500 A Huntmar Park Drive
ASTi
Model Builder Visual
Basic Training Manual
Document: DOC-01-MBV-BTM-1
Advanced Simulation Technology inc. 500 A Huntmar Drive, Herndon, Virginia, 20170 USA
Revision C.1 (March 2008)
Product Name: Telestra
ASTi
ASTi Model Builder Visual Basic Training Manual
© Copyright ASTi 2008.
Restricted Rights: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013.
This material may be reproduced by or for the U.S. Government pursuant to the copyright license under the
clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 (1994).
ASTi
500 A Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20170
Table of Contents
1.0. Introduction and Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2. Course Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2.0. Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.1. Telestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.1.1. Ethernet Interfaces ................................................................................................ 2
Figure 1: Telestra - Front View ............................................................................................. 2
Figure 2: Telestra - Back View .............................................................................................. 3
2.2. USB Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Figure 3: Audio Distribution Architecture .............................................................................. 4
2.2.1. Iris .......................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 4: Iris - Front View ...................................................................................................... 5
Figure 5: Iris - Rear View ...................................................................................................... 5
Figure 6: 1U Iris .................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 7: 4 Channel Iris ........................................................................................................ 6
Figure 8: 6 Channel Iris ........................................................................................................ 6
2.2.2. Axis ........................................................................................................................ 7
Figure 9: Axis - Front View .................................................................................................... 7
Figure 10: Axis - Rear View .................................................................................................. 7
2.2.3. Prism ..................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 11: Prism (4-Channel) ............................................................................................... 8
Figure 12: Prism (2-Channel) ............................................................................................... 8
2.2.4. Spectrum ...............................................................................................................9
Figure 13: Spectrum - Front View ......................................................................................... 9
Figure 14: Spectrum - Rear View ......................................................................................... 9
2.2.5. Ancillary Equipment ............................................................................................. 10
Figure 15: Ancillary Equipment ........................................................................................... 10
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3.0. Software Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.1. Telestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2. Model Builder Visual Development Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 16: MBV Startup Screen .......................................................................................... 14
Figure 17: MBV Model Folder ............................................................................................. 15
Figure 18: Telestra Toolbar ................................................................................................ 16
3.3. Remote Management System 3.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 19: RMS Telestra Status Page ................................................................................ 18
4.0 DIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.1. DIS Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.1.1. TX PDU ............................................................................................................... 20
4.1.2. Signal PDU .......................................................................................................... 21
4.1.3. RX PDU ............................................................................................................... 21
4.1.4. Entity State PDU ................................................................................................. 21
5.0. Host Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
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6.0. Getting Started with Telestra and RMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.1. Cold Starting Telestra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.2. Uploading Options File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.2.1. Instructions to Upload the Options File ............................................................... 24
Figure 20: RMS Options File .............................................................................................. 25
6.3. Configure Basic Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figure 21:Telestra System Status ...................................................................................... 26
6.4. Network Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 22: RMS Telestra Networking Page ........................................................................ 28
6.5. Model Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Figure 23: RMS Telestra Models Management Page ......................................................... 29
6.6. Detecting USB Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
6.6.1. Instructions for discovering USB Hardware in RMS ............................................ 30
Figure 24: RMS Hardware Detection Page ........................................................................ 30
Figure 25: USB Detection ................................................................................................... 31
6.7. Mapping Iris Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Figure 26: Hardware Setup and Mapping ........................................................................... 32
Figure 27: RMS Iris Hardware Assignments Page ............................................................. 33
6.8. Configuring Model Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Figure 28: RMS Models Host Interface Configuration Page ............................................... 35
7.0. Operation and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7.1. Saving Model Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7.2. Saving Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Figure 29: RMS Telestra Actions ........................................................................................ 37
Figure 30: RMS System Configuration Backup Page ......................................................... 38
7.3. Restoring Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7.4. Installing Telestra Software Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Figure 31:Telestra Software Upgrade ................................................................................. 40
7.5. Hardware Readiness Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Figure 32: RMS Hardware Readiness ................................................................................ 42
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8.0. Model Builder Visual Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
8.1. Creating a User Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Figure 33: RMS Telestra Preferences Page ....................................................................... 44
Figure 34: RMS New User Account .................................................................................... 44
8.2. MBV Navigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
8.3. Component Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
8.4. MBV ICD Tool (with Tutorial) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Step 1: Creating a New ICD .......................................................................................... 47
Figure 35: Creating an ICD ................................................................................................. 47
Step 2: Naming the ICD ................................................................................................ 48
Figure 36: ICD Name .......................................................................................................... 48
8.4.2 Adding Packets .................................................................................................... 49
Figure 37: ICD Packet Information ..................................................................................... 49
Step 3: Adding a Packet to the ICD ............................................................................... 49
8.4.3. Choosing a View Mode ....................................................................................... 50
8.4.4. ICD Packet Members .......................................................................................... 50
Step 4: Adding a Member .............................................................................................. 51
Figure 38: Adding Members ............................................................................................... 51
Step 5: Defining the Member ......................................................................................... 52
Figure 39: Setting the Member Type .................................................................................. 52
8.4.5. Setting Offsets ..................................................................................................... 53
Figure 40: Setting Offset ..................................................................................................... 53
8.4.6. Saving Changes .................................................................................................. 54
8.4.7. Implementing Changes in Your Model ................................................................ 54
8.5. Changing an Existing ICD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
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9.0. Creating a Basic Model in MBV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Figure 41: Model Tutorial Overview .................................................................................... 57
9.1 Tutorial 1 - Sine Wave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Step 1: Creating a New Model ...................................................................................... 60
Figure 42: Creating a New Model ....................................................................................... 60
Step 2: Setting up the Iris .............................................................................................. 61
Figure 43: Setting up the Iris ............................................................................................... 61
Step 3: Creating the Sine Wave .................................................................................... 62
Step 4: Creating the Table ............................................................................................ 64
Step 5: Driving the Amplitude by Creating a Counter and Comparator ......................... 66
Step 6: Creating a New ICD .......................................................................................... 70
Step 7: Linking the ICD to the Model ............................................................................. 72
Step 8: Mapping the Iris ................................................................................................ 74
Figure 44:Mapping the Iris Hardware ................................................................................. 74
Step 9: Organizing Your Model ..................................................................................... 76
Figure 45: Final Model ........................................................................................................ 76
9.2. Tutorial 2- VOX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Step 1: Creating a Vox subfolder .................................................................................. 77
Step 2: Creating the Vox object and Iris Cable ............................................................. 77
Step 3: Creating New Vox Members in the ICD and Assigning to the Model ................ 80
9.3. Tutorial 3- Play Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Figure 46:Simple and Complex Loop Diagram ................................................................... 85
Figure 47: Playsounds ........................................................................................................ 86
Figure 48: MBV Sound Library ........................................................................................... 87
Step 1: Creating Playsound Object and Using the Sound Library ................................. 88
Step 2: Assigning Sounds to Playsound Object ............................................................ 90
Step 3: Routing the Audio to the Iris .............................................................................. 91
Step 4: Creating the 4 Channel PTT Psound Index ...................................................... 92
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9.4. Tutorial 4- Mixer and Channel Handles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Step 1: Creating the Mixer and Iris Cable ..................................................................... 98
Step 2: Deleting Audio Out Links from other Subfolders ............................................... 99
Step 3: Setting up the Bus and Mixer .......................................................................... 100
Step 4: Routing Audio ................................................................................................. 105
Step 5: Selecting the Sound ........................................................................................ 106
Step 6: Adding Members to the ICD Packet ................................................................ 107
Step 7: Assigning the ICD to the Model ...................................................................... 109
Figure 49: MBV Components Tutorial Complete Model ................................................... 114
10.0. Creating a Radio Model in MBV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
10.1. Tutorial- Radio Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Step 1: Creating the Iris Asset ..................................................................................... 116
Step 2: Creating the Entity Object ............................................................................... 117
Step 3: Creating a New ICD ........................................................................................ 119
Step 4: Creating the UDP Cable and Links ................................................................. 121
Step 5: Creating the Radio .......................................................................................... 123
Step 6: Adding Members to the ICD Packet for Radio 1 ............................................. 126
Step 7: Creating Radio 2 ............................................................................................. 128
Step 8: Adding Members to the ICD for Radio 2 ......................................................... 129
Step 9: Creating Operator 1 ........................................................................................ 131
Step 10: Adding Members to the ICD for Operator 1 .................................................. 133
Step 11: Creating the UDP in Cable and Assigning Links ........................................... 134
Step 12: Creating Operator 2 and Adding Members to the ICD Packet ...................... 137
Step 13: Adding Links for Operator 2 .......................................................................... 139
Step 14: Connecting the Iris Asset .............................................................................. 140
Step 15: Mapping the Iris Hardware Devices to the Model ......................................... 144
Step 16: Running the Model ........................................................................................ 145
11.0. Converting a 2-operator 2-radio model to an 8-operator
4-radio model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Step 1: Adding Radios 3 and 4 .................................................................................... 147
Step 2: Adding to the Existing ICD .............................................................................. 147
Step 3: Linking the ICD to Radio_3 and Radio_4 ........................................................ 149
Step 4: Adding Operators ............................................................................................ 151
Step 5: Adding ICD members to Drive the Operators ................................................. 154
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12.0. The Radio Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
12.1. Amplitude Modulation (AM) versus Frequency Modulation (FM) Tutorial . . . 158
Figure 50: Capture Effect .................................................................................................. 158
12.2. Local Versus Networked Radios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Figure 51: Local versus Networked .................................................................................. 162
Step 1: Creating a Local Radio Model ......................................................................... 162
Step 2: Converting the Local Radio Model to a Networked Radio Model ................... 164
Figure 52: RMS Radios Transmitting and Receiving ........................................................ 164
12.3. Mode Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Figure 53: Mode Tables ................................................................................................... 165
Figure 54: Bandwidth Examples ....................................................................................... 166
Figure 55: Bandwidth Overlap Threshold Examples ........................................................ 167
Figure 56: Bandwidth Overlap Threshold Levels .............................................................. 167
Figure 57: Bandwidth Overlap .......................................................................................... 168
Figure 58: Ranging Effects ............................................................................................... 173
Figure 59:Occulting Effects ............................................................................................... 174
Figure 60: Ionosphere Effects ........................................................................................... 175
12.4. Crypto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
12.5. Frequency Hopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Figure 61: Jammer Blocking Radio Frequency ................................................................. 183
Figure 62: Frequency Hopping using Spread Spectrum ................................................... 183
Figure 63: Setting Frequency Hopping HAVE QUICK Parameters .................................. 185
Figure 64: Setting Frequency Hopping SINCGARS Parameters ...................................... 186
Figure 65: Frequency Hopping Link Inspection ................................................................ 187
Figure 66: Frequency Hopping Model .............................................................................. 189
12.7. Comm Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Figure 67: Comm Panel Example ..................................................................................... 191
13.0. Model Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
13.1. Creating Debug Sets in RMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
13.3. MBV Debugging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
13.4. Viewing RX Buffer Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
13.5. Viewing TX Buffer Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
1.0. Introduction and Agenda
1.1. Summary
The heart of the ASTi Telestra is the Model Builder Visual (MBV) model development system
and the Remote Management System (RMS). These software applications transform the Telestra
into a comprehensive development workstation for the creation, extension and tuning of sophisticated audio simulation models.
This training course will familiarize you with the layout of RMS and MBV, as well as the related
hardware and its uses.
1.2. Course Goals
After completion of this course you will understand how to:
• Understand the setup of the general system including networking, software management,
user accounts, backups, boot settings, and option management.
• Easily navigate RMS:
•
Setup Iris hardware mapping it in RMS and conduct testing
•
Work with models including model management and host interface setup
•
View radio information and setup
•
Troubleshoot models using debug screens
•
Manage users accounts and models
• Understand MBV interfaces:
•
Build models using the ICD tool (packet editor) including UDP in and out cables for
receive and transmit buffers
•
Create sounds for your model using the Sound Library Editor
•
Generate Intercoms and Radios via the intercom/radio channel editor
•
Employ the radio monitor
•
Develop with the component set
•
Work with the model canvas
Copyright © 2008 Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
2.0. Hardware Overview
2.1. Telestra
ASTi’s Telestra product line consists of a network scalable, high performance, Linux-based hardware platform, USB-based digital audio and I/O distributions equipment.
• 3.4 GHz Pentium Processor
• One (1) 1 Gbps Ethernet Interface
• Two (2) 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Interfaces
• Four (4) USB Ports (For use with ASTi USB devices only)
The various components of the Telestra are listed below:
• Power supply
• Removable hard drive
• CD-RW drive
• USB ports
• Ethernet Interfaces
2.1.1. Ethernet Interfaces
The Telestra comes standard with a DIS (Distributed Interactive Simulation) network interface
card (NIC), which is used for voice traffic (radio, intercom, etc.) to and from other Telestras or
simulators on the network. An optional Host interface can be purchased to control state information such as frequencies, squelch, engine RPM, etc. The host control and voice traffic functionality can be combined onto one interface, if the traffic load is fairly low and permitted under
security guidelines.
Power Button
Reset Button
CD-RW Drive
Air Filter
Removable Hard Drive
Figure 1: Telestra - Front View
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
Power Connection
Power Switch
Monitor
Mouse
Keyboard
Ethernet Interfaces
USB Ports
Figure 2: Telestra - Back View
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
2.2. USB Devices
All the equipment needed for the training course is provided in the ASTi training room. This
includes:
• (2) Telestra units with MBV and RMS installed
• (2) Iris - Audio interface module
• (2) Axis - Local USB distribution module
• Prism - USB extender module
• Spectrum - Remote USB distribution module
• (2) Telex headset/microphone units
• (2) PTT buttons
• (2) Fostex powered speakers
MBV also requires a three-button mouse.
For more information on the USB connections see the ASTi Telestra USB Device Connections
Matrix (ASSY 01 UMCX-IN 1)
Telestra
Prism
Cat 5 Cable
Max. Length 300’
Spectrum
Iris
Axis
AXIS
Out A
Out B
Out C
Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
Spectrum
Spectrum
Iris
Iris
Iris
USB Cable
Max. Length 3’
USB Cable
Max. Length 15’
Spectrum
Iris
Out D
www.asti-usa.com
USB Cable
Max. Length 6’
Iris
Iris
Figure 3: Audio Distribution Architecture
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
2.2.1. Iris
The Iris module is the audio and input/output (I/O) unit for ASTi’s Telestra platform. The Iris permits installation close to operator positions, and takes advantage of digital audio and I/O distribution to reduce noise and cross-talk susceptibility. This unit may be connected to ASTi’s Axis,
Prism (2-Channel version), and Spectrum remote USB module, or daisy-chained from another
Iris*.
*Not supported in all configurations.
Overview of the Iris features:
• Installed as close to operator as possible
• Upstream connections to Spectrum, Axis, or another Iris
• Downstream connection to another Iris
• Two (2) independent, software-configurable audio inputs and outputs (1 per channel)
• Six (6) Digital Inputs (3 per channel)
• Two (2) Digital Outputs (1 per channel)
• Two (2) RS-422 serial ports
• Two (2) ASTi USB connections
• +15 VDC required
Figure 4: Iris - Front View
Figure 5: Iris - Rear View
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
Other Iris options include the 1U and 4 Channel Extended and Local Iris and the 6 Channel Iris.
The 1U Local Iris, 4 Channel Local Iris, and 6 Channel Iris all connect directly to the Telestra for
local distribution. The 1U Extended Iris and the 4 Channel Extended Iris both connect to the
Prism via a CAT 5 cable of up to a maximum of 300 feet for extended distribution. For more
information on these see the ASTi Iris Audio Interface Module Technical & User Guide (ASSY
01 UMAU UG 1).
Figure 6: 1U Iris
Figure 7: 4 Channel Iris
Figure 8: 6 Channel Iris
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
2.2.2. Axis
The Axis provides connection and distribution for ASTi USB-based peripheral devices local to the
Telestra. The Axis may support up to eight (8) Iris devices. When powering on the Axis, the red
LED on the rear panel of the Axis module will light when power is applied to the unit. On the
front of the Axis the upper green LED will light when the connected USB device has been properly identified by the software on the Telestra. The lower yellow LED will light when there is a
USB-related problem.
For more information on the Axis see the ASTi Local Distribution Module Technical & User
Guide (ASSY 01 UMLD UG 1).
Overview of the Axis features:
• Distributes digital audio to peripheral devices within 21' of the Telestra platform
• Upstream connections to Telestra USB port
• Downstream connections to up to eight (8) Iris devices
• Four (4) Type A USB connections
• One (1) Type mini-B USB connection to Telestra
• +15 VDC required
AXIS
Out A
Out B
Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
Out C
Out D
www.asti-usa.com
Figure 9: Axis - Front View
AXIS
In
Power
+15VDC
Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
www.asti-usa.com
Figure 10: Axis - Rear View
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
2.2.3. Prism
The Prism modules allow the Iris devices to be located up to 300 feet away from the Telestra.
There are two types of Prisms. The 2-Channel Prism supports two (2) Spectrum units plus two (2)
local ports, while the4-Channel Prism supports four (4) Spectrum units. The red LED on the rear
panel of the 2 or 4 Channel Prism will light when power is applied.
For more information on the Prism see the ASTi Prism & Spectrum Remote Distribution Modules
Technical & User Guide (ASSY-01-UMRXRD-UG-1)
Overview of the Prism features:
• Distributes digital audio to remote devices up to 300' away from Telestra
• Upstream connections to Telestra USB port
• +15 VDC required
• 4-Channel Prism
•
Downstream connections to up to four (4) Spectrum devices
•
One (1) USB, mini-B type connector to Telestra
•
Four (4) RJ-45 connectors to Spectrum units
• 2-Channel Prism
•
One (1) USB, mini-B type connector to Telestra
•
Two (2) RJ-45 connectors to Spectrum units
•
Two (2) USB, A type connectors to Iris devices
Figure 11: Prism (4-Channel)
Figure 12: Prism (2-Channel)
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
2.2.4. Spectrum
The Spectrum module connects to the Prism allowing Iris devices to be located up to 300 feet
away from the Telestra. The Spectrum supports up to two (2) Iris devices with two (2) additional
ports for future ASTi USB devices. The green power LED will light when power is received from
the Prism unit. A separate power supply for the Spectrum is not necessary. The green connector
LED will light when the Spectrum is connected to a Prism and when the Spectrum is detected in
the Telestra software.
