User's Manual

Page 4 VRT Gas Transponder ― User Guide
AMCO Automated Systems • P/N 52870T010 Rev 1 May 2003
TRACE AMR System Overview
In addition to standard automated meter reading functions, AMCO
Automated Systems TRACE system portfolio of products permits
the remote recording of tamper conditions and the linking of meter
latitude and longitude data using the Global Positioning System
(GPS). With the optional Vehicle Interactive Display (VID), TRACE
makes driver-to-meter orientation more intuitive and efficient.
TRACE interrogators transmit commands at 451.35 MHz and
receive transponder messages at 415 MHz. (Transponders transmit
at 415 MHz and receive at 451.35 MHz.)
VRT gas transponders, normally in a low power state, “wake up”
and listen for an interrogation signal once every 1.5 seconds. Only if
a transponder hears its unique serial number will it transmit data
back to the interrogation device, after which it enters back into a low
power state.
How the TRACE System Works
Utility personnel no longer have to walk up to each meter, look at its
index and record it’s reading. Once VRT gas-meter transponders
are installed on meters and programmed, meter readers simply walk
or drive down each street in the route allowing the TRACE
interrogator to request and record meter data automatically.
Acquisition of meter information begins with the transponder where
data is stored and updated continuously for later retrieval by an
interrogator. The acquired data from a given route can be
transferred to a host computer via floppy disk for processing.
The information acquisition, storage and handling process includes
several basic elements:
SN 1111 Read 208…
SN 2222 Read 943…
SN 3333 Read 510…
SN 4444 Read 1031…
TRAN
S
MIT
RECEIVE
The interrogator addresses each transponder in the interrogation window individually. When the transponder “hears” its serial number, it transmits the
current meter data. The TRACE system’s frequency band allows remote reading of transponders even through walls and fences.
MMI Equipped Vehicle