ADS 4000
Phoenix
Aircraft Detection System
Operation and Maintenance Manual Rev 4.3.0
Wilderness Systems and Technologies
Copyright © 2012
Contents
Checking your shipment .................................................................................................. 2
How to Install the ADS 4000 Phoenix in the Field ...................................................... 2
Connecting the ADS 4000 Phoenix to your PC ........................................................... 4
Using Phoenix_link.ttl to Start an ADS Session .......................................................... 5
Blink Codes and System Power Between Deployments............................................ 6
Plotting and Analyzing ADS Phoenix Data ................................................................... 7
Expanding Capabilities and Features ........................................................................... 8
Trouble Shooting .............................................................................................................. 9
Specifications .................................................................................................................. 10
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ADS 4000 PHOENIX OPERATIONS MANUAL
This manual describes how to set up and use the ADS 4000 Phoenix Aircraft Detection
System. The files needed to install the ADS Phoenix are on the DVD disc packed inside
the carrying case. Additional information can also be found on the Wilderness Systems
and Technologies web site http://www.wildernesstechnologies.com/
The ADS Phoenix uses built in intelligence to detect how you want to use it. If you plug
in the red cable to the power harness it detects that you want to collect data and starts
automatically. If you plug in the black USB cable to a USB port on a PC it will give you
an opportunity to synchronize clocks and then turn into a mass storage device
containing the ADS Phoenix data files.
Checking your Shipment
1. Unpacking - Verify that your shipment contains the following components