For more information on the Spectrum see the ASTi Prism & Spectrum Remote Distribution
Modules Technical & User Guide (ASSY-01-UMRXRD-UG-1).
Overview of the Spectrum features:
• Receives digital audio from Prism and distributes to local devices
• One (1) RJ-45 connector to a Prism unit
• Four (4) USB, A type connectors to USB devices (2 Iris units + future modules)
Figure 13: Spectrum - Front View
Figure 14: Spectrum - Rear View
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2.2.5. Ancillary Equipment
In addition to the Telestra USB hardware, there are several pieces of peripheral equipment that
connect to the USB hardware. These include but are not limited to:
• Headsets, microphones, and speakers
• Cables
• Press-to-talk (PTT) switches
• Touchscreen Display
Refer to the ASTi web site (www.asti-usa.com) for details about options, pricing, and ordering
information.
Handset
Speaker
Hand Mic
Fostex Speaker
Headset
4-Channel PTT
Table Mic
Touchscreen Display
Figure 15: Ancillary Equipment
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3.0. Software Overview
3.1. Telestra
The Linux-based operating Telestra runs in real-time framework. The system runs in three (3) levels including:
1. Embedded Mode-In Embedded mode the system will boot, load and run the default
MBV model. This is the recommended boot mode.
2. Development Mode- In Development mode the system will boot and load, this mode is
used when developing models in MBV.
3. Recovery Mode- This mode is not recommended unless the Telestra crashes and development mode won’t run. In Recovery mode the system boots straight to the prompt for
debugging. Please contact ASTi for more information.
Telestra supports a variety of additional software services and packages to meet even the highest
of communications simulation requirements including:
• MBV-Model Builder Visual is the Telestra audio and communications visual runtime environment.
• RMS- The Remote Management System is a specialized web server that provides complete
sight and control of ASTi devices on the simulation network, ranging from stand-alone to
multi-site, exercise-wide network configurations.
• HLA Communications-For High Level Architecture (HLA) applications, Telestra come
with ASTi’s federate software and various debug tools pre-installed.
• High-Fidelity (HF) Radio Environment- The HF server provides real-time, high-fidelity
modeling of HF radios using the Model Builder Virtual radio environment. The HF Server
computes propagation effects between virtual radios, taking into account such things as
transmitter-receiver global position, season, time of day, and solar activity.
• Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) for HF radios- The ALE server is used in conjunction with the HF server to realistically simulate the functionality of modern HF ALE radios.
The ALE server allows a host computer to initiate the server with lists of radios and scan
frequencies, and perform basic simulated ALE functions, such as soundings and calls.
• Satellite Communications- This software package provides high-fidelity satellite communications modeling, including adjustable voice delays, uplink and downlink frequency modeling, half- or full-duplex communications channels, satellite positioning, channel
allocation, and passband discrimination.
• Terrain Interface and Database- This software applies occulting and degradation effects
to communication paths in the radio environment.
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• Link-16 Tactical Data Link (TDL)- This software package supports the current DIS version of TADIL-J protocol specification, and includes some of the following features:
•
Multiple JTIDS Class 2 style Terminal Simulation
•
Integrated Link-16 Transmission and Reception, with DIS/HLA Radio Environment
•
Interoperates with SISO TADIL-TALES DIS/HLA Standard (TSA levels 0 and 1)
•
Proper Link-16 Data Rate Simulation Based on Timeslot Allocation
•
NPG Buffer Management, Priority and Status Reporting
•
Stacked and Crypto Net Support
•
Generic Host Computer Interface
•
Low Cost
• Network Time Protocol (NTP)- Allows the user specify and test connection to a network
time server for synchronizing Telestra’s internal clock. See the RMS Telestra Networking
page for Time Server settings.
• Multicast Router- Distinguishes between multicast and unicast packets and determines
how to distribute the packets.
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3.2. Model Builder Visual Development Environment
ASTi’s powerful and comprehensive Model Builder Visual (MBV) communications and audio
development/runtime environment integrates seamlessly with RMS and the Telestra. MBV provides the user with a sound and communications simulation model development environment
with many of the same features, capabilities and a similar toolset used in Model Builder software.
In addition, MBV includes the visual approach to building and testing sound and communications
models. Running models in MBV is also useful when troubleshooting.
Note: ASTi does not recommend continuously switching between RMS and MBV while working
in Development mode.
Overview of features include:
• Available only in Development or Recovery modes
• Graphical user interface front-end for model development
• Component library
• Folder-based structure
• Model explorer window for easy navigation
• Model loader interprets and loads model inside ASTi's real-time framework
The assets folder represents the physical hardware. The user can right-click on objects to give
them descriptive names, ex. Iris, speakers, subwoofer, cable, mics.
Overview of starting a new model:
1. Add an Iris in the Assets Folder
2. Go to RMS pages and map it
3. Under Iris model settings set the gain settings
4. In MBV, open the model folder and add an Iris cable in the workspace. Note an Iris can
have more than one cable b/c of different channels.
5. To add audio input, middle-click the Iris and add audio inA and audio outA, double-click
the Iris object. Then in the schematic click input A and view the scope.
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Figure 16: MBV Startup Screen
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Figure 17: MBV Model Folder
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Figure 18: Telestra Toolbar
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3.3. Remote Management System 3.x
The Telestra Remote Management System (RMS) is a specialized web server that provides complete sight and control of all ASTi devices on the simulation network, ranging from stand-alone to
multi-site, exercise-wide network configurations. Users can configure the HLA Communications
Environment, multicast routing capability, and other services using a standard web browser from
anywhere on the network. Further, RMS offers a familiar point-and-click “web page” interface for
controlling ASTi resources, status checking, and file and network management.
Section 6.0. ‘Getting Started with Telestra and RMS’ provides an overview of instructions to navigate RMS. For additional information on RMS 3.x see the ASTi Telestra v3.0 User Guide (DOC01-TELS-UG-3).
Overview of RMS capabilities include:
•
Telestra software updates
•
Hardware
•
Model installation and management
•
Network parameters configuration
•
Model browsing and control
•
System reboot and shutdown
•
DIS network configuration and monitoring
•
Debugging
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Figure 19: RMS Telestra Status Page
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4.0 DIS
4.1. DIS Interface
The DIS interface carries the radio, network intercom, voice and data traffic, which is generated
and received by Model Builder Visual. Within MBV each asset can be set to DIS or local only
operation. This allows the user to have the ability to define DIS radios up to the processing limits
of the platform. Global DIS settings can be configured through RMS.
DIS Radio Basics
Network configuration:
• To communicate over DIS, this feature must be enabled by ASTi in your options file.
• You need two DIS enabled network products (Telestra, DACS, PC’ver).
• Local IP address and Mask
• Broadcast or multicast IP address
• UDP port
• Checksum parameters and DIS PDU timeout values
• DIS Site and Host Values
• Other/Advanced
Model configuration:
• Ensure the DIS IDs are unique and radios are in the same exercise.
• Match modulation type, frequency, Bandwidth, modulation, crypto state, Frequency Hopping/HQ settings, etc. for the radios.
• MBV decodes incoming audio based on signal PDU.
• Support of multiple simultaneous exercises (up to 255).
DIS PDU Types
While this is a course on the Telestra and MBV software, it is important to understand the DIS
interface traffic and its characteristics. When the DIS interface is used to carry model communications information the packet format is “IP|UDP|DIS_PDU” over standard Ethernet. The UDP port
setting is configured through RMS. The DIS PDUs contain all of the pertinent information such
as:
• Voice communication
• Tactical Data communication
• Radio Parameters (frequency, location, Tx power, DIS IDs, exercise #, etc.)
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DIS IDs are broken down into site, host, entity and radio IDs. The 4 set string:
site:host:entity:radio (for example: 10:20:30:40) must be unique for each radio on the network.
While there is not a steadfast rule for setting up the IDs, one common scenario is to associate the
site and host IDs with a physical location, the entity ID with a Telestra and then have individual
radio IDs for each radio instance.
There are four types of PDUs detailed in the following sections.
4.1.1. TX PDU
Transmitter PDUs are required for telestras to operate in a networked mode. They are both transmitted and received by Telestra systems. The TX PDU is an informational PDU that is sent out
periodically based on Tx Setting and contains information about:
• Site:Host:Entity:Radio IDs
• Radio frequency
• Location
• TX Power
• Exercise number
• Modulation
• Bandwidth
• Crypto parameters
• Frequency Hopping/HQ parameters
• State (On, Off, On_Tx or ACTIVE)
Within RMS, you can see all active TX PDU IDs that have been received by a telestra. In RMS,
you will see all local and remote DIS IDs on the net work.
In short, Tx PDUs are a radio's (or other object in MBV, i.e. transmitter, network intercom) way of
saying, “who, what and where I am.” Rx objects in MBV scan Tx PDUs to determine who is in
range. Transmitter PDUs are put out periodically if the radio is stationary (five second default) or
when the radio has changed state; that is moved, started/ended transmission, or changed parameters.
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4.1.2. Signal PDU
Signal PDUs are required for telestras to operate in a networked mode. They are both transmitted
and received by Telestra systems. The signal PDU is a UDP packet, which contains encoded voice
information or data messages. When actively transmitting or receiving from a radio, for example,
you will Rx/Tx a continuous packet flow during this time. The audio is encoded with the settings
(uLaw, PCM, CVSD) in a given radio/intercom object. The default audio encoding type can be set
through RMS. Also within MBV you can override the default on and per radio buses.
4.1.3. RX PDU
The RX PDU is not necessary for MBV to run, however it is built into MBV as a standard feature.
RX PDUs transmit receiver state information, such as the received power level. It is for informational purposes only, and does not cause the Telestra to make any adjustments based on the values
received. The Rx PDU says, “who I am in tune with” for each receiver, and whether or not they
are actively receiving audio.
4.1.4. Entity State PDU
Entity state PDUs are not necessary for MBV to run and are not generated by the telestra. The
Telestra receives entity PDUs to obtain position information for radios when an “Radio_Entity”
object is used. For example, the radios in MBV can be moved by a Mod Semi Automated Force
(SAF) entity generator.
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5.0. Host Interface
The host interface is used to receive simulation state data for control of the local audio model(s).
This host simulation computer will normally provide simulation state and sound model control
parameters such as engine RPM, radio frequency, radio position, communications panel switch
settings, etc.
This data is transmitted over an Ethernet network to the Telestra and received via the host interface network card. Communications with the Telestra are asynchronous. The host computer transmits packets at the host defined iteration rate. The Telestra ethernet hardware receives and buffers
the packet in local memory. The value is then read into the model at a rate of 100 Hz.
Some model state data and system health parameters can also be transmitted back to the host.
Packet transmission for data being returned to the Host can take place in each model iteration, or
be reduced in frequency via host setting parameters in RMS. Data received is buffered and
brought in to the model using various control objects available in the MBV development environment.
The user can inspect packet data through MBV and RMS. For transferring simulation state
parameters, the Telestra supports IEEE 802.3 standard UDP level protocol with IP addresses. The
use of UDP facilitates the reception of state data from multiple simulation sources by selection of
independent port numbers. The user will need to configure the Telestra with the appropriate network settings to ensure proper network operation. The Telestra can receive host data on 1 or more
UDP ports for MBV. Additionally, the Telestra can send host data on 1 or more UDP ports.
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6.0. Getting Started with Telestra and RMS
6.1. Cold Starting Telestra
The Telestra Cold Start Procedure allows the users to build Telestra systems from scratch. There
are three main reasons for using the Telestra Cold Start Procedure.
1. Installing the latest software version
2. Rebuilding a damaged hard disk
3. Creating spare hard disks
The following provides an overview of the Telestra Cold Start Procedure for detailed information
on the procedure please see the ASTi Telestra Cold Start Procedure (DOC-01-TELS-CS-3).
1. Verify BIOS settings match configuration settings listed in the Telestra Cold Start Guide
2. Turn on the Telestra system via the power switch on the front of the chassis.
3. The system may or may not fully boot, and you may receive an error message.
4. Insert the Telestra Software CD into the CD-ROM drive.
5. Reboot the system using the “Reset” button on the front of the chassis.
6. The system will begin to boot from the CD. You will be given the option of installing the
software with or without a graphical interface. At the “boot:” prompt, press the ENTER
key to install in graphical mode.
The screen may go blank for about a minute as the X server (graphical interface) starts.
This is normal, and the process should not be interrupted.
7. The Telestra Software Installer will load, and the software installation will proceed without any further user action.
8. When the installation is complete, the CD tray will slide open. Remove the CD from the
tray.
9. Click the “Exit” button in the graphical interface if you have a mouse connected to the
Telestra system. Otherwise, press the ENTER key to select “Exit”.
10. The Telestra system will reboot and start from the hard disk.
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6.2. Uploading Options File
The Telestra Options file is a program-specific encrypted file containing software packages for all
of the Telestra systems delivered under that program. A single Telestra Options file may be
installed on multiple Telestra platforms but will only activate the appropriate software packages
on each platform. The software functionality, as defined by the Telestra Options File, is linked
directly to the Telestra system’s hardware configuration. The Telestra Options screen in RMS
allows the user to manage the Telestra Options file.
Overview of the Options File Background
• The Options file contains the software license key, which is required for MBV operation.
• The Options file enables certain software modules available on the Telestra platform (e.g.
HF server, Terrain server) and specifies the number of credits allocated to the Telestra
• The number of credits determines the scope of the models that can be created and run in
MBV.
• The Options file is keyed to the MAC address of Telestra
6.2.1. Instructions to Upload the Options File
1. Insert the Telestra Options CD into the machine running the RMS browser.
2. The following steps apply only if the Options CD has been inserted into Telestra:
2a. Go to console
•
In Embedded or Recover y Mode, press ALT-F2
•
In Development Mode, press CTRL-ALT-F2
2b. Login to console as root
2c. Type “mount /cdrom” at prompt
2d. In Development Mode, press ALT-F7 to return to X Windows environment
2e. ** After uploading options file per the steps below, return to console and type “eject”
at prompt
3. In the RMS browser, go to the Telestra >> Options screen
4. Select the “Choose File” button to locate the file on your local workstation.
5. Select “Upload New Options File” button
Important: Selecting an Options File with the same name as the currently-installed Options
File will result in the new file over-writing the existing file.
Click on the filename of the existing Options File to download it to your local workstation for
archiving and backup purposes.
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Figure 20: RMS Options File
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6.3. Configure Basic Settings
RMS allows user to enter basic information that identifies and describes a Telestra platform. The
Telestra >> Preferences screen shows the system’s basic settings, such as installation and contact
information. It also provides the ability to add and delete Telestra user accounts, which are important in MBV model management. Settings include:
•
Description (e.g. Comms Telestra)
•
Installation Facility (e.g. NLX Corporation)
•
Installation Location (e.g. Sterling, VA)
•
Installation Trainer (e.g. E-2C WST)
•
Contact Name
•
Contact Phone
•
Contact Email
Figure 21:Telestra System Status
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6.4. Network Settings
RMS allows the user to configure the following network settings on the Telestra platform.
• General Networking. This section encompass network-wide, interface-independent settings such as Autodiscovery, DNS nameserver and router gateway IP addresses.
• Time Server. This section allows you to specify and test connection to a network time
server (NTP server) for synchronizing Telestra’s internal clock. Other settings allow you to
tweak Telestra’s NTP client variables.
• Ping Utility. Enter another computer’s hostname or IP address to send five pings (echo
requests) to it. Positive response indicates that computer is reachable over the network,
using any of Telestra’s three network interfaces.
• Network Interfaces. These sections allow you to specify IP address, card mode and subnet
mask for each of Telestra’s three Ethernet interface cards.
Operational Warning: Making changes to the interface settings (especially eth0), such as changing manual IP address, or setting card mode to DHCP may result in your not being able to access
RMS at the original (previous) IP address. If you change these settings, you must then specify the
new IP address in your browser’s Address slot to access RMS at its new network location.
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Instructions to Configure Network Settings
1. In RMS browser, go to the Telestra >> Networking screen
2. Click on the “Edit Configuration” link under the section of interest
3. Enter data into appropriate fields
4. Select “Make Changes” button to commit the changes
Figure 22: RMS Telestra Networking Page
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6.5. Model Management
Model management allows you to stop, reload, copy, delete or backup the model. In Development
mode, each user’s “default” model will be loaded in MBV when it is launched. In embedded
mode, the “Embedded Operation” default model is automatically loaded and started when the
Telestra system is booted. Users can copy models from other users to work with them, but they
cannot copy over other user’s models.
For more information on Model Management in RMS, see the Telestra 3.0 Users Guide (DOC-01TELS-UG-3), Chapter 6.
Figure 23: RMS Telestra Models Management Page
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6.6. Detecting USB Devices
The USB devices must be connected and running properly with the Telestra. There are two ways
to ensure the USB devices are working. The first way of detection is by looking at the LED lights
on the USB hardware. For more information on the location of the LED see the specific user
guide for the device.
The second way is through RMS Hardware>>Layout page. The Hardware Layout displays the
arrangement of all detected USB devices. Each device has its own icon and the black arrow indicates the Telestra USB traffic. The blue arrow indicates remote distribution of USB traffic and the
orange arrow indicates local distribution of USB traffic. The dotted arrow indicates a physical
cable connection between USB devices.
6.6.1. Instructions for discovering USB Hardware in RMS
1. In RMS browser, go to Hardware >> Layout
2. Select “Reset USB devices” button
3. Wait for all devices to be detected
4. Hardware layout will be displayed when detection is complete
Figure 24: RMS Hardware Detection Page
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If the USB devices are not recognized disconnect all USB cables and connect in the following
order.
