NAL Shout Nano

Troubleshooting

Why isn’t my NAL Shout reporting properly?

Ensure Tracking is enabled
- [image
  {UP}/screenshots/NAL/NAL_Tracking_Enabled.jpg]{br}When tracking is enabled, the tracking symbol (at top right of screen) will change from a blue to a bright white. The time remaining until the next scheduled report will be displayed next to the tracking symbol. If the tracking symbol is blue, tracking must be enabled via the Tracking > Tracking On/Off > Enable Tracking menus and a proper reporting rate chosen via Tracking > Reporting Rate.
Check the Tracking Stats for Successes/Failures
- [image
  {UP}/screenshots/NAL/NAL_Tracking_Stats.jpg]{br}The Shout monitors statistics on the number of position reports and successful and failed transmissions. These can be found via the Tracking > Stats menu.
  - Successes - The total number of position reports successfully transmitted to the Iridium network both with valid and (invalid) position fixes. The number in parenthesis represents the number of successfully transmitted positions with invalid GPS fixes. A large number of these indicates GPS issues.
  - Fails - The number of valid position reports failed to send to the Iridium network.
Use the Utilities menu to diagnose Iridium and/or GPS issues
- Utilities > Check Iridium will turn on the Iridium transceiver and continuously display the signal strength. If no signal is observed, please ensure you have clear line of sight to the sky.
- Utilities > Check GPS will turn on the GPS receiver and display the signal strength. If no or inaccurate signal is observed you most move to a different location as your environment is likely blocking reception.
- Utilities > Test Report will send a test report to the portal, validating whether or not the device is working at your current location.

My device reports many Successes on the Stats screen, but I’m not seeing position reports appear on the portal

Ensure your device has been added to the portal with the correct IMEI. If so, contact us.

SatTerm

SatTerm is the configuration software published by Nal Research to configure and program the terminal. You can download it here:

[^http://www.nalresearch.com/Downloads.html

SatTerm Download]

Firmware Versions

Version 1.4.3

Added ability to set address book codes above 255. Codes above 255 will transmit as zero.
Added +PNAV command to set the GPS receiver position model. Allows for operation at high altitude.

Version 1.4.2

Fixed data loss over the USB interface
Removed some restrictions on entries that can be put in the address book

Version 1.4.1

Fixed a possible lockup in tracking when using a 1 minute reporting rate
Fixed IMEI number not reading properly when using a 1 minute reporting rate
Fixed outbox not refreshing when the final queued message fails to send
Fixed memory initialization error potentially causing a corruption in the outbox
Fixed ‘send attempts’ stat incrementing in some cases where no transmission was attempted
Fixed outbox sending starting while tracking is busy sending

Version 1.4.0

Added support for multiple contacts when composing a message
Added automatic requeue for outbox messages. Messages will requeue when a transmission succeeds.
Improved tracking performance at a one minute reporting rate
Fixed possible memory crash in emergency mode
Fixed ‘include GPS’ not being updated by remote update
Fixed possible crash when USB cable is removed
Fixed poll responses not including the poll short code

Version 1.3.0

Added support for text messaging with the PECOS format. (The texting format follows the selected reporting format. The text message format can be set independently using AT command ^TMF)
Added count down for memory initialization after reflash
Removed memory erase when entering flashing mode (memory is still erased if a reflash is performed)
Fixed bug in the address book memory