ADS Phoenix cylindrical housing and weather shield
Solar panel, charge regulator, and sealed 12 volt battery with wiring harness
A small 9 volt battery attached to a white plastic ADS power connector. The
9 volt battery is not meant to serve as a field power source but it can be used
to check system operation for short periods without using the 12 volt power.
2. Basic System Check - To familiarize yourself with the system’s operation, apply
power to the system by plugging in the red cable stored in the back of the ADS
housing to the connector on the 9 volt battery. After a brief (~10sec) system
check the LED indicator light at the front of the housing will blink 3 times and then
blink once per second when the system wakes to analyze data. It will stay
awake and illuminated if you blow or whistle into the sensor. The blinking LED
indicates that the ADS has entered SENTRY MODE and is operating properly.
How to Install the ADS 4000 Phoenix in the Field
3. Pick a Location - To install the ADS Phoenix in the field, select a location
adjacent to the runway near a typical lift-off point. The best location is one that
maximizes the sound of a takeoff and minimizes any other sounds such as taxis
and warm ups. You want the counter close to the runway but off to the side a
safe distance, typically 10 to 20 feet.
4. Place the counter horizontally on a well drained spot on the ground to allow for
water to flow away from the ADS during rainstorms or irrigation. The assembly
should not be installed vertically or at an angle as this may subject the system to
excessive moisture. The slot for the power cable should be placed down to drain
any rainwater or condensation. Rocks or other natural cover can also be placed
on top the housing for concealment or stability. Do not mount or otherwise
connect the counter to a box or structure that might induce vibrations or
otherwise acoustically change the recommended ground installation.
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5. Locate the battery and solar panel near the housing with the solar panel facing
south and tilted towards the sun. Secure the panel using spikes or other tie ins.
6. Apply Power - When ready, reconnect the – (negative) terminal of the battery
(removed for shipping) to the wiring harness. Plug in the connector on the
battery wiring harness to the mating white connector on the red power cable.
Check to see that the LED is blinking to confirm that the system is in SENTRY
MODE and ready to listen for takeoffs. That’s it, and ADS is now ready to go.
When ADS detects sound the LED will stay lit while the sound is being analyzed.
7. Protecting the Cabling - Rodents have been known to disturb or chew on the
wiring harness so you can bury the cables and battery if you think this is a
potential problem at your location. If you bury the battery it would be advisable to
place it in a battery case so that bare connections are not exposed to wet soil.
8. Note: For accurate data the outer weather shield tube must be used and the
counter should be on the ground or as close to ground level as possible.
Note: electronics package slides
into the weather protection sleeve
as shown. Power cable fits in slot
which is on the bottom of the unit.
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ADS assembly rev 3.32 2003
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Connecting the ADS 4000 Phoenix to your PC
9. Software Installation - Before connecting the ADS Phoenix to your PC with the
USB cable, copy all the files on the Installation disc to a new folder on your C:
drive such as C:\ADS. Double click or otherwise start the file in this folder named
“teraterm_utf8-4.53.exe”. This will take you through the installation of the
TeraTerm open source terminal program used to by the ADS Phoenix.
10. USB Connection Setup - The first time the ADS USB cable is connected, after a
short delay, your computer will search for a driver for the virtual Com Port. When
you are asked for the location of the driver you can either browse to the \ADS
folder or to the Installation disc. The diver, “CDC_driver.inf” is in both locations.
11. Talking to the ADS Phoenix – When the USB cable is plugged in ADS will go
through its startup routine and after a short delay will turn on the LED to signal
the user to start the program “Phoenix_link.ttl” located in the \ADS folder.
If you just plug the ADS in and don’t start “Phoenix_link.ttl” the counter will
automatically turn into mass storage after a minute delay, however using
Phoenix_link is recommended as it allows you to synchronize the clocks.
12. How Data is Stored - The ADS_Phoenix is shipped with three files already
saved in mass storage. Data is logged in the two files with .csv extensions :
 ALL_OPS.........csv – date and time of each takeoff (…… = serial #)
 DAILY_COUNT.........csv – A summary of each day’s total count
 Readme.txt – explains the ADS file contents
13. Working With ADS Data Files - The .csv files can be opened by most
spreadsheet programs where you can then plot or otherwise analyze the data
and save the results on your hard drive. After saving the data to your PC, you
can either delete the ADS data files or leave them and new data will be added to
the end of the file. If you delete the files new ones will be generated when ADS
begins collecting data again.
14. ADS Data Format – Each row in the “ALL_OPS…“ data file records one takeoff
with the following details: date and time – loudness (0-3300) - duration in
seconds – and two analysis parameters as shown in the next line,
10/20/12 10:48:45
2410
15
21
2
Each row in the “DAILY_COUNT…” file contains the date and the day’s count
10/20/2012
7
If the date and time in column A shows as “#####” when either file is first opened
adjust the column width and format to show the desired level of detail.
15. Closing the ADS Storage Device - When you are done working with the ADS
data close any programs still using those files, close the window listing the files,
and click on the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon in your taskbar. When you see
the safe to remove message you can unplug the ADS USB cable from your PC.
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Using Phoenix_link.ttl to Start an ADS Session
16. More detail on Phoenix_link.ttl – Phoenix_link.ttl is a convenient way to
synchronize clocks and start your data download session. The file is actually a
macro program written in the TeraTerm macro language. Using Phoenix_link
every time you access your will help keep the time record accurate. When you
are done with the clock synch the LED will blink 7 times, and turn ADS into a 4
gigabyte mass storage device. The windows you will see in sequence after
starting Phoenix_link.ttl are as follows:
After this sequence it may take a minute or so for your PC to load the counter as
storage, but a new window showing the files should pop up when it is ready.