1. Connect Axis* and Prisms* and discover via RMS
2. Connect 1 Iris* to Axis*
3. Connect Spectrum* to Prism* and discover via RMS
4. Connect remaining Iris* devices and discover via RMS
*- power cycle the device (ie prism, axis) prior to connecting
Telestra
Axis
Step 1 Connect
Axis and Prism
Step 2 Connect
1 Iris to Axis
Prism
AXIS
Out A
Out B
Advanced Simulation Technology inc.
Out C
Out D
www.asti-usa.com
Iris
Spectrum
Step 3 Connect Spectrum
to Prism via Cat 5 Cable
Step 4 Connect remaining
Irises
Iris
Iris
Iris
Figure 25: USB Detection
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6.7. Mapping Iris Devices
There are two parts to mapping the hardware. First the user must setup the software side in MBV
by adding Iris assets in the model. Then the user must map the Iris assets to the physical Iris
devices in RMS.
Hardware Setup and Mapping
Step 1 (MBV) Assign Iris cables to Iris Assets
Model Folder
Assets Folder
Digital audio
input and output
“Pilot”
Iris Cable
Iris Asset
Iris Cable
Step 2 (RMS) Map Iris Assets to Hardware devices (serial number)
“Pilot”
3-xxx
“Copilot”
3-yyy
“Instr”
3-zzz
Figure 26: Hardware Setup and Mapping
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Iris assets in the model route audio and digital I/O to physical devices. The physical “On-Wire”
Iris devices must be mapped to Iris assets in the model. Iris mapping is saved with the model in
the hardware mapping file. The following instructions provide an overview on how to map Iris
devices.
Instructions
1. In the RMS browser, go to Hardware >>Mapping. You will see a list of Irises and quite a
few “Map it” buttons.
2. Select the “Map it” button to the right of the first Iris (or any of the Irises). This will open
the Iris Hardware Assignments page (shown below).
3. For each Iris component, select an Iris serial number from the pulldown list.
4. Once all components have been mapped, select the “Map Hardware” button.
5. Wait for the model to reload until the “Model is now Loaded” message is displayed.
For more information on mapping Iris devices see the, ASTi Telestra 3.0 User Guide (DOC-01TELS-UG-3), Chapter 6.
Figure 27: RMS Iris Hardware Assignments Page
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6.8. Configuring Model Network Settings
UDP cables in the model receive and transmit host data. The host network settings for UDP cables
in the model must be configured in RMS. The RMS Models Host Interface page also lets you
select the interface on which all multicast UDP host traffic is output. The host must configure the
following settings:
• IP address / Ethernet interface
• UDP port number
• Endianness
• Periodicity (timeout period)
The settings are saved with the model in the hardware mapping file. The user must reload the
model to apply the changes
Configuring Network Settings in RMS
1. In the RMS browser, go to Models > Host Interface
2. Configure the settings for all UDP cables
3. Select “Change IP Addresses / Ports” button when complete
4. Wait for the model to load until “Model installing complete” message is displayed
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Figure 28: RMS Models Host Interface Configuration Page
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7.0. Operation and Maintenance
7.1. Saving Model Archives
Models are saved through the RMS Model Management screen or through RMS Telestra Actions
in RMS. Models are saved as tgz archive files. The archive includes all files and subdirectories
under the model directory. Model archives can be uploaded to another user. by selecting “Copy.”
Instructions to Backup in Model Management
1. In RMS browser, go to Models >> Management screen
2. Select “backup” link next to model to be saved
3. Select the files to backup from the list which include:
•
Model
•
Model Folder
•
Services Folder
•
Assets Folder
•
Hardware Mapping
•
Components
•
Debug
•
Profiles
•
ICD
•
Soundfiles
4. Select “Start Backup” and RMS will generate the model archive
5. Select the download location in the file browser window
6. Select “OK” to save model archive
Note: RMS facilitates archiving and restoring only the models in the user accounts. If users
choose to store any other information in their directories they are responsible for backing it up.
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7.2. Saving Settings
RMS provides a backup utility that allows users to save current configuration in archive files for
the radio environment including the DIS network settings and DIS protocol settings. The user can
also backup the Telestra configuration including preferences settings, network settings, and the
options file.
Instructions to Backup in Telestra Actions
1. In RMS browser, go to Telestra > Actions.
2. Select the “Backup System Configuration” link.
3. Select the checkbox(es) next to configuration files to be saved or select “All” checkbox.
4. Select the “Start Backup” button.
5. RMS generates a configuration archive tgz file.
6. Select download location in file browser window.
7. Select “OK” to save file to browser machine.
Figure 29: RMS Telestra Actions
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Figure 30: RMS System Configuration Backup Page
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7.3. Restoring Settings
There are two ways to restore model settings in RMS. The first is through the Model Management
screens. There are two ways for the user to start a model installation or restoration in Model Management. The user can choose to upload a model from their workstation OR choose to restore a
model archive already stored on the Telestra.
For detailed instructions please see the Telestra 3.0 Users Guide (DOC-01-TELS-UG-3), Chapter
6, Uploading & Installing Model Files.
The second way to restore model settings in RMS is through the Telestra Actions screen.
Instructions
1. In RMS browser, go to Telestra > Actions.
2. Select the “Restore System Configuration” link.
3. Select the “Choose File” button.
4. Select “Restore Now” next to the model file you want to restore.
5. Check the files to restore or select the “Check All” button.
6. Select “Start Restoration”.
7. Restart your Telestra to apply the restoration.
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7.4. Installing Telestra Software Upgrade
In RMS, the Packages Update System will display the Software Update screen, shown below.
Telestra software updates may be installed without performing a system cold start
Instructions
1. In RMS browser, go to Packages >Update System.
2. Insert the Telestra Software CD into Telestra.
Figure 31:Telestra Software Upgrade
3. Check the “Verify CD Checksum” box to allow you to verify the integrity of the installation media. The verification will fail if any file on the CD is unreadable due to scratches,
marks, etc.
4. Select the “Read CD” button.
5. Telestra mounts the CD and lists software packages to be installed (Please be patient this
may take a few minutes).
6. After the Telestra determines which packages to update, another page will display any
appropriate release notes, and lists the packages to be upgraded on your system.
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7. Review the packages then select the “Install updates” button. The Telestra will then proceed to install the necessary package updates.
8. When done, RMS will display a confirmation screen, “Update completed successfully”
wait for the message to display.
9. Remove CD from the CD-ROM drive.
IMPORTANT! At this point, you must remove the CD from the CD-ROM drive of the Telestra
system before doing anything else! Failure to remove the update CD from the drive will result
in a full-up system installation (including complete erasure of the hard disk) the next time the
Telestra system is started.
10. Reboot Telestra from the Telestra > Actions page.
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7.5. Hardware Readiness Tests
RMS’ hardware readiness test allows you to verify hardware setup, cable connections and Iris
operation. Navigate to Hardware Readiness to display a confirmation screen, shown below.
Figure 32: RMS Hardware Readiness
The test will create a custom readiness model based upon all the “on wire” USB devices that have
been properly initialized. This readiness model provides testing of audio in and out channels, as
well as digital in by way of PTT. To perform the test, you will need at least a headset for connecting to the Iris device(s) to be tested. The recommended test rig, consists of:
• Iris-to-PTT cable (DB-15 male to female, 6-pin XLR)
• Inline ASTi PTT box
• Stereo headset with microphone and male, 4-pin XLR connector
Running the Hardware Readiness Test
1. Connect the stereo headset and in-line ASTi PTT to Iris Channel
2. In RMS browser, go to Hardware > Readiness
3. Select the “Run Readiness Test” button
4. Verify that a tone is heard in the headset without distortion
•
On Channel A, a beeping tone is heard
•
On Channel B, a steady tone is heard
•
On either channel, a tone frequency changes when PTT is keyed
•
On either channel, a tone frequency changes with channel select knob position
5. Verify microphone input is heard in headset without distortion
Important: When you are done with the readiness test, you must reload the desired MBV model
to replace the custom readiness test model.
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8.0. Model Builder Visual Introduction
The user must operate in Development mode to create models in MBV. The user must setup a user
account and password in RMS to operate in Development mode.
8.1. Creating a User Account
1. Boot the Telestra in Development mode.
If a username and password is requested, use rmsuser and astirules for the password. Do
not stay in Development mode with this username, you must create a new username.
2. Select the RMS icon to launch the web browser and navigate to Telestra >> Preferences
page.
3. Left click on “Add New User Account.”
4. Type in the new username and password and select “Create User.”
5. Navigate back to Telestra >> Preferences.
6. Under the Boot menu, select Development.
7. Navigate to Telestra >> Actions page and select “Reboot Telestra System.”
8. Once the Telestra reboots, type in the new username and password.
You are now ready to begin developing models in MBV.
Note: MBV takes a few minutes to start the real-time framework, load the components library and
load the model.
To develop a working model the user must know how to:
• Add objects
• Connect links to the objects
• Route using the Channel Handle
• Control the inputs using the ICD tool
• Drive the hosts
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Figure 33: RMS Telestra Preferences Page
Figure 34: RMS New User Account
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8.2. MBV Navigation
While navigating in MBV is fairly self-explanatory, the following provides a quick overview.
• To enter a folder in MBV either
•
Double-click on folder icon in workspace area or
•
Click once on folder in explorer window
• To view components in MBV either
•
Double-click on component icon in workspace area or
•
Right-click on component icon in workspace area then select “Open”
• To run a model either
•
Select “Resume Scenario” from Scenario menu or
•
Press F3 key
• To stop a model either
•
Select “Pause Scenario” from Scenario menu or
•
Press F3 key
A few nuisances of MBV need to be mentioned before beginning model development.
• When creating a new object/asset or a new link between objects/assets, the model needs to
be reloaded before the object/asset can be edited or used. This is not to say that multiple
objects can't be placed and linked together before reloading, but it is good practice to reload
after a group of objects/links have been created. Note: The links in MBV represent audio
when red and controls when blue.
• Saving the model. Whenever something is changed in the model, MBV automatically saves.
This is why there is not “Save” function. The “Save As” function creates a copy and any
further edits are saved on that copy. Use this option if you want to retain a certain state
When creating a new object/asset or a new link between objects/assets, the model needs to be
reloaded before the object/asset can be edited or used. This is not to say that multiple objects can’t
be placed and linked together before reloading, but it is good practice to reload after a group of
objects/links have been created. Note: The links in MBV represent audio when red, and they represent controls when blue.
Note: When naming models the model name cannot have spaces, the user should insert underscores (_) for spaces, for example, MBV_Model_Tutorial.
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8.3. Component Overview
The Components consist of Audio, Control, DRED (Daily Readiness), Engine, Intercom, Platform, and Radio components. These components provide the palette from which a user creates a
model.
Audio components generate sounds. This group includes components such as a wave generator,
an amplitude modulator, an audio mixer, and a vox. This component plays sound object filter.
Control components provide logic for a model. This group includes components such as a logic
table, a math function, a lookup table, byte control, etc.
DRED components include objects that are used to create the daily readiness test model. The
readiness model is dynamically generated when triggered by a user via Telestra RMS. This group
includes components such as Amp mode, bit to Byte, Gain, input, math functions, mixers, and
wave.
Engine components include both rotor and engine sounds. The audio from the engine and rotor
components changes dynamically based on inputs such as RPM, whine frequency, and gain.
Intercom components relate to internal communication paths within the model. This group
includes the communication panel and local intercom buses. Audio on intercom buses is never
transmitted onto the voice network. These buses are used internally to pass audio around. If put in
a radio, for example then audio can be sent out on the DIS network.
Platform components simulate power distribution to both individual assets such as radios, intercoms, and communication panels and to groups of assets.
Radio components include communication assets whose audio is transmitted to or received from
the voice network. The radio components include generic radios, transmitters, receivers, network
intercoms, etc.
• Schematic
•
Displays graphical layout of component code
•
Primitives (building blocks of component)
•
Mousing over primitive displays current values of primitive variables
•
Connections between primitives
• Data Viewer
•
Displays primitive details in a list format (tree view) opposed to the graphical layout
of the schematic. The user can view or set values of primitive variables.
• Link Inspector
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•
View incoming and outgoing link data
•
Right-click on source or destination component to access menu
•
Go to data view tab of source / destination component
•
Go to link inspector tab of source / destination component
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8.4. MBV ICD Tool (with Tutorial)
The Interface Control Definition (ICD) tool allows a host computer and an MBV model to share
information via ethernet UDP packets by labeling and standardizing the information contained in
the UDP packet. In other words, the ICD tool defines the XML packet layout. When creating an
ICD, the user creates the packets that makeup the ICD and the members that makeup the packets.
For every model with network host inputs the user must create a new ICD. Before getting started
boot MBV on your Telestra and login. The remainder of this section describes how to create a
new ICD and provides a step-by-step tutorial.
Step 1: Creating a New ICD
1. Navigate to file in the top menu bar and select ‘Start a New Model.’ Name the new
model
ICD_Tutorial
Note: This will be an “empty” model focusing on the demonstration of the ICD tool.
2. Navigate to the top menu bar and under Tools select ‘ICD Tool.’ Then open the ICD tool
and click ‘Create’ to create a new ICD.
Figure 35: Creating an ICD
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Step 2: Naming the ICD
You will need to name your ICD. This name is just an arbitrary name that will identify the
ICD from the others. The standard naming convention is to use a name which corresponds
with the function of the ICD.
Figure 36: ICD Name
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8.4.2 Adding Packets
The packets makeup the ICD. The user enters the values for each packet which will makeup the
packets structure. Existing packets can also be edited by selecting a packet under the ‘Current
Packet’ pull down menu.
The following inputs define the packet.
• Endian- Selects the default Endianess (Big or Little) of the packet data. This can also be set
and overridden in the RMS>>Host pages. ASTi recommends using RMS to set this value.
• Direction- Defines whether the packet data is to be received as input or is to be transmitted
as output.
• Timeout (ticks)- This value represents the number of 100 Hz system frames that can occur
before loading the initialization/default values set in the UDP inputs assets in your model.
Loading these values will only occur if packet information is not received on this port
within the time represented by the number of frames. If a packet is received in this time
frame, the count is rest. A value of zero (0) means the interface never times out and initialization/default parameters are not loaded.
• Port- The port number selects the default UDP receive port for the packet data if this is an
input packet, or the transmit UDP port if this is an output packet. This can also be set and
overridden in the RMS>>Host pages. ASTi recommends using RMS to set this value.
• IP Address- If the packet is an output packet this field will allow setting the destination IP
address (i.e. the host computer you wish to send the data to). This can also be set and overridden in the RMS>>Host pages. ASTi recommends using RMS to set this value.
Figure 37: ICD Packet Information
Step 3: Adding a Packet to the ICD
1. Select the packet icon from the top tool bar and name it
Packet1
2. Select Packet1 from the ‘Current Packet’ pulldown list.
You have added a packet, now you must add members continue to the next tutorial.
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8.4.3. Choosing a View Mode
There are two ways to view the ICD interface, most of the changes will be performed in ‘Offset’
view.
• Offset view shows the “variable” name. This is the name of the packet entry at its lowest
level. One level up from this is a wire name.
• Wire view allows abstraction of the variable name. It is the name you see on the MBV
desktop when you middle-click on a component to create a link. It is also the name you see
in the Host UDP assets and cables in your model. Wires can also be bundled by adding a
name to identify the bundle.
8.4.4. ICD Packet Members
The user adds members to define each packet. The following inputs must be defined for each
member.
• Name- Enter the variable name. If you change the variable name of an existing member
than the wire name under the wire view needs to be changed as well.
• Type- Sets the variable type and data type for the member. ASTi recommends sticking to
common/basic <type> variables. Note: This variable type must match the variable type of
the component variables it connects to in the model.
• Offset- Sets the offset location in the ethernet packet for the data associated with this member.
• Bit Offset- This is only needed for bit packed booleans.
• Size- Identifies the size of the data in bytes.
• Units, Range, and Comments- These are used to provide additional information and are
not used for anything functional.
• Default- This input is not used.
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Step 4: Adding a Member
You can add a member by clicking the icon button at the top of the ICD page or right-click in
the workspace (shown below). You’ll be asked to provide a member name (in this case the
same name will be used for the wire names.)
Add a member and name it,
SineWave_Frequency
Note: The user can also edit, move, or delete existing members by right-clicking or
choosing the proper icon in the tool bar.
Figure 38: Adding Members
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Step 5: Defining the Member
After adding a member, you must define the member name, type, offset, bit offset, and size.
Hint: To find the type variable for your member open up the object and view the schematic
(see arrow 1 below).
Then double-click on the input option needed (2).
Look under the Type values to find the value needed (3).
Return to the ICD packet member inputs and enter the Type (4).
After you have finished editing the packet select ‘Ok’ and your member is created.
Figure 39: Setting the Member Type
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8.4.5. Setting Offsets
To set offsets the view mode must be in Offset mode. There are several ways to edit offsets individually or grouped together.
• Edit offsets by editing each member through the edit member window.
• Highlight a particular member and use the +/- keys to increment and decrement the current
offset number.
• Highlight a block of members (drag your mouse across them or click on the first entry and
then shift/click on the last entry) and use the +/- keys to increment and decrement all offset
values in the highlighted block.
Hint: You can also select different members across the packet and use the control button
to perform the same operation (i.e. the members do not need to be in a continuous block.)
• There is also an auto offset function which will automatically set the offsets of all the highlighted members. Highlight a block of members and right-click to select “auto Index/offset.” This will set the offsets starting at the input offset number (shown below).
Note: You can click on any of the column names to sort the list (alphabetical, etc.) The tool does
not currently check for overlaps so be diligent!
Figure 40: Setting Offset
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8.4.6. Saving Changes
After completing changes to the ICD the user should either Save or Save As. Use Save As to
change the name of the XML file to help track revisions. This saves the changes to the XML file
but have yet to be implemented in the model.