Version 1.2.0

Added support for report format v3 and v4
Added support for 3rd generation LCD driver
Added UTM position display format
Added text id (^ID) for report formats 3, 4 and 5
Improved external memory read speed
Improved error recovery while tracking
Improved error handling when processing incoming SBD messages
Removed the never send option from ^TBR
Increased range for ^ERF command to 0-255
Increased range for ^MBXCHK command to 0-1440
Changed statistics ‘Track Since’ to only set when tracking is enabled
Changed behavior when screen is dimmed so that button presses will only illuminate and not start an action
Migrated clock function to built in compiler library to improve time/date handling
Fixed tracking not forcing a send in some low signal situations
Fixed backlight being set to full brightness when first powered on
Fixed encryption errors in certain block sizes
Fixed handling of encrypted messages without text
Fixed emergency mode not activating if CPU is busy when button is pressed
Fixed starting/stopping tracking mode when settings are reset to defaults
Fixed indicator bar not updating immediately after changing reporting rate
Fixed possible menu restart if tracking while charging
Fixed bad mailbox check rate when the check rate is significantly less than the report rate or vice versa
Fixed tracking time showing wrong time when mailbox check is more frequent than the report rate
Fixed check-in menu backing out after a popup appears

Version 1.1.9

Added support for a new LCD driver.

Version 1.1.8

Added AT command to control the invalid course value (^ICV). Default is zero.

Version 1.1.7

Fixed memory initialization causing corruption on first run after firmware reflash

Version 1.1.6

Added support for 256K/sector memory

Version 1.1.5

Fixed problem with transitioning to flash mode if the flash memory is slow to erase
Removed debug GPS text

Version 1.1.4

Fixed data/time causing a crash when the tracking menu is opened

Version 1.1.3

Fixed problem with a small % of LCD screens
Improved GPS performance

Version 1.1.2

Fixed corrupted GPS reports caused by invalid course

Version 1.1.1

Fixed LCD screen turning off while USB is plugged
The value on an invalid course (accuracy greater than 90 degrees) is now 999 instead of zero

Version 1.1.0

Added support for remote update versions 0, 1, and 2
Adjusted record length in outbox storage to accommodate update responses
Removed digit only restriction from ^MUSAZP command
Corrected some AT command help text
Reduced minimum sleep time from 90 seconds to 5 seconds.
LCD screen now turns off 30 seconds after the black light dims
Added MGRS option to position format setting
Fixed Include GPS not being reset when reset to defaults is selected

Version 1.0.3

Modified the behavior of the power off button. Now holding the power button will always cause the device to power off even if tracking is enabled.

Version 1.0.2

Fixed incorrect time to next report shown on stats screen when the mailbox check rate is different than the report rate

Version 1.0.1

Added an additional checksum to the remote update protocol

Version 1.0.0

Initial release

SBD Message Sizes

Format	Information Included	Non-Encrypted Size	Encrypted Size
NAL Version 6	Lat / Lon / Altitude / Time / Satellites / GPS Fix Details / Heading / Speed	30 bytes	32 bytes
10 Byte Format	Lat / Lon / Seconds in the day / PDOP / Emergency Flag	10 bytes	16 bytes

Text Message - 32 bytes + length of recipient + length of text message

Encrypted

The SHOUT nano uses 256 bit (32 byte) AES encryption which pads messages to 16 byte increments. For example, a 30 byte GPS position report would be 32 bytes, a 40 byte text message would be 48 bytes, and a 49 byte message would be 64 bytes.

To setup encryption for the device, login to the tracking platform and go to the asset’s Edit Asset menu. Under the Settings tab, there will be fields for Receive Encryption Key and Transmit Encryption Key. These must match the keys entered into the device in order for the two-way encryption to function.

Battery Life

The SHOUT nano has an internal 1.95 A-Hr Li-Ion rechargeable battery. When both the Iridium and GPS antennas have clear view of the sky and the battery is fully charged, the nano is capable of sending more than 1,200 tracking reports with the following settings: (1) report rate of less than two hours, (2) mailbox check rate and the report rate are the same and (3) Standard Accuracy. Blocked or partially blocked antennas will force the nano to retry multiple SBD transmissions for each report and, as a result, can significantly reduce the overall number of reporting cycles.