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17. COM Port Settings – If needed you can start a TeraTerm session to adjust the
settings for the COM ports. To do this navigate as follows:
Start -> All Programs -> UTF-8 TeraTerm Pro
then in theTeraTerm window (shown below):
Setup->Serial Port …
Default settings are: 115200 baud - 8 bits - No parity - Flow control = none
Save your settings using Setup -> Save Setup… Note that your COM port
number will likely be different. Use the number that works for your PC.
Blink Codes and System Power Between Deployments
18. ADS Error Indicator – IF ADS encounters certain hardware or software errors it
has been programmed to blink the LED rapidly for 25 to 50 times and then stay
lit. This rapid blinking is easily distinguished from the normal blink sequences
you see in Sentry or USB connect modes. If this indicator is seen, ADS may
restart normally after cycling the power, but if the error persists, please count the
number of LED blinks and contact Wilderness Systems and Technologies.
19. Battery Maintenance and Storage – If ADS is not going to be used for an
extended period (i.e. a week or so) either disconnect one of the 12 volt battery
leads or keep the system running with the solar panel active and charging the
battery. Leaving the battery connected with no solar will slowly drain the battery.
ADS has an internal battery to power the real-time-clock and will provide backup
power for approximately 6 years with no external power applied. However,
running the system frequently with external power extends internal battery life.
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rev 4.3.0
Plotting and Analyzing ADS Phoenix Data
The Ads Phoenix design philosophy was to keep the counter interface simple by storing
all ADS data as comma separated (.csv) files contained on an easily accessed USB
mass storage device. This approach results in a stable design that should outlive
operating system upgrades that can make installed software obsolete or difficult to use.
This simplicity means that the user has great flexibility in how the ADS data is presented
and analyzed. At the most basic level one can just examine the raw data records. If
more detail is desired, plots can be created to detail everything from daily takeoff bar
charts to statistics showing hourly activity. The following options are available.
20. Creating Your Own Plots – If you are comfortable creating chart objects in
Excel or similar software, you can open the ADS raw data files in a worksheet
and define what and how you want to plot.
21. Plots Using Excel Macros – Another way to plot ADS data is to use Excel
Macros that automate creating plots from raw data. Macros are nothing more
than computer programs written in a macro language included with applications
like Excel or TeraTerm. For Excel first install both Data Analysis ToolPak add-ins.
A few sample macros to plot daily takeoffs counts are included in the ADS
directory” \ADS\Plotting Macros”. These are written for Excel and there are two
options for using them. The file named “PERSONAL.xlsb is a personal macro file
that will start every time Excel starts and is stored in a Microsoft Office directory
named “\XLSTART”. The advantage of using the personal macro file is that you
can generate a plot directly in the worksheet created when you open an ADS raw
data file by simply typing “CTRL p” (hold down the CTRL key while typing p).
If you choose to use the PERSONAL macro note that it is available to any Excel
file you have open. If CTRL p is executed any data that is in the first two
columns of a worksheet are plotted. If this was unintended simply type CTRL z
and the action will be undone. Note that if you’ve already written other personal
macros you will be replacing them with the new file unless you use Visual Basic
to meld the two files. Most users won’t have an existing PERSONAL macro file
so it should be available.
To “install” the PERSONAL macro, search your hard drive to find where
\XLSTART is located and copy PERSONAL.xlsb to this directory. If you ever
want to remove this feature just delete the file from the \XLSTART directory.
The second option, “Day_plot_WIN7_Off2010_with_macro_embedded.xlsm” is a
standard Excel workbook that has the macro embedded and is only available
within that workbook. To use this method open your ADS “DAILY_COUNT..” data
file, copy the A and B columns to A & B in “Day_Plot…” and click the command
button. After the plot is generated you should save it under a different name.
So in summary PERSONAL is more automated. The embedded macro file
requires a bit more manipulation in copying and naming the data. Also note that
there are two folders for different MS Office versions 2007 and earlier and 2010.
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22. Advanced Analysis and Statistics – Besides plotting the daily count there are
other ways of examining the ADS data to gain a better understanding of airport
operations. One example is to perform a histogram analysis of the time of day for
takeoffs using the data in the “ALL_OPS_.....csv” raw data file. This can provide
an interesting snapshot of the busiest times of day for takeoffs.
The relative amplitude (column B) in the “ALL_OPS_.....csv” file also gives a
general idea of the loudness of each takeoff. A histogram of this data, while not
calibrated to an absolute sound level, can help detect trends in the type of aircraft
using the facility.
A macro to perform these types analyses is included in the
“\ADS\Plotting_Macros\Excel 2007 and older” folder. It is named
“ADS_Analysis_3.0”, but it currently has not been updated for full functionality in
Excel 2010.
Wilderness Systems is continuing development of this and other analysis macros
and will provide them to ADS 4000 Phoenix users when they are ready for
release. In the interim, you may find the coding in the existing macro of use
should you chose to experiment with your own version. You can, of course,
always do the statistical analysis using the interactive worksheet functions rather
than a macro.
Expanding Capabilities and Features
The ADS 4000 Phoenix builds upon the original ADS 3000 which has a 12 year history
of reliable field operation. Beyond the rugged physical design which carried over from
the 3000 series, the Phoenix has a much more powerful computing engine with a
number of new capabilities available.
Wilderness Systems is currently developing advanced detection algorithms to increase
accuracy and discriminate between types of aircraft. Video and/or photographic
recording of takeoffs is also under development.
If you have a specific need that you would like to see addressed please let us know your
requirements and we will include this in our development efforts when feasible.
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Trouble Shooting
PROBLEM
CHECK THE FOLLOWING
LED does not flash when
ADS is in SENTRY MODE
(i.e. red cable to battery)