8.4.7. Implementing Changes in Your Model
After saving the ICD XML file, the changes need to be added to the model. To add the
changes to the model, click on the ‘Create Assets’ (magic wand) icon button or select
this action from the top menu under model.
MBV will then recreate the Host Assets in the model using the currently selected (and updated)
ICD file. These changes will be made to the currently loaded MBV model. A prompt will appear
when this process is complete. Larger models may take a few minutes, so be patient.
After implementing the changes, reload the model in MBV and look for warning/error entries in
the reporting screen at the bottom of the MBV development environment window.
Hints: You can also select the ‘Clear MBV Log’ entry under the Debug menu before reloading
because it is easier to find errors. Watch for warnings regarding type or size mismatches and link
errors which could occur if you change the wire name of a variable. To correct type/size problems
you'll need to return to the ICD tool. To correct link errors you'll need to create a new link and
delete the old one. Reload after these changes and check the reporting window to see if you have
cleared everything.
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8.5. Changing an Existing ICD
The user must change the existing ICD to make changes to the host interface. The following
describes how to edit a member in a step-by-step example.
1. Load the model you wish to change and select the ICD tool.
2. When the ICD tool opens you will have two options:
A) Create a new ICD or
B) Open an existing ICD
You will choose to open an existing ICD.
When you select to open an existing ICD you will be given a list of XML files from previous ICD files generated and saved by the tool for the currently loaded model.
Note: If you don’t purge these files you can rack up a long list. The ICD files are found in
the ICD folder one level down from your top level model folder.
3. Pick the file you wish to change (this will most likely be the latest file).
4. Change the view mode to Offset.
5. Double-click on the entry/member you wish to modify, or click to highlight the entry.
6. Right-click and select Edit Member/Wire, or click on the gear icon at the top of
the page. The Edit Packet Member window will pop up.
After making changes to the ICD tool, save the changes and then click the “Magic
Wand” tool to create the asset.
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9.0. Creating a Basic Model in MBV
The following subsections in this chapter will walk the user through creating a basic MBV model,
demonstrating how to use the most common objects in MBV. The model will be built in 4 blocks,
or tutorials, which will build upon each other by adding new components and illustrating new
concepts and tools. The following diagram outlines the final model.
Counter
Trigger
Dur. 10 ms
End 1
Start 0
X
TableXY
X
ICD
Comparator
Type
Y
Z
Sine Wave
X Y
1 100
2 200
3 300
4 400
5 500
Y
Iris Cable
Vox Threshold
Vox Enable
PTT
Audio In
Trigger
4Ch.PTT
4Ch.PTT
Decoder
Amp
Bit 0
Bit 1
Bit 2
BitToByte
IcomTx
Mixer
Control
Input 1
IcomRx
Vox Threshold
Vox Enable
PTT
Audio
Input 3
IcomTx
IcomRx
Rx Vol 1
Rx Vol 2
Psound
Trigger
Index
Sound 1
Sound 2
Sound 3
Iris
Input 2
Freq
Vox
Audio Out
Rx Vol 3
IcomTx
IcomRx
Math 2
0-100
Rx Volume
Master
Volume
Y= (scale)=.01
X
Figure 41: Model Tutorial Overview
In order to successfully complete all the tutorials, you will need the following hardware:
• One Iris properly connected to the Telestra
• Headset
• Microphone
• 4 Channel PTT Switch
• Speaker (optional)
The first tutorial will focus on the wave object and three different control objects used to control
and modify the input fields of the wave object. Specifically, the Wave object will generate a sine
wave. A TableXY control object will determine the sine wave’s frequency. The Amplitude will be
driven in a square wave fashion using a counter and a comparator to generate the square wave
amplitude input. The ICD tool will be utilized to drive inputs into the control objects, demonstrating a host controlling the sine wave.
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The second tutorial will focus on the Vox object. Audio from a mic will route through the Iris into
the Vox, and then back out through the Iris and into the headset as sidetone. The ICD inputs will
drive the Vox parameters.
The third tutorial will focus on play sounds using the PSound255 object. This tutorial will demonstrate how the Sound Editor library tool is used and how the Psound255 object is used to manage
sound files within a model. A Four Channel PTT switch will be used to select which play sound
files will play when triggered via host control.
The fourth tutorial will focus on the mixer object and how to use channel handles to internally
route the audio generated from the previous three tutorials to the mixer object. A Math2Function
object will control Audio volume and a BitToByte object will control the mixing of the audio signals.
Before beginning each tutorial refer to the Telestra MBV Quick Components Reference Guide
(DOC-01-MBV-QCRG-1)for explanations of each component.
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9.1 Tutorial 1 - Sine Wave
This tutorial will consist of four (4) components. The Iris object and cable will be used with this
portion of the tutorial. A Wave object will generate a sinusoidal wave whose signal will be routed
via the Iris cable to an Iris asset. The Frequency of the sine wave will be controlled by the
TableXY component. Host control (ICD tool and packet) will drive input integers with values of 1
through 5 into the TableXY object and a corresponding frequency value will output from the
TableXY object and drive the frequency field of the sine wave.
Two components will work in tandem to modulate the amplitude of the sine wave. A Counter
object will continuously count and input its signal into the Comparator object. This will cause the
Comparator object to alternately output a 0 or 1 which in essence becomes a square wave signal.
This square wave signal drives the input of the amplitude field of the sine wave. The final output
of the sine wave will be a beeping sound.
By the end of this section the user should be familiar with:
• Creating a new model
• Setting up Iris assets
• Mapping Model Iris's to ‘on the wire’ Iris's
• Using Model Subfolders
• Generating a Sine Wave
• Routing audio from a model to a headset
• Using a Counter, Comparator, and Table object
• Driving component fields with host controls (ICD Tool)
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Step 1: Creating a New Model
Open MBV in development mode and left click on “File”, select “New”, name the model
MBV_Component_Tutorial
Remember: The model name cannot contain spaces. Underscores must be used in lieu of space
characters.
Your screen should look like the figure below. This creates a blank canvas for building your
model.
Figure 42: Creating a New Model
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Step 2: Setting up the Iris
Before building the sine wave you must setup the hardware assets in MBV to allow you to hear
the signal.
1. Under Model Explorer (upper left window in MBV), open up the Assets tree by left-clicking on the plus symbol next to Assets.
2. Select ‘Telestra.’
3. Right-click in the workspace.
4. Select “iris” and name it
Iris1
5. In order to edit the Iris values, you must
reload your model. The reload button is the
circle with a blue arrow rotating clockwise.
6. After reloading, double left-click on Iris1
asset to open its properties.
7. Next you will set the gain levels, this you to hear the audio out after you finish creating the
model. To do this, scroll down to the atmel_gains box and double-left-click on it to open
the properties.
8. Set all the values to 15 by double-clicking each name and typing in the value. Select “Set
Default” and select Close.
Figure 43: Setting up the Iris
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Step 3: Creating the Sine Wave
1. Under Model Explorer, open up the Model folder by left-clicking on it.
2. Right-click in the workspace, under Audio select Wave and name it
Sine_Wave
Remember: The object names cannot contain spaces. Underscores must be used in lieu of space characters.
3. Reload the model, so you can edit the fields in the
Sine_Wave.
4. Open the Sine_Wave object and in the schematic open
wavetype and select the sine wavetype by double-leftclicking on kin and selecting it from the drop down
menu. This must be done to hear sound in the model
after the model is finished.
5. Navigate back to the workspace and right-click to add
an IrisCable, name it
IrisCable1
6. Reload the model.
7. Right-click on IrisCable1 and select ‘assign to an Iris’, then select
Iris1
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8. To route the audio from the Sine_Wave out to the Iris middle-click on the Sine_Wave
object and select
from Signal >> all of
Important! Between this step and the next step, once you select the ‘all of’ with the middle mouse button, you can only navigate the folders with the left mouse button before
finishing the link with the middle mouse button. If you do hit another button you will
lose the link “focus” you have from the sine wave.
9. Then middle-click on the IrisCable1 and select
to stereoOperator >> AudioOutA
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Step 4: Creating the Table
1. Right-click in the workspace and select Control and TableXY16, rename this to
Sine_Freq_Table
2. Reload the model.
3. Open the Sine_Freq_Table, double-click Table and open the tree table. Expand the table
data and set Data X and Y values for the data fields 0 through 4. The ‘X’ values range
from 1 to 5. The ‘Y’ fields will be the corresponding frequencies, shown below.
Note: Continue to set values as ‘Default.’
Close the window after setting the values.
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4. Then double-click on the ‘X’ input from the schematic view. In the fields list, under Type
view select Uint from the pulldown list. Set as Default and close the window.
5. To drive the table output into the Sine_Wave navigate back to the workspace, middle-click
on the Sine_Freq_Table object and select
from Output_kout_float
Then middle-click on the Sine_Wave object and select
to Frequency
The result should be linked as shown below.
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Step 5: Driving the Amplitude by Creating a Counter and Comparator
1. To add the Counter component right-click in the workspace and under Control select
Counter. Name the new Counter object
Sine_Amp_Counter
2. Reload the Model.
3. Double-click the Sine_Amp_Counter to set the values.
Open Duration and set kin to 10.
Open End Value and set kin to 1.
Open Start Value and set kin to 0.
Then open the Counter and set Continuous to TRUE.
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4. To add the comparator component return to the workspace and right-click and under Control select Comparator. Name the comparator object
Sine_Amp_Comparator
5. Reload the model.
6. To set the comparator values, open the comparator object.
Open the ‘Y’ and set the kin to 0.5.
Open Compare and set the LessThan value to 1.
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7. To link Sine_Amp_Counter inputs to Sine_Amp_Comparator navigate back to the workspace and middle-click on the Sine_Amp_Counter object and select
from Count_kout_float
Then middle-click the Sine_Amp_Comparator and select
to X
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8. To set the Sine_Wave amplitude middle-click the Sine_Amp_Comparator object and
select
from Output_kout_float
Then middle-click the Sine_Wave and select
to Amplitude
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Step 6: Creating a New ICD
1. Navigate to tools in the top menu bar and click on ‘ICD Tool.’ Create a new ICD and
name it
Host_ICD
Note: The ICD name cannot contain spaces, using spaces may cause problems in MBV.
Underscores must be used in lieu of space characters.
2. Then create a new packet and name it
Component_Tutorial_Inputs
(This ICD and packet will be used in tutorials throughout section 9.0.)
3. Under Current Packet, select the new packet Component_Tutorial_Inputs.
4. Add a new member and name it
Sine_Counter_Trigger
5. Set the member information as shown below.
Remember: To find the type open the Sine_Amp_Counter object and open the Trigger
input. The default type is basic/boolean, as shown below.
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6. Add another new member and name it
Sine_Freq_Table_Select
The type for this member can be set to various options but for this tutorial set it to basic/
uint32.
7. Highlight both the members and right-click, select ‘Auto Index/Offset’ and set to 0.
8. Save the new ICD and then hit the “magic wand” tool to create the assets.
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Step 7: Linking the ICD to the Model
1. Navigate back to the workspace. Right-click and add a UDPinCable and rename it
Tutorial_Inputs
2. Right-click on Tutorial_Inputs and
assign the UDP cable to the
Component_Tutorial_Inputs packet.
3. To set the trigger in the Sine_Amp_Counter middle-click Tutorial_Inputs and select
from host packet >> Sine_Counter_Trigger
4. Then middle-click Sine_Amp_Counter and select
to Trigger
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5. Middle-click on Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to host packet >> Sine_Freq_Table_Select
6. Then middle-click Sine_Freq_Table and select
to x_kin_uint
7. Reload the model and the log list should look like the list below (no errors).
Remember: The log list is found at the bottom of the main MBV page. Drag it up with the
mouse arrow to allow a larger viewing area.
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Step 8: Mapping the Iris
You will route the audio to the Iris cable using RMS. This step maps the actual Iris hardware
device to the Iris1 asset you created in MBV. Before you can map the Iris, you must load the current model in RMS Model>> Management.
1.
Open RMS and navigate to the Hardware>>Mapping page.
2. You should see two Irises that have a “Map It” button under the Model Asset Column.
3. Select the first Iris “Map It” button, in the drop down box of Iris1, select one of the two
numbers. The numbers correspond to the Iris’s hardware serial numbers. If you look at the
front of your two Irises you should see the serial numbers in the upper right hand corner.
4. After choosing the serial numbers, select “Map Hardware”.
5. Return to MBV and in the top toolbar under Models, select “Start Model”.
Figure 44:Mapping the Iris Hardware
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Now you have completed your Sine_Wave, plug your speaker or headset into channel A of the Iris
you just mapped. To hear your different sine wave tones open the Component_Tutorial_Inputs
UDP cable and change the Sine_Freq_Table_Select values between 1-5. You should hear different
frequencies as you change the values.
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Step 9: Organizing Your Model
As you continue with the following tutorials in section 6.0 or as you build a large model, you will
want to organize different parts of the model into subfolders.
1. Highlight the entire model workspace created in this tutorial, right-click and select cut.
2. Right-click and create a new model subfolder and name it SineWave.
3. Paste the contents of your model into the SineWave folder.
Figure 45: Final Model
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9.2. Tutorial 2- VOX
This section is intended to follow and build upon the model from Tutorial 1 in section 9.1
The second tutorial will focus on the Vox object. This tutorial will demonstrate how to route audio
into the model from an ‘on the wire’ object. In this case, we assume it is an operator using a mic to
transmit a voice signal. The additional components in the model will be the Vox object, Iris cable
and UDP input cable. The audio input will be routed back out to the Iris so the operator can hear
his/her voice, much like a side tone. A PTT switch can be used to enable/disable voice signal output. The host driven input from a UDP pack can enable/disable the Vox to detect the mic sound.
By the end of this section the user should be familiar with:
• The Vox object
• Enabling/disabling the Vox object and adjusting its detection level
• Using the PTT switch to activate voice transmission
Step 1: Creating a Vox subfolder
1. Click in the workspace under the main Model folder and add a new model subfolder.
Name the folder Vox.
2. Open the Vox folder, use this folder workspace to create the remainder of the Vox tutorial.
Step 2: Creating the Vox object and Iris Cable
1. Right-click in the workspace and under Audio select Vox. Name the Vox object
Mic_Input_Vox
2. Right-click to add an Iris cable, name it
IrisCable1
3. Right-click on the IrisCable1 and select
assign to an Iris >> Iris1
This assigns the Iris cable to the Iris asset in the model.
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4. To route the audio from the Iris to the Vox, middle-click IrisCable1 and select
from/to stereo Operator >> AudioInA
5. Then middle-click on the Mic_Input_Vox object and select
to AudioIn >> all of
6. To route the audio from the microphone to the Vox out, you will need to middle-click
Mic_Input_Vox and select
from AudioOut >> all of
7. Then middle-click IrisCable1and select
to stereoOperator >> AudioOutA
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8. To route the PTT, middle-click IrisCable1 and select
from/to stereoOperator >> digital_inA1 >>
digital_inA1_kout_bool
9. Then middle-click Mic_Input_Vox and select
to PTT
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Step 3: Creating New Vox Members in the ICD and Assigning to the Model
1. In the workspace right-click and add the UDPincable, name it
Tutorial_Inputs
(the same name used in the previous tutorial).
2. Right-click on Tutorial_Inputs and select
Assign UDP Input Cable >>
Telestra[Component_Tutorial_Inputs_PortXXXXXX]
3. Navigate to the menu bar and open the ICD tool. Open the ICD and packet created in the
previous tutorial.
4. Add a new member and name it
Vox_Level
5. Set the required settings as shown below.
6. Add a second member and name it
Vox_Enable
7. Set the required settings.
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8. Highlight all the members in the packet, right-click and select ‘Auto Index/Offset.’ Enter
0 for the starting offset number.
9. Save the ICD and click the “magic wand” to create the assets.
10. Return to the Vox folder workspace, middle-click Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Vox_Level
11. Then middle-click on Mic_Input_Vox and select
to VoxLevel
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12. Repeat step 10 above for Vox Enable by middle-clicking Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to host packets >> Vox_Enable
13. Then middle-click on Mic_Input_Vox and select
to VoxEnable
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14. The last step is to turn on your mic. Return to the Telestra object in the Assets folder. Open
the Iris1 and open the input settings.
15. Set the mic_preamp_a to 1(default).
16. Set the mic_preamp_b to 1(default).
Reload and start your model to test your work. You should hear the 100 Hz Sine Wave from the
first tutorial as soon as you start the model. Then select the press-to-talk (PTT) button to hear
yourself talk. Open up the Tutorial_Inputs and change the Vox_Enable setting to TRUE to hear
yourself without having to use the PTT. Adjust the Vox_Level value to change how the Vox object
picks up your voice and transmits it.
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9.3. Tutorial 3- Play Sounds
This section is intended to follow and build upon the models from Tutorial 1 and 2 in sections 9.1
and 9.2.
This tutorial will demonstrate how to use the Play sound object to play wave files. The Sound
Library tool will be used to build a library of a group of wave files. The wave files will be
assigned to positions in the PSound255 object. The 4 Channel PTT will control the played soundfiles. Each channel on the PTT switch will play a different sound file. Host controls will trigger
the playing of the sound files.
By the end of this section the user should be familiar with:
• The Sound Library Editor
• The PSound255 object
• The 4 Channel PTT
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Before using the Sound Library the user should be aware of the loop modes. There are three loop
mode options in the Sound Library.
• One-shot- set this to play the sound from beginning to end, one time only.
• Simple Loop- set this to play the file from beginning to end in a continuous loop.
• Complex Loop- set this to play a subsection of a file in a loop for a designated time and then
it continues on after the second trigger and finishes playing the remainder of the file.