The nano saves valid ephemeris data after each 3-D fix. The data is used to reduce acquisition time in the next reporting cycle from cold-start to hot-start. If the ephemeris data is older than two hours (time between reports is set for more than two hours), the GPS receiver will go through cold-start each time it wakes up to send a report. As a result, the nano configured for report rate of more than two hours and Standard Accuracy can only send ~750 tracking reports. Setting the Accuracy to Best also reduces the number of tracking reports to ~750 regardless of the report rate setting.

IMPORTANT: Data presented here are only estimates and are highly dependent on the operating environment, accuracy setting and antenna type. Data are based on measurements made with multiple nano devices placed on the roof of NAL Research‘s facility with no blockage.

Each time the nano wakes up to send a report, it has two minutes to acquire a GPS fix and send an Iridium SBD message. Assuming the ephemeris data is valid (less than two hours old or time-between-reports is less than two hours) and the Accuracy option is set to Standard, the GPS receiver takes about 10 seconds for a position fix drawing approximately 55mA. The Iridium transceiver takes about 10 seconds to transmit an SBD message drawing an average current of 110mA. The nano circuit draws about 125mA during 25-second reporting cycle. The entire reporting cycle consumes ~1.32 mA-Hr of battery power. If the Iridium antenna is blocked or an overhead Iridium satellite is not available, the Iridium transceiver can potentially stay on for another 100 seconds in attempting to send a report. This results in additional consumption of 9.7 mA-Hr or 11 mA-Hr total. A missed report consumes ~8.5 times more power than a ‘normal’ transmitted report.

Address Books & Canned Messages

The first step is to setup your address books and canned messages on the Settings tab in your account: https://www.gsattrack.com/Settings/

The second step is to attach your asset(s) to these canned messages and address books go going to the Tracking tab, then click the down arrow next to the asset name, and click “Edit Asset.” Go the “Settings” tab and select the address book group and canned message group you would like to attach to the asset.

The final step is to synchronize your NAL Shout Nano with the tracking portal. On your computer with the NAL Shout plugged in and SatTerm running, perform the following:

Options > Properties > Modem Type > Shout Nano
Options > Properties > Set Web Service > https://www.gsattrack.com/Shout/ (Note that the trailing slash (/) is required.)
Options > View Address Book > Login > It will require your tracking portal login username and password to authenticate.
Options > View Canned Messages > Login > It will require your tracking portal login username and password to authenticate.

Note that when synchronizing your Address Book Entries, only the Short Code, Name and Location fields will appear on your device’s interface. This is a limitation of the Shout synchronization interface. Messaging to those address book entries will still work, however, because the server translates the Short Codes into the associated phone and e-mail records.

Encryption Setup

To setup encryption you will need to:

Generate your 2 encryption keys which must be 64 HEX characters. You can use the same key for encryption and decryption. Here is a sample site which generates these keys Hex Generator
Plug your NAL Shout into SatTerm
Change the default Crypto Officer Password from the default “temp password” to your own unique password with the command “AT^CCOP”
Set the Encryption key TWICE with the command “AT^KE”
Set the Decryption key TWICE with the command “AT^KD”
Enable encryption with the command AT^UE with the second parameter set to 1
Write the new configuration to memory with the command “AT&W0”

Sample SatTerm Output

NAL Research Corporation

Model: SHOUTnano

Firmware Version 1.0.2r225-002

Running Self Test…Passed

ENCRYPTION DISABLED THIS POWER CYCLE

COMMAND MODE

AT^CCOP=’********’,’*****’

AT^KE=’******’,’********’

Enter Encryption Key again to set.

AT^KE=’******’,’********’

Encryption Key Set

AT^KD=’******’,’********’

Enter Decryption Key again to set.

AT^KD=’******’,’********’

Decryption Key Set

AT^UE=’****‘,1

AT&W0

==Debug Setup==

Type +++ in SatTerm and wait for it to indicate command mode is ready
Type AT+CMEE=1&W0 and press enter
Type AT^TRK and press enter