Power source connection defect. Check connectors
Low battery charge


USB or COM port timing “glitch” – try again
Driver may not be installed or may have installed
incorrectly – update drivers
Check TeraTerm serial port settings (see step 16)
Wait 2 minutes – Depending on your PC settings it can
take this long for the operating system to show ADS as
a mass storage device
Windows doesn’t
recognize ADS after black
USB cable is plugged in
or can’t connect using
Phoenix_link.ttl



Under battery power (red
cable) ADS started up
normally in the Sentry
Mode with a blinking LED,
but at some later time it is
now steady or off
A visually observed
takeoff was not counted
by ADS
USB cable is plugged in
but ADS LED does not
light up and cycle as
described in step 12 of
this manual
The DAILY_COUNT FILE
doesn’t show a count for
the current day
“I still have a problem …”
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
Unhandled software error – does ADS function properly
after cycling the power and rebooting?
Background noise level is high enough that it is keeping
ADS awake – check if condition persists in a quiet
location.
If either of these conditions occurs, please contact
Wilderness Systems and Technologies to discuss a
remedy.







Check that outer weather shield tube is installed
Two aircraft taking off within 20 seconds of each other
may not register if the sound levels are high.
Check for LED flash and try again. A > 90% accuracy
means that a small percentage of “atypical” takeoffs
may not register.
Try another USB port
Ads is plugged into a USB extender port shared with
other devices – plug ADS directly into an unshared port
Drivers are not installed properly - reinstall
A software error may have occurred – did the LED blink
rapidly over 20 times and then stay lit?

This is not an error - an accurate count for the current
day will not be saved until one takeoff from a later date
is recorded. However, the ALL_OPS file will show each
of the current day’s takeoffs.

Contact us - you have full, no cost support privileges
rev 4.3.0
Specifications
ADS 4000 Phoenix operates by analyzing acoustic signals for characteristic features that
identify a specific type of event. Analysis is performed using an embedded
microprocessor with real-time clock and analog to digital converter, signal conditioning
electronics, and nonvolatile data memory. For aircraft detection, the system software is
normally set up to detect the sounds associated with an aircraft takeoff. If a signal is
detected and meets the analysis criteria, the microprocessor notes the time and date,
and stores the event in memory. In addition, a running count of the number of takeoffs
each day is stored separately in data memory. When needed to conserve power, the
ADS system is set to “sleep” for 1 second intervals. At the end of each sleep interval the
unit wakes up to sense for signals of interest.
Data storage characteristics (standard configuration): 1
4 Gigabytes of internal storage – Approximately 1 million takeoffs
Takeoff count accuracy
>90% (+/- 10% of true count)
Time record accuracy
+/- 2 seconds 2
Communications:
Hardware specification
Virtual COM Port via USB
Software specification
USB 2.0
Accessible via terminal programs
Defaults to attached storage
Operating/(storage) temperature
-10°C to 60°C/(-40°C to 85°C)
Power requirements
7-14 VDC, 120 ma peak, 7 ma sleep
Physical description:
ADS 4000 housing
Solar Panel, 5 watt
Battery, 12 volt sealed lead-acid
Cylinder - 108 mm dia, 210 mm length3
210 x 280 x 20 mm 4 or similar
70 x 175 x 195 mm 5
1
Memory storage space can be increased up to 32 GB.
With respect to ADS Phoenix real time clock - does not account for real time clock drift.
3 Cylinder of 4.25 in. diameter, 12.75 in. length
4 Rectangular panel, 8.3 x 11.0 x 0.8 in. or similar
5
Includes solar charge regulator mounted on battery, 2.8 x 6.9 x 7.8 in. or similar
2
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