Simple Loop
Start
Finish
Complex Loop
Trigger
Trigger
Loop
Start
Finish
Figure 46:Simple and Complex Loop Diagram
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The PSound is an audio object that allows for the playing of one or multiple audio files. The audio
files must be in the following format:
• Wave 16-bit PCM (*.wav)
• 48 kHz sample rate
• Mono
Controls for the PSound object:
• Trigger: When true, causes the soundfile located in the playfiles[Index] to play
• Pause: When true, pauses the playback of the audio
• Index: Pointer which specifies which playfiles[index] will be played.
• Gain: playback volume of the output audio
Playsounds
Pause
Trigger
Aout
32
Index
Gain
Psound: playfiles [32]
Sound Library Editor
“Stall”
Filename= /home/..../.../...../.wav
Start= 0
End= 1000
Loop Mode= one-shot/simpleloop/complexloop
Play All=yes/no
[0] = Stall
[1] = TACAN Tone
[2] = Weapon fire
[3] = Rain
:
:
[31] = .....
Figure 47: Playsounds
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After completing the following tutorial you should be able to:
• Use the sound library
• Assign playsounds to the Iris asset
• Change input/output settings to hear sounds
Note for the purpose of this tutorial three sound files are available on the asti web site at http:/
www.asti-usa.com. These files are chopper, tankfire, and airtraffic. To continue with this tutorial
you will need to save the wave files into the .soundlibrary directory under your model directory.
Figure 48: MBV Sound Library
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Step 1: Creating Playsound Object and Using the Sound Library
1. Create a new model subfolder and name it Playsound.
2. Open the Playsound folder and in the workspace rightclick and under Audio select PSound255, name it
Audio_Psound
3. Reload and then open the edit sound library under ‘Tools’ in the top tool bar.
4. In the sound library, click the play file icon and type Chopper. Then go to browse and find
the chopper.wav file. Open the file and set the loop mode to one-shot start to end.
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5. Open another play file and name it tankfire. Then go to browse and select the tankfire.wav file. Open the file and set it to simple loop. Note: Do not check ‘Play All.’
6. Open another play file and name it Airtraffic. Then go to browse and select the incoming.wav file. Open the file and set it to one shot and check ‘Play All.’ Then click ‘Ok’.
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Step 2: Assigning Sounds to Playsound Object
1. Navigate back to the playsound workspace and open Audio_Psound. In the schematic,
open psound and expand playfiles.
2. Right-click on playfile 0 and under playsound file select chopper. Set playfile 1 to tankfire and playfile 2 to Airtraffic. Close the window.
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Step 3: Routing the Audio to the Iris
1. Right-click in the workspace and add an IrisCable. Name it,
IrisCable1
2. Right-click on the IrisCable1 and select
assign to an Iris >> Iris1
3. Middle-click on Audio_Psound and select
from Aout >> all of
4. Middle-click on IrisCable1 and select
to stereoOperator >> Audio Out A
5. Reload the model.
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Step 4: Creating the 4 Channel PTT Psound Index
1. Navigate back to the Playsound workspace and right-click under Control select
FourChPTTDecoder and name it
4chPTT_Psound_Index
2. Reload the model and open the 4chPTT_Psound_Index. Under the ‘Data Viewer’ tab
expand the LevelMap, expand the table and under data (3) set the ‘y’ value to 3. Set data
(2) ‘y’ value to 2 and set data (1) ‘y’ value to 1.
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3. Navigate back to the workspace and middle-click on 4ChPTT_Psound_Index and select
from ChannelBitMask
4. Then middle-click Audio_Psound select
to index
5. Next open IrisCable1 and open digital_inA2 and make sure the mode is set to Analog
Mode (this is the default mode).
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6. Navigate back to the workspace and middle-click on IrisCable1 and select
from/to StereoOperator >> digital_inA2 >>
digital_inA2_kout_float
7. Then middle-click the 4ChPTT_Psound_Index and select
to LevelIn
This routes the analog signal from the 4ChPTT_Psound_Index to the decoder object in the
model.
8. Right-click in the workspace and add the UDPinCable and name it
Turorial_Inputs
9. Reload and right-click Tutorial_Inputs to assign UDPInputCable and select
Telestra [Component_Tutorial_Inputs]
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10. Open the ICD tool and open the ICD and packet created in the previous tutorials. Create a
new member and name it
Psound_Trigger
11. Set the required settings (basic/boolean).
12. Highlight all the members and right-click and select
Auto Index/Offset
13. Save and create the assets by selecting the “magic wand” tool.
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14. To assign the host packet to Audio_Psound navigate back to the workspace and middleclick Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Psound_Trigger
15. Then middle-click Audio_Psound and select
to Trigger
16. Open the Tutorial_Inputs UDP cable and set the Psound_Trigger to
True
17. Reload and start the model. Use the PTT channels to listen to the play sounds.
You have successfully created a model with the Psound component! As you change the PTT channels you should hear the different sound files. You should also hear the continuous sine wave and
if you press the PTT switch you will hear your voice (or if you have Vox enable set to True you
should hear your voice as you speak into the mic without using the PTT switch.)
You will hear all three tutorials sounds at the same time because all three audio outputs were
routed to the same channel. In the next tutorial, you will learn how to use a mixer to pick and
choose any combination of audio outputs.
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9.4. Tutorial 4- Mixer and Channel Handles
The final tutorial of this series is intended to incorporate the models developed in Tutorials 1, 2
and 3 from sections 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3.
Up until this point of the tutorial the audio output signals from all three tutorials could be heard at
the same time. In this final stage of the tutorial the mixer object will be used to select and combine
any combination of the three previous tutorial audio outputs onto one audio stream.
A BitToByte object will take in host control Boolean inputs representing each tutorial’s audio signal and they will be combined to form a bit mask which will be used to control which signals are
mixed in the Mixer object. A Math2 function will use a host driven integer value with a range
from 1 to 100 and convert it into a percentage of total volume which is used to control the output
volume level. The audio signals generated from the three previous tutorials will be transmitted on
and off an internal audio bus using the IcomTx and IcomRx. The audio bus is created using the
Channel Handle tool.
By then end of this section the user should be familiar with:
• The Mixer Object
• The BitToByte Object
• The Math2 Function Object
• The IcomTx object
• The IcomRx Object
• The Channel Handle tool
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Step 1: Creating the Mixer and Iris Cable
1. In the workspace, right-click and create a new model subfolder and name it
Mixer
2. Open the Mixer folder and right-click in the workspace and under Audio select Mixer8,
name it
Tutorial_Mixer8
3. Right-click in the workspace and create an IrisCable, name it
IrisCable1
4. Right-click on IrisCable1 and assign it to Iris1.
5. Route the mixer audio out through the Iris by middle-clicking on the Tutorial_Mixer8
and select
from output >> all of
6. Then middle-click on IrisCable1 and select
to StereoOperator >> AudioOutA
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Step 2: Deleting Audio Out Links from other Subfolders
1. Since we will be using the mixer in this tutorial, you will need to delete all the other audio
out links in the other subfolders (from the previous tutorials).
2. Right-click on each folder and highlight to expand.
3. In the Vox folder delete the audio out (the Iris cable to Vox).
4. In the Psound folder delete the audio out link.
5. In the SineWave folder delete audio out link and the IrisCable1.
6. Highlight the box around the folder objects by using the mouse. When the box turns red,
select reduce. This will reduce the models back into their subfolders.
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Step 3: Setting up the Bus and Mixer
1. To create the channel handle navigate to the top tool bar to Tools and open Edit Channel
Handle then select “New Handle,” name it
SineWave
Note: Telestra software version 3.28-1 or later features an easy way to unselect a channel. Open
the playfile list in your model and right-click a playfile and select “No Playsound” and the channel handle will be set to 0 or <None>.
2. Assign SineWave to channel 1 and then hit ‘Apply.’
3. Add two new channel handles for Vox and Playsound, assign them to 2 and 3, then hit
‘Apply.’
4. Open the SineWave folder to create the Intercom object. In the workspace, right-click and
in Intercom select IcomTx and name it
SineWave_IcomTx
Reload the model.
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5. Open SineWave_IcomTx and then open the Asset definition. Expand kin and asset and
right-click on channel then left-click to select Sinewave.
6. To assign the Sine_Wave audio to route out to IcomTx return to the Sine_Wave workspace
and middle-click on Sine_Wave, then select
from Signal >> all of...
7. Then middle-click on Sinewave_IcomTx and select
to TxAudio >> all of...
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8. Add IcomTx in the Vox and Playsound subfolders, open each IcomTx and set the asset
definition channel to the corresponding name, as shown below.
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9. Assign the Vox signal to route out to the IcomTx by returning to the Vox workspace and
middle-clicking on Mic_Input_Vox, then select
from AudioOut >> all of
10. Then middle-click on Vox_IcomTx and select
to TxAudio >> all of
11. Reload the model.
12. Assign the Playsounds signal to route out to the IcomTx by returning to the Playsound
workspace and middle-clicking on Audio_Psound, then select
from Aout >> all of
13. Then middle-click on Psound_IcomTx and select
to TxAudio >> all of
14. Reload the model.
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15. Navigate back to the Mixer folder and right-click and under Intercom select IcomRx and
name it
SineWave_IcomRx
16. Then add two more IcomRx’s and name them
Vox_IcomRx and PSound_IcomRx
17. Reload the model.
18. Open up each IcomRx and in the schematic open the asset definition and select the corresponding channel handle name.
For example, for SineWave_IcomRx assign the channel to Sinewave.
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Step 4: Routing Audio
1. Middle-click on the SineWave_IcomRx and select
from RxAudio >> select all of
2.
Then middle-click on Tutorial_Mixer and select
SignalIn0 >> all of
3. Repeat Step 1 and 2 for Vox_IcomRx and for step 2 select
SignalIn1 >> all of
4. Repeat Step 1 and 2 for Playsound_IcomRx and for step 2 select
SignalIn2 >> all of
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Step 5: Selecting the Sound
1. Right-click in the Mixer workspace and under Control select BitToByte, name it
Mixer_Control_BitToByte
2. Reload the model.
3. Middle-click on Mixer_Control_BitToByte and select
from Output kout uint8
4. Then middle-click Tutorial_Mixer8 and select
to Control
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Step 6: Adding Members to the ICD Packet
1. Open the ICD tool and open the previously created ICD and packet.
2. Add a new member and name it
Mixer_Select_Sinewave
3. Enter the member’s required values (basic/boolean).
4. Add two new members and name them
Mixer_Select_Vox and Mixer_Select_Psound
5. Enter the required values for each member.
6. Add a new member and name it
Mixer_Master_Volume
7. Enter the required values.
8. Add 3 new members and name them
Mixer_Sig0_Volume, Mixer_Sig1_Volume, and
Mixer_Sig2_Volume
9. Highlight all members and right-click, select Auto Index/Offset.
10. Save the model and select the “magic wand” tool to create assets.
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Step 7: Assigning the ICD to the Model
1. Navigate back to the Mixer folder workspace, right-click and to add the UDPInCable and
name it
Tutorial_Inputs
2. Reload the model.
3. To assign the ICD packet controls, middle-click Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to host packet >> Mixer Select Sinewave
4. Then middle-click Mixer_Control_BitToByte and select
Bit 0
5. Middle-click Tutorial
Inputs and select
from/to host
packet >>
Mixer_Select_Vox
6. Then middle-click
Mixer_Control_BitToByte
and select
Bit 1
7. Then repeat this for Psound but select
Mixer_Select_Psound>> bit2
8. Then middle-click Mixer_Control_BitToByte and select
Bit 2
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9. Middle-click on Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to host packet >>
Mixer_Sig0_Volume
10. Then middle-click Tutorial_Mixer8 and
select
to SignalGain0
11. Middle-click on Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to host packet >>
Mixer_Sig1_Volume
12. Then middle-click Tutorial_Mixer8 and select
to SignalGain1
13. Middle-click on Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to host packet >> Mixer_Sig2_Volume
14. Then middle-click Tutorial_Mixer8 and select
to SignalGain2
Note: Sig 0 -> Sinewave Volume
Sig 1 -> Vox Volume
Sig 2 -> Psound Volume
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15. Right-click in the Mixer workspace and under Control select MathFunction2. Name the
math function
Mixer_Volume_Control
16. Reload the model.
17. Open the Mixer_Volume_Control and double-click on Function and set Type to
Multiply
18. Open the ‘Y’ and set the kin to .01 (and the type should be float).
19. Open the ‘X’ and set the type to uint. Do not set the value for ‘X,’ this is done with the
ICD.
20. Middle-click on Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Mixer_Master_Volume
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21. Then middle-click Mixer_Volume_Control and select
to X_kin_uint
22. Then middle-click Mixer_Volume_Control and select
from Output_kout_float
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23. Then middle-click Tutorial_Mixer8 and select
to OutGain
24. Reload the model and start.
25. Open the Tutorial_Inputs to change the volume values and drive the model. Set the
Mixer_Select object to True.
Hint: Don’t forget to map the Iris and set the Iris asset gains, if you have not already done so.
Play the audio generated from the selected component. Try different combinations to see how to
mix different audio sources. You can also set the individual volumes for each with the
Mixer_Sig(#)_Volume fields setting Sig0 for the Sinewave, Sig1 for the Vox, and Sig2 for
Psound. The Mixer_Master_Volume will change the volume for all.
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Figure 49: MBV Components Tutorial Complete Model
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10.0. Creating a Radio Model in MBV
10.1. Tutorial- Radio Model
The two radio and two operator tutorial presented here is intended to show the user how a simple
communications model is constructed. It will demonstrate the basic principles and main components upon which more complex communications models are developed.
The model consists of Radio, Entity, ComSing and Vox objects. The Radios portion of the model
uses the Radio and Entity objects. The Radio object simulates a radio to a level of fidelity customizable by the user. In this tutorial, only the essential parameters are covered that are needed to
operate the radios. All the possible configurations of a Radio are beyond the scope of this tutorial.
The Entity object is used to set a world position for the radio (one of the essential parameters).
The operator portion of the model uses the ComSing and Vox objects. The ComSing is a simulated communications panel and is arguably the heart of any communications model. The CommPanel allows an operator to select amongst any number of Radio assets, in any combination, to
transmit and receive on. (The Comm Panel audio signals routed to an operator are not just limited
to Radios. Any type of audio signal can be selected and routed to an operator). The Vox object
allows for more control and flexibility of how an operator’s voice is passed to the communications panel and ultimately a radio’s transmitter. The Vox object is capable of detecting filtered
audio levels in order to auto transmit a voice signal. In this tutorial, only the Voxs' ability to detect
a given audio threshold will be explored. The filter capability of the Vox will be left for the users
exploration.
In both the operator and radio sections, a host control interface will be used to set and drive the
object parameters such as frequency selections and communication panel asset receive and transmit selections.
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Step 1: Creating the Iris Asset
1. In MBV, create a new model and name it
Radio_Tutorial
2. Navigate to Assets and add an Iris asset in Telestra and name it
Iris_Op1_Op2
3. Reload the model.
4. Open Iris_Op1_Op2 and open the input_settings set the preamps to 1. Then open the
atmel_gains and set the gains to 15, as shown below.
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Step 2: Creating the Entity Object
1. Navigate back to the models workspace.
2. Create a new model subfolder and name it
Radios
3. Create a new model subfolder within the Radios subfolder and name it
World_Position
4. Open the new World_Position folder and right-click in the workspace, under radio select
entity and name it
Radio_WP
Note: For this tutorial the world position will be used for multiple radios. If the radios are located
in two different locations you need two world positions, but for radios in the same position only
one world position is needed.
5. Reload the model.
6. Double-click on the Radio_WP to open the schematic.
7. Open Entity and set
kin to 1
8. Open Local and set kin to
TRUE
9. Open Network and make sure the default is set to
DIS
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Step 3: Creating a New ICD
1. Navigate to Tools in the top menu and select ICD Tool to create a new ICD.
2. Name the new ICD
Radio_Tutorial_ICD
3. Create a new packet and name it
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs
4. Under the Current Packet pull-down list select Radio_Tutorial_Inputs.
5. Add a new member and name it
Rad_Pos_X
Set the member packet Type to float 64.
Remember: To find the Type open the corresponding Radio object input, as shown below.
6. Add a new member and name it
Rad_Pos_Y
Set the member packet Type to basic/float 64.
7. Add a new member and name it
Rad_Pos_Z
Set the member packet Type to basic/float 64.
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8. Highlight the members and right-click to select Auto Index/Offset.
9. Save the ICD and select the “magic wand” tool to create assets.
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Step 4: Creating the UDP Cable and Links
1. Navigate back to the World_Position subfolder workspace and rightclick to add the UDPinCable and name it
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs
2. Right-click on Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
Assign UDP Input Cable >>
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs
3. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/host packet >> Rad_Pos_X
4. Then middle-click Radio_WP and select
to WorldGeocentric >> X
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You will repeat steps 1 and 2 for radio position ‘Y’ and ‘Z.’ Follow the steps below.
5. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/host packet >> Rad_Pos_Y
6. Then middle-click Radio_WP and select
to WorldGeocentric >> Y
7. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/host packet >> Rad_Pos_Z
8. Then middle-click Radio_WP and select
to WorldGeocentric >> Z
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Step 5: Creating the Radio
1. Navigate to the Radio subfolder workspace. Right-click in the Radios subfolder and create
a new subfolder, name it
Radio_1
2. Navigate to the top menu and under Tools select Edit Channel Handle. Create two new
handles and name them
Radio_1_Bus (Assign to Channel 1)
Radio_2_Bus (Assign to Channel 2)
3. Navigate to the Radio 1 subfolder
to add a radio object. Right-click
and under Radio select Generic
and name it
Radio
4. Reload the model.
5. Double-click on the Radio object
to open the schematic.
