006 and beyond have a label at the lower end of the canister.

Q: How do I orient my WEATHERPAK®?
A: There is a small notch on the side of the canister at the top. That notch should be oriented due south. Likewise, the RM Young wind monitor has a notch at its base. This notch should also be oriented due south.

Q: What if I want to put my WEATHERPAK® at the magnetic pole? How would I set up my compass?
A: Click here for the procedure to set up your WEATHERPAK® compass with the magnetic declination for your area.

Display/Receiver Box

Q: How long will the battery last without A/C power connected?
A: Two to three hours.

Q: How long will it take to give a dead battery a full charge?
A: 12 hours for a 90% charge, 24 hours for a 99% charge.

Q: Is there a schedule for recharging?
A: If the battery is being stored at or around 70° F, it should be charged every 12 months. At higher temperatures (up to 100° F) it should be charged every 6 months.

Q: Should the battery be fully discharged before recharging?
A: No. For lead-acid batteries, it is preferable to discharge as little as possible, and if discharged, to recharge as soon as possible. Typically, a battery discharged to 50% of its potential will last through 400 discharge-recharge cycles. However, a battery completely discharged will only last through 175 cycles.

Tower

Q: How long will my WEATHERPAK® run on the tower batteries alone?
A: Approximately 3 days. After three days, the WEATHERPAK® will still have power, but not enough for the radio to transmit.

Q: How many batteries are used in a HAZMAT tripod tower?
A: Nine D cell batteries.

Q: How do you load batteries in a HAZMAT Tower?
A: In the bottom of the tower top section, there is a silver plug with a slot in it. Using a large standard screwdriver, push down and turn the plug clockwise to release the bayonet mount. Remove the plug and the spring from inside the tower section. Nine D cell batteries are inserted with the Positive (+) end towards the junction box. Once all nine batteries are installed, place the spring in the tower section and then replace the plug, pushing it down and turning counter-clockwise until it locks into place.

WEATHERPAK® MTR

Q: How long will the battery last without A/C power connected?
A: Two to three hours.

Q: How long will it take to give a dead battery a full charge?
A: 12 hours for a 90% charge, 24hrs to a 99% charge.

Q: Is there a schedule for recharging?
A: If the battery is being stored at or around 70° F, it should be charged every 12 months. At higher temperatures (up to 100° F) it should be charged every 6 months.

Q: Should the battery be fully discharged before recharging?
A: No. For lead-acid batteries, it is preferable to discharge as little as possible, and if discharged, to recharge as soon as possible. Typically, a battery discharged to 50% of its potential will last through 400 discharge-recharge cycles. However, a battery completely discharged will only last through 175 cycles.

Q: How long will the "D" cell batteries in the tower of my MTR last?
A: 14 hours. The current GPS in use causes a high current drain, which shortens the life of the batteries. We are currently working on integrating a new GPS into the MTR system in order to prolong tower battery life.

Q: What are the accuracy/tolerance ratings of the various sensors?
A: See the Sensor Specification Sheets.

Q: Is the GPS antenna passive or active?
A: It is active.

ZENO®

Q: How do I reset the clock on my ZENO® 3200 or WEATHERPAK®?
A: To reset the clock in your ZENO® 3200 or WEATHERPAK® use the following procedure:

Connect a special com/test cable between the WEATHERPAK® (connects to bottom of cylinder) or the ZENO® 3200 (com3, db9 connector) and an available comport on your PC. Using HyperTerminal, open a window using the settings of 9600-baud rate, parity none, stop bits 1, and flow control to none (if 9600 does not give legible data, change baud rate to 1200). Plug in the power source to the ZENO® 3200/WEATHERPAK®. You should see a boot up message from the WEATHERPAK® within 10 seconds similar to that shown below.

reset zeno clock

Once the communication link has been established type u<enter> when prompted to do so by the system. This will bring you to the User Menu of the system.  Next, type f<enter> to access the System Function Menu.

