User's Manual

TRACE SYSTEM OVERVIEW
VRT Transponder—User Guide Page 4
AMCO Automated Systems, January 2003 Last Saved: 1/28/2003 10:00 AM
The TRACE AMR System Overview
In addition to standard automated meter reading functions, AMCO’s
TRACE system portfolio of products permits the remote recording of
tamper conditions and linking of meter latitude and longitude data using
a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. With the optional Vehicle
Interactive Display, TRACE makes driver-to-meter orientation more
intuitive and efficient.
TRACE interrogators transmit at 451.35 MHz and receive transponder
messages at 415 MHz. (Transponders transmit at 415 MHz and receive
at 451.35 MHz.)
Trace water transponders 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.
How the TRACE System Works
Utility personnel no longer have to walk up to each meter, look at its
index and record its reading. Once 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 continuously for later retrieval and moves to the interrogator
upon command. 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:
Meter interface. The TRACE VRT water transponder queries the water
meter register/encoder and stores it in the transponder’s memory.
SN 1111 Read 208…
SN 2222 Read 943…
MMI
Equipped
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 and proper authorization, it
transmits the current meter data. The TRACE system’s frequency band allows remote reading of transponders even through walls and fences.