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6. Open the Entity Handle input. The Entity Handle in the Radio object is linked to the
Radio_WP Entity. Set these to the same values. For this tutorial set the
kin to 1
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7. In Radio 1, open the MainAssetDefinition and left-click on kin then right-click on Channel. Choose Intercom bus and select
Radio_1_Bus
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Step 6: Adding Members to the ICD Packet for Radio 1
1. Open the previously created ICD and select the same packet.
2. Add three new members to drive the radio frequency, mode, and squelch. Name them and
set the Types:
Radio_1_Frequency, Type: basic/uint64
Radio_1_Mode, Type: basic/uint32
Radio_1_Squelch, Type: basic/float32
3. Click on Name to reorganize the new and old members by name.
4. Highlight the members and right-click and select Auto Index/Offset.
5. Save the ICD and select the “magic wand” tool to create the assets.
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6. Navigate back to the workspace for Radio 1, right-click to add UDPincable name it
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs
7. Right-click on Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and assign it to
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs
8. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs (UDP cable) and
select
from/to hostPacket >>
Radio_1_Frequency
9. Then middle-click Radio and select
to MainFrequency
10. Middle-click
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >>
Radio_1_Mode
11. Then middle-click Radio and select
to MainMode
12. Middle-click
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >>
Radio_1_Squelch
13. Then middle-click Radio and select
to MainSquelch
14. Reload the model.
The model workspace should look like the image to the
right.
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Step 7: Creating Radio 2
1. Navigate back to the Radios folder and right-click on the Radio_1
folder and copy and paste it in the workspace. MBV automatically
names it Radio_2.
2. You will need to change some specific things in the Radio_2 object settings to differentiate it from Radio_1.
3. Open Radio_2 schematic and open Radio ID and set
kin to 2
4. Also open the Main Asset Definition select channel and choose
radio 2 bus
5. In the Radio_2 subfolder delete the links by right-clicking and selecting delete for each
one.
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Step 8: Adding Members to the ICD for Radio 2
1. Open the ICD tool, and the previously created ICD and packet.
2. Add three new members to drive the radio frequency, mode, and squelch. Name them and
set the Types:
Radio_2_Frequency, Type: basic/uint64
Radio_2_Mode, Type: basic/uint32
Radio_2_Squelch, Type: basic/float32
3. Click on Name to reorganize the new and old members by name.
4. Highlight the members and right-click and select Auto Index/Offset.
5. Save the ICD and select the “magic wand” tool to create the asset.
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6. Right-click on Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and assign it to
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs
7. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Radio_2_Frequency
8. Then middle-click Radio and select
to MainFrequency
9. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Radio_2_Mode
10. Then middle-click Radio and select
to MainMode
11. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Radio_2_Squelch
12. Then middle-click Radio and select
to MainSquelch
13. Reload the model.
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Step 9: Creating Operator 1
1. Navigate to the main model folder and add a
subfolder, name it
Operators
2. In the Operators subfolder, add another new
subfolder, name it
Operator_1
3. Open Operator_1 subfolder and in the workspace right-click and under Intercom select
ComSing, name it
Comm_Panel
4. In the workspace right-click and under
Audio select Vox, name it
Vox
5. Reload the model.
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6. Next you need to set the Operator settings. Open the
CommPanel schematic. Open AssetDefinition0 and
expand kin, set the channel to
Radio_1_Bus
7. Open AssetDefinition1 and set the channel to
Radio_Bus_2
8. Open RxGain0 and RxGain1 set
kin to 1
9. Open PTT and set
kin to TRUE
10. Open SidetoneGain set
kin to 1
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Step 10: Adding Members to the ICD for Operator 1
1. Open the ICD tool, and the previously created ICD and packet.
2. Add a new member. Name it and set the Type:
Operator_1_VoxEnable, Type: basic/boolean
3. Add a new member. Name it and set the Type:
Operator_1_Voxlevel, Type: basic/float32
4. Add two (2) new members. Name them and set the Types:
Operator_1_ InputSelector, Type: basic/uint8
Operator_1_OutputSelector, Type: basic/uint8
5. Click on Name to reorganize the new and old members by name.
6. Highlight the members and right-click and select Auto Index/Offset.
7. Save the ICD and select the “magic wand” tool to create the asset.
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Step 11: Creating the UDP in Cable and Assigning Links
1. Navigate back to the Operator_1 subfolder workspace. Right-click to add the UDPincable,
name it
Radio_Tutorial_Input
2. Right-click on Radio_Tutorial_Input and assign it to
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs
3. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Operator_1_VoxEnable
4. Then middle-click Vox and select
to VoxEnable
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5. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Operator_1_VoxLevel
6. Then middle-click Vox and select
to VoxLevel
7. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Operator_1_InputSelector
8. Then middle-click Comm_Panel and select
to InputSelector
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9. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Operator_1_OutputSelector
10. Then middle-click Comm_Panel and select
to OutputSelector
11. Next you need to connect the Vox audio to the Comm_Panel audio. Middle-click Vox and
select
from AudioOut >>all of
12. Middle-click Comm_Panel and select
to TxAudio >> all of
13. Reload the model.
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Step 12: Creating Operator 2 and Adding Members to the ICD Packet
1. Navigate back to the Operator subfolder. Rightclick and copy the Operator_1 folder and paste it
as Operator_2 in the Operator folder.
2. In the Operator_2 subfolder delete the
Radio_Tutorial_Input links.
3. Open the ICD tool, and the previously created
ICD and packet.
4. Add a new member. Name it and set the Type:
Operator_2_VoxEnable, Type: basic/boolean
5. Add a new member. Name it and set the Type:
Operator_2_Voxlevel, Type: basic/float32
6. Add two (2) new members. Name them and set the Types:
Operator_2_ InputSelector, Type: basic uint8
Operator_2_OutputSelector, Type: basic uint8
7. Click on Name to reorganize the new and old members by name.
8. Highlight the members and right-click and select Auto Index/Offset.
9. Save the model and select the “magic wand” tool to create the asset.
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Step 13: Adding Links for Operator 2
1. Navigate back to the Operator_2 subfolder to change the UDP Input Assignment, and
select the Radio_Tutorial_Inputs to
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs
2. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Operator_2_VoxEnable
3. Then middle-click Vox and select
to VoxEnable
4. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Operator_2_VoxLevel
5. Then middle-click Vox and select
to VoxLevel
6. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Operator_2_InputSelector
7. Then middle-click Comm_Panel and select
to InputSelector
8. Middle-click Radio_Tutorial_Inputs and select
from/to hostPacket >> Operator_2_OutputSelector
9. Then middle-click Comm_Panel and select
to OutputSelector
Operator 1 and 2 should look identical.
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Step 14: Connecting the Iris Asset
1. Navigate back to the Operators folder and right-click to add an Iris Cable, name it
IrisCable_Op1_Op2
2. Right-click on the Operator_1 subfolder and select to expand the subfolder.
3. Right-click on IrisCable_Op1_Op2 and assign to
IrisCable_Op1_Op2
4. Middle-click IrisCable_Op1_Op2 and select
from/to stereoOpertor >> AudioInA
5. Then middle-click Vox (in Operator 1 subfolder) and select
AudioIn >> all of
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6. Middle-click IrisCable_Op1_Op2 and select
from/to stereoOperator >> digital_inA1 >> digital_inA1
kout_bool
7.
Then middle-click Vox (in Operator_1 subfolder) and select
to PTT
The workspace on your screen should look the same as the screen shown below.
8. Middle-click Operator 1 Comm_ Panel and select
from RxAudio >> all of
9. Then middle-click IrisCable_Op1_Op2 and select
to stereoOperator >> AudioOutA
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10. Right-click on the box around the Operator_1 folder and reduce the contents back into the
folder. Then expand the Operator_2 subfolder, shown below.
11. Middle-click IrisCable_Op1_Op2 and select
from/to stereoOpertor >> AudioInB
12. Middle-click Vox (Operator 2 subfolder) and select
to AudioIn >> all of
13. Middle-click IrisCable_Op1_Op2 and select
from/to stereoOperator >> digital_inB1 >>
digital_inB1_kout_bool
14. Middle-click Vox and select
to PTT
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15. Middle-click Comm_Panel and select
from Rx/Audio >> all of
16. Middle-click IrisCable_Op1_Op2 and select
to stereoOpertor >> AudioOutB
Below is an expanded view of both Operator_1 and Operator_2 subfolders with the Iris cable connections.
Below is a folder view of both Operator_1 and Operator_2 subfolders with the Iris cable connections.
17. Reload the model.
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Step 15: Mapping the Iris Hardware Devices to the Model
1. Open RMS with your local browser.
2. Login to RMS using the same username you used to log into MBV for your model development.
3. Navigate to the Model >> Management screen and confirm that the model is loaded but
not started.
4. Then navigate to the Hardware >> Mapping screen.
5. Click on the “Map Iris Devices to Model” button.
6. Select the serial number for the physical Iris device (if you don't know it look on the Iris
hardware).
7. After setting the serial numbers select the “Map it” button.
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Step 16: Running the Model
1. Navigate back to MBV and reload the model.
2. Then start the model and confirm that it is running.
3. Open the Telestra Radio_Tutorial_Inputs.
4. Set the values for the following:
•
Operator_1_InputSelector to 1
•
Operator_1_OutputSelector to 1
•
Operator_2_InputSelector to 2
•
Operator_2_OutputSelector to 2
•
Radio_1_Frequency to 100000000
•
Radio_1_Mode to 2
•
Radio_1_Squelch to .02
•
Radio_2_Frequency to 100000000
•
Radio_2_Mode to 2
•
Radio_2_Squelch to .02
5. Press the PTT and start talking.
Note: The Vox settings are not manually set because they are driven by the host. When setting
host driven outputs and inputs for the Comm Panel remember to set output to hear and input to
talk.
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Congratulations, you have now completed the radio tutorial.
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11.0. Converting a 2-operator 2-radio model to an 8operator 4-radio model
This model tutorial builds onto the previous Radio Tutorial and shows the user how to convert the
2-operator 2-radio model to an 8-operator 4-radio model.
Step 1: Adding Radios 3 and 4
1. In the Radios folder highlight Radio_1 and Radio_2.
2. Right-click the highlighted subfolders and select Copy. Rightclick again in the workspace and
select Paste. Two new sub folders
named Radio_3 and Radio_4
will appear.
Step 2: Adding to the Existing ICD
1. Open the ICD tool and open
Radio_Tutorial_ICD.x
ml
2. Under the Current Packet pulldown list select
Radio_Tutorial_Inputs.
3. Right-click and select Add Member. Name the member
Radio_3_Frequency
Set the type to basic/uint64.
4. Right-click and add two more
members and name them
Radio_3_Squelch and Radio_3_Mode
Set the types for these two members.
Remember that the type for squelch is basic/float32 and Mode is basic/uint32.
5. Add three more members for Radio 4. Name them
Radio_4_Frequency
Radio_4_Squelch
Radio_4_Mode
6. Set the corresponding type for each member.
7. Highlight all members in the ICD, right-click and select ‘Auto Index/Offset’ and set to 0.
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8. Save the ICD and click the “magic wand” tool to create the assets.
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Step 3: Linking the ICD to Radio_3 and Radio_4
1. Navigate back to the Radio_3 sub-folder. Right-click on the UDP Cable and select
Assign UDP Input Cable >> Telestra [Radio_Tutorial_Inputs
(port 10000)]
2. Right-click one of the links from the Radio_Tutorial_Inputs to the Radio and select
delete link. Delete the other two links in this same fashion.
3. Recreate the links using the Radio 3 inputs. To do this link the frequency, squelch, and
mode from the Radio_Tutorial_Inputs to the Radio. See the example shown below linking
the frequency.
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4. Reload the model.
5. Navigate to the Radio_4 sub-folder. Again, delete the three links then re-link the Frequency, Mode, and Squelch using the Radio_4 inputs as done with Radio_3.
6. Open the Channel Handle Editor and add two new handles named Radio_3_Bus and
Radio_4_Bus and click ‘Apply’ and then click ‘OK.’
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Step 4: Adding Operators
1. Navigate to the Operator_1 subfolder and double-click on Comm_Panel. Open
RxGain2 and set default kin to 1. Repeat with RxGain3.
2. Open AssetDefinition2 and right-click on
kin->assets->channel select
Choose Intercom Channel and
Radio_3_Bus
3. Under AssetDefinition3 add the channel
Radio_4_Bus using the same process.
4. Repeat the previous three steps for on the Comm Panel in the Operator_2 sub-folder.
5. Navigate to the Operators folder. In the workspace highlight the Iris Cable and both
Operators_1 and Operators_2 sub-folders.
6. Right-click on the Operator_2 sub-folder and select copy.
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7. Right-click in the workspace and select paste. Right-click and paste two more times so
you have a total of 8 operators.
8. Navigate to the Assets->Telestra Folder. Right-click on Iris_Op1_Op2 and choose copy.
Paste a new Iris onto the workspace and rename it Iris_Op3_Op4. Paste another Iris and
name it Iris_Op5_Op6. Repeat again and name it Iris_Op7_Op8.
9. Navigate to the Operators folder. Right-click on IrisCable_Op1_Op3 and rename the
cable IrisCable_Op3_Op4.
10. Right-click again on IrisCable_Op3_4 and select
Assign To Iris
then select
Iris_Op3_Op4
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11. Right-click on IrisCable_Op1_Op4 and rename the cable IrisCable_Op5_Op6. Rightclick again on the cable and select
Assign To Iris
then select
Iris_Op5_Op6
12. Right-click on IrisCable_Op1_Op5 and rename the cable IrisCable_Op7_Op8. Rightclick again on the cable and select
Assign To Iris
then select
Iris_Op7_Op8
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Step 5: Adding ICD members to Drive the Operators
1. Open the ICD tool and add a new member and name it
Operator_3_InputSelector
Set the type to basic/uint8.
2. Add another new member and name it
Operator_3_OutputSelector
Set the type to basic/uint8.
3. Add another new member and name it
Operator_3_VoxEnable
Set the type to basic/boolean.
4. Add another new members and name it
Operator_3_VoxLevel
Set the type to basic/float32.
5. Repeat this process for Operators 4 through 8.
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6. Highlight all members, right-click and select Auto Index/Offset. Then save the ICD and
click the “magic wand” tool to create assets.
Congratulations you have created a 4 radio - 8 operator model!.
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12.0. The Radio Object
Radio Models (also referred to as Comms Models) are the largest, most complex, and most used
models in MBV. This chapter contains several specifically focused radio tutorials to demonstrate
some of the properties of real radios and MBV simulated radios. This chapter will also focus on
the components most often used in comms models and the radio environment. The radio tutorials
include the following:
• Amplitude Modulation Versus Frequency Modulation
• Local vs. Networked
• Mode Tables
• Crypto
• Frequency Hopping
• Adding Tones and Noise Effects
• Comm Panels
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12.1. Amplitude Modulation (AM) versus Frequency Modulation (FM)
Tutorial
This radio tutorial will cover the use of the two primary modulations for radio operation, AM and
FM. Signals that are produced via FM radio are more resistant to noise and interference than AM
radio, and are subject to something called “Capture Effect.” When several FM radios are transmitting on the same frequency, an FM receiver will only be able to receive the strongest signal. The
weaker signals are suppressed and the operator will not hear all of the signals from every transmitting radio. When several AM radios are transmitting the AM receiver is not subject to this
effect. The aviation industry uses AM communications, since it allows multiple signals to broadcast on the same channel frequency.
AM Radio
Transmitting
1
FM Radio
Transmitting
1
AM Radio
Transmitting
2
AM Radio
Transmitting
FM Radio
Transmitting
2
3
3
AM Radio
Receives
1, 2, & 3
FM Radio
Transmitting
FM Radio
Receives
3 only
Figure 50: Capture Effect
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Before getting started with this tutorial you must upload the AM/FM base model named
Basic_Model from the ASTi web site.
The base model provides several pre-built objects that will be needed for the remainder of the
tutorials. Many of these objects are very common to MBV and you should be familiar with them
when building models. The details of these components are beyond the scope of this tutorial in
order to focus on radio features.
The following tutorial will demonstrate the differences between AM and FM and how to set up
transmitters and receivers.
1. In MBV, open the Basic_Model and ensure that the soundfiles are also uploaded to your
Telestra.
2. Once the model has been loaded, go to RMS and map your Iris hardware to the Iris in the
model. For more details on this step see the section “Mapping Iris Devices” in the MBV
Basic Training Manual (DOC-01-MBV-BTM-1).
3. Once you've mapped the hardware, the Basic_Model should have the following objects:
•
Sine wave
•
ClickingSound
•
Radio Entity
•
Iris Asset
•
AudioOut cable
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4. Add three generic radios (under Radio->Generic), name them
Radio_1, Radio_2, and Radio_3
Reload the model.
You've just created three radios that are already in-tune with each other. Note that if you
look inside the radio, the MainFrequency is 100Mhz and the MainMode is set to 1. MBV
provides default settings for the radios so that the most common configurations are preset.
The Generic Radio component comes with 15 preset modes that are fully configurable by
the user. These settings are discussed in detail in section 12.3. Mode Tables. When MainMode is set to 1, the radio simulates a typical AM radio. When MainMode is set to 2, the
radio simulates a typical FM radio.
5. Open the Radio_1 schematic and set the Entity Handle kin to 1 and set as default.
This step provides Radio_1 with a world position. ASTi radios rely on world positions and
entities in order to calculate propagation effects. If you are familiar with DIS, the Entity
will also set the Exercise ID, Site ID, and other common DIS parameters for the radio.
6. Continue in the Radio_1 schematic and set the AutoPTT kin to TRUE.
AutoPTT will put the radio into a VOX mode so that the radio will transmit whenever it
detects an audio signal. Remember to set as default, if it is not set to default and the user
reloads the model, the AutoPTT will go back to FALSE.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for Radio_2.
8. In Radio_3 set the Entity Handle to 1.
For this example, Radio_3 will only be receiving, so you do not need to set the AutoPTT.
9. Link the audio from the Sine wave to the ‘Local Audio’ of Radio_1.
10. Link the ‘Click’ playsound to the ‘Local Audio’ of Radio_2.
11. Link MainAudio (all of…) from Radio_3 to the AudioOut cable and reload the model.
Why are the Arrows Different Colors?