SYSTEM FUNCTIONS MENU

(Cn/m) Change Item n To Value m
(S) System Date And Time
(T) Calibrate Internal Temperature
(V) Program Version
(K) Constants Menu
(B) BIT Names Menu		 (I) Contact Information
(E) Save Parameters To EEPROM
(U) User Menu
(Q) Quit
(H) Help
Item 1: 2232
Item 2: 0
Item 3: 1
Item 4: 1
Item 5: 0
Item 6: 0
Item 7: 0
Item 8: 0
Item 9: (ESC)		 (Primary Unit/Experiment ID)
(Secondary Unit/Experiment ID)
(Data Dump Format)
(Real Time Output Format)
(Add Compass To Vane)
(Compass Offset)
(Barometer Elevation)
(Bad Sensor Value Replace)
(Passthrough Mode Escape Character)

In the system Function Menu type s<enter>.  The response should be as shown below.
The format of the time stamp is as follows: YY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS

>s
Current Date and Time: 05/06/06 10:39:08
Enter New Date and Time: 05/06/06 12:00:00

The clock is now set to the new date and time.  Type q<enter> to exit the User Menu and allow the ZENO® 3200/WEATHERPAK® to return to normal operation.   Disconnect the power source and remove the test cable to return your equipment to its normal location.

INTERCEPT™

Q: What is the current version?
A: Version 3.34b.

Q: How often is INTERCEPT™ upgraded?
A: Currently, there are no upgrades being performed, as the current version performs to spec. A new version of INTERCEPT™ is being built, but there is no release date as of yet.

Q: Does the current version of INTERCEPT™ run on Windows XP?
A: Yes. However, Windows XP must run in a "program compatibility mode" to do so. Following is the procedure:

Running INTERCEPT™ V3.34b on a computer using Windows XP Operating System:

Symptoms:

Previously, whenever Microsoft released a new operating system, Coastal had to modify INTERCEPT™ to run on the new OS. There is a significant difference with Windows XP. It allows parameter setup so the application "thinks" it runs in a different operating system. Below are the steps needed to run INTERCEPT™ 3.34b with Windows XP.

Resolution:

  1. Install INTERCEPT™ on a laptop or tabletop PC, running XP OS.
  2. Click on Start in the Task Bar.
  3. Select the All Programs option.
  4. Highlight Accessories.
  5. Select Program Compatibility Wizard option.
  6. In the Wizard introductory window, click on (Next).
  7. Select how you want to locate the program (INTERCEPT™) and click on (Next).
  8. Highlight the program and click on (Next).
  9. Select the compatibility mode for the program; e.g. W98, and click on (Next).
  10. Select display setting for the program and click on (Next).
  11. Click on (Next) again.
  12. Your selected program will be started with selected settings. In the Wizard window, select one of the offered choices and click on (Next).
  13. Select "yes" or "no" and click on (Next).
  14. Click on (Finish).

From now on, every time the application is started it will run in the selected OS environment.

Miscellaneous Communications Issues:

If you are communicating with a system using a laptop with no serial connector, and have a serial to USB adapter cable in order to connect, a driver will need to be downloaded for that adapter cable. Many of those cables have no such driver, and in the absence of said driver, the computer will not be able to create a COM port on which the system can communicate with the laptop. Try to find the website pertaining to the adapter you are using, and use it to locate a driver that you can download.

ALOHA® can only operate on COM ports 1 through 4.

ALOHA® Q&A:
Q: What are the most current versions of ALOHA, Marplot, and CAMEOfm?
A: The current versions are: ALOHA - 5.4.1.1 as of March 2009.
Marplot - 4.0 as of March 2009
CAMEOfm - 2.0 as of March 2009 .

Q: Can I run INTERCEPT™ and ALOHA®/CAMEO® at the same time?
A: No. They usually use the same COM port, and Windows will not allow two or more applications on the same COM port.

Q: How do I run ALOHA® on my MTR using the Ethernet port on the display?
A: In order to communicate with the display box using the Ethernet port, you must set the IP address and port settings to the values labeled on the back of the display. When using ALOHA®, you need to use Virtual Serial Port software because ALOHA® only recognizes COM ports. Here is a web address for Virtual Serial Port: http://www.hw-group.com/products/hw_vsp/index_en.html.