Notice that every time you make a link in MBV, a colored arrow that connects
two objects appears on the canvas. These colors represent the different processing rates of the Telestra. For most connections, the information is passed between
objects at 100Hz. This rate is called the ‘K Rate’ and is used for math functions,
digital inputs, and host controls. Every time something is processed at the ‘K
Rate’ a blue arrow is drawn on the canvas.
In order to have good audio quality, MBV needs to process audio streams at a
rate much higher than 100Hz. This rate is called the ‘A Rate’ and it is set to 1
kHz. A red arrow indicates an audio stream is passing between the two components at the ‘A Rate.’
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12. Listen to the headphones and you should hear both the Sine Wave tone and a clicking
sound. The radios are operating in AM mode and mixing the signals together by the
receiver allowing you to hear both sounds.
13. Change all three radios to FM by opening each schematic and changing the MainMode
value to 2 and set as default.
14. Listen to the headphones again. Notice that with the radios in FM, you will only hear one
sound.
15. Open Radio_2 and adjust the TransmitterGain. You will find that once the TransmitterGain of Radio_2 passes the gain of Radio_1, it will change what Radio_3 receives.
Note: Before continuing with the Radio Tutorials, set the power switch to FALSE on all of the
radios. This will turn off the radios and prevent them from interfering with the remaining radio
exercises.
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12.2. Local Versus Networked Radios
This tutorial will cover local versus networked radio models in two main steps. In the first step of
this tutorial, the user will set up a simple 2 operator, 2 radio model. The goal is to have two people
communicating to each other using the Telestra. In the second step, the two operators on one
Telestra will communicate with two operators on a second separate Telestra.
Telestra 1
Telestra 2
LAN
Op 2
Op 1
Local
Op 3
Op 4
Local
Networked (LAN)
Figure 51: Local versus Networked
Step 1: Creating a Local Radio Model
1. Open the Local_vs_Networked subfolder. (Be sure that your base model is loaded, this
should include an Iris cable for the audio input.)
2. Right-click in the workspace and add two generic radio objects. Name them
Radio_1 and Radio_2
3. Right-click in the workspace and add two entity objects. Name them
Entity_Radio1 and Entity_Radio2
For an MBV radio to function properly it must have an attached Entity. The Entity gives
the radio a World Position, which is required to do ranging effects. The Entity can also
provide network data such as the DIS exercise, site, host and entity IDs.
4. Assign the AudioInA from the Iris cable to Radio_1.
5. Assign the DigitalInA1_bool to Radio_1. This is required to use the PTT.
6. Open the Radio_1 object and set the Radio ID to 1. MBV radios require a unique radio
ID to function properly.
7. Open Entity_Radio1 and set the Handle to 37. By setting the Handle to 37, any type of
transmitter or receiver can attach to Entity_Radio1 by matching the handle number.
Matching handle numbers is equivalent to linking two objects together.
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8. Set the Local to TRUE. Setting the Local flag contains the Entity (or anything the Entity
is attached to) from being sent out over the network. As the name implies, it contains the
Entity local to the Telestra. Before closing, set the UseGeodetic to TRUE.
9. Repeat steps 4-8 for Radio_2. Choose a different Handle number, radio ID and use channel B of the Iris cable instead of A.
10. Link Radio_1 and Radio_2 to the Iris cable labeled Audio_out_Headset. Then link
Radio_1 to AudioOutA and Radio_2 to AudioOutB.
11. In the workspace right-click and add an Iris cable. Name this cable
AudioOut
12. Attach Radio_1 and Radio_2 to AudioOut headset.
The model is ready for local communication. Operator 1 and 2 should be able to communicate by
pressing the PTTs for their headsets.
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Step 2: Converting the Local Radio Model to a Networked Radio Model
1. Open Entity_1 and Entity_2 and set Networked to DIS.
2. In Entity_1 and Entity_2 set Local to FALSE.
3. Open RMS through your browser. Navigate to the Radio Settings page and ensure that the
radios have the same DIS net and port number.
Congratulations, you now have a networked model. Save this model and upload onto another
Telestra on the network and Operator 1 can communicate with Operator 3. In RMS, the radios
should display transmitting and receiving states as shown below.
Figure 52: RMS Radios Transmitting and Receiving
Note: Before continuing with the Radio Tutorials, set the power switch to FALSE on all of the
radios. This will turn off the radios and prevent them from interfering with the remaining radio
exercises.
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12.3. Mode Tables
The Generic Radio in MBV can be modeled to simulate hundreds of different types of radios.
MBV also allows the user to change from one type of radio to another by simply changing the
Main Mode. Each radio can store up to 15 different fully configurable modes that can be set to
match desired specifications and fidelity. Each radio mode comes with 20 parameters that are preset within the model. These parameters are referred to as the “Mode Table” for each radio.
Mode Tables allow the user to create a high fidelity simulated radio for use in a particular exercise. The mode tables can be set to create a radio that could never exist in the real world, therefore
users must know what controls to set for a specific radio. The following section describes the controls, and how to tune them to match the specifications of real world radios.
In order to view the mode tables:
1. Open the schematic of a Generic Radio.
2. Double-click on the control parameter labeled MainModeSelect.
3. Expand the browser for a particular mode, i.e. Mode l.
Figure 53: Mode Tables
Why are they called Mode Tables?
The idea that each radio has it’s own mode table, rather than just mode settings,
comes from ASTi’s legacy DACS platform. In the DACS environment each
radio displayed the modes as rows in a table and the settings as columns.
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Antenna Gain
Real radios have antennas that act differently depending on the radio mode. For example, an FM
antenna is typically better at receiving than an AM antenna. MBV allows the user to set different
antenna gains for each mode in order to simulate these and other radio effects. The antenna gain
units are in dBm, which makes them additive. Therefore, setting the antenna gain inside the mode
table will not override the Generic Radio AntennaGain setting. MBV calculates the strength of the
receiver antenna by combining both of these values. Note that the antenna gain is receive only,
and does not effect how the radio transmits.
What is a dBm?
dBm is a unit of measuring power ratios and is commonly used in radio, fiber
optics, and microwave technology. Unlike decibels, dBm are not dimensionless
and use milliWatts as a reference. Therefore, a reading of ‘0’ dBm is equivalent
to ‘1’ milliWatt of power.
Bandwidth and Bandwidth Overlap Threshold
Bandwidth is the operating range around the tune frequency of a radio. For example, if a real
radio is transmitting at exactly 6 Mhz, it is actually running in a range of frequencies and is not a
single point frequency. This means that a receiver can be set to 6.000001 Mhz, and is considered
“in tune” with a radio at 6 Mhz. Setting the bandwidth for each mode allows the radio to operate
with a very narrow range or a very broad spectrum depending on the application. In the mode
table the bandwidth defaults to 25kHz.
.1 MHz bandwidth
0 bandwidth
Frequency
5.9
6
6.1
6.2 MHz
Frequency
2 Radio Signals without Bandwidth
Out of Tune
5.9
6
6.1
6.2 MHz
2 Radio Signals with Bandwidth
Out of Tune
.4 MHz bandwidth
Frequency
5.9
6
6.1
6.2 MHz
2 Radio Signals with Bandwidth
In Tune
Figure 54: Bandwidth Examples
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The Bandwidth Overlap Threshold refers to the percentage of overlap that a receiver requires to
be in-tune with another radio. In the diagram below, there are two radios with bandwidth that
overlap by 50 percent each. Therefore, if the receiver BWOverlapThreshold is set to 0.5, the two
radios are in-tune. Bandwidth overlap also effects the strength of a signal. If two radios’ bandwidth overlaps by 100 percent, then the radios will have better reception than radios overlapping
by only 50 percent.
Overlap
Overlap
Frequency
4
6
8
Tx
Rx
Frequency
10 MHz
4
6
8
10 MHz
Figure 55: Bandwidth Overlap Threshold Examples
BWOverlapThreshold is a receive effect, which means the transmitter’s overlap threshold does
not have a direct effect in MBV. However, the receiver’s BWOverlapThreshold is in reference to
the transmitter’s bandwidth. Meaning, the amount of overlap created by the transmitter’s and
receiver’s bandwidths must exceed a percentage of the transmitter’s total bandwidth. This percentage value is defined by the receiver’s BWOverlapThreshold value.
In the diagram below, the transmitter (Radio 1) has a smaller bandwidth than the receiver (Radio
2). Radio 1 has a 50 percent bandwidth overlap but Radio 2 only has a 25 percent bandwidth overlap. MBV will consider these two radios in-tune as long as Radio 2 has a BWOverlapThreshold of
0.5 or lower. Conversely, Radio 1 could have a BWOverlapThreshold of 0.9 and the radios would
still be in-tune.
Overlap
Frequency
Radio 1
(Tx)
50%
Radio 2
(Rx)
25%
Figure 56: Bandwidth Overlap Threshold Levels
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The diagram below displays the transmitter with a larger bandwidth than the receiver. Notice that
even though the radios share the same center frequency, they will not be in-tune since only 25 percent of the transmitter bandwidth overlaps. MBV will indicate that the receiver is jammed rather
than in-tune.
Overlap
Frequency
Tx
Rx
Figure 57: Bandwidth Overlap
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Capture Effect
This setting allows the user to turn the capture effect on or off. A value of ‘0’ will turn the capture
effect off and a value of ‘1’ will turn the capture effect on. When the capture effect is off, the user
will hear all the in-tune signals together. When the capture effect is on, the user will only hear the
in-tune radio with the strongest signal. For a more detailed description of the Capture Effect see
the Amplitude Modulation versus Frequency Modulation Tutorial.
Note that it is possible to set up an FM radio without turning on the capture effect. This creates a
radio that does not simulate anything in the real world.
Crypto System and Crypto Library
The Crypto System and Crypto Library parameters relate to the crypto settings for each mode. For
more information see the Crypto tutorial.
Detail and Major Modulation Type
The Major Modulation Type field and the Detail field use a DIS standard to help describe the signal parameters (i.e. the modulation type) of a radio. These two fields are included in the MBV
mode tables and are defined per the DIS standard. Common settings for the Generic Radio are:
• Generic FM radio:
•
Major Modulation Type = 2
•
Detail = 1
• Generic AM radio:
•
Major Modulation Type = 1
•
Detail = 2
The following table includes the possible Major Modulation Types and the Detail settings that are
defined by the DIS standard.
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Major Modulation Type
1 – Amplitude
2 – Amplitude and Angle
3 – Angle
4 – Combination
5 – Pulse
6 – Unmodulated
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Detailed Modulation
0 – Other
1 – AFSK (Audio Frequency Shift Keying)
2 – AM (Amplitude Modulation)
3 – CW (Continuous Wave Modulation)
4 – DSB (Double Sideband)
5 – ISB (Independent Sideband)
6 – LSB (Single Band Suppressed Carrier,
Lower Sideband Mode)
7 – SSB-Fill (Single Sideband Full Carrier)
8 – SSB-Reduce (Single Band Reduced
Carrier)
9 – USB (Single Band Suppressed Carrier,
Upper Sideband Mode)
10 – VSB (Vestigial Sideband)
0 – Other
1 – Amplitude and Angle
0 – Other
1 – FM (Frequency Modulation)
2 – FSK (Frequency Shift Keying)
3 – PM (Phase Modulation)
0 – Other
1 – Amplitude-Angle-Pulse
0 – Other
1 – Pulse
0 – Other
1 – Continuous Wave emission of an
unmodulated carrier
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Digital Mode
In the real world, radios are constantly receiving energy from outside factors. This energy results
in background noise that can be heard when listening to a radio. On an analog radio, the static is
suppressed via the radio squelch control. However, since the advent of digital radios, signals are
now encoded bit streams and the radios are able to remove the noise floor without the use of
squelch control. Radios in MBV simulate digital radios via the Digital Mode setting in the Mode
Table. Set the Digital Mode value to ‘1’ to allow the digital radio to eliminate background noise.
Encoding
The encoding mode selects the type of encoding for radio transmission. Each encoding type has a
different network bandwidth which causes varying audio quality. The following encoding types
are set per the DIS standard.
• 0 – uses default encoding (The default encoding parameter is set elsewhere in the radio.)
• 1 – muLaw provides a medium level of audio quality (typically 128 or 64 Kb/s)
• 2 – CVSD provides a lower level of audio quality (typically 16 Kb/s)
• 4 – PCM16 provides a high level of audio quality (typically 256 Kb/s)
The payload bandwidth comes from the number of samples per second multiplied by the number
of bits per sample for each encoding type.
• muLaw = 8 kHz x 8 bit samples = 64 Kb/sec.
• CVSD = 16 kHz x 1 bit samples = 16 Kb/sec.
• PCM 16 = 8 kHz x 16 bit = 128 Kb/sec.
Note that the sample rate is configurable via RMS. The values listed above are the MBV defaults.
Full Duplex
When this parameter is set to ‘0’, the radio operates in half-duplex mode. Half-duplex mode is
when the radio is able to transmit and receive signals, but cannot do both at the same time. In
order to allow the radio to operate in full duplex mode set the value to ‘1.’ Typically, full duplex is
only used for intercom systems and never for real radios.
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Noise
Every electronic component inside a real radio receiver produces a noise known as their “internal
noise.” This noise is also called “thermal noise” and comes from the movement of electrons inside
the electrical components such as capacitors and resistors. The radio’s electronic components are
chosen very carefully and manufactured to produce a minimum noise.
Inside the mode table, the noise parameter refers to the “internal noise” of the radio and is set in
units of dBm.
Propagation
Radios in MBV simulate the propagation losses of the radio waves as they are sent through the
air. In order to model a radio to a desired fidelity, the mode tables provide a choice of four different types of propagation. Each type of propagation is turned on by setting the value within the
mode table to TRUE and turned off by setting the value to FALSE. Any configured propagation
effects are automatically turned off for a radio by placing that radio in the center of the earth
(world position of 0, 0, 0).
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1) Ranging
Ranging occurs as a result of the distance between two radios. The greater the distance
between the radios, the weaker the signal. The principle behind ranging is how the power of
the transmitted signal dissipates as it traverses a larger area. In the figure below, Radio 1 and
Radio 2 are close together and Radio 3 is farther away.
The signal loss due to ranging, is proportional to the square of the distance. Thus, if two radios
are twice as far apart, there will be four times the loss. Due to this relationship, ranging effects
are referred to as r-squared losses.
Radio Signal
Strength
Radio 1
Distance
Radio 2
Radio 3
x
2x
Figure 58: Ranging Effects
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2) Occulting
As a radio moves beyond the horizon, the Earth blocks the radio signal resulting in a propagation loss known as occulting. The radio signal becomes ‘occulted’ due to the curvature of the
earth.
In the figure below, imagine that the blue oval (the top oval overlapping the earth) is an ellipsoid. MBV examines the cross-section of the ellipsoid where the arrow is located. The crosssection will be a circle, and the percentage of the circle that is blocked by the Earth effects the
amount of signal loss.
Radio Signals Not Blocked
Radio 1
Radio 2
Earth
Figure 59:Occulting Effects
MBV uses a smooth ellipsoid earth model, WGS84, when determining occulting loss. Note
that while all radios experience ranging, HF radios do not experience occulting. Users should
turn the occulting effect off for HF radios.
3) Terrain
The terrain effects are caused by the loss of signal due to land obstruction such as a mountain.
Terrain losses are very similar to occulting and are calculated by MBV in much of the same
way, since both are a form of obstruction. The difference between the two is the MBV model
of the Earth. For occulting effects MBV uses a simple, smooth Earth model. For terrain effects
the model of the Earth is extremely accurate with mountain peaks accurate to the inch, but this
model requires a much larger database. These databases are commonly offered on an external
‘Terrain Server’ and MBV sends pathloss requests to them.
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4) Ionosphere
The Ionosphere effects occur with High Frequency (HF) radios. Instead of two radios talking
to each other in a straight line, the signals will bounce off of the earth’s atmosphere. When the
radio signal bounces off of the ionosphere, the propagation loss can change depending on the
frequency, whether it is day or night, or different seasons. ASTi’s HF server calculates the
effects from the ionosphere by looking at parameters such as time, date, and sun spot number.
When the radio uses ionosphere effects, the radio will need the ASTi HF server in order to
properly calculate the signal loss.
Ionosphere
Radio 2
Radio 1
Earth
Figure 60: Ionosphere Effects
Receive Only
Set the Receive Only mode to one (1) to disable the radio transmitter. The radio will be able to
receive signals as normal, but it cannot send any transmissions.
Receive Offset
Receive Offset changes the frequency at which the radio will receive signals. For example, if the
Main Frequency is set at 100 MHz and the Receive Offset is set to 60 MHz the radio will receive
at 160 MHz.
Main Frequency + Offset = Frequency of Receiver
Receive offset enables the user to model satellite radios, which rely on using both an uplink
(transmit) and a downlink (receive) frequency.
Spread Spectrum and System
Spread Spectrum and System settings relate to the frequency hopping characteristics of the radio.
These settings are discussed in detail in the Radio Frequency Hopping section.
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Tx Power
The Tx Power sets the transmission power of the antenna in Watts. MBV multiplies this value
(among many others) to determine the antenna power of a transmitter. Since the value is multiplied, setting this value to zero will effectively turn the antenna off. Note that the radio can still be
in a transmitting state, but a receiver can be two feet away and it will not be able to capture the
signal.
Mode Table Defaults
As a reference, the following page displays the Generic Radio mode table defaults.
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Noise
Propagation
Ionosphere
Occulting
Range
Terrain
ReceiveOnly
RxFreqOffset
SpreadSpectrum
System
TxPower
0
0
3
2
0.0
0.8
25k
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
3
0.0
0.8
25k
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
8
4
0.0
0.8
25k
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
5
0.0
0.8
25k
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
3
6
0.0
0.8
25k
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
3
7
0.0
0.8
25k
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
8
0.0
0.8
25k
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
2
9
0.0
0.8
25k
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
10
0.0
0.8
25k
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
11
0.0
0.8
25k
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
1
12
0.0
0.8
6k
0
0
0
2
0
False
True
True
False
0
0
0
1
10.0
False
True
True
False
0
0
0
1
10.0
False
True
True
False
0
0
0
1
10.0
False
False
True
False
0
0
0
1
10.0
False
True
True
False
0
0
1
2
10.0
False
True
True
False
0
0
1
2
10.0
False
True
True
False
0
0
1
2
10.0
False
True
True
False
0
0
1
3
10.0
False
True
True
False
0
0
1
3
10.0
False
True
True
False
0
0
0
1
10.0
False
True
True
False
0
0
0
1
10.0
True
False
True
False
0
0
0
1
10.0
-105.0 -105.0 -110.0 -110.0 -105.0 -105.0 -105.0 -105.0 -105.0 -105.0 -105.0 -105.0
0
0
1
Encoding
FullDuplex
MajorModulation
Type
1
0.0
0.8
25k
0
0
0
1
0
Mode
AntennaGain
BWOverlap
Bandwidth
CaptureEffect
CryptoLibrary
CryptoSystem
Detail
DigitalMode
False
False
False
False
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
13 & 14
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
False
False
True
False
0
0
0
1
10.0
-110.0
2
0
8
15
0.0
0.8
25k
1
0
0
1
1
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12.4. Crypto
Transmissions between radios are inherently insecure. Since radio waves are sent across the earth,
anyone with a receiver set to the proper frequency can hear any messages, secret or otherwise.
Radios that use cryptography were created as a way of preventing private signals from being
understood. Crypto radios scramble the signals before they are transmitted so that only receivers
who know the special key will have the ability to decode them. This allows the radios to produce
a secure voice transmission across any frequency.
Before getting started with Crypto, the user must set the standard radio environment parameters
(e.g. frequency, modulation type, system, frequency hopping parameters) to match between
radios. If these radio parameters do not match, secure communication will not occur regardless of
the crypto parameters settings.
To use crypto settings with a set of radios, the radios must have the following:
• Matching Crypto Key and Crypto System settings. If these settings are not equal, then the
radios will be in a mismatch state resulting in noise. If the transmitter is set with a Crypto
System of 0 it is considered a plain radio. A Crypto Key or Crypto System value of 65535 is
used as a wildcard.
• Matching Crypto System types. The DIS standard provides values for various Crypto System types (e.g. KY-58, KY-100).
• A user defined crypto library inserted into the radio. This is used to model preamble, postamble and mismatch tones, for example.
• The Secure Mode must be set to ON. If the Secure Mode is not set, all crypto settings are
ignored by the radio including the system, key, and libraries.
A crypto radio can be set to receive plain and encrypted transmissions or just encrypted transmissions.
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Crypto Key
Crypto radios use their particular key to encode and decode transmissions. This allows any other
radio with the same crypto key to receive and transmit securely. In MBV, the crypto key provides
discrimination among radios operating in secure mode. If the crypto key value is ‘0’, the radio
communication is not encrypted. If the crypto keys in the transmitting and receiving radios do not
match, the receiving radio will not receive the encrypted transmission.
MBV also allows radios to use a wild card crypto key by setting the key to 65535. Wild cards
cause transmitters and receivers to match, agnostic of the crypto key. A transmission from a radio
with a wild card crypto key, will be received by any radio with a nonzero crypto key and a matching or wild card crypto system value (see Crypto System below). Likewise, a radio with a wild
card crypto key, will receive transmissions from any radio with a nonzero crypto key and a matching or wild card crypto system value.
Crypto System
Crypto System refers to the radio’s type of encryption. A radio can use the same key, but scramble
the signal in an entirely different way. Similar to the crypto key, the crypto system provides discrimination among radios operating in a secure mode. However, unlike the crypto key, which
applies to the entire radio object, the crypto system is mode specific and represents a different
type of encryption.
If the crypto system is set to ‘0’ for a given radio mode, encrypted communication will not occur
in that radio mode. If the crypto system in the transmitting and receiving radios do not match, the
receiving radio will not receive the encrypted transmission.
A transmission from a radio with a wildcard crypto system (Crypto Sys = 65535) will be received
by any radio with a nonzero crypto system. Likewise, a radio in a mode with a wildcard crypto
system, will receive transmissions from any radio with a matching or wildcard crypto key and a
nonzero crypto system value.
In the Crypto System field, DIS enumerated values are used for the transmitter PDUs for certain
radio crypto systems as shown in the table below.
Field Value
0
1
2
3
4
5
Radio Crypto System
Other
KY-28
KY-58
Narrow Spectrum Secure Voice (NSVE)
Wide Spectrum Secure Voice (WSVE)
SINCGARS
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Crypto Library
The crypto library greatly simplifies encrypted radio simulation by automatically playing sounds
(such as a preamble beep, a postamble, or a mismatch tone) at the appropriate times during a
secure radio conversation. The use of crypto libraries also ensures that the beeps and tones are
only heard by the owner of the radio and do not go out onto the network.
Use crypto libraries for automatically playing of the preamble, post-amble, mismatch and other
crypto sounds. Beep and tone playfiles are used to signify secure transmit. A library of crypto
tones can be associated with each model and crypto system of a given radio object. The table
below describes the timing of crypto library sounds.
Note: Most radios only use a subset of these tones. Simply leave the playsound entry set to “no
playsound” if the crypto gear you are modelling does not implement that feature.
Crypto Setting
Preamble (rx_pre, tx_pre)
Active Match (rx_match)
Active Mismatch
(rx_mismatch)
Active Clear (rx_clr)
Active Clear (tx_clr)
Active Secure (tx_secure)
Post Amble (rx_post, tx_post)
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Description
Plays immediately before a reception or transmission.
Plays during a reception when the crypto parameters are equal. Users can use continuous, looping playfiles.
Occurs when a receiver’s crypto key or system
do not match the transmitter’s.
Plays when a crypto radio receives a non-secure
transmission.
Plays when a crypto radio transmits an unencrypted signal. (i.e. crypto key or system = 0 but
secure mode is ON)
Plays during a transmission with valid crypto
parameters.
Plays immediately after a reception of a transmission.
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ASTi MBV Basic Training Manual (Ver.1, Rev.C.1)
The Crypto Library playsounds correspond to the settings shown in the table below.
Playsound
playsound [0]
playsound [1]
playsound [2]
playsound [3]
playsound [4]
playsound [5]
playsound [6]
playsound [7]
playsound [8]
playsound [9]
playsound [10]
Setting
rx_preamble
rx_preamble 2
rx_postamble
rx_clr
rx_match
rx_mismatch
tx_pre1
tx_pre2
tx_post
tx_clr
tx_secure
Crypto Tone Gain
The Crypto Tone Gain field controls the output gain of all of the sound files in the crypto library.
The crypto tone gain can only be set to a fixed value.
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Crypto Example
The base model for this example includes two vox objects, two operator Iris cables, and two
radios.
1. Set the required radio fields including Power Switch, Mode, Frequency and Entity ID. Set
the Mode to 2 and the Frequency to 45 MHz.
2. Open each Radio object and open the MainModeSelect primitive. Expand Mode 2 and set
the Crypto System to 2.
3. Next set the radios to play the secure sounds shown below. In PSound assign the following corresponding playfiles to 0, 2, and 10.
•
playsound [0] = double beep [0 = rx_preamble]
•
playsound [2] = single beep [2 = rx_postamble]
•
playsound [10] = constant beep [10 = tx_secure]
Unkeyed
Mic
Keyed
Mic
Tx
Preamble
Post-amble
Constant Beep
Keyed
Mic
Rx
Unkeyed
Mic
Beep
Preamble
Double Beep
Post-amble
Note: Before continuing with the Radio Tutorials, set the power switch to FALSE on all of the
radios. This will turn off the radios and prevent them from interfering with the remaining radio
exercises.
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12.5. Frequency Hopping
Frequency Hopping (FH) is a convenient way for radio communication to avoid interference and
it was developed to combat signals from getting jammed or intercepted. Frequency hopping
works by rapidly switching frequencies while a receiver and transmitter communicate. In order
for this to work, the receiver and transmitter have to jump between the same frequencies, at the
same speed, and at the same time. Typically, the transmitter and receiver have a set of predefined
frequencies and use an agreed upon pseudorandom pattern to hop through the frequencies. The
starting point and hopping pattern must be agreed upon ahead of time. Since FH uses a wide range
of frequencies it is also referred to as ‘spread spectrum.’
The figure below shows the operation of a jammer. The jammer’s job is to fill up a large bandwidth with heavy noise. The result is that whenever a radio tries to communicate with that band,
the noisy signal is received instead of the desired message. By using spread spectrum, the radio
can jump across multiple frequencies and only remain in the jammer’s band for a short period of
time. FH also adds a level of security.
Normal Radio
Radio being Jammed
Radio
Radio
Frequency
Jammer
Frequency
Figure 61: Jammer Blocking Radio Frequency
Frequency
Hopping
Spread Spectrum
Figure 62: Frequency Hopping using Spread Spectrum
FH is not limited to military radios, many wireless devices receive interference from microwaves
and other radio traffic. To combat this Bluetooth devices such as laptops and cell phones use 79
different hop frequencies and switches between them 1,600 times a second.
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In the simulated world, radios do not actually hop frequencies. The effects, such as noise resistance and time drifting, are simulated but the actual changing of frequencies is not. MBV relies on
a set of matching parameters in order to determine if a radio is spread spectrum, and if two radios
that are frequency hopping can communicate with each other.
In order to enable FH on a radio:
• The mode must have Spread Spectrum = 1
• The System must match a valid FH enumeration (see table below).
System #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
DIS Standard
Generic
HQ
HQII
HQIIA
SINCGARS
CCTT SINCGARS
JTIDS / MIDS
Why do I need to set the System Type?
The system number selects the radio’s type of frequency hopping. There are
multiple hopping algorithms and different kinds of frequency hopping.
HAVE QUICK (HQ) frequency hopping was created specifically for UHF
radios because by the 1970’s, anyone with an inexpensive police scanner
could intercept sensitive military communications. HQII is considered an
improvement on the system, but neither it nor HQ can communicate with the
CCTT SINCGARS type, which was developed specifically for use with
CVSD encoding.
In Frequency Hop mode, the tune frequency is used for free space path loss calculations and ranging. The generic radio contains two sets of frequency hopping parameters, SINCGARS type and
HAVE QUICK type. Radios will be considered in tune if all the proper Frequency Hopping
parameters match.
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HAVE QUICK
The HAVE QUICK Frequency Hopping extensions are applied when the system types are HQ,
HQII or HQIIA. The HAVE QUICK radios must have the following inputs:
• Net ID
• Sync Offset
• Time of Day ID
• Transec Key
• Word of the Day ID
Note that for all parameters, a value of zero acts as a wild card.
Figure 63: Setting Frequency Hopping HAVE QUICK Parameters
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SINCGARS
The SINCGARS Frequency Hopping extensions are applied when the system type is Generic,
SINCARS, or CCTT SINCGARS. Once enabled, a SINCGARS radio requires that the Net ID
be set to non-zero to begin frequency hopping. The input parameters are similar to HAVE
QUICK. The SINCGARS must have the following inputs:
• Clear Channel*
• HopSetID
• LockoutID
• NetID
• SyncOffset
• TSecID
* Setting the Clear Channel input to a non-zero number will cause MBV to ignore the other five
FH parameters. In addition, all ranging and propagation effects are turned off and the radio acts as
an intercom.
Figure 64: Setting Frequency Hopping SINCGARS Parameters
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Frequency Hopping Example
The frequency hopping base model will include two radios, two operators, two Iris cables, and
FH_Controls. The FH_Controls will act as the host computer to drive the packet. Note that the
radio power is turned off by default.
For SINCGARS:
1. In both FH_Radio and FH_Radio2, open the Mode table and select the correct System
mode for SINCGARS.
2. In both FH_Radio and FH_Radio2, open the Mode table and set the Spread Spectrum to 1.
3. Return to the model workspace and middle-click the FH_Controls and select the SINCGARS NetID. Then middle-click the FH_Radio and assign it to the SINCGARS NetID.
Repeat this for the remainder of the SINCGARS parameters. After you have finished,
right-click on a link and select to inspect the links.
4. Repeat step 3 above for FH_Radio2.
The links should match up as shown below.
Figure 65: Frequency Hopping Link Inspection
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1. In both FH_Radio and FH_Radio2 set the NetID to a number other than 0.
2. Reload the model.
Test your model. The radios should work.
3. Set the remaining SINCGARS parameters as needed or leave at 0 for wildcard.
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For HAVE QUICK:
1. In both FH_Radio and FH_Radio2, open the Mode table and select the correct System
mode for HAVE QUICK.
2. In both FH_Radio and FH_Radio2, open the Mode table and set the Spread Spectrum to 1.
3. Return to the model workspace and middle-click the FH_Controls and select the HQ
NetID. Then middle-click the FH_Radio and assign it to the NetID.
Repeat this for the remainder of the HQ parameters. After you have finished, right-click
on a link and select to inspect the links. The links should match up as shown in the SINCGARS example above.
4. Repeat step 3 above for FH_Radio2.
5. Open both FH_Radio and FH_Radio2 and set the NetID’s to a number other than 0.
6. Reload the model.
Test your model. The radios should work.
7. Set the remaining HQ parameters as needed or leave at 0 for wildcard.
Figure 66: Frequency Hopping Model
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12.7. Comm Panels
The Comm Panel provides a control interface for an operator to various radios and communication options, such as navigation aides or radar warnings. Panels manage transmit and receive
selections of multiple but separate communication channels and include controls for volume and
sidetone selection. This is similar to the communication panels that are found on real aircraft,
which provide pilots a central location to handle all of their communication assets.
The comm panel component inside MBV is called ComSing. The user must link radios to the
channel service via the Asset Definition, and the component provides two-way communication
between the channel and the bus. The panel provides Asset Definition 0 through 7 or up to 8 channels.
A control called ‘input select’ is a bit mask that allows voice transmissions across several radio
assets by routing the input audio stream of the panel, such as the mic from an operator’s headset.
A press-to-talk (PPT) control is included to work in conjunction with the input audio. Similarly,
the Output Select mask determines which assets are fed out of the panel to the earphones of an
operator’s headset. A master volume and individual volumes are available for each asset
(RxGain0-7).
Note: The 8 channels are synonymous to the communication assets used anytime you see Asset
Definition in MBV. The user must create a channel handle to connect the radio to the comm panel.
Some quick points to remember about comm panels:
• The channel handle editor must be used to create a channel name representing the comms
assets that can be added to the panel.
• The input audio can be transmitted across all eight channels simultaneously or any combination of the eight channels. Use the control ‘input selector’ to select where to route the
audio.
• Use the ‘output selector’ control to listen to all eight channels simultaneously or any combination of the eight channels.
• Comm panels have a single PTT connection, a master volume, and individual channel volumes as well.
• Comm panels provide users the ability to create a central location for managing communication assets and also enable radio sharing.
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Input Select >>
Bitmask
Comm Panel
Bus
Output Select >>
Bitmask
ON AssetDefinition0 * RxGain0 ON
AudioIn
OFF AssetDefinition1 * RxGain1 OFF
ON AssetDefinition2 * RxGain2 OFF
OFF AssetDefinition3 * RxGain3 ON
OFF AssetDefinition4 * RxGain4 ON
ON AssetDefinition5 * RxGain5 ON
OFF AssetDefinition6 * RxGain6 OFF
AudioOut
Master
Volume
ON AssetDefinition7 * RxGain7 OFF
Figure 67: Comm Panel Example
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13.0. Model Troubleshooting
There are two ways to view/debug specific variables within a running model. The user can view
model objects directly in the MBV development environment or the user can create debug sets in
RMS. By creating debug sets in RMS, the user can quickly scan model inputs for debugging.
13.1. Creating Debug Sets in RMS
The user must be operating in Advanced Mode to create new sets for
debugging.
1. Select Debug from the main RMS menu.
2. Click on “create new set” and name the set. This will display the options for creating a new entry.
3. Add an Entry from the pull-down list. This list is compiled
from the directories listed in your model.
4. Add an object from the next pull-down list. The object list is
compiled of the objects used in the chosen directory.
5. Select a specific variable in the object from the pull-down list.
6. Select the “Add Entry” button to add the new entry to the list.
The user can choose to divide the debug sets by creating sections within a page and by creating
separate pages. Use the list order option to organize your sets into specific orders. Exit Advanced
Mode to view the set for debugging. The debug set can be downloaded and uploaded and is stored
with the model.
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13.3. MBV Debugging
To facilitate debugging, ensure that the MBV development environment is configured for
advanced mode, which allows viewing internal data of components.
Instructions
1. Start MBV Development Environment
2. From File Menu, select “Edit Config”
3. Expand “Advanced” item
4. Right-click over the value and select “yes”
5. Select “Save changes”
6. Select “OK” at confirmation pop-up window
7. Select “Close”
13.4. Viewing RX Buffer Data
The UDP input cable data viewer displays the ICD variable values received from the host. The
offset indicates byte location within the buffer. The bit-packed variables are not shown in bit
order. The value shown for bit-packed variables is the overall byte value. The packet counter at
the bottom of the data viewer increments as packets are received from the host.
Instructions to View Rx Buffer Data
1. Navigate to Assets / Telestra
2. Find target UDP input cable
3. Double-click the icon or right-click and select “Open”
4. Expand window so that Offset column may be viewed
13.5. Viewing TX Buffer Data
The UDP output cable data viewer displays the ICD variable values sent to the host. The offset
indicates byte location within the buffer. The bit-packed variables are not shown in bit order. The
value shown for bit-packed variables is overall byte value. The packet counter at the bottom of the
data viewer increments as packets are sent to the host.
Instructions to View Tx Buffer Data
1. Navigate to Assets / Host
2. Find target UDP output cable
3. Double-click icon or right click and select “Open”
4. Expand window so that Offset column may be viewed
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